Keeping it IC when possible

[Lizzie]

(ready some time next week, and right this moment it's 9PM pacific time) I'll have your shirt in a half-month or so.
(...except next week I have RL appointments most of the day - however I will be available between 7 & 8 PM that evening) = Oh I can pick it up hm - in a half month, except two days earlier than today, and no later than one day earlier than now.
(can't be logged in during that particular hour to deliver the shirt but the next RL day I'm open): Hm, what about the following week?
(only between noon and 3, pacific time) Uh...actually...
ooc Sunday between noon-3 pacific

[CodeMaster]

The limited use of OOC is one of the things I like most about Arm.  Sometimes people use it unnecessarily, but I figure they just don't know better.  Here's my opinion on some of the OOC's I've seen in game:

(names removed to protect the innocent)

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"can't use speach in emotes here,  :)"
"Use "say" or "tell" for speech. You can yse Say (emote stuff here) to say stuff

This stuff is obviously newbie help.  Often it can't be helped and shouldn' tbe discouraged.  But when I'm with newbies who are screwing up and I'm in a position where I can give OOC help, I try to pull them out of the room to cut off the disruptions.  ("Hey, come here a second.")  My use of OOC went through the roof in leadership roles, but I always tried to insulate other clannies from it when possible.

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"you be around later?  I need to log for a couple of hours"

Stuff like this you can wrap with IC language.  Be consistent with it and people will figure out what you mean.  "You going to be around later?  I need to do X for a couple days."

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"Gotta plug in my comp one sec."
"Just a moment."

If it's going to be super brief, you could emote bending down and retying a bootlace or something.  No OOC required.

If it'll be a couple minutes, sparing use of gone works.  But I prefer to use gone when I'm alone but someone could stumble upon me (like I'm idling in a tavern or something).

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"FYI I'm pretty much gone until June 17th."

This one is trickier, but my call is to come up with an IC excuse (taking care of a sick relative or something) and then say, OOC, 'gone until June 17th'.

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"urgh lag"
"think I should log or want to keep playing?"

I don't know if it's still the case, but the T'zai Byn docs used to say if you're lagging, then to say you've got a headache or a sore foot or something. Some people don't like conflating IC with OOC in this way, but I prefer it.

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"omg my computer battery died!"

I sympathize, but I don't need to know why you lost link (or why it looks like you just reconnected).  Simply ICly blinking yourself back to awareness gives us a place from which to pick things back up.

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"I forget the syntax it's make tube spice papers or some crud but I can't

Try to check the help files before you OOC -- even veterans get this one wrong.  Or, come up with an IC excuse: "I can't do this right now.  Can you roll me a smoke?"

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"sorry for ooc"

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

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"OOPS redo."
"directed at ~lissome"
"*too"
"*we're"

If you did a typo but what you emoted is still comprehensible, don't bother.  I understand!

In situations where you mistargeted and it makes no sense, it can be less disruptive to just splice in the correction and do it again(without the OOC).  Or, if you just nodded to the wrong person, you could emote actually shook %black.haired.man hand)

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"Stupid pickpockets don't start with <skill>. Its like they just...

Totally unnecessary!  Everyone knows not to do this.

[boog]

Oh. I loathe the typo fixes in OOC. Or the mistargets. Just redo the emote or something. Please.

Anyway, again, I'm gonna use gone. It's just easier to pause a scene, imho, if I'm only going to be less than a few minutes.

[Veselka]

Oh I guess a lot of posts happened. Never mind.

[Unoei]

I feel terrible because I've done a few of these recently.  I promise to do better, folks!

[FamousAmos]

Yeah I use OOC when I make a terrible typo. Or in confusing cases when mis-targeted, or when a newbie has no idea what they're doing. And to make OOC appointments. I have little time to play so I'd rather not try to decipher.

And I use the 'gone' command.

I don't feel bad or guilty about using them. They're there for a reason.

[Synthesis]

I feel terrible because I've done a few of these recently.  I promise to do better, folks!

Don't get upset about some folks' pet peeves, dude.

If a Staff member hasn't descended from on high to bitch-slap you about abusing OOC, you're probably well within what is generally deemed reasonable enough.

Some of you guys seriously need to chill.

[FamousAmos]

Some of you guys seriously need to chill.

That.

[boog]

Well, ooc is supposed to be used sparingly. Sparingly isn't when you typo every emote and go to correct it via ooc, lol. For needing to go afk or an ooc factor affecting your ability to be present? I think it's fine.

[tapas]

One time I had an extended back and forth with a player IC. Trying to explain that I wouldn't be online in the next 3 days.

Then I realized it was just going to be 2600% easier to ooc it.

[boog]

One time I had an extended back and forth with a player IC. Trying to explain that I wouldn't be online in the next 3 days.

Then I realized it was just going to be 2600% easier to ooc it.

Yeah. Like Lizzie's (I think) example above, sometimes OOCing it if it's going to be complex in game is okay to me.

"I'm going to be away taking care of my mother for a few weeks."
"Oh, I'll come help."

