|
Post by TrueBlue© on May 7, 2008 2:08:00 GMT -5
This is the very last straw. Action must be taken to counter you lazy hell beasts.
Being a particularly elitist and generally snobbish staff member when it comes to the quality and care put into a character, I am making this thread to suggest, firstly, an addition to the rules, and secondly, to beg and plead with you common types.
Rule suggestion first.
It has come to my attention, (rather, whacked me in the face several times over despite my enraged howling) that a certain few members who hold a degree of influence over our poor, impressionable newbies... well... fail, to put it simply.
Now, what do I mean, 'Fail'? Isn't that a little harsh? Yes and no. Mostly no, and what these people need is a good lengthy keelhauling instead of what I'm about to suggest.
What am I about to suggest, then?
Effective immediately, all currently active members who participate in our Role Playing section, new and old alike, that possess upwards of three (3) characters, shall create and post a profile for, if they have not prior, exactly one character less than uber. (Don't get sassy with me, either, you know very well what I mean.) This character must have:
1. An actual weakness. (e.g. A wheat allergy, fear of snakes, hatred of insects, etcetera.) 2. A real name. 3. An appearance with eyes and hairstyles that do not strike fear into the heart of the onlooker. (They may wear terrifying t-shirts, however.) 4. A personality, first. Second, a personality that does not include "genius," or "emotionless," or anything along those lines. The thing with making characters? They kind of need to have character. Might come as a shock to some of you guys. 5. Powers that have no effect on the playability of other characters.
That is my proposal.
Secondly, the begging and the pleading.
Long, long ago, there was in Middle EAB a wonderful little RP section. This section was the OOC Board, and then it had only just been split into Humor and Serious RPs. Maybe even before the whole MarvinMan incident you kiddos are too young to remember.
Here, in this magical little world, there were RPs like The Land, Curse of the Black Diamond Lich, Heroes' Children, and heck, even Utterly Stupid for a while, but then my memory could be skewed on that'un... RPs that finished, (though these infrequent, like any) and were pretty cool because quite a few of our people were pretty darn good RPers.
These people weren't terribly arrogant, and of course they weren't really the best RPers ever, but we would learn and develop our skill, not in winning fights, but in story-telling.
There were, of course, newbs and 'bad apples', but... This is the worst I've ever seen.
Alright, so we're active again, great! But what are we doing? What are we doing?!
Please, I'm beggin' ya. For my own sake, for the sakes of others. Do not fight, tell a story. Be friendly. Love your neighbor. Learn, and try, try to see your own mistakes and work to fix them! Accept criticism! Quit churning out RPs that are all the same because you want to showcase a new baddie! It's really obnoxious and clutters the Serious board. Become enlightened! ^_^
In conclusion, I am entirely serious. We needs ta shape up in a major way. This is unacceptable conduct. RPing poorly is an ugly disease that there is a cure for, and the staff all happen to be doctors. Seek treatment. Pleeeease. D'=
|
|
|
Post by Teh Donut on May 7, 2008 2:19:36 GMT -5
Thank you, True. This topic has been approved by your friendly neighborhood pastryman...because True stole the incoherent thoughts straight from my head and posted them in complete sentences.
|
|
|
Post by Beanybag on May 7, 2008 7:50:49 GMT -5
I hope I'm not a part of the problem :x
edit: ^ LOL @ donut's post count! (1069)
>.> <.<
|
|
|
Post by TrueBlue© on May 7, 2008 9:50:39 GMT -5
...You would definitely be some part of the second problem as of that post, yes. >_>;
EDIT: I don't think the first part necessarily applies to you, though, no. None of your characters immediately come to mind. o.o
|
|
|
Post by Ninmast on May 7, 2008 11:27:15 GMT -5
Yeah, Beany, you've been pretty good. You may lack in experience, but you know you lack in experience and you're making an effort (and great progress) to improve and learn. This is more for the people who think they're the best RPers ever because they've spent six months on some sewage-infested place that only people from there believe produces valid roleplaying.
