Can we OOC less?

[Mendel]

Just a challenge to everyone. I don't know if the culture of the MUD has changed, or if it's just the people I've been exposed to but:

I'd like to see less use of the OOC channel. Less correcting of trivial mistakes, less discussion of things that could be discussed IC. Less conversation.

So I challenge you to find IC ways to deal with things you might be tempted to use OOC for. Of course, it's unavoidable on occasion, that's what it's for! However, I think we can all collectively "handle it IC" a little more often.

[Jimpka_Moss]

I prefer to keep typos that are in speech as IC mistakes. Anything in quotes, I just rp as the char I am playing misspeaking.

If it's clear what my typo is supposed to be, when outside of speech, I leave it. If it's RP-breaking, and a mistake that needs to be corrected for others to RP around it properly, then I OOC correct it.

Sometimes OOC corrections are just anxiety, though, and you're playing with the weirdest group of people.

[dumbstruck]

Unless someone's having an actual conversation OOC in game, I don't really find it problematic. That said I'm a RL hermit, and a lot of my pcs are as well, preferring the Way over in person interactions (weird little microcosm, art and rl, whatevs) so I probably don't see it happening as much as highly social players.

That said, sometimes shit just is what it is. If I have to bounce or am too sick to function all of a sudden IRL, I'm not going to bring my OOC shit IC unless it's organic to what's happening IC. If it's immersion breaking to deal with humans dealing with human issues, maybe immersion is less important than RL. I realize that's a hot take though, and don't expect everyone who's only played RPIs to understand because of the obsession with a falsified barrier that often literally makes communications that respect the time and needs of fellow players suffer. If someone's sick as a dog, chances are their concern isn't your immersion it's with getting to a place to get sick before having to clean it up, etc etc etc.

[Mendel]

That said, sometimes shit just is what it is. If I have to bounce or am too sick to function all of a sudden IRL, I'm not going to bring my OOC shit IC unless it's organic to what's happening IC. If it's immersion breaking to deal with humans dealing with human issues, maybe immersion is less important than RL. I realize that's a hot take though, and don't expect everyone who's only played RPIs to understand because of the obsession with a falsified barrier that often literally makes communications that respect the time and needs of fellow players suffer. If someone's sick as a dog, chances are their concern isn't your immersion it's with getting to a place to get sick before having to clean it up, etc etc etc.

Of course, it's unavoidable on occasion, that's what it's for!

I am not asking you to justify anything. I am not attacking anybody's particular use. It's just a gentle idea.

[Gentleboy]

Sometimes, you're just so brain dead after a scene that you just can't be in character and need to say it as it is. Ooc: have to go.


And arranging times is so fucking idiotic in game. We sound like lunatics.

 "Usually I am awake at this time of the week, but not every other week, but sometimes you can catch me at the end of the week unless I'm in meetings which may happen."

Is that really the rp we strive for? We're already breaking character to write like that. Why not communicate clearly so we don't bumble and break immersion regardless?


And as someone who has a processing disability, I will switch words like flour and flower. It's embarrassing and can totally be read differently while in-game it is heard the same.

Ooc should be used exactly for its abbreviation, anything that is not of or in character. Or, out of context, I guess ooc could stand for too.

We do not all think the same and having an avenue to make sure that things in the background are tidied up, should not be called out. Especially since it's a tool that neurodivergent people can use to clear up an ooc misunderstanding that their character may not share with the player.

OOC: when you emoted that, were you pointing at me or him?

OOC: Just to be clear, you were talking about 07/04, right? Server time?

OOC: I'm not sure if that word would exist right now, or did you mean something else?

And this is not something that is done constantly, asking for clarity in OOC, I know that things in this game can purposely be misleading because of in-game plots.

That said, I admire the want to be more intertwined with the game stated by the OP. But the 'challenge' you put out is not thinking about the accessibility use of OOC for situations that already break immersion or to help 'outside thinkers' connect better with the scene.

If it's not being used for casual conversation which is an abuse of the tool, then it's being used for a purpose that has no right being challenged.

Direct yourself however you like, use the tools available however you like. But, trust in your fellow players and believe when they need to do something like break immersion, it's for a good reason.

[Mendel]

To the OOC apologists, I am really just trying to restate the helpfile:

Think before you use ooc. It is not intended for conveying IC
information, nor for discussions of the game mechanics, nor for extended
roleplaying debates, nor for getting around language barriers.
   It can have a detrimental effect on those around you, jarring them from
the atmosphere they've built up.

Notes:
   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.

To Gentleboy, you're defending things I might not be attacking? Trust in me perhaps?

[dumbstruck]

Yeah but a movie you can just turn off, any time you want, without needing to justify it to anyone, or disrupting the story of the movie, too.

[I suppose what I'm saying here is: If it's a problem enough to make a whole thread about it, whoever you're having a problem with can probably just have a complaint sent about them, if it's a good portion of the people you interact with, you might be the one with unreasonable standards about when OOCing is okay (ala the old 'if everyone you know is an asshole, it might not be them'), and making a whole thread asking people at large without a specific target, is going to make a bunch of people ask themselves if it's about themselves and/or get defensive, which seems to be happening. Even the phrase 'OOC apologists' is negative and accusatory for reasons gone into here. Finally, all uses of 'you' here are meant to be general to whoever is in the position, not one specific individual player.]

[Usiku]

Please always try to keep your OOC usage to an absolute minimum as per the helpfile. If you need to duck out because of an IRL emergency then "OOC: Gtg, kids!" or whatever is obviously OK, especially if you are in a situation where your PC technically shouldn't be able to just bounce, but if you have a hot minute to say, "say Ah, shit. My Ma is pestering me, I'm gonna have to catch you later." or "say Wall duty calls!" and it's appropriate IC'ly, then the latter is preferred because it helps with the immersion of the other players around you. You should always attempt to explain something IC'ly if possible and there is a huge difference between:

> say "I"m usually around Allanak in the later part of the week."
> OOC 10pm ST-ish

And

OOC I'm usually around about 10pm ST, except on Wednesdays because I've got chess club, but sometimes that's also when I need to take the dog for a walk, so if I'm not around that's probably why.


What isn't OK is back and forth chatter via OOC and I think most of our players know when they are crossing a line. It's worth pointing out, however, that we do have a lot of new players and you should consider how you may influence them.

[LetaSpringle]

I have trouble figuring out times and don't care to download or tab to some conversion site to translate what someone is saying IC.

Kadian says "my crafter will have it for you in three weeks, early-week, three days earlier than now, or in five weeks, late week, maybe five days from now."

Kadian says, instead, "My crafter will have it for you in three or five weeks."
Kadian OOCs, "Friday around 9AM server or Sunday +/- 3pm"

I'd much rather have a momentary immersion break, than 10 minutes of breaking my immersion to look up the first thing.

[Mendel]

What isn't OK is back and forth chatter via OOC and I think most of our players know when they are crossing a line. It's worth pointing out, however, that we do have a lot of new players and you should consider how you may influence them.

Thank you, Usiku, for perhaps more eloquently stating what I'm trying to get at. I don't have anything more to say, and I apologize to anybody who felt attacked. It wasn't my intention.

[Inks]

Yes, we can and should.