Role-playing

[Toulia]

Hey all! Most of you that are looking at this post are probably wondering who I am. I think very few of you have had the chance to meet me in game, but I am a newer member to the Mystic Legion ranks and I thought that I would come to the forum and stir things up a bit and allow everyone to hopefully get a chance to get to know me

I'm a Junior in college under the major of Web Design and when I'm not doing that I'm basically enjoying my time within the numerous RPG's I play. Role-Playing Games have been a big part of my life for the past 8 years and without them I don't know how I would have made it through some of the difficult times in my life.

Out of the eight years I have been exposed to this genre, seven of them have been playing one form of MMORPG. My first experience was with a game by the name of Gemstone 3. For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, GS3 was a completely text generated game. Everything you did or went to was presented to you in small blocks of text much like this:

[Wehnimer's Landing, The Bank]

The barred windows seperate you from the tellar as you step up to the wooden counter.

Directions: East, South, West, North.

Seems like it could be pretty boring, eh?

Suprisingly, it wasn't. It was one of the most indepth RPG's I have ever had the experience to play. So many things were capable of being done between player and game because of the simplicity of the text. The fighting system would make EQ's whimper away like a puppy hit with a rolled up newspaper, but the thing that enthralled me above all else was the interaction between players.

Every person that stepped into the game was required to step into their character. I might have been the anxsty little Junior High kid before I logged in, but when I joined the game I became the caring 11th level Empath(Basically a healer). At no point outside of a whisper to my friend did I act out of character. The reason for this was because you were not allowed to be out of character. If you chose not to act within character your account could possibly be suspended, or even banned, depending on the severity of your actions.

Some might think it harsh, right?

Anyways, five years ago, I'm flipping through one of my Gaming Magazine and I stumble upon, "EverQuest: The First True 3D MMORPG." My heart stops. I see the graphics and I can't keep my jaw off the ground. I know then and there that my life will never be the same.

Months pass, I upgrade my computer, and "Pop!" EQ is fully installed and staring me in the face. My first character is a Halfling Cleric. The Beautiful Splash screen lights up my monitor and within seconds(actually like a minute or two at the time. I only had 32 Megs of RAM) I'm staring at the beautiful architecture of Rivervale.

I scamper to my trainer, get my wonderful tunic, and head off to a fun day of killing the local wildlife. I sit stunned by the beautiful spell effects, giggle over my furry little feet, and I'm having a ball over killing a Giant Bat when all of a sudden my eye catches something, or someone I should say.

A halfling female runs by with the name: Bigstick. Sure enough, she's carrying a staff. She runs up to me to quickly say, "Dude, are you a chick?"

I swallow the lump growing in my throat. "Aye," I squeak out.

"Sw33t! Want to group?" She replies.

So starts my first, and last group, for the next few years of EQ

Along with a large amount of problems I experienced with my video card at the time, I found the luster of EQ quickly stripped away from me. This wasn't an RPG...this was Half-Life with Elves.

I saved up over a thousand dollars to upgrade my computer to tip top shape, only to go back to playing a text-based game that my Pentium 100 could run like an Olympic Athlete.

Time has passed from those days, and because of the amount of work that GS3 needed just to make to 20th level(something around...let me add it up...It's about 280 Hours(this is a roug estimate) which equals out to be about 11 days if you did nothing in the game but hunt) I returned back to RPG's with Dark Age of Camelot. Got hooked, made it to 50 in abotu the same time it did to make 20 in GS3, got bored, and here I am back to EQ.

However, I am truly saddened, and I feel that there is something that will never be allowed to come back to MMORPG's and that is Role-Playing.

Now, I know what most of you are going to say: "There are servers dedicated to RPing." I know this, but why should an RPG have to have a seperate server just for people to RP?

There have been times where I tried to RP with my character and I've been called weird/stupid/wtf?

Just thought I would start a little bit of a conversation on this topic. Do you all think that RPing is stupid? For Crazy people? I open the floor up after that very lengthy opening.

[Nithas]

I don't think roleplaying is silly. In fact the LDoN crawl I went on with some Sigils members was done almost completely in RP mode. I think only one person wasn't roleplaying. I even went as far as adjusting my hotkeys for the occasion. It was a lot of fun and was very rewarding (we hammered out a 56 mob slaughter mission in 43 minutes).

The problem with roleplaying is there are times when it is a hinderance to everyone who isn't also doing it. It can bog down communication and sometimes results in useless spam for others when a lot of /emotes are being used.

I play a 3 different pen and paper RPG's during the week, so when I log on Everquest I'm not really looking to roleplay. I come to hack n' slash. Assuming 4 different personalities gets confusing. If I was going to RP on everquest I'd be on Firona Vie, mostly because it's where I should be able to find more people then on any other server whom are going to be roleplaying like I am.

