PlaneShift
Fan Area => The Hydlaa Plaza => Topic started by: Illysia on October 13, 2016, 09:28:39 pm
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Alright now. I woke the forum back up from a hard death, but I can't drive this on my own. If you want people to realize this game isn't dead and give it a try, some other people are going to have pitch in harder on this making some noise stuff.
Even the main website (http://www.planeshift.it/) thinks nothing's happened around here since August...
People don't want to play a dead looking game.
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Good to see others havent gave up aswell, but everyone (like me) dont always have the time demanded to acomplish that. This game really needs more active players atm, and its even better if they pull the same rope so to speak. I must admit that isnt very easy, but if ones are persistent enough, their efforts shall be rewarded. Also it's good idea to ask for help whenever needed, if you never ask, you never get answer they say.
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Time is definitely limited; however, hours and hours from every individual isn't what is needed. What is needed is making an effort to do a little, more than once in a while.
One will get back what they put in.
RP communities are like pets. If you feed them sparingly, they will be weak and tiny. They may even die. Yet, if everyone chips in a little to feed it, there will eventually be an abundance and the community will grow big and healthy.
In healthy RP communities, there are groups of people who put aside time to tend the community or at least their ciricle of RPers. That is, in turn, supported by the people who can't invest the time needed to drive the RPs. This is what keeps the community going.
So even for people that don't have much to say, saying something, however small, is still important. For those that have no idea to promote, looking for ways to help those that do is still important. For those that feel they lack experience, looking for ways to gain experience or looking for people to learn from is still important.
Every little bit helps.
...It also helps prevent losing the people who try to make a push to burnout.
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If you want people to realize this game isn't dead
Hey now... I see what you're doing, there! The truth is, it's for the most part, dead. There might a hand full of players, but that's about it. To try to make people think otherwise is to deceive them. Why would you want to trick people into thinking this game is alive and well? Is it so you can have a community to play with? Somehow, I don't think so.
(http://i.imgur.com/bEDHNxZ.jpg)
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The community is dead but the game actually isn't. Both are in bad shape, thought they can revive... or do you think the game started out with 200 players? If the game couldn't grow from a handful of players, there would have never been as many people as there were when you started playing.
Besides, why try finish off something weak just because you personally have no use for it?
All PS needs is a new RP community. Forming a new RP community is like forming a pearl. It has to have something to form around first. So I ask current players to form a nucleus that other RPers can eventually grab on to and grow.
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I did my best with the RCD. I even said that I would open anytime someone would let me know, in advance, when they wanted it open.
I've always enjoyed the spontaneous role-play with other players. There is no one around- it's like being on EZPC again.
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That's because the community died. There's definitely players on and some people who want to RP, but there isn't a nucleus anymore. That's why I ruffled feathers years ago when there was one last visible nucleus. I knew the game was going to be in bad shape if it lost that and the odds were good for that happening.
But as long as current players wait for the PS world to change, or just move on, it's going to stay the same. Nothing short of deliberate action on the part of several players is going to dig it out of this grave. The community is not going to fix itself; it's not that healthy. One or two players can't do it either.
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just seems nobody really cares... this game takes a lot of effort... and it is near impossible for folks to keep up the energy for the effort when most responses are crickets.
The only roleplay I do, and have time to do given all the time spent waiting for people to show up is to RP the first time meeeting... or "hello fine sir or madam how have you been."
much beyond that, the odds of running into the character again are so low, it's barely worth the thought to expand beyond that.
If a reader is like pah, that's not true I roleplay stories all the time... well guess I just am no good at the game... as I see nothing and haven't even since 6 years ago.
There needs to be a system. Random doesn't work for me and never has... I can't lurk online all the time... I have an hour... can make that nearly any night, but about an hour.
But with this game, you can barely do anything in an hour... without coordination to stop and agree to carry on the next time... or something.
my thoughts,
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just seems nobody really cares... this game takes a lot of effort... and it is near impossible for folks to keep up the energy for the effort when most responses are crickets.
Yeah, maybe the answer is that PS still doesn't have the raw materials to rebuild yet. It's not enough to have players. RP requires community. The game won't dig itself out until it has enough players that understand the need for community and effort. Everyone doing their own thing separate doesn't work well for RP anywhere.
