Hydaelyn Role-Players
Prospective Player Questions - Printable Version

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Prospective Player Questions - Futaba - 11-14-2017

Hello! I'm a prospective player for FF14, primarily for the Roleplay community. I am an active Roleplayer on Warcraft for several now years and...honestly looking for another game to be my "Home away from home" so to speak. Anyhow, I've got some questions about the Roleplay community and environment of FF14 that I'd like to know before making any financial commitments to the game (IE; Subscribe).

1) How large/prevalent is the Roleplay community? 

2)I've noticed there aren't Official Dedicated Roleplaying servers, but that isn't exactly uncommon for MMOs. Which server(s) are the defacto RP servers to play on?

3) What is the Walk-Up or Pick Up RP scene like?

4) (For those who know) Is there anything like MRP or TRP3 for FF14? Essentially user-addon Roleplay tools that are commonly used? (Also, in an unrelated note, are addons even allowed in the first place?)

5) What external resources would you advise to look into for character/lore questions to help 'get up to speed' with the game's lore so I don't accidentally trod all over it?

6) (For those who know, PT:2) Is there any "Server Canon" that might help to be aware of? -- Server Canon is a byproduct of a lot of Roleplayers (and I mean a lot) all have intertwining stories, where their guilds and communities are so closely connected that it results in what amounts to be unofficial "Server Canon". 

Thanks!!!

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Oyuu - 11-14-2017

1) How large/prevalent is the Roleplay community? 
It's pretty darn big and is spread across multiple servers. You'll find many WoW veterans like yourself, to people who are brand new to RP and MMOs entirely (how I started!)


2)I've noticed there aren't Official Dedicated Roleplaying servers, but that isn't exactly uncommon for MMOs. Which server(s) are the defacto RP servers to play on?
Balmung is the unofficial RP server, but is currently locked for the forseeable future (no new/transferred characters.) Mateus is the next largest, then there are smaller communities on the likes of Omega (EU) and Jenova, etc. If you're big into RP, I would probably recommend Mateus for a new FFXIV player!


3) What is the Walk-Up or Pick Up RP scene like?
Can't really answer this for Mateus as I don't play there, but on Balmung it's pretty big. Mostly centred around taverns (one in-game tavern called the Quicksand, think of Goldshire without the awful rep). On Balmung at least, there's a lot of open world RP and I've met random people RPing in the streets or in the middle of random zones. You'll probably find the same on Mateus!


4) (For those who know) Is there anything like MRP or TRP3 for FF14? Essentially user-addon Roleplay tools that are commonly used? (Also, in an unrelated note, are addons even allowed in the first place?)
Sadly, add-ons are not really that big of a feature (parsers are technically not allowed, but you can use them if you don't use them to talk shit to other players in game). Most people indicate what kind of RP they desire by having a very small blurb in their search info (kinda like a hover tag? Something usually like "RPer. Has tattoos. May steal your pennies. /Send tell for RP!") 


5) What external resources would you advise to look into for character/lore questions to help 'get up to speed' with the game's lore so I don't accidentally trod all over it?
The RPC forums themselves are great place to ask questions, and Sounsyy posts are very reliable for correct and well put together sources of info. The best way to get up to speed from scratch is simply to play the game and immerse yourself in the story. 

You will quickly gain an idea for what kinda character you want to make, then from there you can research those particular themes/ideas for the character (e.g. you wanna make a healer catboy, so you look up conjury and miqo'te lore!) There is also a lorebook you can purchase from the SE store or find a PDF of somewhere. I would start with naming conventions, the world events, and maybe start looking into jobs you are interested in. Some job types have iffy lore about them, so if you wanna be cautious of this, I'd take a look at that. 

