Quote from: Morrolan on April 28, 2012, 05:54:35 PM
Quote from: ShaLeah on April 28, 2012, 04:38:08 PM
Hello, I'm ShaLeah, and I _love_ to hemote.
"Hemote" (and I harp on this a lot) is awesome. Hemote'ing is very good for RP. Is it something that not "everyone" in the Sanctuary would see? Hemote, not emote.
hemote scratches ^me nose.
Wear a veil? or keep yourself cloaked? You might consider moving all of your facial expressions to "hemote."
hemote smiles behind ^me veil.
hemote from the depths of ^me hood, @ smiles cruelly at %breed antics
Solo-RPing?
think (sad) I will miss her smile
phemote eyes tear up as #me stares off into the distance
Emoting always comes with a high level of commitment. Always, you did "X" and everyone there saw it. Hemote draws you, the player, into representing what your character does. It helps a higher integration of your actions with "think" and "feel" and creates a sense of depth. With "hemote" you can act for yourself (instead of an audience), deny you did things that you did (not everyone sees the exact same performance), and take risks with your poker-tells (instead of announcing them to the world).
Hemote is king.
Quoting myself from another thread...probably bad form, but there it is.
What are
your tricks to help with showing your character off as a whole person?
I think a collection of the things we do to show more of our characters would be pretty darned cool. So, please, add yours below.
http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,42065.0.html
^ just this!
Going further with emote/hemote, here is another suggestion:
On my client, the ";" character adds a line-break between commands, so you can stack them in one line. If this is an option, then you can add details in "hemote" addendums:
emote after bowing, @ smiles at ~templar;phemote smile is patently false and plastered on ^me face. There is fear in ^me eyes.
After bowing, the tall muscular man smiles at the tall, fair-skinned templar.
You notice:
The tall, muscular man's smile is patently false and plastered on his face. There is fear in his eyes.
I don't really have any magical tricks, but... sometimes I just feel the flow and am 'in the zone' and sometimes I'm not. When I'm feeling it, I can literally see what my character is doing, and only have to try to wrap it into words. When I'm not feeling it, I just get annoyed by my repetitive emotes.
Listening to music can summon the flow, or simply interacting with amazing characters.
That happens to me too.
I always express my characters emotions in my own face. It's really annoying sometimes, when my husband asks why I look sad, or angry, or smile. But I can't keep a straight face!
[Insert joke post with long list of alternative words for penis and vagina to help along budding mudsexers.]
Internal consistency. I only feel like I'm playing it right when I constantly keep my characters' IC and virtual pasts in mind, and their current attitudes on those events. All motivations, goals, and characterization stems from there. I realize that's probably stating the obvious for a lot of you, but it's something I always have to keep mindful of. When I'm doing it right, I'm "in the zone", but as soon as that falters the fun wanes. I want to portray a character in the literary sense, not just me with a new skin on. Consequently, my characters tend to do a ton of thinking, especially pointless stream-of-consciousness stuff, because it puts me in the moment and keeps the thread of the character going. If I have to sit and idle even for a little bit, I start losing that connection. I can't multitask at all while playing Arm, so I always try to play when I -know- I have time and there's nothing else to do, and I won't be interrupted. It's definitely quality over quantity for me when it comes to playing, because I can idle away the hours doing a ton of other stuff, or play "crunchier" games when I need the whole action-reward sort of entertainment. When that login screen comes up, I'm in it to role-play!
So yeah, I'm a crusty old geezer that takes his characters too seriously. But that has consistently lead to my most fun and memorable Arm moments, so there! :P
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 05:00:21 AM
I always express my characters emotions in my own face. It's really annoying sometimes, when my husband asks why I look sad, or angry, or smile. But I can't keep a straight face!
Likewise, when you want your character to do something (say a hand gesture or something), just do it real quick IRL. Makes it easier to explain.
Quote from: Feco on April 29, 2012, 01:04:50 PM
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 05:00:21 AM
I always express my characters emotions in my own face. It's really annoying sometimes, when my husband asks why I look sad, or angry, or smile. But I can't keep a straight face!
Likewise, when you want your character to do something (say a hand gesture or something), just do it real quick IRL. Makes it easier to explain.
Exactly!
