Centerfire posted Mar 16, 12
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Aesthetics, Author: Centerfire, BioWare, Clothing Models, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, Imperial Agent, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Sith Inquisitor, Smuggler, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Let's be honest: there's not a huge amount of aesthetic variety to the armor models available in SWTOR. The artists seem to have been shooting to create unique looks for each base class so that they could be differentiated at a glance, but the result is an unfortunate degree of homogeneity to character appearance. Unless one dresses in social gear, one Smuggler's outfit, for example, looks like pretty much every other Smuggler's outfit. There's a little variation in the colors, the tailoring, and the placement of decorations, but that's pretty much it.
Moreover, some of the gear is plain goofy-looking. For instance, there's a belt model for Sith Inquisitors, which is used over and over and over again, that looks as if the wearer randomly attached a bunch of accordion ducting to a large trapezoidal codpiece. Some of the hats for Imperial Agents make them look like 1960s airline stewardesses.
With due respect to the efforts of the BioWare artistic staff to give us a beautiful game, which clothing models make you cringe? How would you change them? Would you alter the unique look associated with any of the classes? If so, how? Let us know in the comments!
Centerfire posted Mar 15, 12
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Abuse, Angry Children, Author: Centerfire, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Escaping The Cantina, LucasArts, Miscommunication, Misunderstanding, Openly Aggressive, Passive Aggressive, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
(The cantina isn't an actual, physical location. It's a metaphor for undirected drink-sipping and idle chit-chat. Without judgment towards players who find the cantina diverting and enjoyable, this column explores how to move beyond it, for the benefit of those who find it dissatisfying.)
As we acknowledged last time, roleplay that involves relational conflict will sometimes result in OOC unpleasantness despite the best efforts of one or more participants to avoid it. Frequently, this owes to simple misunderstandings: participants all appeared to be on the same page, but due to breakdowns in communication (often due to the limitations intrinsic to text), they actually had very different expectations of how the conflict would unfold. Usually these situations can be resolved if the players all keep their cool, take a few steps back, and talk frankly and constructively with one another about what went wrong and how to salvage things.
And then there is the other kind of OOC unpleasantness.
In its typical form, you have one or more parties to the roleplay manifesting an acute case of Sore Loserism. Notwithstanding the reality that roleplay is a cooperative exercise rather than a game of Monopoly, these people have personalized their characters' exploits to an unhealthy degree, such that when their character succeeds or fails they perceive it as a personal victory or setback. And because the conflict hasn't led to a sunshine-and-roses outcome for their character, they are pissed, and determined to ensure that nobody else enjoys the roleplay, either. Now arriving in Tantrum City, population: them.
Centerfire posted Mar 9, 12
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Author: Centerfire, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Family Trees, Force Reflection, Legacy System, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, Starship Customization, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Variant Race/Class Combos
At the Guild Summit, BioWare fleshed out their plans for the Legacy System. Among its initial features will be unlockable race/class combinations, family trees (with room not only for blood relatives, but also allies, adoptees, and even enemies), and starship customizations (including in-ship mailboxes, as well as restraining bolts to shut up your companion droid). While nothing will please everyone, there's nevertheless plenty here to get excited about.
Which of these features interests you the most, and why? Are there any features that leave you "meh," or completely cold? And are there any features you'd have liked to have seen, but don't (at least so far) appear in BioWare's plans? Let us know in the comments!
Centerfire posted Mar 8, 12
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Author: Centerfire, Dramatic Conflict, Escaping The Cantina, Histrionics, Melodrama, Negotiating Outcomes, Nuance, OOC Unpleasantness, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, Subtlety, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
(The cantina isn't an actual, physical location. It's a metaphor for undirected drink-sipping and idle chit-chat. Without judgment towards players who find the cantina diverting and enjoyable, this column explores how to move beyond it, for the benefit of those who find it dissatisfying.)
