May 18, 2018 - 2:26pm — CydaLuva83
Was chit chatting with a pal the other night and we got to talking about the different styles of playing characters on TEF; mainly the whole IC and OOC debacle.
I was curious if anyone else felt that playing 'purely IC' or 'purely OOC' affected their experience of playing the game.
Example: Back when I first joined TEF and played my doe Cydae- yes she was a character- but she was still very much a part of me and that showed. And even going on to make Brooks and the characters that came after them, the actions they displayed in game wouldn't necessarily be what they would do because I wanted to play the game moreso than be confined by a grumpy character that doesn't want to do things.
Like, for story purposes, Cydae doesn't like the Twin God statues, cannot see, and cannot stand being spelled by the devout, but unless I'm in forest with people I know, I'll play around, spell-spam, and make merry. If I see characters played by people I'm not on good terms with, I'll avoid them even if the characters would get along because I'm not trying to interact with the people behind the character and get involved with their stories.
Despite having been a member here for over 6 years I don't completely understand how people communicate in-depth roleplays in-forest and expect others to understand complex communication while being limited to a dozen or so basic movements.
Perhaps this has been talked about previously and I understand the blog posts created that say 'If you're interacting with this avatar in forest YOU ARE NOT TALKING TO ME, YOU ARE TALKING TO THAT CHARACTER'. like, got it, all g.
However I was curious as to if anyone else felt as if there was this... ah for lack of a better term, 'language barrier' with themselves and the forest. Like, if I plopped a deer in the forest, I'm just trying to dick around and enjoy myself. Having my character just sit and be idle because it's difficult to approach others because that character is introverted isn't... that much fun.
I only started roleplaying a
My main character Jonquil still hasn't become a real character, partly because I am super lazy to make and update bios, and partly because I somehow got too connected with her and I don't know how would I play her as a real character. Whenever I play her I just end up doing random things and it would be just, I dunno, weird to suddenly make her IC. She is just kinda... there? As for my other characters, it's weird how that connection quickly disappeared when I made Clarion a character (he was previously just another OOC). I mean, I still sometimes end up doing some things that he maybe wouldn't do himself, but it's easier for me to detach myself from his thoughts and actions. The same is with my other characters, especially Heather since she is super introverted and shy. I don't know why but I have no problem with her just standing or sitting somewhere and not interacting with anyone she doesn't know that well. It's so weird how I do experience the game differently when I play Jonquil. When I play my IC's it's like another world opens, because I see other deer in the forest not just as a random deer. I suddenly become aware that they have stories behind themselves, their past, friends etc. And yea, when it comes to involving into other people's stories, I always liked it more for it to happen spontaneously, like when the characters meet by accident through a random in-forest encounter, or by being introduced through mutual friends. It's kinda weird to me if I just jump into someone's story just like that xD tho I don't have a problem with it if it does happen sometimes.
I am really curious to see what others have to say on this topic. I hope I am not the only one who is so awkward with the whole roleplaying thing xD
Not gonna lie even when IC I
Also also OOC will happen if any of my characters run into nameless or deer without obvious bios if you click on their picto on the map.
Introverted characters are the bane of my existance, coming from someone who has probably the most antisocial deer ever (Corvus) cos it's so hard to get them to interact and get interactions from/by. THAT SAID if you find someone + another character that's willing to be patient with your antisocial character it can be super rewarding.
........I had more but my brain just blanked on me ghjkfgh
pERSONALLY, when i first
I play 100% IC all the time unless i'm doing something that requires me not to be and i don't feel like it's affected my experience because that was the 'experience' i was looking for, sort off? if i'm playing the game, i'm playing the game. if i'm talking to people on discord or on the community site, i'm talking to people!
