You mean like an eHarmony of PS? An automatic comparison? The would probably require a questionnaire and although I don't offhand object to it, I find it unlikely many would do it.

I guess it would go just like with any other optional feature, e.g. mouse move: many wouldn't, many would. I know I would add any new interesting character I've found, so that more like-minded people would want to RP with that character on the spot, without any long investigation and excessive OOC pre-arranging performed. And I know for sure I would keep my 'never' list very much up to date, in order to make mine and my friends' gameplay more pleasant and less OOC-traumatizing.
No questionnary would be required, just two lists that can be easily edited, best of all tied to a game profile in exactly the same way Options and the game config are tied now.
Then it would work like this: I see three unknown chars standing next to my char, one of them looking like 6/8, another like 4/0 and the third one displaying nothing. I would most certainly try to approach the second one and/or try the third one while avoiding to engage the first, unless the RP situation requires it.

Basically, it would be very much like the combat system evaluation we have, and it would serve the same purpose: informed choices instead of blind poking. The only difference is that combat skills are much easier to formalize and calculate than RP-styles, that's when the cross-reference thing (human experience accumulated) comes into play.

... besides, you can always not participate in ooc drama. ...

Yeah, after it already started happening. Especially painful when both parties have already deposited some time and effort in a piece of RP, only to discover it can't and won't be finished IC'ly because of yet another severe style clash, a thing that happens very often due to the game being cross-genre and a lot of different playing styles co-existing in it.
And it gets especially "pleasant" after you discover the simple fact that many of your RP partners have had exactly the same problem with exactly the same character, or the other party learns the same about you... too late.

It works both ways though. I go to Harn's, I see a dozen characters standing around. Most often I only know one or two, all the rest are clean slates to me. In order to do any meaninful RP I must make a quick choice and pick out one or two persons to initiate an RP interaction with. I'd rather make my choice informed than blind. Descriptions (both IC and OOC tabs) help somewhat too; however, the effort often seems to be wasted while good opportunities are lost. It happens way too often, for my liking.

As a quick example: for about 6 times I've seen Marsuveus in-game and, obviously, free, I've had no idea we could RP with each other at all. His IC tab was heavily overused while his OOC tab was blank, something I usually interpret as a 'bad chance' sign. It took me a lot of time spent in OOC talks and forum reading to realize how wrong I have been. But since then, I've only had one chance to RP with him, all the other times he'd been busy... oops, RPing with the same people I usually RP with. The very thought of such a lot of good RP opportunities lost makes me sad, and anything that would reduce the chances of it happening again, would make me happy.

I like spontaneous RP, I like interacting with new characters, but I realize I'm taking less and less chances with every passing month, I start being too cautious around any new character I don't know. That's what makes some older players encapsulate in their own RP niche, I guess. Another thing I would very much like to avoid happening to me... but not by the cost of getting more in-game frustrations than I can bear with, and I already have had way too much of these.

As for where to set the bar, I would suggest enforcing the following very simple rules for rp. I would say educate offenders the first time, warn and progressively ban anyone who falls below the bar. This is not being an elitist, rather is just setting a very basic standard that anyone with half a brain can follow.

1. No metagaming
2. Characters must be setting compliant. Characters should be reviewed and approved before they can be played.
3. Player must stay in character at all times. period.
4. Guards/Npcs must be respected. ( Guards should automatically kill anyone who is cloaked or enters the city with weapons drawn )
 * weapons should sheathe automatically when entering a town or when one respawns
5. IC and OOC must remain separate. period.
6. Guilds must be approved by gm or settings team and must serve a valid ic purpose. There should be no "jarad'z homiez" guilds on the rp server.

When rules like this are NOT enforced they are nothing more than text art.

I think we absolutely need this.

My petty disagreements (oops, I'm going to disagree with Rigwyn! i'll think about that tomorrow...) follow.

1. No metagaming. Also: no godmoding, no marysueing. Descriptions moderation/approval would be a good place to start. Clear the mess without straining some poor chaps' brains too much. Maybe if they are said (atm, they are not!) their female cannot be 'beautiful' or their warrior 'powerful' or their mage 'intimidating' just because they think so, it will prevent a lot of in-game griefing from happening later. Every bad character description which exists in-game means spoiling one more noob's chance to start RPing. The process itself is actually very simple and frustrating: noobs start with being godmoded -> continue with godmoding others -> GRIEF.

