Community RP Protocol

[Sangwa]

I've added a sketch of the "final" product in the Topic post. And I typed "final" because this is meant to keep improving as people give more advise.

I didn't include my opinion about forgetting because I think it would be requesting too much. Please add to what is in the topic post!

EDIT to add:
Fail on the "concise" part. I tried to make it sound as little imposing as possible, as persuading as possible and with as much examples required. Please point me another way if you think is necessary ^^.

Also, this is not meant to add anything new. Just to consolidate what we already know and to make everyone, at least speaking for myself, more confident that they're doing what other people agree should be done.

2nd EDIT to add:
It came out in the form of a guide more than in a set of guide-lines to be respected... Probably because it would seem very authoritarian to simply post it like a set of "rules." I'll try to get it into that form though, later.

[Zwenze]

I read this thread and there is one point i like to add:

Dont use alt chars acting in the intrest of another char of you. Lets assume to guild A and B that have an IC argument. Leader of guild B makes an alt and tries to get into guild A. After some time he reaches his goal and gets invited to guild A. He uses the information gathered with his guild A char in his guild B char and even at some point decides to use the guild A char to harm the reputation of guild A by doing nasty actions falling back on the guild.

Use of alt chars is an OOC thing and using them drags the IC argument OOC, and that should also be avoided. In my opinion I dont even consider this as roleplay - I consider it as cheating.



Another thing I have seen is that players who are non native english speakers have been nitpicked for tiny grammatical errors. Its easy for native english speakers to point out errors made by non native english speakers and use that as reason to offend and humiliate the other players. Don't do it! If you think your are superior just because the language used in Planeshift is english and you are an native english speaker and every non english speaker is inferior you are wrong. The other player made the effort to learn your language and you mock at him because he hasn't got the perfection you have, that's poor.

[Zan]

    * IC/OOC chatting (tabs, OOC chat, correct typing, etc.);

I stay IC in main and do my best to prevent anything OOC there, unless I have to address several people I'm not grouped with OOCly or a new player who doesn't know tells, then I use brackets of course. Can't stand abbreviations in chat but that's a personal pet peeve of mine. Typos do happen to anyone though.

    * How to respect other characters;

Respect the player behind the character and always make sure they're still having fun. If one of you isn't having fun, it's better to move away and leave eachother alone.

    * How to respect the settings;

Settings creates a lot of content, it can be found in books, quests, NPC questioning, etc. Use it, no need to ignore it and go make up your own, usually more extravagant, story. Sticking to settings ensures that everyone is on the same page and prevents a lot of OOC discussion or issues when you interact with others.

    * About roleplayed fighting;

This is the most common cause of frustration in roleplay. Preventing frustration can be done by agreeing on the outcome before you start any fights. You can either roll a die for it, duel with the mechanics or just agree. Then it's much easier and more fun to RP the fight, keeping the outcome in mind. No hassle and no whining.

    * About "complementing the system" where it lacks;

The system lacks in many areas, this is still a game under development but even after that it won't be as extensive as reality so roleplay is all about complementing the system in my eyes. Keep in mind to complement though, not create something completely unconnected.

    * About Death and its Roleplaying;

If I die in a roleplay, I stay dead for at least a week. I'll also implement long lasting changes in my character which usually include more caution and a healthy fear of dying again. I'll also refrain from hunting down or retaliating against whoever killed me just because I don't like unending cycles.

    * How to use information (in the forums, in the website, etc.) & Metagaming;

Information outside the game is only IC if it is stated so, everyone agrees that it can be used in-game and I already know the involved characters. Since we're not always able to be online but our characters are interacting in the world 24/7 I find forums and such worthy alternatives to keep in touch with people of the same guild/organisation or circle of friends.

[Izzabella]

Wow okay, I've not read everything that all of you have posted but my opinion however was requested for this thread so here goes a small response on the initial post and idea, just some of my thoughts on the issue, nothing anyone has to follow but I do agree over all a general guide is helpful and needed.




IC/OOC chatting (tabs, OOC chat, correct typing, etc.)

