Newbie's and RP

[___________Genevieve]

I read on every web site complaints about no one role-plays. I want to respond and give my reasons for not getting into role-playing. The game has a lot to learn and most the time I find myself over whelmed. I have to learn how to use all the buttons, lingo, skills, points, nano’s, implants, amor, clusters, maps, stores, how not to get lost……. add to this the story line. Give new people time to adjust. I have a character in the level forty range but am not confident in my skills yet. Give us time to absorb so much information. So give us newbie’s a break. Better yet, teach us to role-play. It is not a gift everyone is born with and I have never even been exposed to it before this game.

[Caduceus]

I'm probably even newer than you, my highest character's lvl 25, and this is my first mmorpg. I'm not even a veteran of the pen and paper school. But I've recently become involved in the role-playing aspect of the game and my appreciation for the game as a whole has risen ten-fold.

Basically, it's easy. You just don't talk about the game like it's a game. In fact, it might be easier than talking out of character the whole time, because abbreviations, chat symbols and the like are avoided. If you join a guild that's decent at all, they'll walk you through it. Just make sure they know you're a newbie and it's easy from there. You say something ooc or do something inappropriate, they'll let you know.

Anyhow, I say get into it as soon as possible. Having the extra people to help you lets you learn the game that much faster and being able to role-play adds depth where FC has been unable to supply it.

If you're interested send me a message, we're trying to put together a team of rpers for set playsessions if you're interested. or if you need a guild, send Sepentura, my guild leader, a message on RK2.

Enjoy

[Demessiah]

ROLL PLAY DO U PEOPLE REALLY HAVE NO LIFE

[LTK]

OOC POST

Ladies and gentleman, please pay close attention. We have here what is known as "The Two Great Newbie Extremes".

The Cool Newb is represented by Genevieve in the very first post of this string. She explains herself in a concise manner, she speaks only of what she knows about, and makes points about why exactly she does not do certain accepted things (like roleplaying). Kudos to Genevieve for not roleplaying because of the game system itself. You'll get used to it eventually, things will fall into place, and you'll find yourself roleplaying in no time. My personal bit of advice: don't let yourself get overwhelmed. I've been playing AO since the game hit shelves, and there is still a VERY large amount of details in this game that I know nothing about. The roleplaying part just comes naturally.

On that note...

The Uncool No0b is represented by Demessiah in the post above this one, in which he simply states "ROLL PLAY DO U PEOPLE REALLY HAVE NO LIFE'. This, ladies and gentlemen, is either a grenade-joke with no punchline, or the perfect example of the absolute epitome of idiot noob. There are several reasons for this.

1. All caps, no punctuation, poor spelling ("roll" play?).

2. Totally unclear in his message. Is he asking a question, stating that people who roleplay have no life, or stating that people who don't roleplay have no life? There's no way to be sure until his next moronic response, which we all wait for, whiteknuckled and teeth clenched.

3. Unneccessary comments to a general audience. "U PEOPLE" obviously refers to anyone and everyone who reads or agrees with certain statements. Rash generalizations without any basis of comparison or any arguements to back it up. This is to be expected.

4. As a compilation of the previous 3 points: this person has a very low IQ, but does not and will likely always refuse to recognize this fact.

Now, keep in mind that this no0b may just be a child, and expressing him/herself in the only way he/she knows how. If this is the case, the uncool no0bness is forgiven.

If, however, this person is at or above the age of, say, 15...

My personal opinion: Learn about a little-known term in today's world: hypocracy. Once you read the definition of it, come back here and read your post again.

[/analysis]

[_____________Swavena]

I am pretty new too (about a month now). And I can totally see the role play potential, but as I am mashing the wrong buttons, trying desprately to keep up with my team racing across the land, speaking in vicinity when I meant to be in team, .... and endless other fumblings I'm doing, I just can't spit out a sentence that even resembles role playing yet. All the emote and social moves you can do, I have yet been able to even work thru the list to check them all out.

But I think I am just going to have to slow down a bit and try, because TheOlympian is so right in it making the game so much funner to play.

Oh and Tarryk, great post .

