A lot of MMO games these days have at least one server which is touted as the RP server. Sometimes, it's listed as such by the game itself, but more often than not it is an unofficial, sometimes unwritten designation. These unofficial RP servers, then, are what I tend to seek out, hoping for in-character interaction in the (sometimes) richly detailed, existing game environment. I don't go into a fantasy realm to hear about real-world sports, politics, religion, which current big-name movie star is hot, etc. I kinda figured the whole idea was to escape reality.
The difficulty is, unless roleplay is actually enforced, or at the very least highly encouraged, it becomes very difficult to find as an outsider. Part of that is because non-roleplayers aren't discouraged from using those servers, so it fills up with the same powergamers, botters, farmers, number crunchers, and min-maxers the other servers have, in addition to being populated by those who actually are trying to RP. These are the same powergamers, etc., who are likely to look at you oddly, at the least, or even go out of their way to give you grief, at worst, if you start roleplaying. So all the RP'ers end up being fairly quiet about their roleplay, which makes it even more difficult to find.
And let us not even get into what having a normal dose of "typical" players in addition to the RP crowd does for server lag.
Then there's the fact that no matter where you are, there's going to be varying levels of skill as it regards roleplay. Some people really understand their character, and do their best to understand the game world as it applies to that character. Some people think that going around saying "my lord/lady" and using outdated informals (thee, thou, thine) is the height of RP.
Side rant: Using those archaic pronouns is not only overdone, but wrongly done. They are informals, not formal addresses. Using them with someone meant you knew them very well, and were at least friends if not lovers, or else it was considered an insult. Think about it: if you address royalty, it's always "your Majesty" not "thy Majesty". It's like using the Japanese -kun in reference to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
Even if you take the opinion that these are poetic forms, used to create prose and poetry with an ancient feel, or for religious scripture, that does not apply to common speech. Even though you are typing, from the perspective of your character, you are speaking.
If you use any of the old informals when speaking to me, and I don't know you, don't be surprised if I avoid any more interaction with you, IC or otherwise. Chances are, you've either insulted me, or I've written you off as another idiot pretending to be intelligent.
[/rant]
As I was saying, some people really get it, as far as RP goes, and some do not. Even so, the ones that do not are still trying, usually. And quite frankly, it gets to the point where I'm RP-starved enough not to care, half the time. But I'm lucky to overhear even one example of any roleplay in any given week, and because I'm new or unknown, it doesn't include me.
Another problem with persistent RP is one that I discovered in Neverwinter's persistent worlds, but applies to most MMO games with quest-based story progressions, including City of Heroes/Villains and Mabinogi. What do you do when you've already completed a quest, but are helping someone else with the same one? Do you feign IC ignorance of the scenario? Do you say, "Gee, I thought I took care of that problem? Well, I've been through here about two-dozen times already, so it should be a piece of cake. I know where all the traps and ambushes are, just follow my lead!"
So much potential exists for great roleplay experiences, but unofficial RP servers just don't tend to deliver the satisfaction I hope for. More often than not, my time there turns into just more hack & slash XP-grinding.
I will admit, though, that after seeing Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, I've got a terrible urge to get back into City of Villains. It's a shame my satellite connection can't reliably allow the loader to connect.
No comments:
Post a Comment