'Think' Question.

[BuNutzCola]

Thinks are an awesome tool in armageddon. Using them really helps to get into the character both for yourself, and it puts the thoughts behind your actions in the perspective of those who might be watching, i.e staff or otherwise.

Otherwise someone might just see you kill that old beggar, and think you a twink. But suppose you were really fucking hungry, the thoughts, emotions, and desperation of your character displayed through the think and feel commands would show you were in a life or death situation when you took that old fart's crusty piece of bread.

The only thing I can really say in terms of when and when not to think..just do what's ic. I've been exposed to situations where characters did no thinks or entirely avoided thinking about something because someone who may or may not be able to discern their thoughts was around. Barrier is an in game command, not thinking just to avoid giving up information is just circumventing an IC situation by oocly failing to think/act.

[Zoltan]

Think/dream is one of my favorite parts of this game. There's no way I could RP without it. Using it removes me from my mindset and gets my character moving. My current character has all these plans and goals, and I find it easier to keep them on track by thinking IG about them all the time.

The think command helps keep me from getting bored with the game, too. Whether solo-RPing or waiting on someone to respond, I just like to be able to do something with my fingers. Typically when I play Arm, I'm not multi-tasking. The extent of it is peeking onto the GDB occasionally. So I like to be active in the game the whole time I'm logged on.

And I love think because it's a great character development tool. I've had a character who was an extremely different person privately and inside his head than the person he was when he interacted with others. Only with the think command could you do something like that.

Maybe. Well, I suppose you could talk to yourself/mount, too. But the inner monologue feels more fluid to me.

[Aruven]

Think and feel make my character that much more unique, and real. He tries to rationalize, and think out his emotions of envy, anger, frustration - whatever. Feel is a necessity for me now, or he is emotionless. Can't experience joy or sorrow. I use think and feel constantly, though not really mood.

[Manhattan]

I didn't even know 'mood' existed.

I tend to only use think when I'm solo-RP'ing. My thinks are shamefully boring, always just commentary about the environment or my PC's very basic sensations: hunger, exhaustion... Sorry to whichever psion or staffer who's reading my thinks. I'm trying, I swear!

Feel is the same way.

None ever go beyond 1 line of text. (Hell, a few words.)

edit: Oh, I didn't explain the reason. I think with my PC's mind in real life as I'm playing, it's just natural for me rather than typing it out on screen...
And when I do, it feels forced.

[Sanvean]

Please, please, please do not reveal information about psi abilities on the board. This is a really good example of something that many people would like to find out IC, during the course of play. If there's a helpfile available to everyone that reveals that information, feel free to mail me and I'll stick those posts back into the thread, but I'm not aware of one.

Right now I don't have the time to sort through all the posts following the one in question, so I have split off that chunk of the thread, but will do it this afternoon so the posts that don't reference it can be put back.

[Akaramu]

It took me 2 and a half years to get used to thinks.

What really turned it around was playing a shy, withdrawn character who was invisible most of the time. Emoting things no average person could realistically see seemed silly, so I started spamming thinks instad of emoting.

Nowadays I use it quite a bit when playing alone, and maybe on average once every 10 emotes / says when interacting, but then often in a pair, or 3 thinks in a row. Mostly just reflecting the PC's honest opinion of what is going on at the time, her desires, ideas / still undeveloped plans for the future, etc.

Seems less odd now to use it now than it did years ago. Cheers for the little Whiran.

(Also, it's always nice when the staff understands what is going on IC). 

[Rairen]

I don't suppose any of you would be willing to share examples of how you take advantage of 'dream'?

No matter how I phrase it, what I enter there feels a little off.

[Cutthroat]

When I use think while sleeping I tend to use the second-person when phrasing everything, and if I dream about particular people or objects I would use the real sdesc (or mimic it as well as I can off memory).

Some examples:

You briefly groan in pain as the unkempt, large-nosed gith stabs you clean through the neck with a bloodied obsidian spear, before promptly dying.
The buxom woman dances in front of you.
You hit an obsidian deposit with a glasshacker, and the glasshacker bounces off of the obsidian deposit, sticking itself into your face.

Etc.

[rishenko]

Code Select Expand

You dream:
     "of sprawling naked in a bed of yellowing grass as a warm breeze blows over
your body and ritikkis chirp in the distance."

That's how I use the think command to dream.

[Zalanthan]

I'm glad you asked, Rairen, as I was curious what the consensus was on dream as well.  I started off using it with first person which, as you said, felt "a little off".  I then used Rishenko's method for a bit, but now I prefer a second-person narrative like Cutthroat's example.

[Rairen]

I just tested this... y'all are amazing.  Thank you for the help!  *group hug... of DOOM!*

[Agent_137]

I didn't even know 'mood' existed.

omg i totally forgot about mood.

[manonfire]

in before mood tries to make a double entendre

[Gimfalisette]

You dream:
      "Clouds rise on the horizon in volumes of feral, angry red. The air is heavy with the pressure of the oncoming storm. A distant yelping arises from some creature, somewhere, falling prey to another."