6) (For those who know, PT:2) Is there any "Server Canon" that might help to be aware of? -- Server Canon is a byproduct of a lot of Roleplayers (and I mean a lot) all have intertwining stories, where their guilds and communities are so closely connected that it results in what amounts to be unofficial "Server Canon". 
I don't think there's much of a server canon at all? RP tends to revolve around guilds/free companies etc. and there's not a huge amount of collaboration to do this, sadly. It sounds kinda neat though! (I might be forgetting an example where it might have happened, or something obvious.)

Hope this helps!

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Futaba - 11-14-2017

Thanks for the reply, Oyuu! Oddly enough, you hit right on the head what kind of character I'm planning on making, though with some moderate differences. As far as server canon goes, its something that you either love it or absolutely hate it. In WoW, for instance, the Moon Guard server has embraced (to a degree) the idea of Server Canon, while on Wyrmrest Accord it is unfathomably taboo.

I'll have to look into the Search Info, its a shame that there is no equivalent to TRP/MRP, those are very powerful roleplaying tools if used properly. One thing that is a common thing in those is something called the "Currently" frame, essentially a little text box that you can write what your character is actively doing (such as "reading a book" or Humming softly" etc. etc.) I'd imagine the Search Info could be used in a similar manner?

Might take a little bit to adapt to the different Roleplay culture, but that is to be expected.

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Oyuu - 11-14-2017

(11-14-2017, 08:52 PM)Futaba Wrote: Thanks for the reply, Oyuu! Oddly enough, you hit right on the head what kind of character I'm planning on making, though with some moderate differences. As far as server canon goes, its something that you either love it or absolutely hate it. In WoW, for instance, the Moon Guard server has embraced (to a degree) the idea of Server Canon, while on Wyrmrest Accord it is unfathomably taboo.

I'll have to look into the Search Info, its a shame that there is no equivalent to TRP/MRP, those are very powerful roleplaying tools if used properly. One thing that is a common thing in those is something called the "Currently" frame, essentially a little text box that you can write what your character is actively doing (such as "reading a book" or Humming softly" etc. etc.) I'd imagine the Search Info could be used in a similar manner?

Might take a little bit to adapt to the different Roleplay culture, but that is to be expected.

Glad it helped! I wouldn't say server canon is like taboo or anything, it just hasn't really... happened? At least, it's definitely not prominent in my roleplay, if I'm understanding it correctly. We have server wide public events and stuff like that, but nothing more than like markets, balls, parties, and tournaments. That kinda thing, one offs that usually have little impact and are simply a fun time. 

Most people will include a short url for their wiki or bio in their search info, and most people emote the whole 'currently reading a book' thing if they are looking for walk up RP. SE added a RP flag for us to use when we are IC, so that is a good indicator that someone is probably wanting some RP action. ^^ One more thing, custom emotes are a different command in FFXIV to WoW, FFXIV uses /em or /emote... I can't remember what WoW uses but I know some people still forget to change because of habit hehe.

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Unnamed Mercenary - 11-14-2017

There have been large-scale events that would have been contenders for a server-canon like experience which did receive a lot of negative feedback on the RPC. For the most part, people tend to work within SE's canon and aren't generally going to be RPing as like, named characters in the Main Scenerio Quests. (Although people do do this in their own groups! So if that is your thing, you should be able to find that too!)

Oyuu's answered everything to the extent I don't have much else to add. While FFXIV doesn't have any useful RP addons, we do have status icons, and we got a Roleplayer status icon you can use to denote being an RPer or as an IC/OOC switch. FFXIV RP isn't exactly a homogenous single community as much as it's more like a bunch of clusters with a good amount of overlap and a gradient of opinions. There's typically something for everyone although finding it can take a little while as even hub sites like the RPC aren't the end-all for everyone.

In terms of getting character info across, what I've seen a lot of people do is make use of a RPC wiki and include a current events/thoughts section. Or if they're planning on setting up some RP with people, they might make an IC thread or a Bullentin Board post to set up a scene to continue in game later.