If I notice someone is roleplaying, normally I join in if I'm no busy or it's an interesting encounter between players. I do, however, hate being spammed by the few RP guilds whom come into PoK or Nexus screaming at each other about thier gods and the other RP guilds whom they are in a RP war with. That kind of thing irritates me. A lot.

For me there is a time and a place for it, but it's usually not found on EQ for me. I've done 8 years of RP on the mud known as Tdome and all of it's updated versions. I've been RP'ing since I was 7 when my older brother finally let me join his AD&D group. Everquest oddly enough is a break from RP'ing for me while still being able to game.

[Krislor]

I love roleplaying but yes sometimes there is a time and place for it. If I am among friends in group, usually the chatter is about the game. I dont talk about football or such. I am here to play the game. Escape reality so to speak. I think I play my character very well because I put the time and effort to make it so. I researched and experimented on the best methods on how to play my favorite classes. I even learned knew things when Sorlaorf joined our guild, that excited me.

Anyway I played a text based game called Dragonrealms. It was huge when I was playing it and it was very close to real life interaction with the exception of graphics. The ability for every aspect to come into play was full. Like factors for weather when you are in combat or even the very ground you were standing on. It as very cool. I really enjoyed the GM events, not like EQ. They had the Moonmages(enchanters) have visions during game play without notice of some major event that would take place but it was in clues and they had to gather together and try to decipher it. I really liked the invasions on the cities or the very few wars that actually came about. That was exciting. It wasnt the same ol`lets go exp or lets go farm.....It made things exciting. But it lacked the graphics which is why i am here. I love EQ and am here to stay.

I was rambling again.

[Synthania]

LOL Roleplaying..... Ahhhhhh to have it be so in the world of Norrath. There is nothing wrong with roleplayong and if you wish to do so in Mystic Legions you are welcome to. I encourage it. You will one day meet Krung. I do believe then that you will see where I stand on Roleplaying. Krung is my 51 warrior (hes an Ogre). Anyway, I would love more of an opportunity to RP with Synth however, its not very feasible when you run a guild.. I tried it once someone got Offended because I called then a Pathetic Dark Elf that needed to be removed from the face of Norrath because of his evil heritage.... Oh Well.... I think Role playing is an Integral part in this game and those that use RL curses or vulgarity or slang to me take away from my escape. If you want to curse say things like "Innoruuk" or "by tunares breath" or something off the wall like that. Come on Be creative. In Guild chat you will Never get Reprimanded for that because it is In Character however, if you say any of the RL curses inguild or even in a group I am in you will get told to stop. Roleplaying opens up a Whole new world of Possibilities and I think more people should try it. Anyway, If you roleplay just remember your place in the guild raids when we are raiding we are a team.... Your DE butt may not Want to listen to a Halfling or High Elf but it better because it knows its part of a whole... there are times to go Full out Roleplay and times to get the job done =)

[Balandar]

Also consider other languages. If you play an elf, just throw in an elven word here and there that people could figure out easily enough. It adds more realism to the character. And no, I do not play EQ (I did not like the zoning or the corpse runs).. but in UO when you have played for 6 years and know everything there is to know... you end up roleplaying. Playing orcs and elves, even dwarves (even though all characters are human).. is a lot of fun, you just have to dress them up to look like other races

Now, I play SWG almost exclusively. That is a different kind of roleplaying.. one I am still trying to figure out. It's not as easy as playing an elf, or a dwarf, or even an orc. "Wut lat luukn' ad Oomie?!?"

You could also write some stories about your character. Just add them to your character in the roster script...

Oh, as for elven stuff.. I did a lot of work as Veldren in UO which you can find here: http://www.thehonorempire.org/uo/Elf.shtml

But.. you most likely know all of this anyway. Soooo.. I'll go back over to the SWG forums

[Toulia]

Oh wow! You played DragonRealms Krislor?! That was made by the same company that did Gemstone 3. Very close together, but I started GS3 first and that's where I stayed.

[Rivok]

I have played both Gemstones 3 and Dragon Realms. Both were fabulous games and i agree whole heartedly. I found it hard at first to deal with all the graphics and useing my mouse so much when playing this game. I will forever be a mudder that plays EQ. Don't get me wrong i love my new "life" and hope to live it to the fullest and do all i can for all of you but there is just something about imagining all that text in your head that will forever out do any cool spell graphics or screen shots. I know i have plans to one day turn on my RPG flag and then that is what i will do and i can't wait. so thanks for the flash back.

P.S. in gemstone 3 Rivok was a dwarven rouge and in dragon realms he was a dwarven warrior. See a dwarven pattern lol

[Maga]

I don't think it's crazy to play in RP mode. i do it as much as possilbe in EQ. sometimes though there are places where you have to go back to the basics. like explaning comands and other things. Some times people do look at you crazy and think it's crazy but it's a good thing i am crazy. it's fun when you can get a bunch of people together to RP. it makes it more interesting so you can make that escape from RL. Of course some people are more into it than others but good for them.