2. Not 'before' they can be played, but during a set period of time after they started being played. One or two weeks should be enough to find a GM online and to ask for that magic stamp on your IC profile... unless it's another pile of godmoding/marysueing dung.

6. Bad (non-RP) guilds must be either forcefully transferred to EZPC or just deleted from an RP-server, along with every member character they hold. Send them a warning, give them a month or two to mend their ways, abolish them if they don't care. Also, any serious violation of RP rules committed by anyone higher than 'on probation' in rank must affect the guild's RP reputation; negative numbers would mean deletion/transfer as well. (That much about mass recruiting.)

(x) When rules like this are not enforced they are more than 'text art'. They mean putting honest people (from reasonable noobs eager to learn and all the way up to most skilled RPers) on mercy of every next jerk that just happened to register, or keeps playing (and griefing people by spoiling as much RP in a day as that person can) for years. Yeah, we have those as well, and one of them is worse than an army of 5yo.

RP works very much like a chain: the quality of every piece done is bound to and defined by the weakest participant's skill. Kids and noobs must be tolerated and taught, idiots must not be tolerated and cannot be taught. Right now, about every 2 out of 3 RPs done on Skylab get spoiled or downright ruined by another idiot. That is why people are, and will keep, leaving.

In general, the thou shalt not enforce rules on thy fellow player rule is what PS lacks most of all. Players are supposed (and left) to do what GMs should do. No wonder people quarrel too much, then either leave or start ignoring anyone they don't know as a good RP partner already. I don't know if it's something one must be ashamed of or not, but I already started doing the same, and no matter how much forum 'let's all be friends' threads there are, I will keep doing that... until the game as much as makes the effort of being fair.
At the moment, it isn't.

Edited because of speaking tyop.

think it's boring to sit in that tavern when it's empty what makes you think I want to be there for 5 hours hoping someone comes?

Ditto.
Emphasis added.

And I can be contacted, people can contact me in and out of game. I talk to people but I only talk to people that want to, I'm not going to bend someones arm to make them communicate with me. I talk to new players and RP with players I've never RPed with before. It takes more than communication. For one it takes a two way respect.

Emphasis added.
Ditto again.

And jacula did produce a lot of RP, but he's gone for now ...

Yes. My point exactly.
One excellent player who's 'gone for now' is a major loss to the community. If all OSP sites disappeared overnight, I couldn't care less. I cannot learn any RP, be it action-based or not, from barrels, or chairs, or Oja carpets, however beautiful they are. I cannot roleplay with Lady Peckerly either, and I know that for sure, because I tried many  times. In a row.

...and so far Vakachekh is the only other person to really try to step up with a wide scale action RP idea.

...and so far Vakachehk has a lot to learn himself first and 'really try to step up with a wide scale action RP idea' later, or else the idea will fail.
No offense meant.

Keep in mind that although action RPs get more attention and support. It's generally the convo people that keep everything from going down entirely and it's usually the convo people that keep the door open for action RPs.

Everything is going down. We want it back up and thriving. It's what this thread is about, isn't it?

In my personal opinion again, it's all about the general attitude. About players, especially the older ones. They get bored RPing with each other for years, they start seeping away slowly, while still waiting for the younger generation of players (let's say that straight: for the noobs!) to go pay them some OOC respects first and maybe get some bit of RP done later, either with them, or just in their presence. Or maybe not. Or maybe next time, sorry. Or...

It simply does not work this way, and that's why things keep falling apart.

Unless this gruesome attitude is changed, we'll just have more misguided noobs around, more good RPers leaving, and so on. The problem reproduces itself. It's not likely to get solved with some of the 'live legends' returning, unless those legends learn how to reach out to the newer folks. Not with their player-maintained chairs and player-crafted pies, sorry, but with their good RP. Like Jacula and Rigwyn did, like Roled, and Jaycol, and Keella, and Destina, and Vilthis, and Marsuveus, and Eelin, and some other people (too few!!!) keep doing in-game, without setting any conditions on how their hard work must be paid back. They just do it and... I may be wrong but I guess they love it. They see you, they greet you, they start RPing with you, they teach you to RP, you learn from them, you start your own RPs, you involve some newer people in it, and... life goes on.
Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

And on a side note, not directed at anyone in particular(and no not at you Mickra. I have to say this before I have another argument in my thread for no good reason), but I have to go ahead and get this off of my chest. Do the people that prefer action RPs realize that their RPs are not the only valid one?

