MMORPGstuck (LOADSA PLAYERS)

[MythicalWashrag]

Forum personas ? Forum selves ? What the hell have I stumbled into ? I'm more lost with each passing post.

Because it is a messy jumble of ideas, which is growing larger as more ideas are thrown into it. Once we have all our ideas in the pile, we organize it, hopefully.
Eventually the idea pile will stop from getting taller.

[ashdenej]

Forum personas ? Forum selves ? What the hell have I stumbled into ? I'm more lost with each passing post.

As stated in the first post:

Characters are limited to forum-selves(*). Therefore, all humans (no trolls)(*).

I presumed that to mean that you had to go with what you presented yourself as? In my case, my avatar is always Don Huel. So I'd say that he was my forum-selve!

[MythicalWashrag]

It seems that whether to RP as our selves/forum selves is not set in stone, as a few people seem to be against it.
Personally I like the idea.

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

It seems that whether to RP as our selves/forum selves is not set in stone, as a few people seem to be against it.
Personally I like the idea.

Doesn't that mean you play as Kanaya?

Unless you mean you're up with being you, with which I wholeheartedly agree.

Jeez. The more I read into this the more I want to participate.

I'm overthinking it already.

[Daniel990]

It's a rule that you have to be your forum persona, i.e. yourself.

[ashdenej]

Doesn't that mean you play as Kanaya?

I'd assume that the people with images of Lord English or Hamsters jumping over a bridge probably won't get to play as that character. Otherwise you'd have Munchkins coming out of the woodwork with God avatars, or something!

So yes, you've got to play as how you act, I'd have thought. Luckily I behave exactly as my self-insert does, eheh.

[Yrr]

By playing as yourself I just mean a (slightly livened up) version of yourself.

So within reason you can change things about yourself just to keep things interesting.

I mean nobody here has a strife specibus or a fetch modus and a lot of people don't have anything worth prototyping.

[MythicalWashrag]

Yes I didn't mean my avatar. What ash and Daniel said; your "persona" on the forum was the original idea/intention of this.

Unless you think that I act like Kanaya? Which I am totally okay with.

I mean nobody here has a strife specibus or a fetch modus

Wait you don't?

[Yrr]

We still need to work out the format of this thing, what would an average post look like?

[ashdenej]

We still need to work out the format of this thing, what would an average post look like?

Presumably like an MSPA page, pesterlog and all?

That's assuming that people are able to draw, though. If they can't, perhaps they could a) get somebody to make a base sprite for them, or b) just do the pesterlog part.

SEE: Tumblrstuck.

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By Banandersnatch

Does this mean that using a 50 year old gentleman is permissible, by the by?

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

Presumably like an MSPA page, pesterlog and all?

That's assuming that people are able to draw, though. If they can't, perhaps they could a) get somebody to make a base sprite for them, or b) just do the pesterlog part.

Does this mean that using a 50 year old gentleman is permissible, by the by?

It would be creepy in a game full of teenagers. If we're heading that route. I mean, I don't know how I could possibly have an affiliation with you.

I just had a thought on limiting the power of The Hero of Time. Which is exactly that. Limiting the power of The Hero of Time.

Like, John couldn't do jack shit with his breath powers, until he hit his God Tiers, unless you count that Incredibly Convenient Gust of Wind. He mostly got his Mangrit on. Though, when he did ascend, as it were, he could burrow into the center of a planet, and stuff.

I'm thinking that a Time hero could work similarly. At the beginning, he/she can't travel much more than a couple seconds in either direction. As they get more and more powerful, they can start constructing hour long loops and all that. Once you hit your god tiers, then you can start actually manipulating timelines.

Put that together with the paradox idea- Like, you can't have god tier you travel back in time and hand you legendary artifacts, because that would cause an ontological paradox up the wazoo, and the more gamey, 'The further you travel through time, the more 'Paradox' you acquire. The more 'Paradox' you acquire, the more baaaaaad shit starts happening to you and your team, throughout the time stream.' - you can make for a working Hero of Time model.

The rate at which you gain paradox can also increase quadratically the more selves you put out there, and the longer you spend in the past. If you really want a cripple to power-gamer, you could probably just say 'The more Paradox you accrue, the larger the limit on your time powers, and so if you keep sending thousands on yous back to the beginning of the battle, you're going to end up limited to travelling back and forth by seconds again.' This would also allow for more 'Iflashedback2daystotellyousomethingnowIhavetogoby e', than. 'I flashed back 8 days and I'm going to fight with you for the next 12 hours'.

A system like that, I think, would allow for a Hero of Time that can have fun contributing to the game, being all 'I flash forward a couple of seconds to dodge the attack.' while not having an end game Hero be all 'I travel back 50 years and kill Tom's grandparents, thereby causing Tom to never exist.'

Now someone else should work out the kinks in my plan, or suggest an entirely new, better one.

Edit: Though, I should mention that the real way to stop power gamers is to take the gently aside, and slap them a little while shouting 'YOUR MUNCHKINING IS FUCKING UP THE GAME FOR EVERYONE ELSE NOW STOP OR I'M GOING TO GIVE YOUR ROLE TO TOM YOU DOUCHE'

[ashdenej]

It would be creepy in a game full of teenagers. If we're heading that route. I mean, I don't know how I could possibly have an affiliation with you.

The Don takes offence

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Okay yeah maybe it'd be a bit silly, but if 50 year old people are allowed, then I'm surely not going to be the only one who's older than a teenager, h'm? Maybe he is your local mafia boss or something? Kids play with those guys these days don't they

ALSO, using Alterniabound sprites is another feasible way of presenting this! SEE: Masquerade.

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[Yrr]

Presumably like an MSPA page, pesterlog and all?

