Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,516 
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Post by Jeshin on May 4, 2015 9:29:54 GMT -5
Random thought
People who say they want to play a well roleplayed character who contributes to the game. What do you guys think contributing is from a sense of what PCs can do? I have some ideas, but it seems like a common sentiment to contribute to the game which has limited player agency.
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lore
staff puppet account
Posts: 16 
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Post by lore on May 4, 2015 9:45:17 GMT -5
From my perspective, contributing can involve engaging other players (or sufficiently engaged staff), enhancing atmosphere and immersion, and developing both community and enmity among / between folk ... also feel like mastercrafting is a tangible contribution to the game world from a player's perspective and that's a strong part of what makes it appealing. (An exercise of that limited agency.) Game's more fun with people in it.
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Post by jcarter on May 4, 2015 9:48:12 GMT -5
I split this off into a separate thread because i think it merits its own discussion
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,516
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Post by Jeshin on May 4, 2015 9:49:21 GMT -5
You're making me blush, Jcarter.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2015 9:59:25 GMT -5
Doing anything that other players have a reason to care about, and which leads to further roleplay, while not being overly shitty (you could "make people care" by killing every NPC in the bazaar, but that's shitty).
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Post by jcarter on May 4, 2015 10:33:12 GMT -5
Doing anything that other players have a reason to care about, and which leads to further roleplay, while not being overly shitty (you could "make people care" by killing every NPC in the bazaar, but that's shitty). this sums up my thoughts, although i disagree with the last part. if you're doing it with the intention of playing a throwaway character for other people to track down and apprehend then yeah, otherwise agreed. |
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Patuk
Shartist
Posts: 552
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Post by Patuk on May 4, 2015 10:40:45 GMT -5
Doing shit that gives other people fun things to do.
Beyond that, it doesn't really matter.
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grumble
GDB Superstar
toxic shithead
Destroyer of Worlds
Posts: 1,619
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Post by grumble on May 4, 2015 10:59:37 GMT -5
i lyk it wen it semez lyk peepl r injoyng themselvs. engayj othurs 1st and formost in a meneingful manur. seconli contribewt 2 seting. tihs culd b threw emotes coded akshuns r masturkraft. it iz a multyplayur gaym and kepe in mynd peepul plai 2 hav fun so tihs shuld b 1st prioritee. if an enjoyible experyans menez a smal sakrifise frum setyng so b it.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2015 11:56:51 GMT -5
Doing anything that other players have a reason to care about, and which leads to further roleplay, while not being overly shitty (you could "make people care" by killing every NPC in the bazaar, but that's shitty). this sums up my thoughts, although i disagree with the last part. if you're doing it with the intention of playing a throwaway character for other people to track down and apprehend then yeah, otherwise agreed. The point is that the thing you do should actually be something that has a meaningful result. There's a lot one could do that others would notice but doesn't benefit the game, like slaughtering large swathes of NPCs for no reason or PKing just to make other players lose their PCs. If there's no point beyond the act of doing something visible, it doesn't contribute to the game. It's the equivalent of a kid doing something bad just to get their parents' attention. There's a lot of that in RPIs because a surprisingly large portion of players are completely unable to come up with something to do that's actually interesting and useful to the game, but still crave attention from other players. |
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Post by jcarter on May 4, 2015 12:08:01 GMT -5
i get the point, but sometimes being a shithead is useful and i think it contributes if done for the reason of contributing. there's been plenty of times where I've seen the Guild hunt down people for killing westsiders, for example. i don't think it's contributing if you're doing it to twink up, but if you roll up a mugger PC with the intent of being a character to be chased and give the local 'police' something to do then I think it contributes.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,516
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Post by Jeshin on May 4, 2015 12:20:24 GMT -5
I think there is a key difference between playing the game and contributing to the game. Before I elaborate I don't want to imply that playing or contribution have different levels of value. One isn't better than the other. I just want to explore why a lot of people say I want a good character and to contribute or good roleplay and contribute. But all of your definitions thus far the good RP or the good character constitutes contribution. So why the additional word?