I use main tab for main ALWAYS unless I use []. Tells.. hmm tells are a bit more tricky, I tend to think for the most part OOC unless whispering, sending a groffle note or whatever. but I've known some that have tired to get me to RP in tells and I just simple told them that hey, I am sorry you char just passed out on oja road..but I am on my way to BD..not much I can do from here maybe you want to get someone closer to involve into your RP, or wait for me to arrive to continue. But at the same time I've used tells to hint to others where I am or what I am doing such as "Izzabella sits alone by the fountain reading a book" and I'll get replies like "so and so wanders around the plaza hoping to run into Izzabella" or whatever sure its kinda OOC but kinda a silly OOC way to let us know IC where we are at so that we can 'bump' into one another. or so we know what we are doing, "so and so is slaying ulbers and trying to stay alive in the process'. I guess for me for the most part unless I know the person well and know that the tell talk is OOC I use [] to make sure its clear.

Auction Tab--- oh thats a touchy tab for me..hehe I'd like for it to be more IC and I try but I admit I'm not very good at that.. I mean for me it goes kinda OOC when you say /tell whoever and then the conversation and offerings go to /tells even tho you can be to far apart to be 'whispering' or whatever  but being more IC is something that I'd really like to challenge myself personally to be more IC when I use this tab.

Guild chat I guess its more up to the individual guilds for that..I know any guilds I've been in however seem to be pretty much OOC and at times --but I am not saying we don't RP and have fun and act like our char's in guild chat ever..we just don't regard that and use it in our actual RP--if we did..Izzy and Org would have had WAY more fights!

NPC tab-- ehh until lately I've also used this as more of an OOC tab..I mean its not like other chars near by could hear the convo..and I guess for the most part I took most quests to be more OOC stuff to do in my spare time not really took it into part of my RP, however lately I've been trying to RP them a lot more and only do things that my char would actually do, I improve every day! 

Help tab-OOC however I do try to encourage people asking for help to RP all the time

Group tab--that depends on the group leader more or less when you join or make the group thats usually decided then other wise when I join  a group the first thing I ask is" [ic or ooc?]" just so that I am safe and know whats going on. I will use group for private planing conversations or whatever if I don't want anyone else hearing and I do by in main I say something about lowering my voice. I also use groups if I got into a 'building" (one thats RP'ed not really entered) because in theory no one outside around could hear.

System tab..OOC

I think thats all the tabs.. can't think right now I am so sleepy.. I'll edit if I forgot one but I Think thats all..

How to respect other characters
This is a big one for me and we actually just had a small argument on this topic on our guild forums which I seemed to have ended rather quickly One thing to remember is EVERYONE role plays in their own way, we all know and have been taught diffrent things, we are diffrent ages and come from diffrent places. And some just don't know. I personally have never had to use the /ignore feature (don't get any ideas on bugging me, Velh) I am a very patient person and I am constantly giving second and tenth chances to people, I realize that people have bad days, and make mistakes, I know I have many times. I think in order to respect someones char you have to respect the person playing the char as well and realize that they won't play just like you and you have to adapt yourself to them at times you can't expect everyone to RP like you do and change for you, and if you find that you can't find a happy medium between you and another player then you need to politely tell them that you don't think RPing with them is a working out well, if nothing else just say that your char does not fit well IC with the other persons char..I dunno :/ Also you need to remember that just because the char does something mean or bad to your char does NOT mean they are a bad person IRL or mean or whatever, they just do as their char would do, I have several characters and its always fun because I have some that get along great with certain others and then my other chars are greatly hated by that same char, but OOC we are friends, I've even made some great friends OOC that IC my char hates (one example is one of my chars hates this other char because she thinks he's just scum and a two-timing jerk [you know who you are] but because of our IC battles we've actually become great friends OOC and its fun cause I still make fun of him all the time )

How to respect the settings

About role played fighting
arg..I am not sure I should go here  I am 1/2 and 1/2 on this one..I mean if you can agree OOC first who will win then *maybe* it will work out I dunno..I've yet to be involved in a non godmoding RP fight, I have the stats and skills to PvP so I just prefer that rather than sitting there all night letting the opponent block all my hits while I let them beat me up and take their hits, I'd rather let them kill me so I can move on

About "complementing the system" where it lacks
I am not sure what this question means.. if its lacking..RP it!
About Death and its Role playing
ehh..I guess it all depends on WHY I died.. and if it was a RP'ed death and such..I mean if I am killing mobs and get killed and it was just be doing some boring PL'ing and such..no I don't rp it.. however if I am with a group and we are hunting and I die..I do RP it, and I RP The death curse as well, I am lucky to be alive Drakuu has pardoned me but cursed me with this evil curse blah blah blah.

