Have you ever role-played in SWTOR or any other mmo?

[psandak]

Gotta be honest, I never understood full on IC RPing in an MMO. SWTOR has brought me the closest to RPing in an MMO but not really. I say that because when I am creating and playing a character I develop a personality for that character and make LS/DS convo choices based on that personality. However, I do not sit down at my computer and chat with other player characters IC.

 

I prefer to do my game RPing in tabletop games where I can see my fellow gamers. And even then, I will "break character" a lot.

[Criosdh]

I'm pretty much always in character when I'm playing, at least in my mind. For me that's 90% of the fun. Back stories or at least an idea of a back story are also very important for me when playing an MMO. Unfortunately now days I don't do much active RPing because quite frankly I never play with other people. The fact that modern day RP servers are just a freaking tag has almost destroyed the immersion factor of MMOs, at least if you bother with other people. Hell you can't even get a decent naming policy on an RP server now days. So you're running around trying to at least been in an IC frame of mind while playing and you keep having to hear some douche named HulkSmash make dry humor jokes that only the engineering department would find funny.

 

RP was done best in DAoC. Super strict naming policy on the RP servers and it was against the rules to blabber mouth out of character in the main chat and /say. Group/RvR etc was more open but most groups at least kept it somewhat in character. I played that game for years on Nimue. Had the RP servers in that game not been what they were I would have probably never developed an addiction to an MMO in the first place.

 

To be honest my entire MMO "career" since DAoC server mergers (when the RP servers were dissolved) has been essentially trying to find an immersive replacement for Nimue and MMO after MMO falling short every single time due to a lack of consideration for the RP community. Also on that note the idiots that developed an Elder Scrolls MMO and didn't give it at least one super hardcore RP server should all be neutered to prevent the passing on of their genetic defect.

 

IMO the lack of immersion consideration is exactly why the MMO genre is such a roll of the dice for developers now days. This will catch me a lot of flak here in the forums but it's the truth, if you aren't interested in at least a little roleplay or in character type immersion then you have no business playing an MMO. (yeah yeah in before they "we just play how we want"). Well you can play tackle basketball if you want but you're doing it wrong.

 

The entire point of a persistent world populated with hundreds or thousands of people was to increase realism and thus immersion. Same as adding things like housing, crafting, etc. The MMORPG in a persistent world is what us peer to peer match making roleplayers had been begging for ever since we got into gaming. And we've watched the awesomeness that was RP in MMOs come and go. With games like WoW bringing in the battle.net kids the immersion and the class of ic rp has been all but eradicated for l33t speak and douche whistle names for immature LULz. If that's all anyone cares to get from a game then WTH bother with a subscription and a far more expensive to maintain persistent world? Most every match making game in history allowed multi-player and doucheness to coexist without the add complications of an MMO setup.

 

So today all we end up with are persistent worlds with heavy instancing and quick travel and super fast leveling and a lot of other instant gratification meant to keep the *&^%(&(* spectrum people (censored by me) from having a fit and sticking a remote up their hind end while on hidden camera.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Criosdh

[Pirana]

Nope.

 

Kudos that do though. It's great entertainment.

[Geesith]

ERP Is all I do.

[rashadk]

I tried once, but the other RPers didn't care too much for my efforts and accused me of "God-moding." Personally, I always thought they were just jealous of my awesome character back story. I was the bastard son of the Emperor and Galadriel from Lord of the Rings. I was born a Mandalorian, but joined and Sith and eventually became the most powerful in the order. I was also the great great ^100 grandfather of Palpatine and Leia who are actually distant cousins. I had the power to rip hearts out by blinking and seduce women by looking at them.

 

/s

[LordArtemis]

I roleplay in SWG quite a bit. Did back in the day in the same game as well. Did a bit of roleplaying in CoH from time to time.

 

DIdn't roleplay much in WoW, I don't roleplay at all here, though I do not interfere when playing on a roleplay server....every once in a while I participate in role play in chat.