[Caduceus]

I'm telln' you role-playing is the way to make that easier. AO is designed to minimize downtime, so if you're just running around and soloing or teaming, it's go go go all the time. But, if you role play, you take some time. Have a drink. Chat with friends. Before you go out on your next adventure. They will help you learn the ins and outs of the game at the same time as you enrich each others experience by creating interesting and compelling characters.

This is the whole point of role-playing: to develop a stronger community based on more than 'we completed a mission together once.' Give it a shot and don't worry about not knowing enough or what you're doing.

Anyhow, if you need some help give me a /tell in game. Also, I'm still looking for one more person who's interested in a hardcore-rp team with set play sessions, so if you're interested, send me a message.

[lilnymph]

ROLL PLAY DO U PEOPLE REALLY HAVE NO LIFE

Personally I think he means if you play with bread rolls, you have no life, you should just eat them

To genevieve, the advice from the TheOlympian is probably the best, just try and talk like your character would. Personally almost everything I say in vincinity chat is In Character, its just more fun. If you want to chat about it, I play most nights, and am in the GMT (or at the moment GMT+1) timezone, mostly on RK1, send me a tell, if I dont answer its probably because I'm on the run from Omni-Pol again

lilnymph

[doma]

Roleplaying is the only reason why I play mmorpgs.
What is fun about doing missions and hunting till youre eyes bleed and you are level 200?
I bought the game when it first came out in Norway. I played for 3 months and then cancelled due to lack of fundings. During that time I roleplayed all the time , guild meetings , recruting ppl , events and all that fun stuff. Shouted my head off for Guild houses and bigger apartments and stuff. AND! I only reached lvl 14! hah! And I do not care. I plan to reactivate my account in 1 week. c you all in Rubi-Ka.


-d-

[_______________Intra]

Tarryk, brilliant post man!
I wish I had written it

[_________Crazynotion]

Well, I've been on Rubi-Ka now for almost two whole weeks now. I'm still fumbling around with the NCU system, the correct way to apply nanos, the control interface to my robot. Lately I have been spending so much time on social activities that I've not actually been in a mission area or pulled a gun on anything for a good couple of days.

Attaining levels is one of the ways you can advance in Rubi-Ka. However, just as rewarding is gaining the respect and friendship of its citizens. And to be honest, the latter is much easier to get in to - all you really need to know is how to get comfortable in a seat somewhere and how to just talk.

Give me a call (/tell mechanita - on rubi1) if you want to find out more.

[ooc]
The best way to get into RPing initially is to try it away from a combat/mission environment. Learning how to drive the game *and* learning to RP at the same time is pretty daunting! I advise learning to RP first - that way you'll have friends who can help you learn the game afterwards.

The trick is to behave as your character, not as your player. This doesn't mean inventing a new persona - the best way to start is to imagine that you are on Rubi-Ka, rather than that you are a person controlling someone else who is on Rubi-Ka
[/ooc]

[_____________Actuary]

I must say that it does take time to learn playing the game efficiently. I was level 43 before I figured out that there was a yellow marker on the compass that tells you which direction to head to get to a mission.

And it was another 10 levels before I figured out what kind of person I wanted to roleplay and what sort of things can be said and should not be said to preserve the integrity of roleplaying.

I am still learning how to work properly in a team, to deal with those pesky boss mobs and their cronies in team missions.

Just wanted to say that we share and have gone through the same learning curve that you are going through now, but in no time you would start to enjoy another, more fun aspect of AO, that is role playing.

Oh yeah forgot to add, Tarryk, your a legend. Really hit the spot with that post.

[___________Genevieve]

Thank you for understanding and encouraging me to role-play. I would like to fall into naturally and find myself now quietly observing people in game. So for all you role-players out there you’re on stage with an audience watching. Newbie’s are learning from you.

[Bionitrous]

I don't think in AO there is much to learn with respect to 'how' to roleplay at all. All you have to do is to act like your character and say things your character would say.

Unlike UO or AC, for example, there's no requirement to 'thee' or 'thou'. You can say 'can I get SubG please?' or 'hang on a sec' I need to go insure' and be completely 100% in-character. Subguidance and insurance terminals are a fact of life.