As far as talking down the the DE's (cough Synth) i try to stay away from things like that and just be open to the different races in EQ. we have enough problems like that in RL i just don't want to make it part of my EQ RP experience. EQ is my escape from RL. If you're new to EQ and it's got you hooked just wait until you have dreams about EQ. i once had a dream that i was stuck in WW all alone and i was standing in an ice cavern with mobs all around me. i did not have camo (invis) up but i was in hiding mode and praying to Tunare that i did not move and fail my hide. Then you know you're hooked!

Maga (Hunters Moon)

There will always be a Hunter,

and there will always the Hunted!

[Synthania]

Bah I dont talk down to the DE's my DE talks down to everyone else... besides everyone knows Synth thinks Rebma is Hot as a DE

anyway, I actually enjoy that part... I mean racism is such a pathetic excuse to make yourself feel better about yourself that I do things like that in EQ to mock the RL antagonism that exists... Its a statement of who I really am because I abhor racism and think that all peoples should get the job done... End of Story no questions asked... I myself do not have any problem walking up to anyone anywhere and starting a conversation with them regardless of what they look like.. If you dont believe me ask rebma it annoys her sometimes Anyway, I think that everything has its place in the game they tried to make it real and they succeeded in alot of ways... I enjoy it because as I said before NO one in the game Cares what race you are... have you Ever noticed that? Have you Ever noticed how No one ever says OMGoodness your a DE no way your in my group or Man your an Erudite get away from here I aint grouping with you... A Cat person Golly your the dredge of society go hang out with your own kind.. Nope not once never.. Noone Cares who they group with what race anyway they care about class but thats relative.. Noone cares about Race and I LOVE that!

[Maga]

Reading Synth's post makes me think we should get spell check Heheheh just playing love you.

Maga (Hunters Moon)

[Toulia]

Well, as I think about it, I have a few strange things to post up about Role-playing...

One of them is, I think that Role-Playing was almost a necessary thing to be taken out if the game wanted to move to encompass all kinds of people. For instance, I went to school with a guy who was on the varsity football team, worked out like three times a day, was your typical jock, but played EverQuest because he thought it was cool. It was the first RPG he ever played and he got into it because he said it wasn't "like every other RPG." "It isn't as involving as D&D," he said in reference to the Role-Playing aspect, and that is what turned him on. EverQuest, as I've heard it before, is an RPG Lite.

I also believe that to a degree that the game wasn't really designed for the hefty accessibility of Role-Playing. I think that EQ takes out a lot of oppurtunities to Role-Play because there isn't as much of a social interaction. I know this might sound weird because everyone considers EQ a Chat Box with pictures, but I honestly believe this to hold some truth. Let me go back to my example of Gemstone 3 to show you what I mean....

In Gemstone 3, everyone relies upon the other. If you are a Warrior, you can easily go solo something on your own as long as you have the brain to do so. However, you are going to eventually need buffs/heals, etc. This is where a great social interaction takes place within the game.

In Gemstone, you could basically find everything you needed in one of the two main towns within the game(I think they now have three). Within this town you would find the Empath's, which were the healers within this game. An Empath is a type of healer that instead of just casting a spell and *pop* you are fine, they take your wound upon themself and then heal themselves and this is how they gain experience. Empaths are far too weak to really hunt on their own, so their place is basically to buff/heal. So, without the Warriors to get themselves hurt, Empaths would probably end up going crazy because they don't even get experience for healing themselves.

Then, to fight the better monsters within the game, you would need buffs. To obtain buffs you have to either bug a player or wait for the "Mass Buffs" where you had to wait to be invited into a group by the caster of those buffs. They would cast and for 3-4 hours the effects of the buff would stay upon you.

The Clerics within the game were responsible for rezzing your corpse if you died. Without the Clerics, your corpse would eventually rot and you would die, either having your corpse returned to the church with a hefty experience loss(if you had a favor from the church) or if you didn't, your corpse could permanently disappear(ya, think about that when you are 30th level).

Amongst other things was the inability to just talk to anyone from anywhere. I couldn't just send a /tell to Rebma if Rebma was a town away. We would have to be within the same city or have a spell cast upon us by Rangers call "Whispering Willows". Also, just a side note, I would like to say that Rangers were UBER in Gemstone3. My friend had one and he was just amazing.

Anyways, it really must seem that I am a cheerleader for GS3, but I am just trying to bounce off my reasons for lack of RPing in EverQuest.

EverQuest has a great group dynamic. Everyone can meet someone and get together and have a good laugh, but there isn't a real need for a full group of people or anything. Everyone could just do their own thing, etc. etc. Nothing is really leaning upon itself for another's assistance.

Hopefully that made sense...