Locked Roleplay Incentive...

Hi!

I'm so new it's crazy for me to even think about posting here, but I thought I'd toss something out for consideration (or not) based on what I've read here and ingame…and this whole idea may have been broached before, of course, so you can all tell me to pound sand if it has.

The facts are, we know RP is enforced, and we know there are consequences to noncompliance with rules centered around RP…but just from playing the last couple of days, I notice that it actually takes some effort to strike up real conversations with folk.

It's all good, people are busy doing their thing, and good on 'em! Folk are loath to sit around talking to each other if they can be killing something, making gold, running off on a quest or in some way bettering their character for the next battle; plus people don't want to stand around talking until their enemy pops up to kill 'em.

So… I used to play a mud (oho, an Imm's favorite phrase, lol) that in addition to enforcing penalties for not Rping, encouraged RP through the actual code. Here's how it worked:

~When two or more characters gather together and share words, each line of letters/characters in their 'say' or 'emote' is worth so many points called "roleplay points".

~Socials don't count, and neither do yells, tells, prayer, etc... only player generated phrases between players in the same room together.

~Points build to a level, and at the completion of a level, the player receives a bonus prize… Prac? Train? Gold? Random? Something nice.

~Levels run the same way exp levels do, in that at each successive level, it takes a lot more rp points to make the next.

~The more people there are in a room, the more rp points are generated per line for each of the players who are actively speaking/emoting.

I think that's about it, not too complicated, but I think it might really pep up the RP even between strangers meeting for the first time in the street, as well as bring folk together in places for fleshing out storylines before they fight.

Naturally, I'm not in a position to know how difficult this whole thing would be to pull off codewise, but I know it's out there. It was a really cool thing to play with, and I think it could only enhance the whole experience here, rather than detract from it.

Whatcha think?

I see where you are getting at and it is quite true. We don't normally stop to talk to others and have a nice chat unless there aren't any other chars out there at your rank that could potentially be looking for your head. I like the idea, but I'm sure others would like their say.

I think it's a cool idea, but this MUD is riddled with problems as it stands. If/when those get hammered out, then something like this would be practical. Until then, I think fixing bugs, balancing classes, ect should take priority.

I think that would lead to a lot of BS roplaying just to claim the price.

healers and bards would rack up the points. reset them upon death, maybe? back to last level earned or something. that way you could kill 'em to prevent them from getting all the 'prizes'.

on second though, i don't like it at all. RP should BE a part of who you are, not a way to get bonuses.

on second though, i don't like it at all. RP should BE a part of who you are, not a way to get bonuses.

That's what I meant, too.

Hi

based on what I've read here...

That's a big mistake right there. Classicly as you read through the forum you will find people complaining about how bad rp has gotten. A few things remain the same, they are the same AIM consortum, and it's the same people complaining. The wild card is the person pissed off because they just got pked without any apparent reason. RP isn't bad here, and it's not lacking, it's just not as simple as some people would like it to be.

Now with your idea, what prevents people from farming rp points with nonsense? The code isn't going to know if the people are rping or not, not to mention if it's the same old tired 'my mom and dad are dead' rp. In my rp youth I once had a random trigger that would say or emote crap as I cast spells, pissed off groups to no end, should I have gotten rewarded for that? I sort of did, I was spoken to about it (not yelled at, but people spoke to me about it) and I learned and changed what I was doing. This doesn't really promote RP, it promotes conversation, which could be when in groups "you tank the first one, he'll rescue me if the other attacks me, and I'll just spam cure critical!". Also there are a lot of aspects to rp that are not in emotes and says but are in actions, refraining from grouping with one type of character or another. Picking a specific town as your home. Rping with mobs. Just talking to yourself. Also there are conversations which are sort of a grey area, nothing that would get you in trouble, but could be stretched by some arguement to rp, so what good would those do?

I notice that it actually takes some effort to strike up real conversations with folk.

Why is that a bad thing? It's a game and you already do get rewarded for above the fold rp. You don't get rewarded for simple things anywhere else in the mud. PK takes effort, cabal fighting takes effort, ranking takes effort, so why should people get a reward for little effort of saying things?

Here's a story I think I have shared before. When I was in highschool I hated spanish class, detested it, so I never did the homework. One night I deceided that I would do the homework and I went in and was all proud; "Senora Nivison, I did my homework." And that woman did the whole strong independant large woman stance with one hand on the hip; "So, you should have been doing it all along." I didn't start doing my homework, infact I stopped all together, I just stopped expecting praise or rewards for doing things I should be doing.

There should not be incentive to rp, people just should.

Now I know what some people are going to say;

"Well people pk for the pk rewards all the time."

Yeah, true, but people rp for the rp rewards aswell.

"People pk to get into cabals just to pk again, it's a viscious cycle!"

Yeah, well people could rp to get into cabals just to rp again, I think it's called Herald. Seriously though, people can focus more on rp and still get the sterotypical pk rewards, it's just that people don't. Stick up the butt or something.

The intention with the idea is good. I really don't like the idea of a set in stone way to reward people like that.

WC

Awesome feedback, thanks! I dig what you're all saying, and the points are good. Let me add a couple things for clarification:

1. This system did not work without another active player in the room, so if one is alone and spamming emotes, nothing happens.

