PlaneShift
Gameplay => Newbie Help (Start Here) => Topic started by: Geoni on May 30, 2010, 02:04:21 am
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Then I have some questions you should guide yourself with.
I've discovered that characters are the most important part to a story in my honest opinion, and in this case, characters are the most important thing to the game. I have a feeling that some new players will have trouble roleplaying because they don't know who their characters are.
Do some research and decide the basics.
-So the first step in creating a character allows you to use your preference. You should read over the races and decide what you feel comfortable and knowledgeable playing. Races: http://www.planeshift.it/races.html
*Stay in settings and don't create a mixed kran or klyros. When mixing with the other races, try to put meaning behind the mix. (your characters parents' relationship)
-So now that you have found the race you want to play, now you get to choose what sex you want your character to be. This is also your chance to input some preference.
Finally, your character will need an age.
-You can choose to make this exact in the description: ex) Geoni is 134 cycles old. or ex) Geoni is a kran that seems to be over 100 cycles old.
-You can decide to make the description of your characters age lucid if you feel like getting creative and using your characters history. Here you don't state the exact age, or approximate age: ex) Geoni shows an aged body, what used to be smooth skin on kra's body is now a coarse and jagged surface. This body has obviously gone through much aging.
*When choosing an age, remember to keep them within the settings. Races have different age limitations: http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=35828.0
Permanent Physical Traits
#1) What is your characters build? examples: tall, short, fat, skinny, muscular. Think about races, and what some of their general features are.
#2) What does your characters head/face look like? Think about: hair, fur, skin, eyes, brows, mouth, nose, neck, lips, facial hair, cheekbones, jawline, ears, forehead size, wrinkles, scars. (Some parts of this can change as you roleplay your character)
#3) How does your character walk? Think about: Your characters build, your characters job, and how tired or how much your character has been through that particular day.
#4) What are some of your characters common mannerisms? Think about: History and the personality/psychology that developed in your character because of the history. examples: the chin scratches, the constant stretcher, the arms crosser, the hip holder, the nose picker, the twitchy one. There are plenty of possibilities with this.
#5) What does your characters voice sound like? Think about: sex age and race, what your character is thinking about at the moment, and the situation your character is in.
#6) Does your character have any scars? Noticeable or not noticeable?(Depends on what the character is wearing) If so, how did he/she/kra get them? If it is gross/disfiguring, how do people react to it, and how does your character counteract? Think about: history, relationships, and past/current jobs.
History
Now that you have chosen your characters race, sex, age, and how they look, now is the time to think about your charcters history.
You've arrived to Hydlaa and it is your first day playing. Think about your characters pre-Hydlaa life:
#1) What town did your character come from?
(Don't get out of settings, no character has been to the surface, traveled beyond the stone labyrinths, or a different world. There are also some 'places' that you shouldn't say your character is from: undiscovered Kadaikos the home-place of the Lemurs, and Pradesha which also hasn't been discovered.)
*for some town possibilities, look at this: http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=36460.0 (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=36460.0) Unimplemented towns are mentioned, and there are probably more planned. You can also play it safe and use an already implemented town.
#2) What was your characters job in that town?
#3) How did the people of that town think about your character?
#4) Is there any good or bad deeds that your character did while in that town? If so, how did it affect your character and those around him/her/kra?
#5) Why did your character leave that town?
#6) Is his/her/kra's family still in that town? What happened to them? How does your character feel about leaving them, or if their dead what does your character feel about that?
Once you've RP'd a bit, your character should change with the things that happen to him/her/kra.
#1) Has your character gotten a new job at Hydlaa yet?
#2) Something bad happened to your character, and this causes a loss, a grudge against somebody, or perhaps a new fear. Many things can change about your character because of a harsh event that he/she/kra was stuck in.
#3) Something good has happened to your character. This could be many things: a job, new friends, relationship happens, joined a guild, perhaps somebody just did something nice for you, or you did something nice for somebody. This can also change a character too.
#4) Death: Your character has died somehow, and now he/she/kra has to go trough the DR, or has arrived out of the DR. What is your character like when he/she/kra is in or just coming out of the DR? Think about the possibilities: was your character...Traumatized? Relieved? Angry? Sick feeling? Etc...
#5) Does your character ever get homesick, or miss his/her/kra's family? How does the character deal with that?
Chlothing
Clothing has to do with the here and now. Your character may have many outfits depending on wealth, personality, and social status.