The thing you need to pay attention to is being in the context of your environment. You need to know that Omni-AF is the armed forces arm of the corporation and that Omni-Pol is the police, etc.

You need to know that it's a Whom'pa and not a wopper. Another player saying 'let's go to Athens' instead of 'let's go to Athen' can bring you out of your immersion just as readily as someone saying 'dude' in the Brittania of Ultima Online. One immediately thinks of a player who is making a mistake about the name of a city rather than simply a character refering to a city.

Imagine trying to roleplay a Brooklynite in a 1950's New York City Online simulation and you hear someone say 'let's go to a Dudger's game at Abbot's field'. 'Boom', instantly I know I'm dealing with a RL human player controlling the strings of a character.

My recommendation for what would help a newbie AO roleplayer more than anything else would be to read the timeline over and over to get a feel for the trip the planet took from the point the first unmanned probe landed to the present day. History gives context to your character. The animated series give you a definate understanding for how FunCom wants you to feel about the prime players Ross and Radiman

Second step would be a couple hours worth of reflection on the Tir Accord. This document ended the last civil war and pretty much outlines how Omni-Tek and the Clans agreed to handle affairs for the remainder of Omni-Tek's lease on the planet. Look at it's basest structure and note that it's simply an agreement to 'live and let live'.

We've seen many people get flamed for simply shouting 'Omni Sux' or 'Clanner's Suck!' without having any reason more than FunCom allowed the ability to attack each other in 25- and 0-% zones. If you want to play an O-T employee who actively despises each and every Clanner, then you need a reason with meat. The skyline outside my backyard when looking at Manhattan is no longer the same because of the actions of one group of people. I don't hate every single person of that group's religion for the heinous crime some radicals committed. If you look at the history of the planet, you will have to see that your character would probably have to have a mental disorder to hate everybody who works for one particular company. Same for the Clans. It's all about context. Fit your character to the backdrop and you'll blend right in. Start making irrational and self-serving proclamations like Aberic and get placed in the 'non-relevant' drawer.

Finally with respect to absorbing your character's environment, the book is priceless for finally sorting out some of the details that might have you screwing up in public roleplay sessions. Read the book and then tell me if you would decide to start a roleplay session with 'my family comes from Old Earth'. Anybody on this board can trace their family back to the ancient Sumerians? Seriously, read the book to find out why I ask that question.

Now, an opinion. If you find yourself actually trying to *do* anything different when roleplaying, then you are actually trying to hard. What you want is to *be* something different.

Those who use emotes <Soanso pokes other guy> for example or who use body gestures (/salute) can really add to the realism of a vignette. However, if you find yourself actually trying (<---)to think up something to emote or can't remember the difference between /strong3 and /strong4 then you are detracting from your flow and fun. I've seen too many sessions degrade into emote-fests. Let things come naturally to your character. If you get into your character's mind enough, you will /adjust and /salute and /bow without even thinking about it. Don't try to play your character like a puppet just because you are 'RP-ing'. The minute you become cognizant that you are role-playing, you have just broken the spell for yourself.

[___________NightFear]

Excellent Post Tarryk and Bionitrous:

Role Playing is fun. The more you do it, the better at it you will be. Dont worry about making mistakes, everyone does it. The only people who dont make mistakes are six feet underground because someone paid a fixer to hack the insurance grid and then paid an enforcer to gank them.

Heck I'm a level 107 MA and once in a while I make mistakes. Just learn from them and go on.

Happy Role Playing!!!

[LTK]

I suppose I should throw in one more point, because it's something that's been arising in my RP experience lately, and I want to at least get it off my chest. Thinking about starting a whole new string on just this point...

What follows is advice. Take it or leave it. It's very difficult advice to follow, and I myself have fallen away from it a few times...too often.

Be careful with your emotions. Too often I see people in character and roleplaying, and in a heated IC debate or roleplaying out taunts and battles, and then BANG, the roleplaying suddenly disappears and it has become personal.

As an example, just the other day I was trying to have a conversation with an influential character from omni. I sent him a /tell and made it very clear that I was OOC, and very interested in setting up a storyline with him about a conflict between myself and a certain other faction that he is involved with. He didn't understand, stating that it would be a very bad idea for me to ever try going up against his faction, and that to set such a storyline up I should just go to other people who oppose him and his faction.

