Shattered Kingdoms

You never know who might enlighten you because -everyone- has the ability to.

As long as there are safeguards in place, as in something like you can't enlighten the same person more than x number times per month and never in the same week. I think it could be useful.

I like the thought of everyone being able to reward, only small enlights, and with restrictions on how many times you can enlighten the same person a month. I think it would be nice to give characters some sort of penalty at the monthly reboot if they do not get at least 1 enlight that month, which would immediately go away if they got enlightened. This would promote rp and character interactions without being too abusable.

The idea of receive 2 then can give 1 need not exclude the current paragon system. It sounds like it could be an addition to the existing system.

But in the end, both systems give XP, which:
1) benefits pkers more than rpers
2) is actually something pretty easy for pkers to come by
3) something you have no more use for once GM

There needs to be a type of reward that actually appeals to and helps rpers.

Interesting but i can already forsee crying and intense gaming of the system as a result of an idea like this.

Everyone likes mentor points.

I would also like to see something done with the loyalty system to, I have alot of points stacked up. But to encourage Rp, i vote for having hero tournaments again but with restrictions. Something like champion+, 5+ enlights, and a certain amount of weeks played. Add in the everyone can enlight system but turn it to everyone has one enlight a month after playing a character for a month. Keep the par system and add a channel for pars/heros to talk to "new to pyrathia" people to help ease them into the game and guide them along.

To incentivize RP, someone mentioned a specific shop. How about shops of renown. Where your number of enlights grants you shop access to specific lists of items. Not saying these items are super leet or anything. Don't know if it can be done, but some sort of reforger and/or retailor that can make one item look like another, assuming you both in your inventory. this would let people customize their gear, in that they can keep the enchants of the item that is about to have it's desc changed. This would be a sideways buff because they gain no tactical advantage but they keep up their RP leetness by having matching sets of items.

To be fair, I haven’t read through all the posts thus far, and I am a very new player to the game. (Who, if other players have been wondering, has been offline for the past few days due to flu, guests, and Christmas preparations.)

I am going to make this a high level post, because I think that is where this discussion is at.

To begin:

What does it mean to incentivise RP?

For me, incentivising RP means to create an environment where RP is comprehensive, pervasive, and rewarding.

What is incentivising RP not?

Incentivising RP should not be something that creates a shield, or discourages player combat. On the contrary, it should heighten and enrich player combat. It should not be an easy way out of what is otherwise an integral part of the game too.

How does one create an environment that is competitive, pervasive, and rewarding for both RP and PK?

I think everyone can agree that at some level good RP starts with the players themselves, but just as players have to learn the game, to learn where the good items are, to learn what the best combat are techniques, and to learn what the best character builds are to successfully PK, so too should players be encouraged to learn how to RP, and to learn how to RP well.

RP requires mentors

I think this is a key point to note, as the game does somewhat provide the opportunity for players to shine, through the paragon status to step into a role of mentorship via example, but is that enough? I’m not entirely convinced that it is.

Why? Because mentors are provided a very limited set of tools through which they can teach. (My understanding is that they can provide some level of experience reward, but not abusively and perhaps even without the other player being aware they are being rewarded.)

Currently does a mentor have the tools to pull a character aside and explain what they did does not conform with good RP.

For example: Is it good RP to use the WHO list to contact someone you’ve never met in the game, not even by sight? Answer: probably not. I know it’s pretty standard practice right now, but seriously of all the thousands, or millions of citizens in the world at large you’ve created, how did you isolate and contact another players thoughts who you’ve never even seen? That’s probably not good RP.

Does a mentor have the tools to express pleasure and encouragement for good RP? Not necessarily either, not if they themselves are always character.

RP requires story

This is such a key component to RP that I think is sometimes overlooked in online communities. There is an assumption that players can create stories in and of themselves simply by providing them with an environment, and to some extent this is true. However there are plenty of difficulties to this understanding:

1) Different agendas – We each have them when we RP
2) Uncooperative parties – Not all players will want to be willing participants in stories that do not move in the direction they want to take their player. For example, we cannot all be the hero of an adventure every time when conflict arises.
3) Limited scope – Stories driven by players themselves are limited in scope. They are limited to what players themselves communicate to each other.

What does it all mean? It means that RP left in a sandbox without direction. It will remain just that: aimless, directionless – it will mean that for the most part RP is introverted and conversation based. There will evolve a few hubs where players go to converse and share news.


RP requires immersion
This is one of the hardest hurdles to overcome on a game, which has mechanics that will ultimately influence player decisions.

How do you make RP immersive, when simultaneously players are forced to think about: where to go level, what stats to gear towards, who is online at any given point, etc.

Can we ever get away from it? Not entirely.

Can we do things to rectify it? Yes, most certainly.

How can you create an environment that is more immersive? Remove or weaken some of the barriers that bind players to restrictive actions.

I’m going to use an example which I think the game has already done a good job at recently:

The enchanting/consecrating system has been expanded to allow players to customise their enchanting to fit all manner of gear. What has this done? It has made more gear viably competitive, by allowing for someone to strengthen the weak points in what would have otherwise been undesirable. I’ve seen enchanting systems that were only based on dam roll / hit roll bonuses. These do not help overcome the problems of elitist gear.

Gear Elitism is only a small part of the game, though.

Let me ask a question?

What reason is there to make someone level in a game that is RP based, by killing NPCs?

Is it a rite by passage? Is there some advantageous reason to do so? I mean the player themselves will probably increase their combat skills, but otherwise does it serve a purpose? I’m not convinced that it does.

What does forcing players to kill NPC’s do? It forces what should otherwise be an RP decision on a character. Could not a warrior level by training with a master and a wooden sword? Could not a mage level by learning their craft really well? Could a bard not level by singing and writing poems? What reason is there to force leveling by combating non responsive NPCs?

I ask only to insight conversation and thought at this point.

Conclusion (to this post)

I don’t think I have time right now (I’m at work) to go into possible solutions. There is value in highlighting problems and goals before considering solutions, but I do want to reiterate that:

RP and PK are not mutually exclusive things; they should not preclude or inhibit the other.

But to create an environment that incentivises RP, you really need to think beyond static reward based or perk based systems, to an environment that holistically embraces the rewards of RP. You need an environment that has mentors to teach, with the tools to help them, to help them create and direct stories, to help them make and create drama that is bigger than any one character, but which characters can participate in, and finally which facilitates - as much as any other means - game success through RP.

I like how everyone's at least trying to put some considerate input on the subject~♫

I'm actually willing to write up a suggestion taken from a previous Mudding experience..

Edit: Well, if we can keep an open mind...