How important is roleplaying to you?

[TheSaintACE]

It's essential for me. One of the chief reasons I even play games is so I can roleplay. Be it text based or in an MMO where I can actually see my character...I will roleplay no matter what. You don't have to support my roleplay or like my roleplay...I'm going to do it regardless. Half the fun is being able to come up with ways to actually do it. While add-ons like FlagsRP make things easier and help roleplayers identify one another, as well as having actually RP servers...it's not a necessity because us roleplayers are going to find one another no matter what. I mean...my legion is a roleplaying legion!

Anyone that tries to claim that roleplaying is dead is seriously misinformed. What roleplay has become is more selective. It used to be all kinds of people mixing it up together, but the Drama Llama of the internet has forced us serious roleplayers to be more choosy. Basically...we HIDE...so that we don't have to put up with crazy on-line people's crap.

[Endrance]

Originally Posted by Disrupter

I figured it went without saying the name I am using now just might have been it...

Restricting players on the names they can use? Does that particular feature make you hop up and down in your seat ready to purchase it? Probably not. Its the interesting game rules and variations there of that make a game. Not, as I said, whether someone in a corporate tower somewhere decides your name is acceptable.

Are you confusing game rules with game mechanics? Lets use the recent example of Grand Theft Auto 4's gigantic sandbox environment, relatively free of "rules", but chalk full of game mechanics. A sand box type title is essentially a single player offline MMO, though some titles have branched into limited multiplayer as well. There are no rules in these titles, but many intricate mechanics.

Also, why should one care what another names their character in an online video game? If it detracts from the enjoyment of the game I really have no answer other than stick to board games.

I'm still not getting in the slightest what your point is. Are you talking about name violations?

[Jest]

I've voiced my opinion in other RP related threads on the board and it's the same even now. I'm not one to Role Play. It doesn't interest me at all. That being said, if others want to Role Play, by all means have at it!

[Disrupter]

The following is an example of RP-esque naming restrictions, since the point isn't apparent enough for some somehow. Lifted this from Vanguard – Saga of Heroes

Apologies in advance the following cut and copy:

Vanguard Naming Policy
The intent of our naming policy is to promote the feeling of being immersed in Telon. These policies apply to all player names, first and last, as well as all boats, regardless of creation date. The following types of names are unacceptable. Intentional phonetic misspellings, combinations and homonyms of these words are also unacceptable. Names must be at least three characters long and may not contain spaces or any non-alphabetic characters.

The following types of names are inappropriate:

Obscene, vulgar, lewd, sexual, racist, hateful, or ethnic references or slurs.
Combinations of words that produce an offensive result (Hugeaz, Tug Mcgroin, etc.).
Any and all drug references.
Names referencing figures of lore or otherwise found in the world of Telon (Jeric, Vol Tuniel, etc.).
Names recognizable from popular culture or popular fantasy. (e.g. Madonna, George Bush).
Names created purely to harass others.
Names chosen with the intent, or possessed of the effect of harming the reputation of, or used to impersonate a customer or representative of Sony Online Entertainment or any of its partners and affiliates.
Names of religious or significant historic origin (Jesus, Moses, Satan, Allah, Stalin, Hitler, etc.)
For all of the above, misspellings and alternative spellings of the word or words are also unacceptable.

Characters with any of the above type of name violations can be changed immediately and without notice. These changed characters may lose access to houses that they may have admin on. There will be no reimbursements made for any items, structures, money, or any other game related issue directly related to the character name being changed for the above violations.

Any other name deemed inappropriate that may not fall under the above categories will be changed at the decision of SOE. SOE employees have the final say on all name changes.


I agree with the restrictions regarding obscene, vulgar, or malicious names. There's no reason for that stuff regardless of how immersive a developer wants their environment to feel. But the portion regarding their intent behind this is ludicrous and very in-line with this thread's topic to a point. Not to mention the consequences of suddenly and without warning having your name changed, resulting in the inability to access areas and inventory previously accessible.

If, for whatever inane reason, it was decided 'Disrupter' wasn't in line with their naming policy, I would be acted against. The name isn't offensive whatsoever, but its also not KROSHGARD FLAMEBEARD, SLAYER OF DRAGONS and thus may not feel immersive to someone with reins on the naming policy.

I would be punished for continuing to use a name I have used for ten years across numerous multiplayer titles in my offtime, blogs, websites, and even in a professional capacity. Unacceptable.

[Endrance]

"Intentional phonetic misspellings, combinations and homonyms of these words are also unacceptable."
That rule is crap. I mean, you could also say that Endrance was originally End'u'rance and is now intentionally phonetically misspelled, which is bull (I mean... it's a name, they kind of cannot be phonetically misspelled). I agree without you about the "intend behind it" thing being ludicrous, unless it's very obvious. Disrupter is completely fine.

