Guild Wars 2

Hello
Things here at work are extremely slow and I have spent quite a bit of time reading the forums. I have noticed an awful lot of concerns over this and other games that all all I can do is shake my head.

My Simple question…. With the “community” what happened to the RPG—ROLE PLAYING GAME part of these?

I have read so much about how this game is to easy. Or maybe it’s to hard. Or maybe for some it just wasn’t complex enough to have to drag out calculators to figure this stat or that stat out. Or how this or that build is better then another. Or “why didn’t I get the extra special shiney low drop I hate RNG gear drop item!” aspect.

I know there is the MMO part but I think the RPG has long been forgotten. I noticed it in the other major popular game. Its starts with the Harder then Hard core players coming in looking to challenge their minds with puzzling boss mechanics and such which is fine when you enjoy the game. Soon it got lost to the point to where now there is a web site where you can actually see the mind numbing long form math to figure out the best of the best epicness cookie cutter form (I refuse to call it build because it WAS built then COPY/PASTED). Theorycrafters….. Hats off too ya. You decide to tackle the numbers where most don’t and that’s fun to you. I can’t help but think an Online version of Stratego might be better fun for you.

Then there’s whats been dubbed the “Casual Easy button w(h)inners”. That somehow think that’s an in alienable right that since they spent their money on a game sight unseen they are somehow in contract with A-net to be guaranteed that ALL content should/will be seen.

Let us not all forget to the affectionately known “ADDHD Gamer” you know who you are…… the ones who took one of your weeks vacations from work so you could rush to level cap just to find a dead end (really, you should have seen that coming from the last game you left) once you hit cap.

All that being pointed out, and I think I hit the major 3 of the professional complainers, if I didn’t hit your group sorry either you didn’t make enough noise or you have a legit or well rounded concern.

I wonder how many remember that this is a role playing game. Either as a singular character in your own story going through the events of the world as a budding hero trying to gain notoriety and fame among your piers and predecessors. Putting your own little spin or flare to things in your own microcosm. Or ….. even more appropriately with your GUILD experiencing the world and events together forging a group of friend and comrades to fight your way through the challenges the befall each one of you in your collective travels. WvW is a great place for the possibilities of GUILD WARS…. your guild mainly , in my mind, being the server you reside on. And your collective group maybe being the “company” or “batallion” or “squad” of that server.
Certainly many of you have been repeatedly hounded by the same character of a different “guild” in WvW to remember their names and has even maybe brought the notion of pixelated revenge first chance you get. ….to be cont’d….

One of my memorable moments in “that other popular game” was when a guild mate had flagged himself PvP. Got into it against another player….. next thing we see in guild chat was the other guy got re enforcements and he was out manned and leveled. So the cry went out for help. Myself and a third guildie rushed there to jump in the frey. When we got there we noticed there was still more of them then us….but 1 was missing. It was the one the original member had downed. We had a "good,bad, ugly " moment where you could even imagine the whistling going on. Shortening the story….. the downed guy rez’d from out of no where, jumped on low level bud and he was lucky to get off a CC before going down. Me and the other guy took the rest of the fight out and came out victorious. That for me was very exciting and very fun! Spontaneous clashes like that are awesome! Talked for months about how it all played out in our heads. There is another group I played with, though not in guild, where we PvE’d a lot. They were husband and wife team and the wife was Heals….but she tunnel visioned a lot. Focused on health bars and not the combat. So I had officially dubbed my toon the “sacrificial lamb” . It was always fun and interesting top see the kind of situations I would have to dig her out of. The joke was that if my toon didn’t die at least once in a dungeon….. she wasn’t trying hard enough.

Those are fun memories I had that kept me playing that game. We all played a role that was fun and kept our own stories interesting. I feel thats what our games now days are missing from it’s players. Not a design flaw. Player flaw. Too many folks wrapped up in competition and keeping up with the best of the best that they have forgotten that FUN is supposed to be part of the equation. Role playing, to become something or some one that you normally aren’t is the other part. Other wise they could just leave off the RPG of the category. Believe me I am guilty of it to. Thats when I got frustrated and quit that other game. Guild Wars 2 appealed to me on aesthetics and freshness and thankfully making strives towards minimizing the elitism that is brought via Gear stats, builds, and all the You gotta have this to be considered to go any further BS. However I wasn’t full on board until my 16 year old daughter…..yes my 16 year old daughter , reminded me of all the things I enjoyed about these games that got her playing them and that I needed to get back to the core of what these games are supposed to be.

