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RP in WoW...doesn't sound too fun. I gave an honest effort at role playing in WoW but I was in too small of a minority. I realized after a point that I prefer to role play in my own world, not one that's already established.

Originally posted by jaxterirl

-This is going to be a long post-

 

 

This idea plays in my mind everytime i think about games, an RP-only game. Basically the main thing you Have to take into matter for this is making it realistic. Having no gear that gives any form of stat for your character, Having your character have actual deaths like if you jumped off a cliff... you're dead and that character cant be shown again other than in a graveyard, food and drink that can make you get fatter, Marraige ceremonies and Children (NPC or player). But here are a few things ive come up with in the last 2 years of finding out about RP (Im only 16, but a hardcore mature RPer).

Monsters and Monster Slaying:

For this, you want realistic Aggroing and killing. In games like WoW, you could be killing an NPC humanoid, right in front of another one, but not aggroing the other one even though he's looking directly at you. This bugged me alot as it just yells 'Im a computer! you have to be a little closer to aggro me!'.  Basically, lets say you're fighting a sheep, When you hit a sheep whats the real way it would react? If you said fight back, get back into the real world, it would runaway. Also, realistic combat settings for monsters, for example, if you're fighting a Dragon, and it blows fire at you, if you dont step out of the way of it you're dead. Or if you are pitting against a bear, and its your first time fighting anything, you're gonna be brutally malled. Also Looting and some kind of honour or experience will be needed, as if you go through killing a monster there has to be some kind of reward, So lets say you kill that nasty dragon, you can loot Dragon Meat! or Dragon scales or a dragon tooth to wear as a trophy. Or, you kill the dragon and get a special title or something that lets both NPCs and Players know you've slayed a dragon, and therefore get some bonuses, such as Free-Ale because the Barmaid is impressed.

Gear and Weapons:

This is of course one of the most important things to take into RP, as it's a fantasy ( i assume this is all about fantasy RPing) and fantasy would be nothing without awesome armour and kick ass weapons. First off, No stats, a weapon is only as good as the bearer. Although, something like Sharpness/Bluntness as durability, age, weight etc. could act as stats. As for armour, all pieces of armour should have a weight, which can determine your mobility, but also your less likely to die. Also, armour will be something you cant easily obtain, Crafting (will explain in another paragraph), or thieving or any way you get money would of course be needed to pay for armour, and it isnt cheap, some person who just joined the game couldnt just get a plate mail set as a gift, unless from a friend. If, lets say, we put ages in this, you can choose to be: Child, Young adult, Adult, Elderly ; you cant wield heavy armour if you're a child or elderly. And lets say health has soemthing to do with this too, if you're some fat arse who sits in the pub the whole time drinking ale, you shouldnt be able to swing a sword rapidly or wield really heavy armour.  As for weapons, they should be kept simple, a blade attached to a hilt, an axe attached to a stick, none of this WoW crap with a mace that has a floating crystal on it.

Containers and Item space:

This isnt really essential, but it adds to the realistic feeling. Backpacks should be seen on the character, or pouches and sacks. Each Backpack or pouch should have a weight and size limit, weight can be sorted by giving every item a weight, and giving a backpack a max. weight, which also effects your speed and mobility. For size, i think i should refer to dungeoun siege, where they had a box slot system, where an item would take up a few boxes (depending on size) , and If you didnt have enough space for it, tough crap, dump something ot leave it. This, i think, gives alot of realism so people cant be going around with like a thousand weapons on them the whole time.As extra space, instead of using banks, player owned housing (Explain later!), could have storage boxed and chests, etc. Or in mounts (Also explain later) you could have saddle bags or even a Pack Mule in case of heavy items.

