So, what do you do when there is no one else to play with? How do you entertain yourself?
Personally, I scour the area looking for people everywhere they can be. I hope they will RP with me if I find someone, but most of the time people go on their way when there are less than 10 people online. So I'm trying to figure out how to entertain myself with the game, when no one is on.
I've reversed my sleep schedule so I'm in the same pickle.
Usually I study or play Red Orchestra while scouting about for potential playmates.
I RP touching myself inappropriately.
Or, I sometimes save up tasks that don't require much interaction to complete for times when there is not many others online and I can't find people after trolling the usual hang-out spots for the characters location. As an example for characters who have an apartment I'll save cleaning/cooking for those times since re-arranging the furniture and cooking to fill the pantry is something that can be done through solo RP, this also gets those tasks out of the way so I'm not idling in an apartment when there are others around.
If my character doesn't have an apartment there are other tasks that can be done while waiting for folks to show up. Repairing armor, browsing the shops or just hanging out in my favourite tavern posting replies on the GDB and studying are also good things to do.
There's the right answer and the true answer.
The right answer is I think, and I bio and I do all the little things that are hard to get done with other people around, like cleaning out my pack. And that answer is true.
The other answer is when I'm done with all that, I grab dinner, I read the forums, I play with the cat and sometimes watch tv.
Lurk the boards...
Read the boards, organize.. sneak out for certain things... Sit in the bar till someone shows up and RPs.. that's my majority.
Log off and do something else.
Just quit out from the game and join the RL. If you would rather play though:
Go to a bar, find an idler. If they do not react to you, start emoting the bizarre things. Like taking a shit and giving it to them in a bag. Then see how soon they will figure that out. Take the data, give it to gim so she can put it in a graph and display how doing bizarre things have effect on idlers (if they have effect that is)
Then randomly contact someone, and start babbling about how you are going to break their legs because they pissed you off. Go on about that for 15 minutes, then say you are sorry because you mistook them with someone else. Then go and become friends with them and live happily ever after.
What is written here is not entirely safe and you should not do that at home without a supervision of a true professional
I once contacted a southern Templar PC by mistake and asked him if he was still interested in joining Muk Utep's legion. It was awesome. Kept me entertained for a whole five minutes, even!
Quote from: Ghost on December 05, 2007, 01:34:47 PM
Go to a bar, find an idler. If they do not react to you, start emoting the bizarre things. Like taking a shit and giving it to them in a bag. Then see how soon they will figure that out. Take the data, give it to gim so she can put it in a graph and display how doing bizarre things have effect on idlers (if they have effect that is)
This is awesome. If you want more ideas for research projects on in-game behavior, please let me know.
Also, have you tried recruiting your friends that live in your timezone and have a schedule like yours to play ARM?
When there is no one around for me to RP with, I usually do piddly errands around the city. Then I might do something that would boost my skillz, for a few minutes. I might do some crafting. Then try to find minds, even just to chat. Then I log off if no one's still around.
I personally find a multi pronged approach to be most effective for me.
1. Some idle time is certainly an option.
This time usually involves being in the same location at the same IC time of the day/night. This gives other characters some consistent times to find or see your character, if they DO want to RP with you. This time may be interspersed with eating, drinking, thinks, feels and emotes, or some other habits. Likely this time will involve less of those, so that you the player can take a break, but still be around to respond if another character comes to interact.
2. Varying my pattern
If I'm an explorer or hunter, rinth wanderer, militia soldier, or whatever, I vary the path I take, and possibly the actions I do. This may mean reexploring alleys or wilderness rooms I've been in before that are off the beaten path, and very likely have nothing of interest, but truely, one never knows. I make myself do this, because when I do, I tend to take my time a little more, then when I do the exact same steps. And on occasion, one does find something new.
3. Develop RP habits/hobbies
Look about your environment, virtual included, and think of ongoing hobbies you might get your character into. Carving pictures on rinth walls, or in the sands, card games, stone games, carving (Rped), weapon sharpening, cleaning, sewing, whatever you think you can be creative with that you'll enjoy fleshing out.
Quote from: Dakurus on December 05, 2007, 01:55:26 PM
I make myself do this, because when I do, I tend to take my time a little more, then when I do the exact same steps. And on occasion, one does find something new.
Mind blowing.
When no one is around to play with me I powergame. This is my punishment to the rest of the group for failing to entertain me.
I either log off or idle.
When I idle I usually am talking to other people online and surfing ze internet. Maybe throw out an emote or two, but sadly usually I am not much of a solo RPer unless I am in a good mood.
I generally have a bunch of things I've been meaning to do that can be done solo:
-Practice crafting skills if you're a crafter type, rp working out if you're a warrior type, go on patrol if you're a guard or something, there's always something.
-Explore the environment, keep the world alive by interacting a bit with weather, vnpcs/npcs and room descriptions.
-Spam the think command.
-Check out places you might find people to play with and think of creative, but ic, excuses to rp with them.
