07-02-2020, 03:34 AM
At this point in time, I believe everything that needs to be said has been said for this thread. The flaws of the community and its approach to RP, the over reliance on Discord and the numerous meta-chats the various cliques and factions have built up over time, and even the constant voice-chat/stream groups that take place when a major conflict or event happens. So, I'll just lay out the things I personally feel hurt the game, without hopefully retreading the same statements I've seen throughout this thread.
Honestly, I feel like the playerbase has an over-reliance on the roll system in this game, in an era where every win or loss is hindered by that small scruple of RNG that ultimately determines 90% of the playerbase's following actions. This isn't to say that the roll system is a bad thing, it definitely has its place in the RP ecosystem of Eternia, but I feel like people should focus less on the outcome of the roll, and more of the outcome of the Roleplay.
For a vast majority of E1's lifespan, capture rolls did not exist, neither did a proper Injury system, and the end outcome of a fight was determined by the good will and common decency of your fellow RPer, and injuries when added were determined in a very similar fashion. Come E2, this freedom and system of trust was replaced by the Capture System and the injury system was fully implemented, giving less freedom on wound severity but more concrete consequences for the act of conflict. In some ways this was a necessary change, to mechanically restrict players from acting on casualty-heavy PvP-based characters, while still including the presence of danger in active conflict.
Since then, people have taken the outcome of the roll system as the gospel, oft determining their character's actions and the end result of both toons on the outcome of said roll, death to those who roll low, mercy to those whom roll high, and often quite literally in an IC sense, with characters showing unusual acts of charity when their opponents rolled well, and being completely merciless when the rolls were in their favor.
Now, this isn't to say that the system itself is the reason for these issues, it's more of an issue with the community, with us players as a whole, that causes this to be a problem. At the end of the day, whether it's because 'The IC fits', someone has an unlucky roll, or stupidity is rewarded with the more of the same, we as players should have more of a focus on what truly matters in the situation. Did you come to spend hours upon hours of your time, writing up text, creating stories, building connections and interacting players to 'Win' a game, a game with no end goal, where the future is determined by the players themselves; or did you come to Eternia to roleplay, to build those stories, to form those memories, those sparkling gems that you remember weeks, months, or even years down the line, even after you've gone and left this game.
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It's more fun if you take a step back and turn off the television, lift your blinds and just enjoy the scenery, be ignorant of the world at large, but fully invested in that small fraction of the whole that you live in. It is said that Ignorance is bliss, and I believe that it is absolutely vital for a healthy Roleplay environment, where the air of mystery and the unknown fuels the curiosity of the players, where the twists and turns are now surprises and not telegraphed weeks in advance.
Be kind to your fellow RPer, be ignorant, just have fun, and stop focusing on winning. It's a story, not a competition.
Honestly, I feel like the playerbase has an over-reliance on the roll system in this game, in an era where every win or loss is hindered by that small scruple of RNG that ultimately determines 90% of the playerbase's following actions. This isn't to say that the roll system is a bad thing, it definitely has its place in the RP ecosystem of Eternia, but I feel like people should focus less on the outcome of the roll, and more of the outcome of the Roleplay.
For a vast majority of E1's lifespan, capture rolls did not exist, neither did a proper Injury system, and the end outcome of a fight was determined by the good will and common decency of your fellow RPer, and injuries when added were determined in a very similar fashion. Come E2, this freedom and system of trust was replaced by the Capture System and the injury system was fully implemented, giving less freedom on wound severity but more concrete consequences for the act of conflict. In some ways this was a necessary change, to mechanically restrict players from acting on casualty-heavy PvP-based characters, while still including the presence of danger in active conflict.
Since then, people have taken the outcome of the roll system as the gospel, oft determining their character's actions and the end result of both toons on the outcome of said roll, death to those who roll low, mercy to those whom roll high, and often quite literally in an IC sense, with characters showing unusual acts of charity when their opponents rolled well, and being completely merciless when the rolls were in their favor.
Now, this isn't to say that the system itself is the reason for these issues, it's more of an issue with the community, with us players as a whole, that causes this to be a problem. At the end of the day, whether it's because 'The IC fits', someone has an unlucky roll, or stupidity is rewarded with the more of the same, we as players should have more of a focus on what truly matters in the situation. Did you come to spend hours upon hours of your time, writing up text, creating stories, building connections and interacting players to 'Win' a game, a game with no end goal, where the future is determined by the players themselves; or did you come to Eternia to roleplay, to build those stories, to form those memories, those sparkling gems that you remember weeks, months, or even years down the line, even after you've gone and left this game.
-------
It's more fun if you take a step back and turn off the television, lift your blinds and just enjoy the scenery, be ignorant of the world at large, but fully invested in that small fraction of the whole that you live in. It is said that Ignorance is bliss, and I believe that it is absolutely vital for a healthy Roleplay environment, where the air of mystery and the unknown fuels the curiosity of the players, where the twists and turns are now surprises and not telegraphed weeks in advance.
Be kind to your fellow RPer, be ignorant, just have fun, and stop focusing on winning. It's a story, not a competition.