Getting RP out of Stormwind

[Vrahn]

My problem with that is that it's kind of like... "Too bad for you if you enjoy RP in Stormwind, get out." It's not fair to the player base to shut down areas of RP, it'd be more proper to give them a better option, rather than just kick them out. Besides, the last time Stormwind was shut down everyone just moved to Ironforge.

[Moose]

I threw up a post seeking to find a solution to this earlier, the one over in RP ideas. Unfortunately, that's also the time that half my extended family decided to show up and stay the weekend through Monday. But my (unapproved) Hordie is also sitting here gathering dust and he could use some face time, too. I will go back to my other post, though, and say I don't see nearly enough time spent RPing in outposts. The wilderness is great, but smaller towns have tons of resources for spicing up RP. Just go out and WoWwiki a random outpost; there's tons of things in every zone. Instead of complaining that there's too much RP in Stormwind and we need to shut the place down, how about we start up new storylines and take our RP someplace new?

Hooray for 7:30 AM forum time.

[Piken]

Just gonna say a quick little thing here that I was told once and tell people a lot now that I've seen how it is. If two, or a few people are seen RPing somewhere else, people will gather there. Curiosity, urge to change venue, boredom, many things will attract people to other places. Of course, it's not -always- like that, but most times it is, from my experience. People see a small group out RPing in <random place>, and they think "Ooh, what's going on there." And go to check it out. Though the thing is, with this, people need to be kept in when drawn there. Many times it's a burst of "Oh wow, that's cool!" and then it just dies down and people migrate back to where ever. I'm not going to say Stormwind, because it's switched between many places. I do agree with Vrahn a bit, and it seems like you're targeting people for enjoying their RP there, which I know is not your intent. But you know how people are; you make the slightest insinuation that you are targeting something they like, they will get defensive in some way.

But yes, back on track, of course it will be a bit difficult to get people away from their gathering spot, as they are comfortable there, and most don't like change, but that can be overcome quite easily. I've done it myself, as have a few others here on CotH. Just need to get a couple people willing to change, and more shall follow! <Nod>

Now, forgive if I rambled.. Habit. v.v

[DaveM]

it'd be more proper to give them a better option, rather than just kick them out.

I agree it'd be a preety big restriction, but it could be one good for the long term. Potentially. Why maybe:

There's two types of characters fillin' SW:
Category 1. Those that live in SW and do their thing there and
Category 2. Those that wind up there (often in search of RP, really)

Category 1 won't leave, whatever cool stuff you make outside of SW (except shutting it down )
Category 2 gathers in SW Becasue they /who see Category 1 there.
- Maybe, as a trial thing for a week, it could be a good thing to break this cycle. You can't make an alternative that attracts all Stormwindians, not even most.

I think that Stormwind-setting lovers should look at this as a search for solution to a server-issue, and that Ol' Horides should not feel like they are "entitled" RP outside of Stormwind and are to be provided for.

IMO, the point -is- Let's all just have as much fun as we can at the end of the day, while making sure the sever doesn't get any smaller by excluding anybody.

[Shane]

In my opinion the reason why people end up rp-ing together in places like Stormwind or Silvermoon is lack of some universal rp event (as stated by Grakor ). By universal I mean something like war. Though the CotH Wiki states that "The Alliance has declared war on the Horde". You don't see any rp around that. The only inter-faction rp that I see is that in Ratchet where people from different factions treat each other as childhood buddies completely ignoring the fact that they are at war with the guy from the other faction (something that really pisses me off). Agreed that Ratchet is a neutral zone but that doesn't mean that the Horde goes around huggin-kissin the Alliance and vice versa .
I think we should do some war-rp as it'll be something fun and also bring people from their caves in Stormwind,Ratchet.......

it went offtopic but I think events like war and conflict can bring out the people and have them rp together

[DaveM]

Less than half the characters - looking at the Wiki - are war oriented and would be directly involved in all out skirmishes. Uner a quarter are aligned with the Alliance/Horde military directly and could be "summoned to the warzone" even if they don't feel like it. I think the main context to RP is "Wartime" not "War".

Most players think: "War Combat RP? All get together and start rolling to see who dies ten emotes later? Nah." and that can be udnerstandable.

