Viewpoint Unpopular roleplay opinions?

[Malphaestus]

Crenando . Realism is often conflated with the term believable; how logical is this world's processes to your own observation. If stuff just doesn't make sense under scrutiny, it can be realistic without being believable. If a world lives and breaths, follows rules and strict principles, but does not abide by our real-life laws, then it is believable.

Whilst the terms are often tossed about superfluously and without discernable meaning, that is basically the core of what I consider it to be based on consensus within my own potentially niche circles.

 

[Cazimir X]

Crenando . Realism is often conflated with the term believable; how logical is this world's processes to your own observation. If stuff just doesn't make sense under scrutiny, it can be realistic without being believable. If a world lives and breaths, follows rules and strict principles, but does not abide by our real-life laws, then it is believable.

Whilst the terms are often tossed about superfluously and without discernable meaning, that is basically the core of what I consider it to be based on consensus within my own potentially niche circles.

Quantum principle of non-contextual observational reality is a real problem

 

[Malphaestus]

Quantum principle of non-contextual observational reality is a real problem

Are you referring to the Observer effect?

 

[defenderofberk]

Are you referring to the Observer effect?

I think he was kidding

 

[Cazimir X]

Now that depends entirely on your definition of realism.

I was about to ask about that. What is realism?
Is realism believably? Is it grit? Does it really just come down to using photos?
This is the kind of thing I've been thinking about since high-school. I've been with groups that saw it as this golden standard that all should strive for but I don't know what the consensus on the definition of it is in the community.

Regardless of one's subscriptions to the ideas of relativity, in this case by 'realism' I mean in contrast to anime, which is a particular sort of fantasy storytelling. It's kind of an abstract idea but I think you get what I mean. Somebody who is interacting with the RP world as if it were in an anime is *often* quite different than someone who is trying to maintain a different degree of verisimilitude, which is important to many roleplayers.

 

[Gowi]

I am totally down with anime face claims if I am playing in an anime fandom or anime style RP, but I find them deeply weird and distracting if the setting is more realistic. Everyone else... pictures are of normal realistic-looking people (or elves, vampires, golems w/e) and one person has a big-boobie cat girl as their character pic... no thanks.

Yeah, a GM should make sure everyone is consistent in the style of the RP. Anime-inspired RPs should have anime FCs. CW Drama-inspired RPs should have actors as FCs/reference. Tolkien-inspired RPs should have non-anime fantast/medieval portraits as FCs. It's not hard to be consistent.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Quality over quantity, definitely.

 

[Gowi]

Random Hot Take: If your aesthetics/presentation have taken more time than your actual content for your post/RP then you aren't a good role-player.

 

[calypso]

Random Hot Take: If your aesthetics/presentation have taken more time than your actual content for your post/RP then you aren't a good role-player.

I don't want to sound salty, but I just don't think that's true. People who put as much work into coding as their writing clearly care about the post they're creating. They're putting double the effort into making it look nice, and are actively enjoying the art of creation in more way than one. RPing to people isn't just about the writing, it's about creating an environment and feeling for their setting.
Ok so I do sound salty, but that's just because people who make the 'aesthetics/presentations' are so hard working.

 

[Gowi]

They are not maximizing their efforts into the actual content. They care more about some tumblr-like visuals than the RP itself. Presentation is important, but the lengths of such some go are a detriment to collaboration as a whole.

Not to sound like a crotchety old man, but in my day—ergo around 2001—we didn’t have this problem. People focused on their content because BBcode and HTML were simple and in my experience fostered a better environment for writing collaboration. RPs were presented and judge by the merits of their conceptualization, which in my opinion is what role-playing should be about and has been about since the onset of the hobby. People on here and Iwaku care more how pretty something looks than managing a RP. I’m glad BBcode+ is being removed as a feature. It’ll force people to actually maximize their efforts in the actual prose and content instead of having four-hundred div codes.

In the time someone puts work into their advanced aesthetic their RP could be present with more precision and concept. To worry about presentation too much, to this extent, harms your concept. Also, most of people's idea of hyper-presentation doesn't look good. Tiny fonts. Clashing color backgrounds. A lot of nonsense. They need to retake a media design class.

 

[Gowi]

Also, I did say it was a hot take in an unpopular opinions thread.

 

[defenderofberk]

I like different fonts and possibly things like bold, italics and dividers, but anything else seems unnecessary.

 

[calypso]

They are not maximizing their efforts into the actual content. They care more about some tumblr-like visuals than the RP itself. Presentation is important, but the lengths of such some go are a detriment to collaboration as a whole.

Not to sound like a crotchety old man, but in my day—ergo around 2001—we didn’t have this problem. People focused on their content because BBcode and HTML were simple and in my experience fostered a better environment for writing collaboration. RPs were presented and judge by the merits of their conceptualization, which in my opinion is what role-playing should be about and has been about since the onset of the hobby. People on here and Iwaku care more how pretty something looks than managing a RP. I’m glad BBcode+ is being removed as a feature. It’ll force people to actually maximize their efforts in the actual prose and content instead of having four-hundred div codes.

