Goonhub
09-28-2022, 04:51 AM
I will anticipate that this post is going to be a little long. I've actually been thinking for a while whether to make a similar post, or a report directly to the administrators, about the situation with roleplay servers, so thank you for this post, because I think there is *a lot* to talk about. As someone already said, this is not a new situation, in fact it has been going on for at least a year. I don't know what the servers were like before a year ago, because I wasn't active (even on Discord) so I can't make a judgment on that. However, I think this is a big problem because it creates a toxic and hostile environment, for new players yes, but also for those like me who have been playing for longer and are very active in the community.
For example, we have people who help and defend antagonists because they are their friends. I have noticed this very often. Maybe they protect characters of their friends despite having committed serious crimes, or try to give an advantage to them. Even on Discord, I often see the "my character will protect X from anything because they are friends/siblings/partners" mentality, and I don't think it's healthy for the round, or the community in general.
Then, as you said, we have people who ignore anyone who is not their friend. I have noticed this kind of behavior very very often, especially when I use a new/unfamiliar character, or when I random name. It happens very often to be ignored, to not be able to participate in the rp, because "you don't have a known name." Specifically, it is really hard to get interactions and rp, with certain groups of people in particular. I totally understand that many players have connections, lore, stories that have been going on for many rounds, and it's great to see that people are building this! But it seems literally impossible to become part of these stories, these groups that are so closed. Players who are glued together to the point that it is impossible to stop them to talk or ask for help. This also applies to antagonists who mindhack/thrall or interact only with their friends. Something I see happening quite often and it makes the round static, in my opinion.
It's not an environment I really like on rp, personally. Interacting with everyone is impossible, of course, but ignoring people you don't know is-- just bad. In a multiplayer game where collaboration and communication are very important!
I also noticed how many people in cliques groups can be overly rude and mean to those who are not their friends. Roleplay servers are often described as a welcoming place, where everyone is helpful and kind and ready to lend a hand even to new players, but unfortunately I have noticed an opposite trend. Rude, mean characters, to the point where I think the *player* is actually angry at me. This is not the kind of roleplay I like. Little disputes can be fun, as somewhat grumpy characters can be, but being incredibly mean and rude, because of little misunderstandings, is not fun and creates an unwelcoming environment, especially for new players, in my opinion. This also extends to the Discord server, where I have often noticed disputes over what happens in the round. Yes, clarifying things calmly is okay, but discussions often get heated.
I noticed this stuff most often on server 4. For me, trying to have interactions there is very hard. I always feel that my characters (who are often very lighthearted, so that everyone can interact with them) are not appreciated, and that the way I do roleplay is not liked. I've had rounds where I would walk into my department and greet coworkers, and I would be totally ignored; rounds where people said about me "ignore it" so they could continue their roleplay. But I know that some people have been treated even worse. This is definitely a problem.
I also get the impression that some players want a certain kind of roleplay, oriented toward dealing with certain kinds of "deeper" themes, HRP rolaplay, maybe, and just don't want to interact with those who do more lighthearted, goofy roleplay.
Anyway, I do my best, I ahelp when I see these behaviors, and I try to interact with everyone, new players and not. But it is very sad to see that some friends of mine, who played in the server for a long time, have left the community because of this situation. I wouldn't know how else to solve it other than by reporting it to the administrators. Personally I'm a little discouraged because I don't see any changes so I'm playing on rp servers less and less. I hope this post and also my thoughts can help in some way
For example, we have people who help and defend antagonists because they are their friends. I have noticed this very often. Maybe they protect characters of their friends despite having committed serious crimes, or try to give an advantage to them. Even on Discord, I often see the "my character will protect X from anything because they are friends/siblings/partners" mentality, and I don't think it's healthy for the round, or the community in general.
Then, as you said, we have people who ignore anyone who is not their friend. I have noticed this kind of behavior very very often, especially when I use a new/unfamiliar character, or when I random name. It happens very often to be ignored, to not be able to participate in the rp, because "you don't have a known name." Specifically, it is really hard to get interactions and rp, with certain groups of people in particular. I totally understand that many players have connections, lore, stories that have been going on for many rounds, and it's great to see that people are building this! But it seems literally impossible to become part of these stories, these groups that are so closed. Players who are glued together to the point that it is impossible to stop them to talk or ask for help. This also applies to antagonists who mindhack/thrall or interact only with their friends. Something I see happening quite often and it makes the round static, in my opinion.
It's not an environment I really like on rp, personally. Interacting with everyone is impossible, of course, but ignoring people you don't know is-- just bad. In a multiplayer game where collaboration and communication are very important!
I also noticed how many people in cliques groups can be overly rude and mean to those who are not their friends. Roleplay servers are often described as a welcoming place, where everyone is helpful and kind and ready to lend a hand even to new players, but unfortunately I have noticed an opposite trend. Rude, mean characters, to the point where I think the *player* is actually angry at me. This is not the kind of roleplay I like. Little disputes can be fun, as somewhat grumpy characters can be, but being incredibly mean and rude, because of little misunderstandings, is not fun and creates an unwelcoming environment, especially for new players, in my opinion. This also extends to the Discord server, where I have often noticed disputes over what happens in the round. Yes, clarifying things calmly is okay, but discussions often get heated.
I noticed this stuff most often on server 4. For me, trying to have interactions there is very hard. I always feel that my characters (who are often very lighthearted, so that everyone can interact with them) are not appreciated, and that the way I do roleplay is not liked. I've had rounds where I would walk into my department and greet coworkers, and I would be totally ignored; rounds where people said about me "ignore it" so they could continue their roleplay. But I know that some people have been treated even worse. This is definitely a problem.
I also get the impression that some players want a certain kind of roleplay, oriented toward dealing with certain kinds of "deeper" themes, HRP rolaplay, maybe, and just don't want to interact with those who do more lighthearted, goofy roleplay.
Anyway, I do my best, I ahelp when I see these behaviors, and I try to interact with everyone, new players and not. But it is very sad to see that some friends of mine, who played in the server for a long time, have left the community because of this situation. I wouldn't know how else to solve it other than by reporting it to the administrators. Personally I'm a little discouraged because I don't see any changes so I'm playing on rp servers less and less. I hope this post and also my thoughts can help in some way