How to use information (in the forums, in the website, etc.) & Metagaming
I tend to think the forums are OOC. just my opinion and I get annoyed when people say to find out more about my char go to this site or that and to find out about this event read this thread and such..I mean sure the forums are great and nice an helpful but more of an OOC way to let ME know there is something going to happen on a certain day or time



okay I think I am done..this really is not as short as it was supposed to be..and I'd like to comment on Zwenze's post-- I agree..thats totally OOC- some have tired to explain its their char 'disgusted' or whatever..but no. I usually get another char in game to do spy for me or pay off someone in the guild for info And I'd also like to point out as well that because I do have so many alts and such it does not mean that the info I find on one char I am going to let Izzy use and what not, I do know how to RP and thats why I keep my alts on the low down because too many people think "oh no outlaw' when I am on my alts and they wont have anything to do with them or their guilds or whatever,and thats just crap because Izzy is un-lawful not my other chars

Okay yeah thats about all I have to say for now *yawn* if the kids were not awake I'd go crawl back into bed. so yeah..I hope this makes sense and all I'll look it over again latter, if not just ask me questions

[Duraza]

IC/OOC chatting

Firstly, the obvious, all OOC chat should be in brakets [], parentheses (), or something when in main. When using tells, guild chat, or grouping you can set your own rules for OOC. Talk however you want in brakets, IM chatting acceptable as long as its inbetween.

As for IC chatting, try your hardest to spell words correctly, complete sentences, etc. English isn't eveyones first language I understand so mistakes will be made. Typing is everyones strong suit so typos happen. If you make it and you notice it then its nice to correct. If your rping with someone and they make a small mistake then let it slide. If you don't understand what they are saying then ask. Like I said, remember others are speaking different languages so using IM talk while rping doesn't help them understand you any better.

Auction tab and Main tab should always be IC. Other tabs are sometimes IC sometimes OOC depending on the situation. I'd usually say that guild is always OOC but one could probably argue otherwise so make your own rules, just keep them sensible.

How to respect other characters

Obviously we all should respect each other OOCly. If your doing something that could be considered offensive and someone asks you to stop then please do. If you want to continue move it to group or another tab. At the same time people shouldn't so quickly take offense to every little thing, that tends to cause just as much conflict. I personally would prefer it if people held back from using excessive swearing or vulgar language. No point to it people and you never know who may happen to be reading what you write. Lastly, everyone roleplays differently so try and accept each other. If someone is making a mistake point it out to them but don't go around calling them names (noob, etc) because of it.

ICly respect differs from character to character. Just always make sure that OOCly players know you aren't the IC monster you may rp to be. Don't bring OOC conflict into roleplay. Don't act out of character and suddenly hate them ICly because you got into an argument OOCly.

How to respect the settings

When roleplaying I know we all like to go away from the settings sometimes, do things that still fit in but make us different (boy am I guilty  ). It's fun but I'd say try and incorporate as much of the settings in your roleplay as possible. There is a lot of material available and I know many roleplayers ignore it because they just want to do their own thing. Thats unkind to the members of the settings team that work hard to create interesting things for us to do within their settings. Try hard to use them as you can still be different with them.

About roleplayed fighting

I personally hate dice rolling. Even rolling stats leaves much to luck. However, when roleplay fighting someone you don't know I can see the usefulness in having a kind of fair system. In those cases it is acceptable. I'd try to avoid dice rp at all cost though. A good rper knows their characters limits and when they would be godmodding. Keep those limits in mind when rp fighting and you should be fine. Also try and trust the characters your fighting agaisnt. After a while you'll know if you can trust them or not and if the latter then setting up a dice system or something like it has its use.

About "complementing the system" where it lacks

Always try and stick to the system. As of right now that may not be easy and even in the future it may still be hard but trying never hurt anyone.

