Anyway, nevermind the l337 discussion. Let us just leave it at this:
l337 is a \"coded pseudo-language\", or a \"hacker\'s written jargon\", if you want. Due to its techonology-related nature, does it really have a place in a medieval fantasy atmosphere? Nah. Not at all.
Think of Frodo and Aragorn speaking l337. Realise how ridiculous and decadent it looks, and now think of the same situation but in PlaneShift. Aye, my friend! It is just the same.
Why tolerate a deplorable form of written speech that gets in the way of In-Game communication, character immersion, and roleplaying atmosphere? PlaneShift IS a RolePlaying game, after all.
Anyway, I digress.
Many have given their own definition of RolePlaying, others agree, others do not. Some truly enjoy powergaming, for some mysterious reason
, while others like me get elated when playing a coherent and enthralling story. Being part of a dynamic world, where YOU can make the difference!
Oh yes, it is SO much easier in a text game. There, you can describe your actions any way you please! Glare, pout, dance, grin, laugh, push, kick, punch, poke, bat your eyelashes when flirting, blush, sneeze, stagger when drunk, hop on the tables, swashbuckle in the bar, and an infinite...yes INFINITE amount of other actions.
I have heard of animation systems that would allow a wide spectrum of actions in a 3d environment. However, I doubt our regular PCs and servers would be able to process all of that without a major lag reduction.
However, when graphics are not enough, text can compensate, and help to explain certain circumstances and situations.
A says \"You, B, are the most despicable being I have ever encountered!\"
B says \"Oh, truly? You are not that charming yourself!\"
A glares hatefully at B.
A says \"Let\'s take this outside, chap, I do not want to stain the pub red with your lifeless carcass.\"
Wee! And so they went outside and broke each other\'s kneecaps. So yes, the example is banal and uninteresting, but with the possibility for the players to emit certain actions, it would be possible to compensate for the graphical limitations of an MMORPG.
However, the technical horizons are not the true problem we have to tackle here, but the generalised ignorance of what responsible RolePlaying is. No, you will not be commanded to speak with the arcane Thee\'s and Thou\'s (Although I have studied those grammatical expressions to give such an accent to one or two of my characters, on occasion), but you will be expected to empathise with your character.
Empathise, you say? What is that? Those who have read Henri Louis Bergson\'s books on the human\'s mental processes would comprehend the concept, which is almost a synonym of \"sympathise\". (Suggested bibliography, truly. Even if you are not that keen on psychology. Bergson won the 1927 Novel Prize of literature, he was no crazy rambler like me)
Empathise is to abstract your mind and perception from your own self, to view and feel the world the way another formal being would (an object, an animal, or another person).
That is, you would try to perceive the world in the form that your character would. An underground world, hostile, dangerous, mysterious. Would your character be scared, or encouraged by these surroundings? Would he tackle adventures, or prefer the relative safety of the city of Yliakum? Warrior or bookworm? Etcetera. You just have to think about your persona\'s traits and attitudes, and RolePlaying flows from there.
It requires training, a lot of patience and practice, and nice players to guide you and help you when you are having problems. But it is rewarding. It is a nice way to escape from our real lives for two or three hours, have a little fun and relax.
Text game, graphic-based, or a combination of both, I think it is possible to create a good and friendly RolePlaying stage for everyone, disregarding the game platform.
However, I will admit one thing. No Multi-Player graphic game has been able to offer a solid RolePlaying experience.
PlaneShift will be that first game that breaks and re-shapes a genre? Or will it be one more in a bunch of clich? monster-bashing power-levelling and plain pseudo-RPG?
I will give you an outmost pessimistic look: From where I see it right now, it is bound to become the latter. But oh boy how I would like it to be the first option!
Time will tell!
- Golbez
PS: I did keep it short this time!
