Ryzom gets the recommendation from Massively for it's RP attributes:

Roleplaying in MMOs

What we're not doing

There is a game out there that really does care about roleplayers and care about allowing people to RP in an enjoyable environment. That game is Ryzom. It features some stunning graphics despite its age, a very open character progression system, and about seven players.

I'm being hyperbolic, of course -- the actual number is around nine -- but the point should be there. Despite the fact that the game explicitly advertises itself to fans of roleplaying, it's attracted only a very small playerbase. The saga of management mishaps hasn't helped it, to be sure, but there's also the fact that it seems targeting stuff to roleplayers simply doesn't work. We hear about it, and then we just sort of ignore what we're being sold and go back to the game that doesn't look twice in our direction...

Originally posted by MumboJumbo

Ryzom gets the recommendation from Massively for it's RP attributes:

Roleplaying in MMOs

What we're not doing

There is a game out there that really does care about roleplayers and care about allowing people to RP in an enjoyable environment. That game is Ryzom. It features some stunning graphics despite its age, a very open character progression system, and about seven players.

I'm being hyperbolic, of course -- the actual number is around nine -- but the point should be there. Despite the fact that the game explicitly advertises itself to fans of roleplaying, it's attracted only a very small playerbase. The saga of management mishaps hasn't helped it, to be sure, but there's also the fact that it seems targeting stuff to roleplayers simply doesn't work. We hear about it, and then we just sort of ignore what we're being sold and go back to the game that doesn't look twice in our direction...

 hehe, love the article, but the person did not know that TPM came back... so now our number are probably at 11 :P

Kinda cool that Ryzom got some attention from Massively.

*tears welling up*

Oh God!

I´m not alone! *wheeps a little*

Someone thinks the same as me... I´m not just a lone abbaration anymore. *sniffle*

Sorry, ... *blows nose*

I´m just so glad that finally someone took notice of our predicament as true Roleplayers and not

that what "modern gamers" have to come to revere to as "roleplaying" which is in effect nothing like it,

but more of a "class-playing". If you´re not fit to play your role in a team, you´re not a roleplayer anymore.

*sigh*

And, admittedly, I´ve given up the fight.

The Leanon (German Ryzom Server) RP population has dwindle to me and very, very few others... :(

Opposed to PvP enthusiasts and "I RP when I need to have an excuse to bash someones head in" players.

I just don´t understand why those who do love to play a true role just don´t see their chance here and well...

either ignore the game or bash someones head in.

CU

SaM

Ryzom is a fantastic game with a fantastic community, despite the RP.

=)

Originally posted by terroni

Ryzom is a fantastic game with a fantastic community, despite the RP.

=)

"Despite the RP"?

What do you mean by that?

Is RP a bad habit to be tolerated? Are RPs "weird people who don´t have a grasp on reality and just don´t get a games true rules and intentions"? that have to be riduculed and laughed at because they "just don´t mix with real players"?

I truly hope thats not what you wanted to say. Because others frequently do.

Of course I can only speak for Leanon here and most peeps are realy nice and cool and I won´t say any bad things about them, but it´d be just realy, realy nice to have some more well... serious  and fun roleplay going on and not just the "Kami hate Karavan and vice versa" stuff. I just can´t stand it anymore. Might just as well call it "Horde vs. Alliance".

Ryzom was a great game for RPers and might be still on the international and the French server (Arispotle and Aniro) , but it just isn´t anymore for me on Leanon.

CU

SaM

terroni did a smiley when he said that so don't take it too seriously.

I enjoy RP in Ryzom.  If you like alien environments and cultures you may find it deeply immersive as I do.  Despite the small population there are GM-run RP events every week.

Haha

Now that one made ma laugh, thank you.

I´m one of Ryzoms strongest supporters and I truly and deeply love its world, its background and the efforts of its Event Teams and all the people who work on it and those who play it and I´m truly and utterly thankful for these efforts.

But well, in the last years, since its re-emergence from limbo its changed massively. And sadly not for the better, in my personal experience. I see the Event teams working their rear-ends off and the majority of players "shouting" insults at them and those few who try to "play a role" in this world, because "Roleplaying is lame".