Uhh...

[chrisdcoulombe]

Eats popcorn.

[Hauwke]

eat popcorn (getting buttery goodness all over his mouth and fingers)

[TheGoose]

Personally, I find environments where I can't have OOC banter with other players to be dry and joyless. Everyone likes different things. Avoid players who play ways you don't like I guess, and they'll hopefully do the same.

[The Lonely Hunter]

You can't have ooc banter anywhere in Armageddon.

Edit to add:

http://armageddon.org/help/view/OOC

Try to use the ooc command as little as possible, preferably never. Imagine what a movie would be like if the actors and actresses kept breaking out of their roles all the time--the movie would be awful. Never ever use the ooc command to convey IC information. This is looked upon very poorly by staff members.

[Lizzie]

Personally, I find environments where I can't have OOC banter with other players to be dry and joyless. Everyone likes different things. Avoid players who play ways you don't like I guess, and they'll hopefully do the same.

OOC "banter" is not allowed in Armageddon. It's against the rules, and this game is an RPI, as opposed to a H&S in part because of this rule.

[Riev]

Personally, I find environments where I can't have OOC banter with other players to be dry and joyless. Everyone likes different things. Avoid players who play ways you don't like I guess, and they'll hopefully do the same.

OOC "banter" is not allowed in Armageddon. It's against the rules, and this game is an RPI, as opposed to a H&S in part because of this rule.

Which is why nothing stops you from communicating OOCly if you like that kind of banter back and forth. Outside of the game.

I've been known to put "too many details" in an OOC away message before, but this is making it sound like a number of people are having full blown conversations in OOC with other PCs in the room. Which if that was the case, its a Player Complaint so staff can gently remind. If its not happening... are we... literally making a mountain out of a displaced rock?

[Malken]

If its not happening... are we... literally making a mountain out of a displaced rock?

It's the GDB, of course you are.

[LucildaHunta]

I'd prefer brief ooc or gone messages because things happen. I consider it a courtesy to me as a person whether my pc should be standing around waiting or not. If I get a gone bathroom, I probably should stick around. If I get OOC My son got bit by a dog! I probably should go do something else. I thought it was implied that's what these things are for.

I think players are doing a good job of letting other players know something's up ooc'ly and ic'ly though.

[evilcabbage]

gone pee break 2 minutes


that should be acceptable to anyone.

anyone.

anyone.

[Miradus]

ooc Gone pee break. Sorry. I have a severe bladder infection that runs in my family. My great aunt died from it. She had a dog named Lucinda and we had to take care of it, so I have to make sure I pee regularly or I could get worse and then someone would have to take care of my dog.

[nauta]

omg

Someone, or someones, used to do a lot of 'gone afk bio'.  It wasn't until just now that I realized they were signifying pee breaks and not that they were really just super zealous about updating their biographies in game.

I also wanted to add to the discussion that I encourage the use of ooc or at least simplified unambiguous IC cues in cases where you are in large groups and you have to go afk -- signal to your minions or leaders that you are afk and for how long so they too can take a break if they need to.  But keep it spartan.

[650Booger]

I had a thought related to this topic.  when I first log into the game, sometimes after an absence of a day or two, sometimes IC people will say 'where have you been?'

is it considered acceptable to make up stories of adventures my character was virtually having while I was really just working a double shift at starbucks?

'oh, I was out trying to capture a mekillot bare-handed, but I couldn't quite manage it'... etc

[nauta]

I had a thought related to this topic.  when I first log into the game, sometimes after an absence of a day or two, sometimes IC people will say 'where have you been?'

is it considered acceptable to make up stories of adventures my character was virtually having while I was really just working a double shift at starbucks?

'oh, I was out trying to capture a mekillot bare-handed, but I couldn't quite manage it'... etc

I'd like to hear other opinions, but here's my thought: yes, within reason, but bear in mind two things:

a) what you make up will have IC consequences.  So if, for example, your Sergeant asks where you were, and you answer: I was in the brothel, Sarge.  That might just be the wrong answer.  The better answer would be: I was on Gate.

b) the default assumption, in my opinion, that others should have towards you is not that you were 'away' or 'asleep' but that you were there the whole time, just part of the virtual background.  So if you make up a story that jars with that, just make sure you consider that this isn't what people expect.

Related, it is a bit like poweremoting, in my opinion, to make up backstories about /other/ people's absences

In general, I just try to gloss over absences/quitting/afking as much as possible so it doesn't break the flow of the RP.

[Riev]

Agreed with Nauta, wholly.

Some people will say they were visiting a sick father, or were assigned a week's worth of gate duty.

If you're a goody-two-shoes? With a Byn Example, remember that there are other units and warbands. Maybe you were called on as a training dummy for one of the other warbands. You were about, you were doing chores, but you had duties assigned to you by the Lieutenant (This may not be kosher, as a Sergeant might be angry that you were appropriated. This just goes along with "IC Consequences").

When in doubt, say you were assigned to gate duty.