In the time someone puts work into their advanced aesthetic their RP could be present with more precision and concept. To worry about presentation too much, to this extent, harms your concept. Also, most of people's idea of hyper-presentation doesn't look good. Tiny fonts. Clashing color backgrounds. A lot of nonsense. They need to retake a media design class.

Ok, it's a hot take. It's still rude to say and adding hot take doesn't make what you say any less of that. Unpopular opinions shouldn't be an attack on the work of others.

It's just a shitty thing to say. You don't know how they're maximizing their efforts, since many of them have excellent RP posts and make amazing concepts for RPs. They care about making BBcodes for people on the site so others who can't code have the opportunity to make their posts look nice like others. RPing is different for everyone, but no one is a worse RPer because they also spend time making coding on the side for their posts. There are so many coders on the site who even take requests from people who don't understand coding and do it for free, or put up tutorials on how to write basic code as an introduction for others.

It doesn't harm their concept. Their BBcodes and their RPs exist together to make some good just come together nicely and organized. You're just implying that all the work people do, just because you don't like it, is stupid and ugly. It's rude, and not really a hot take.

 

[defenderofberk]

Ok, it's a hot take. It's still rude to say and adding hot take doesn't make what you say any less of that. Unpopular opinions shouldn't be an attack on the work of others.

It's just a shitty thing to say. You don't know how they're maximizing their efforts, since many of them have excellent RP posts and make amazing concepts for RPs. They care about making BBcodes for people on the site so others who can't code have the opportunity to make their posts look nice like others. RPing is different for everyone, but no one is a worse RPer because they also spend time making coding on the side for their posts. There are so many coders on the site who even take requests from people who don't understand coding and do it for free, or put up tutorials on how to write basic code as an introduction for others.

It doesn't harm their concept. Their BBcodes and their RPs exist together to make some good just come together nicely and organized. You're just implying that all the work people do, just because you don't like it, is stupid and ugly. It's rude, and not really a hot take.

It's not really rude to say that they don't like BBCODE, that's like saying you can't criticise rap music in case it offends the artists.

Personally I find it can impede the writing if it's over the top, but a little bit is okay. It honestly depends on the writer though.

 

[calypso]

It's not really rude to say that they don't like BBCODE, that's like saying you can't criticise rap music in case it offends the artists.

Personally I find it can impede the writing if it's over the top, but a little bit is okay. It honestly depends on the writer though.

I'm saying it's rude to say BBcoders are bad writers, or that they need to retake design classes. That's just an insult. There's a difference between criticizing some BBcode and flat out just saying "I think anyone who makes BBcode isn't maximizing their writing, ergo are bad writers. Also their designs are just bad."

 

[rae2nerdy]

I personally just ask that the code is viewable on mobile. That said I absolutely have run into people who prioritize aesthetic over content. I knew one person who would make beautiful graphics for group threads. But every time it came time to actually start the roleplay itself she would flake off to make graphics for a whole other group. Like she never actually ran any roleplays just made beautiful graphics and layouts for them before ghosting on her players to start the process again.

And she did this consistently to the point where it sort of became just common knowledge among role players. I think eventually she made a shop to create graphics for other people and was much happier for it.

 

[Gowi]

If you don't like what I say you don't have to reply to it or care about my opinion therefore.

 

[calypso]

I think the point I'm trying to make is people are using this announcement to be shitty to the coders on the site. So many of them are amazing and such nice people, and do so much for the community just because they want to it. I'm amazed how many of them are seeing this in a positive light, and still wish to continue to learn and make new codes for those who want them. It's just upsetting to see that people use this announcement as an opportunity to throw shade at them and insult different aspects of their work.

Apologies if I sounded heated, but I do genuinely believe it's unproductive to just insult them now that it seems 'right' to do so.

 

[Gowi]

 

[defenderofberk]

I'm saying it's rude to say BBcoders are bad writers, or that they need to retake design classes. That's just an insult. There's a difference between criticizing some BBcode and flat out just saying "I think anyone who makes BBcode isn't maximizing their writing, ergo are bad writers. Also their designs are just bad."

They didn't say all BBCODE was bad, they especially pointed out tiny fonts and bad colour matches, which definitely does impede the role playing experience.

 

[calypso]

They didn't say all BBCODE was bad, they especially pointed out tiny fonts and bad colour matches, which definitely does impede the role playing experience.

I understand that. But again, you can point out that you don't like small fonts without tacking an insult onto the back of it.

 

[Gowi]

There is no requirement where I as an adult have to state a neutral comment in an unpopular opinions thread with kid’s gloves. Ridiculous.

 

[Crenando]

There is no requirement where I as an adult have to state a neutral comment in an unpopular opinions thread with kid’s gloves. Ridiculous.

Is it even that unpopular? It's one of those things I've seen people bring up multiple times.

 

[defenderofberk]

There is no requirement where I as an adult have to state a neutral comment in an unpopular opinions thread with kid’s gloves. Ridiculous.

I definitely sympathise but I think of it as "treat them as they treat you". Even if you make an opinion they absolutely hate they should respond with respect, rather than devolving into a flame war.

 

[Gowi]

Is it even that unpopular? It's one of those things I've seen people bring up multiple times.

Unpopular enough to get heat for it?