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+--- Thread: A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't (/showthread.php?tid=11495)
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - chovynz - 08-22-2008
Note: This is not personal. This is for the good of you as a player, and the
good of this community. If you see yourself in this post please consider
the possibility of, perhaps, needing to change. Scorn, if I may, I will use
your example, without the antagonism that I gave you this morning.
This is so that people can see a clear example of what I mean. I do not intend
to attack you or make you upset, I do however want to raise some points for
this community to consider. And what I read this morning and many other
mornings from many people illustrates the points very well.
-----------------
This morning I woke up to yet another beautiful day.
I log onto the forums, and I see my friends and acquaintances doing their usual thing.
Then I read a particular thread, and something I read in there upset me very much.
What was this thing and why did it upset me? Everyone knows that the forums aren't important
enough to get upset over. After all this is all just a game right?.
First of all: this is a Roleplay server. What does this mean? It means when you log on to
play Freelancer Discovery on the RP server, YOU step into a different world. What you are
supposed to do is leave your grudges, your conflicts, the pressures of life, the stresses of
work and family, and you BECOME a different person. You become that Liberty Navy Officer.
You become that Bundschuh, You become that Nomad or Harvester.
What I am about to say encompasses the entire player base of Discovery RP server. Read that again.
What I am about to say encompasses the entire player base of the Discovery RP server.
That player base includes:
- People who want to play within a group of like-minded individuals, who play together, determine
what rules they want to play by, within that group - usually determined by common sense and
Discovery-wide majority consensus, to play AS an extension of the NPC faction.
We call these groups of people a faction, because that is what Microsoft decided to call the NPC's groups.
- People who play Discovery, without joining a group of other players AND without joining an NPC faction. We often call these people independents.
- People who play Discovery, without joining a group of other players, BUT they do join the NPC faction. These people are often also 'lumped' together with 'independents.'
- People who have BOTH 'independent' characters and 'faction' characters.
- People from numerous different Real Life countries who have different customs and different ideas, different religions, beliefs and ways of doing things,
- People who like to play in a military way,
- People who have reallife issues with authority, and transfer that onto their characters, and play them well,
- People who play for the skill (or not) of Player Versus Player
- People who play for the Roleplay
- People who log on and only trade.
- People who love their pirating guns.
- People who think the game is only what is worth playing in.
- People who never see the forums.
- People who barely get in game because they are playing on the forums so much.
- People who like to play a Machine or a Robot, or an Artificial Intelligence
- People who like to play aliens (nomads - other)
- People who like to play as normal people.
- People from all walks of life, Male, Female, Gays, Straights, Boys, Men, Girls, Women, Children, Adults,
who give up a few hours of their time to come to a world of wonder, excitement, pleasure and pain.
A world where they can escape from reality and be someone else for a little while. A world where they can
BE IN SPACE (how cool is that,) A world were there is conflict and fighting, but also awesome Vistas (that
means a really cool view), incredible stories and amazing people.
So what is Roleplay? Simply put, Roleplay is about relationships. It's about how your 'character'
relates to another person's 'character'. Freelancer was not very well intended for Mulitplayer Roleplay, it is
more centered around simply flying ships and blowing other ships up. That IS part of Freelancer Roleplay.
But it is not the entirety of how THIS COMMUNITY makes or uses Roleplay.
Because the mechanics of Freelancer is so limited in:
- conversations,
- planetary-side interactions,
- political maneuvering,
- ship to ship interactions or transmissions,
- equipping and customizing your ship,
- having an avatar to walk around and interact with other characters,
- and many other things too numerous to put here...
What is the common denominator in all of this? They are real people, with real feelings, with individual
thoughts, and an intrinsic value AS A HUMAN BEING. The AI's, aliens and people are, at the other end -
another person, JUST LIKE YOURSELF. A person who wants to have fun on a game he/she loves with other
people. (Irrespective of that stupid faction vs independent argument. It has been blown way out of proportion, to what is actually going on.)
This is the good part about Discovery Community.
--------
Now for the ugly part. This is what I have to say to all of our community.
I am included in this community so I am preaching to myself for the times when I need it as well.
It's time to stop judging other people's Roleplay, and LEARN to ROLEPLAY with them.
Many people on this Discovery Community need to stop telling people what IS and what IS NOT Roleplay
and or 'Out-of-Role-Play'. The ONLY people qualified to say that and do anything about that are the ADMINS.
And even then the Admins ARE PEOPLE TOO.
I'm saying this publicly because WE AS A COMMUNITY of people need to read this and
understand what we are doing to ourselves AND to other people.
I have watched and listened to many people, and you may be surprised who I listen and speak to.
