RolePlaying in MMOs.

[draconicrose]

I'm not sure if anyone stumbling onto this entry knows this, but I used to be a rather avid RPer a while back, until I decided quality over quantity and stopped RPing prolifically. Nowadays, I don't RP any more, due to lack of people to do so with

Comments

[gs_mugetsu]

I handle IM and in-game RP differently. In IM RP, you have to create and describe the surroundings and feel of that which is around your character. In a game, it's different because you already have the area and things to interact with. In game, it's about minimizing without losing quality.

You will come across people that write novel-sized emotes in the game which I dislike. First because I hate having to scroll through so much text. Secondly, because it doesn't leave much room for other player interaction unless they too are writing omnibus-sized emotes for simply brushing their hair back. It almost seemed like they're RPing with themselves or doing a shit ton of monologue for the sake of bringing attention to themselves.

So-and-so stares off wistfully into the distance, letting out a fleeting sigh and thinking back of the golden days of their people's great culture. His dream-filled eyes gleam over recalling a sense of great pride and passion for times long since gone and nearly forgotten. Oh woe, for this has now become

[draconicrose]

Alright, I can agree there. But take my example above. How would you handle that one? Granted, several things can be trimmed, actions can be shortened into smaller sentences, I could use without the netherdrake's reactions and let others guess at wtf she's on about, but it just doesn't... pack the same punch, I feel.

[gs_mugetsu]

You pretty much did what I would suggest. The thing is we need to leave emotes open for other people to guess and/or interact with. You could easily say that she's boiling with rage, but if she's traveling with a pack of people, you might want to leave that open so the others could ask what her issue is. At this point, your character could explain the who/what/why of her attack. I call this "bread-crumbing" as it leads to openings for people to come in and pick up on certain events, behaviors and the like.

It is almost like questing. Would you have one overly long, tedious quest that takes a few hours to complete? Or a series of smaller quests that link together?

In the end, it's really based on preference. Some people like to play the storyteller, others just want to roleplay.