Roleplay incentives

Yet. That is no reason to forgo desiging one.

DOOM didn't have hunger.

That is fine, and I am saying that without an incentive to RP I would never do it while the right incentives would get me into it, simple fact.

 

Actually it is.. because a game cannot measure whether or true RP is taking place. Roleplay takes place between two individuals.. The game would have to have some sort of AI that was capable of discerning the context of conservations held between two players. Such a technology does not currently exist.. and I doubt such a thing is within the schedule or budget.. That alone is reason enough not to do it.

Since you seem to be pushing for it I'll go ahead and ask. What possible incentive could there be to get you to actually do real.. honest to goodness roleplay? Something that you'd do just for the fun of it. I'm not talking about just jumping through some hoops for some kind of reward. Actually develop a character with some kind of personality and play it out. What is "the right incentive"?

 

One of the things I loved about UO was the Seers which worked with the roleplaying communities to keep active. On my shard (Pacific), the Seer (I believe it was Ben Kahns) put our tower on large columns next to the Yew Crypts. Our area was known as The Endless Graveyard and we had more than a few massive wars on our lands with rival guilds but we were a full on roleplaying guild at the same time and were involved in many of the shard wide story lines that took place.

I would love to see that kind of interaction once again with SotA to keep people involved in roleplaying.

 

Something similiar to the seer program came up awhile back but there was a good deal of concern about what powers volunteers could have.

 

Game can't measure it taking place... Yet. Again, it could be done and if the right people behind it I'm sure they could come up with an ingenius way of doing so. If everyone had the attitude of, it currently doesn't do it so forget it, then we would have never had Ultima or really much of anything else. So... Don't Hug Me I'm Scared.

I can answer with the closest thing I've come to so far for an incentive for RP in games, and that is being a PK. It can be a bit more unique since there are usually pretty big drawbacks or penalties for being a PK if you find a game which even begins to handle it well to begin with. I'll usually create my own way of PvP in games that is different than others if at all possible and try to keep things more interesting, so true enough sometimes I may be a one person PK and the only one who thinks he is RPing in a lot of those circumstances lol. What would then make me take the next step and start to co-operate with others in a larger fashion? I don't know, I suppose they will have to think of something

I will say, imposing limits on PvP to the point I can't steal chairs and lumber from crafter mule characters' bodies is going to be a hindrance to my PK RPing. If I can't do such things, or there aren't enough crafters willing to become sheep, this will probably force me into considering types of gameplay I haven't yet needed to engage in. That means there are opportunities for the devs to "pickup the change" so to speak for playstyles in the middle with something new. If they had a government system which I could manage to get msyelf into via bribe or legit means and then extort those crafters into giving me their chairs and wood, it would make me smile quite a bit also.

Things outside the box. I am never going to be one to say, omg Uo2 iznt fu11 lute, me no play. At the same time, I'm always going to want to be pushing the elvelope.

 

You're misunderstanding me. Doesn't exist is not the excuse. The reason it doesn't exist is more or less because it can't, not in the true sense. I understand the nature of roleplay as well as having some understanding of code and limitations. You may as well try to get a computer to be capable of reading someone's mind. Whomever was programing a system to actually measure RP would have to intelligently account for every possible scenario and choice of words between players and someone ascertain the difference between actual roleplay and a couple of dewds bsing over their latest kill or the most recent movie that just came out. The only way to really do it would be to have live staff witness your interactions with other players.

 

The sun can't be at the centre of the entire universe, because the Earth is. The world absolutely can't be round.

Can't simply means we haven't done it yet.

 

Bad example.. as during those times people had neither the knowledge or technology to prove otherwise. Similiar scenario applies here.

How's this then.. high unfeasible and improbable to the point that it's not worth doing any time in the near future. Would cost too much and take too much time.

 

Bad example? Kinda sounds like we don't have the "knowledge or technology to prove" that we can "...intelligently account for every possible scenario and choice of words between players and someone ascertain the difference between actual roleplay..." Be it via more robust languages or development of more powerfull A.I structures.

It is not impossible, and it will be done eventually.

 

Eventually maybe.. but even if it could be done right now it's too little bang for too much buck. No matter how possible or not it may be it will ultimately come down to cost vs benefit.

 

Yeah don't dispute that, even if there was a super genius like Chris Knight at the helm who managed to pull off some plausable code for it then it would have to be open sourced or subsidized in some way for it to be cost effective.

I just don't like absolutes and my simple point is only that it hasn't been done yet.

 

For me, being able to engage in RP of varying degrees with similarly minded individuals, and not having to interact much with Non-RPs would be incentive enough. Maybe some sort of RP slider or flag. My RP tends to involve some other element of the game, typically PvE, as I am not much for crafting. I don't typically go in for rewards, bonuses and all of that. I may indeed spend some time sitting around a tavern socializing in character, but again that is reward enough for me. I am more content with reaching personal goals I set for myself, and doing so in character, while also being able to interact with others who remain in character.

 

Did you play the single-player Ultima games?

 

I'm with you Archaaz! I am thinking that once game launch starts, if nothing else, we'll be able to kinda fine people on the forums and do some gatherings in game so the RP folk can find eachother.

 

While, just like a lot of other Multiplayer/MMO games out there, this game will attract a diversity of gamers/playstyles, I think it will also be a nice gathering for roleplayers because of the setting and the developer reputation when it comes to world building, just like Lord of the Rings is probably the MMO with the highest percentage of roleplayers, currently.

As UO showed (yes, along with downsides, of course), it's important to make the world immersive enough (interact with furniture, downtime activities, etc.), but also leave a lot of activities in the hands of the players, like player-run establishments and towns: I'm sure these last two features alone would be quite good as an incentive to RP .

 

I can't wait for everything to get rolling with the release regardless of wether or not the community that RP's get's any extra incentive or not. For the most part those of us who do are going to do it regardless. The same can be said for the PVP community and the PVE community people are going to do what they generally do and if they get the wild fancy to do something else and enjoy it all the better.