The answer to your question: yes.
The question to your answer: before you have what, sorry?

I hear a lot of talk about how people who prefer to convo RPs should not try and shove it down the throats of people who prefer action RPs, but would it kill action people to show a little respect for the conversations? Just as a courtesy. Respect does not equal liking it.

This obviously has nothing to do with my message, so... weapon changed. Skipping.

Comment on how you dislike it all you like, fine... to each their own, but at this point I'm halfway inclined to start point how action RPs are crap for each person that can't manage a wee bit of courtesy on the matter.

...or maybe it has, after all?

To make things clear: I believe any RP that doesn't include both conversation and action is, quite literally, lame. It's an one-eyed rat with 2.7 legs and no tail. It deserves neither respect nor courtesy and should get none.

'Everyday talks RP' = poor RP. Not because it is done through conversation, but because the conversation it's done through, it has nothing to do with RP, it doesn't lead to choices being made, to consequences being imposed. It's just OOC niceness and 'having fun'. Mug fights, by the gods... The more people are deceived into believing it is roleplay, the less chance for roleplay to survive.

'Action' doesn't necessarily need to include killing, stealing or even quarreling. It can be moving from town to town, or lecturing, or selling goods IC'ly, or I don't know... mining valuable things out of the ground. As long as it adds to the story, it's action and it's good. Not my thing, yes, but does it matter? It's RP anyway.
As long as it doesn't add to the story, it's crap, even if it only consists of killing and dueling and name-calling. Same goes to some 'wide scale action RP ideas', like having a World War 0 for no reason whatsoever. (No personal offense meant.)

I'm not saying all the people that prefer action RPs are like this, but it is getting a bit tiresome for people to be rude because they are likely same people that will get their righteous ire up if someone did to them.

Likely. Very likely. I believe Nivm said that someplace already, or something very close to that: please do not try to make us believe all these 'fun' smallscale chats, parties and mug fights, beer fests, elaborate greetings and farewells, birthdays and birthday gifts, choices in drinks and dresses, caring about each other's health and kids and spouses in walls of text in Main, admiring each other's mounts, and such, and such, and such IS roleplaying.
It can be part of some superb RP. Or not. But it can't be all of it. Millions of virtual cookies will only make a huge pile of virtual cookies. So sweet and so useless, and rotting so fast, too.
Usually I try to explain that to my non-RP friends who just "want to have some fun, what's wrong with that?" and only care about RP when it gets in their way and makes them angry because it's not all nice and sweet and it takes more than just smiling at anyone around.

Makes me wonder indeed.

While we're on the topic of crafting skills, it'd be nice if the books for 'em were actually readable.

Them books make me crazy. I try to avoid reading them unless it's absolutely needed. I'm afraid to even try to express my opinion on that, it would come out as very, very much not PG-13.
That's why I second what Candy said without actually reading it. No matter what is done to the books, it won't make them worse. It's already... no, I better don't 

Rigwyn,

I absolutely support the inscription idea, and if you check this older thread out you'll see my input there, but... it has absolutely nothing to do with leveling and practice points. So please... You're not a crafter, so I suppose you simply don't know what it takes to make it from 84 to 85 in smelting. Or from 36 to 37 in making swords. How painfully mind-numbing and boring it is atm, no matter what awaits you in the end, more and more levels away.

I'm talking about practice and leveling only, not about what additional features some or the other skill should offer by itself. So unless you're suggesting to add 1 more inscription symbol with every new level gained, it's for some other topic, I believe.

* mickra sneaks in, resets all the votes to Rigwyn and sneaks out, grinning from ear to ear.

* Mickra clears his throat
* Mickra does that again...

You're all... and by saying 'all' I mean what I say, quite literally every each nice or not one of you... gonna die a slow and painful death.
And when I say 'slow and painful' I mean what I say.

I vote for Jac.

* Mickra starts thinking hard and continues for an hour

Oh no, wait, I vote for Rigwyn. No worries though, you gonna die anyway