More Character Description Space
By
British_Beetle,
Posted on: 2008-05-26 19:08 in Suggestions and Ideas
/signed
I have great difficulty fitting entire Gilbert & Sullivan numbers into mine. 
/double signed
/Signed.
I only needed to see the title.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
What for? I rarely read other people's descriptions (especially when they are long). If I meet an RPer, I tend to just talk about their story with them.
The space we have now is more than enough I guess. Try to be brief. Less is better usually, ya know. 
(note: funny you guys all complain about you don't have space to _write_, and noone said the he would like to read more about other chars. If you want to write something noone ever will read, start another blog 
)
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What for? I rarely read other people's descriptions (especially when they are long). If I meet an RPer, I tend to just talk about their story with them.
The space we have now is more than enough I guess. Try to be brief. Less is better usually, ya know.
(note: funny you guys all complain about you don't have space to _write_, and noone said the he would like to read more about other chars. If you want to write something noone ever will read, start another blog )
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Well I have a mate who always asks me 'why isn't your story in your description', and well you know why.
Some people do read it...
/Signed!
Not that I would really mind if the devs gave some more space for you guys tho.
I just say that limitations boost fantasy...
/signed
Although I now have the habit of not putting a full description of may character's history, instead putting a physical description in there detailing anything that isn't apparent visually. Eye-colour, race, approximate age, approximate weight, carried and worn gear and demeanour and speech patterns.
Sometimes, even with such a cropped lot of text, it's still not enough.
If you make a short description the space is still not enough. I always have to write it in word... then copy it in. Edit it several times by removing sentences or whole parts. Using all tricks in the book just to make the essentials fit in.
That is far from fun if you have a good short story. Which a biography essential is.
Please throw in at least another 100 characters...
- The Italian Job: The Godfather Returns #1151
Beginner - Encounter a renewed age for the Mook and the Family when Emile Marcone escapes from the Zig!
- Along Came a... Bug!? #528482
Average - A new race of aliens arrives on Earth. And Vanguard has you investigate them!
- The Court of the Blood Countess: The Rise of the Blood Countess #3805
Advanced - Go back in time and witness the birth of a vampire. Follow her to key moments in her life in order to stop her! A story of intrigue, drama and horror! Blood & Violence... not recommend to solo!
/signed
Definitely, I'm constantly running out of space.
I ALWAYS run out of space, my sg know why. (I have a bio for Healer Kid and his Brother thats well into its second forum page)
So on that note
/signed
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What for? I rarely read other people's descriptions (especially when they are long). If I meet an RPer, I tend to just talk about their story with them.
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This sort of response to an additive suggestion always puzzles me. If you do not think descriptions need more text then adding more characters to the description field would not affect you. After all you "rarely read other people's descriptions", and would continue to use the same number of characters in a description regardless, yes?
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What for? I rarely read other people's descriptions (especially when they are long). If I meet an RPer, I tend to just talk about their story with them.
The space we have now is more than enough I guess. Try to be brief. Less is better usually, ya know.
(note: funny you guys all complain about you don't have space to _write_, and noone said the he would like to read more about other chars. If you want to write something noone ever will read, start another blog )
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Actually, you'd be suprised how many people do read it. Many's the time I get some random PM saying "Nice bio, mind if I borrow a few ideas from it?". I can't stand it. There's so much more I could tell them. If you want to find out about the CYSA, is in the Creative Section.
Oh yeah, /signed.
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The space we have now is more than enough I guess. Try to be brief. Less is better usually, ya know.
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In one respect I agree with the above sentiment - I think restrictions are good because they force greater creativity and efficiency of language. Maybe I'm biased, because I've always managed to fit the essential essence of all my characters into the 1,016 letter limit that usually fits into the bio space (like Liz_Bathory I use Word to write the bio first - the word count feature is invaluable - then paste it in). Sure, its been a heck of a struggle sometimes, but eventually I always manage to fit the important details in, and by cutting out some of the descriptive waffle it has more dramatic impact too. Plus I get greater satisfaction when I finally get it to fit
I've had lots of complete strangers sending me a /tell "nice bio" (after which several ceased to be strangers) and if bios get significantly longer then I worry that many more players wouldnt bother to read them. Heck, if the limit went up I might become one of them; I like reading other players' bios (if they're well written and interesting, and not the ego-stroking clichés you see so often) and I think the current length is just about right for fitting into the brief pauses in action you get in a team - heck, sometimes on a TF with 7 other well-written bios I've even managed to read through all of them by the time we finish the TF and the team breaks up 
If youre writing long stories instead of punchy descriptions then maybe you do need to use a web page instead of the description box. Maybe the forthcoming City Vault feature will allow you to link external web pages to your character pages on NCs Vault site and maybe theyll even let you access that from a browser window inside the game - that might be worth asking for, as it's supposed to be implemented before I13, so they're probably working hard on it right now.
Hmm, I have to say I'm a bit torn on this one. On the one hand I'd love to have more space, but conversely the "less is more" argument really does have its merits.
Yes, I do find it frustrating to be rattling away writing a backstory, and then suddenly hear that *bong! out of room!* sound, but quite often I find that on reading my own words back, I've waffled a bit and can edit the story down to fit.
As an artist, I was taught about the concept of "negative space" - i.e. how leaving something out of a picture can sometimes have a stronger impact than putting it in and making the picture too 'busy'. Likewise the same principle can apply to the written word - the imagination of the reader is possibly the writer's most powerful tool
Another forum I visit had a friendly competition once to see if people could write a love story in under 200 words - followed up by the tougher challenge of writing a murder story in under 100 words. When the challenge is on, it's amazing what you can actually say in so few words...the ironic part being it's more a case of what you're not saying that ultimately sells the story to the reader.
