Is RP becoming less common?

[branmakmuffin]

Just because my friends and I are RPing in Say and Emote, don't assume you're welcome to join in. Most time, you are. Just don't assume it. Perhaps shoot one of us a Whisper asking if you can play our reindeer games

At the risk of generalizing, in my experience, TOR RP is much more cliquish than RP in LotRO and DDO (the other 2 MMOs I have played, and RP'd in, extensively). And then there is the problem of people who want to RP the story line of the game,

as in "Zakuul has invaded the Empire and the Republic." When I see nonsense like that, I immediately challenge the speaker to take a trip to Korrinban with me and show me the destruction wrought by Thexan and Arcann.

 

 

I have tried, many times, and nowhere near as abrasively as I do on the forums, to engage people in "random" RP. It never works. They are 1) not very clever at improv because 2) they already have their little scenario planned out in their heads. That's why there is almost no RP, but rather god-moding and meta-gaming.

Edited March 29, 2016 by branmakmuffin

[LordKlassa]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, it helped me get other people's insights on something I've only really just started to think about.

 

In terms of my RP, I formed a guild on the Progenitor and seeing as it would seem most people follow the timeline we do also so that we may fit appropriately with other people's RP. I certainly agree however with the presence of pesky godmodders and people unwilling to improvise etc. as it just gets tiring. I mean it's nice to have some sort of an idea of where your character is headed, but to try and enforce every tiny thing through godmodding just isn't what RP is about in my opinion. In an Imp Side guild that was based on Imperial Military etc. I climbed to the position of second in command and when the organisation had become a bit clogged up with Sith Lords my character made it his duty to kill them all, yet not with his own hands. He spent ages manipulating everyone and finding out things that would make the head Darth get rid of or kill them, find reasons to kill them himself and so on. He got in a bit of a god complex and had killed almost everyone but the Darth and then got ganged up on and stabbed by thugs on Nar Shaddaa in some random cantina RP I was doing. Dunno why, but thought I would share that.

 

Any more thoughts would be great to here!

Edited March 29, 2016 by LordKlassa

[Codedrago]

At the risk of generalizing, in my experience, TOR RP is much more cliquish than RP in LotRO and DDO (the other 2 MMOs I have played, and RP'd in, extensively). And then there is the problem of people who want to RP the story line of the game,

as in "Zakuul has invaded the Empire and the Republic." When I see nonsense like that, I immediately challenge the speaker to take a trip to Korrinban with me and show me the destruction wrought by Thexan and Arcann.

 

 

I have tried, many times, and nowhere near as abrasively as I do on the forums, to engage people in "random" RP. It never works. They are 1) not very clever at improv because 2) they already have their little scenario planned out in their heads. That's why there is almost no RP, but rather god-moding and meta-gaming.

 

I don't know which server you're on, but on the progenitor everyone RPs the current setting. In the slopes we get Zakuul Knights patrolling, rumours spreading about people disappearing and being taken to the Fortress in the sky. On Alderaan, the noble houses are still wrought in the 'hunger games' insited by Zakuu.

Also, how is incorporating the setting into RP 'nonsense'?

 

And any RP in public that isn't with guildies is 8/10 of the time unplanned.

[Codedrago]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, it helped me get other people's insights on something I've only really just started to think about.

 

In terms of my RP, I formed a guild on the Progenitor and seeing as it would seem most people follow the timeline we do also so that we may fit appropriately with other people's RP. I certainly agree however with the presence of pesky godmodders and people unwilling to improvise etc. as it just gets tiring. I mean it's nice to have some sort of an idea of where your character is headed, but to try and enforce every tiny thing through godmodding just isn't what RP is about in my opinion. In an Imp Side guild that was based on Imperial Military etc. I climbed to the position of second in command and when the organisation had become a bit clogged up with Sith Lords my character made it his duty to kill them all, yet not with his own hands. He spent ages manipulating everyone and finding out things that would make the head Darth get rid of or kill them, find reasons to kill them himself and so on. He got in a bit of a god complex and had killed almost everyone but the Darth and then got ganged up on and stabbed by thugs on Nar Shaddaa in some random cantina RP I was doing. Dunno why, but thought I would share that.