That right there is very bad for RP.

I can hate your guts in-character. I can wish you dead. I can breathe fire at your presence and spend my entire character's natural life hunting you down. But drop me OOC, and I'll shake your hand, smile, and BEG to RP with you again because you did it so well. And then I'll ask if I can talk with you to set up a storyline.

So many people get the two realms confused. My advice: Watch for that, and be careful not to fall into the "it just got OOC personal" trap. Be clear to people when you're OOC if your in an RP environment. And for goodness sake, don't refuse to talk to someone who wants to work with you to make the storyline more dramatic, no matter how much your character hates theirs.

[___________NightFear]

Very true!!

Think of it like this. Denzel Washington played a bad character in the movie Training Day. His character deserved what he got in the end of the movie. However, Denzel is not really that guy. He just role played that character.

Same as in this game. I might play an omni trader that hates everyone and make another character a clan doctor that helps and cares for everyone. Same person playing two very different roles and characters.

If you feel that a situation is getting personal or out of control, stop for a second and remind that person you are just role playing. If he/she doesnt get it, then make a note to yourself not to role play with that person. There are some that dont know the difference. These are the real noobs of the game.

[spookiepants]

I find it a helpful reminder to separate OOC conversation with double parens. ie:

blix01: You suck!
anotherplayer: You super suck!
blix01: ((hows the wife and kids?))
blix01: Yeah you double super suck!
anotherplayer: ((wife's fine, kid lost a baby tooth, thanks for asking))
anotherplayer: You double-dog major suck!


..etc ...etc


The double parens is a suble reminder to both parties that there is distinct separation between rp and ooc.

[RandaZ]

Originally posted by Bionitrous
We've seen many people get flamed for simply shouting 'Omni Sux' or 'Clanner's Suck!' without having any reason more than FunCom allowed the ability to attack each other in 25- and 0-% zones. If you want to play an O-T employee who actively despises each and every Clanner, then you need a reason with meat. The skyline outside my backyard when looking at Manhattan is no longer the same because of the actions of one group of people. I don't hate every single person of that group's religion for the heinous crime some radicals committed. If you look at the history of the planet, you will have to see that your character would probably have to have a mental disorder to hate everybody who works for one particular company. Same for the Clans. It's all about context. Fit your character to the backdrop and you'll blend right in. Start making irrational and self-serving proclamations like Aberic and get placed in the 'non-relevant' drawer.

Excellent post Bionitrous,

However, I'm going to have to disagree about the blind hatred thing. I think it's a-okay to portray someone who's totally ignorant or irrational. Heck, that's what the mob mentality is all about.

And to top it off, there's some real deep-seated fear of mega-authority that stems from the Anarchy Online history (since you read the book, I think you know of whom I mean, but for the rest, read the book )

Okay, so that gives a reason for the clanners acting the way they do. Simple, blind-hatred for an Omni is a tad harder to justify but I'm sure there's enough 'objective' media coverage that portrays clanners as vile ruthless creatures.

It's all about context like you said. On Rubi-Ka, personal fears and public opinion are strong influences... perhaps more so than rationale. That's probably why it's called Anarchy Online So for those who yell "<insert> suxx!", they're probably blending in a lot more than the rest of us.


Okay, so how does this relate to the newbie RPer? It's simple. It's realistic. It doesn't require knowing history (actually, knowing history is detrimental to the whole blind-hate standpoint). As a newbie, it'll give you something to act upon. Mind you, it's not going to be very in-depth, but generally, people like that aren't. So don't expect too much from choosing such a route, but it'll at least give you some flavor while you're getting your bearings.

And a secondary plus is that it doesn't require you to give an elaborate background to anyone you meet. Chances are, when you're new to AO and you try setting up a background you'll inevitably refer to some things in "Old Earth" (see above posts) which tends to jitter even the most ardent veteren of RPing. Worst comes to worst, you might even say you're a member of a long-ruling family from the 24th century. At which point, you'll be mobbed by any RPing individual you come across.