To illustrate my point, here are the mini-stories I wrote :-
Under 200 word Love Story
The store was closed. He tried to wipe the water from his face, but to no avail - the rain was falling in solid sheets now.
The next store was closed, and the next. He was soaked from head to foot, and the wind was tearing mercilessly at him, flinging stinging droplets into his eyes.
With a heavy heart, he gave up and returned home, not knowing what he'd say.
In the hallway, he sneezed as he felt the shivers take hold.
She appeared next to him, her cool hand like magic on his brow.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "No anniversary present. Wanted something to say I love you."
She tutted. "You'll catch your death in those things - you need a hot shower."
In the bathroom, where the shower's warm hiss mingled with his cold sniffles, she smiled as she collected his drenched clothes from the floor.
These sodden socks, this dripping shirt - on this day, these spoke more of his love than any silly present ever could.
(169 words)
Under 100 word Murder Story
Another murder in the park. Nowhere's safe anymore.
But it's my shortcut, always has been - still safer than the streets at night.
A flicker of movement nearby, my heart pounds....
I see a young girl in red, wild eyes darting. I sigh with relief.
"It's not safe here - come with me," I say.
I take her hand, damp with the sweat of fear.
Near the gate now - "We're safe," I say, letting go her moist hand.
Moist, but not sweat....and her clothes are not red from dye....
"We?" she says, laughing.
Then I see the knife....
(99 words)
Personally I like the challenge of keeping a character's backstory neatly trimmed and punchy, so really I'm happy with the current limit.
But then again...maybe just one more word. Or five. Or fifty. What could it hurt?
I'm a bit torn too, i can see how more space can be a bad thing, i however have in the past was itching to add just 1 more sentence to my bio's.
But i think i did alright, I've added links to the Bio's of my two main characters in my signature exactly as they are in game, do you think they need more? Is there too much? Opinions poeple! I think they're fine, is that all that matters? Well these are the stories of my characters, I know them without typing them out, so does that mean i have to make them pleasing to others and not to myself? ok im just babbling now, i'll stop typing now.
I can live with the space given, can you?
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As an artist, I was taught about the concept of "negative space" - i.e. how leaving something out of a picture can sometimes have a stronger impact than putting it in and making the picture too 'busy'.
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Yeah, I've studied both film and writing at degree-level and both fields have a similar ethos - what you decide to leave out can often have a greater impact than what you decide to keep in. I strongly believe in that and constantly strive for efficiency in my writing, because that will always deliver more immediate emotion/drama than a long waffling chunk of purple prose.
Though it's probably not evident from my forum posts
I agree the limit is useful - it would be very easy to get carried away. Equally sometimes I have more in mind for a character than I can express in the limited space.
What would be nice is to have the limited space for the regular bio as we have now, and then a much higher limit for an extended bio - so at the end of the regular one, there would be a "read more" link or something to open a separate window. That way if you found the short bio interesting then you can choose to read the full version or, if it didn't interest you, don't.
@Hakeswell
Union Ilservian, Evinlea
Defiant Expeditor, Hakeswell
Arc: 70119 Hellion Initiation
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I agree the limit is useful - it would be very easy to get carried away. Equally sometimes I have more in mind for a character than I can express in the limited space.
What would be nice is to have the limited space for the regular bio as we have now, and then a much higher limit for an extended bio - so at the end of the regular one, there would be a "read more" link or something to open a separate window. That way if you found the short bio interesting then you can choose to read the full version or, if it didn't interest you, don't.
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good idea
i have bio's trapped in my head when i write them they look like a childs musings....im 28
Lurk more, post less.
Vasagi
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What would be nice is to have the limited space for the regular bio as we have now, and then a much higher limit for an extended bio - so at the end of the regular one, there would be a "read more" link or something to open a separate window. That way if you found the short bio interesting then you can choose to read the full version or, if it didn't interest you, don't.
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That is a good idea, but I can't second it because I know if it was implemented a lot of people would just type "click the READ MORE button, because I can't fit what I wanted to say in here" in the usual bio space.
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What would be nice is to have the limited space for the regular bio as we have now, and then a much higher limit for an extended bio - so at the end of the regular one, there would be a "read more" link or something to open a separate window. That way if you found the short bio interesting then you can choose to read the full version or, if it didn't interest you, don't.
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That is a good idea, but I can't second it because I know if it was implemented a lot of people would just type "click the READ MORE button, because I can't fit what I wanted to say in here" in the usual bio space.
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Which I wouldn't find the least bit interesting and consequently wouldn't read
@Hakeswell
Union Ilservian, Evinlea
Defiant Expeditor, Hakeswell
Arc: 70119 Hellion Initiation
Its one of the ideas I like about the net connected Bios in EVE, I can write a decent length Bio in game and then link it to a more detailed story online. Don't think we're likely to get that in CoH but I'd still like that sort of option.
@Turjan
Loved that murder story (drabble?) is it yours?
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@Turjan
Loved that murder story (drabble?) is it yours?
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Yup, they're both mine
Another point on the subject of biogs - I tend to suffer from Alt Syndrome, making endless alts and then deleting them after a few levels, like a sort of wave of superheroes rolling up the beach...then back out to sea again.
I've found the ones that tend to survive share a common element, regardless of AT - an underlying linking thread in their backstories. It's got now that almost all of my toons are affiliated in one way or another with a mythical corporation called Starstone Industries.
In an odd sort of way it helps me keep the number of words down when writing the story because I no longer feel the need to explain everything in every biog. All the characters feel like characters in the same story, so I don't bother writing the same synopsis every time.
It's become sort of a 'teaser trailer' shorthand for me now, much like the pre-credits sequences of TV serials - using pre-existing characters to setup a new episode.
Title says all...I have a great backstory but can't fit it in because of the space in Character Description. More space in it please!