Cliche RP Elements

[Aveline]

If I were going to RP a pregnancy (as a male I never would)' date=' I would have just done it by the Vanadiel/Eorzea calendar. Nine months is, what... eleven days real time?[/quote']

 

I think this is a guild issue. By that basis a day passed per hour... and we'd all have been old people by the time FFXI ran its course.

 

Yeah to keep my sanity, I always just imagined Vana'diel as a smaller planet with the same length of orbit as the Earth. That would give faster days but the same year span, which would explain things like days lasting only an hour and yet seasonal festivals that occurred once a year Earth-time. Alternatively, in some cases we collectively decided on a time-zone as a group so that if it was night-time in that time-zone, it was night-time in game, etc. The in-game years I completely ignored. :3

 

Like Daishi said, every guild will probably come to a different decision for measuring lengths of time.

[Faust]

I'm not actually aware of a lot of references to age in XI though (Prishe?). Obviously most of our characters are well over a hundred years old in XI, but I wouldn't assume that they age the same as humans either, so in the end it doesn't really matter. Course my memory could be deficient here.

[Aveline]

Well, for those I RP'ed with in FFXI it came up mostly when talking about something that had happened in the past. Like for instance, if something happened 3 months ago IRL, would you act in-game as if it had taken place 3 months ago, or would you say 'hey remember a few years back when.."

 

Likewise when referring to how long you've known someone. If you met another character 8 months ago IRL would you say "I've known _____ a little under a year." Or would you say "I've known _______ practically forever! We've been best friends for years!"

 

It isn't really a huge issue, just a stumbling block I've seen come up more than a few times in the past.

[Seraphine Felstar]

It's such a huge pet peeve of mine that "Vana'diel Time" even existed. I wish they would use GMT because it makes things so much easier.

[Trizzip]

It's such a huge pet peeve of mine that "Vana'diel Time" even existed. I wish they would use GMT because it makes things so much easier.

 

Not only that, but also having the day and night move at the same time that GMT does. One thing that annoyed me in-game was that many NPCs would make referances to past events that happened 'x'-amount of years ago. Since they always said the same amount of time had passed, as far the NPCs were concerned, time didn't even move forward at all.

 

All in all, the whole concept of time in FFXI is a joke. But oh well.....everything can't be perfect.

[Kashemia]

To me, time in MMO's have always been relative. There is no way to explain exactly how it can take only a few hours getting from one part of the world to the other, or hang out in a bar and the sun and the moon will have gone up and down 60 times. Both real time and "faster speed" will eventually stop making complete sense, especially since, well, you can't (or at least shouldn't) play 24/7, so there will always be weird holes.

 

So time passes in a speed that seems fitting for me and who ever I play with. And then I try to stay vague, instead of saying "It happened last month", I'd say "It happened some time ago"...

I find it works best if people just agree on being flexible and not tries to determine exactly how long things take.

 

And on that note: Travels. I know some roleplayers talk about that. If you are in one part of the country IC, should you be able to travel across the entire country in 10 min to be at an event?

I have to admit, I've done it. It's not super realistic, but in games, it's sort of hard to plan several days ahead. But it also depends on the game. If portals for instance is a part of the world, it's not unrealistic.

[Shamadconde]

I've always taken the in game time and thrown it out the window.

[DAISHI]

To me, time in MMO's have always been relative. There is no way to explain exactly how it can take only a few hours getting from one part of the world to the other, or hang out in a bar and the sun and the moon will have gone up and down 60 times. Both real time and "faster speed" will eventually stop making complete sense, especially since, well, you can't (or at least shouldn't) play 24/7, so there will always be weird holes.

 

So time passes in a speed that seems fitting for me and who ever I play with. And then I try to stay vague, instead of saying "It happened last month", I'd say "It happened some time ago"...

I find it works best if people just agree on being flexible and not tries to determine exactly how long things take.

 

And on that note: Travels. I know some roleplayers talk about that. If you are in one part of the country IC, should you be able to travel across the entire country in 10 min to be at an event?

I have to admit, I've done it. It's not super realistic, but in games, it's sort of hard to plan several days ahead. But it also depends on the game. If portals for instance is a part of the world, it's not unrealistic.

 

For sanity's sake I left movement speed to the game. If I can cross the world on foot in a day in game, it was law to me.

