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Do people actually ROLEPLAY anymore?
Suilebhain
Member UncommonPosts: 57
I recall the good old days of DAOC where, on the roleplay servers, nearly everyone roleplayed to some degree, even if it was just to say "Hail". Almost never did I encounter people who would approach my elf with their lurikeen and say "whatup dude?" Later, SWG provided a similar, even expanded immersive experience, as player cities became hubs of roleplay activity where you could wander into a cantina and find people ready, willing and able to engage in improvisational roleplay nearly any time of the day or night.
Now, though, finding anything resembling a roleplay community that approaches that of Albion/Percival or the entire Nimue server is like finding hen's teeth. Not even on roleplay servers in alleged MMORPGS do people roleplay. I know this all started with WOW and the absurd and infamous Barrens Chat, but it has speard and now nowhere provides a welcoming place for people who prefer a greater level of immersion.
My most recent escapade came about in Runes of Magic. F2P games attract the most casual of players, but on the unofficial RP server there were only a few guilds and no casual roleplay that I could find. The folks in the guilds seemed like nice enough people, but the majority of their interaction was spent in an OOC channel labeled RP, which really was just a sign to those seeking others who enjoyed RP rather than providing any true outlet. There were little to no in-game opportunities to roleplay, as there was back in DAOC and SWG.
So, is it time to drop the RPG from MMORPG and just call it MMO.Com? Do people even value random roleplay ex periences or is it all about gear/level acquisition (AKA Achievement), raiding, and PvP?
Comments
I know what you're talking about. I remember not but a few years ago, I was an Imperial Stormtrooper, searching cantina patrons for contraband on mos eiesly. (Starsider, btw.)
I think it's Kids these days, bro. Their minds have been boggled down by the crap Tv shows, movies, and video games that seem to qualify as "Good writing". Because of this, they don't know how to come up with a good story.
That's just my opinion. But it also could be that people are too lazy nowadays. Or find it "Uncool".
I like how most of the world hates on Americans because we all think we're better than everyone else. Grow up, no one is perfect.
The other day i went over to my girlfriend house pretending to be the landlord collecting rent, but she didn't have any money, so she offered to pay in other ways
bowchiccabowwow
cleanest shirt's on the block now
"All expectation leads to suffering" Buhhda
When AOC came out, I joined the RP server (usually tends to have slightly less douchebags on them, among other things), and ended up joining some heavy duty RP guild.. There were a number of those at the time.. and that wasn't all that long ago.
I guess being on an RP server helped though lol
MUDs were much more conductive to RP I think, but that's easier with a much smaller player base, although at the time there was no such thing as an mmorpg, really.
People still roleplay in every MMO game out there , just RP group are getting smaller and smaller .
Young people don´t even understand the word roleplay anymore , its not the interest is not there .
Its that they dont dare to admit they are newbies when it comes to roleplay .
Same as dungeons and other things people are pugging .
Few people dare to ask for tactics , or even answer you all know this fight ? .
So I can understand why ROLEPLAY is getting less and less , the active one who vocally roleplay in chat .
Are afraid of being ridiculed , the ones who actively roleplay in say are usually self confident enough .
So its just finding the right group of people , even then there is much drama in the roleplay community itself .
So enddeal yes people still roleplay , No most don´t dare to roleplay in public anymore .
And worst most don´t even bother teaching or improving others roleplay .
I think of my characters as real people. I give them name that fit, I try to make them consistent (no male orc necromancers riding an unicorn for me, thank you very much), and I definitely care a lot about making them look great.
But I dont make them the usual stereotypes.
Sadly its becoming less and less of a art form but its not just the people its the games.
So many games have mapped our backstory our lives our destiny that fitting role playing in is difficult in the past we where plonked in a world with no story to our character no clear route to our destiny we simply existed and everything about us was to be imagined.
The old SWG ad always sums it up well for me bah cant remember how it went now something along the lines of "The greatest Star Wars story never told - YOURS!!"
Thats exactly how it worked it was our story which activeley encouraged RP a entire backstory a imagined destiny family and whetever else you can come with.
Its harder to RP in the modern non sandbox gearfests as the tools, community are not there and the game has already provided reasons as to why we are there what we are doing these things for etc etc
Oddly on that same hand I think TOR with its overabundance of storytelling may well be the saviour of RP from what I'm seeing it spins a good yarn but never to the point of you here for this reason and this reason alone your doing this for this reason and this reason alone.
Its character creation allows 1 of 3 generic backstory's that you can do what you will with.
nope I never roleplayed and if I did it was when I was 13 or 14 in a online chat room bored. Other than that I have no intentions of roleplaying. Dunno just feels like 3rd grade to me now, something I have no desire for, ya know? This is also why I don't play on a RP server.
^- Gentlemen, (and women), Behold! EXHIBIT A!
I like how most of the world hates on Americans because we all think we're better than everyone else. Grow up, no one is perfect.
Dunno.. I think the more the game dictates your storyline, the less leeway you have to use your imagination to flesh out the details... assuming one has the capacity to do so. ha ha (not so subtle reply to the 3rd grader comment above)
Or it could be something as simple as acting like a total caveman yelling "Oooka smash!" to everyone (heh heh my eq2 character back in the early days) and doing silly dumb things.