I find that idling makes slow times exponentially more boring. If you're thinking, emoting, talking, wandering around and using skills, the game world should be just as alive as if you're not alone. Giving up and idling out of boredom is just going to make the game more boring, and it pretty much reduces your chances of something interesting happening to you to zero. Much like real life, the solution to boredom isn't to sit in your room and stare at the wall.
Nothing says hollow, two dimensional character to me like someone that stops emoting and talking the moment you leave the room. It drives me nuts when I find someone and have to wait five minutes for them to check the window again before they respond to me. Frankly, it makes me assume they're boring and I want to avoid rping with them.
No offense to all you idlers out there, it's just not my cup of tea.
I use the think and feel command lots when I'm by myself.
listen to your inner voice and do bizarre things man
you can always make another character in case... you went too bizarre
Solo rp is the best time for self-reflection.
If I'm on when no one else is and feelin' in the mood, sometimes my character will simply have conversations with themself in their mind.
Post your playtimes on the board?
If you want a role, or something specific, let me know.
Idle and do homework.
alt-tab to World of Warcraft.
Fondle yourself.
Seriously, find a Zalanthian porn book and start fondling. That gives you a lot of chances to buff up your creativity in emotes, thinks AND feels!
FONDLE YOURSELF!
What I do being lonely... which happens way too often lately:
- Explore. Look at places I never visited or check places I didn't visit for longer time to see what's new.
- Hunting. Honestly, I actually hate hunting, heh. But playing around tracking down the beast, killing it, skinning it and selling parts (if it's not too long after the last reboot, ;D) could give me something to do for a moment.
- Making my pets alive. For this reason most of my characters end with some kind of pet, be it a bird, a mount or a rat. It gives you something to do, especially if you think about what kind of troubles your pet might cause.
- If you have a pet which should be trained, train it.
- Hobbies. Anything your character actually likes to do. Going through his/her collection of <whatever> and looking for one to add to it. Using his/her crafting skills - codedly or in emotes only. Using his/her "crafting skills" which are not skills code-wise. Come on, everyone could arrange flowers - maybe not profesionally, but still.
- The Way. Attempting to Way people the character didn't see for months. If I find someone else's mind by mistake, I tend to comment it.
- Chatting with NPCs (or mounts or pets or vNPCs) I know. They tend not to answer, but it gives me a little better feeling than talking to myself all the time.
- Spam-thinking if I am truly alone. Making plans, comment events, complain.
- Getting drunk/spiced up. Everyone needs a break here and there. And what about one od vNPC whores?
- Gambling, if you have a chance. Playing any of cool games for one player Arm has.
- Shopping. Searching for a specific item is fun if you are able to think about the right item you can't live without (ever tried to find a pink handkerchief without Kadian PCs?)
- Practice of weapon skills. You know, only in emotes. And even if you have no weapon skills on your list.
- Forage. I seriously don't like foraging OOCly. But it gives me something to do when solo-ing gets too boring and I have a feel I'd do something with real, coded effect (or I need coins)
- Cleaning armor/weapons/apartment. Moving furniture around the apartment, changing character's "usual" gear somewhat. Looking for new tattoos/jewelry.
- Anything else what the character might do right now. I tried to make a NPC bartender to pay me for cleaning the floor in one tavern. With a different char I performed striptease. One of my characters without climb skill spent hours trying to learn to climb successfully (without me ever really asking for a skill). Another char prayed every dawn.
- If everything fails, I idle, waiting for someone to show up. But really, I find idling terrible boring, therefore I try to actually -do- something instead of it. Most of times, at least.
There sure is even more :) Indeed, not everything can be done with every character, but simply looking at your character as an alive person usually gives some idea what to do.
If you're bored, you can always wish up and tell us.
The odds are pretty good that we're too busy to do anything, but every now and then, especially very late at night, you might catch an imm who's also bored.
Of course, the ensuing RP might not always be BENEFICIAL to your character, but those are the risks you take when you wish up. >:(
I have sent more IMM kudos than PC kudos. I love you both though.
Quote from: Cavaticus on December 16, 2007, 11:33:53 PM
The odds are pretty good that we're too busy to do anything, but every now and then, especially very late at night, you might catch an imm who's also bored.
> wish all For a good time, animate the long-nosed NPC templar on Stonecarver's Way.
> wish all plz note my char has the juggle skill
Quote from: brytta.leofa on December 17, 2007, 06:57:06 AM
Quote from: Cavaticus on December 16, 2007, 11:33:53 PM
The odds are pretty good that we're too busy to do anything, but every now and then, especially very late at night, you might catch an imm who's also bored.
> wish all For a good time, animate the long-nosed NPC templar on Stonecarver's Way.
> wish all plz note my char has the juggle skill
wish all I am bored! Do something?!!
em stands still, prepared to die in a really nasty way.
Whenever I'm alone, I usually use the "think" and "feel" commands a lot while doing some reflections on the events I've been through. Then if enough stuff has built up, I'll add a bio entry or something to that extent before cooking and foraging salt, getting the solo things out of the way. The one thing I DON'T do is idle. I can't stand wasting my thirst and hunger while doing nothing.