#1) What does your character wear while working? Think about: Warriors/fighters wear armor, couriers wear armor or lighter clothing, cooks wear clothes they don't mind getting dirty, thieves/outlaws/anything else in that category often wear cloaks. Guildies usually wear a symbol of their guild. (These are just things I've seen on these types of people. You can get creative with this.)
#2) Your going to sleep, or sleeping. What does your character wear to bed? (if anything ::))
#3) Your character is going to attend a classy event (wedding, celebration, religious holiday, etc...) What is he/she/kra going to wear?
#4) Your character is in love, and wants to impress somebody with that certain somebody. What is he/she/kra going to wear because of that?
#5) Any jewelry/accessories? Think about: matching what he/she/kra is wearing, would your character have been able to afford the item you plan on having him/her/kra to wear?
#6) What does your character carry his/her/kra's things in? Think about: your characters job, wealth, what your character has to tote around.
#7) What weapons does your character have? Are they visible or hidden? Think about: Social status, job, personality, etc...
#8) List some of the things other characters have said or noticed about the clothing your character wears. Does your character notice that attention it is bringing to himself/herself/kraself? Does your character change clothing because of that?
*stay in settings. Your character has only items that would exist during the medieval times.
Names: If it is stupid (naming yourself a normal name like John Walker, or something crazy like Mclovin Awesome) then a GM will no doubt change it for you. If you can't name your character, then use the random generator. Having characters with a completely unknown (random) name is probably the best chance to avoid biasing due to similarities with real-life names.
Religion: Goes with your characters race, personality, and especially history.
You can choose from these to follow:
-Athiest
-Polytheist: follows more than just one of the gods stated below.
-Xiosia
-Dakkru
-Talad
-Laanx
-Black Flame
(Careful if you choose to play a Black Flame follower. I've made the mistake of creating a character that was a loud BF character when I was an arrogant newb, and she got deleted because of that. Read Oomi's guidelines to know what you are doing when your character decides to follow "the whisper": http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=36095.0 Just so you don't make the mistake I did.)
Relationships
#1) List some people that are important to your character, and why they are important.
#2) Is your character super shy, super assertive, or inbetween those two? Perhaps there are only certain people that your character is like that around.
#3) (Controversial) Is your character straight, bi, homosexual, or asexual? How does he/she/kra deal with love relationships? (You could say this is physical. Remember the game is PG-13, don't overdo anything.)
#4) How does your character deal with different age types, and races? Think about: children, elderly, teenagers, younger adults, mid-aged people.
Anyways, these are some questions you should answer for yourself if you want to create an unforgettable character. If you really want to remember, copy and paste the questions on a word document and answer them, or even write these on paper. You can even post a reply answering these questions on the post if you want, but I would be careful with what you reveal. This guide is meant to help anybody out if they are having trouble creating a character.
One more thing: When making your description in game, don't put anything but the raw details. (Physique and Chlothing) Other characters can't right click yours and read a description before saying "Hey, I'm really sorry to read that your mom died at childbirth." Just doesn't work like that. Instead, describe only what other characters can physically see. Saying something like: "_______ has deep blue eyes bright as the crystal, that will cause you to instantly fall in love with her." That would be called godmodding. A big no-no.
Most importantly: Simply stay true to your character.
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good job, geoni
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You have a type or two in there ;)
Anyways, it's a very nice guide Geoni :)
Maybe you should also write not to give your characters crazy things that would make it unfair for other characters when they interact with them (i.e. power to destroy the world, magic not implemented, guns, mutating powers, etc) or....don't godmod :P
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You have a type or two in there ;)
Anyways, it's a very nice guide Geoni :)
Maybe you should also write not to give your characters crazy things that would make it unfair for other characters when they interact with them (i.e. power to destroy the world, magic not implemented, guns, mutating powers, etc) or....don't godmod :P
I think you can make spells that are not implemented...what it does though is another question.
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Unimplemented spells can enter Mary Sue territory pretty darn fast if done wrong. Personally, I'd suggest playing on already-existing spells if you want to make one up (one I've used in the past: A smaller, more controllable version of the fireball spell - one you can light a candle with without burning the whole table down in the process).
Anyway, well done, Geoni.
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Unimplemented spells can enter Mary Sue territory pretty darn fast if done wrong. Personally, I'd suggest playing on already-existing spells if you want to make one up (one I've used in the past: A smaller, more controllable version of the fireball spell - one you can light a candle with without burning the whole table down in the process).