Fun, explorative, role playing adventures to either be enjoyed by yourself and/or others with the idea of freedom to do things not factual in reality. So I plunged into Tyria with eyes wide shut and let that world evolve around me. Understanding that yea there’s no hard goals. Yea I want to be 80. Yea I want gold….but those to me mimick real life and that’s not fun at the moment and it doesn’t hinder me to take my time and realize the beautiful fantasy and sometimes nightmarish setting around me.

So what has caused the community to forget the RPG? When did it become about the grind and not the story? Why is it , as one person said “….getting that one pair of pants to fight that different colored dragon” is more prevalent then stopping and seeing the detail of the scenery and the flow of different stories of the NPC’s?

TL,DR : Don’t bother with TLDR your type is already mentioned somewhere above

Someone else can chime in but I believe that Tarnished Coast is the official unofficial role play server.

Sometimes that is the sort of thing you need to seek out these days. If that’s your thing. Obviously it’s not for everyone, and you still have to be very tolerant because your idea of role play is going to differ from almost everyone elses.

Idk, I like my story quests and making choices. I like exploring and taking screencaps of beautiful scenery. I like jumping into WvW and feeling a grand sense of battle. Overall I enjoying being a part of the world with the character I’ve developed, and I know plenty of others who aren’t in it for the gear grind. People who are in it for that have either left or stopped playing anyway.

I’ve played a lot of MMOs, and none of them ever had actual roleplaying as anything other than a weird niche community. I mean, SWTOR tried, I guess, but even then it came down to a choice of two characters you could play: puppy-kicking jerk, or insufferable do-gooder (with minor variations by class – the bounty hunter was “gruff heart of gold” rather than “insufferable do-gooder”).

The essential problem with roleplaying in an MMO is that:

• (a) it’s nigh-on impossible to mechanically reward good roleplaying, and players go where the rewards are,
• (b) it’s already hard enough to communicate with the illiterate numbnuts you find in these things without also filtering it through “roleplaying”, and
• © a lot of people are just flat out terrible at roleplaying and I’d prefer to not have to watch them try.

Yeah, in North America, Tarnished Coast is the server where the majority of role players are.

I’ve tried role playing myself… I’m too slow a typist, and not all that good at writing… it wasn’t for someone like me. I’ve role played for fun a little on my own in GW2 but you can’t expect someone who’s bad at role play, or doesn’t like role play to be doing it much, if at all.

Most MMORPGs are not really known for their role playing… But more for their communities or gameplay.

some people think RPG stands for Really Painful Grind. they saw GW2 had little of that, and proceeded to flood the forums.

Tarnished Coast’s been mentioned, in the EU ya got Piken Square; both have a good RP community an’ plenty ah people to roleplay with if ya make a little effort. If I’m in the mood ta rp I can almost always find someone ta play with me on TC. Like GregT said, ya can’t really build RP rewards inta a game, so if ya want some ya gotta hit up the other rpers out there … an’ there’s plenty of us out there.

There’s plenty of RP going down on tarnished coast. Though admittedly the inability to use skills amongst even willing participants puts some limits on things and deters me a little, internal conflict is ultimately resolved in a way more akin to a forum RP with pure talking than any kind’ve actions like pre- MMO RPGs would allow

GW2 plays closer to some of your more traditional RPG experiences than that other game ever did.

If you’re jaded because of the forum, you have to keep in mind most people that come to post on the forum do so because they have a problem. They aren’t going to mention the good because they’re cool with the good. They’re gonna mention the part they have a problem with. That has nothing to do with roleplaying.

I don’t really get this thread.

I know exactly what you mean. The best you can do is surround yourself with like minded people.

True RPGs are dead. When I first played WoW it was nothing like the previous MMO (a real MMORPG that lived up to the name, complete with battlescreens… but was hardcore pay to be a pro -_- ) WoW and similar are more like action games with RPG elements such as levels and MP tacked on.