It's just a shame. I don't think the odds are good for getting a large enough amount of those kind of players. Most of the people that seem to stumble on to PS seem new to RP. They don't necessarily realize what goes into sustaining it.
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Yeah, it's really easy to get bummed out... but honestly, 5 people... 5 people with similar mind-set and goals that pick a time to RP in-game is all it would really take for me.
5 people seems do-able.
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Hasn't been the same since Mariana/Evirea left.
And you know it.
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and Roled...
They were apart of the last nucleus I saw.
However, I hope you get those five people Thoss. What PS had was special and I'm not talking about a mythic past golden age. There used to be enough RP to where you could stumble across it and get sucked in. There used to be interesting characters that people sought out to RP with. There used to be experienced players in the game teaching new players the craft.
Though there is RP in lots of places, most of those places do not have the game features that support it as well as PS does. It is a shame that some places have the RPers but not the mechanics, and some places have the mechanics and not the RPers. :-\
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I don't know how you guys keep missing all the RP...and some times you just have to take initiative and start it yourself. I've thrown two giant parties with food and music that sparked a great deal of RP as far as the planing and inviting and setting up and the actual event and then people talked about it for days after, granted because my second party was a surprise party (Which I managed to keep from the birthday boy for 6 weeks both IC and OOC thank you very much!) But because I was unable to post on the forums or flyers in game I had to rely on word of mouth IC it was slightly smaller but still had a great turn out and I think all involved had a ton of fun.
As far as weekly RP there is a player market. It was totally dead and I've worked very hard to revive it and try and keep it going most weeks, I think people think they need something rare to sell or I'm not really sure but anything is useful to sell, so many items you come across daily can be used in crafting which are great items to sell.
I even had alts at the market to encourage other people to join because I noticed no one wants to set up unless they think others will too. So a few times I used an alt to sell something simple, I decided a flower/herb vendor was simple and realistic so I made an old tired over worked farmer lady to sell flowers--the funny part was both times I used her someone bought a flower for Jess and gave it to her--But I got discouraged with her when one day someone kept trying to RP with her over and over and asking a billion questions about her history and her past and my vague answers were not satisfying enough so I sent them a tell explaining I had no intention of RPing this char though out the week she was simply a vendor to make the market seem more alive so more would feel comfortable joining in and that I don't have that much of a backstory for her I'm sorry and when I told them she's my alt they left me alone. However latter that night when I logged on my friends told me how when someone in gossip asked how the market that was that day the player stated something about Jess's alt selling flowers....which really upset and annoyed me because that defeated the entirety of what I was doing in trying to make the market look more alive and like more people were participating if everyone knew it was all the same person. The following week I skipped the market and did not log on out of total annoyance, I latter heard there was no market that day, and I'm sorry for that. But this last market was alive and thriving and there was so many people there to browse and wander around and it was amazing and how it should be! Sadly I had to leave early.
One week it was just Jess at the market I mentioned it in gossip and people came by to check it out, and they talked with Jess, some bought food but most just stood around and chatted for a bit after about an hour Jess closed shop RP does NOT have to be a six hour long or days on end ordeal to be considered a success.
The problem is with a game that's open to anyone from all over the world people log in at different times every day, some times are better than others, usually just say something in gossip--hey anyone up for some RP? Or what's everyone up to? to get them interested a lot of people just do crafting or grinding to help pass the time and don't realize there are others who want to RP right at that moment. People have real lives and things going on and can't immerse themselves into a world that can consume all your free time before you know it. Right now there might not be a whole lot of people around but there IS a community still and people do enjoy the game and the RP it has to offer. A lot of them right now however don't use forums so you won't see them on here, I've heard several people tell me it breaks the IC for them to have to look or go outside of the game for anything information wise. What is annoying is the people that keep logging on just say "oh only 15 people online?" blah blah blah....if you want more people to play and enjoy it and so many of us really do then stop complaining about it and just RP, encourage others and just do the best you can do (I know I personally have so much to learn about RP and I think I learn something new each time I RP with someone new!) But no one wants to play when all people do is complain and whine.
If you want to play and encourage others great! If not then move along because being discouraging is not helpful to anyone, it tears people down, I've seen it happen to many times.
Okay yeah it's really late and I just really started to ramble and I'm not even fully sure what all I've said or if any of that makes sense so enjoy!