 

Any more thoughts would be great to here!

 

I think the main problem with RP on SWTOR is that the majority of RP you will find comes from cantina RP and Guild RP. Most RP guilds in SWTOR are either Jedi, Mando or Sith guilds. And I think for most RPers who've experienced either guild types this is a turn off, with a jedi guild the RP is rather restrictive. With the Sith, it can be frustrating to the uninitiated (Most of the time it's getting caught in a power struggle between two powerbases, with nothing to do but be either sides little b**ch unless you are creative/good enough to over cme it).

 

And Mandos? Yeah... that's a suicide run if you haven't memorised all lore pertaining to mandalorians.

[Jamtas]

It's not RP...it's PLAYERS that are becoming less common.

 

Now I do not do any RP in game, but I think I"ll add to the above comment.

 

"It's not RP...it's "Group content" PLAYERS that are becoming less common."

 

I think with the focus becoming more single player, anything that was group content related is becoming less than it was in years past. The game is encouraging players to do more and more alone. Can level solely on class stories (eliminating need to do pvp, FPs, world side quests, etc), Oricon required group content in form of operations to complete the story line, SoR introduced the "god mode" droid to complete the FPs and then the single player option for Revan fight over the operation.

 

Now the current chapters really eliminate group content for almost everything. Just a decision the makers of game have decided to try out - but it comes at the expense of content geared at making a player team up with other players - which in turn fosters playing this as a single player game. Community content suffers as a result

[branmakmuffin]

Also, how is incorporating the setting into RP 'nonsense'?

It's nonsense in public, open RP. You can't reasonably incorporate the KotFE story line (or the FA or SoR storylines) in a public setting without creating conflicting RP. If you want to RP that the events have happened and I don't, we have no choice but to ignore or /ignore each other. And of course no one ever agrees to take me up on my "challenge" and go to Korriban with me.

 

And any RP in public that isn't with guildies is 8/10 of the time unplanned.

Yes, it is, and 9/10 times it's utterly lame. Which is why I do not RP in TOR, despite that I RP'd a lot in LotRO and in DDO. No RP is better than woefully sub-par RP.

[JennyCharmers]

I don't know which server you're on, but on the progenitor everyone RPs the current setting. In the slopes we get Zakuul Knights patrolling, rumours spreading about people disappearing and being taken to the Fortress in the sky. On Alderaan, the noble houses are still wrought in the 'hunger games' insited by Zakuu.

Also, how is incorporating the setting into RP 'nonsense'?

 

Not quite correct, I play on the Prog, while most have moved into post kotfe mode, there are 3 guilds that I know of that have ignored kotfe, 2 of which are military guilds and the other a more civi type guild. I have also met a few randoms that also have ignored it, calling it nonsense. Myself, I go both ways, with one of my chars in the post kotfe timeline, but the others are in the non kotfe as it makes no sense for them in their rep VS imp sagas.

 

No, you do not. RP is in the mind, not the pixels. The biggest hurdle to RP in TOR is that the virtual environment (with the Sith quasi-nobility) promotes bad-a**ery: "I am Lord/Darth So-and-so. You must call me my Lord," etc., etc., etc. I have RP'd extensively in LotRO and DDO and rarely ran into this problem because those games do not have anything like the quasi-nobility of Sith (and Jedi, I guess, but I rarely play Rep-side).

 

In any event, I rarely do see and rarely have seen RP in this game. What I see and have always seen is just meta-gaming and god-moding. I think the type of game it is simply attracts more immature wannabes who are so pathetic IRL they have a burning need to be a bad-a** Sith Lord (or whatever) in a computer game, and this game has that built right into it.

Nothing turns me off faster than this type of behaviour, though it can be done well if by the right person and in the right way, for example, the leader of a big guild, but for the joe-randoms it's an ugly sight that has me quickly using /bye followed by /ignore.

 

 

On topic, as someone pointed out already in this thread, Strongholds put a big dent in the amount of open world random encounters, I have 3 chars I primarily rp on. A trooper I've had since starting on the Prog, she was and still is permanently based on Ord Mantell, I used to get rp there very regularly, particularly Oradam Village.