Quote from: Zoltan on April 29, 2012, 11:11:58 AM
Internal consistency. I only feel like I'm playing it right when I constantly keep my characters' IC and virtual pasts in mind, and their current attitudes on those events. All motivations, goals, and characterization stems from there. I realize that's probably stating the obvious for a lot of you, but it's something I always have to keep mindful of. When I'm doing it right, I'm "in the zone", but as soon as that falters the fun wanes. I want to portray a character in the literary sense, not just me with a new skin on. Consequently, my characters tend to do a ton of thinking, especially pointless stream-of-consciousness stuff, because it puts me in the moment and keeps the thread of the character going. If I have to sit and idle even for a little bit, I start losing that connection. I can't multitask at all while playing Arm, so I always try to play when I -know- I have time and there's nothing else to do, and I won't be interrupted. It's definitely quality over quantity for me when it comes to playing, because I can idle away the hours doing a ton of other stuff, or play "crunchier" games when I need the whole action-reward sort of entertainment. When that login screen comes up, I'm in it to role-play!
So yeah, I'm a crusty old geezer that takes his characters too seriously. But that has consistently lead to my most fun and memorable Arm moments, so there! :P
This. I've tried the 'log in and halfway pay attention' thing and always regretted it.
You guys are making me miss playing. I need to quit browsing the GDB so much. :P
Quote from: Delirium on April 29, 2012, 01:14:48 PM
You guys are making me miss playing. I need to quit browsing the GDB so much. :P
Alternatively, you could start playing again!
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 01:12:30 PM
Quote from: Feco on April 29, 2012, 01:04:50 PM
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 05:00:21 AM
I always express my characters emotions in my own face. It's really annoying sometimes, when my husband asks why I look sad, or angry, or smile. But I can't keep a straight face!
Likewise, when you want your character to do something (say a hand gesture or something), just do it real quick IRL. Makes it easier to explain.
Exactly!
I even laugh when my character would laugh and try to mimic the adverb behind it. (thoughtfully, wistfully, nervously)
Quote from: RogueGunslinger on April 29, 2012, 07:38:51 PM
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 01:12:30 PM
Quote from: Feco on April 29, 2012, 01:04:50 PM
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 05:00:21 AM
I always express my characters emotions in my own face. It's really annoying sometimes, when my husband asks why I look sad, or angry, or smile. But I can't keep a straight face!
Likewise, when you want your character to do something (say a hand gesture or something), just do it real quick IRL. Makes it easier to explain.
Exactly!
I even laugh when my character would laugh and try to mimic the adverb behind it. (thoughtfully, wistfully, nervously)
As someone who muds often from work, that's... Not the best idea ;p
Delirium will probably start playing again when the planets align. Same as sundry other 'old' players.
Quote from: RogueGunslinger on April 29, 2012, 07:38:51 PM
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 01:12:30 PM
Quote from: Feco on April 29, 2012, 01:04:50 PM
Quote from: Iiyola on April 29, 2012, 05:00:21 AM
I always express my characters emotions in my own face. It's really annoying sometimes, when my husband asks why I look sad, or angry, or smile. But I can't keep a straight face!
Likewise, when you want your character to do something (say a hand gesture or something), just do it real quick IRL. Makes it easier to explain.
Exactly!
I even laugh when my character would laugh and try to mimic the adverb behind it. (thoughtfully, wistfully, nervously)
I realized after reading this that I do it. No wonder my husband looks at me funny.
I can't listen to music, it distracts me. I think I would if I was playing a bard.
I can only play characters if I feel them. If I flesh them out _TOO_ much, I find it restricting.
I always make them broken in some kind of way. A fucked up past, against the norm of the docs, a handicap from the start that can be used against her and I pray every time someone _DOES_.
I let my characters goals develop as they live. I think that's why I can't play dwarves.
I do _not_ shy away from the drama at all. It drives me crazy, my blood pressure goes up, sometimes it even keeps me up at night, but without drama for me Arm would be just a prettier hack and slash. I want all my characters to suffer, lose, win, hate, love, stumble, seek revenge, be stupid... I suck other people in to my drama all the time. Pretty sure some hate it. Muahahahaah!
I always make social characters in one way or another too. I can't do the loner thing.
I've always found this youtube video on acting lessons to be very helpful when roleplaying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyoWmkhRyp8
Also, don't refrain from doing things that may very well lead to your character's death, if it would be IC for you to do so, despite what other people say.
Get in trouble a lot it is actually really fun.
