In Response to āThe Guilded Cageā from The Escapist Forum: That was totally nerd!
I mean, no game should worth more than a suit ān tie office job, at least here in Hungary. But thatās probably the tiny speck of sanity talking in the quicksand of G4MeR.
Aside from the ending, though, it was quite well written, I enjoyed it. MOAR?
ā Playbahnosh
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In response to āSpeech of teh Realmā from The Escapist Forum: Loved every word.
I never played on a RP server (I dabbled in WoW for a time), but this actually reminds me of my old PnP games more then anything. Trying to progress the story, and some idiot has to ruin it by doing or saying something WAY out of character:
āSteve, you canāt just stab the guy in the face.ā
āWhy not?ā
āBecause, youāre a good alignment! Youād never just stab the guy in the face.ā
āBut heās evil!ā
āHeās also unarmed and hasnāt provoked you. You canāt stab him.ā
āWell then I want to change my alignment.ā
āYouāre already level 3! You canāt just suddenly switch alignments!ā
āMaybe this is a traumatic experience that causes my alignment to change.ā
āAn old guy not letting us into a tavern?ā
āā¦yes.ā
Ahhā¦so much frustration and spilled coke.
But still: Great piece! One of the more enjoyable ones Iāve read at the Escapist.
ā Baby Tea
Why does āRPā also mean āwrite like youāre a character in a bad Sir Walter Scott novelā? People in the Middle Ages did not talk like that. Most of them probably just cursed all day anyway, so Internetspeak is most likely a more accurate portrayal than faux Shakespearianisms.
Hmm, maybe āRPā means āwrite and act like youāre in a 3rd rate fantasy novelā. That would explain a lotā¦
ā anti_strunt
I agree as well. This is why RP servers are dumb, because it takes everyone three times as long to communicate one-third the information. It is okay to say, āWhich way is the tavern?ā That is perfectly in character. You donāt need to put it all in iambic pentameter.
ā Grampy bone
(Iām pretty sure Iām about to crap on someoneās fun here. Iām seriously sorry about that.)
This piece reminds me of why I think RP servers are dysfunctional. There are several elements that I consider the cornerstones of fun and effective roleplaying that are deeply lacking on MMOG RP servers:
1. Scene framing and narrative flexibility. Think about how a pen-and-paper game is played. Itās not a set of real-time events. Instead, there are scenes. Game-players have the ability to vary the pacing of a scene. They have the ability to cut to the good stuff. They have the ability to cut away artfully when a moment has wrapped up. Think about how flexible the verbal communication thatās going on is, for that matter: the group can summarize, paraphrase, &c. as needed. All this allows a group to use direct dialogue where itās needed, as a way to add emphasis and detail.
2. Background social communication. The players know each other. They communicate fluidly about reactions and expectations out-of-character, both as co-creators and each othersā audience. Some of the most effective sessions also involve active kibitzing from players that arenāt part of a scene.
Both of these are very deeply stunted on an MMOGās RP server: the simulated world makes it much harder to actually do anything with scene framing (while adding almost nothing useful to the mix because itās so damn static), and many of the players are strangers to each other, only engaged in momentary interactions ā so you usually end up with characters saying nothing important to each other and players with nearly no knowledge of each othersā tastes and expectations. Itās all rather stilted, clunky, and pointless. Kinda like it plays out in this story.
ā Alex
ā Alex_P
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In response to āJerryā from The Escapist Forum: Ouch.
Well written, sparse on the details, but Iāve always preferred imagination to a page of rock. Read every word, which is rare. Itās also exactly how I picture the invention of strong AI. By a programmer getting caught up in a pet project.
ā SlayerGhede
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In response to āShangri Laā from The Escapist Forum: Great story. Donāt know why, but it reminded me of some of the HP Lovecraft stories I used to read. Especially how the cold never seems to go away.
ā cthulhu257
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In response to āThe Moon Bearerā from The Escapist Forum: Agree. Itās mystery that we seek, not firm solution. We want to find out new things, eternally exploring new frontiers. First itās the vastness of land, then sea, the air, the depth, the stars, and eventually fabric of reality and time itself.
A very compelling story. The fine line between facts and myths, between religion and practicality, is amazing. I like the parallel that is drawn between the āgodsā and āmythical HeroesāArmstrongā, and how the mystery kept people alive and hopeful.
Let me stress againāabsolutely amazing short story. It really resonates with me.
ā olicon
Published: Dec 30, 2008 7:22 PM UTC