Personally, I've been around the block somewhat when it comes to roleplaying and the internet, and you might have some difficulty naming a reference I won't recognize. Say you come from a place like, say, the Sakura Kingdoms, and I'll be impressed. AnimeTheme, and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt until you prove otherwise. But if you think some place like Furcadia makes you teh awesomest roleplayer evah, just shoot yourself in the foot now. Yeah, there's some good places on Furcadia where the RP is really expected to be top notch, and I've even ran a story circle on there that has come up with some really impressive stuff from just random people, but if you've spent 98% of your time in the Furabian Nights section, that place only produces one product, and it's not one to brag about.
I've seen an increasing trend all over the net over the past year or so. More people that don't know what they are doing are invading all RP places, good and bad, and they're not willing to admit that they could possibly be sub-par. It hasn't just been here on the EAB, but in places as esteemed as Sakura Kingdoms and dragging places like AnimeTheme even further down. One of our primary goals set forth in this forum is to not only share writing, but to help each other improve through constructive criticism and, where applicable, education, but lately any attempt at criticism has been met by these people with hostility and offense. Before we can move forward, we must take some sort of steps to ensure we can first move upward. Anyone and everyone who comes here, good and bad alike, MUST be prepared to learn and improve, no matter how good they think they already are. There is always room for improvement, no matter who you are, where you come from or what rank you hold.
In concept, I don't particularly like the idea of regulating good and bad through the rules so directly, but it's coming to the point with some members that I'm beginning to think it may be the only choice we have left to salvage ourselves and begin to once more accomplish our objectives.
|
|
|
Post by Beanybag on May 7, 2008 16:22:02 GMT -5
...You would definitely be some part of the second problem as of that post, yes. What problem would that be? >_o
|
|
|
Post by Teh Donut on May 7, 2008 16:53:09 GMT -5
The "accept criticism" part, I believe. I don't think you're part of any problem, actually. You're doing fine.
|
|
Red14
Full Member
Cwonowopowis?
Posts: 341
|
Post by Red14 on May 7, 2008 17:27:10 GMT -5
Now look, I know when it comes down to it I'm certainly not a well known member of this forum (besides Ninmast and Beany) and certainly not one of the Elite Rp'ers here but I think that I need to add my two cents.
I foresaw this coming once I returned from my Hiatus, I called it the "War on nubbery". Really and truly though I don't know how forcing everyone who hasn't made a weaker character to do so is going to change anything, I mean, they could just NOT USE IT. And an un-used character is pretty much just taking up space right?
Now don't get me wrong, I want to help the newer members of EAB myself, I've been trying to coach Beany through this and it seems to be successful so far but, I feel that the problem is much bigger than just the usual "OMFG MY CHARACTER WILL PWN URS!" syndrome, I think a lot of members actually make stronger characters so that they could compete with others in tournament rp's and battles. I really think it's the tournaments and stuff that are to blame for the ub3r characters. I mean, think about it, no one likes to lose.
Now that's not to say that Tournament rp's are bad, I just think that the existence of them has made other members think "Hey, if i want to make a successful rp, I'll just have lots of fighting in it!" When I think the existence of the Tournament rp is to be THE PLACE for a bunch of random nonsensical battles. In normal rp's a great storyline should be the main focus.
I do my best not to make generic characters, I really do. The vast majority of my characters have personality and personal struggles because that is what i like about characters, three-dimensionality. It's no fun just to have an ub3r powerhouse who was a genious since birth and can pwnzzor everything he sees just by thinking it, our newbies have to realise that creating a weaker character with deep personal struggles can be just as fun (usually moreso) than a very powerful character.
I know some of that was rambling buut I don't think my point got jumbled in the process.
|
|
|
Post by This One on May 7, 2008 17:53:42 GMT -5
First part: Well, all I have are weak characters...I think level 5 or 6 is the highest...So I don't think I'm contributing to this problem, but I see what you're saying, True. I agree; when the more influential members (I guess I can be included into this group, seeing as I'm usually top poster) make all OMG-uber-emo-genius-smash-your-face-into-the-wall-by-looking-at-you characters, it does seem to pressure the greener RPers into making something bigger, badder, and more generic. That's what your saying, right? At least I think it is. Second: I WOULD APPRECIATE THIS SO MUCH! I've finally discovered my love RPing, but when it comes to fighting, I'm usually clueless and- oftentimes- bored. Sure, I could sit around and strategize for a fight for the whole RP ( that actually takes writing and thinking talent!) But it's SO hard for me to describe fights without using straight-up onomatopoeias. I mean, how hard is it to describe a sequence of punches and kicks? Honestly... I like your mouth words, True. They say things. Hope to see some changes in a certain few boards; let me know what I can do if I have any problems with any of this. I'm not perfect, as we all know.