My main point is there is RP, sometimes you have to spark it yourself to some degree but it's there. Just going to have to maybe be a bit OOC about it and ask in gossip who's up for some for fun sometimes if you can't find anyone on your own, but it's there. Also keep in mind Everyone has their own RP style and tons of people are new or not good at it or don't really fully understand it so don't take it so hard core and just be relaxed and go with the flow, stop being so judgmental all the time.
*steps off her soap box she did not really realize she was even on*
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I apologize if you feel like this thread is stepping all over your efforts, Jessamine. It's not my intent. However I'm going to point this out about your soapbox. It sounds ironically judgmental for someone complaining about being judgmental. I'm not sure you meant for it to sound this way, but it definitely came off a little hypocritical.
Also, if you think it's discouraging for people to speak against another's very real experiences, consider this for a moment. You've just wrote several paragraphs effectively telling people who struggled to find RP (because they genuinely wanted to RP) that they just were't trying at all, that they are wrong, and it's just them. That completely invalidates their experiences and effort. If it occurred to you to try to reach out to find RP, assume it occurred to someone else. Congratulations you too have now joined the discouraging train.
I don't fault you for your base argument and I don't doubt your experiences. It may well be working for you, and good for you, but the way you made your argument undermined your point a little. Nevertheless, I'll just assume you meant well, and that it just might have come out a bit funny late at night.
Now to address the topic at hand:
I'm glad PS is able to work for your enjoyment and I'm glad you were happy with the turnout of you events. However, I've been in healthy RP communities and even in PS when it was healthier. You seem new to RP so you may not see it yet, but PS is not fine, exceedingly alive, or healthy. It may be a lot for you, but I've seen more in games that aren't even well suited to RP and certainly more in PS, across timezones. I'm not new to RP. I started RPing in this game back in 2006-7. I know you don't trust my experience on this, but I've already seen pitfalls you apparently haven't encountered yet.
I agree the game isn't dead, but there is no spinning this as healthy and self-sustaining. Your market example proves that. Your description doesn't make it sound like an active market. It makes it sound like one person pushing to make it work. That's not sustainable. I know... we've tried it before. You will burnout like me and countless others who did the same thing did. You are going to need more than people RPing with you when you make a push. You need several people pushing at the same time help to make something sustainable.
I have not encountered one active RP scene that doesn't have at least one cohesive community in it and forums have traditionally be the springboard for such communities in this game. I've seen people be so persnickety about their immersion that they cut themselves out of resources that help build RP. I'm not saying it's wrong to be that way, but it makes it hard build community. There simply aren't enough people in game to have an entirely in game network. Further, there isn't enough people to sustain having a majority of people who can't stand to do anything but the game. The RP community is just too weak. You need more people forming a community both inside and outside of the game.
I will say this, though, I'm pretty sure that given time you too will be repeating these same complaints. In the past, people used to shoot down my threads because it was "OK enough" for them when it was not for others. I found that those people eventually got to the point where they weren't satisfied too. Strangely enough, what I always complain about is a trend not just my isolated experiences. That trend eventually grows beyond any dissenters' tolerances too.
Those people who took much the same position as you, Jessamine, eventually started to say the same things I had for their own reasons. So forgive me if I don't take your zeal as indicator that things are alright enough. I've just seen this pattern enough times to know that if you hang around long enough, you will see it, and you will voice the exact same concerns. I'm not trying to take shots at the fact that you are enjoying yourself now, but I've seen all of this play out before.
Not to mention, this is the same behavior that interfered with rallying the community before the peak dropped down to 30. That is nowhere near the online peak of 200 in game. The game has done so much better than this with so much less. That's not a sign that it's OK.
What is annoying is the people that keep logging on just say "oh only 15 people online?" blah blah blah....if you want more people to play and enjoy it and so many of us really do then stop complaining about it and just RP,
Now this takes me back right here.... Show of hands, how many people remember this argument being thrown around in the past? Did it help? Did it help? *looks around* No. But at least my PS nostalgia trip is now complete. If just RP was enough to fix the mess PS finds itself in, it would have worked all the other times someone thought to say it.
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...ironically...judgmental...hypocritical...discouraging....
This threat literally soaks these things... oh the irony...
Also its good too see there is still people that still try to get RP up, keep up the good work Jessamine :thumbup:
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You may not agree with the perspective, but it is not inherently judgmental or wrong to say the game is struggling and needs help. That's called honesty. It may not always be wanted but sometimes it's needed. I don't think that the game is beyond hope dead. However, Rigwyn's basic point is valid. If you have to lie about whether or not it's dead, you've undermined your own efforts.
