Roleplaying

[Creabots]

Do you suppose roleplaying makes games more enjoyable? Most people when playing electronic games don't seem to role-play. That appears to be more of a tradition in pen-and-paper RPGs. However, I have read about Role-Play Intensive MUDs and role-playing servers on World of Warcraft. What is your opinion on role-playing and RPGs?

[Talysia]

I don't play pen and paper based roleplay games, so I can't appreciate it from that viewpoint, but for me, computer RPGs are like an interactive novel. I can immerse myself in an often vibrant world with a computer game, something I can't do with a pen and paper one - and the appeal isn't the same.

[Creabots]

Originally Posted by Talysia

I don't play pen and paper based roleplay games, so I can't appreciate it from that viewpoint, but for me, computer RPGs are like an interactive novel. I can immerse myself in an often vibrant world with a computer game, something I can't do with a pen and paper one - and the appeal isn't the same.

I like the term you used, "interactive novel." The topic I'm about to bring up may not completely pertain to the matter of this forum, but I still find it to be a point of interest.

Do you suppose video games really are "interactive novels", because novels tell stories, and as I've discussed on another RPG forum, many people don't play RPGs for the stories. I think RPGs are played for the experience. I'm 18 years-old, and I'm trying to decide whether to be a game designer, or a novelist. I used to think that there was some sort of a connection between them, but as of late I haven't been so sure.

[Talysia]

For me, I like good stories behind the games I play - that's the way I've always been. There's a thread here about that "most important element for you in a video game" that discusses this to an extent, although it's not solely for RPGs.

I guess it depends from person to person, but if there's a balanced mix - good levelling capabilities, customization, good characters, good graphics/music etc as well as a good story, then you've got something that will pretty much appeal to everyone - and that makes a great gaming experience, in my opinion. There are a lot of aspiring writers here, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that there are a few of us who were inspired to write by the games we've played. Whether designing a game or writing a novel, I would think you'd have to get a strong premise first, and then develop it as best you can. If you make a gaming world or a novel world as detailed as possible, then you give the reader or player a great experience, too.

As for a connection between games and novels, then I'd say it was possible, yes. There are a lot of games that I'd love to see in novel form (and I don't mean graphic novels or manga - although that wouldn't be too bad either), and a lot of novels that would probably make great games, too. It depends on how they're designed and packaged.

[Creabots]

I'm with you on the story issue. I think stories make games more dynamic. Games like online games like Everquest don't appeal to me, because there's virtually no story, and it's just a never ending work-out session (at least in my perspective). I don't get much pleasure from obtaining better equipment and raising my characters level. It's fun to complete objectives, however, but I like my objectives to have an important impact on my environment.

[Creabots]

But anyways, wouldn't you think that roleplaying adds flavor to the story of the game? How can you really be immersed in a game if you're not LIVING in it (while you're playing)?

[Talysia]

I don't think I can answer that one properly, given that I can get the same experience from being immersed in a book - for me, it's all about suspending reality for a while. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[Quokka]

Role Playing can be great fun, especially if there's a general agreement about it between the players. The MUD I used to play was very fantasy based and a few players would role play quite strictly to the online world though most of us were much more casual about it but the longer we played the more people would role play their own characters. So even though we might be talking about real world topics we'd still be throwing out comments and emotions/socials in keeping with our charcters which created a really great atmosphere.

Most of how I played a character would be based in trying to win/survive but sometimes it would be RP as well. I remember creating a lemming warrior and I was always much more agressive and unpredictable with him then with other characters, atleast partly because it just seemed to fit with who I thought he was.

I've never played a pen and paper RPG and in some ways I've never got into role playing quite as much with other online games, some of that's just me being interested in different things as a gamer but also for all their limitations there was something about text based MUDs where if you got into it and became familiar with playing them it became very easy to start picturing the areas and worlds and as with books you could have your own personal ideas about how people and places looked.

[Fake Vencar]

I always like to role play in RPGs and like my freedom in games. Pen and paper role playing is a lot different to the role playing in RPGs in my experiences, as you cannot see what you are doing, maybe crudely but more often than not you don't, and that you always need someone else to play with you. Role playing in computer games require some freedom to roam around and, if necessary, a very good story. So far the one that stands out for me is Oblivion, although the choices in that game are rather limited.

[Sirathiel]

I have the PnP RP experience as well as the video game RP experience. I must say that to really roleplay you need somebody you can interact with, somebody naturally intelligent.
Let me explain:
1) You can go and play a RPG in single player. If it's a good game it has a great captivating story. But are you really role-playing? Are you "saying" things although there's no other soul there to hear you? - I can't. I just play the game, enjoy the story and try to survive. - If you can, I bow to your skill and dedication.
2) You can go and play a RPG in multiplayer. There you have other naturally intelligent people (or rather their characters) to interact with. You have the chance to shape the story of the game, of the world.
3) PnP is similar to the mulitplayer game in that you have at least one other person to interact with (your DM) and ideally also a few other players.

Since I started playing PnP and multiplayer RPGs, I have discovered that playing single player suddenly is boring like hell. So, for me at least, yes, roleplaying makes RPG games much more enjoyable.

[vampress13]

computer rpgs are amazing and larping..

[Overread]

Depends, most RPGs do follow a single story line, often with different wordings for good/evil players, but the main flow of the story is the same. However there are some golden RPGs, such as the Baldurs Gate series, where there are whole different archs to the game, depending on what you choose - but these are rarer and since the bioware take over are lilkey to remian rare.

oh and be carful of Vamp - larpers are the hard core group of Role Players (for the uninformed0

[Rahl Windsong]

I like to see where the story in CRPG's takes me. The better games allow you some degree of choice which, depending on the choices you made, affect the outcome of the game.

The only real serious RP I have had in a computer RPG was in the online game Ultima Online where I became a Seer. A Seer in that game was a player who was given a special account by the game developers. This account had some special abilities, you could spawn monsters at any location you needed them, setup permanent or semi permanent gates for players to use, and give items special names for use in your stories.

All story lines had to be pre-approved by the developers and once they were approved each Seer was given "spawning points" and once your points were used up you could not spawn any more monsters until they issued you more points. In other words your ability to spawn monsters had to be used to support your storyline, and not to go around ganking other players at random.

Some of the stories we ran lasted up to a year of real time to complete and during that time it was not a case of if I would log in each day, I simply had to log in because my character(s) were a part of a dynamic story and I had to be there to see the next part unfold.

Even though we were implementing the story into the game world, the players could completely change the plot by the actions they took as the story unfolded. I can't tell you how many times I had to completely rewrite stories to support what the players did to my story, and that was the part that I loved the most.

When they finally killed that volunteer program the players held a wake for us Seer's and so many players came that we crashed the server several times that night, and I am not ashamed to say that I had tears streaming down my face...because I knew it was the end of something I loved.

[vampress13]

Originally Posted by Overread

Depends, most RPGs do follow a single story line, often with different wordings for good/evil players, but the main flow of the story is the same. However there are some golden RPGs, such as the Baldurs Gate series, where there are whole different archs to the game, depending on what you choose - but these are rarer and since the bioware take over are lilkey to remian rare.

oh and be carful of Vamp - larpers are the hard core group of Role Players (for the uninformed0

I larp every very once in a while and im not even close to the ppl that get too into it. i can tell reality from fiction.

[vampress13]

sorry, sounds snappy... just having a bad day