I have heard people complain on THESE FORUMS day after day after day. I have seen silent people building
the background and backbone of Discovery. I have seen individual or group attempts at making something
great, and I have seen the attempts to pull down that greatness. I have seen Love, and Pride,
and Awesome-ness, but I have also seen Ugliness and Hatred, and Selfishness.
I have seen the good and the bad of Discovery, as I'm sure many of us have, and are aware of.
Time and time again I have heard people, OF THIS DISCOVERY COMMUNITY, pull down another persons
Roleplay. They tell them that 'this action' is Out-of-Role-Play. They say that you are not allowed 'doing this'
or 'that'. They have said 'You cannot play this way.'
That is utter and total Bull5hit.
Here are some examples of what I mean.
"You can't enter a fight if it makes it unbalanced"
"You can't leave a fight"
"You can't just say '2 mill or die' "
"You can't fly that ship"
"You can't call for backup."
"You can't attack someone just after saying one word. 'Engaging'"
"Oh you do that OORP Diamond/Niobium run do you?"
"If you leave a fight that is OORP."
"You can't ban this ship from Liberty! That is so OORP!!"
"You cant make laws saying I have to Register my ship with you!"
"Navy pilots can't shoot other navy pilots!"
"LPI sux. They are not funny. They have bad Roleplay."
"You can't be the Government Department of Internal Affairs."
"You have to sign up with a faction"
"You must stay independent!"
"You shouldn't go through Alaska."
"You can't shoot me. I'm a Civilian!"
"The Liberty Navy are Capwhores! They are abusing their power!"
"Alaska guards! They are abusing their power and stopping ME from getting into there! They arent allowed to do that!"
"Factions and Independents can't work together."
"Factions arent allowed to restrict ships."
"Independents must register with us."
"No a Liberty Battlegroup can't fly over Rheinland space."
"No Rheinland ships can't come into Liberty space."
What is Roleplay? Roleplay is choices, and everyone has them. If you are told by some Navy guards
(it doesn't matter if they are part of the player faction or not) to 'back off from Alaska gate or get shot', you
have a choice. In Roleplay you can:
- comply and back off
- comply and back off, never to return again
- comply and back off, and come back another time or day
- comply and back off, insulting the guards -in character- as you go
- comply and back off, thanking them for saving your life from a mistake you may not have noticed.
- back-off enough so that you can go to the forums and ask for permission to enter Alaska
- call in a bigger ship or group of ships to deal with the guards
- try to sneak past the guards
- set up a diversion
- shoot the guards
- make a formal complaint on the Navy's Diplomatic channels on these forums, at being stopped from being allowed to enter Alaska
that the LN guards are "being OORP power-whores, forcing their roleplay onto you", or saying the
following when you dont know and were not invovled "factions are abusive, they have no right to restrict
other people in this way". Why do I say these are not-in-Roleplay-choices? Because THAT IS EXACTLY
what you are doing to them. Saying that kind of statement is hypocrisy and OORPness at it's extreme.
The same goes for PVPing. Any person may enter or leave a fight AS THEY SEE FIT. It is not up to you to
determine what is or is not OORP. What you MUST deal with is the choices that your character now has
INROLEPLAY. Does he or she pursue the fleeing character? Does he call backup? Does he log onto the
neural network (part of these forums) and put a bounty on their heads? Does he ignore the fleeing person, 'until next time'?
The OORP choices of coming onto the forums and 'whining' or saying they are 'OORP' for fleeing, or
complaining that they got away, SHOULD NOT ENTER YOUR CHARACTERS HEAD. Because as soon as you
think that you are being OORP and a hypocrite yourself. It is a sad state of affairs when we are so
concentrated on taking Screenshots to prove that other people are OORP, INSTEAD OF STAYING IN
ROLEPLAY AND IN CHARACTER OURSELVES.
NO-ONE can tell another person INGAME OR ON THESE FORUMS that another person's Roleplay is OORP.
You cannot possibly know if there is Roleplay behind any action unless that person lets you know.
If someone leaves a fight because a legitimate Roleplay reason came up, THEY DO NOT HAVE TO TELL YOU.
And you may never find out. Calling someone OORP on ANY action IS being judgmental, and it causes divisions.
Edit: The only things that should be considered as OORP are stories that come from a different universe than Freelancer
- seeing as how Discovery is based upon the story of Vanilla Freelancer. Seriously, this universe in itself has enough to
keep everyone happy and busy without bringing Battlestar Galatica, Starwars, Star Trek, Telletubbies or anything else into it.
(CR is an exception that have earned their place in Disco - as far as I'm aware. I'm not calling CR an OORP faction.)
