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Going OOC vs "baudlerized language"

 
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divsky
Emissary


Joined: 13 Mar 2004
Posts: 1054
Location: Iowa City, IA

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 1:25 am    Post subject: Going OOC vs "baudlerized language"

From the "Dummies Guide" (regarding RP) helpfile:

"
Do not use "baudlerized" language to convey OOC terms like what level you are,
that you're waiting for the area to repop, that you're going AFK, etc. This
completely ruins immersion for everybody around you. If you do this in a heavy
roleplaying area, such as in North Square when people are talking, expect to
be smited by an Immortal.

Examples of baudlerized language:

"It has 5 layers on it", "I will reach pinnacle shortly", "My mind wanders"

Everybody knows exactly what you mean when you say things like this and it is
STRONGLY discouraged in a roleplaying context. It's OK to convey these ideas
when necessary, but DO NOT do it in the middle of an in-character conversation.
ESPECIALLY do not do it in a tell immediately after being PKed to your attacker.
"

While I don't know where the author of this helpfile came up with the term "baudlerized" (it's not a real word) I'm going to keep using it for this post.

Now, we all know this is a roleplay enforced mud and that we should be in-character at all times. That being said, there are times when real life is going to interfere. You may be doing something important, having a conversation with someone, engaged in some kind of realm-changing roleplay when some kind of urgent, real life emergency forces you away from the mud. When this happens, the worst thing you can do is just drop link or disconnect without saying anything. Above anything else, that ruins the roleplay.

So right now we use the baudlerized language. "My mind wanders". "My spirit must depart the realm." Etc. Better than dropping link, but it still ruins the immersion. I'm going to propose something I think a lot of you are going to oppose at first, but hear me out. Instead of using baudlerized language, just go OOC.

I know. It's a RP mud. You're never supposed to go OOC. Well, I've played other MU*s that are pure-roleplay. No combat system at all. Just roleplay. And they've all had OOC communication in some way or another- whether it's built into the game through OOC channels/tells/says, or simply using the time-honored parenthesis, i.e: "(Sorry I've got to log out for a bit)". Never once did it diminish the quality of roleplay. In fact, I think it enhanced roleplay because there was a well-defined boundry between IC and OOC. The two stayed separate at all times. They didn't cross.

That's not the case on AR right now. Right now, when something urgent IRL comes up we're forced to blur the line between IC and OOC by using baudlerized language. I feel like this waters roleplay down and makes it worse. You're forcing your character to acknowledge something happening in the world of IRL, and forcing hem to do it IC. This kills the immersion. Harder than any quick break of being IC to simply say (I've got to log out).

Now I'm not saying we go OOC all the time. Only when it's absolutely needed. For example, saying "(Hey now that I'm lvl 30 lets go pwn the red dragon and get some damroll dudes)", or "(Fuck you I'm reporting you to the imms.)" That would still be wildly unacceptable. The cases where it would be acceptable would be quick, simple things like "(Sorry my internet went out)", or if you need to break off a RP session because of some real-life emergency saying "(I need to log out I'll be back soon)". This is just my opinion, but I would prefer this far, far more than "Alas my mind wandered for some time but I have returned." or "I must depart the realm for some time." Because again, this is forcing your character to respond IC to something happening IRL, and I *hate* that.

I understand some people will be very opposed to this idea, but I want to just put it out there so it can be discussed. I'm not trying to push an agenda, but I would like to have a conversation. I think our playerbase right now is more mature than it has been in the past, and it's smaller so we can better police those going OOC inappropriately. I don't want global OOC channels, I don't even want OOC says or tells. I just want to have the chance to go OOC when I have to, because honestly, going OOC for one line is far better than the horrors of baudlerized language.
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Nycticora



Joined: 09 Feb 2013
Posts: 2277

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 2:03 am    Post subject:

someone misspelled https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bowdlerize
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Ozaru



Joined: 01 Jun 2010
Posts: 1073

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 2:16 am    Post subject:

way too much text
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Vanisse
Immortal


Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 2793
Location: inside a tree

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 2:20 am    Post subject:

i always found "mind wandering" really funny

You say 'Hello.'
Syphia stares slack-jawed into the sunset.
You wave your hand in front of Syphia's face.
Syphia stares slack-jawed into the sunset.