Neverwinter Nights was the only MMO actual roleplaying game I’ve ever played. Hell, people STILL play it and it’s over 10 years old.

Most video games are funner when the fights occurs in a smash n bash scenrio instead of a staged scenario. It’s actually quite common for players to feel like “why can’t I just do something awesome, feel awesome about it, and then do more awesome stuffs”, instead of having to constantly achieve certain things first, then you can feel awesome cuz you’ve achieved it. I think most gamers started out gaming with a mind-set to simply play a game… but then all the trolling, players being kittens to others, and seeing other people perform better than them… just makes those players become close-minded and selfish.

Of course, everyone plays video games for their own reasons which they have the right not to share with others. However, it’s just morally stupid if players think beating another players is the best way to have fun…. seriously?

My best memory ever playing video game was actually a super simple story. I was playing DragonNest with 2 of my buds and in one of the dungeon maps where we reached a huge dining hall, and there were 3 doors including one that we had to figure out how to open (the biggest one in the middle). So one of my buds told me on the mic to go check the far left door while they go check the other door…. but then as soon as we went in, the door closed!! And I was trapped inside with the frikin giant spiders alone as a priest. Long Story short, the buds came to save me after they found the switch to open all the doors… and we had a good laugh after. You know what, even though I think we failed run that "Abyass Difficulty Run’…. that was probably the best afternoons that I’ve ever spent playing an MMO with my buds. It’s really those “unexpected encounters” which makes any game fun.

MMORPG picked up the role playing monicker, but it was never about that really. And rightly so. No engine can substitute for the human interaction and free imaginaton at pnp tables. And that is just fine. If you want a true roleplaying experience (as opposed to improvable stats = rpg in the realm of computer games), get back to the table – which are now even online. There are tons of tools to promote online pnp roleplay. MMORPG should not try to emulate “true” rpg. They are bound to fail and will only waste ressources on this pointless endeavour and compromise what they excel at – real time calculation of combat.

In terms of the “roleplaying” part of RPG, GW2 doesn’t do much to help. We’ve 5 races inexplicably speaking the same language, now suddenly working together. NPCs don’t notice my race or sex. Heck, my closest friends can’t even remember my name.

The game doesn’t promote it. We have wvw taking place on some metaphysical plane. We don’t have to level, just get past tutorial and pop, you’re 80 with full gear and all. Lion’s Arch is the only real functioning city, but there’s no place to sit…

So it turns into RPG which really isn’t about role-playing in the sense of acting or making a story, but rather that we run a particular character with a role.

I’ve been the other kind of roleplayer before. It took prob’ly 9 months in EQ before I even got to lvl 20, despite playing 5+ days/week, because was busy making stories. But the EQ franchise is a lot more about roleplaying than GW is. I’m ok with that.

The actual “role playing” part of the RPG genre got lost in translation somewhere so now it just means there’s some form of statistics that determine your effectiveness it combat.

Personally I’ve never tried RP’ing and I’m not entirely comfortable with doing so due to a lack of writing skill and far too much familiarity with game mechanics to get fully immersed in it.

ComeAndSee.1356:

Neverwinter Nights was the only MMO actual roleplaying game I’ve ever played. Hell, people STILL play it and it’s over 10 years old.

I played on a Full RPG shard for about 5 years, im still crying for the epic death of my LVL 25 shadowdancer ç_ç

nwn wasn´t more of a rpg than GW2. What made it rpg were the enthusiastic people running servers and gamemastering campaigns in nwn.

I am most likely going to repeat what has already been posted, but here goes.

When the console games started to officially become consumers. meaning their parents were not buying their game but they were. Games like WoW were just coming onto the scene.

Even though RP was a major part of MUDs and early version of GMUDs (MMORPGs). roleplaying became low priority. What became the priority was racing to the end and getting the best gear to beat up the other guy with.

Most that RP now have returned to table top gaming or gone the next step like Furrbies for example.

This is the first game in a long time that gives people the opportunity to return to these roots in the game. Due to how it is setup up.

I think you guys should get a few official RP servers. It kind of sucks for you seeing as how the only server with RP’ers is unofficial so you’d be doing your thing and then have the illusion broken by xXxNiGHTstEARxXXx dolled up in a bright pink GW2 T-shirt and baseball cap prowling around Lion’s Arch because he didn’t know Tarnished Coast was full of roleplayers.