I think it's because deep down people believe contribution goes beyond the stories we tell with our characters. They do add content, they do add to the game world, but I don't believe it is a contribution. I think it's just playing the game. I think contribution requires creation and change. I think the Tuluki Levies are a contribution, I think Captain Hawks Silt crew was a contribution, I think that the formation of the culture of how Nakkis respond to Tuluki's will be a contribution. I think that the Tal-Vasi circus -might- be a contribution. It depends how far they are able to take it.
A contribution is something of significant impact to the RP culture, style, habit, mannerisms, acceptable lexicon. With the levies it was creating a new realm of RP for Tuluk and giving context to those roles and that change to the IC culture. With Captain Hawk, he was exploring (for the first time for many) the silt sea and all the mechanic and RP open to use through that part of the game. The potential cultural changes that Nakki players have the opportunity to shape in how they respond to all these refugees is also a contribution. It will shape the game for however long Tuluk is closed. The Tal-Vasi circus is also a potential contribution. It could create a solid replacement for the Muark that is player initiated and far more world appropriate. It could start a trend even.
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Najniaj
Clueless newb
Information please
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Post by Najniaj on May 4, 2015 12:45:40 GMT -5
This will seem contrarian on my part (and for that, I'd like to apologise in advance), but I don't believe there's such a thing as 'contributing' to the 'IC game'.  "Contribution" implies that the ongoing IC narrative can somehow be made to advance or made 'better' through additional effort. - But the IC narrative does not ever advance, it just is. It can't really be made 'better' any more than it can be 'ruined' through IC efforts. (I'm pretty certain some people actually loved how the teleporting volcano added to the mystique and wonderment of the lore) What I'm trying to say is that every single player playing the game* contributes to the IC game, through gameplay, according to their time and motivation. Defining an arbitrary limit of specific activities and actions that need to be completed, or some specific attitude to take in order to 'contribute' seems a waste of time... Especially since most of us have different opinions on what 'better for the IC game' and 'better for the setting' is. In short, this isn't the sort of thing we should try sticking labels and definitions on, save in the most blatant, explicit cases - because this way lies elitism tenfold worse than what we're used to in Arm.  (*Just to be clear, in this answer, "playing the game" means roleplaying and doing it at least with the expected median standard, respecting lore and character. Anything else as a main character activity/attitude puts the individual neatly outside this question.) |
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julio
Displaced Tuluki
Posts: 270
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Post by julio on May 4, 2015 15:38:17 GMT -5
I agree with Najniaj I don't think it means anything at all. It can be interpreted in any possible way. It is just a way for staff to apply favoritism to certain kiss-asses. You can flesh out the ATV, master craft an entire tribe wardrobe, and put the entire clan on a quests to do certain things and still get no Karma recognition for it. It's total bullshit and arbitrary. |
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jkarr
GDB Superstar
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Post by jkarr on May 5, 2015 8:52:37 GMT -5
i get the point, but sometimes being a shithead is useful and i think it contributes if done for the reason of contributing. there's been plenty of times where I've seen the Guild hunt down people for killing westsiders, for example. i don't think it's contributing if you're doing it to twink up, but if you roll up a mugger PC with the intent of being a character to be chased and give the local 'police' something to do then I think it contributes. jcarters got it. basicly why u have ur player do it (kill a bunch of npcs for fun for example) doesnt matter if it gives other players something to do or play their chars around. this is because whatever happens codedly happens ic and if u r playing out ur char then theyre going to have a whole lot to respond to when they come across a massacre of ppl in the market or see two or three of their best friends (pc or not) dying left and right if ppl dont like the fact that the setting can cater to ppl who get thrills out of killing other pcs (just like it can cater to ppl that like adventuring, or mudsexing, or pretending to be little girls after a long week in the field) then they need to find another mud with less permadeath and realism and more concern about keeping ur preshus concepts alive |
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