2. This system did not work in group tell, only for says and emotes (we didn't have the luxury of smote).

3. At the other place, imms were already watching RP dialogue. It's fun to be building and 'listening' to the drama unfold on the player plane…abuse would be obvious and easily curtailed. (except for the fact that the imms would have to take a hand in it, which might annoy them).

~note: rp that was not worth level points did not show on imm screens, I don't know what it's like here.

1. Players notice the RP of other players, just as WC's group noticed his emote spamming, and tend to take their own part in halting actions that are wrong.

I understand that I'm still really fresh to the mud.. I mean really fresh, so my perspective is bound to be skewed. I did manage to take the time to read the forums, the website, and the ingame rules as well as spending time wandering around listening before coming to an opinion. I honestly don't think RP on the MUD is lacking, I apologize if I came off that way. I honestly consider it just another perk, another little something to enhance the experience.

I FULLY understand the concept of "we rp because we should, and it's why we're even playing a rp Mud in the first place." It's awesome. That's the way to keep thinking. It's simply a pleasure to see lines and lines of dialogue not just go to an archive somewhere to be remembered fondly, but rather to be able to look at the rplevel and have the satisfaction of saying, "Yeah, I earned that. That was some good rp." Even without a prize. Even if the prize is bragging rights to the other players on the Shout Out, "I got rp level 50 today, woo! Thanks for the rp, so and so!" Think of it like a progress report for spanish class. Whether you do your homework or not, you can still look at the report card and see where you're at.

Solid storylines and the drama of watching an epic tale unfold is reward enough… for me it honestly is, but I can't deny that I liked the system; it was another element of fun for a fun game.

Who mentioned anything about group tells, if I am in a group I can still communicate with says, and if I get rewarded for it, thats how I am going to talk. And my group didn't talk to me, the imms did. Players do not enforce the rules, and get in trouble if they think they can. It's not okay to go ooc to tell someone they are ooc or doing something wrong. You can try and do it in character, but it's not very effective for people who don't know much yet.

Also the fact that it only works when other people in the room and only with says and emotes is something I do not like. The game is more than RP through says and emotes and this system just doesn't measure that.

People do earn things with RP in the current setup, there are rewards.

I just do not see how this measure RP at all. It measures how many says and emotes someone does, not RP, those are not the same thing.

Also, you have nothing to apologize for.

WC

Ever sat down and had a indepth RP session with someone like Mathicus?

RP is its own reward.

Yeah. When you RP with Mathicus it's like being RP-bashlocked without sanctuary. Then you get roleplay-full-looted where you can't think of anything to reply with that's half as good as what he was doing.

As for the idea, for my personally it doesn't seem too appealing, rewarding RP like that. Good RP is already rewarded, but in a method that makes it different than just being an incentive to RP.

Dey

Ever sat down and had a indepth RP session with someone like Mathicus?

RP is its own reward.

I really dislike the term 'RP session'. An RP session begins when you log on as your character, and ends when you log off. "Hey, I'm tired of training this skill, I think I'll sit down and have an RP session" really defeats the purpose of what RP is. Roleplay is a lot more than just sitting around chatting.

I really dislike the term 'RP session'. An RP session begins when you log on as your character' date=' and ends when you log off. "Hey, I'm tired of training this skill, I think I'll sit down and have an RP session" really defeats the purpose of what RP is. Roleplay is a lot more than just sitting around chatting.[/quote']

here, here.

I really dislike the term 'RP session'. An RP session begins when you log on as your character' date=' and ends when you log off. "Hey, I'm tired of training this skill, I think I'll sit down and have an RP session" really defeats the purpose of what RP is. Roleplay is a lot more than just sitting around chatting.[/quote']

I agree with you, and I know Deykari does also because his RP is often quite creative and strong. I think he didn't mean that they were you read it. He's referring to specific encounters with a strong character.

English lad, was actually the first person who used the term.

I like the idea.

I mean, you get bonuses for pk and combat, and seeing as how rp should be an equally important part of the game, it makes sense that you'd get something for it.

I think there are some flaws in the design, but I think the idea deserves enough merit to be considered. I realize the problem of a bunch of crap rp may come up, but...here's my experience. Get people to start rping..and they'll get better.

Heh, I'd almost like to see RP points be required for each rank.

By the way: Welcome to the MUD, Dhelan. And the forums. You seem to be a well-thought person, and it's glad to see new people, especially people like yourself join us. Have fun, and enjoy the forum drama too, becuase there's a lot of it.

I agree with you' date=' and I know Deykari does also because his RP is often quite creative and strong. I think he didn't mean that they were you read it. He's referring to specific encounters with a strong character.[/quote']

I was referring to english lad's post. I hadn't read Deykari's post when I made mine.

Yeah, I see that now. I misquoted when I said Deykari.

My point, however, I think is one of semantics. RP beings when you log in, however, he's referring to a run-in with someone who really taxes your skills.

I like the idea.

I mean, you get bonuses for pk and combat, and seeing as how rp should be an equally important part of the game, it makes sense that you'd get something for it.

I think there are some flaws in the design, but I think the idea deserves enough merit to be considered. I realize the problem of a bunch of crap rp may come up, but...here's my experience. Get people to start rping..and they'll get better.

Heh, I'd almost like to see RP points be required for each rank.

We already got trash PK. Not that much, but it happens. This will lead to trash RP.

If the RP situation was really bad, it would have been a good idea. But it isn't, people do RP well in general. That's my experience at least.