I played star trek online , and the roleplayers all hung out at quarks or whatever on ds9. That was the funniest stuff i ever sat and listened to in my life. I never interfeared or tried to grief, but it was quite entertaining just to sit and listen. many a chuckle ensued in my office during those sessions.

Ok, i maybe wrong here, but what i understand from the OP wall off text (love to read a nice long thread) is that he not so much is asking to all go role playing.
He has a problem (and i do feel the same) that most people only rush to the lvl cap and then have a feeling off being cheated by Anet.
These games (and yes, there are other mmo’s out there) have a big world build and my experience with GW2 is that they encourage you to spend time in EACH zone, not just to lvl as quickly as possible, but to EXPLORE the area, trying to get a sense off what is happening and what your role can be in it all.

Just as a simply and short example, i can run from 1 side off a zone to another in a few minutes and then say: hey, i’m done here!
But that same path can cost me several hours to complete because i just spend 10 minutes looking at this awesome view from that hill over there and now i’m wondering what would be behind that other hill.

I hope i make myself clear (it is very late here while i type this) but in short, i do feel that OP is looking for more a fun approche to the game then what the hardcore, ultra fast, ‘look how fast i’ve reached 80’ is too most off the mmo’s these days.

sorry for the long post and the use off capitals in my own wall off text, just getting this off my chest

nightmunch.4923:

WvW is a great place for the possibilities of GUILD WARS

For someone touting the RPG aspect you sure dont know the lore very well . Anyone who’s ever played an RPG knows that lore is paramount to doing it properly. Perhaps you should read up on what the Guild Wars were and how the land of Tyria took its shape both culturally and physically .

mulch.2586:

In terms of the “roleplaying” part of RPG, GW2 doesn’t do much to help.

I disagree. We’ve got ah beautiful world, with deep lore, interestin’ races, wonderful atmosphere, an’ things happenin’ all around us; it’s a great world ta roleplay in. But yeah, if ya wanna story just for you, then ya gotta go out an’ make one. Get yer guild tagether an’ do events … say ya guys spend two weeks workin’ specific big events for each member if ya want. Ya still get ta rp in the mean time, but ya also get yer own personal attention … but that’s yer responsibility, the game shouldn’ have ta tell ya how ta rp – it just gives ya the place ta do it in. And GW2 has made one fine world ta tell yer stories in, if ya bother ta take advantage of it.

Algreg.3629:

nwn wasn´t more of a rpg than GW2. What made it rpg were the enthusiastic people running servers and gamemastering campaigns in nwn.

An’ people can still do that with some effort. Difference is, it’s a huge world an’ ya can’t shape the world aroun’ you, but hafta shape yer adventures around the world. That means ya gotta know areas, know locations, know where the right place ta do X is. What we really need is a whole guild of GMs, what jus’ do that an’ nothin’ else; I don’ got the time ta GM meself, but I’mma great person for ideas.

I consider myself as someone who approaches GW from an RPG point of view. I would not attempt to use these forums to have a conversation about role playing. There’s far better “walled gardens” out on the web for that. I have seen a few people attempt to start a conversation about character development as apposed to simple level gain… the response is usually along the lines of Go back to SecondLife

Here’s an example of what’s possible with just a dash of lore. Start a guild that is made up of only Asura Engineers (Not engineering! Keeping with lore the profession should be magic based. Example: Zojja; elementalist.). The role playing writes itself, we have all the tools. You can have geniuses, apprentices, and a group focus on crafting rare items (invention). Slap together a guild hosting site and you’re off and running. Occasionally you could party with a Human, Charr, Sylvari, and Norn for an adventure (better rounded group play), but ultimately you are loyal to your guild and it’s community and exclusivity.

Jack of Tears.9458:

mulch.2586:

In terms of the “roleplaying” part of RPG, GW2 doesn’t do much to help.

