Hydaelyn Role-Players

I share your sentiment, there's too many "adventurers" or "great fighters" riding barstools at the Quicksand. My characters rarely do that with one being an adventurer, he's always out and about. I traveled from Gridania to Ul'dah to Limsa on foot and maybe 1/10 times I see folks out of the cities (the weekly battle pit outside Ul'dah doesn't count )

It's a lonely road out there but when you do find RP it is a real treat.

(08-14-2016, 07:26 AM)Dante Abigor Wrote: [ -> ]TL;DR: The roleplay activity on the server tends to fluctuate with the age of the last major patch, and if activity seems low, you will likely have to be more proactive and poke people more than having them walk up to you.

Ive been playing this game since 1.0 launched, and honestly it seems to be more of a cycle to how Rp progresses per update, rather than an absence of it. Its a rough summary, but this is generally how Ive seen it go each major update:

• People join/return/get otherwise back into Rp after an update. Maybe some story stuff happened, or maybe some sweet gear dropped. Whatever the reason people want to either try some new Rp ideas, write around the most recent story content in Rp, or join a neat plot.
  
  A large portion of these people quickly get absorbed into FCs and group up with each other, or eventually lose interest rather quickly and either go back to the game, get into something else in another game, or otherwise get bored/busy with RL stuff.
  
  Despite how that might sound this is usually when most of the open walk up Rps happen because the most people are on and a huge amount of people want to get their characters out there. Its like FC happy hour, but for like....weeks instead of actual hours.
  
  
  
• After the buzz dies down a bit thats when the clique Rp starts to rise up a bit. People have already found their Rp groups and friends and generally stay within those groups unless they are running a public event. Around this time I feel is the hardest to find open Rp because There honestly isnt much going on. Even most of the people I have personally seen active around this time openly are a part of a plot of some sort. (Not saying that means they cant be open to Rps but generally its my opinion it can make them harder to approach for newer characters or Rpers, as most of the characters part of a plot want to interact with specific types of characters to advance said plot.)
  
  
• And then there is the third phase where either a new update is coming soon or is otherwise around the corner, and hype for it is rising. Around this time plots are usually wrapping up somewhat or becoming more open, new plots are starting, and you have a mix of people leaving and joining the game. This "phase" tends to be the most ooc in my opinion because usually around now people are either grinding or trying to finish story content to get ready for the next batch of SE content.
  
  This is also however the time when Rpers tend to start putting themselves back out there before the explosion of people being active after the update. I find this time a pretty decent way to run into new friends and people, but as people tend to be less proactive about finding friends at this point it would likely mean that you yourself would have to be more proactive in making those connections (Much to to the disadvantage of character types that prefer to be approached.)
  
  

There are obviously exceptions to the bullets above, and in all of those times you can find Rpers and Rp, I just personally believe that it is easier during the first and third phases. It will also help you immensely if you get a hold of a Rp calendar of some sort, as Im pretty sure there is one (Or several) on this site. If you are looking for strictly random/walk ups however, I think it would be good to get a feel of how Rp is generally moving around the circle. Also kind of related is where you find it. The Quicksand isnt the only place people openly Rp, its just generally the most well known. As of the time of this posting I believe we are inbetween the second and third phase of the Rps activity. I hope this helped a little.

I'm real curious about this RP life cycle and have been giving it a lot of thought recently. To me, it would go like so:

1. New patch drops, RP is low due to focus on new PvE etc. content. Overall population high from people returning for new content.

2. RP increases as people start grinding for gear and need breaks now and then.

3. Late patch lull. <--- This is when I would expect RP to skyrocket since we've gotten our gear/items/new stuff completed and have free time in game. But, as you've listed, this seems to be when many RPers disappear.

Can anyone explain why RP doesn't explode during the late patch lull?

Because people don't have a reason to log back unlike in 2), and probably moved to other games and or activities. 

As you probably have noticed, most people, even if roleplayers, tend to always do their roulettes first, no matter what.

