I've always had a challenge RPing in MMOs. I've done table top RPing for years but cant seem to elicit the same satisfaction online. Maybe its the lack of a GM or someone to set some kind of rules.
I have found that unfortunately the strength of a game's RP community is inversely proportional to the success of its gameplay. I think this is mainly because, like the OP said, if the game isn't fun itself, people end up making their own fun. One caveat to this, is that the game's lore has to also be someone in depth or creative enough to support the rp.
That being said, I am interested in seeing how involved RP will be in FFXIV 2.0. From what I have seen thus far, they are mirroring a lot more the things that made FFXI so satisfying as a game. As a long time FFXI player (7~8 years staring from NA launch) I can say that RP didn't really exist there, but because of how engaging and demanding the game was, people sort of became their characters anyway.
That might sound hard to understand, but your ooc self and character sort of blended. e.g. You had a reputation, people knew you as your character name, because with no need to alt, you were the same character all the time and connected with it-you were it. And because each class took skill to play, if you were a good ninja, YOU were actually a good ninja, for real! Same for Crafting or even wealth. To this day I have good relationships with people I know only by their in game name.
Thus far, FFXIV appears to be shaping up to be a pretty good game and I wonder if history will repeat itself. Can anyone else identify with that I'm talking about? Or perhaps i'm just growing old and obsolete.
I have found that unfortunately the strength of a game's RP community is inversely proportional to the success of its gameplay. I think this is mainly because, like the OP said, if the game isn't fun itself, people end up making their own fun. One caveat to this, is that the game's lore has to also be someone in depth or creative enough to support the rp.
That being said, I am interested in seeing how involved RP will be in FFXIV 2.0. From what I have seen thus far, they are mirroring a lot more the things that made FFXI so satisfying as a game. As a long time FFXI player (7~8 years staring from NA launch) I can say that RP didn't really exist there, but because of how engaging and demanding the game was, people sort of became their characters anyway.
That might sound hard to understand, but your ooc self and character sort of blended. e.g. You had a reputation, people knew you as your character name, because with no need to alt, you were the same character all the time and connected with it-you were it. And because each class took skill to play, if you were a good ninja, YOU were actually a good ninja, for real! Same for Crafting or even wealth. To this day I have good relationships with people I know only by their in game name.
Thus far, FFXIV appears to be shaping up to be a pretty good game and I wonder if history will repeat itself. Can anyone else identify with that I'm talking about? Or perhaps i'm just growing old and obsolete.