While racial tension is obviously under-played (bah), I disagree that players should be expected to faction-hate by default.

People and soldiers don't like wars. The military is not full of enemy-haters (they exist, mroeso in the army, but still do not form a majority). It's notorious that during many wars, soldiers killed to not be killed and to obey orders and only rarely because of personal hate. There's a vast number of examples of how soldiers of opposing factions during a war would avoid conflict as much as possible during a war, to the extent of fakeing combat and partying with the enemy after "war hours".

/end_derailing

/Back_2_Thread_Subject

[Aruen]

Less than half the characters - looking at the Wiki - are war oriented and would be directly involved in all out skirmishes. Uner a quarter are aligned with the Alliance/Horde military directly and could be "summoned to the warzone" even if they don't feel like it. I think the main context to RP is "Wartime" not "War".

Most players think: "War Combat RP? All get together and start rolling to see who dies ten emotes later? Nah." and that can be udnerstandable.

While racial tension is obviously under-played (bah), I disagree that players should be expected to faction-hate by default.

People and soldiers don't like wars. The military is not full of enemy-haters (they exist, mroeso in the army, but still do not form a majority). It's notorious that during many wars, soldiers killed to not be killed and to obey orders and only rarely because of personal hate. There's a vast number of examples of how soldiers of opposing factions during a war would avoid conflict as much as possible during a war, to the extent of fakeing combat and partying with the enemy after "war hours".

/end_derailing

/Back_2_Thread_Subject

A forced call to arms would work.. Though I personally enjoy Stormwind to RP in, my character would be forced to obey to that and go elsewhere. Just shutting down the city oocly for a week is not going to help. :mrgreen:

My problem with that is that it's kind of like... "Too bad for you if you enjoy RP in Stormwind, get out." It's not fair to the player base to shut down areas of RP, it'd be more proper to give them a better option, rather than just kick them out. Besides, the last time Stormwind was shut down everyone just moved to Ironforge.

Agreed there.

Either way, Arlaina also is forced currently for more activity in Duskwood/Darkshire area due to the CoD/LL shared storyline. Probably also for the best, I like Stormwind.. but a change of locations can't hurt. And that's the only character I have who actually visits Stormwind a lot. Heck, it's the only character I even play.

[Drumgar]

Northrend, I might just be bias, but I'd expect plenty of soldeirs, from the Alliance, Sin'sholia, and Horde to be called to race to put Arthas's head on a pike, as well as fight of the opposing factions from taking more of the continent. Likewise, citizens of all types would be needed to create supplies, work newly established farms, fight, operate machinery. All sorts of things. Not in Alliance, Sin'sholia, or Horde? The Explorer's League is abound in Northrend, and I'm sure people can find -some- way to end up in the frozen north. That's my two cents on a solution.

[Vrahn]

I'm not opposed to a change in RP location, I just would prefer that it is done fluidly, and not done through outside pressures. As I have said before, the best way to shift the focus of RP is through player-led events.

[Sheppard]

I'm not opposed to a change in RP location, I just would prefer that it is done fluidly, and not done through outside pressures. As I have said before, the best way to shift the focus of RP is through player-led events.

Agreed. Should RP hotspots be advertised, then do it with in-game events. Want people to RP in let's say, Goldshire, then give the characters a very good reason for them to do so. Maybe a call to arms should be an appropriate way of getting things outside of Stormwind. Or maybe something intern that happens to be the reason for characters to leave for a while? Maybe the market dropped, or a sickness of some sort plagues through the vast numbers of inhabitants?

[Shane]

Guess its time for a Horde-Alliance skirmish event *nods*

[Sol]

Guess its time for a Horde-Alliance skirmish event *nods*

Another?

Personally, I'd have to agree with Grak. There are so many excellent RP spots out there (and yes, I mean other than Booty Bay and Ratchet, too), but most people seem content with keeping their characters grounded. Understandable, but seriously, guys, these tried-and-tested places might make a nice, sensible routine for a character to frequent, but I find that RP tends to stagnate in such areas after a while. Some proper military RP (A reboot of Incursions or mebbe something based in Northrend springs to mind) might mix things up a little, or hell, I think anything would if folks would just climb out of their hidey-holes and see the world*. I'm aware what I'm saying is repitition of what other folks are saying and/or gross generalisation of the playerbase, buuut yeah. Sorry about that.