I disagree. We’ve got ah beautiful world, with deep lore, interestin’ races, wonderful atmosphere, an’ things happenin’ all around us; it’s a great world ta roleplay in. But yeah, if ya wanna story just for you, then ya gotta go out an’ make one. Get yer guild tagether an’ do events … say ya guys spend two weeks workin’ specific big events for each member if ya want. Ya still get ta rp in the mean time, but ya also get yer own personal attention … but that’s yer responsibility, the game shouldn’ have ta tell ya how ta rp – it just gives ya the place ta do it in. And GW2 has made one fine world ta tell yer stories in, if ya bother ta take advantage of it.

Why do you type like you’re speaking with a scottish accent?
It’s a forum for discussing the game, there’s no need to add any unneeded flavor to your text. Not to mention it just makes your posts harder to read.

Excessive fighting is too RSI inducing.

Conversational gaming often much more surprise inducing

Zimlobo.3962:

I consider myself as someone who approaches GW from an RPG point of view. I would not attempt to use these forums to have a conversation about role playing. There’s far better “walled gardens” out on the web for that. I have seen a few people attempt to start a conversation about character development as apposed to simple level gain… the response is usually along the lines of Go back to SecondLife

Here’s an example of what’s possible with just a dash of lore. Start a guild that is made up of only Asura Engineers. The role playing writes itself, we have all the tools. You can have geniuses, apprentices, and a group focus on crafting rare items (invention). Slap together a guild hosting site and you’re off and running. Occasionally you could party with a Human, Charr, Sylvari, and Norn for an adventure (better rounded group play), but ultimately you are loyal to your guild and it’s community and exclusivity.

You do realize that Asura Engineers break the lore due to them using Charr machinery, right?

Noppy.1348:

that same path can cost me several hours to complete because i just spend 10 minutes looking at this awesome view from that hill over there and now i’m wondering what would be behind that other hill.

I have the most fun when I’m playin’ my character in me head, even when other people aren’ around. Terra will get distracted in the middle of a Heart or a DE an’ run off ta check somethin’ else what caught her attention. I’ve got zones what are half explored ta 97% explored an’ just never finished ‘cause she got sidetracked by somethin’; and I’m not playin’ for the reward, but for me own entertainment.

Jack of Tears.9458:

Algreg.3629:

nwn wasn´t more of a rpg than GW2. What made it rpg were the enthusiastic people running servers and gamemastering campaigns in nwn.

An’ people can still do that with some effort. Difference is, it’s a huge world an’ ya can’t shape the world aroun’ you, but hafta shape yer adventures around the world. That means ya gotta know areas, know locations, know where the right place ta do X is. What we really need is a whole guild of GMs, what jus’ do that an’ nothin’ else; I don’ got the time ta GM meself, but I’mma great person for ideas.

no. NWN was partially made to encourage that kind of gameplay (quest editor, users able to become game masters etc.). In GW2, we are all just players, the big, inhuman machine is the GM. It just does not work like that. Sure, you can meet on some green pasture in Kessex Fields and start that pretend rpg, but then you are just using the game client as a platform of communication. Today, anyone can PnP through various online tools. MMORPG are games in their own right, it just does not make sense superimposing things on them that they are not made for.

Rellow.7364:

Zimlobo.3962:

I consider myself as someone who approaches GW from an RPG point of view. I would not attempt to use these forums to have a conversation about role playing. There’s far better “walled gardens” out on the web for that. I have seen a few people attempt to start a conversation about character development as apposed to simple level gain… the response is usually along the lines of Go back to SecondLife

Here’s an example of what’s possible with just a dash of lore. Start a guild that is made up of only Asura Engineers. The role playing writes itself, we have all the tools. You can have geniuses, apprentices, and a group focus on crafting rare items (invention). Slap together a guild hosting site and you’re off and running. Occasionally you could party with a Human, Charr, Sylvari, and Norn for an adventure (better rounded group play), but ultimately you are loyal to your guild and it’s community and exclusivity.

You do realize that Asura Engineers break the lore due to them using Charr machinery, right?

Nope, I did not realize that. I just finished Ghosts of Ascalon yesterday and I’m on chapter 28 of Edge of Destiny. Also, I played GW1 for only about a month before work/life got in the way. So off to the wiki I go to further educate myself. Thanks for the heads up!

Rellow.7364:

Why do you type like you’re speaking with accent?
It’s a forum for discussing the game, there’s no need to add any unneeded flavor to your text. Not to mention it just makes your posts harder to read.