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Well its not dead nor alive imo. If death means there's no realistically nobody to play with , then its alive. Even if it might look dead for you who have played it when there was 200+ players, remember there is those who have used to play with 30- players. It's suprisingly playable with 50- players.
And as newtons first law tells us, if the amount of the players starts growing, it keeps growing untill something drops it (so you just have to figure out how to start growing it :P )
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Let me get this clear beyond a shadow of a doubt so I don't misconstrue. Do you honestly think PS is OK?
When I say dead I mean it can't sustain easily found groups of active RPers across several timezones. We covered earlier in the thread that there are people online, so it's not a commentary on whether or not there are RPers in the game.
I understand that it's hard for newer players to understand where older players come from. We've been newbies before, but you haven't been oldbies before. But I'm sorry, I'm just not going to accept mediocrity from the game because you are too new to want more from it. I don't mean any harm but that seems to always be the root of new players saying just take it. It always sounds like, "I don't want more form this so you can't want more from this."
(so you just have to figure out how to start growing it :P )
That has been the purpose of reviving the forum and all the recent if you hadn't noticed. You all had two years of me saying absolutely nothing on any topic and only saying something a few sporadic months each year before that. If what was happening in game in the intervening years was going to work, it would have by now. The player count wouldn't have dropped lower. It's not that nothing is being done, but it's obviously not enough. So, let's try something else too.
Does it really have to drop to a single digit peak before we can stop having people be offended when other people state their struggles while the content are around?
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Let me get this clear beyond a shadow of a doubt so I don't misconstrue. Do you honestly think PS is OK?
Well first, there is not objective OK but to put it short,no, i dont think its ok but i dont find it extremely bad either.
Also i would like to say there is no need to dig so deep so deep hole between new players and old players. Sometimes its seems like the case is so. Anyhow, if you dont enjoy the game as it is, i dont see why to continue to play, nobody is forcing old players to play if they dont get enough fun of it anymore.(and yes, i can totally see it loses its novelty over time but thats obvious and signals you need to do something else inbetween aswell.)
And yes, I can see that the intention was to get forum more active (which has been clearly a success, thanks for that).
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You are dancing around the question, however that's a close enough answer.
To say there is a difference of opinion and experience is a statement of fact. It is an objective fact that not everyone experiences the same things in game. There is no reason to lie and and say that different experiences will produce the exact same feelings about this game. It is also an objective fact to state that Oldbies have experienced different things from newer players. Therefore, to say there is a difference between the experiences of olbies and newbies is an objective fact.
If newer players take that personally then there is little that can be done about that. Saying oldbie and newbie is not inherently an Us vs Them conflict. It merely states a very real difference in experience. If it's the word newbie that gets you upset then fine. I'll use a different term. However, if I mention the Dwarvesbane vs. Dwarven Star War, you probably have no clue what I am talking about because you are a newer player. There is a difference in experience.
This thread not meant to make people feel bad about enjoying the game, it's meant to get people to help broaden the appeal. It is not a condemnation to say that current standards are hard or impossible to accept if you'd been around for better. It's just a fact.
But to answer your question, the reason old players hang around is because they used to have fun. They want to have fun in that context again. Not everything in life is meant to be discarded as soon as you no longer like it as much. Most of the oldbies that bother to post to the forums have very fond memories about the game and they aren't ready to give up on it fully even in hard times.
What i'd like to know now though is how is it considered not constructive to ask people to band together but it is considered constructive to tell people to go away if they don't like it? One method is outright telling people to leave with an already low player count.
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I cant see how im "dancing" around question, please clear this out.
And while oldbies might seen more, it doesn't make newbies opinion less valuable, as they might be more up to date whats going on, more active etc. Making us vs them is problem, better to just think everyone as player( no harm intended, just giving different point of view, you are atleast somewhat right). Also its not that blanc why people hang around forums i would say.
And no, its not considered unconstructive to ask players band together but constructive to tell them go away, It's very constructive to suggest people doing cooperation and to discuss things, also its constructive to point out that if someones absolutely doesnt enjoy doing thing x at all, he/she might want to stop and think if he/she should stop doing it.
