Why does it have to be so rigid and non-interactive? How about instead you do whatever you want, but the game comments on whether your choices make the NPCs see you as this alignment or that alignment, and whether the NPCs are willing to talk with you or trade with you or would prefer to attack you on sight?
I would have to say no in that just because you are something doesn't mean you have to make choice A instead of choice B. Basically what you are describing limits the choices and actions of the people playing the game.
No, and the fact that RP servers are generally the least populated in most MMOs should show how well it works in the wild. If I want to talk like I'm playing Dungeons & Dragons, I'll just get back in with my old group and actually play Dungeons & Dragons.
Considering RP servers are among the most populated in WoW and SWTOR I'm dying to know how you came to this conclusion.
That's not enforcing roleplaying that's enforcing stereotypes. The most interesting characters in books are the ones that break the molds, what you're talking about would be pigeonholing the players into a role they don't get to create.
Not even close. You create a rich world with races and classes. Even the PNP games expected you to play the class and race properly. If a Paladin decided to do evil things he suffered penalties and the anger of his god. I'm talking about boundaries that help enrich a world. You are talking about letting gnomes, ogres, orcs, humans all acting like they are the same. When they are not the same at all. A dog doesn't meow like a cat and vise versa. To allow such things is absurd not pigenhole.
The way it is right now all species act the same. So why even have species other then racial bonuses and cosmetics? Its like we want the illusion of roleplaying without actually doing any of it. Maybe because of PNP I got this idea or the old mud days. Paladins had to be human. Elves were better with bows. Orcs have tough skin. Clerics don't dual wield and Rangers are in tune with nature. We don't participate in any of these pigenhole things that have existed in RPG's since the 70's. The druid that prefers city life isnt a druid he's a priest. The dark elf who decides to be good isn't a dark elf. Its the very foundation of roleplaying when someone actually has guidelines on how they can play their characters instead of just doing whatever they want. Everyone is playing Chaotic Neutral characters and well thats pigenhole because they should have more variety.
The boundaries you speak of don't really enrich the world. People creating a background for their character that challenges those boundaries enriches the world. According to your reasoning, Bilbo Baggins would have never left the Shire because Hobbits just don't do that sort of thing. Instead, you get a rich story as a group of characters that should never be together go out to save the world. Another example would be Drizzt "deciding" to be good. I am pretty sure he was still a dark elf, but his uncommon nature for a dark elf absolutely had a positive impact on his story. And let's not even talk about that thief named Robin Hood. What type of thief gives what he steals to the poor? Thieves are supposed to be greedy, backstabbing, hiding in shadows scum. Wait...what?
The restrictions such as clerics not dual wielding, paladins having to be human, etc, were all about game balance. Many PNP systems have gone to a more generic system that allows a player to create a more unique character by eliminating many of these restrictions. They do so by adding penalties to offset the stacking of powers. And these penalties once again increase the uniqueness of the character.
This is what roleplaying is all about. You create a back story for your character which defines your character past just it's race and class. A true roleplayer wouldn't do it for the racial or class benefits, they would do it to create a unique character. A cleric that decides to spend time training to dual wield doesn't have the same amount of time to devote to prayer as a typical cleric. In return, his deity does not always grant him the power to cast spells. A druid who begins to enjoy city life doesn't turn into a cleric, but maybe he can only shape shift into domesticated animals. Maybe as he loses his attunement to nature, he also starts to lose his sanity.
I think pretty much every MMORPG already has minor enforced roleplaying and factions, its part and parcel of the themepark experience. For example, if I'm playing an Elf Hunter in LotRO, there is only one way to complete quests and I can only play for the good guys so its already enforced.
If things were to get more strict, I think I'd be up for it still. Enforced roleplaying? The way its described by the OP, it sounds just like slightly more complicated factions.
In general, I think I'm up for having more factions in MMOs (instead of the usual 2) but I'm also not a fan of race-restricted factions. Like others have said, the most interesting fantasy characters are those that break the mould. I'd like to see more systems where you start off neutral (but with racial prejudices) but can align yourself with ingame factions. This worked well in SWG - everyone was neutral but you could choose to align with either rebel or empire factions.
I would hope that in this way, the game would be quite inclusive (i.e. play with your friends regardless of race preference), the devs wouldn't have to develop 2+ sets of content for the different factions (all factions could play the same raids etc, just have a small amount of faction specific content) but you could still get the roleplaying / pvp from having factions.