I´m just extremely disapointed and frustrated abouth the state of things at the moment. Roleplaying isn´t a part of Ryzom-main-course-play anymore, its an forgotten and ignored sidedish, slowly congealing at the side of the table. And I´ve talked to some roleplayers from Arispotle who´ve only confirmed to me that there are just the same problems.

(I can´t say a thing about the French server though, but I hear its got a quite large RP crowd. To bad I don´t speak/write French.)

Over the years I´ve tryed to organize RP-Events and been largely ignored. Every time fewer players even bothered to show up and hardly ever anyone realy participated, most just watched and treated it like theater play. Untill noone showed up anymore.

Now, I´ve been with the game since release. I´ve tried to hold things together with posting my (fewer and fewer) RP experinces at the forums and even on gameing communites on the net and inviting others to do so too, I´ve tried  to help others get into the game and into roleplaying, I´ve posted whole threads about "how to RP" and "how to play Ryzom". I´ve written articles for the official lore. I´ve tried to get a job at Gameforge back then, just because I loved this game so much.  I´ve created most of the Ryzom-Videos on the net. I´ve had a dedicated Ryzom Website for years and I´ve litteraly spent years in support of this game.

And all I see is people ignoring all these efforts, not only mine, but all of the efforts by the Devs and those who truly care about the game. And I'm at a point where I´m asking myself:

What am I doing here and why am I doing it anyway?

Sorry for the small rant, but well... I´m not sure if I realy do belive in a Roleplay-Future of Ryzom.

In my oppinion, the masses will dictate the direction the game takes and even despite their pledged "foucus on roleplay", the Devs will someday have to admit that they´ve maneuvered themselves into a corner, where there´s no escape from, except for turning the course of the game around to "WoW-Clone". If they ever want to make a sizable amount of money from it. And yes, I know that´s not their main goal, but they too have to live on something, y´know?

*sigh*

CU

SaM / Acridel

Is the population worse than when I last played? That was at the beginning of the year, February I think.

Numbers seem to have improved.

Quality... well...  see above. But thats just my experience.

CU

SaM

Originally posted by MaDSaM

Haha

Now that one made ma laugh, thank you.

I´m one of Ryzoms strongest supporters and I truly and deeply love its world, its background and the efforts of its Event Teams and all the people who work on it and those who play it and I´m truly and utterly thankful for these efforts.

But well, in the last years, since its re-emergence from limbo its changed massively. And sadly not for the better, in my personal experience. I see the Event teams working their rear-ends off and the majority of players "shouting" insults at them and those few who try to "play a role" in this world, because "Roleplaying is lame".

.... ....

SaM / Acridel

Well, I think this is not something related to Ryzom specifically. It seems the actual average MMORPG players just don't take the "RPG" part as something needed in a game, despite these kind of games were born as RPG mainly.

Personally, I am not a fan of RP in a strict sense. I don't like forced and fake dialogs. I think RP should evolve now and Ryzom, with it's deep lore and living world, could help in this evolution.

We are not actors, we are gamers. Also, RP can be done well only with localized servers.

Personally i dislike localizations. I play online games to meet with different people, not to meet with the same exact people i can see out of my door.

Despite I don't rp, in ryzom i am a real homin and I act exactly as if it would be real. That's rp too.

I am roleplaying myself in a different world. That's the evolution.

Of course this can be done in any mmorpg that give you enough lore and immersion.

In this way, events can be fun and nice but are not needed.

Grats on the positive publicity!

Ryzom is one of the games I feel sorry I haven't given a chance when it came out.

I'd watched the videos (like this one and this one), and I loved the art design and the whole setting, but due to lack of time and other occupations I skipped it.

Still a shame, I think with some extra promotion and publicity it could have enjoyed a larger degree of success, it felt very distinct from other MMO's.

I've thought about giving it another try, but going back to an older MMO with (relatively) empty servers doesn't have the appeal of trying out newer MMO's, especially upcoming ones.

It's on my 'try out list' for whenever I have lots of spare time again.

They should move Ryzom to free to play, with an in game store or membership plans similar to what Everquest 2 Extended and LOTRO are doing.
If they do that, I bet the population will grow