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Guest Blog: Role-playing
pwebranflakes
Member Posts: 7,741
The Trust, a role-playing Fleet in STO, has written a Guest Blog that shares details about how you can become involved with the role-playing community in-game.
Link to the blog.
Link to the blog.
Post edited by pwebranflakes on
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They must, I assume, delete and re-roll their toon?
Iconians. Or crazy temporal mish-mash wibbly-wobbly alternate universes.
(I have no idea)
Host of the Borg Boombox, 0300 GMT on Fridays on Subspace Radio
I can only guess at how many reports were ignored.
*shrugs*
I love the video attached to the article.
Regardless about what type of role-playing you are involved with, I am in full support of everyone within the community.
We just need more cross-faction social zones.
When the game blows up my starship, I just assumed it was disabled and ignored by my adversary long enough for my heroic crew to restore systems. Or maybe we were towed from the battlefield? Maybe no one died at all. Or maybe a Bridge officer died when the player chose to replace them with a better quality mission reward? What's nice about roleplay is that the possibilities are endless.
Fleet is totally different. Use your own channel as you see fit, I say. More power to them, and enjoy yourselves.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
So...it's okay to have completely idiotic arguments about how your gorn line is better than the other guy's breen line, but god forbid somebody tries to RP in public.
Hypocrisy much?
The ESD chat is basically an organized activity in expressing that the ignore feature is awesome, as far as I'm concerned.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
Understandably, it's hard to define using social items in a social location as 'harassment'. Even though many who do it are specifically doing so to perturb RPers, I doubt the GM's can find reason to crack down on something that could theoretically be done by someone who just really enjoys the use of fire extinguishers on Drozana. As long as the disturbers aren't following players around, or barraging with private messages, it probably can't be formally defined as harassment.
It's like if some loud groups of hooligans decided to go to a local park that had previously been used for quiet reading and romantic picnics. Sure, the hooligans might have picked the park specifically to annoy people by playing loud games, but if the park itself doesn't have restrictions on [non-harassing] behavior, they have as much a right to be there as the annoyed parties. It's a shame that the location doesn't have the benefits it once did, and profoundly disappointing that some would make it their goal to spoil others' fun, but just standing on a bar and shooting smoke is still a 'valid' activity in STO.
Maybe the GM's could institute 'behavioral guidelines' for specific zones, but this would be rather irregular and hard to enforce. Even if they cracked down on following RPers from table to table and turned off party poppers, the disturbers would find a way to stand or jump all over the map and still ruin immersion. I think a good solution would be a foundry-created social map, so get on that tech, Cryptic!
Conjoined, Re-emergence, and . . .
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Alright...
So that's not you saying that roleplayers need to stay in a closet simply because you don't approve of them?
My Ship Builds: USS Conqueror, HMS Victorious, HMS Concord, ISS Queen Elizabeth, Black Widow III
Click here to view my DeviantArt.
Sounds exactly like a 10-second "respawn" timer...
I've role played in Trek games and other games for years now. Never really been able to get into it in STO though, it's a little too focused on the annihilation of every species you meet for me to properly enjoy role playing in it. However, that said, I have had a few good experiences with some people I know from other Trek RP games in here.
I know folks who have RP'd the loss of characters or ships, death and loss is an established part of the Star Trek Lore. Which brings me to Marie's Rules Of RP (or how not to annoy Marie:)
1) Know your lore. Few things annoy me more than someone RPing as the Over Powered Glory Seeking Prince From The Tiny Enclave On The Far Edge Of Space Who Demanded His Very Own Galaxy Class Ship As Tribute. Or folks who come in and start RPing that they are in the Mass Effect universe... Or whinging that there is no Independent/Rogue faction...
It's Star Trek. There is plenty of lore out there to work with. Don't come into an RP setting without at least a working knowledge of the franchise. This leads to point #2.
2) Starfleet is the Federation Army/Navy/Airforce/Coast Guard. While primarily tasked with PEACEFUL EXPLORATION of space and beyond, we are at war. Have been for quite awhile according to the in-game lore. What may have been acceptable during peace-time is not going to cut it now. That said, not everyone needs to be macho-grande-supreme or someone who's John Wayne'd all the "Indians" into submisison....
...However RPing as as some whiny emo brat who is crying in a bar because people are mean to him/her isn't going to cut it! You would have never survived boot with that attitude let alone reached this stage in your career. ESPECIALLY during war-time!