I witnessed a sharp drop off after the SH's went live and it has never recovered.

There's also a type of circular logic going on, "If someone is not there I will not go there." That added with the amount of worlds and the huge size of said worlds, and the population shrinkage makes random encounters nowadays a rare occurrence.

But that doesn't stop me trying, I'm often out and about.

I would really love if the guys at BW helped a little, a small icon that a player could enable, much like the class ones that added a while back, but user controlled so other people could see it if you enabled it, letting people know at a glance that you're IC and willing to rp. It's a small thing, but one that I feel would help a lot.

Edited March 29, 2016 by JennyCharmers

[Codedrago]

It's nonsense in public, open RP. You can't reasonably incorporate the KotFE story line (or the FA or SoR storylines) in a public setting without creating conflicting RP. If you want to RP that the events have happened and I don't, we have no choice but to ignore or /ignore each other. And of course no one ever agrees to take me up on my "challenge" and go to Korriban with me.

 

Public is almost always RPed as being in the current timeline of TOR. People have to specifically make guilds t RP in the past.

[Thoronmir]

Public is almost always RPed as being in the current timeline of TOR. People have to specifically make guilds t RP in the past.

There is a spectrum of in-game setting from which we can choose to apply to our RP. When I said (earlier in this thread) that incorporating "game" lore (missions, titles, etc.) into public RP is bad, I was referring primarily to character-specific events. Like I said, there are not thousands of Barsen'thors hanging out at the Fleet catina. I don't remember seeing any of you there when I destroyed the Barrager on Balmora. Also, of course, there are Companions. Utilizing such aspects of our character's in-game experiences creates a cascade of conflicts from which no one can extricate any rational RP.

 

That said, abhorring character-specific accomplishments does not render the overall background of SWTOR off limits. Yes, there is a risk that two RPers will be "stuck" in different timelines. But there's an easy fix for that: They don't RP together. We can RP in the shadow of KOTFE as long as we avoid dragging the actual KOTFE plot (i.e., the Outlander plot) into our RP. After all, allowing that would mean we have more Outlanders than we do Barsen'thors.

 

I RP a ton in LOTRO. It's practically all I do there ... and have done so for eight years. And we encounter the timeline issue as well. It becomes especially troublesome when someone tries to incorporate in-game events to public RP. In LOTRO, you get to meet members of the Fellowship now and then. You're always on the periphery of the Ring Quest, but your paths ... occasionally ... overlap. Whenever I'm called upon to explain the concern over "timeline" entanglement, I point to Gandalf. Because he moves. At one point in the game, you can find him at the Prancing Pony. At a different "point in time", he is in Rivendell. For some players, Gandalf perished in Moria. For others, he has returned and is now Gandalf the White in Rohan. And so on. Imagine the confusion among characters trying RP together if they're at different points of the story and, for RP purposes, they decide, "Let's talk to Gandalf!"

 

That said, most LOTRO RP acknowledges the existence of Orcs and that there is some shadowy threat rising in the East. But not every RP character is aware of the Ring or the Fellowship. Background is best left to broad watercolor strokes against which we play.

[Osryri]

You need chat bubbles to have decent RP.

[branmakmuffin]

You need chat bubbles to have decent RP.

Ell oh ell

 

Public is almost always RPed as being in the current timeline of TOR. People have to specifically make guilds t RP in the past.

I can't say that is the most ludicrous thing I have read, but it's up there.

Edited March 31, 2016 by branmakmuffin

[casirabit]

It's nonsense in public, open RP. You can't reasonably incorporate the KotFE story line (or the FA or SoR storylines) in a public setting without creating conflicting RP. If you want to RP that the events have happened and I don't, we have no choice but to ignore or /ignore each other. And of course no one ever agrees to take me up on my "challenge" and go to Korriban with me.

 

 

For once I have to agree with bran that there are still people that are not rp the story line that BW has implented. I know our guild isn't. We had created our own storyline and just because BW decided to do some changes, doesn't mean people are going to change their story just because BW has and maybe that is good because maybe you have some doing something that is different.