I write the way I talk. I’m not writin’ for a publication, or doin’ an editin’ gig for some rpg comany, I’m writin’ ta relax an’ I like ta let me voice out when I do. If ya were readin’ a character inna book ya’d be dealin’ with the same thing; jus’ think ah me like a character.

How about i think of ya as grounds keeper willy

Jack of Tears.9458:

Rellow.7364:

Why do you type like you’re speaking with accent?
It’s a forum for discussing the game, there’s no need to add any unneeded flavor to your text. Not to mention it just makes your posts harder to read.

I write the way I talk. I’m not writin’ for a publication, or doin’ an editin’ gig for some rpg comany, I’m writin’ ta relax an’ I like ta let me voice out when I do. If ya were readin’ a character inna book ya’d be dealin’ with the same thing; jus’ think ah me like a character.

:) I would have to concentrate real hard to transcribe my accent instead of using standard variety. Thumbs up for your effort

Algreg.3629:

no. NWN was partially made to encourage that kind of gameplay (quest editor, users able to become game masters etc.).

Like I said, ya gotta put more work inta it.

Say ya know ya wanna do a search an’ rescue mission for that day. So ahead ah time ya find a cave where the person was taken; then ya map out what villages are between here an’ there. When ya get ta the villages the players ask aroun’ for information – this is where the GM steps in an’ does some dialogue for the npcs, (with everyone knowin’ ahead ah time that when she hops inta /say with ** or the like she’s talkin’ as ah NPC) an’ leads em toward the next village, or gives em a red herring she’s got in mind. The monsters an’ physical challenges are already there, so the GM doesn’ hafta build those, jus’ take advantage of the map. After the Characters follow the clues the GM leaves them, in different spots – the clues are given in text, but the spots are real – they finally make it ta the cave an’ maybe fight somethin’ else ta get to their friend. (or maybe jus’ someone else what’s gonna lead their RP in another direction)

All doable with some prep ahead ah time. An’ if they run inta some other rpers along the way, they might even ask em for help or info – and the GM can see if they wanna get involved.

Adine.2184:

How about i think of ya as grounds keeper willy

But as ah girl I don’ have near the beard for it. It ain’ Scottish anyway, it’s ah … mixed up … I’ve moved alot.

Jack of Tears.9458:

Algreg.3629:

no. NWN was partially made to encourage that kind of gameplay (quest editor, users able to become game masters etc.).

Like I said, ya gotta put more work inta it.

Say ya know ya wanna do a search an’ rescue mission for that day. So ahead ah time ya find a cave where the person was taken; then ya map out what villages are between here an’ there. When ya get ta the villages the players ask aroun’ for information – this is where the GM steps in an’ does some dialogue for the npcs, (with everyone knowin’ ahead ah time that when she hops inta /say with ** or the like she’s talkin’ as ah NPC) an’ leads em toward the next village, or gives em a red herring she’s got in mind. The monsters an’ physical challenges are already there, so the GM doesn’ hafta build those, jus’ take advantage of the map. After the Characters follow the clues the GM leaves them, in different spots – the clues are given in text, but the spots are real – they finally make it ta the cave an’ maybe fight somethin’ else ta get to their friend. (or maybe jus’ someone else what’s gonna lead their RP in another direction)

All doable with some prep ahead ah time. An’ if they run inta some other rpers along the way, they might even ask em for help or info – and the GM can see if they wanna get involved.

OR.. you just download one of the many RPG online tools with your friends and start real rpg in any system and setting you want instead of trying to make a MMORPG into something it is not Don´t misunderstand, man. I love PnP rpg and am really in your camp propably, I just don´t understand why we need to RPG in an environment cleary not made for it.

My experience with RP is that those servers are peopled by nice folks. Up to the point where you actually try to learn to RP. At that moment, you are ridiculed and teased incessantly.

I still like RP servers. But any interest I had in actually RPing has been squashed. Not by the game. By the community of RPers.

I do object, however, to being categorized poorly simply because I don’t RP. The first post is a very mild and disguised version of what I experienced when I tried to learn.

