RP Optional?

[snarg]

I just want some of your guys opinion on this before I bring this up on the new forums when they're working. What is your opinion on switching from RP-Optional to RP-Enforced? I'm sick of seeing people who don't know how to type/RP roaming around and not getting reprimanded.

Granted, nobody RPs with them and they're shunned, but it we would get less good RPers who're interested in the server and when they come across one of these guys who type in AOL slang, they decide to leave.

I know that a lot of NWN2 players from the somethingawful forums say that since BG is RP-Lite, it's a server to play while waiting for a real RP server come

[Zealote]

*Dreams about a server with amazing heavy RP, good and large adventure areas, great events with RP and action, Rated R, Full PvP and with Josh as area designer, set in the Sword Coast, near Baldur's Gate*

[ri762]

i don't care what people on the "somethingawful-forums" say and due to the fact that there are plenty of good RPers on the server i don't see a problem...just my 2 cents

..*scratches his head* wait hasn't this been discussed in a million other threads before ?

[DM Sir Carnifex]

I have mixed feelings about it. The player and DM in me says go heavy RP when I see players do lots of OOC or run by me. But, I also find that if I make an effort to initiate RP, those same players will play their characters IN character as well.

I don't think this will ever be a heavy RP server, though, and that's actually fine with me. On occasion I don't feel like interacting with other people either (this didn't happen before becoming a DM ;D ), so I can feel free to ignore others.

[Kaizer7]

I'd prefer if people that don't know how to RP properly/can't type legibly don't attempt to RP anyway. No RP is better than bad RP and metagaming.

[steelforgedsword]

Jul 8, 2009 16:08:56 GMT -5 Zealote said:

*Dreams about a server with amazing heavy RP, good and large adventure areas, great events with RP and action, Rated R, Full PvP and with Josh as area designer, set in the Sword Coast, near Baldur's Gate*

A lovely idea, truly and one I dream of. But I have mixed feelings to.

I'm an rp junky, but if someone rolls up on me and begins chatting I don't get rev'd up about it. What's the point? Chatting is fine and if someone approaches me and another or a group who are rping, they'll just kinda stand there, think about it and either join in or move on down the Tradeway.

I've got better things to do with my vaulable time than wish and worry about things you can't change, it's just a game.

Don't sweat it.

[torack]

I tend to agree with most of the light RP points here. I see RP optional as more of a freedom then a disadvantage. Sometimes I don't feel like logging on for a half hour chat in the bar about the colour of someones hat. I have the option to log on just for an OOC grind. Of course, when someone comes along and says "Hail traveler!" I switch to RP, and that has worked out pretty well so far.

I actually think that optional RP is one of the reasons why we have such a large player base. We're doing something right.

[steelforgedsword]

That's a good point, people who tend to know me would notice that I log on early on week day mornings (I work nights for now) and that's when I grind occly.

I like not having to stay IC ALL the time, it's a good option to have I think and one I like.

[Zealote]

I tend to agree with the argument that a large player base is mostly due to the RP-Lite aspect. But in the end, what makes a server last is not the large player base, its the committed player base. If you dilute the quality of the player base in a million players, the server eventually dies, because those guys are for the most part shallow and dont stay for long. They have no attachment to the server, and they sometimes drive the ones that have away, due to the supposed "perversion" of the server, the shallowness.

A yellow sun turns into a giant red just before collapsing into itself. At least thats what I've heard.

But dont mind me, im just philosophizing.