It's time to STOP being judgmental on other people, it is time to STOP causing divisions and it is time to
LEARN to ROLEPLAY with these other people. These forums are not exempt from the server rules of no Rule
lawyering, yet we see so many people trying to force their interpretations on other people without actually
SHUTTING UP and listening to the other person. Too many people on this forum are trying to say their
opinion or their bit, and are not truly listening to other people. DO NOT START POINTING FINGERS after
reading this part. Start looking at yourself and the inside of you. Do you see the judgment there? Do you
see how you treat other people?
LEAVE your personal grudges at the door. I have had some wonderful conversations with people whom, at
first we did not get on well - at all. When I realized that I was treating my fellow human as trash, it ripped
my heart open and I apologized to them. Now we are working towards building a relationship - in terms of
fellow freelancer players.
After all.... thats what we are all here for isn't it?
To play Freelancer, the game that we love, with other people.
Right?
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - Primus Avatar - 08-22-2008
That was touching. I agree with all above mentioned. Even i saw my mistakes now, ill try to change.
/signed
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - Epholl - 08-22-2008
Who said you have to RP with the CR as the CR likes?
CRs say they are from a completely different system, have a polytheistical religion, completely different culture and are on a holy crusade against artifical intelligence. If I would meet someone similar in the RL, I would probably think he is mad. The same is possible here... Someone has weird RP? Tell him, your char thinks, he is mad, or that it is impossible, or anything you can think of. Problem solved. You dont like the CR? Tell them you think they are mad, or simply dont believe their story. Nothing similar ever happened to me and it would surely be a perfect piece of ingame RP and definitely more fun for both (all) players.
Every coin had 2 sides and it only is our and noone elses fault if we fail to see the other side.
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - chovynz - 08-22-2008
Yes Epholl. Thats what I said.
I specifically mentioned CR because I mentioned Battlestar Galactica,
and also mentioned that I'm not saying CR is OORP, but rather that:
imported stories and 'other universe things' are the ONLY things that
could be considered OORP, not all the infighting and bickering that goes
on and people calling legitimate Roleplay as OORP.
If you want I can change the example and not mention CR at all?
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - Primus Avatar - 08-22-2008
Why call CR OORP? They have fantastic RP;)
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - chopper - 08-22-2008
Well, I will always consider a Rogue GB with Dragonfly Turrets and Pirate ID more OORP then any 'import'.
But that's just me.
I don't know if you ever met CR in game at all, but their RP is one of the best in this community.
Of course, this is also just a subjective opinion, which I'm entitled to.
Anyhow, I never bore individuals about their choices, but I do rant around with people I know about them.
I guess that's human nature.
If I see a freaking Outcast in a Blood Dragon HF - I will hate him.
I might even tell him that It's lousy. Why not?
I mean, people do change their way under pressure sometimes.
RP has it's boundaries. If you go out of these boundaries, then you deserve to get flamed.
If you do something extra ordinary within these boundaries, then I salute you.
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - chovynz - 08-22-2008
-.- I'm not calling CR OORP. That is a distraction from the intent of my post.
What I am saying is: stories and the like of other universes outside of Vanilla
freelancer are the only things that might possibly be considered as OORP.
Not the fact that a Liberty Cruiser CAN travel around in Rheinland space, or
the fact that Navy Military characters can shoot other Navy characters.
The fact is CR have done a fantastic job on their RP, so has the Harvesters.
Those are two 'imports' that the community has accepted, mainly. I'm not here to
rag on them, I was giving an example of something that COULD be considered for
the title of OORP, rather than petty grievances and stupid thinking labeling something
legitimate in Roleplay as OORP.
Mentioning CR is causing some confusion so I think I will change it. -done. CR no longer mentioned in the essay.
Edit 2: Added in again due to Epholl being happy they are mentioned.
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - Primus Avatar - 08-22-2008
I think Hyung Soong's point was that the only one dictating the "boundaries of RP" should be admins.
In which i Agree. Other players should be entitled to helping people with loose RP fit in the discovery universe. Give them advices and not start some flamewars or hate them.
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - Jamez - 08-22-2008
I agree with points in Hyung Soong's post. Nothing pisses me off more than someone who tries to dictate my RP.
A Short Exposition on What Roleplay Is and Isn't - Epholl - 08-22-2008
No, no, no, Hyung, I think the CR thing is in place there and I am not going to deny the fact, that our roots are imported. We have been granted this privilege, that has been denied to many others and which seems to be on the edge of faction elitism, although there are some factors in the background, that play an important role too.
The interesting effect is, that it also works as an "engine" to move our RP more forward just to somhow "hide" the imported roots.
I understood your point, (maybe even to say I understood completely) and I know you did not mean anything harmful towards us, so it is completely okay to keep us mentioned there.