Just like how people get bored of gameplay elements, people can get tired of roleplay too and the two usually go in hand for most people. Why roleplay in a game you're kinda bored of, y'know? It's healthy to take a break once in a while and most people come back with a renewed motivation to roleplay, with the help of new shiny gear and glamours provided in the new patch.

RP goes into lulls just like anything else. People can tire out on it. Or perhaps they get burned out from the common "BUT WAIT IT GETS WORSE" spiral that a decent amount of "bad things happening to my character for development" plots do. Just like doing content, it comes in waves of interest. When then interest goes elsewhere, people don't log in, and then it gets more noticeable.

I'd consider FFXIV to be one of those games that appeals to MMO hoppers. As in, people who jump from MMO to MMO playing a bunch of them. Like how we see a population decrease when WoW gets a patch. Or when the next Blade & Soul or Black Desert Online comes out.

It's not dead. Just insular. If you don't have an "in", good luck.

Please just have a look over here

http://balmungrpcalendar.tumblr.com/

I think it will settle your concerns

Asking "where is the RP" is always kind of a loaded question.  It raises questions like:
- What kind of RP?
- What style?
- What theme(s)?
- Casual, midcore, hardcore?  (Or Light, Medium, Heavy for the older crowd.)

Instead of telling us what kind of RP you don't like to find or what you don't like doing, maybe try asking about the kinds you do, you'll find that people are better able to direct you to the people, Free Companies, and events that may suit you.

"Being okay with everything" is a bit vague so I'd suggest trying to narrow it down a bit.  Something like:  Adventure-style RP with plenty of events and long-term Storylines, Mid-to-Hardcore.  No adult themes (sexuality, gore, etc.)

Getting the answers that best suit your needs is all in asking the right questions.  

(09-13-2016, 02:12 PM)Steel Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]It's not dead. Just insular. If you don't have an "in", good luck.

I'd disagree with that considering the number of looking for RP posts here and on tumblr along with all the events going on. Much like Syranelle pointed out, it's a matter of finding the RP you're looking for or (and so many people forget about this part or just don't want to do it, tbh) if you can't find it -create- it.

(09-13-2016, 03:28 PM)Martiallais Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-13-2016, 02:12 PM)Steel Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]It's not dead. Just insular. If you don't have an "in", good luck.

I'd disagree with that considering the number of looking for RP posts here and on tumblr along with all the events going on. Much like Syranelle pointed out, it's a matter of finding the RP you're looking for or (and so many people forget about this part or just don't want to do it, tbh) if you can't find it -create- it.

But that brings up something else.

Lots of people are -looking- for RP. ...but like the many past threads, how many are creating it? Or creating RP that others are also looking for?

It's the wallflower argument, effectively. If everyone waits for someone else to initiate contact, then nothing will happen and people will keep waiting.

RP isn't dead. Sorry. Last night I performed at a show. The night before I was supposed to perform at a show (but was in hospital), Saturday night I did cabaret. Most nights during the week my FC is doing something that people can get in on. If I don't want to get in on that, I can RP with my other friends from different LS. 

But if you're not in an FC, or any linkshells, and you don't want to go to the quicksand, look at the RP events section of this forum. It's clear there is something going on every day. 

I think the problem here is not that balmung is dead, but that you're failing to find anything to your liking. I'm sorry that you feel like Balmung RP has died, but there are still lots of opportunities to RP.

(09-13-2016, 03:57 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-13-2016, 03:28 PM)Martiallais Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-13-2016, 02:12 PM)Steel Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]It's not dead. Just insular. If you don't have an "in", good luck.

I'd disagree with that considering the number of looking for RP posts here and on tumblr along with all the events going on. Much like Syranelle pointed out, it's a matter of finding the RP you're looking for or (and so many people forget about this part or just don't want to do it, tbh) if you can't find it -create- it.

But that brings up something else.

Lots of people are -looking- for RP. ...but like the many past threads, how many are creating it? Or creating RP that others are also looking for?

It's the wallflower argument, effectively. If everyone waits for someone else to initiate contact, then nothing will happen and people will keep waiting.