Crafting:

Crafting will be amazingly important for a fully RP game, as there will be little to no actual NPC vendors, and instead Players will have to do it themselves, open a shop and sell their wares. Simple. Well, kinda. You could buy a property from a carpenter who has made it, and set up a shop, thats gives storage and anything you need to craft what you want. A few examples for Professions ives come with are:

Forestry (supplies for Carpentry)
Carpentry (Housing, House accessories)
Mining (supplies for Blacksmithing)
Blacksmithing (Weapons and armour)
Gardening (House Accessories and food)
Farming (Supplies for gardening? Food and hops)
Fishing (Food and suprises [Catch some oysters for pearls etc.])
Trinketry (Jeweller)
etc.

The possiblities are endless! I think you would have to have a levelling system for crafting, so everyone just cant be creating the high-cost stuff all the time.

Housing:

Yes, Housing is a definate for an RP game. Im thinking, there should be a few towns around a major city, that have an inn, a townshall, and a few pre-made buildings, and enough space for a few crafted houses. The cities will then have all pre-made houses, a few inns, a City hall, a crafting hall, schools, etc. (Per-made houses because if people keep building houses the lag will be enormous). The houses will have a build-mode, where you'll place objects you have in your house inventory around the inside of the house, and there will be space around the outside for gardens.

Mounts:

Well, it would be hard to travel around a world without some help. Of course mounts wont be allowed into houses or any buildings, but they will be allowed everywhere else, no more WoW style, go into a cave and auto-dis-mount. Also, as i said before, saddle bags for extra storage, and yes, along with the actual cost of buying a mount you gotta feed it and wash it etc. Of course, the mount types will be determined by the world you're in e.g. Horse or Rhino or Tiger.

Combat System:

Basically, combat will be available to do at anytime, as that -is- real. No more challenging to a duel or putting PvP on or anything. Of course there are consequences, game wise and RP wise, You'll get a title like 'Murderer' or 'Mugger' that NPCs and Players will recognise, and they can cast you out until you are forgiven. As for the system itself, as disucssed rolling for hits and Dueling isnt the best way, so there should be an advanced comabt system, where you are given an interface, you choose how to attack, and due to circumstances, the player or NPC will either get to defend or react differently. E.g. a bar fight could go like this:

Player 1: Insults Player 2
Player 2: Swings a punch *selects right hook button*
Player 1: Tries to defend *Goes for left defence button*
Player 2: Punch successful
Player 1: Is hurt.

Something along those lines. Of course for serious things as lets say, someone trying to stab the other guy, the player who is about to be stabbed gets a total say in wether its the end, or if he's injured or whatever.

This is highly possible to achieve with a good games company, as it wouldnt have to worry about skills, or storylines or balancing classes, just RP, and would have a massive turn out of RPers.

Seeing as this is a long post, im gonna cut it there, but There's alot more in-depth ideas in my mind. ^^

But, hope some Dev comes along and sees this, cause then id have my perfect game ^^

But, www.theguild2.com Seems fairly good for RP, nice scenery awesome grpahics, but only 8 people can play in one server online.. so it sucks for that.. but if you have a small group its your best bet for total-RP ^^

Thanks if you read this xD

 

- Jax

Well here's to hoping it can be done a new total RP sandbox mmo with limitless boundaries.

Originally posted by Lilalu

 A role-playing game with many role-players in it would not be boring. You will be so busy role-playing, you will hardly have time to think about monsters.

The players will invent different stories, whole plots and even epic adventures. It works believe me! And if the players get some help from volunteers and even the payed staff, this can be fun.

But it should not be possible to just get into the game, slay several hundred monsters, ignore other people, get some gear and go on to the next game.

No involvment in role-playing, no working with your fellow players, no own ideas and own activity - no fun!

I don´t think it will work to just make the monster slaying less rewarding. Then people will come, who want to do pvp or pve without "Kiddies".

And I also don´t think different servers for different kind of role-players would be a good idea. If people are willing to role-play and know it´s required in this game (all the time, not only when you are just bored from monster-slaying), they will do it. Who doesn´t can be banned.

There has to be an all-over role-playing atmosphere created by the players. Then the newbies will just get into it automatically. There will be no other ways to play such a game than role-playing it.