*That wasn't me saying you guys have no lives or anything! Honest!

[Shane]

Guess its time for a Horde-Alliance skirmish event *nods*

Another?

"Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:56 am"
That was the time of the last post on that forum -.-
Anyway I agree that a military campaign in Northrend can be quite fun (and I don't mean making the entire population of Azeroth to migrate over there)

[waffenbaum]

What sort of RP event could involve both factions and suitably accommodate all races and personalities so that everyone could have fun?

Personally, I am not the kind of person who enjoys full-on combat-rp. I do not like tension, and I do not like to make other players feel bad, IC or OOC'ly. But since there's a war on, I can't really interact with the horde in any other ways than fighting. Which of course would be necessary IF the horde and alliance met. You can't expect two parties at war to cooperate unless you believe in the Disney; "Let's work together against the common enemy" way of doing things. If there indeed was a larger enemy that people could work together to defeat (an NPC enemy, preferably) then there'd be more of a reason to for the horde and alliance to hang around.

And yes, I know the Lich King is supposed to be precisely that, and that the scourge is the common enemy as well. But we have to face that they aren't a very interesting foe. Arthas is a poor villain who will soon be 5-man raid content and there's really no motivation to go around killing endlessly respawning undeads for a while, it wouldn't really feel like you were achieving something.

My best suggestion, a stupid one at that, would be to expand on a neutral city. Likely a Goblin one (As far as they are still neutral). Characters that do not feel an urge to run towards the nearest opponent from the opposite faction and clothepin him could to some extent get involved with other races and characters on another level than screaming profanities at one another.

For the sake of ranting, let's take a real-life situation and imagine the 100 years war. France and England has at that point been enemies as far back as most can remember, they have come to a point where neither considers the other faction to be human anymore, and everyone "knows" that the war is a constant which will likely never end. The war has grown into a state of something that just "is", like the sky or the rain and sunshine. What could motivate a group of French and English soldiers to put aside their differences?

Imaginary Viking invasion? (Despite the fact that the viking age had already ended at that time in history) Imagine is the Vrykul (or something similar) began to assault cities along the costal lines. Both Ogrimmar and Stormwind would be reasonably attractive targets for assault. If the Vrykul are at all like the vikings they are based on, they'd have little difficulty fielding huge numbers, and even less difficulty crossing the ocean to raid the capitals of man and orc. Their warlike and greedy nature, combined with their brutal cunning would likely lead them to believe that staging huge raids on the Alliance and Horde could be much more profitable than to continue to prey on the walrus men. They'd see a large bountiful continent with plenty of resources, and a large part of the armies of both the Alliance and the Horde would be caught up fighting in Northrend. What better incentive would they need to attack?

As I said, it's a stupid idea. If the capitals became more dangerous to be in and around, and if the enemy was a threat to both factions, perhaps people would began vacating the cities (especially Stormwind) and seek to interact more with others, both horde and alliance.

If none of that works, I guess I can't see how the current situation can be changed. Maybe more focus on the arena could bring people to Ratchet. A nice place to go, but too few houses. People are attracted to big cities, most of us are IRL as well. Big cities spells more opportunities, more things to buy, more fun. Unless you're a socially reclusive hermit, people are more likely to want to live and stay in big cities. Which is why the cities become big, that's logic.

All stick and no carrot won't work, though.

[Grakor456]

Words.

This is a personal challenge. I'm not stopping anyone from RPing in Stormwind if they really want. I don't want to insinuate that Stormwind RP is all bad or anything of the sort. *I* don't like it, but that's just my personal bias and I recognize it as such.

However, I do think that this is a problem. The main problem I have with SW RP, and really most RP in Alliance lands, is again that it's impossible for the other side to participate. This isn't always bad, but I find it very inconsiderate when there's one Horde looking for RP and all the Alliance are in areas that he/she can't get to and refuse to leave. And I swear if someone suggests that the Hordie should roll an Alliance character, I'm going to belt someone.

As for getting players to make events to draw people out...that's what I'm trying to do here. Apparently I'm not one of the few who can magically conjure RP partners out of a hat whenever I want.