|
|
|
Post by Teh Donut on May 7, 2008 18:12:05 GMT -5
I feel that the "you must create a non-uber character" idea came about, not because some people refuse to make such characters (something I could understand, maybe), but that some people have shown that they might be genuinely incapable of producing such characters.
While I agree that they wouldn't use them, and that they might very well simply clutter the forums, there is an old saying..."practice makes perfect". One cannot figure out how to make a three-dimensional character if one does not practice it a couple times. The more one practices, the better one becomes at fleshing out a what would be just another clutter character into a genuinely believable being. I wouldn't mind having super-powered characters clogging our roleplays so much if their personalities were something more than simple two-dimensional rip-offs of the creator's favourite and "suckeningly"* generic Naruto or Bleach avatar (for one could hardly call them "characters" of the lack the necessary part that gives such mind-numbing idiocies their namesake).
I agree with the tournament issue, though...it seems people are breeding their role-playable avatars (again, you can hardly call them characters) for the sole purpose of the next big "zomg uber tournament XTREME" or "demon army come kill us all lol k?" roleplay than for any sort of story or character development aspect.
I rememeber a time when tournament roleplays were few and far between. Even then, the main focus was to tell a good, or at least decent, story through the use of dialogue, playing off characters' past interactions, or developing relations during the fighting that could effect how the characters interact in future encounters. We need to go back to this time...probably by banishing such roleplays for a while and forcing people to, I don't know, actually roleplay[/b] instead of thinking up how to describe their super-cool-flashy-hadoken-of-doom in the most super-cool and flashy of doomy ways.
Perhaps we need True's rules, perhaps we don't; all I know is, I agree with her sentiments...I would rather roleplay with the same five people ad infinitum if they were great roleplayers, than stand five posts in some of the roleplays and with some of the people we have now...
* Suckening - from the union of the words "sucky" and "sickening". An idiom developed by Donut to describe the full and complete merge of something into a sickening morass of suck.
*Edity*
What's sad is that I learned to roleplay on Gaia, of all places. Gaia. The cesspool of internet intelligence. It says something when I see better roleplayers on there than what has crept up here.
|
|
|
Post by Ninmast on May 7, 2008 19:45:43 GMT -5
I fully agree, Donut. Some of the stuff that have come on here is just lousy. I do disagree on the tournament thing, though. I don't think that has anything to do with it, and we really don't have any more on average than we have had in the past.
Part of the problem, though, is that these people who make these huge characters are then unable to enter any RPs but tournaments (rarely) and their own RPs where they proceed to make it all about how badly they can pwn the participants.
|
|
Silva
Full Member
I don't need no stinkin avatar!
Posts: 285
|
Post by Silva on May 8, 2008 3:43:54 GMT -5
Everything described in this thread perfectly explains why I left RPing in the first place. Then again I don't know how I would get back into it, I can remember being a big offender on many of these issues.
|
|
|
Post by TrueBlue© on May 8, 2008 10:49:28 GMT -5
Beany - Yes, you're fine. I was being funny because you made a retarded joke.
Donut really did hit it on the head, though. I mean, when all of your characters are exactly the same, you have to wonder, "Can't they do anything else?"
And the answer might very well be "No, they can't." When you learn how to conduct yourself in an RP from certain unmentionable animes... DragonballYugiohNarutoBleach... or video games, there is going to be a problem. So I'm helping. ^_^
Aaaaand that's all there is to it, really. o.o
(Particularly dialogue. Anime and video game-level dialogue in RPs drives me maaaaad. >.<)
|
|
|
Post by Ninmast on May 8, 2008 16:19:33 GMT -5
Yu-Gi-Oh RPs are cool ... And you can't be all about fighting because there isn't any.
|
|
|
Post by Beanybag on May 8, 2008 16:52:21 GMT -5
Triple Post Nin
|
|