3) Flag Officers: Repeat after me: Admirals DO NOT drink in dive bars and complain about classified projects that they are working on. Flag Officers either go to bars set aside for them and others of their rank, or they attend private functions. In real life I would have been shocked and likely to call the MPs if a Rear Admiral was spotted at Delmars off base.... it's just not done. Not everyone RPs at flag rank but I've seen enough folks who do who ignore or are oblivious to what a flag officer really is. This brings me to Point #4.
4) THERE ARE OTHER SOCIAL ZONES BESIDES THE BARS. I cut back on my RPing because most of the folks I was hanging with want to RP at the bar, over drinks. I am social enough that I can do that in real life should I so desire... I do NOT need to RP it. Also, there are social zones on Andor, Vulcan, Risa, and a few other station locations besides DS9. Starbase 39 is very under used, as is K7. The Captains Table sits empty most days.
GET RP OUT OF THE BARS AND BOLDLY GO. THAT'S WHAT STAR TREK IS ALL ABOUT.
An entire blog could be written with RP ideas set within existing game assets... in fact I may just do that.
Or retreating by Cloaking... only to return and Strike Back! Well said Psia! Each and every character i've made has a story (Bio), and some of my BOffs do as well! My main char is also my 1st Trek-persona, which grew out of my trek-related gaming, hobby of building model ships and my early convention experiences--way back in 1986! Thus far 3 of my Captains and at least 2 or 3 BOffs are his sons.
Also i've taking to using BOffs as plot threads, weaving together my 'prime' and cross-continuity chars with the greater fabric of STO's metaplot/metastory....
[SIGPIC]Sarvour Shipyards[/SIGPIC]Sarvour Shipyards
=A=Commodore Joshua Daniel Sarvour, S.C.E.
U.S.S. AKAGI NX-93347, Enterprise-class Battle Cruiser =A= U.S.S. T'KORA'S WRATH NX-110047, Odyssey-class Battle Cruiser
"There Ain't No Grave, Can Hold My Body Down..."
PS - I fully support a T6 Nova, fixing the Nova skins. I am also rooting for a T6 Science Cruiser, that can use Nova/Rhode Island skins.
T6 Nova/Rhode Island, T6 Oberth & T6 Constellation are needed. Also needed a T6 Science Cruiser, that can wear any Science or Cruiser skin.
In my own RP 'mechanics', this is because these areas are reserved for Commanding Officers, as a place where they can get away from the normal duties of dealing with their crews (who they see 90% of the time already...the actual time of a voyage on a ship tends to be many times what players spend on bases) and associate with their peers. In short, the 'Command Decks'. Other areas where players cannot go are reserved for 'Enlisted' and 'Non-Command' personnel to likewise give them a chance to avoid bumping into their superior Officers off-duty.
Another tangent option (one I personally enjoy) to that is that, with Starfleet and the KDF having fractured into hundreds of individual sub-fleets commanded by Officers who pretty much do what they want (STO seems alot like the Mirror Universe in this regards), the Regular Starfleet and KDF forces don't entirely trust the 'Reserve Fleets', and only allow them into specific, sealed-off areas on their worlds and stations. This option also explains the new Fleet starbases (and the colony on New Romulus) as attempts by the Fleets to find new homes where they and their crews can be apart from those who look on them with less than full acceptance (after all, how many Starfleet and KDF personnel really trust those ships who interact with the other side on a regular basis?).
So, there are options in how you look at things, as well as how you want to RP things out. Ultimately, it's up to the players to make the world they RP in.
Do you know what is wrong with that type of mentality? Its too much within the box. After I obtained my M.A.C.O. armor the other day, I was toying around with an interesting character concept. Even though I may not get a chance to play out my idea, I still thought it was a great mental exercise to think about. As I was standing there within my new shinny armor, I pondered on the question, "What if I role played as a former Starfleet Admiral turned disenfranchised and into a bounty huntress?" We have the Maquis, right? Since "Star Trek: Online" has so many non-cannon concepts, why the hell not continue down that road? If Cryptic stuck to "Star Trek" lure, we would not have the stf armors. Heck, we would not have the regular armors.