About Death and its Roleplaying

Death isn't a friendly run. Give it some kind of purpose. Maybe today you die and you spend a day in death realm. Next time you die you may be there for a week. Who knows, next time you may be dead for a month. I'm not saying to suddenly decide that every death should last a month or the length should be randomly decided. I'm saying one should try and stay in the death realm as long as they can. Also let the length sort of fit the crime. If you were brutally murdered I don't think you will be out the next day.

What I definately don't want is people dieing then deciding to use an alt for a week. That is what makes others so willing to run through death realm, the lack of rp that goes on down there. Try to log on, rp some. You never know, you could meet someone new and starting rp is never bad.

How to use information (in the forums, in the website, etc.) & Metagaming

Simply, unless the person posting is saying it is IC or saying that one would be able to 'see' or learn about whatever it is ingame easily take posts as OOC. If it is IC then you will know. If they fail to leave any way for you to know if it's IC then take it as OOC or contact the poster.

[Sangwa]

I've taken some points about Metagaming and added them in the guide. I still have to make it pretty and the current style it possesses derives from the fact that I've been trying out stuff.
I'll also improve the wording, hopefully with Phinehas' help.

Duraza, Zan and Izzy's opinions match, at least partially, with what is found within the guide-lines added in the first topic. I consider them to be roleplayers of very different characteristics, so I'm guessing this means we're on the right way!

I'd like if I could get comments on the content present in the topic post: Are these notions enough? Are they well explained? Could a beginner understand this well? Are you willing to follow these guide-lines? Is anything missing? Could it be more interactive?

Please help!

[Izzabella]

I really like how it looks, great job!
My only suggestion might be to add a small something somewhere about the /introduction system, I get a lot of people asking "how I do see someones name?" "why is everyone someone" and such. Maybe if you explained how its a RP feature and they need to RP and talk to that char and introduce themselves that might be helpful.

[Anumesa]

I have to run to class, but i briefly skimmed the guide and it looks really good. The one thing I can remember as a newbie was having NO idea whatsoever what IC and OOC were. People were ranting and raving about IC/OOC and i was completely in the dark. I forget what paragraph it is but this is somewhat clarified...but perhaps if it was stated a bit more blatantly, the completely ignorant newbie (such as i was) would be sure not to miss it.

Great job Sangwa!!

[Prolix]

by learning basics concepts about RolePlaying

It has some examples meant to let you know what is accepted and what is frowned upon. preferred standards and discouraged practices.

play it our like as if you were your character

by very hard working, kind people that keep tunningtuning it to

You can even help testing the game, better if you're enjoying yourself, while finding out what is missing to make the entertainment even greater. report bugs to the bugtracker and make feature requests on the forums or bugtracker.

Possibly add links to the bugtracker.

In the chatting section you might want to make allowance for dialect, some people may want to speak in a manner not consistent with proper grammar and spelling to portray an uneducated or otherwise lower class character. Not quite sure how you would like to word this though.

Advised that it be used as OOC.

"It is advised".... more proper not to leave off the subject of the sentence. You might say "we suggest" instead but that would be somewhat less definite although advise and suggest are synonyms. The former third person form is more indirect than the latter first person construction. Perhaps better than either would be "We advise". The second time, under the group heading you could say

responsibility of each group,. Advised that and again it should generally be used as OOC.

Fighting between players: The game system requires a /challenge and its acceptance for PVP to occur. The challenged player has the right to refuse for any reason.

You should fill in a Wish at the Wheel of Wishes

link this if it actually exists or suggest the wish list section of the forum or explain how to make a feature request on the bug tracker.

In the "complementing the system" section keep the examples withing their respective <li> </li> tags so they retain the indentation.

A Bad Example. Don't Follow, please!
Not bending to others and requesting rolls....

Not really an example, you might try to reword this. Also you might want to say "Please avoid doing this:..." instead of "A Bad Example. Don't Follow, please!"

Metagaming header is misspelled and might be more properly hyphenated: meta-gaming. Hyphenation appears to be optional from a quick web search.

I hope some of this is helpful to you.

[Sangwa]

Thanks a lot guys!

@Anumesa: I've added a note to warn people about IC and OOC. You made a great point, I hope what I added is enough!

@Prolix: Thanks! The wording has been well improved.

EDIT to add:
Man, these forums work strangely. The list thingy gets all messed up. I'll try to get it working.

[Parallo]

This protocol has been Parallo-approved!