Last time we talked about dramatic conflict as the essence of good story. But as was pointed out by Doge in the comments, the word "conflict" carries unpleasant connotations for many people, and I think it's worth taking some time to unpack that baggage.
Frequently, people misidentify histrionics or melodrama as dramatic conflict. As one commenter put it, "If everyone has some massive personal turmoil going on in their life that they feel the need to splurge to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in within earshot, then that becomes hum-drum and mundane at best, and at worst exhausting." That's absolutely true; it's the reason why many of us look askance at Stephanie Meyer novels or TV teen dramas. But consider the definition of the word "dramatic": vivid, moving; highly effective, striking. Over-the-top IC angst is none of those things. Inasmuch as it bears little resemblance to how most people actually behave, it's shallow, not vivid; eye-rolling, not moving. Striking, highly effective personal conflict is nuanced. A character struggling with inner demons isn't constantly threatening to slash his wrists with a vibroblade. He has his good days and his bad days. He has triumphs and setbacks. The conflict shapes him, but doesn't render him a caricature.
Centerfire posted Mar 2, 12
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Actors, Actresses, Author: Centerfire, BioWare, Casting Call, Character Appearance, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
The character customization options in SWTOR are fairly robust, providing a wide array of facial features, skin tones, hairstyles, body types, and so forth. It's not hard to come up with a unique, conceptually-appropriate look for one's character. Nevertheless, it's not uncommon to visualize one's character before playing around with the customizer, and one popular way of doing that is thinking in terms of a casting call.
What actor or actress, if any, would you pick to portray your character? Why that choice? Were you drawn to the actor or actress by physical appearance alone, or by other factors? And did you try, when picking your character's appearance, to match that actor's or actress' look? Let us know in the comments!
Centerfire posted Mar 1, 12
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Author: Centerfire, BioWare, Code of the Sith, Conflict, Dark Side, Dramatic Conflict, Electronic Arts, Escaping the Cantina, External Conflict, Imperial Agent, Internal Conflict, Jedi, Jedi Code, Relational Conflict, Republic Trooper, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Sith, Smuggler, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, storytelling, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
I have to beg readers' indulgence with this week's installment. I'd intended to write a case study of plan-driven roleplay, based on my debuting a heretofore un-roleplayed character of mine in the Imperial fleet common areas without slipping into "the cantina." Unfortunately, beginning last Thursday, Real Life has conspired to rob me of most of my usual playtime, and I've only been able to log into the game at odd hours when I've had hard luck finding roleplay partners. Consequently, I've had to rearrange my subjects a bit. I still have it in mind to do that case study, but this week I'm going to talk, instead, about what I believe to be the one indispensable component of good story (and, by extension, interesting roleplay)—dramatic conflict.
At the outset, it's important to acknowledge that this is a point on which reasonable people can disagree. I have heard it argued, quite persuasively, that there is no single fulcrum on which story turns; rather, that character, setting, plot, and conflict all have to work in harmony. Likewise, I'm sympathetic to the idea that strong character concepts are central to good roleplay, inasmuch as without them, our characters are just bunches of pixels. It is not my intention to disparage these points of view, for they're not without merit.
That said, dramatic conflict, I believe, is the straw that stirs the story's drink—and roleplayers seeking to eschew the mundane would be well-served to seize upon opportunities to participate in and create it.
Centerfire posted Feb 24, 12
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A New Hope, Anakin, Attack of the Clones, Author: Centerfire, Darth Sidious, Emotion, Empire Strikes Back, Force Reflection, Han Solo, Jedi, Jedi Code, Leia, Luke, Mustafar, Obi-Wan, Passion, Phantom Menace, Revenge of the Sith, role-play, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Notwithstanding the Jedi Code, Star Wars characters are creatures of passion. In A New Hope, Luke is inspired by infatuation with Leia to try to break her out of an Imperial cell block without any ready means of escape. In The Empire Strikes Back, Han is moved to try navigating an asteroid field by way of escaping the Imperial blockade of Hoth… but also to impress Leia. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon's conviction that Anakin is the Chosen One is such that he blows off the Jedi Council's rejection of the boy as an apprentice, and by Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Anakin is murdering whole villages of Sand People and turning the Republic over to Darth Sidious out of a thirst for vengeance and a fear of loss, respectively. Even Obi-Wan arguably surrenders to passion when, having defeated Anakin in their duel on Mustafar, he, in anguish, leaves Anakin to die rather than strike a killing blow.