[lorgin2003]

i;'ve never understood why it is considered an insult to walk past another character. i don't walk down the street and talk to everyone who happens past me. that's the behavior of a mental patient, or someone handing out fliers. either way, people will cross the street to avoid you. yet if you walk past a group, you're suddenly rude or antisocial.

as for a strict rp policy, it's a double edged sword. it's nice to have a cohesive storyline with everyone playing a part in it, but it's a pain in the ass when a DM gives you static for trying to grind out the last bit of that level that's taken you a month to get close to. with strict rp policies comes nazi enforcers, who will run good players out because they don't adhere to some extremely high (and usually unrealistic) views on rp. either that, or that player gets blackballed.

hell, look at all the crap going on with just stealth. there are countless WRONG opinions on how stealth works, and if enough people bitch about it, they get their way. even if it defies all real standards of what is and isn't possible. that's one of the main reasons i make sure that when phantom teaches stealth techniques, they're the real deal. you can use them in a real life situation, and they will work. yet i had to watch as 12-13 pages of misinformation was spread because people who had no idea how it worked suddenly felt like experts on the matter. why? because their characters weren't built to deal with stealth, and they couldn't handle the disadvantage it put them at. (for the record, i personally have remained undetected from 5 feet away, with a flashlight pointing directly on me. they didn't realize i was there until i grabbed one of them, and was asked "where the hell did you come from???")

now, if those same people (who have strong opinions but little experience in the areas they're bitching about) start trying to dictate how people play, it becomes a chore to even log in. why should anyone have to deal with someone else's incorrect standards ruining their day?

on the other side of the coin, however, those who REFUSE to rp are just as annoying. if they're new to it, make an attempt but aren't very good at it, i can accept it. if they make no attempt whatsoever, i have to wonder why they're on any form of rp server at all. rp lite doesn't mean rp none. if rp is presented to you, even in a lite setting, you should HAVE to rp. otherwise, you never know where you actually stand in the game world. will that person rp or not? will they deal with the situation presented to them, or will they run to the forums to whine about it? will the situation play out as realistically as possible, or will people ignore reality and go with how they think it should work or how they want it to? will the person accept they can't do everything, or will they try getting out of it by abusing mechanics? will someone accept that there isn't any way to superhero out of a situation, or will they throw out some dice rolls because they know they have more points?

the way i look at it, i play MY characters. that's really all you can do, in any setting. play your own characters, and deal with whatever comes their way. no matter what comes their way. if someone's spending their time entirely OOC, there's no shame in having an OOC conversation with them. if someone's entirely IC, then there's no shame in having an IC conversation with them.

for plotlines, it's usually mostly IC PC driven. the roleplayers get involved and reap the benefits from it. those who don't rp usually just run on past. a DM only really has to be involved when they're needed to advance the storyline. the roleplayers will handle everything in between. if someone refuses to rp unless a DM is present, they end up missing out on 3/4ths of what's actually going on. their characters may be high level, but are of little consequence in the game world. i'd rather make an enemy out of a high level PC who hasn't bothered to make any contacts or allies than to deal with a low level one who can call in a few favors and have a whole guild to back them up.

[fallzquick]

Jul 8, 2009 19:06:54 GMT -5 Kaizer7 said:

I'd prefer if people that don't know how to RP properly/can't type legibly don't attempt to RP anyway. No RP is better than bad RP and metagaming.

Some people are learning and are not good yet, you will never get good, if you are not allowed to try.

Jul 8, 2009 19:35:37 GMT -5 torack said:

I tend to agree with most of the light RP points here. I see RP optional as more of a freedom then a disadvantage. Sometimes I don't feel like logging on for a half hour chat in the bar about the colour of someones hat. I have the option to log on just for an OOC grind. Of course, when someone comes along and says "Hail traveler!" I switch to RP, and that has worked out pretty well so far.

I actually think that optional RP is one of the reasons why we have such a large player base. We're doing something right.

I totally agree

I think RP lite is perfect, because everyone's opinion of heavy is different... should I rp everything my character does? Eat, sleep, go to the bathroom???

Should be all Ban any Drow that have friends and are not obsessed with obtaining better rank and killing their leaders to become them???

I say RP light because if you don't like anothers RP.... then ignore them and find someone that is more to your style of RP.