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I really don't like that "acting" sort of roleplay where you describe what you're doing. We're in a visual medium. Just freaking do it for crying out loud. It's why I always carry pipeweed and ale on my lore-master in LotRO.
Then you're limited to the very few and woefully inadequate props available.
What you describe is console roleplaying. It bears almost no relation to the real thing.
Unfortunately, given the extreme limitations of graphical mediums impose on players, what you describe is essentially all that remains.
So people who never roleplay are upset because this might limit their ability to roleplay. Now that makes perfect sense... I get what some of you are saying about being different and breaking the mold. The problem that we see all around us is everyone breaks the mold and noone roleplays. So if everyone breaks the mold you have created a stereotype. You are being a stereotype by logging into a mmorpg then acting like everyone else instead of an individual race or class.
What might work is to set boundaries of things that an Elf would never do, like sleep with a dwarf. Some things an Elf could do but with drawbacks, like drink beer with a dwarf. And some things that all elves do, like visit the local shrine once a week.
This is creativity that has mostly been ignored. Take WOW, SWTOR for example they have a rp server and players want to RP but for some reason an orc and human can't even talk to each other. So they have already limited you more then anything I have suggested.
The problem that we see all around us is everyone breaks the mold and noone roleplays. So if everyone breaks the mold you have created a stereotype.
You can be a nonconformist, but you have to wear the uniform.
"I'm such a rebel" is such a tired, banal RP trope. Everyone trying sooooo hard to be unique, that no one ever plays the "Joe Normal" (really quite rare) "archetypal" examples of their class and race. Make sure you name your rebellious, precious unique snowflake "DarkityBlack Shadowstalker."
This goes back to those play inside or outside the box discussions we had all through the 80s.
Comments
The restrictions such as clerics not dual wielding, paladins having to be human, etc, were all about game balance. Many PNP systems have gone to a more generic system that allows a player to create a more unique character by eliminating many of these restrictions. They do so by adding penalties to offset the stacking of powers. And these penalties once again increase the uniqueness of the character.
This is what roleplaying is all about. You create a back story for your character which defines your character past just it's race and class. A true roleplayer wouldn't do it for the racial or class benefits, they would do it to create a unique character. A cleric that decides to spend time training to dual wield doesn't have the same amount of time to devote to prayer as a typical cleric. In return, his deity does not always grant him the power to cast spells. A druid who begins to enjoy city life doesn't turn into a cleric, but maybe he can only shape shift into domesticated animals. Maybe as he loses his attunement to nature, he also starts to lose his sanity.
If things were to get more strict, I think I'd be up for it still. Enforced roleplaying? The way its described by the OP, it sounds just like slightly more complicated factions.
In general, I think I'm up for having more factions in MMOs (instead of the usual 2) but I'm also not a fan of race-restricted factions. Like others have said, the most interesting fantasy characters are those that break the mould. I'd like to see more systems where you start off neutral (but with racial prejudices) but can align yourself with ingame factions. This worked well in SWG - everyone was neutral but you could choose to align with either rebel or empire factions.
I would hope that in this way, the game would be quite inclusive (i.e. play with your friends regardless of race preference), the devs wouldn't have to develop 2+ sets of content for the different factions (all factions could play the same raids etc, just have a small amount of faction specific content) but you could still get the roleplaying / pvp from having factions.
What you describe is console roleplaying. It bears almost no relation to the real thing.
Unfortunately, given the extreme limitations of graphical mediums impose on players, what you describe is essentially all that remains.
What might work is to set boundaries of things that an Elf would never do, like sleep with a dwarf. Some things an Elf could do but with drawbacks, like drink beer with a dwarf. And some things that all elves do, like visit the local shrine once a week.
This is creativity that has mostly been ignored. Take WOW, SWTOR for example they have a rp server and players want to RP but for some reason an orc and human can't even talk to each other. So they have already limited you more then anything I have suggested.
"I'm such a rebel" is such a tired, banal RP trope. Everyone trying sooooo hard to be unique, that no one ever plays the "Joe Normal" (really quite rare) "archetypal" examples of their class and race. Make sure you name your rebellious, precious unique snowflake "DarkityBlack Shadowstalker."
This goes back to those play inside or outside the box discussions we had all through the 80s.