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Futaba - 11-14-2017

Ah, perhaps I should clarify a bit of what server canon is, though as you've already stated its most likely not around on FF14 (you can TL;DR if you'd like, just sharing a little tidbit of info about the culture of another RP community)

Essentially what Server Canon is say you have a group of RPers who RP as nobles. They do their noble thing, etc. etc. and then another group comes along who may RP as guards. These two separate entities have a common goal and decide to work together; The Nobles make "laws" (that supposedly make sense in canon - but they are by definition fanon) and the guards decide to use this list of "laws" to enhance their RP. 

As the Roleplay goes on, more and more people start participating, be it criminals who play antagonist to the guards or bystanders who indirectly follow the laws as they acknowledge and RP with the guards, and you've effectively made your own "server canon" as the "laws" are followed by a large portion of roleplayers. 

Understandably, the idea of "Server Canon" is *usually* entirely opt-in, with people who reject the idea free to bow out for whatever reason, but people (OOCly) love it or absolutely hate it. Its just a byproduct of several large Roleplay groups working together. On the Warcaft RP scene, the entire idea is very polarizing, and the RP community has been split 50/50 (the real difference between the popular Roleplay servers Moon Guard and Wyrmrest Accord is that MG favors this style of RP while WrA vehemently opposes it). 

Personally I'm ambivalent to the idea, if its there, then no harm in playing along (unless it gets out of hand), but if not? I'm not going to lose any sleep about it. 

Anyhow, thanks for the input everyone! Its been very educational. Definitely going to be a bit of a culture-shock getting used to everything, but that is neither here nor there. Already working on what my character will be ICly, and I look forward to Roleplaying here!

RE: Prospective Player Questions - LiadansWhisper - 11-14-2017

(11-14-2017, 11:23 PM)Futaba Wrote: (the real difference between the popular Roleplay servers Moon Guard and Wyrmrest Accord is that MG favors this style of RP while WrA vehemently opposes it). 

As someone who actively played both factions on Moon Guard from 2009ish until around 2014...this is literally the first time I've heard of this.

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Futaba - 11-14-2017

(11-14-2017, 11:26 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote:
(11-14-2017, 11:23 PM)Futaba Wrote: (the real difference between the popular Roleplay servers Moon Guard and Wyrmrest Accord is that MG favors this style of RP while WrA vehemently opposes it). 

As someone who actively played both factions on Moon Guard from 2009ish until around 2014...this is literally the first time I've heard of this.
Its not something that people pick up on unless they really start paying attention. On Moon Guard, there was a group of people who Roleplayed as the Church of the Light, and eventually it became an entire coalition of guilds. Couple that with a group called the House of Nobles - who do Noble court style RP - and they effectively created a government. Guard guilds started following them and regular walk-up RPers unwittingly participate as its kinda the culture of the server. 

You have a bunch of really big groups (which each group is a composite of a ton of other guilds working together) and since all of them intermingle and intertwine it creates its own little entity. Drama tore the Church roleplay scene to shreds, where it fell back to being loosely connected guilds, but check out the Stormwind House of Nobles website if your curious. Some of the documents they've put together in their Court sessions are quite elaborate. Although I don't really participate, the lengths that they've gone through is quite impressive.

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Kieron Lohengrin - 11-14-2017

(11-14-2017, 07:31 PM)Futaba Wrote: Hello! I'm a prospective player for FF14, primarily for the Roleplay community. I am an active Roleplayer on Warcraft for several now years and...honestly looking for another game to be my "Home away from home" so to speak. Anyhow, I've got some questions about the Roleplay community and environment of FF14 that I'd like to know before making any financial commitments to the game (IE; Subscribe).

1) How large/prevalent is the Roleplay community? 

2)I've noticed there aren't Official Dedicated Roleplaying servers, but that isn't exactly uncommon for MMOs. Which server(s) are the defacto RP servers to play on?

3) What is the Walk-Up or Pick Up RP scene like?