You feel an uneasy sense of foreboding.

You dream:
      "Wind begins to course fiercely across the desert, racing before the storm, plucking at my hair and whipping it around my face. The yelping turns to eerie howling and blends with the storm's building rage."

You dream:
      "In moments the storm is on me. A great spear of lightning bursts forth, rending the sky, and strikes the desert at my feet. With a sickening rumble, the earth and stone begin to split and shear away."

You feel terrified, but rooted to the spot and unable to flee.

Feeling mounting panic, you dream:
      "Have to get away. It's coming. We'll all die. Where are the others?"

My characters pretty much only have nightmares

As to how to use dreams...well, I think they can be really valuable for character development. Sometimes they communicate a fear or thought to my character that wouldn't come consciously. Sometimes they are for processing difficult emotions. Sometimes they are just part of a life circumstance, a kind of marker that the character is going through something. Sometimes, because this is Zalanthas, they are much more.

Mood is also a great command, but I tend to only use it if my character is going to definitely be in SOME mood for a while during my playtime. Mood can also be added to your prompt.

Lately, I have really been getting into and enjoying feels...playing with them more than with thinks, and being really descriptive.

You feel like you just said something sooooooooooooo fucking stupid...you -idiot-.

You feel like clawing Amos' eyes out.

You feel deeply at peace, as if everything was leading to this moment and it's exactly right.

You feel an odd and disconcerting mixture of curiosity, loathing, and disgust.

You feel like grabbing Malik and kanking him on top of the bar RIGHT NOW.

I think when I'm using feels for those things instead of thinks, it just feels like it flows better. (I think...it feels...hahah.)

[Mood]

I didn't even know 'mood' existed.

omg i totally forgot about mood.

WELL FINE.

in before mood tries to make a double entendre

Up yours, man. Up yours.

[RoannTantreal]

I use think now and again.

BUt my character talks to himself more than thinking to himself, which is more interesting roleplay wise, it adds meat to your character that other players can actually be privy to, and also, can end in interesting situations, such as some random soldier overhearing you say something nasty about his armor and challenging you on the subject.

It can be fun.

[AmandaGreathouse]

Thinking is fun. Thinking is especially fun during solo-RP.

I totally agree here, especially as I don't play alot during peak hours. And also, my husband told me that using the think command, even though I am usually actually thinking it myself, is something that would make playing more fun for others, being as there may be some around who would be able to read her thoughts.

[Zoltan]

My character right now is a sneaky type, so I've been using the think command in a different way than usual. The hemote command is awesome and all, but when I want to get in a real sneaky mood, my character basically narrarates what he's doing while sneaking around. If I'm trying to sneak past a guard, I'll type something like "think Okay, that passing whore's got his attention. Time to get moving..." rather than doing the appropriate hemote. It just feels more fluid to me.

If I'm around PCs I might toss out a hemote to give them a chance to spot me or make the scene cooler or whatever. But when I'm dealing with NPCs, I prefer just blasting away at the trusty think command.

Hope that makes sense, I'm pretty tired right now.

[Gimfalisette]

But how do you know there are no PCs there?

[BlackMagic0]

I use think command very barely... As it bothers me...

I think in pictures 85-90% the time.. inRL.. I wish the think command was more fluid for thinking picture-wise.
Yes the pictures or visuals in my mind, have voices etc.. But I -never- think in a inner voice...

Ok.. I lie.. I have 2 inner voices... But they are not -mine-.. I got 2 old guys sitting in a dinner up in my head, that help me decide what to do everyday.
Other then that? No inner voice for myself... Think feels odd to me.

I use feel though.

EDIT: I just wish that the think was more fluid for visual thoughts.. Then just "Think: I will have her, bwahahahah!"

[Rhyden]

I use the think command as much as possible.

Not only because I type furiously fast sometimes, but my weird internet connection disconnects me from Armageddon when I idle too long. This means I have to type something in every few moments, or else I 'll get disconnected (which is ridiculously irritating sometimes). The think command fills in those periods of possible disconnecting time perfectly. And you don't even need other PCs around to use the think command. Now that I think about it, most of my characters think most often when there aren't other PCs around. But those thinks usually resemble: "Where's that bag seller?".

The feel command also works very well with think.

[Ammut]

When I play my characters, I try to think as much as possible.  Not only does it help me figure out what my character will do next, but it allows anyone who can read my thoughts to have an idea of what I'm doing/going to do.

It could be as simple as,

>think I'm going to go sell some of these daggers.  Hopefully no one will know I stole them!

or as extravagant as,

>think The plan is pretty simple, like my brother-in-law Zomos.  But unlike Zomos, this plan might actually work!

[Zoltan]

But how do you know there are no PCs there?

Er, well I don't know for sure -all- the time. But the thought -has- occured to my character that he may not be the sneakiest guy sneaking around wherever he is at the time.