The seven bad player types of ArmageddonMUD (and other RPIs)
Mar 30, 2024 7:05:15 GMT -5
mehtastic likes this
Post by uncoolio on Mar 30, 2024 7:05:15 GMT -5
The "Happy-go-Lucky" player. To them, everything's supposed to be funny and lighthearted. Anyone who plays D&D knows that these guys make up 75% of all D&D-players, and are antithesis to seriousness. They want to turn everything into a joke, and they don't really care about serious scenes. You'll never find them in a PvP situation, because that isn't entertaining to them, so they avoid it at all cost. They're not bad company, but the grit and gravity of the setting is lost on them. They can be any kind of character, but at least half of all half-giants fall into this category. At least!
The "Halfway-IC" player. They'll alt-tab to look at their client every five minutes, but other than that, they're doing something else while the game goes on around them. When you do get them talking, they'll say something banal and noncommittal and then go AFK for another five minutes. There's rarely any detectable trace of personality to their characters, and playing with them makes you feel like you're kids with a parent who's on the phone and just distractedly going "yes, honey, that's nice" from time to time.
The "Working Man" player. They've picked some in-game job for their character - Byn, crafter, hunter, soldier, whatever - and they do that and only that. Their playstyle resembles a typical colleague from your RL job who simply clocks in, does their work, and goes home. It feels a lot like they were hired to represent a generic Zalanthan individual, like an advanced kind of NPC, who simply goes about their life and makes ends meet and never rocks the boat. Inoffensive but inconsequential, and they're not much fun to be around.
The "Nodgrunt" player. What they do can barely be called roleplay. Their character is a hollow shell, a walking skill sheet with weapons and armor. No detectable personality, and never emotes beyond the occasional nod or grunt. They're often a dwarf, always a combat class, and they love to spar as often as possible. You can spend an hour in their company and never see them do anything but coded commands. They're not necessarily a big twink, and they don't tend to become really powerful. One wonders what they actually get out of playing, because it doesn't seem like they're interested in the RP aspect of an RPI.
The "Efficiency Man" player. They've solved the game and know the best way to do anything. They probably will make an effort to roleplay, but their mindset keeps it from being believable and immersive. Playing with them feels a lot like joining a WoW dungeon group that's being carried by someone's max-level friend. They tolerate your company and don't complain that you're less effective than them, but it's clear that they're setting the pace. They'll have that dead animal skinned before it hits the ground, pick up only the things that sell well in the bazaar, and move on before you've had time to type an emote.
The "RP Tryhard" player. They're so intensely in-character that it becomes too much, like a Nicolas Cage movie. They love to show you just how utterly immersed they are, and everything they say can be tied directly to some line in the game's documentation. They've written half a novel in their background and daily biography entries. When they take a swig of their ale, you can be sure that they'll emote wiping their mouth afterwards, though it'll leave a slight glistening sheen on their upper lip that catches the pallid light of Lirathu. To them, skills are anti-RP, so they're never any threat to anybody and there's a huge mismatch between their overwrought characterization and what they can actually accomplish.
The "xXx420NoScopeBackstabxXx" player. They're here to win. Their goal in the game is to bask in the satisfaction of defeating others, and they'll seek to do so at the slightest excuse and the thinnest possible pretense of roleplay. They shamelessly twink their skills up in the most ridiculous ways imaginable, and they see realism as a handicap that other players pointlessly inflict upon themselves. If the code allows it and it helps them win, they will do that, no matter how wildly absurd it is. Ganking low-levels in WoW wasn't satisfying enough because they need the permadeath factor to feel like they really fucked someone over.
The "Halfway-IC" player. They'll alt-tab to look at their client every five minutes, but other than that, they're doing something else while the game goes on around them. When you do get them talking, they'll say something banal and noncommittal and then go AFK for another five minutes. There's rarely any detectable trace of personality to their characters, and playing with them makes you feel like you're kids with a parent who's on the phone and just distractedly going "yes, honey, that's nice" from time to time.
The "Working Man" player. They've picked some in-game job for their character - Byn, crafter, hunter, soldier, whatever - and they do that and only that. Their playstyle resembles a typical colleague from your RL job who simply clocks in, does their work, and goes home. It feels a lot like they were hired to represent a generic Zalanthan individual, like an advanced kind of NPC, who simply goes about their life and makes ends meet and never rocks the boat. Inoffensive but inconsequential, and they're not much fun to be around.
The "Nodgrunt" player. What they do can barely be called roleplay. Their character is a hollow shell, a walking skill sheet with weapons and armor. No detectable personality, and never emotes beyond the occasional nod or grunt. They're often a dwarf, always a combat class, and they love to spar as often as possible. You can spend an hour in their company and never see them do anything but coded commands. They're not necessarily a big twink, and they don't tend to become really powerful. One wonders what they actually get out of playing, because it doesn't seem like they're interested in the RP aspect of an RPI.
The "Efficiency Man" player. They've solved the game and know the best way to do anything. They probably will make an effort to roleplay, but their mindset keeps it from being believable and immersive. Playing with them feels a lot like joining a WoW dungeon group that's being carried by someone's max-level friend. They tolerate your company and don't complain that you're less effective than them, but it's clear that they're setting the pace. They'll have that dead animal skinned before it hits the ground, pick up only the things that sell well in the bazaar, and move on before you've had time to type an emote.
The "RP Tryhard" player. They're so intensely in-character that it becomes too much, like a Nicolas Cage movie. They love to show you just how utterly immersed they are, and everything they say can be tied directly to some line in the game's documentation. They've written half a novel in their background and daily biography entries. When they take a swig of their ale, you can be sure that they'll emote wiping their mouth afterwards, though it'll leave a slight glistening sheen on their upper lip that catches the pallid light of Lirathu. To them, skills are anti-RP, so they're never any threat to anybody and there's a huge mismatch between their overwrought characterization and what they can actually accomplish.
The "xXx420NoScopeBackstabxXx" player. They're here to win. Their goal in the game is to bask in the satisfaction of defeating others, and they'll seek to do so at the slightest excuse and the thinnest possible pretense of roleplay. They shamelessly twink their skills up in the most ridiculous ways imaginable, and they see realism as a handicap that other players pointlessly inflict upon themselves. If the code allows it and it helps them win, they will do that, no matter how wildly absurd it is. Ganking low-levels in WoW wasn't satisfying enough because they need the permadeath factor to feel like they really fucked someone over.
Turk adama laf soylemem. Lafi geri aldim.