I really want to like this game but...

[Parallo]

Character descriptions are OOC and should not be used if a real RP is aimed at. Tsk Tsk.

They are not. You aren't using them right if they are.

[Zan]

Who told you character descriptions are OOC? They're completely off base and misusing the feature.

Character descriptions are there to show things about your character that the game mechanics can't show. For example facial features like a scar, a moustace, spectacles, ... or specific clothing that isn't in-game yet like robes for a mage, a nice dress for females and stuff like that.

People who (ab)use character descriptions to tell a character's history or even sillier stuff like "You look at 'X' and suddenly feel very afraid, which makes you want to run away.", that is OOC use. But those people just use the feature wrong.

[Parallo]

I often wonder how people make the mistake. Description. The clue is in the title, ain't it? Is there some strange awkward foreign translation where that ends up meaning life history?

[Zan]

I think it's because of years of misuse and accepting that misuse in many games.

[Kieve]

Maybe we're drifting a little OT, but I couldn't help throwing this out there:

"No words can describe what you see. Or what you think you see."

Would make for a hilarious desc, I think.
And ten points to whoever recognizes where it comes from.

[Drakon]

I often wonder how people make the mistake. Description. The clue is in the title, ain't it? Is there some strange awkward foreign translation where that ends up meaning life history?

Yet.....

When You create a new character lo and behold what does the description contain? Information about Your characters religion, information about how many siblings your character has, Your parents jobs, your past history details......

And people are honestly standing by and claiming this is not OOC Information for another player to be able to see? Since when are the Characters so omniscient that they can look at a person and tell their history, place of birth, parents info(whom they have most likely never met or even heard of), Your religion and such. Now I can understand using a physical description to define what the other players can SEE, but that is NOT the way it is set up initially. There is no information on scars, features, or anything else besides OOC Information. Race and sex of character I can see listed, but the other stuff is way out of character.

Now, before You argue that I am full of malarky, I suggest making a new character and checking what it puts in the description area. Now....If a description was required at time of creation and was limited in what it could say...then it would be different unless it was abused. But it is not and therefore contains information that is OOC from the very start. Unless You can demonstrate how every total stranger can know what they see in the description area.

[Parallo]

Yes, it contains character creation choices. Yes it is OOC. Is it right that it contains that? No. Ask anyone around here and you will get the same answer. It is designed for the sole purpose of showing your creation the best way you can get it across in the most IC way possible. Not an auto biography. What is the point of even interacting with a character that you already know as intimitely as its creator? Half of the fun of it is learning things, ICly as well as OOCly, about characters in an IC.

[Drakon]

At least we can agree on that. The information contained is OOC. At least until editted to show features and such. However many dont do that. Hence many descriptions contain OOC information that should not be used or even known by the other person. I think initial descriptions should not contain any more information than what a person would see when they examine an NPC monster. Then there would be no OOC information being displayed and a person could rightfully tell others to check descriptions before talking to them. Heck. The description even hands out a characters name.

[Parallo]

In all honesty I have yet to engage in a decent bit of rping with someone who had a description unedited since creation. Also I see people quite often with their description edited to show horrid fresh battle wounds and have people come up and say 'Oh lovely day, you're looking well. Heading to the tavern for a drink?' and the sort. It makes no sense. In the absence of actual diversity in characters' appearance we must have a way to show it ourselves and we have one. To my dismay though, it is ignored.

[Illysia]

PS isn't such a bad game. If you want to see an infuriating game with a steep learning curve, try playing Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM)

http://www.adom.de/

This game will make you tear your hair out in spite of its simple look. I can't not play this game because it irriatates me so bad that I have yet to even finish the game or survive 5 months of game time. 

[Jeraphon]

Nethack's better, and closer to the flavour of the original Rogue. But I'm not knocking ADOM - anybody who plays a roguelike walks away with a much richer understanding of gameplay.

[Under the moon]

My characters rarely talk to anyone wearing one of those horned helms. Pretty, yes, but horrid in the RP sense.

First thing I do most of the time in talking to a new face is give their description a quick look. It it starts to tell a story, I close the window without further reading. If it still contains the silly 'background' stuff from Creation, I close the window. If it is Skriet, I open the window and read just for a good laugh.

The reason CC info is put in at the start of new characters is likely so folks remember what they picked so that they can RP by it... though I tend to either hit quick paths and avoid that stuff completely, or delete it as fast as I can once ingame, and pretend it never happened.

Back to the original topic, yes, it is hard to get the hang of this game, but as said in other posts, it is getting better a little at a time. Hang in there, kitty.

[Farren Kutter]

Back to what UtM said.... I totally agree on the Skreit part. And with everyone else on the not having your life history in there. And it annoys me when people fail to read my description because the first thing at the top of my description is the part about my character being blind. I put it there at the top to be sure skimmers see it. Yet even people I often RP with tend to forget my character is blind. I'm proud to say I have never once forgotten :/

Back on topic: Erm... Crap everyone else said everything useful. Anyways, this thread's progression shows 1: the willingness to help and 2: how easily threads go off topic