[casirabit]

Public is almost always RPed as being in the current timeline of TOR. People have to specifically make guilds t RP in the past.

 

I don't. It doesn't fit my character at this point. Some people only use bits and pieces of the game and create their own roleplay (that fits into the lore) and their imagination and make their own story instead of doing what everyone else is doing.

[LordKlassa]

I don't. It doesn't fit my character at this point. Some people only use bits and pieces of the game and create their own roleplay (that fits into the lore) and their imagination and make their own story instead of doing what everyone else is doing.

 

When it comes to my characters I only really RP a specific timeline if I am in a guild. For instance, when publicly RPing outside of a guild I will not mention anything but deep set cultural aspects and will only talk about the current story IC if everyone else around me is doing so. I have seen conflicts OOC between people in the Slippery Slopes who do not accept the the current timeline and practically ignored the Zakuul Knights that were patrolling and rather offended the two Knights in an OOC manner. It becomes difficult and awkward at times in my opinion, but I try to RP my character in the situation and not tailor the timeline as to hinder another person's RP with my character.

That may be somewhat strange of an explanation, and I may not have done so very well. If not, please feel free to question me. :)

Edited March 31, 2016 by LordKlassa

[casirabit]

When it comes to my characters I only really RP a specific timeline if I am in a guild. For instance, when publicly RPing outside of a guild I will not mention anything but deep set cultural aspects and will only talk about the current story IC if everyone else around me is doing so. I have seen conflicts OOC between people in the Slippery Slopes who do not accept the the current timeline and practically ignored the Zakuul Knights that were patrolling and rather offended the two Knights in an OOC manner. It becomes difficult and awkward at times in my opinion, but I try to RP my character in the situation and not tailor the timeline as to hinder another person's RP with my character.

That may be somewhat strange of an explanation, and I may not have done so very well. If not, please feel free to question me. :)

 

Yes, I know individuals are doing some of the new storyline and if I roleplay in pubic I try to keep it generic and will not be rude to those that are doing so but also the ones doing the timeline that bw has should also understand, if someone tells them they are not doing that timeline, to understand as well. I rarely roleplay with individuals in a cantina setting as I rarely go to the cantinas and most of my roleplay is done with my guild and friends. I have reasons for that, I have a sith twi'lek and have gotten tired of people coming up to her and demanding she is their slave without even sending me an OOC message about it.

[branmakmuffin]

I have reasons for that, I have a sith twi'lek and have gotten tired of people coming up to her and demanding she is their slave without even sending me an OOC message about it.

And how often has that happened? I suspect not very many times, but on a larger scale, this sort of meta-gaming is what I refer to in my occasional tirades against TOR RP. People calling BHs "Hunter" or IA's "Agent" IC require a severe and sound IC mocking.

[Thoronmir]

And how often has that happened? I suspect not very many times, but on a larger scale, this sort of meta-gaming is what I refer to in my occasional tirades against TOR RP. People calling BHs "Hunter" or IA's "Agent" IC require a severe and sound IC mocking.

Off the multitude of RP sins, metagaming our nametags is among the most irksome to me. Just because the game has my name, class, guild, etc., floating above my head does not mean such information is common knowledge. But I've seen this in every MMO.

 

Even when my Sage RPs without his light saber equipped, new (or simply bad) RPers call him "Jedi" ... like every old man walking about in his bathrobe is a Jedi.

 

EDIT: Another LOTRO comparison: In LOTRO, characters have a "Biography" page as part of their character screen. Players can review a character's biography by inspecting the character. While some players choose to use this feature to post long, tedious tales of woe that explain their characters' angst and general emo outlook on life in Middle-earth, I use the biography section to post useful RP information. Such as how my character smells, sounds, walks, any obvious scars or tattoos, etc. In addition to descriptive information, I may include a blurb if my guy is known by an alias, so those with whom I RP don't spill the beans about my character's identity. Regardless how one uses it, the LOTRO biography feature is a very handy RP tool, if for no other reason than Thoronmir's LOTRO bio could read:

 

Thoronmir appears to be a wizened old man with a dour countenance. He is generally clad in worn robes of neutral colors. Thoronmir walks with a slight limp in his right leg. His voice is deep and gravelly.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Thoronmir

[Codedrago]

Off the multitude of RP sins, metagaming our nametags is among the most irksome to me. Just because the game has my name, class, guild, etc., floating above my head does not mean such information is common knowledge. But I've seen this in every MMO.