 

This game is not very supportive of role playing. It is one of it's weaknesses IMO.

[Macetheace]

You misunderstand.

 

I'm talking about RP'ing between player characters.

 

Which is what most mean when they talk about RP'ing in MMO's.

 

You're talking about simply playing your character in the game.

I always play my character and base my characters choices off the personality and story I've made up for it.

But that's hardly roleplaying.

That's just... playing.

 

EDIT: Hell, I even record the storyline and upload it to youtube. Already have a force wielding Mandalorian that works for the sith and a former republic special forces smuggler with a patriotic streak that I've done the entire storyline with.

Currently going through the BH storyline (for the umpteenth time) with a proper Mandalorian bounty hunter.

 

can't you do both?

[SelinaH]

can't you do both?

I, and many (if not most) of the RPers I know, don't use the game's storyline as the basis for our character backgrounds - because there are a total of eight class storylines, and thousands upon thousands of player characters. Interacting with other people necessitates a certain amount of handwaving, in order to avoid the inevitable situation of "Oh, look - everyone here is a member of the Dark Council!" So my characters all have their own histories, which may or may not incorporate very minimal bits of the actual BioWare plotlines.

 

For this reason, playing through class missions in-character is a no-go for me, since my group and I would basically have to ignore entire conversations. I'll sometimes do certain flashpoints or planetary quests IC, handwaving minor details where necessary and making sure that everyone is on board (because 90% of the time, in-depth RP will slow the action down).

 

I will never understand RPers who are so hardcore that they actually walk everywhere, though. I've heard they exist, but I'm not sure I've ever actually seen one.

[Macetheace]

I tried once, but the other RPers didn't care too much for my efforts and accused me of "God-moding." Personally, I always thought they were just jealous of my awesome character back story. I was the bastard son of the Emperor and Galadriel from Lord of the Rings. I was born a Mandalorian, but joined and Sith and eventually became the most powerful in the order. I was also the great great ^100 grandfather of Palpatine and Leia who are actually distant cousins. I had the power to rip hearts out by blinking and seduce women by looking at them.

 

/s

can you do that? bring a chracter from another universe? that would definitely be immersion breaking though, .. Galadriel.

[Macetheace]

I, and many (if not most) of the RPers I know, don't use the game's storyline as the basis for our character backgrounds - because there are a total of eight class storylines, and thousands upon thousands of player characters. Interacting with other people necessitates a certain amount of handwaving, in order to avoid the inevitable situation of "Oh, look - everyone here is a member of the Dark Council!" So my characters all have their own histories, which may or may not incorporate very minimal bits of the actual BioWare plotlines.

 

For this reason, playing through class missions in-character is a no-go for me, since my group and I would basically have to ignore entire conversations. I'll sometimes do certain flashpoints or planetary quests IC, handwaving minor details where necessary and making sure that everyone is on board (because 90% of the time, in-depth RP will slow the action down).

 

I will never understand RPers who are so hardcore that they actually walk everywhere, though. I've heard they exist, but I'm not sure I've ever actually seen one.

 

been star wars and being the future, it isn't immersion breaking to hop on a speeder, I can understand in some of the period RPGs though.

 

I suppose the best way to play this game, fully in RP is if 2-4 people play in character alongside storyline too but stick within their group for storyline, and must be of different classes. you roleplay with others off course, but the storyline perks are sort off no mention except within your 4-man group.

[SelinaH]

been star wars and being the future, it isn't immersion breaking to hop on a speeder, I can understand in some of the period RPGs though.

I'm referring more to the non-use of Sprint than to speeder driving, although even I have been guilty of riding my bike right up to the door of the shuttle when I'm OOC and in a rush.

I suppose the best way to play this game, fully in RP is if 2-4 people play in character alongside storyline too but stick within their group for storyline, and must be of different classes. you roleplay with others off course, but the storyline perks are sort off no mention except within your 4-man group.

