activity on RP forums

[acridiel]

Oh great, so Around will become completely deserted as everyone will only play and invite people in their own channel and have their private RP where no-one is allowed to participate that does not fit the "member profile".

It is a thing of horror to me in the last few months to see that many newbes actively shun the Around channel and some don´t even know it exists.
Just yesterday I´ve been asked by a player two days in Game: "Around channel? What´s the around channel?"

I had asked her to please use the same channel as me, when talking to me. The "Around channel". For I was asking her something or other in Around and she replied in a /tell.
And that´s not the first time this happened to me.

It seems normal in many other games to communicate exclusively in /whisper i.e. /tell. And I think thats horrible.
It´s completely shutting out any chance of picking up on some casual RP or even having a normal conversation with two people at once.
For, as it happened yesterday as someone else came by and started to answer in /tell too, I had to re-type every single answer in two tells! Because both did not know how to use the Around channel, until I showed them how to! And both were wondering why it took me so long to answer their "RP". -.-

Please, ONE RP Channel is OK, but not thousands of different channels for everyone to have their private little party in.

CU
Acridiel

[katriell]

Local/say/around RP exists and fares just fine in Istaria.

Not realising that Around exists and not understanding how to use it is a sign of general stupidity, nothing else.

Back when Arispotle had an RP community, roleplaying in Around was rare anyway because we simply preferred Guild, Team, and tells. The availability of custom channels would do a lot to bring people out of their cliques, making cross-guild RP much more feasible and common.

[ajsuk]

but not thousands of different channels for everyone to have their private little party in.

Team does that already, but for years we've been dieing for a similar sort of system that's designed for chat and not limited to 9 people. (Not that that's a problem on Arispotle right now as we rarely have that many playing ) but it would be nice should things improve.

Just because a system that's now common-place in a lot of new (and some old) games, doesn't mean it's not a good idea. Just the same as the reverse is sometimes true.

[gavin205]

Acridiel, you bring up a valid point, which is why I emphasized that there needs to be a public channel search feature. A new player can log in and see the existing public channels and log into the ones they choose. I have been away from Istaria for a long time, but when I last played, as katriell pointed out, there was no issue with multiple numbers of redundant channels. You really need to see it to get the full effect.

Regardless we still need something more than what we have now, as I would like to have several new channels both server wide and for select use. Off the top of my head Uni could easily be broken up into several channels; Trade, Looking For Group, Help, Roleplay, and Global BS. As for more personal use; Guild Recruitment channel, a secure Guild Officer channel, and the ability to create additional channels for use during OP battles, events, and additional secure alliance channels beyond the two faction based ones that exist now.

And yes Jayce, all this is a little complex for our current server population, but if I considered Ryzom a lost cause I would not be posting here or spending time ingame, so yes, I am looking forward to better days. Besides we are going to start seeing new players by the ton after that next awesome patch, right devs? No pressure.

[acridiel]

Local/say/around RP exists and fares just fine in Istaria.

Not realising that Around exists and not understanding how to use it is a sign of general stupidity, nothing else.

Back when Arispotle had an RP community, roleplaying in Around was rare anyway because we simply preferred Guild, Team, and tells. The availability of custom channels would do a lot to bring people out of their cliques, making cross-guild RP much more feasible and common.

Excuse me, but how could a closed channel make cross guild RP more common?
Are people afraid to use the Around Channel?
We use it in real life all day, so to speak.
Everybody can listen on a normal conversation and jump in anytime.
It may be rude in RL, but how the hell am I supposed to realize InGame that people are RPing at the stable, if all I see is them standing around saying nothing to each other, because they´re in a different "private"channel than I?
And now don´t tell me "they would invite you." Because people I haven´t yet met, or which haven´t yet met me, will of course ask me, or any other player just happening by, to come to their RP-Channel for a chat.
So I´d first have to ask them in Around (if they happen to look at that channel) IF they´re RPing, or just standing around doing nothing. So that they could answer in Around and then maybe invite me into their RP channel.
Why complicate things so much?

And why spilt up an existing channel like Uni that works fine into a thousand sub-channels just because its supposed to be better and "any other game has it"?

And, I´m sorry but "When Arispotle had..." doesn´t count as an argument here for me.
Because there are two other servers that might just see the issue a little different.

Leanons RP Com is quite small indeed, but we´re perfectly fine with the around channel and "private" RP is held in a private location. That´s it.
Why the hell cut off all other players from "your" RP, just because some stupid blokes can´t behave around an official RP Event?
Just mute repeated offenders!
Its the CSRs job to do this for Heavens sake.
Someone who repeatedly disturbs others playing experience must be disciplined. End of line!