I will have fun my way, whether crunching numbers or blissfully ignoring chat – I don’t need to be tarred and feathered again for not knowing what I’m doing around my keyboard (and for the record, a lot of you have already read some of my stuff – I’m an author).

Enjoy the game.

Algreg.3629:

OR.. you just download one of the many RPG online tools with your friends and start real rpg in any system and setting you want instead of trying to make a MMORPG into something it is not Don´t misunderstand, man. I love PnP rpg and am really in your camp propably, I just don´t understand why we need to RPG in an environment cleary not made for it.

Oh, I’ve played tons ah PnP RPGs … almos’ literally, I bet. (ya should see me collection, me friends collect dice, I collect settin’s) The difference is … jus’ that, the difference. I like the fact that inna MMO the world is already made for ya, so ya can spend more time focusin’ on yer character an’ ya can really get lost in this physical place someone else made. It’s like – well NWN – when ya can combine PnP with an MMO. I still run ah game at me friend’s house twice a month, so it ain’ like I’ve replaced one with the other.

Jack of Tears.9458:

Algreg.3629:

OR.. you just download one of the many RPG online tools with your friends and start real rpg in any system and setting you want instead of trying to make a MMORPG into something it is not Don´t misunderstand, man. I love PnP rpg and am really in your camp propably, I just don´t understand why we need to RPG in an environment cleary not made for it.

Oh, I’ve played tons ah PnP RPGs … almos’ literally, I bet. (ya should see me collection, me friends collect dice, I collect settin’s) The difference is … jus’ that, the difference. I like the fact that inna MMO the world is already made for ya, so ya can spend more time focusin’ on yer character an’ ya can really get lost in this physical place someone else made. It’s like – well NWN – when ya can combine PnP with an MMO. I still run ah game at me friend’s house twice a month, so it ain’ like I’ve replaced one with the other.

you think? I am pretty sure anyone who ever tasted the blood of late hours six packs and amateur acting at the backroom table will find the experience you describe lacking ultimately but in any way, go for it, I just don´t think it´ll work out that well.

astrocanis.3195:

My experience with RP is that those servers are peopled by nice folks. Up to the point where you actually try to learn to RP. At that moment, you are ridiculed and teased incessantly.

Ya’ve ran inta some bad people, in that case. I’ve helped allota new-ta-rp players out, an’ I don’ mind helpin’ another if ya catch me online. Most ah my rp with Terra happens on the move, as she’s not one for stickin’ in one place for long; Adventure-RP, which some small part ah the community looks down on, but who cares about them anyway?

An’ I’m not the only one … there’s allota good rp’ers out there what are happy ta help. Go to Guild Wars RP an’ introduce yerself, you’ll find people ya help ya in no time.

I almost hate to reply due to the great back and forth but I wanted to just mention that Noppy was close to dead on about the gist of my post.
I wasn’t strictly talking about Role Playing in a sense of D&D type though I have had quite fun with that also. But also as in the aspect of enjoying the story itself that’s there and allowing the time to immersed into what it is your game world around you is about.
As far WvW and lore…. again… not trying to constrain anyone to one effect or the other. That can be the freedom of RPG. As another has stated, Jack of Tears I believe you do not have to be constrained by the " Theme park" or “sand box” that is specifically laid out if you and others decide that you don’t like what is there. Use the provided world to do your own story telling/creation.
It’s kind of what I feel is behind the idea of “It’s your story”. Put yourself in the role of your character, enjoy the scenery, the story, the idea of the challenge wether it be via what exists or what your (foreign concept it seems these days) Imagination conjures up.
I feel these days MMORPG is just being slated to be a prettier version of the CoD’s. NO story…. no purpose….just another rat race to keep up with the Jones’ .
Games like GW1&2 EQ and even WoW will slowly lose some the best sceneries and details for no other reason then “Why bother 1-X will be a blur….we will just make max cap look relatively playable to induce an atmosphere but give them plenty reasons to shoot at each other and their happy”

Just my opinion and worry

whatever you say. You still need to brush up on your lore big time though before you go making an ignorant statement about the guild wars again which ended in 1070AE

I guess you can sum the original post as “I’m being annoyed by other types of gamers and wish to make a statement that my playstyle is the only one worth of consideration by belittling other types of gamers”.