I know what you mean. I remember when I returned to my old L2 clan and was welcomed back I did a "Hello again *waves*" in clanchat. Most were stunned and I got a "Since when do you RP?" from them... I always did, but they got used to it, and with my long absense (about a year), they just forgot it. Kinda sad that ppl are "shocked" by some light RP
On t he other hand, in Lord of the Rings online, I always had kinship where this kind of "mild" RP is common...
But I hate to do actual RP in an MMORPG. For that I much rather prefer to play pen-n-paper RPG's and meet the actual players
I honestly just find it to be a waste of time and have no interest in it. It's not about having the capacity to do such things. It's more like what motivates you more. But when I see kids and older people roleplay it reminds me of the movie "Role Models" where you got people dressing up in costumes play fighting and speaking old english at some event called LAIR acting all seriousness. I hear RP, think of that and roflmfao.
I think you mean LARP - Lide Action Role-Playing
I know the concept, but it seems so dull to me. Raise your hand and you're an invisible player. You get pointed at in some way and you're shot. WTF??? Better to play on pen-n-paper and let your imagination go wild on that kind of stuff instead of using some of somatic gestures and act to it "accordingly"...
Not anymore for me no. I used to absolutely love it. It was something special alright, personally I did it on those "RP forums"... There was like a site that listed all of them, think it was called Avidgamers.com or something like that. And I also did it in WoW and other games.
But now, several years later, it doesn't seem... Don't know the word to use. It just feels like I've grown out of it, which is kinda weird I know. It's not like I don't respect roleplayers now, I sure do. It's basically just me who can't do it anymore, not so that it feels genuine anyway. My imagination isn't the same as it was back then, and I'm still not exactly old. But it's also the words... I can't find the perfect words I want to use (English ain't my native language).
Even just writing about it now though makes me interested again. Maybe I'll try to find one of those forums.
All it takes is one bad day.
Oh this is the same way I feel lately , dont worry your english is more then fine .
If people really interested in understanding you , as long you dont go leet talk , most good roleplayers have the patience of saints .
But honestly I never make fun of roleplayers or disrespect them , cause its one of the reason it gotten me involved into MMORPGS , so even if I dont have any fun , in roleplaying anymore .
Doesn´t mean I dislike it , sometimes just sitting in known roleplaying locations without getting involved , either make me feel happy .
But more often then not , Its dissapointing the quality and respect for one and other
.
That really killed it for me .
It never really was.
Its mostly repeating stupid stereotypes.
I have no problem with people trying to make their characters real characters, but people thinking its funny that elves are always fair and dwarves always stink and drink are damn boring.
i know many people that roleplay in Darkfall atleast in the europe server about NA server i dont know
Only in small groups, usually then only with friends.
So many have no clue what's going on that it's not worth the hassle.
Yes, there are even actual roleplay clans in Darkfall (!).
There is a wide range, from Dwarf Only clans, Alfar Only clans, and Orc only clans, through to the anti-roleplayers who seek to war declare all roleplayers and kill them, in character of course as the vile and evil villian with no sense of humour and no mercy. ;p
I have had ship crews who play pirate music over ventrillo every time we took a ship to sea, too, and didn't break character much
The more linear the games get, the less and less chances there is for RP.
In games where the "official story" drags you on rails with little to no chance to move by yourself, there simply is no chance to create your own story.
Yeah, this.
I will go out of my way to make each character I create as close to well-rounded as I can, with a backstory, motives, and an overall feel for how I see them and what I want to do with them. I just don't see the need to act like my character when I'm in game, and if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't do it in the stereotyped way that people expect. For example, my little Hobbit Guardian isn't suddenly going to wax poetic about second breakfast and elevensies when I'm in the middle of a dungeon fighting. That's just lame.
There's something obvious that you're overlooking here -- voice chat.
Back in the early days of MMOs, it was all about typed text for conversation, which allowed for more active roleplay, especially in games with a hell of a lot of downtime, like EQ. These days, most gamers are hooked into Ventrillo or some other voice chat server so they can communicate with people faster, especially during raids or big boss fights.
It's one thing to RP when you're typing your words, but when you're in a chat server with your entire guild, staying in character and trying to RP tends to get shot down because most people aren't that willing to play along when their voice can be heard. On top of that, many players would rather just shoot the breeze about music and movies in their downtime, or give directions during a battle than try to act like their characters.
That's my take on it as well. It's the same reason why I loved pen-and-paper RPs but could never 'get' LARPing. I like to define what a character is and how they are motivated and focus on the decisions those characters would make. I also like a character's story to develop as I play it rather than making up an elaborate story line ahead of time. I prefer the 'show don't tell' way of roleplaying. I like the actions of my character to portray what his personality is rather than just telling people what it is. ie my dwarf is a badass barserker with a nasty streak not because that's what I say he is but becasue when I play him he is dual wielding massive axes at what is for other race groin level.
I've heard this excuse before and I just don't get it. Back in 1999 we were using Roger Wilco for grouping and raiding in EQ and it never stopped us from talking in character in game. When vent launched in the early 2000s, we still had no problem getting people to talk in character. Text chat still works just fine no matter what voice program you are using.
I agree with this one , its one thing to see a gnome and knowing the person behind the screen is a bold harsh real life person , not a squeky voice , even if some of the people I play with can really voice act very wel .
Its a bit different , and i am not even touching the males playing females , or females playing males toon subject.
Since those really ruins immersion in roleplay , even if i wouldn´t care one bit , who plays what .
But voice sadly brings out the OOC: too fast , and maybe its just me , when i hear a voice i get a automated picture in my mind of how somebody is .