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I agree, there is RP to be had... had a good little RP the other night and another one today from the GMs (had to bail cause my son decided that was the perfect time to play Star Wars Operation... ::| )
I am basically just pushing for more and I see Jessamine as one of the ones that is also trying to make that happen, so we are on the same team there!
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Ultimately, you are right Thoss. We actually have the same goal.
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Agreed, thought its hard to be any help when you are too busy, what a shame thought...
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True. It would help if the people in the game used a hub outside the game, so that they can coordinate and encourage each other to RP even when they can't be in game. That's the beauty of the forums but most people never use it. Shame, this forum is nothing like most game forums right now.
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Okay gosh lots of reply's...and No no no no I did not mean to upset anyone or come off as judgmental at all, I'm not always so good with expressing my thoughts correctly. my main point I was trying to make I think is that I'm tired of everyone complaining and saying the game is going no where and it sucks all the time, every one is always so negative, I wish they'd spend a little less time bashing the game and just doing what they enjoy in it and I feel that the happy attitudes will spread and encourage others to return and new players to stay around.
And I did not mean for it to sound like if you don't like it leave...what I meant was no one is forcing you to do any one thing there are so many things you can do in the game so if you come across something that's not your forte you don't have to tear it down and complain about it and discourage others, just do what to you do enjoy doing, crafting, looting, leveling, PvP, questing, RP, hunting, whatever.
And I agree fully with you I did not mean to say I was against forums or out of game sites and such just that's I've met several people now who are anti-forums or want to stay fully IC. I really did facepalm when I ran into a player who wanted to remain FULLY 100% IC at all times and get all his info for anything in game only. There's just not enough people or information in game for that right now.
I was playing PS around the time you mentioned. And while yes there were more char's online all the time a good percentage of those were all mining alts and bots whether or not we want to admit it.
I also think that numbers are not necessarily all it's cracked up to be, sometimes quality is better than quantity and right now most of the players I see here are more mature and relaxed. If you keep logging on the same basic times, other people are going to be doing that as well and you RP and get to know those online the same time as you are and you meet their friends and then their friends friends and new players start and meet someone and they join your group and it will start to grow once again. There is nothing wrong with a small player base, I'm sure it will flux many times more. I think the main issue RP games face is that they suck you in and require a lot of time and some people just can't be at their computers all day long. And with a game being in development and changing all the time with so few active devs most of whom as I understand it are part time devs, with family's, kids, jobs etc whom as we all tend to forget are volunteering their time and their work. So we lost a lot of players to other high end games or more advanced ones, or because this game just got too time consuming for any one person to handle.
And I also did not mean to make it sound like I'm the only one pushing for the market every week, there are several players who are helping to encourage and push it. I was just using the market as an example because someone stated we need a weekly event to get people to gather and no one wants to be responsible for being in charge of doing that and having all that stress, well it's already there, set up and a very simple easy thing to do and make when you can. The main problem people face with it times, some us are headed to bed as others are just finishing dinner or some are waking up as some are headed to bed, you're not going to be able to pick a time that works for all the players, so just do what you can when you can and it will spread.
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...facepalm when I ran into a player who wanted to remain FULLY 100% IC at all times and get all his info for anything in game only.
I have to admit, I still have a little of this dream tucked away deep inside... I think it still hinders my enjoyment of current in-game reality... so I am trying to break through that a little more.
a good percentage of those were all mining alts and bots whether or not we want to admit it.
truth in that!
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Alright, if it's just a misunderstanding then no harm no foul.
Everybody brace yourselves, it's an old school Illy explanation incoming....
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Yes, complaints can be discouraging, however, they are an immutable fact. People need a voice and they especially need it when they are not having fun. I promise that the negativity that you find irksome has been irking the person that said the negative thing for far longer than it's been irking you. That's why they are saying something. They feel the same way about it, but they can't just walk away from the feeling.
Complaining a sign that there's a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. It's usually the last warning before people just give up entirely. The reason people hang on is because there is something they loved about the thing that is now irksome. So, everybody loses when someone gives up rather than drifts away. Further, losing people is super bad when you aren't getting new people at the same rate. PS does not get enough new people to be picky but I'll get to the numbers issue in a moment. To cope with complaints, one has to learn how to either address the complaint, learn how to walk away from it or ignore it, or learn how to take it on with thick skin. There will never be enough positivity to eliminate complaints. The next best option is management.