FYI: Declaring your playstyle as a cosmic truth won’t really earn you any love. Neither it will make someone suddenly “see the light” as far as roleplaying is concerned.

MMOs are mainstream games. Majority of the folks have zero interest in RP or RP elements. RP has always been a niche group activity.

When I was introduced to multiplayer games (MUDs back then) it was pure nerd activity. Even then a lot of people really didn’t get the whole RP aspect or the idea that staring into a wall of text might be fun. I wager most don’t get it nowadays either.

Increasing population of the games didn’t make RP any less niche activity. Also a lot of present day gamers have grown up with CRPGs and have never touched a PnP game, so they have never learned to RP either. MMOs are not PnP games where you have full freedom of expression.

GW2 is pretty good as a mmo but not as a mmorpg.

Role-playing games are not your tomb raider or ninja gaiden games. Ever since I was small, I avoided those kind of games are for the same reason. I personally don’t find them fun at all. Everyone appreciate fun in different ways. RPgamers appreciate fun in rpgs for reasons. Player-based gamers appreciate fun in those jumping games for reasons.

RPGs and those player-skill based games are two totally different genres.
We can see that gw2 tries to put Lara Croft into the open world mmo.

Mmorpg: You treat your character as your avatar. Your avatar is like your “pokemon”. You evolve it. You progress it. The things you can’t do but only your avatar can do. That is role playing. You compare with other players on how much time you dedicated to your avatar. You grow attached and love towards your avatar through time. You see the open world using the eyes of your avatar.

Guild wars 2: You treat your character as an extension of yourself. Your character is like your arcade street fighter character. You cannot grow it. You cannot progress it. It’s all player skills. You can’t grow attachment towards it through time. You feel happy about your player skill achievement that hardly people going to appreciate unless you brag about it. You see the open world as you.

There’s seriously lack of rpg elements in GW2. If people approach this game with the mentality of playing mmorpg, they’re going to get very disappointed. The only way to appreciate this game is to play this game like how you play your ninja gaiden, tomb raider or other single-player console games in that genre.

@Naoko; That’s how you play an’ see the game, again yer making these huge statements what are supposed to include everyone … an’ they don’. I develop a personality for my character; I treat her like what she is, an explorer an’ adventurer in Tyria. But, see, she isn’ an adventurer because the game pushed me inta the world killin’ monsters … I’ve met bartender PCs, Soldier PCs, Guards, Entertainers, Nobles, and more. People what wouldn’, an’ don’ call themselves adventurers … but Terra took the title because that’s how she sees herself, as an explorer an’ adventurer tackling the world an’ writin’ about her experiences – with a little embroiderin’ – along the way.

An’ I have grown attached to her; when I play the game I do it as if I were her; I make decisions like she would, I pick me path the way she would, an’ I gripe ta myself the way she would. I’mma actor (roleplayer) an’ she’s the role (character) I play while in the game world. An’ you’ll meet allota RPers what do the same thing. The Growin’ and Progressin’ ya talk about happens In Character, I don’ need numbers ta tell me how she’s changin’ as a “person”.

I always viewed “RP” people as fringe members of the gaming community.

How come hardcore RP people don’t just do the Second Life thing (or whatever it’s equivalent is), and buy an island lol? Second Life seems more in step with what you’d want.

I believe players are too detached from their characters in this game for it to have an effective RP environment. At times it feels more like a 90’s arcade game than the latest generation of MMO’s. After spinning and bouncing around the screen during combat I half expect a voice to come along and say ‘Flawless Victory. Your soul is mine’.

I agree that too many people race off as fast as possible to get to the highest level. I don’t see the point in that. Every MMO has end game issues and just turns in to a pointless and boring gear grind.

On the Lore side of the game, to me there is none. No doubt there is, but it isnt very obvious from just playing the game. I never played the first game and the intro movie was pretty pants in explaining anything other than a big icy dragon whooped some viking wannabes butts and now they are all boo hoo about it. So there is nothing that really draws me in to the game in the way that other games have, though admittedly the lore in games like Warhammer, Star Wars, Star Trek etc is far more widely known and accessible but still, certain warhammer did a good job in getting it across.

Without that attachment to your character, rp is going to be pretty none existant.