 

Even when my Sage RPs without his light saber equipped, new (or simply bad) RPers call him "Jedi" ... like every old man walking about in his bathrobe is a Jedi.

 

Ah, yes. The 'Read your file' RPers...

[Taramayne]

 

Also, if you see a Sin in Purple & Black on Ebon RPing with a Nexu, thats me, I always include my pets in my RP ^_~

 

As for the person complaining about emotes behind a paywall, you can type out any emote you want by typing /e and whatever you want, Example: /e pulls up a chair, nodding briefly to everyone around. Which will show up in chat in the orange emote text as:

 

"<Yourname here> pulls up a chair, nodding briefly to everyone around."

 

..I've seen you. You forgot your nexu pooper scooper last time and the poor cleaning droid had a fit.

 

There is ONE issue with custom emotes however; if you'e in a cross-faction area such as the Slopes, opposite faction players will not see any custom emote you type after [ /e ]. Only the standard emotes and /say will be visible. You'll have to use some other symbol ( usually ** )to denote an emote and put it in /say.

[branmakmuffin]

Off the multitude of RP sins, metagaming our nametags is among the most irksome to me. Just because the game has my name, class, guild, etc., floating above my head does not mean such information is common knowledge. But I've seen this in every MMO.

 

Even when my Sage RPs without his light saber equipped, new (or simply bad) RPers call him "Jedi" ... like every old man walking about in his bathrobe is a Jedi.

Could be a wizard. It happened in Olde Tyme AD&D, when players acted IC as if anyone in leather armor was a Thief (because they usually were, or an Assassin).

 

I reply with "It's not like we have little symbols, announcing out professions, floating over our heads." If I'm going to have a try at RP (which I do on occasion, hoping I will encounter some actual RP), I turn off my character's titles. Some people turn off name plate display, but I like to see who is who so I don't accidentally try to interact with someone in a guild on my idiot guild list.

Edited March 31, 2016 by branmakmuffin

[XiamaraSimi]

..I've seen you. You forgot your nexu pooper scooper last time and the poor cleaning droid had a fit.

 

There is ONE issue with custom emotes however; if you'e in a cross-faction area such as the Slopes, opposite faction players will not see any custom emote you type after [ /e ]. Only the standard emotes and /say will be visible. You'll have to use some other symbol ( usually ** )to denote an emote and put it in /say.

 

LoL are you sure it wasnt that other sith with the Akk Dog? My Xia knows to find a refresher ^_~ (If housecats can be trained to use a toilet so can my nexu )

 

Yeah, if Im RPing in the slopes or anywhere else cross faction migh tbe, i just use /say -add emote here- so cross faction can see. doesnt look as nice, but thats the way it has to work.

 

Least its not like world of Warcraft where Horde/Alliance see each others chat as pure gibberish.

Edited March 31, 2016 by XiamaraSimi

[Thoronmir]

Least its not like world of Warcraft where Horde/Alliance see each others chat as pure gibberish.

I haven't played WoW in nearly a decade, but one thing I liked was the add-on program for translating what we type into another language (Dwarvish, Dranei, etc.). It added to the immersion. Still, I was never fluent in Gibberish, so it wouldn't have helped in cross-faction RP.

[Taramayne]

LoL are you sure it wasnt that other sith with the Akk Dog? My Xia knows to find a refresher ^_~ (If housecats can be trained to use a toilet so can my nexu )

 

 

Least its not like world of Warcraft where Horde/Alliance see each others chat as pure gibberish.

 

OMG was THAT the horrible noise I heard coming from the 'fresher the other night?

 

Wildstar had the same cross faction "gibberish" programming too, which made NO sense at all given the two human factions came from the same origin. Eventually there were addons that took care of that fortunately.