Actually, your post was in essence a good idea though maybe not executed the way you intended. Trying to help people find a solution may help them overcome the thing that makes them complain. It is a good idea.
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For example, for those of you who are struggling to find RP. I waited until I saw Jessamine online today and logged in to see how it goes asking for RP in gossip. It normally doesn't work but I tried it anyway. I logged in around 00:30 (12:30 A.M.) GMT. https://greenwichmeantime.com/gmt-converter/ and Jessamine, Fesara, and Loxxi responded. It did work this time and I even found RP aside from the group Jessamine was RPing with. I can't say those people are always on about this time, but if you can make that time on Saturday/Sunday, give it a try. It wasn't my most favorite kind of RP, but it was way better than "How's You Mother RP", and it's leaps and bounds better than the pitiful affair that had been going on the last several years.
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Notice, how I make a suggestion but I'm not taking a potshot at someone for complaining, though I am acknowledging complaints. Whether or not people have a legitimate reason to complain, complaining about the complaining is usually going to shift the attention away from your valid point and put it onto a controversy, possibly an imagined controversy at that. This is not good. Once the flame war starts, you can usually kiss a constructive ending goodbye. This is why most game forums are absolutely toxic. PS at it's worse has never devolved to death threats, as far as I've ever seen, but it's happened elsewhere. If you have a suggestion, make a suggestion. If you complain about a complaint, hit the deck because there will usually be a rebuttal.
Another side issue, just to toss this out there, is that a complaint isn't inherently a personal attack, so there isn't necessarily a reason to take it personal. Yes negativity can be a bummer but so can getting shot down when you are complaining to make a point. Always remember that your actions can have the exact same effect on the other side of the coin. No one's reaction is inherently more right even when there is negativity involved. However, it is admittedly more helpful to stick to the topic or issue rather than give a laundry list of every grievance ever held.
Now here's the thing about numbers. RPers are always a small percentage of any player base, even in a RP game. While quality is good, you simply need quantity to give you a high enough chance to get the people you need. It's like trying to get 1000 red skittles. How many bags will you have to buy just to get enough red ones? Those bots may not have been RPing but they were representative of people still caring enough about the game to bot it. That's the kind of interest you need to get a large enough flow of players. You really need lots of incoming players, people caring enough to stay, and and overall higher numbers just to find those that will really embrace RP. This is also how you overcome not having time, I might add. More people means more people who are available at a given time and more chances to get someone with a lot of time to invest.
Now I concede that time is a very real constraint, but RP doesn't actually require loads of time at once, especially if one learns to be flexible and break it up when they can't finish in one sitting. It's way easier to do here than in other places. We have full chat logging here. You don't know how hard it is to log RPs and to break them up until you have to take 50 screenshots of a tiny chat window to try to catch everything before the game eats it. :'( Never again.... However, you will need to have clear in mind what you want from RP so you can pursue it efficiently in the time given.
For me, I like my RPs to be character studies not events or specific incidents. I will zero in a character's backstory or personality because I want to see what makes them tick. I want to see interesting personalities bouncing off of each other. I can do other RPs but this is what I really want to see to enjoy the RP. This is what makes me RP. I realistically accept that I won't always get that, and some attempts won't go anywhere, but I can at least make the most of my RPs by going straight for what I want.
*takes a breath* Almost done, I promise. While doing your best is great and has helped. It really isn't enough without a goal of forming a community. People have been trying to do it haphazardly for years. Haphazard attempts have not been staunching the flow from the game. There really needs to be a community to glomp on to. Yes, that may take time because people can't commit for now, but believe me, there's no way around this community thing. Community will always be necessary to build up the numbers. Remember, PS is like a pearl. It's first gotta have something to build around however small.
This is why haphazardly catching people is still important but also why the forum is important. The forum allows people to connect and stay in the flow even when they can't be in game.
*gives out and goes to bed*
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Well said. Thanks for explaining all that through. You make a lot of very good points. I'll do what I can but she's right no one person can do it alone (And certainly not me haha!). For me i just enjoy encouraging rp, but I'm not really all that good at it, I still have a lot to learn.
