+- Hydaelyn Role-Players (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18)
+-- Forum: Community (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Forum: RP Discussion (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Thread: What keeps people going? (/showthread.php?tid=6807)
What keeps people going? - YuraMira - 03-31-2014
I have grown attached to my character Yura Mouiyah, but recently I found myself to be burnt out and find it hard to go back and play my character, I cant even force myself move out of Ul'dah and do quests.
I have made many great friends, but sometimes I feel bored and want to start fresh. So someone out there help me get my character back on track.
RE: What keeps people going? - Blue - 03-31-2014
My best suggestion is to make alts. I play 8 different characters, and always choose which one to go as depending on my mood. Some characters are good to be played only during specific moods, much like roles played by actors. And ANY character will grow boring after RPing in a while in the same environment, doing always the same things. Try start our a new one, something entirely different from your current character. Even just having two to swap between is a hearty relief when you feel burnt out.
RE: What keeps people going? - Ildur - 04-01-2014
If you have your heart on it (and the personality), you could smash your character against a random person. You can also sit and think where you want your character to go, then either try to move things in that way ICly (or discussing OOCly with friends, if needed), or even find a Linkshell or other roleplayers in the forums that might be interested in some interactions with your character.
Alts are another choice, though in my personal experience with ARR you will get tired of the quests, FATEs and storylines by your second or third character. By my experience on roleplay in MMOs, you won't really have time or enough meaningful contacts to roleplay more than two or three of them as 'main' characters, though.
RE: What keeps people going? - Zhavi - 04-01-2014
I agree with Blue -- alts can be a great way to give yourself a fresh new perspective and rejuvenate your feelings towards your older characters.
Should you not want to make an alt, I would recommend trying to identify what exactly it is about your character that is giving you this feeling. Is it the character, or is it the class? Is it because she's stagnated and has no way to move forward? Try throwing her a curveball, see if shaking her up can help motivate you to play her. Challenge her views through rp, put her somewhere that makes her uncomfortable. Give her something to overcome.
Too, sometimes it does happen where you outgrow your character and the sort of thing you initially built them to play. I know this guy who made this really sweet, naive character, but after a taste of cruelgrimdark rp, he's now ready to move forward by killing the poor character off -- which I am not advocating, but it's the same with books. I think people do sometimes start off in one specific genre or subset and love it to pieces, but after they've glutted themselves on it they'll gravitate towards something new.
In any case, if just thinking about the character is frustrating or demoralizing, it's okay to take a break. Try something else out for awhile; doesn't mean you have to put the character down for good.
RE: What keeps people going? - Magellan - 04-01-2014
This is where mmo rp can get really tricky... you've put all that ooc/pve time in a character, so you really don't want to start over (especially if the game is grindy)... but you are bored or burnt out on them icly.
Alts help. Taking an rp break, and only pveing helps. Taking a break from the game completely for a week helps. I am not one to advocate pushing through in the hopes of finding some great rp again, because I think that can burn out your creativity even more... but it works for some people.
I got burnt out on my first character, an elezen. All her hopes and dreams had gone up in smoke, and she really had no motivations anymore, which made her not fun to play. So I shelved her, and got completely rejuvenated by a sillly, nonsencial alt I made
Later, I went back and dusted my elezen off. I advanced her story one year (I essentially npc'd all her old contacts) and found some enjoyable rp with her again. I found she had moved past her old wounds, and had found new goals and ambitions again. Sometimes you need to leave your characters alone so they have time to sort their lives out, so to speak.
RE: What keeps people going? - John Spiegel - 04-01-2014
Goad your character into something they might not normally do.. if anything by accident. Have a chance meeting with some stranger in Ul'dah and follow them out of curiosity.
As others said, though, try to identify the problem!