However, how is Vanguard a reference for anything? I mean, that game sucks anyway. lol
And you also cannot say that restricting names is bad in general, just because the Vanguard guys are stupid. It's good that you explained it now. Otherwise no one would've understood what you were talking about.

[Disrupter]

Vanguard's not the only title to do it, its just the most extreme example which came to mind immediately. Although I think they are the only one to screw the player out of items and other aspects of the game in addition to it. The roots of those types of regulations are rooted in RP, which is why I brought it up.

[Endrance]

Originally Posted by Disrupter

Vanguard's not the only title to do it, its just the most extreme example which came to mind immediately. Although I think they are the only one to screw the player out of items and other aspects of the game in addition to it. The roots of those types of regulations are rooted in RP, which is why I brought it up.

I've used those kind of names in pretty much any of the 80+ MMORPGs I've played and never got into any problem.
However, I also understand that if the game itself is very RP based, that names could be restricted in some way. Endrance or Disrupter (yours more than mine) don't quite fit very good in a medieval game. And in fact, I usually create new names for every single game and character I make. I may quote Ramza from FFT at this point once more.

"Names don't matter. What's important is how you live your life.", in that matter, how you play the game.

You can kind of connect this to your point, since names aren't really that important at all. It's just what people call you.
But yea, taking away items or w/e cause you broke one of those fairly unimportant rules is bull. lol

[Yame]

Well I wouldn't want such strict RP naming rules. I was just saying I like name restrictions because it's nice when people's characters have actual names instead of silly phrases or numbers and whatnot.

[Vorian234]

I think it should be smooth, but more of an undertone. Lets face it we play this for enjoyment, I'll be damned if im gunna be walking around saying "I shall smite thee with my sword." If the game wants to implement it from an NPC side, thats pretty cool, I don't mind be called Vorian the Legend by a quest giver or such. But we're in the 21st century, not the 14th.

[Mamonaku]

Role playing is a big bonus in my book.

The ability to Roleplay, and the huge number of people willing and able to do so, was one of the things that made Pre Combat Upgrade Star Wars Galaxies the most unique and enthralling MMO I have played before or since, with the exception of Phantasy Star Online, which had a nice role play community it its own right.

Falling in with a band of hearty role-players is one of the most rewarding and memorable ways to play a MMO.

With that said, I hope that AION gives us the freedom to choose how we earn our daily bread via differing paths and professions; the props to enact our petty dramas, such as housing, trinkets, social clothing and hang out bars and so on; and the tools to do so, crafting, economy, player interdependence, guilds that require teamwork to survive and thrive, and so on.

Anyone who witnessed an old skool Cantina Crawl on SWG knows how awesome genuine, spontaneous role-play can be...

[Jacarr]

Back when EQ was starting I made a Ranger and actually roleplayed. "I seek a few brave companions to help thin out the number of orcs in Crushbone castle." That's just a reference of the general style of the speech I used. But, I quickly realized people didn't really do that and it was mostly, "Level X Class LFG" and haven't roleplayed in an MMO since. Still do though on those very rare occassions when I'm playing DnD.

[tsn]

RP is nothing, Gameplay makes the game for me.

[Dez]

Originally Posted by Vorian234

But we're in the 21st century, not the 14th.

Aion is not real life, so in the world of Aion we're not really in the 21ist century, but okay.

People seem to underrate Role-playing, RP is what made RPGs, RPG is RP. It's in the name, Role-playing game.

Role playing isn't only to actually act as your character, it has a lot to do with immersion as well. I believe that anyone who plays a MMO wants to immerse in the game, if you just want to have fun why don't you go out and have fun, there's a whole world for you to have fun in. Yet you play MMO's.

So why do you play in this virtual world and not in the real world? Because you likely find this fictional world a lot more interesting, different from ours, and it's sort of like an "escape" from reality. It may not be because you hate the world, or your life, but something small as you want a break from the boring daily life, in a much more "fantasy like" world.

People who RP just makes this experience a lot more enjoyable. Calling RP stupid or saying it's not important is kinda odd, RP is the very essence of a Role-playing game.

[Sequel]

I normally do not role-play, simply because the games that I have played in the past did not give much of a platform to do so. However, with Aion it's a different matter.

Role-playing is interesting and does make the game fun. However...I prefer casually. Sometimes I just want to relax and chat without assuming a character's role, you know?
Though, I have to say; I never can quite truly "become" the character. I could never get into the mindset that I am the character, but rather, simply that the character is saying something and I'm writing it. I think that's my author's habit.

[Chaos_Theory]

Originally Posted by Glacius

0 importance for me personally.

10 characters and what not.....