Hours later...
Syphia comes round with a start.
Syphia claps her hands to her mouth, horrified.
Syphia says 'I'm so sorry! My mind...it wanders... and I cannot help myself! I'm cursed!'
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Davairus
Implementor


Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 10344
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 3:44 am    Post subject:

Who hasn't done that really? I can think of countless family occassions.
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Vevier
Immortal


Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 1642
Location: everywhere

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 5:10 am    Post subject:

I actually am in total agreement with this. Mostly for the same reasons that divsky posted.

However, I don't think that finding 'something else to do' when you need to log off would fall under this category. I feel like that's actually an extension of roleplay. What do you do when you aren't being your knightly self and running through the streets of Serin. If you're always going to 'rest' then you should consider stepping up your game and deciding that you've got an off-stage hobby or something.
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m1coftw



Joined: 05 May 2015
Posts: 265

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 5:28 pm    Post subject:

my mind wanders and i reach pinnacle soon are like "How to be shit without being punished for ooc" for dummies 101.
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Mummy



Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 698
Location: Under Resatimm's Ass

PostPosted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:03 pm    Post subject:

Troubles: This could lead to "legal" abuse. How can we distinguish from emergency on the other end of the character in question and non-emergency?

I hate the mind wandering thing. I've done the mind wandering thing. It's hard to try and come up with a response for what's going on IRL through IC, I agree. I'm concerned it could reduce the RP standards of the game, though. If someone is blatantly OOC, it might be easier for them to say, "Well Jimbo said he was logging out just five seconds before I started talking stats, so what's the problem?" "Well he was logging out...."

Not very solid.

I totally get where you're coming from, I'm not sure this is a solution because it's not easily enforced and could lead to long-term drop in RP standards. I'm not really sure of an alternative, but I'll be thinking about it.
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DigitalText



Joined: 29 Jun 2016
Posts: 88

PostPosted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 2:24 am    Post subject:

I don't think penultimate suspension of RL when logged in for the sake of IC is the concern of focus. It needs suspension, sure, but that's not what splits rotten bananas in a ceiling fan (as it were).

RL is going to be there whether we want it to be or not. I think it's boundary. Boundary between OOC and IC, and actively respecting it for your character, and the characters of others. That's the concern. You cannot eradicate OOC to the level we'd all like. After all, the only reason there is an IC is because it has an anchor in an OOC person. An RL person crafting a fantasy persona from facets of either themselves, of those they've observed around them or of imagination to a mutual exclusion of themselves. Perhaps as pieces drawn from all three. With sources mainly outside this fantasy setting, it builds an entirely different persona. This breeds a character.

Granted, I'm sure their are idiots out there that are completely incapable of keeping OOC and IC stringently separate to a precise and sparing measure. Or, they're just so disinterested in any amount of roleplay that they skip in-and-out of it naturally through willful carelessness. Like a skipping rock, if you'll visualize.

I'm not perfect, so don't misunderstand that. That's definitely not the air I'm trying to put off. I'm just quantifying for the following thought that I think the reason why implementors on AR never included a social OOC command may be because of those two mindsets explained in the previous couple of sentences. It's not so much that OOC is the 'cardinal sin.' Blatantly breaking the boundary between OOC and IC is what the 'no-no' is. Not the OOC itself. This is done in a number of ways. We all know what they are, so I won't toss out bullet-points.

The importance of the OOC and IC boundary has a differing level of regard in everyone, and we can't see it until it's either too late (RP destroyed), or we're pleasantly impressed (RP sustained.) Recreating what has been destroyed is at least an effort two-fold more difficult than the effort with which it was initially destroyed. In erring to preserve the efforts of themselves and serious players, implementors opted to not include any means in-game to convey anything to do with RL.

Personally, I'm in favor of the inclusion of a channel meant for OOC communication between two, and only two, characters at a time. Like a 'tell <character> <message>' you'd have 'ooc <character> <message>.' But I also appreciate the thoughtfulness involved with not including one at all. Conclusively, I'm fine with either.

Or, I just wrote a lovely discourse that started at "Point A" and circled around to end at "Point A-turned-moot," being completely wrong.

Any immortal, correct me if I'm wrong, please.

I'm okay with being wrong. Razz
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