What are your character's passions? What powerful emotional urges course through him, that could inspire him to greatness or lead to his undoing? Does he loose those urges, or does he fight to keep them in check? If the latter, is he winning? What do you imagine might happen if he loses the battle? Tell us in the comments!
Centerfire posted Feb 23, 12
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Agenda, Author: Centerfire, Dynamic Objectives, Escaping The Cantina, Planned Roleplay, Problems With Planning, Roleplay, Roleplay Hooks, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Last week we talked about how to generate some structure for your roleplay sessions, by way of not thoughtlessly slipping into the cantina by default. But while having a plan or agenda helps to mitigate that risk, it can create different ones which are just as problematic.
In other words, planning is not without its downsides.
Given that roleplay is a team sport, one significant risk is if the plan fails to include easy touchpoints, or "hooks," that allow for or invite other characters' interaction. You see this fairly frequently with novice roleplayers: they'll enter an RP hub and start writing poses—sometimes quite beautiful ones—at the air. The problem? Nothing their character is actually doing or saying would be of significant interest to other characters; the player's plan has gone awry by treating other players as an audience, rather than as potential RP partners. The basic idea may be wonderful, but because he's failed to make that idea accessible to others, he ends up like the Wookiee in the picture above; sitting off alone at a table, playing with himself for an hour or two before getting bored and leaving.
Centerfire posted Feb 17, 12
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Author: Centerfire, BioWare, Dramatic Failure, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, LucasArts, MMO, PVE, PVP, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Setbacks, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Like us, our characters are creatures shaped and defined by our failures as much, if not more than, as by our successes. A dramatic setback can resonate through a character's whole existence, filling him with the resolve to meet new challenges... or with speculation about what might have been, and lingering doubts that haunt him for years.
Unfortunately in an MMO, these sorts of dramatic setbacks aren't always easy to come by. PvE play operates at a "work at it for long enough and success is pretty much inevitable" level of difficulty, while PvP setbacks tend to be very abrupt (your team loses the warzone) and ephemeral (after which you requeue). Even in roleplay, a setback arising out of PvP mechanics (a duel) or simple dice rolls may not feel particularly powerful. Sometimes you, the player, simply have to take matters into your own hands.
Have you ever conspired against your character, forcing him or her to fail at something for the sake of a good story? If so, what were the circumstances? Did you have any second thoughts at the time? What was the long-term outcome? If you haven't had this experience, what would it take for you to decide that your character just needed to come up short? Let us know in the comments!
Centerfire posted Feb 16, 12
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Author: Centerfire, BioWare, Casual RP, Escaping The Cantina, Plan, Planned RP, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Ryger, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
I had what I thought was a really good lead-in to this week's column, but then Ryger, damn him, stole my thunder by making a great comment to last week's installment:
"You know how when you watch television and you have all those channels to choose from?
Sometimes, you're so tired, the only think you can stare at is a cartoon on Adult Swim? Other times, you want to learn something, so you dial up that PBS documentary on the Taliban? Other times, a Woody Allen movie seems perfect and other times, you can't really handle anything more intellectually challenging than Batman Beyond? Other times of course, you shrug and dial up that crappy soft porn on Cinemax?
I think there's a lot to this. The cantina (and remember, in this column that's an admittedly-imperfect metaphor for the mundane, not a concrete location) is easy. It doesn't necessarily require a lot of work or thought. I frequently find myself slipping into it by default when I'm not in the mood for anything heavier, or when I don't have anything else in mind. Spending a few moments to plan my roleplay helps me avoid that latter condition, when I want to.
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