Just don't be like, really absurd about it. Don't go chopping up beggars for shits and giggles. Templars don't like that.
^ yes.
Quote from: MeTekillot on May 02, 2012, 07:22:32 PM
Just don't be like, really absurd about it. Don't go chopping up beggars for shits and giggles. Templars don't like that.
tell templar (looking up from ~corpse.beggar as he tries to hide ~bloodied.bone.saw behind his back) Oh. Hey. Sorry, man. Won't happen again.
Quote from: MeTekillot on May 02, 2012, 07:22:32 PM
Also, don't refrain from doing things that may very well lead to your character's death, if it would be IC for you to do so, despite what other people say.
Get in trouble a lot it is actually really fun.
Just don't be like, really absurd about it. Don't go chopping up beggars for shits and giggles. Templars don't like that.
In a similar but less lethal vein:
Allow your character to make bad decisions if it's IC for them.
My fave PCs are always imperfect and frequently idiots to boot.
Also another fun thing: murmur some things you mean to send over The Way out loud. Or find the wrong person.
Quote from: MeTekillot on May 02, 2012, 07:22:32 PM
Also, don't refrain from doing things that may very well lead to your character's death, if it would be IC for you to do so, despite what other people say.
Get in trouble a lot it is actually really fun.
Just don't be like, really absurd about it. Don't go chopping up beggars for shits and giggles. Templars don't like that.
I agree, take risks! If your character is cautious, be so. If your character is a bit dumb, do dumb things. Ballsy? Go ahead and piss off that affiliated person or brawl that Bynner, smack the surmac off the gemmer. No guts, no glory!
It sure seems like this occurred in the past year, so I'm striking it from the record.
the best tip IMO to show your character off as a "whole person" is to be consistent when you're interacting w. others and when you actually do solo RP.
Consistency is the signal flare I look for to spot a well played PC. Not emotes or hemotes or fancy things. Those just add flavor. It's more about what you do and don't do, than how you do it. The 'how' (emotes, etc) comes naturally once you run with your PC for a while.
Quote from: Iiyola on May 03, 2012, 04:35:17 AM
Also another fun thing: murmur some things you mean to send over The Way out loud. Or find the wrong person.
One of my most memorable moment in my Armageddon career is sending this huge mudsex line over to my Boss via the way right after telling her that I was by myself hunting and I was too far and busy to come and meet her at the moment.
OOPS.
/ranger quits for the next 6 months.
Do things for no particular reason.
Better yet, do things for reasons you came up for on your own.
Then keep reusing those reasons in other situations.
Bitches love that shit.
Quote from: Dakota on May 03, 2012, 04:05:33 PM
the best tip IMO to show your character off as a "whole person" is to be consistent when you're interacting w. others and when you actually do solo RP.
I agree. And, for things that are incredibly secret. and would be shown to no one: the bio.
Dear Diary - WaleukToday I saw a gith.
She was very cute.
She tried to kill me.
I think it was love.
Dear Diary - TerrinCheated on my gith girlfriend with my erdlu.
Feeling very guilty.
Getting strange looks from erdlu.
Afraid to Way gith girlfriend.
Dear Diary - NekreteStood up gith girlfriend yesterday.
Attacked by dozen gith today.
Must send flowers.
The bio can be an excellent way of fleshing things out...showing staff (and yourself) that you character is consistent, or at least as consistently inconsistent as real people.
The first thing to do, in my opinion, is to familiarize yourself with all the emote command tenses. There are a shit-ton of them to master. You can't really present your character fully fleshed without at least trying to show their physical reactions to this or that, in a realistic way, without stupid sentence redundancies.
I utilize thinks. A lot. Like, all the time. It helps a great deal to keep me in tune with how my character is riding the currents of a given situation. And, the personal usefulness of it aside, I shows (to the staff, at least) that you are active and not just idling about when you're alone. If you want to attract good plots, it helps to let the IMMs know in whatever way you can that, yes, you are active and observant even when "nothing is going on".
Also, when I start out with a new character on a MUD, I like to keep a simple "cheat sheet" next to me on the desk with a list of basic personality traits. Like, for instance: introspective, non-confrontational, suspicious of others, likes seclusion, distrust of those in authority, etc. Things like that. And I keep it until I feel I've "gotten to know" the character well enough to go without it. That in particular has been extremely useful for me.