But it does not have to be the usual monster-slaying game, which is fun also when you don´t role-play. Because then there will always be people (and many of them), who WILL have fun without role-playing and the atmosphere will be destroyed.

Most would call a RPG without any fighting in it a SIMS game and there are plenty of those out there. Just a question: Have you ever thought about that maybe there are a ton of RPers that actually like fighting and PvP? I mean, I don't like RPing as an average person or some farmer or business man. I can do all of that in real life. Hell, in real life I am an Infantry Marine doing high speed stuff and a martial artist. I've also explored the world and have done other neat things. Why does my MMORPG life have to be duller than my real life? No, in a game I want to RP as the Warrior Mage who slays dragons, fights off the Orcs, sees the world and is the town hero. Plenty of RPers like that or DnD pen and paper would have never been popular. As for PvP, isn't it anti-RP not to have PvP in the game? If you tell a person they cannot be at war with another willing player, because a "leet dewd" might play your game, don't you think that will drive away the hardcore RPers that don't want any rules at all? After all, the biggest RPing game in the world (real life) allows you to murder, get revenge, assassinate, or be at war with other people; so why can't a RPG?

I'm just saying that you are cutting out probably the majority of RPers out there if you do not allow them to become hero's by becoming that Warrior Mage, Thief, Assassin, Barbarian or whatever. You can get away with no PvP if a player cannot provoke another person into a blood rage, like you can in real life. I think you would be happier in a SIMS game to be honest.

Originally posted by Lilalu

 A role-playing game with many role-players in it would not be boring. You will be so busy role-playing, you will hardly have time to think about monsters.

The players will invent different stories, whole plots and even epic adventures. It works believe me! And if the players get some help from volunteers and even the payed staff, this can be fun.

But it should not be possible to just get into the game, slay several hundred monsters, ignore other people, get some gear and go on to the next game.

No involvment in role-playing, no working with your fellow players, no own ideas and own activity - no fun!

I don´t think it will work to just make the monster slaying less rewarding. Then people will come, who want to do pvp or pve without "Kiddies".

And I also don´t think different servers for different kind of role-players would be a good idea. If people are willing to role-play and know it´s required in this game (all the time, not only when you are just bored from monster-slaying), they will do it. Who doesn´t can be banned.

There has to be an all-over role-playing atmosphere created by the players. Then the newbies will just get into it automatically. There will be no other ways to play such a game than role-playing it.

But it does not have to be the usual monster-slaying game, which is fun also when you don´t role-play. Because then there will always be people (and many of them), who WILL have fun without role-playing and the atmosphere will be destroyed.

Again, you act like "monster slaying" and RPing cannot go together.

My first community interaction in WoW was of a lvl 60 Paladin riding in on his mount into Goldshire asking for volunteers to destroy the undead at Raven Hill. I was lvl 5 and had no idea what Raven Hill was, but the Paladin was charismatic and persuasive, so I joined him and a bunch of other people around me as we marched off to Raven Hill to destroy the undead under the leadership of this Paladin. So many stories, movies, pen and paper games and so on are so entertaining because they give us conflict. Someone is causing somebody injustice and pain and the hero comes along to save the day. A lot of RPers want to be that somebody and your acting like it is two separate playstyles, when it isn't. In fact, monster slaying is a huge part of role playing for the majority of RPers out there. If you don't believe me, start up a poll. Ask people what they would rather do AS they RP: Go on an adventure that includes combat; Going on an exploration adventure that promises no combat; doing real life chores and work (ala farming, raising kids etc.); going to war with another nation; or drinking in a tavern. I bet most would say "Go on an adventure that includes combat" or "going to war with another nation."

Sorry, I think you misunderstood. I never said, fighting and RP does not go together. I just said, if the the game is fun also for non-Rpers, they will want to play it (and who is going to stop them?) and destroy the all over RP-atmosphere.

