I finally got online and found this. It was a good read! Covers a lot of the issues I tend to bump into (although bumping into them is a bit of an understatement) but it's nice to see them discussed here.
Being ignored is, more often than not, the reason why I avoided RP for a year or so. Sometimes it was just to avoid the embarrassment - When I finally get over the initial panic mode and approach some RPers, it could often be the case of "We're not actually RPing here, it's a different area of X zone" or "Sorry, private RP"Â - It kind of shoots me in the face, for lack of a better description. People can accuse me of being thin-skinned or whatever, but my past experiences with RP left me a little bit dejected. Eventually it just lead to me idling around particular areas, setting my RP flag to "looking for contact" and hoping that someone would approach -me- for a change.
More often than not I find I'm the one reaching out to newer people - Breaking my own character a little, as usually they wouldn't go there. Some people just click into a group with very few issues - Others, like myself, panic too much. "What do they really think of me?" "They've been around for so long, what if my RP doesn't meet their standards?" etc, etc.
Part of my own problem is that I've been in guilds like this before. Someone will approach them, and there will be an incoming bitchfest in the guild chat.
Apparently, you're not allowed to RP if you don't have the same/a well-known guild tag over your head.
So now I just panic over whether or not they're judging me in their guild channel. Kind of sad, really... I should tell myself to man up and deal with it - Unfortunately it's not that easy.
I'd at least like to say (before I rant off-topic again, sorry Eross! I keep derailing) that it should, to some extent, work both ways. People should approach, yes. At the very least, move within emote range and do something - Whether it's sitting nearby to mind their own business or to outright ask the group what's going on. It helps to twist the character a little bit to make things work. Korin is quite introverted, but he has particular character quirks that can make him jump out of his shell within seconds.
On the other hand, the people being approached should at least -try- to reach out to the person who approached. I know - Realistically, if you're talking to a group of friends, you'd probably ignore the stranger who just sat nearby and started doing his own thing. It just seems to be the way things work these days - I'm not much different.Â
That's just the point I want to throw out there, though. Yes, we approachees need to take the plunge and hope for the best. I came to this game by myself so I didn't even have anyone to fall back on if I happened to get rejected. I'm just glad I -did- man up and try to get myself involved instead of idling and eventually quitting the game because I couldn't bring myself to join in.
But the people being approached need to make an effort too. Don't just ignore people when they walk up to you! Keep an eye out for emotes on their part. Even just shooting a glance in their direction shows that you're at least acknowledging them - Giving them the go-ahead to try speaking to your characters properly. As I'm often on the "Doesn't have a pre-formed group, needs to approach people" side of things, I can honestly say that just being acknowledged when I approach - Even if the character doesn't directly interact with me - Is a huge confidence boost.
Did I wall of text rant again? Sorry! :C
Being ignored is, more often than not, the reason why I avoided RP for a year or so. Sometimes it was just to avoid the embarrassment - When I finally get over the initial panic mode and approach some RPers, it could often be the case of "We're not actually RPing here, it's a different area of X zone" or "Sorry, private RP"Â - It kind of shoots me in the face, for lack of a better description. People can accuse me of being thin-skinned or whatever, but my past experiences with RP left me a little bit dejected. Eventually it just lead to me idling around particular areas, setting my RP flag to "looking for contact" and hoping that someone would approach -me- for a change.
More often than not I find I'm the one reaching out to newer people - Breaking my own character a little, as usually they wouldn't go there. Some people just click into a group with very few issues - Others, like myself, panic too much. "What do they really think of me?" "They've been around for so long, what if my RP doesn't meet their standards?" etc, etc.
Part of my own problem is that I've been in guilds like this before. Someone will approach them, and there will be an incoming bitchfest in the guild chat.
Apparently, you're not allowed to RP if you don't have the same/a well-known guild tag over your head.
So now I just panic over whether or not they're judging me in their guild channel. Kind of sad, really... I should tell myself to man up and deal with it - Unfortunately it's not that easy.
I'd at least like to say (before I rant off-topic again, sorry Eross! I keep derailing) that it should, to some extent, work both ways. People should approach, yes. At the very least, move within emote range and do something - Whether it's sitting nearby to mind their own business or to outright ask the group what's going on. It helps to twist the character a little bit to make things work. Korin is quite introverted, but he has particular character quirks that can make him jump out of his shell within seconds.
On the other hand, the people being approached should at least -try- to reach out to the person who approached. I know - Realistically, if you're talking to a group of friends, you'd probably ignore the stranger who just sat nearby and started doing his own thing. It just seems to be the way things work these days - I'm not much different.Â
That's just the point I want to throw out there, though. Yes, we approachees need to take the plunge and hope for the best. I came to this game by myself so I didn't even have anyone to fall back on if I happened to get rejected. I'm just glad I -did- man up and try to get myself involved instead of idling and eventually quitting the game because I couldn't bring myself to join in.
But the people being approached need to make an effort too. Don't just ignore people when they walk up to you! Keep an eye out for emotes on their part. Even just shooting a glance in their direction shows that you're at least acknowledging them - Giving them the go-ahead to try speaking to your characters properly. As I'm often on the "Doesn't have a pre-formed group, needs to approach people" side of things, I can honestly say that just being acknowledged when I approach - Even if the character doesn't directly interact with me - Is a huge confidence boost.
Did I wall of text rant again? Sorry! :C