Play music. Something appropriate to the theme of the MUD. I like solitary atmospheric music for Armageddon - This Will Destroy You, All India Radio, Caspian, God Is An Astronaut... they really help get me into the idea that I'm delving into this dangerous, lonely world and I am, frankly, a huge target for basically anything and everything.
Lastly, when creating a character, I try not to aim too much for what I hope they may become later on. I focus a lot on their back story, give them some sort of trauma or past incident that adds a quirk or two to the basic blank template of who they are. Concentrate on the personality first and the story will flow naturally enough on its own.
Deliberately get in trouble. If your character has a condition that makes your character shout out their thoughts, make their thoughts about that powerful merchant or Templar particularly venomous that day if they happen to run into them.
People getting in trouble for something accounts for about 40% of the cool things that happen IC.
Yes! So true!
I love the premise of murmuring your character's thoughts out loud, sometimes in a disjointed, easily misunderstood way. It's such an entertaining way of expanding a situation and, even better, potentially causing some ripples.
The best plots don't happen because your character is this amazing mek-eating super-assassin; the best plots happen through egregious mistakes, saying things that shouldn't be said, and doing things that, upon consideration, were probably a bad idea. Don't be a god; be a fucktard. If it's realistic to be so, at least.
I love it when characters make mistakes or bad choices...that suit their character. Even though the player behind knows that their character is at a disadvantage because of it.
Also, when characters react in the exact opposite way that you expect them to.
Also, I really like players who use emotes to describe the world around them, which while not character related is role-play related. It really helps me visualize the world. :)
I've gotten into the habit of using randomized dice rolls to decide things.. even If I HATE the outcome, I do it. It feels more like I'm not making my own choices that way :)
Hi. Want to role play well?
Play a human being(assuming you're human ig).
I'm going to counter what seems to be the general flow of this thread for a sanity check.
What does that mean? It means that while humans can at times show a sudden change in behavior, that is the few and far between to the exception that most have a recognizable personality, consistent strengths and flaws, predictable response to stimulus, and usually, a purpose or motive for whatever they're up to at any given time. Usually, such is quite mundane. On Zalanthas, the very basic tenant of action, I believe, should be: survive. Broken down into of course: 1) water 2)food 3)shelter 4)coins for booze and a whore at luirs. Some more affluent or ambitious may want to get promoted, too. Tying right back to survival, higher on the food chain you are the less things above to eat you.
Suddenly changing your behavior, being erratic, or just simply making a scene because you want to make a scene . . . that is entirely immersion breaking from my perspective. I've seen plenty of PC's trying to artificially stir the pot, and its blaze' more then anything. Unless your PC is of course, deficient in some way. In such a case, sure. Just don't be surprised if deficient isn't the required state for survival. And while I have made deficient characters before (who mostly got what they deserved) . . .
The best plots come from being human.
I'm a mediocre Rper.
The hardest thing I find is making your character consistent and as little like the player as possible.
I find making lists of how your character might react to things helps get that. I try to document as much as I can about their personality.
A few things that work for me:
A) Get involved with people who RP well. In the company of good RPers, you'll usually always find that your own RP becomes better. Its just like hanging around people with a larger vocabulary than you IRL.
B) Don't play the same type of role again and again. The Bynner warrior can only give you THAT much of fun over the years. Try something else out, you'd be surprised at how much fun a burglar or a merchant might be.
C) Don't stick to the same clans. Pretty much follows point B) above. Changing clans and geographical locations always brings in new experiences. Not all pleasant (no doubt) but you definitely won't be bored.
D) Apply and play roles that you want to play. Even if you've been turned down a few times, keep app'ing for that role you have in the back of your mind, when you do land it - you're gonna shine!
E) Last but most important - your experience with a PC is directly dependent on the sphere of his/her influence. i.e. if you meet / know / interact with a larger number of people, your own influence on IG events will be that much higher, whether you want it or not. Plus, it means that you'll be bumping into someone or the other more often while you're IG either physically or through the way, and that's never a bad thing to have.
Take into account specific landmarks/NPC's you cross in game and make a habit of interacting with it/them in some way consistently.
Use the Weather command frequently.
Reduce your distractions out of game - especially when someone is trying to interact with you.
I tend to ditch people who frequently afk/idle/who are obviously in another screen on me during interaction/events and genuinely expect the same response when I do it to them.
Oh man, I HATE it when they do that.