[knightmare]

Zealote wrote:

I tend to agree with the argument that a large player base is mostly due to the RP-Lite aspect. But in the end, what makes a server last is not the large player base, its the committed player base. If you dilute the quality of the player base in a million players, the server eventually dies, because those guys are for the most part shallow and dont stay for long. They have no attachment to the server, and they sometimes drive the ones that have away, due to the supposed "perversion" of the server, the shallowness.

I have to second that! That's the nature of the beast, players come and go, but the dedicated ones who emerge themselves in a PW will stick around.

There is also an option that goes inbetween RP lite and heavy - RP medium. RP medium servers often characterize themselves with being a mix of role-play and adventure.

I'm an advocate of moving BG into that chategory because I think there's much to be gained, little to be lost.
By raising the bar a little, there would have to be a few more rules addressing some of the issues people complain about now.

That's fine because I seriously doubt that anyone will lament if e.g. the clerics would have to choose their deities' domains, if staying IC was mandatory, if stormlord, for balance reasons, were prohobited or "druid only" and if we could get rid of some of the preposterously named characters which flood the server these days.

'Tis early mornin' so better get meself some coffee... *mutters off*

[DM Sir Carnifex]

BG:TSCC is RP medium. It has been that way for some time now.

[changanjie]

Jul 8, 2009 20:23:02 GMT -5 lorgin2003 said:

i;'ve never understood why it is considered an insult to walk past another character. i don't walk down the street and talk to everyone who happens past me. that's the behavior of a mental patient, or someone handing out fliers. either way, people will cross the street to avoid you. yet if you walk past a group, you're suddenly rude or antisocial.

Some grand points in this thread, but I just want to comment on this portion. The thing one needs to understand concerning meeting others on the road in the FR setting is that FR is not 21st Century New York. There aren't 10,000 people per day walking down the road from Baldur's Gate to Beregost. In fact according to the legend given on some maps, the distance between those two towns is about 100 miles! So lets change our comparison from walking down the street and talking to everyone you see to, say, bush walking, afterall FR is based upon a medieval setting, not a modern setting.

You're out bushwalking, and you got another 5 miles till you reach the lookout. On your way you meet two other people. What do you do? Ignore them and keep on walking? Quirk your eyebrow when they ask you why you're wearing a black hood, mask and cape? I know I'd stop to have a talk, and even more so if they prove to be foreigners or strangers to the area (assuming I am familiar with the area).

As far as I'm concerned, in the city it is alright to ignore people, groups of people, you aren't expected to know everyone in a city. But walking down a country track where you might be four hours from seeing another living soul, well, it'd be plain rude just to keep on walking unless you had some deperately urgent business.

Anyone who's ever lived in a country town or a sparsely populated environment would probably agree with these points.

But back on topic, I like the system as is. Some days I don't feel like RP, and Rp only when it comes to me where I'm grinding. Other days I'll RP for five hours without even transitioning more than once!

Unless some serious Non-Rping problem begins to arise, I say leave it as is.

[wulfenote]

Jul 8, 2009 16:08:56 GMT -5 Zealote said:

*Dreams about a server with amazing heavy RP, good and large adventure areas, great events with RP and action, Rated R, Full PvP and with Josh as area designer, set in the Sword Coast, near Baldur's Gate*

I wants.


Eh. Really, the server is supposed to be "RP-Medium", but the server's more of "RP-Light" or "RP-Optional", the difference being that the former requires you to RP just a little bit, whereas the latter gives you the option of not wanting to RP at all.

Honestly, what infuriates me the most is watching players grind till they're epic-levels, then walk around like they're kings and overlords and what-have-yous. And you know what? You can't say anything bad to them, unless you've NPC Flaming Fists around to prevent them from PvPing you into the ground. And not to be elitist, but I'd just rather NOT interact with these people because it's, on more than one occasion, ruined the RP for us.

I know that myself and a few of my friends are of the mind that if a decent, well-populated heavier-RP server comes up, we're moving. But in all honesty, I'd much rather see BG have more RPing.