That's assuming that people are able to draw, though. If they can't, perhaps they could a) get somebody to make a base sprite for them, or b) just do the pesterlog part.

SEE: Tumblrstuck.

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hide spoiler

By Banandersnatch

Who would be writing/drawing it, the server or client (or both)?

[ashdenej]

Presumably the person who posted the image?

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

Ashden, I do have to say that you do some of the sexiest art I have ever seen.

So don't be offended.

[ashdenej]

Ashden, I do have to say that you do some of the sexiest art I have ever seen.

So don't be offended.

Whilst I'll say thank you (of course!), only around half of the art in Masquerade is drawn by me - the rest is drawn by the beautiful and talented Zephyrkit.

I can't Alterniabound very well - I'm really limited to extensive editing, not creating anew, in terms of that - but I can sprite normal sprites, eheh. Meaning that I'll be of at least some use.

[problemProtagonist]

Presumably like an MSPA page, pesterlog and all?

Wouldn't that take a really long time to do? I'd suggest sticking with text with images only for important events (like character introductions, Ascending and all that.). Of course, drawing all the time should be allowed, just not obligatory.

From what I've gathered, the idea so far is: After establishing the world, people proceed with the game while talking one-on-one (client-server and such) or in memos (will we have memos?) and describe their progress in the thread in a Homestuck-like fashion? Or is it something entirely different?

The AOC idea is a nice one, but wouldn't that mean there should be one DM for each player?

Also, I like the suggestion that DMs/GM choose people's aspects based on their behaviour in-game. Probably it would be good if the players state their preferences beforehand and the mods just need to choose one of them (or an entirely different one, should that be the case)

@RemoteIslandSyndrome: That sounds like a good idea!

edit: We should probably set an age limit (which would be lenient), so that we don't have 10-year-olds RP with 50+ or something. That'd be weird.

[Yrr]

Presumably the person who posted the image?

I mean like, does the client dictate his own path or does he suggest commands and the server responds by dictating the path from his actions?
Or perhaps a combination somehow where they collaborate, maybe between them they decide on one of the options and play like that during their arc.

[ashdenej]

I mean like, does the client dictate his own path or does he suggest commands and the server responds by dictating the path from his actions?
Or perhaps a combination somehow where they collaborate, maybe between them they decide on one of the options and play like that during their arc.

I would suggest against doing something akin to One Sentence, because that can lead to rage and incredible stupidity, due to the meaningfulness of this venture.

I think that some kind of Pesterchum or Skype board might be in order, actually! It seems like that would help people make decisions without stepping on other's toes, haha.

[Yrr]

I guess we're going with collaboration then.

Wouldn't that take a really long time to do? I'd suggest sticking with text with images only for important events (like character introductions, Ascending and all that.). Of course, drawing all the time should be allowed, just not obligatory.

Drawing wouldn't be obligatory, but heavily encouraged.
It's easier to interact with visual characters and environments than purely textual ones.

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

Also, I like the suggestion that DMs/GM choose people's aspects based on their behaviour in-game. Probably it would be good if the players state their preferences beforehand and the mods just need to choose one of them (or an entirely different one, should that be the case)

Actually, that sounds like a good idea for players who don't really have a clear view of what role they want.

But we should remember that, sometimes the game chooses roles that don't align with who the players are, to challenge them. Like Rose gets light, despite her whole GrimDark thing being more appropriate for the Doom role, and Both Jade and Kanaya get Space, despite neither of them venturing much outside their homes. Eridan gets to be the Prince of Hope, despite not doing anything hopeful at all, mostly wallowing in his own misery and then murdering 2 people and dooming the troll race.

Though, hopefully we'll have better character development than Eridan, and have the 'Wallow in his own misery' guy develop into a paragon of virtue or whatever.

Edit: You know, that's one of the things that really excites me about the concept of roles. The character development. Like, we get the guy who is effectively a misogynist (I think I'm using that right), and so the game would designate him the 'Knight' class, and he'd have to spend his game being altruistic and helping his team, eventually teaching him to be a better person.

Please note that this is basically how I already plotted out my character arc in my head.

Editagain: OH GOD I MEANT MISANTHROPE I KNEW I HAD WRITTEN SOMETHING INCORRECTLY.

Equal opportunity hatred, guys. I never meant to imply anything.

[ashdenej]

Wouldn't that take a really long time to do? I'd suggest sticking with text with images only for important events (like character introductions, Ascending and all that.). Of course, drawing all the time should be allowed, just not obligatory.

edit: We should probably set an age limit (which would be lenient), so that we don't have 10-year-olds RP with 50+ or something. That'd be weird.

Firstly - I don't think it would necessarily be weird to have an age gap? Especially if we set it up so that there can be parental or avuncular relationships between characters, or something.

Secondly, arting doesn't take that long, if you're efficient! Heck, for an MSPA facsimile like Sunshine Crew, it takes about ten minutes to do normal text-with-caption updates. The bit of an MSPA update that takes the longest is usually writing it, according to Andrew!

If you've got spritesheets and resources, you're usually golden.

Also yes I feel the need to link at least one relevant thing with every post why do you ask

[Yrr]

Please note that this is basically how I already plotted out my character arc in my head.

I think upon hearing the idea for an SBURB adventure, everyone planned some idea for a character arc.
The fun part will be watching a load of mary-sue personas battling for the spotlight.

[ashdenej]

I think upon hearing this idea, everyone planned some idea for a character arc.
The fun part will be watching a load of mary-sue personas battling for the spotlight.

The best part will be seeing the eminently reasonable characters gain the limelight because people find themselves caring more about those that are actually relatable.

I think I have a plan for the Don / Adam / James / the Librarian / whoever the heck I use in the end.

[Daniel990]

The DM should set right those Mary Sue things, you can't just make yourself be able to punch people into next week for no reason.