If I have to change my character's personality and backstory in order to interact IC with different groups of people, to me, that's not roleplaying. A large part of the fun for me is maintaining character consistency and plausibility; that's difficult, if not downright impossible, when juggling two separate character histories.

[OddballEasyEight]

can't you do both?

 

Well... not really.

 

Every other bouty hunter out there would have the exact same background and experience as me if that was the case.

 

 

Besides, like I said, I don't like the RP'ing that goes on in MMO's.

[Raphael_diSanto]

can't you do both?

 

You can, but it mandates the ability to juggle AU-style concepts. In all of the RP that I've done in all of the MMOs that I've played, I've always worked within an AU principle. There's a core universe, which is the universe where all other players reside in. In that universe, your character is not the Emperor's Wrath, not the commander of Havoc Squad, not the Hero of Tython or on the Dark Council or any of those things. He or she is just another jedi, or hunter, or trooper, or whatever.

 

That's where you live and reside and where the player-created stories happen.

 

But I also RP within class story instances. In those instances, that's where my character -is- the Voidhunter or Cipher Nine, or whatever.The stories are so fun that, to me, it would be a shame to waste the RP potential by -not- RPing within them. When I say "RP", mostly, I mean "act and speak in character-ly for that character", so when

 

 

Jaxo begs my trooper to save her

 

I'll use the chat window and roleplay with the friends that are in the party with me about what to do. And then roleplay about the decision later, on my ship. And then when we step out into the "real world", it's as if that never happened and we never reference it ICly - Until the next time when we're back in an area or a situation where it's comfortable and not immersion breaking that my trooper is the commander of Havoc Squad.

 

The same goes for any situation in any class story that might spark some in-character conversation and discussion.

 

It sounds like it's very brain twisty, but it isn't really. All that's required is a little flexibility and willingness to play the situation that's in front of you. If two troopers are talking in Fort Garnik on Ord Mantell, then it's pretty obvious that they can't both be the commanding officer of Havoc Squad. But if you're the only trooper in a class mission based around that trooper being the leader of Havoc Squad, I say roll with it. The other way to treat Class Missions would be like "What if?" scenarios. "What if I -were- the commander of Havok Squad? How would I have done this differently? Let's pretend that class missions are a holographic/robotic simulation of official Havoc Squad missions and it's just your character exploring the possibilities. Or it's a republic training program, designed to see how you'd react to the same choices and missions that the real Havoc Squad faced.

 

Lots of people -don't- RP like this, of course. They prefer 100% internal consistency. And I always respect the wishes of the people I'm RPing with. Remember, RP is a choice, it's not a job. You're an actor, but you're not getting paid to act in a role you don't like. You can always make a polite refusal and bow out of the situation, should the need arise.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Raphael_diSanto

[SelinaH]

You can, but it mandates the ability to juggle AU-style concepts. In all of the RP that I've done in all of the MMOs that I've played, I've always worked within an AU principle. There's a core universe, which is the universe where all other players reside in. In that universe, your character is not the Emperor's Wrath, not the commander of Havoc Squad, not the Hero of Tython or on the Dark Council or any of those things. He or she is just another jedi, or hunter, or trooper, or whatever.

 

That's where you live and reside and where the player-created stories happen.

 

But I also RP within class story instances. In those instances, that's where my character -is- the Voidhunter or Cipher Nine, or whatever.The stories are so fun that, to me, it would be a shame to waste the RP potential by -not- RPing within them.

Very nice summary. Personally, I'm one of those "internal consistency" people you mentioned; playing through a class mission in-character tends to mess with my headcanon. I do try to make dialogue choices based on what my character would do in that situation, but full-on roleplay with others makes it... too real, somehow. Consequently, ignoring what I've just done feels less like a handwave than a massive retcon.

 

I'm glad others are able to enjoy the BioWare storylines IC, though.

[branmakmuffin]

I am one of the one's who does that. As soon as I press "play" on said character that I feel like playing and put myself in the mindset and AM that character, I am them. I don't talk normal in general chat and then just rp in say or in a group.

