((RP Questions))

I've recently started RPing in COX. I found a great SG and love everything about RPing. There are two questions that i have that are fairly minor.

1. How many people use 1st person camera? As of now, i don't. I think it's hard to move and harder in caves. I'll get used to it though if it's the normal thing.

2. Do you actually go "into" the mind of your character? When you're sitting there at your computer, do you pretend you are the character or just when you're typing. Are your reactions that of your character or that of yourself, you just type your characters.

Thanks to anyone who responds.

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1. I think first person camera is very much a minority taste. I usually zoom out as far as the map allows to keep track of baddies. I only zoom in to marvel my character doing cool things

2. How much am I immersed? Depends on the character, I think. I can't say I worry about it. I definitely notice differences in my play behaviour dependent on character though, even during OOC (out-of-character) play: Like, on reckless characters I tend to play (even more) recklessly. But I certainly don't try (and in that case, I try not to ).

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OMG! How like, totally kewl are these characters?!1

I don't use the 1st person view. Hard to see what emotes my character is in doing that way.

As for getting into the mindset that depends on the situation. Most of the time I see myself as the angel/demon sitting on the character shoulder. However if the situation is dramatic I tend to get into the character's head.

I often act as the bartender in the pocket D on Virtue as the Phantom Gunslinger (blueside). It's enjoyable but I don't get deeply into the role because well it just simple activities. However just last night same character the drama and suspense was deep and I really got involved and my actions and mindset were in sync.

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1. I don't use first person view for the same three reasons mentioned. Movement (my characters are agile IC), surrounding enemies (my characters have peaked senses IC) and emotes. I have to see what actions they're performing or I might loose track of the RP. I swing my camera around alot (keybound to right mouse-button) to focus on certain action sequences from the front angles so I will often use the first person camera to reset back to the default shoulder cam.

2. I'm always fully immersed and try to limit OOC chat to globat channels. Even on a non-RP team or when solo, I enjoy staying in the mindsets of my characters; the naive priest who is half-human half-angel or his often hostile but definately street-wise female sidekicks. Hope that helps.

Also, I find removing as much of the UI (user interface) as I can manage really helps with immersion. Having only the power-tray and health-bars up not only clears the screen but I find it makes the whole CoX experience more like playing or watching an interactive superhero movie.

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1. First person view sucks and I never use it.
2. When Ellie's in full steam, my concious mind has little to do with what she says or does. I let some other part of me take over the keyboard so what she says is what SHE says, not me. Hell, I find some of the things she says somewhat of an anathaema to me personally! Plus, she's a coffee addict and I've gone right off the stuff. She loves her iPhone too, and I... don't.

Gotta love stream of conciousness stuff. There's some dark dark things in there.

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@FloatingFatMan

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

1) I never use the first person perspective. Occasionally I'll give it a go but I actually find it ruins my immersion more than improving it.

2) How far into the character you go is entirely up to you. Some folks just throw out their battle cries and read out the mission text in character. Others will act, live and breathe according to their character's nature. I find the key to getting into a situation is to ask myself each time "How would my character respond to this?" rather than going with the game mechanics. For example, one of my Blasters used to be so timid, she'd not enter melee, even if that's where the heals were coming from with a Kinetics user on the team. You've just got to be prepared to live with the consequences (i.e. faceplanting in my case. )

If you get very deep into a character, sometimes their responses become natural and that can even be surprising when they do something you weren't consciously expecting. That's all part of the fun though.

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@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk

1. i only use first person when i am talking to one Character , and i wish to focus just on them , helps me ingore the surrounding activity .

2. When i am in the correct RP mood ..total immersion , and like FFM says , sometimes its a bit shocking what the character will do or say ..

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1) I only use first perspective when forced to clear some graphical garbage from other players, but otherwise never. I play zoomed out view.

2) When I'm RPing which is most of the time... the lines between me author and me character can get very blurry at times. However there are other times when I'm having an IC conversation in one channel and a completely different OOC conversation in another channel, while keeping an ear on another. So it really depends on the situation and the investment in the character. My mutant hating tank requires full concentration just to play, so immersion is easy for her. On the other end of the scale, my blaster I play is easy to play (stand back at range and shoot) and has no character so its constantly OOC.

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It is really enjoyable when a character does do or say something unexpected.

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First person camera (true first person) is for tight spaces when the camera messes up, not for roleplaying. I'd love to know where you got the impression it was. Sounds like you've met some rather excessive RPers.

I have little to no tendency to immerse myself in my characters. I empathise with them, but roleplaying is an intellectual exercise for me. I create a character and then have them behave the way they should based on that character 'schema.'

So, FFM's comments about his characters saying stuff he doesn't believe in: mine frequently do that. It's nothing to do with them ocupying some other bit of my mind, I have the intellectual capacity to analyse and espouse beliefs that aren't mine.

That said, when I'm 'in the Zone,' my characters can come out with stuff I don't believe I'm capable of. It's like I'm channelling them. This is stuff like: Jason, 8000 year old, suave, sophisticated; in other words, not me. I would come out with lines for him that I don't believe I could ever come up with on my own. Wish I could, I'd have had way more succes with women!

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Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.

Never for a moment believe characters aren't alive. If they aren't, thats 'cos they're only half baked Once a character is 'complete', they live. And they really do have minds of their own.

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They also change in ways you never expect. For example Phantom Gunslinger began as a Homeless man named Toxic Dreg. However the RP completely changed the character he got a steady job and a rents a room. He even became more outspoken and friendlier then I originally was going for.

I had to change his name because he grew away from the original idea! He's now more of a poor Batman then a Homeless vigilante fighting for survival.

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Thanks to everyone who answered, this really cleared some things up and should help me get better.

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