Anyway, well done, Geoni.
True, some made up spells could go very wrong ;D
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I wanted to ask (and this is a good a place as any), if people have a severe aversion to ~normal names. Like if I used "John", "Cindy", "Joe", or "Paul" would I randomly be yelled at? Because it would be very strange if the people of Yliakum had a specific, "random" list of names that no one was allowed to have.
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"Normal names" are already quickly taken, though. As long as the firstname is the identifying one, the first player who registered a char named "John" blocks this name for all following players trying to use "John" as first name, as long as this character stays in the database.
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Good on one point, but sad on the other. Are there any plans to take advantage of last names so multiple characters can register with the same first name? In the chat logs, it could automatically start displaying the last name for those two people when they met.
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This topic has not been discussed for the first time here.
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What I'm saying is that everybody should make a fantasy type name when creating a character. I think it's not the biggest deal since GM's can decide whether or not it's suitable for the roleplay(skylab) server.
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But how do the Yliakum characters have any idea what a "fantasy type name" is? They just use what's easy to say and is rooted in their normal language. We have no idea what their normal language sounds like, and most of the current names seem randomly generated. Why couldn't they randomly generate a name just like one of ours?
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Because characters don't have computers with random generators. Players have. ;)
People who use the random name generator for their new char will probably not use the first result either. I guess they will try several times until they believe the name sounds matching to the character they plan to create. At least I was never satisfied with the first result.
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You missed the point, could you answer the first question? That was the important one.
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But how do the Yliakum characters have any idea what a "fantasy type name" is?
Please rephrase this question so that LigH does not miss the point. Since its the important one.
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I don't see why I need to, but; why would the people of Yliakum avoid certain names that are easy to say or have bias towards ones that are hard to say?
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What I mean by "Fantasy name" is that it would be a name nobody on Earth (the big blue planet you live on) would have. I've simply made this guide by what I have experienced, and I named one of my characters Krissi and it had to be changed. I don't know anybody named Krissi but I could see where somebody could name their child Krissi on Earth. I put that "John" line on the guide because I know players would have to change their name or have a GM change it for them. If anybody has any other questions please PM me about it and we'll have a discussion, thanks.
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http://www.thenoobcomic.com/headquarters/comics/00141.jpg
my char might think 'wow who would name there kid THAT!?' :o
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Yeah, I guess that thing (Lilura's) can be a problem on games with tens of thousands of people playing. We don't have that problem. But that does not answer why or how the planeshift characters would be able to avoid certain names. How do they know of earth? Is that why the "Book of Names" is called such?
The only limits on what name a person might call their child is how easy it is to say and what cultural influences it has. Naming people after people, places, objects, concepts, all possibly in another language the namers don't really know. None of these would exclude terran names, and they even encourage them (since the races are so close to humans, or actually human).
Edit: Why do you think this topic should be transferred to PMs?
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Yeah, I guess that thing (Lilura's) can be a problem on games with tens of thousands of people playing. We don't have that problem. But that does not answer why or how the planeshift characters would be able to avoid certain names. How do they know of earth? Is that why the "Book of Names" is called such?
The only limits on what name a person might call their child is how easy it is to say and what cultural influences it has. Naming people after people, places, objects, concepts, all possibly in another language the namers don't really know. None of these would exclude terran names, and they even encourage them (since the races are so close to humans, or actually human).
Edit: Why do you think this topic should be transferred to PMs?
Can you please re-word those first, second, and third sentences in your second paragraph (that means all of it). I have a feeling that your repeating information in different sentences. I did somewhat get what you mean though, so here is my final answer to what I was able to decipher: People in PS have no idea about the culture outside of the stone labyrinths, that means Earth, so they wouldn't have earthly names.
I want you to use PM's because talking about this may confuse newbies, which was not the purpose of this thread.
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Two in a row.
Edit: Actually, leaving this conversation as it is, suddenly bringing it into PMs, will only cause more confusion. I'll be clear as best I can.
What I mean is that the only way the Yliakum races could avoid terran names was if they knew them. Most of them have, as far as I can tell, the same lips and vocal chords that we do, so similar sounds would evolve. From those similar sounds, words and names that are easy to say would also evolve; likely in a similar way to terran speech. Even if they evolved those words and names very differently, they would still use at least some terran names by pure chance. You could say that although it's annoying (ref. that comic) when everyone obviously copies their name from something else, it's also annoying when any old string of letters is used except "normal" ones. One's mental eyes are drawn to the empty space.