i think there's a pretty widely accepted/played 'language' of the forest through actions but ofc you can't always tell what people are doing. i think a lot of people use updates for that.. TO EXPLAIN. but maybe not lately- most stuff is rp'ed. i rarely have my deer run into anyone that doesn't drop me a message and instantly verbalize what's going on, or vice verse anymore now that i think about it. i'm not usually curious or wondering anymore these last few years because there's not a lot of room for it
bring back bio rp and hours of waiting for updates to find out wtf someone was doing 2k18
MY MAIN POINT I THINK IS i don't think anything like that's made a difference to me. the game is a game and when i speak to people, that's 'real life' and that's person to person. TEF's the only game i've played where i don't feel like i'm 'PLAYING WITH PEOPLE', and human interaction takes place entirely outside of it/on the comm
3: that's only me tho, it's interesting to see everyone else's do's
Back in the day, being purely
I've since transitioned to being completely IC on 90% of my characters and mixed/completely OOC on a couple that are more OOC deer than anything. And honestly..no, I don't feel a language barrier between myself and the forest. Maybe because I'm such an old dog that being in forest, be it IC or OOC, using in forest interaction, is just second nature for me at this point. But I do need breaks from being IC all the time, which is why my OOC deer exist.
And as Draak said, there are people whose characters I, for personal reasons, will avoid even when I am IC, and I will slip out of character around obviously new players/nameless deer, but that's about the extent of how OOC my IC characters will get.
It's so odd/interesting (but
I miss being able to just goof off and spellspam with a handful of other players, but now I don't think I'd ever dare try to peacock someone or try to play with them because 99.9% of the time they're a character. NOT THAT IT'S WRONG for OOC and IC interactions it just...feels different? idk. I get an absolute ton of contradictory thoughts about it.
I DUNNO maybe I just want some old fashioned TEF fun not involving characters.
I don't think I've had a proper TEF rp for years, and all my interactions happen via inforest actions and updates. Although lately I've been playing characters who don't really talk and only interact via inforest actions (Birb, Smol. Also bab to an extent).
But sometimes it doesn't feel like those interactions are as important or as "canon" as someones text rp though.
I feel like I am rambling but
I have noticed, over the
Now, between Skype, Discord, and other instant message apps, that gesture-based communication is less necessary, and it's becoming a lost art. I'm reminded of the whistling language Sylbo, which has little purpose now that cell phones and other such gadgets exist.
That's not to say that the instant communication doesn't have its benefits. Certainly stories can become more intimate and detailed in certain ways. But it loses the fluidity and poetry of motion.
I find myself becoming rustier and rustier with in-Forest language, too. "Use it or lose it," as they say. I was never more fluent than when I played only a deer with no concept of language beyond what the Forest provided.
As for IC vs. OOC, the difference to me is knowledge and perception. My IC deer know only what they experience. My OOC deer knows all that I know. Character is generally only broken for nameless, fawns, and aid; if I can't maintain a character for longer than that episode takes to complete (such as wanting to play with someone longer or hanging out with a friend who has a character mine would not normally interact with), I switch to "D" so that there is no confusion if someone that deer knows comes along, or if the player I am currently interacting with approaches that character later on. I will approach characters while OOC, but usually only to say hello to the friends behind the deer, unless invited to do otherwise; I consider it impolite to impose upon characters long-term without an invitation. If they want to break character to play with me, great, but I don't expect it. If they don't want to, then you do you, boo. I'mma continue putzing around or find somewhere with a nice soundscape to chill. My OOC deer has no commitments or obligations to obey, and isn't bound by complicated relationship webs. I go see whoever I want, wherever I want. Dance on the pond? Yep. Flying without wings or magic? You betcha. Irrationally tall towers of deer? Oh yeah. Clipping cartwheels into the ground because what are barriers? Bet your IC deer can't do that.
I've also been around for
A courtesy. I'm alright with that now, that being said I was never one for OOC characters, but if one of my IC characters receive that kind of attention I generally limit how much OOC interaction my IC character gives out to make it fair so no one- well for lack of better term- gets butthurt. Either way all of my characters and well anyone in the forest, is generally subject to some OOC interaction one way or another, especially with the namless, so I say its good to set a positive example if you can within the limitations of your character and their personalitie(s).
And yes, sometimes it takes some balls to approach other's characters - don't get me wrong I think everyone has had trouble that. And I'm sure others have had the same with my characters (whom aren't always the nicest but) - given. They do the best they can. There is that fine line between OOC and IC but then there's that small break in the ice where you can still fit in some fun, dorky times.
But the bottom line is, if someone wants to interact they get it regardless of their in game interaction status. And if complications arise, that's what glorious discord is for.