4) (For those who know) Is there anything like MRP or TRP3 for FF14? Essentially user-addon Roleplay tools that are commonly used? (Also, in an unrelated note, are addons even allowed in the first place?)

5) What external resources would you advise to look into for character/lore questions to help 'get up to speed' with the game's lore so I don't accidentally trod all over it?

6) (For those who know, PT:2) Is there any "Server Canon" that might help to be aware of? -- Server Canon is a byproduct of a lot of Roleplayers (and I mean a lot) all have intertwining stories, where their guilds and communities are so closely connected that it results in what amounts to be unofficial "Server Canon". 

Thanks!!!

1) Big

2) Mateus (which is open) and Balmung (which is closed)

3) Sporadic

4) No

5) The Encyclopedia Eorzea and Koji Fox interviews

6) None

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Futaba - 11-15-2017

Follow up question, kinda surprised I missed this one. 

What is the average length of a custom emote? I'm on a trial account, so I'm limited on what I can/cannot do, but the Roleplay communities that I've been involved with in other games vary from having 1-5 sentences per post to over 15 paragraphs. What would you gauge the average post length is?

Sorry if this one is a little trivial, but since I'm on a trial account at the moment my own communication is very limited so I don't intend on getting involved with other players until I get those limitations lifted. Been playing the game and I've been enjoying it so far; a few minor nitpicks, but I think I may pick up a subscription. Having my in-game communication gimped makes it very hard to experience Roleplay unfortunately...I got an in-game message from someone and I couldn't even reply...

RE: Prospective Player Questions - Unnamed Mercenary - 11-15-2017

The trial chat length is the same length as regular gameplay's, you just can't use all chat features so that bot accounts can't use trials to abuse/spam players.

You can usually fit about 3-4 decently-sized sentences in there. From my personal experiences, people generally post within one chat box, although heading into 2 or 3 does happen, especially with faster typers. If someone tried to throw multiple paragraphs into the chat, they might get some flack because all public chat goes into the same box. While you can filter the types, para-RP is best done in controlled spaces like a party, linkshell, or free company. Anything else would likely appear more like flooding.

IvikBlack on the RPC did code up a tool to help split longer posts into FFXIV-friendly copy and paste blocks. Even formatted for the appropriate channels. If you're looking to see how large your posts might be, it's a good tool for that.

http://www.rptoolbox.site/

edit to add on: Particular,y trial accounts cannot send a /tell (private message / whisper). They also cannot form parties, linkshells, or free companies, but can be invited into them, I think. If someone sent you a /tell, you'd have to likely publicly acknowledge that you received it. ...typically, most RP I've seen is done out in the open so this shouldn't cause an issue unless you're trying to work out details in private.

edit2: To not add a doublepost, you may enjoy these selected threads with some starter lore. (Classes and Jobs may contain spoilers. They should be labeled, but it's worth a preliminary warning!) I'd probably start with Units of Time and Measurement, as common Eorzean terms follow a renamed Imperial System for the most part. Geography and Settlements are helpful for backstory building, but may be a little bit of an info overload until you get more familiar with some of the common areas. It's also worth noting that a lot of people RP as without some sort of class/job designation. I'm sure WoW RP is/was similar in that battle mechanics are split from RP. There is no requirement to suscribe to any of the defined guilds, although they are certainly helpful if your character will be an adventurer, combatant of some form, gatherer, or artisan. (Likewise, there are a number of roles one can have that wouldn't apply to any of the in-game options and those are plenty fine too. I've only seen issues arise when someone tries to port a class/job/species/role from another setting into FFXIV and things do not line up.)

Eorzean Lore Starter Kit
-Racial Lore Compilation
-Class/Job Lore Compilation
-Hydaelyn Geography Lore
-Settlements in Eorzea Pre-Calamity
-Eorzean City-states' Political Structures Lore
-Eorzean Units of Time and Measurement Lore
What Year Is It? Time Passage in FFXIV