IC in gen chat doesn't really work since the vast majority of people consider gen chat OOC. How do you justify, IC-wise, that you are talking to dozens of people simultaneously, many of whom are miles away? Everyone is a telepath?

 

RP is a cooperative activity. If the others you are communicating with don't assume you are RPing, there's really no point. "Solo RP" is narcissism.

[DocHoneydew]

I only roleplayed one character in SWG: a Wookiee Entertainer named 'Arr.'

That's all she ever said in spatial with the emotional tags.

 

Arr curiously says 'Arr?' (or something similar along those lines.)

 

In whispers/tells it was only busineess in re buffs.

 

It was a challenge to do, but rather fun some evenings.

[Criosdh]

IC in gen chat doesn't really work since the vast majority of people consider gen chat OOC. How do you justify, IC-wise, that you are talking to dozens of people simultaneously, many of whom are miles away? Everyone is a telepath?

 

RP is a cooperative activity. If the others you are communicating with don't assume you are RPing, there's really no point. "Solo RP" is narcissism.

 

Out of morbid curiosity, and because "I don't learn", I'm going to bite and ask exactly how is solo RP "narcissism"?

[branmakmuffin]

Out of morbid curiosity, and because "I don't learn", I'm going to bite and ask exactly how is solo RP "narcissism"?

It's entirely self-focused, with no input from another person. It's tantamount to staring at oneself in a mirror and saying "Dayum, I am hot!! Tell me, self, have you ever seen such a hottie in your life?"

[oJebuso]

It's entirely self-focused, with no input from another person. It's tantamount to staring at oneself in a mirror and saying "Dayum, I am hot!! Tell me, self, have you ever seen such a hottie in your life?"

 

Lol, the entire point of role playing is to briefly take on a new persona, which can be anything you want it to be. It doesn't mean that you believe it to be true to yourself, so stop throwing words around that you clearly don't understand. It is not narcissistic.

[Djiini]

Hey, I don't do it that way.

 

I'm a narcissist in that I think my own characters are really just the BEST, that doesn't affect them IC.

[ScarletBlaze]

Lol, the entire point of role playing is to briefly take on a new persona, which can be anything you want it to be. It doesn't mean that you believe it to be true to yourself, so stop throwing words around that you clearly don't understand. It is not narcissistic.

 

I think he meant if you are only roleplaying with yourself and not including anyone else in your roleplay.

[oJebuso]

I think he meant if you are only roleplaying with yourself and not including anyone else in your roleplay.

 

Pretending to be someone else is the opposite of narcissistic, whether you do it by yourself or with other people makes no difference. A person could argue that it's anti social, but not narcissistic.

[Djiini]

I think he meant if you are only roleplaying with yourself and not including anyone else in your roleplay.

 

Pretty sure that's just called writing.

[Raphael_diSanto]

Pretty sure that's just called writing.

 

Pretty much.

 

Staying IC when there's no one else around to see it is almost the pinnacle of RP, actually. It's the opposite of narcissistic behavior. Those roleplayers who do that.. They're the ones you know are doing it because they enjoy to RP. Not because they want to be center of attention.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Raphael_diSanto

[branmakmuffin]

Lol, the entire point of role playing is to briefly take on a new persona, which can be anything you want it to be. It doesn't mean that you believe it to be true to yourself, so stop throwing words around that you clearly don't understand. It is not narcissistic.

If you think I was using the clinical definition of "narcissistic," I'll just add that I am not a mental health care professional.

 

Happy?

 

Here's a definition of egocentric from m-w.com (given as a synonym for narcissistic): limited in outlook or concern to one's own activities or needs (the definition for narcissism was simply given as "egocentrism"). Sounds pretty much like solo role playing to me.

 

Staying IC when there's no one else around to see it is almost the pinnacle of RP

No, it's the pinnacle of bizarre. RP is a social activity, By definition, you cannot perform a social activity alone.

Edited February 8, 2015 by branmakmuffin