I can´t see any other way than not to implement an interesting fighting and quest system, which keeps everyone busy even if he/she is not an Rper and just wants to slay a hundered monsters as quickly as possible. Maybe some PvP could be possible. But it should come because of an Rp-story plot and it does not necessarily have to be the technically most advanced fighting system. The more boring, the less non-Rpers.

So if you want interesting fighting or a lot of fighting, you always will have to share the game with non-Rpers. It´s your business, if you don´t mind or fighting for you is more important than RP. But nowadays it´s not possible to have both RP and interesting fighting in one game at the same time. It´s a question of priorities.

If we want both fighting and RP, we will have to play two games. I really don´t believe it´s possible to have both in one game. But if someone manages to make such a game and keep the RP-atmosphere I would be happy also. I just don´t believe it can be done.

Originally posted by Lilalu

Sorry, I think you misunderstood. I never said, fighting and RP does not go together. I just said, if the the game is fun also for non-Rpers, they will want to play it (and who is going to stop them?) and destroy the all over RP-atmosphere.

I can´t see any other way than not to implement an interesting fighting and quest system, which keeps everyone busy even if he/she is not an Rper and just wants to slay a hundered monsters as quickly as possible. Maybe some PvP could be possible. But it should come because of an Rp-story plot and it does not necessarily have to be the technically most advanced fighting system. The more boring, the less non-Rpers.

So if you want interesting fighting or a lot of fighting, you always will have to share the game with non-Rpers. It´s your business, if you don´t mind or fighting for you is more important than RP. But nowadays it´s not possible to have both RP and interesting fighting in one game at the same time. It´s a question of priorities.

If we want both fighting and RP, we will have to play two games. I really don´t believe it´s possible to have both in one game. But if someone manages to make such a game and keep the RP-atmosphere I would be happy also. I just don´t believe it can be done.

Nope, I completely understand what you are saying, but I don't feel you are grasping what I am saying. I am saying that without any fighting, there won't be much of a RPing community either, because most RPers find adventuring and slaying monsters synonomous with playing a role. What you do when you cut out combat is elliminate all of the people wanting to RP as Hunters, Warriors, Wizards, Pirates, Soldiers and Combative Sailors, and any other profession that would enable them to become a hero. All you have left are the RPers that only like to drink alcohol in the tavern, cyber on the internet, pick crops and craft furniture. There would be no  armorsmiths, weaponsmiths or any other profession that makes their living off of adventurers. I think that if a game is realistic enough, even when it comes to combat, it would drive off the crowd you don't want. Why don't the majority of people join the military, become mercenaries, assassins, or adventurers in real life? It's because those things are dangerous and could cost you your life. Well, if a person dies in a RPing game, they should die permanently. How many people do you think will really want to fight the Orcs after that or slay the Dragon? Combative professions become a challenge to play and their achievments will actually make them hero's in-game and they would become famous for it. The downside is that if they die, well they are dead. Could you imagine a city without police, a country without a military, or a fantasy setting without magic, knights, and guards? Why would you want to neuter the largest draw to these setting by making the game a game for pacifists who just want to relive their life in a game? Everything you propose can be lived out in real life, which is why they call it SIMS and not a RPG. When you start adding adventure into the game and a story, combative professions and etc, that is what makes the game a RPG. Show me one RPG that proves otherwise.

I actually think the only solution to having a game you can RP in is to have RPing servers that are heavily moderated and whose rules are enforced. Something like that is a lot easier to implement than to keep non-Rpers out of your game. I know there are many games out there that have RPing or Unofficial RPing servers for their games. Those with official RPing servers have strict rules in order to keep people RPing, but not only does the moderators not enforce the rules outside of naming violations, the community doesn't take much effort in reporting them either due to the thought that it wouldn't make a difference. When a WoW CS representative was asked why they didn't heavily moderate the RPing servers, they said "why should we if the RPing community doesn't care?" They got this impression from the RPers never fighting for their server. When Moon