[Kashemia]

For sanity's sake I left movement speed to the game. If I can cross the world on foot in a day in game, it was law to me.

 

I've personally never really liked that idea. I like, at least in stories, having my character travelling through a desert for days, trecking through mountains for a week, etc. It might not work like that in game, but I prefer it for my personal stories..

[Arzy]

 

Hmm ... the question is, what makes those elements cliche? Lots of people using it? The same can be said about jeans then, per se. As long as the RPer that's currently putting the element to use has some sense of logic and creates a realistic area, I see no problem in it. Of course, it's kinda avkward when 10 people at once are using that element (as long as it's not story required). The RPers that make these elements called "cliche" are usually meta-gamers or god-modders, a sensible RPer knows what element to use and when to use it.

 

I personally encountered few of those RPers that used one RP element far too often. For example, the demonic possession: The normally mediocre fighter turns into an invincible terminator because of a demonic possession and no-one can defeat him. It kinda lifted the feeling of unrealism and to yell: "I've defeated the Pandemonium Warden and I can't beat you, wtf?!" But that doesn't mean that another demonic possession cannot be RP'd epically, if done by a good RPer. I dunno, I just get the feeling that calling some elements cliche because bad RPers use it is generalising and pretty much saying: "Someone already did this or this is too old, don't do it".

 

 

Time section: Ehh....No way I would ever wait several days to cross the mountains/borders/dimensions. Game time, first choice. Following the RP in RL-time can get eventually boring.

[Faust]

Yeah, I prefer game time just because it expedites otherwise boring things. I wouldn't want game time to follow real time, because then you don't get to play at certain hours game time, but it would be best I think if a real life day was 2 or 3 game days (at least for the purposes of RP).

 

My impression is that the game clock is partly there for the purpose of making those things make sense. Traveling across an entire region in 10 minutes on foot doesn't make much sense, unless that ten minutes is actually a few hours. When I log off for the night, my character isn't sleeping for the night, they're taking days off to rest.

 

But I really don't think it matters so long as everyone in your RP circle is on a similar page.

[DAISHI]

Yeah, I prefer game time just because it expedites otherwise boring things. I wouldn't want game time to follow real time, because then you don't get to play at certain hours game time, but it would be best I think if a real life day was 2 or 3 game days (at least for the purposes of RP).

 

My impression is that the game clock is partly there for the purpose of making those things make sense. Traveling across an entire region in 10 minutes on foot doesn't make much sense, unless that ten minutes is actually a few hours. When I log off for the night, my character isn't sleeping for the night, they're taking days off to rest.

 

But I really don't think it matters so long as everyone in your RP circle is on a similar page.

 

You know... I really like your take on the time system. Wow I played since nearly day one and never really though of it like that. Good job.

[DAISHI]

 

Hmm ... the question is, what makes those elements cliche? Lots of people using it? The same can be said about jeans then, per se. As long as the RPer that's currently putting the element to use has some sense of logic and creates a realistic area, I see no problem in it. Of course, it's kinda avkward when 10 people at once are using that element (as long as it's not story required). The RPers that make these elements called "cliche" are usually meta-gamers or god-modders, a sensible RPer knows what element to use and when to use it.

 

I personally encountered few of those RPers that used one RP element far too often. For example, the demonic possession: The normally mediocre fighter turns into an invincible terminator because of a demonic possession and no-one can defeat him. It kinda lifted the feeling of unrealism and to yell: "I've defeated the Pandemonium Warden and I can't beat you, wtf?!" But that doesn't mean that another demonic possession cannot be RP'd epically, if done by a good RPer. I dunno, I just get the feeling that calling some elements cliche because bad RPers use it is generalising and pretty much saying: "Someone already did this or this is too old, don't do it".

 

 

Time section: Ehh....No way I would ever wait several days to cross the mountains/borders/dimensions. Game time, first choice. Following the RP in RL-time can get eventually boring.

 

If 15 people in a shell are all getting demon possessed, it is getting cliche, in my opinion. What I would do once I felt it started getting cliche would RP that the person claiming to be possessed was actually a loon. I'd start responding with "He's off his meds again..." or something to that effect. If the possessed individual started RPing they were wielding some grandiose strength, my counter would be "Stares at as they swing wildly in circles, appearing drunk". Your right to RP something does not necessitate I have to RP into your vision.