And doesn´t closing yourself of to others by channels sound just a whee bit "elitist" to you? Well, that´s what´s commonly repeated on several boards about our little community. We´re "elitist". Btw. mostly by English speaking players.
Now just go and reinforce that notion by sectioning of RPers and "elite RPers" and "non RPers" and "the other RPers" more and more.
Well, this will certainly improve the sense of Community we already have and any RP-Community for sure and the state of RP in general. Because nobody will know what others "play" anymore.
One Group will have its own private channel where their RP reigns, while others have another with different rules. Great!

Even if this system "works" in Ishtaria, its how it works what bothers me and what actually fills me with dread. People just running around in their private little world, forgetting others than their friends even exist.

Now that would sure be "fun".

CU
Acridiel

P.S.: Something occurred to me just now. Some people claimed to have such a problem monitoring more than one Forum not long ago.
So do you think there´d be no problem monitoring say, 10 or more Chat channels InGame for them? How ironic.

[gavin205]

I'm sorry Arc but I think you are reading way too much into this. The concept of a global RP channel is to allow anyone who is interested to find other Rpers, nor create some elite chat channel. Face to face RP should be in /say for exactly the reason you mentioned, unless there is some reason for it to be private. Besides, as pointed out if people want a private RP chat they can do it now by forming a group. While your fears may be valid, in my opinion it’s a player issue that you are taking offense to, not a game mechanic issue.

This is about giving players more flexibility, not shoehorning them into any one play style.

An additional thought, a “Roleplayer” title or flag of some sort would be nice to have.

[pre156kt]

Excuse me, but how could a closed channel make cross guild RP more common?
Are people afraid to use the Around Channel?
We use it in real life all day, so to speak.
Everybody can listen on a normal conversation and jump in anytime.
...

On the other hand, to be able to join an RP going in Around chat, you need to be lucky enough to stumble upon randomly RPing people. If there existed Atys-wide custom channels, you could easily see when is there an RP taking place and in many cases you could join in without actually having to search for the people in 'real Atys'.

...Uni could easily be broken up into several channels; Trade, Looking For Group, Help, Roleplay, and Global BS. As for more personal use; Guild Recruitment channel, a secure Guild Officer channel, and the ability to create additional channels for use during OP battles, events, and additional secure alliance channels beyond the two faction based ones that exist now.

QFE. We have been begging for alternative to Uni for ages. And special channels for OP battles would help immensely as faction channel is just forcing everyone take the same side or risk spawning endless flame and dramas.

[gavin205]

P.S.: Something occurred to me just now. Some people claimed to have such a problem monitoring more than one Forum not long ago.
So do you think there´d be no problem monitoring say, 10 or more Chat channels InGame for them? How ironic.

And no, I don't have an issue monitoring a dozen chat channels at the same time it’s all about having an intuitive chat UI, and limiting your focus when necessary. My ADD gives me those kinda mad skills.

[acridiel]

I'm sorry Arc but I think you are reading way too much into this. The concept of a global RP channel is to allow anyone who is interested to find other Rpers, nor create some elite chat channel. Face to face RP should be in /say for exactly the reason you mentioned, unless there is some reason for it to be private. Besides, as pointed out if people want a private RP chat they can do it now by forming a group. While your fears may be valid, in my opinion it’s a player issue that you are taking offense to, not a game mechanic issue.

This is about giving players more flexibility, not shoehorning them into any one play style.

An additional thought, a “Roleplayer” title or flag of some sort would be nice to have.

Uhu, so a kind of "Looking for RP" Channel then...
Well,... could work.

And of course it is a player issue, but why support it by mechanical means?

CU
Acridiel

[gavin205]

That’s the problem, you can use a group to be an elitist prick now, but there is currently no way to make it easy for a new Roleplayer to find the RP sub-community in-game. Sure we could start an “I’m a Roleplayer” thread here and in the Roleplay forum, but frankly most players don’t read game forums. If we had a dedicated global chat channel that’s easy to find for new players along with a Roleplayer title in-game it would give us two very powerful tools to make the existing roleplay community more accessible.

My goal is to take this a step further, and give the players the power to make their own channels, both public and private. That way it not only gives us a chance to address this issue, but a whole host of other issues as well, now and in the future.

The funny thing is RPers tend to be targets in some other games for griefing, so in some cases I suspect that what many perceive to be an elitist attitude is simply a learned self defense.