Second, "Star Trek" is science-fiction. Although there are real life concepts, the majority of the concepts are inventive. Do you know 'for a fact' that a flying jellyfish exists? Have you seen a floating Abraham Lincoln flying through space? Is there an all knowing group of beings stuck in a wormhole in space? Unless you can prove that these concept actually exist, I think sticking to reality hinders everyone's creative expression. Don't you?
I'm curious, I often hear that STO isn't set up for RP, or doesn't support the RP community, but I never hear specifics. What are some things we (Cryptic) could be doing to support you guys better, without negatively impacting those who are not interested? Is there something specifically on the Environment side of things that I could keep in mind going forward? I'm always up for suggestions on other socialish places to include in maps besides bars/restaurants, but time/existing assets/lack of ideas often lead to more bars, etc.
Same here mostly. Tried it a few times and it was fun for a bit. But much props to the dedicated RPers, you guys are far cooler than me.
Simple, allow us to make social zones in the Foundry. That way the RP community can build whatever they want for sets and invite as many fellow RPers as they want.
For this you would have to allow us to invite as many people as we want to a map (obviously the current limit is 5). Perhaps it could be an option in the Foundry to set a map as a "social zone" in which the limit is raised. And to avoid abuse, setting a map as a social zone automatically disqualifies it for rewards.
Second, approximately four months ago, I started to work on a 'social zone foundry mission'. Since the game triggered to 'mission accomplished' upon entering the environment, I ended up scrapping the whole concept altogether. Have you thought about allowing players to turn already in-game social zones into foundry missions, which will allow more than five people to enter at once? Just specific maps. Vulcan, Andoria, Bajor, etc...I think role-players can flesh out certain social zones, so more than five people can enjoy them at once.
Third, environmental (social zone) interactivity. While the idea of sitting in chairs is logical, have you thought about making other interactive game elements? As people are sitting or walking around the bridge, players can have their avatars tap on consoles. How about allowing some console interaction along the back walls? Even though you can sit at the helm, your character does not tap on the console. If they are enjoying a game of cards, while in the dinning hall, the gambling table can trigger off a card holding emote. Simple stuff. Nothing complex. Role-players can always add narrative to the complex actions.
As well as a pond in the center.
Perhaps Qs' Winter Wonderland but during the summer?
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
Find a way to break the 5 person limit on a foundry map, and you'll be practically deified.
One of the main problems that exist for role players is the heavy use of instancing. All of the quests in the game take place in an individual's own private instance. Compared to games like Star Wars Galaxies, Knights of the Old Republic & World of ******** which allow for open world exploration and questing, STO locks the individual player away. Role play may be taking place on Deep Space Nine, but what instance of Deep Space Nine? Static locations can be difficult to pin down with all of the various instances.
Another way to help the RP community would be, as was mentioned previously, up the group limits on Foundry Missions. Yes, the traditional Star Trek away team or landing party usually consisted of 5 people, but as a multi-player game, STO started out by trying very hard to be a single player game with multi-player elements. Surely you folks have seen that, or else you wouldn't have added the group content with Season 6.
Granted, we've found ways to work around some of these issues, but life for the average RP Fleet would be a lot easier if the concerns highlighted above were examined. The easier it is for us to maintain our fleets and manage quality role play, the easier it is for us to recruit role players from other games. Keep in mind, Role-players usually just love to role play. Sure, we all have our favorite genres, but you folks have access to the largest Scifi franchise in history. Not even BioWare/EA can make that claim.
The first question role players ask when a new MMO launches, is "How easy will it be to role play in this game?" With the advent of social-media and modern clan websites, communities forged in other games remain interchanged. Good press for Fleets is good press for Star Trek Online. If you folks manage to help us, we can quite possibly help you in return, just by doing what we love to do. Role Playing.
As a side note, I'd also like to thank the folks over at The Trust, for writing an excellent article. Thank you!
Best thing you could do? Set aside one instance per social zone as an RP instance. Then, have a community manager MONITOR complaints, not just the forums. If people are on the RP instance starting trouble, review the complaints, and bar offenders from that particular instance. For example, Drozana. Very often I get "nopossiblemaps" whenever I try to escape the trolls and the more...amorous RPers. What I've suggested would make it possible for the RPers to be left alone, the people who hate RP to be left in peace, and the trolls are left without a target.
Fleet starbases were kind of a step in the right direction, but not all RPers are in an RP fleet, or necessarily want to RP with their fleetmates. Not to mention, fleet starbases cannot be cross factional.
Excellent suggestions.