No, the old adage K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) works well in this case. At least until you get the hang of things. Also, since you're a newbie, you'll bound to re-roll. At that time, you can take all that you've learned and start a deeper character. One that is more full-filling than the "<insert> suxx!!" variety.



So for the veteran RPers, keep in mind that those who shout "<insert> suxx!" might just be newbies trying this for the first time. Don't be so hard on them. Ignore them if it suits your character. Try to convert them if that's what you do. Afterall, a RPed raving ignoramous is no less a valid character on Rubi-Ka than a rational character is.

However, if you do find out that the person behind the character IS a raving ignoramous, then by all means, flame away


P.S. For the newbies going this route, a good understanding of how to use (( )) brackets can go a long way in getting people to go along with your character.


Tap

[-Zagadka-]

OOC

Yes, but Razishlyat is a *****, really. She is demanding and semi-elitist, looking down on people like that, who are "stupider" than her, and thus threaten her (the whole one idiot rocking the boat can capsize the whole thing).

For some reason, I can role play that easily. :-)

Look at the whole UF thing. Omni-Tek is a known enemy. They gank, they yell, etc etc. Funderful. But there is still a semi-stable political understanding keeping things going. OT and the Clans keep each other in check - OT isolates Rubi-Ka from powerful outside influences, and the Clans control the rebel groups up north, who would never get things like scanners. They keep it organized into one entity, instead of in many little war-like groups. Most Omnis are not a threat, because they need justification for any action. There are 24 years left on the full lease, then 50 after that until it is gone completely. Stability is needed. UF, Dust, and the like kicking up a storm give the OT people like, say, Baxie, complete justification in using full force, or even declaring an emergency and extending the lease. The threaten the long term freedom of Rubi-Ka, unlike Omni-Tek.

Thus, the Clanners yelling "Omni suxx" and "Death to Omni!" are something that has to be beat down with extreme prejudice. More than that, she will plot to stop them. OTOH, the "Death to Clanners" crowd doesn't excite her much, either.

Which is odd, since I have another char that vows death to all Omnis.

In any case, back on topic, role playing doesn't take that much dedication. It mainly takes suspending disbelief, and acting like you aren't playing a game, as others mention. You just have to keep in mind Rubi-Ka terms, science, society, etc... You don't have to be politically active or walk around with a stuffed leet and bottles of alcohol... change your clothes every so often. Put in some character flaws, if you like. I don't wear armor coats, and I wear all MA armor. I usually wear a trenchskirt, and never a helmet.

Some of the best (and funniest) are Atrox who play it right. There are a lot of rich opportunities there. They aren't as dumb as rocks, but they aren't quite sharp enough for complex independent thoughts. Their reactions to comments would be different. SOme of the most fun I had was rolling new chars with guild mates - a small female MA and 2 huge Atrox Enforcers following her around. Someone ran over me in a Carrier, so one of them chased him down... a Doc walked up and healed me, asked if I was OK... the Atroxes made the guy come back and apologize, under threat to report his bad driving to the CoT (and a good bashing on the head). We just spent 2 hours walking around the city BSing, trading insults, etc. I know one Atrox who constantly /petitions because he likes ARK uniforms.

Or the Fixers who randomly walk up to people in back streets and demand money. I love that. I'm almost disappointed that there is basically complete trust when you give someone an implant to assemble. There has to be an evil NT out there. :-) Adventurers talking to trees... Crats asking for forms... I have an Opifex Soldier who has 2 bars of macro shouts that are basically one liners like in action movies. She shouts them out when she does something fitting.

*step into room*
*full auto*
*mob dies*
"Knock knock, *****."

*doing assassination mission*
*see target*
*get target to 20%*
"I sure hope you insured today..."
*burst*
"Rubi-Ka Delivery Service. Your ass, COD."
*get reward credits*

It makes team missions kinda fun :-)

[_______________Iegon]

Maybe if more people used the forums to learn about the game and get acquainted with it then more people would RP in the game. And I know that it would be a pain to ALT-TAB to the forum with every question and then wait forever, but I have learned a lot just spending some time reading everything i can find either in forums on the AO site or other fan/community sites.