And I knew that was you when you said that in gossip ;D! I was like crap of course the one time I'm stuck in a serious RP that i can't pull myself away from! But hey coming down with the Demorian measles was a good excuse for Jess not to market today(I won't be here today)--and I've been dying to rp at the hospital i love the set up and creativity that went into making it and I wanted to encourage the several people who RP healers and give them someone to treat, they are all so creative and did a great job! I'm very happy you were able to run into some people and rp as well.
And yes Saturdays seem to be a good time I've usually done my dinner events at 1800gmt because its early afternoon USA and evening for Europe, so that seems to be a good time to catch people around as well, once you hit ehh about 22-2300gmt you lose 1/2 the community to sleep.
Again thank you for your efforts.
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No problem and thank you. It was alright that you couldn't come to me, I couldn't come to you either. I believe in RPing with who you find if you don't have prearranged plans. I hate just abandoning people for another RP. It's one of my anti-clique habits.
However, there are good efforts going on in game, it just needs more visibility and support. As far as I can tell, there are several newer players trying to do some good. They just need support of people who know how to build up a community. So, I will try to do what I can to help.
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If you want RP, then just log in and do it. Ask people if they are interested and if so, when. It's that simple. If nobody is on when you are on, then it just won't work. Period.
Understand that when we had many role players on at the same time and the community's expectation was that RP was decentralized ( free form ), you could do things like eavesdrop, spy, mingle, and interact wherever you saw people playing. RP was a very social thing. You would try to sort of blend into what was already happening. This is not the environment that exists today, so these old ways no longer work.
While you cannot have the spontaneous type of RP that we had where there were many role players on at the same time, You CAN do quite a lot with a small group of 2 to 5 players. I have done quite a bit with just myself and one other player at times. To do that, I had to change the way we did things.
For small groups ( under 5 ), I would personally recommend one of the following:
A. Simple, plot-less social RP. ( ie. Bar RP )
B. Guided RP ( D&D style - one (or both) player(s) leads the other(s) through an adventure )
If both players are too passive to take the lead, then you are going to have to settle for plain social RP.
By take the lead, I mean providing some story or helping to create some real-time event or context to play against. This is not something that everyone enjoys doing.
Lastly, if you want things to "Happen" in the game, then someone needs to "Do" things, or "Make" things happen. Things don't just happen on their own. Those who are passive players might not understand how much work it takes to make things happen in the game.
Also - I'm not bashing passive players here. We all have different playing styles. Passive play is just one of them. The thing is, a room full of passive players who just want to follow someone else gets boring rather quickly.
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If you want RP, then just log in and do it. Ask people if they are interested and if so, when. It's that simple. If nobody is on when you are on, then it just won't work. Period.
Understand that when we had many role players on at the same time and the community's expectation was that RP was decentralized ( free form ), you could do things like eavesdrop, spy, mingle, and interact wherever you saw people playing. RP was a very social thing. You would try to sort of blend into what was already happening. This is not the environment that exists today, so these old ways no longer work.
While you cannot have the spontaneous type of RP that we had where there were many role players on at the same time, You CAN do quite a lot with a small group of 2 to 5 players. I have done quite a bit with just myself and one other player at times. To do that, I had to change the way we did things.
For small groups ( under 5 ), I would personally recommend one of the following:
A. Simple, plot-less social RP. ( ie. Bar RP )
B. Guided RP ( D&D style - one (or both) player(s) leads the other(s) through an adventure )
If both players are too passive to take the lead, then you are going to have to settle for plain social RP.
By take the lead, I mean providing some story or helping to create some real-time event or context to play against. This is not something that everyone enjoys doing.
Lastly, if you want things to "Happen" in the game, then someone needs to "Do" things, or "Make" things happen. Things don't just happen on their own. Those who are passive players might not understand how much work it takes to make things happen in the game.
Also - I'm not bashing passive players here. We all have different playing styles. Passive play is just one of them. The thing is, a room full of passive players who just want to follow someone else gets boring rather quickly.
I think this is more what I was going for originally...he just said it better xD
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thanks for the points Rygwin... Thoss character is by nature a bit passive... and I as a player also tend towards passive... which isn't a good combo as you say... so I need to work on being more actively engaging per you and Jessamine's advice... which I can do easier as Oslorrod... (who I rarely play)... so I will most think I will start using him more and fleshing him out and be more engaging as a character too. At the very least, should help me out.
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Having alts for different purposes is a good idea. Take advantage of the fact that you aren't charged for character slots... and if you run out of slots, just make a new account. ;)