This. As others have said, RP is alive and well here. It's just a matter of seeking it out (joining FC's and LS's, responding to RP connection ads on the RPC and tumblr, lurking the Quicksand, going to RP events, etc.) or making it if you can't the type of RP you enjoy (make your own FC/LS/Discord, make your own RP events, make your own LF RP connection ads, initiate walk-ups, etc.).

I'm all of .. a week or two old on this game. But in my experience you get what you put into it. If you're feeling shy and stand silently in a corner, there's a chance no one will approach you. If you start emoting vividly about what you're doing, the chances of catching someone's interest are much higher. Even better is walking up and just talking to someone who's a 'statue' but claims to be an RPer in that little player bio bubble.

Wherever you are.

Snag one of the innumerable other people looking for rp, and do your thing.

From what I have seen so far:

1) We are in a patch lull. For reasons already explained above (WoW Legion, boredom, people moving to other games, MMO hoppers, whatever), 90% of my contact list is empty most of the time. 

2) RP in FFXIV is peculiar in that RP is everywhere, but hard to access due to various factors such as the game social network tools (/tell, friendlist, impossible to add offline people, etc) that are obnoxiously user unfriendly and/or just basic. Problem is also that if you are in location X, RP can happen, but maybe not at your location. For you to know that RP is happening somewhere, you have to be aware of it.

3) Some good ways to find your post in RP is, from the most effective in my experience to the least: 

• Find a RP FC that you like and actually does RP things and events and stuff, that way you will find a place in overarching stories, make long lasting IC relationships and RP shenanigans; 
  
• Find good RP Linkshells that provide the hooks you are looking for. RP LSes are less effective since the core of RP always happens in your FC, but they provide a good complementary experience or even alternative, but they tend to suffer a bit more from lulls since they are less close knit than FCs (due to obvious proximity/gameplay reasons).
  
• Find connections, like by asking here on the RPC. It can work relatively well, but by asking for connections you have to go reach out to the people that offered. The onus is on you. Don't expect them to constantly check ingame if you are online to add you and offer RP, it happens rarely. If it's you offering to someone asking for connections on the other hand, yeah... but sometimes they just still don't contact you, so your choice. Anyway, it works well for short term improsived RP things, or just one-time RP. It works a lot less often for long term RP, because most of the players will just either vanish quickly at some point for various reasons (not finding their thing in the game, being bored, or else), or they might also not provide the RP you are looking for, or just not have the same RP views, which is fine. The main issue you will run into is that most people will just add you but actually never offer any RP and you will constantly have to reach out to them all the time to do something, which is super not cool I find (and makes ou wonder if they really like the RP you provide). Anyway, the few players that you will find here that will become long term friends are to be cherished.
  
• Go to big RP events. Can't speak much about that as I haven't really done it. It can be intimidating for a lot of reasons, is usually full of people and scrolling walls of RP text, hard to insert yourself among all those groups of people already RPing with their friends, etc.
  
• Do walk-up RP, in the Quicksand or anywhere else. Probably going to get fast food RP with random people with random views on RP and things, and be half of the time or more, just ignored.
  

4) Creating your own RP trip. More easily said than done. People like to tell you "you just have to do X or Y", but that's not "just". It takes investment, time and effort and it's not the privilege of everyone. It also takes charisma and an ability to sell your thing/concept, and even less people have that for them. Generally, when you don't find the kind of RP you are looking for, it's because it interests very little or just nobody. No matter what you will try, good luck with kickstarting something like that. I should know, I tried. If you want a safe and easy way to do it though, you just have to create the 100th generalist FC/LS about adventurers or mercs, but considering the amount there is already, no need to create your own really.

In anyway, wishing you all the luck for anyone trying to insert yourself in the RP scene and find THE good spot of friends sharing the same views on things, because it's hard and takes time. I should know, it took me many months for that to happen. Conciling the RP hooks and the story you are looking for, and the friends you are looking for, can be arduous.