As for rules, no mod should demand that a name be changed just because it reminds them of something or someone, or strikes them as "normal". The reason for the change would need to be based on how the player involved uses the name.
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I see the point you are poking ... How shall the in-game characters know that "Arnold Schwarzenegger" is a VIP out there in the player's real life? In Yliakum, he could be a successless weakling instead.
Unfortulately, player and character share the brain (usually; I don't know how much a real schizophrene is able to separate characters on purpose...). Therefore real life and virtual life usually cannot be parted completely. And a game character with the name of a famous real-life person (or literature character) will be biased in the virtual world too.
Having characters with a completely unknown (random) name is probably the best chance to avoid biasing due to similarities with real-life names.
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It is a simple consideration to the players, designed to enhance the gestalt of the world. It is a game. It is a game. It is a game.
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Having characters with a completely unknown (random) name is probably the best chance to avoid biasing due to similarities with real-life names.
Mind if I use this line in the guide instead so we don't all have to argue about it anymore?
@Nivm: What in the world is "terran"? ???
As for rules, no mod should demand that a name be changed just because it reminds them of something or someone, or strikes them as "normal". The reason for the change would need to be based on how the player involved uses the name.
As for this I agree, but the mods still do it. Unless all the mods view this discussion and have an in depth conversation about it, agree on something (however the mods do that), and comment on this thread saying that they all agree with this quote, then I won't advise newbies to choose a "normal" type of name. I don't want newbies to have to go through a name change because they thought they could pull it off.
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@ Geoni:
I don't mind.
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Thanks, it was just the perfect follow-up line for the only sentence I had in the name section of the guide.
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"Terran" is an adjective that has appeared in modern sci-fi that refers to anything from Earth. Derived from "terra", even if that doesn't automatically mean "planet Earth".
So it's not at all normal for the players to segment their mind when playing? I thought that's what they mean when they say "immersion".
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"Terran" is an adjective that has appeared in modern sci-fi that refers to anything from Earth. Derived from "terra", even if that doesn't automatically mean "planet Earth".
So it's not at all normal for the players to segment their mind when playing? I thought that's what they mean when they say "immersion".
Okay I'm not into sci-fi's so I wouldn't have had an idea what "terran" meant.
Anyways, players have to use their mind when roleplaying. Immersion isn't about not using the mind. Immersion is becoming part of something you are not used to, which takes a great deal of creativity. The player has to use the imagination to feel a part of the world of a game, which is not easy to do for some people so they have to put their mind to it. This is getting off topic.
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Really? We've charged into player mentality; which includes newb mentality! I only have a clarification though; I meant whether or not they "segment the mind", not whether they "use the mind". I'm talking about splitting off the memories of a part of yourself for the sake of creating another personality. Like the disorders except you can control it.
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The more you go into deteils, the more you refine your rules, the less fun will stay left for the beginners.
Be tolerant. Allow mistakes. Don't enforce correction. Players who want to be part of the community will learn over the time they play. Trolls will stay trolls.
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Hello one and all,
The process of my first character creation is underway. Some input would be welcome at this stage of working out the character's back story. The storyline that has been developing is that the character's father has been a mayor type in a small, yet wealthy, trading town. Some strife has happened and the family's position has been lost. The character has left the town to make a new life; perhaps with the hope of returning once they have established themselves in the world.
My preference is to use a real town in PhaseShift; yet having not actually visited the world to date; my hope is that some suggestions could be given by active players. Any suggestions; of an off the beaten track small town that may fit the bill; would be welcome.
A little description of the place and its general location would also be welcome if that is not breaking any in game rules.
- Nova
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Well when it comes to using existent towns, I suppose the closest town to "a small, yet wealthy, trading town." Would be Gugrontid. It's a kran city in the game, with rich history and expansive wilderness around its borders. You could also use Ojaveda, but I wouldn't exactly call that town wealthy. Anyways, I don't really see the name of the town, or that it is existent in game, because it's still in development and there's usually some guessing when it comes to a characters city of origin.
If it is important for you to have a good idea of your character's hometown, then think about how it would effect your characters personality at the present time, because that might help in roleplaying the character. In my opinion you should think about using your characters wealthier background when trying to create an unforgettable personality for him/her/kra. Most importantly, get in game so that you can get to know the world a bit. :D
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Hopefully you'll get more than just my answer on this.