[Aveline]

I'd start responding with "He's off his meds again..." or something to that effect. If the possessed individual started RPing they were wielding some grandiose strength, my counter would be "Stares at as they swing wildly in circles, appearing drunk".

 

Yep that's pretty much what I did too. "RARG I'm craaaazy man! I murder people left and right! WATCH OUT FOR ME! Cower in fear or I will kill you where you stand! In the middle of Jeuno!"

 

Me: /em stares at ______ with eyebrows raised and quietly points at the guards two feet away. "Go for it."

[Seraphine Felstar]

Really I think time and days of the week in FFXI was just a crafting/gardening/magic thing. They wanted to add some in game element to it and thought having to wait an entire real life in game day was too long. Other then those three areas it has no other effect on the game as far as I know.

 

I'm of the opinion that most of the stuff that comes out nowadays has already been done before. That applies to movies, books, and television. It can also apply to RP so people should be careful not to do something that has already been done to death.

[Faust]

The biggest effect, I think, was shops, particularly guild shops, that are only open during certain hours. I think they wanted to have shops that opened and closed, and for whole days to go by within the course of a single session (so you could easily see the environments at different times of day, like sunrise and set, without playing absurd hours). They probably figured that people wouldn't like it if you had to wait really long periods of time just to buy something or see a certain environmental effect.

[DAISHI]

Really I think time and days of the week in FFXI was just a crafting/gardening/magic thing. They wanted to add some in game element to it and thought having to wait an entire real life in game day was too long. Other then those three areas it has no other effect on the game as far as I know.

 

I'm of the opinion that most of the stuff that comes out nowadays has already been done before. That applies to movies, books, and television. It can also apply to RP so people should be careful not to do something that has already been done to death.

 

Solomon was of the same opinion when he opined in the Book of Ecclesiastes "There is nothing new under the sun".

[Seraphine Felstar]

Who am I to argue with Solomon? :lol: Seriously, being completely original nowadays is rough. George Lucas himself admits a lot of his work was "borrowed" from others and how many copy his works in turn? - Best most can do is come up with a storyline they hope is enjoyable and fresh.

[Nanapariri]

Like I posted before some people can breathe new life into cliches. I've rped cliches but I read up a lot on what everyone else was doing with said cliche and didn't copy them exactly. I added my own spin I didn't copy it exactly which in literature is called plagerism.

 

Lucas and everyone used other work, ancient mythe etc, as a starting point. He would've ben cliche if he'd of made Luke's story that of Hercules just changing the names and making it in space but he didn't. Theres is nothing wrong with archtypes or themes but just plain copying another rper since he got attention is cliche.

 

For instance the possession thing one person did it in a shell and did it well and then suddenly tons popped up with it and we had competeing "demons" and it just got into more of an "Epeen" contest ending not well. All because these people copied the first person, the way they behaved etc, and it ruined the first person's character.

[ArmachiA]

I hereby claim that FFXIV's big cliche will be Pirates (Says the girl who is playing one)

[Hiname]

What about ninja-raptor riding zombie-pirates?

[Tyriont]

Maybe, maybe not. I got that feeling at first, which irked me since I've been playing a pirate for years in FFXI. But thinking about it, it's well-established that there's a sizeable pirate presence in Limsa...there were a decent number of characters who played knights from San d'Oria, since that was a sizeable organization in game lore...I don't recall it being considered a cliche. What it all boils down to is how they're played. If we start seeing huge numbers of pirates constantly parading around, killing people left and right with no retaliation then it might become a problem...but for now, I'm hoping it'll just be like everything else and will be a popular choice that is mostly played well.

 

Yay, optimism.

 

Yay, hopefully not deluding myself.

[ArmachiA]

I played a pirate in FFXI too, my guild was called the Crimson Pirates .

 

Since pirates (And Privateers, too) have such a strong presence in FFXIV, I see people having many ships. And yeah, some people will run around without regard for law

[Aveline]

Niami was a sort-of pirate in FFXI. She was born and raised in Mhaura, started out as a thief with a love of the sea, became a bard and (with the later expansion) embraced the life of a corsair. SINGING PIRATE. Ahaha.

 

This time around I think I've had my fill of piracy, but yeah I expect to see many in-game.

 

I also think there are going to be a loooot of orphans out for revenge on the Garleans. Garleans are the new orcs.

[Shamadconde]

Not just orcs. Never forget the Yagudos and Quadavs!