The Status of Roleplay and the Factory System

[Seris Caine]

First let me say that I love the factory. When I first started roleplaying on Fans they didn't have any such thing, and neither did TGC that I can remember. It wasn't until I joined The Rebel Faction that I discovered the concept of designing tech for the Star Wars universe and there it was essentially limited to ships and ground forces, not personal equipment and things of that nature.

I developed a love for designing ships, which I still have. I love designing ships. I have no problems with most ship designs either.

What I'm curious about, however, is what motivates people to create something in the factory. What motivates your submissions? For me, outside of ships, my designs are motivated largely to fill an IC need that my character or another character has identified. For example, when it became clear that the OS was hacking the GR comms, I developed a communications system that would alleviate that issue. Or, when my then NFU character learned that Force Lightning was painful, I had her design a combat flight suit meant to counter the move.

My designs are thoroughly grounded in IC necessity. Now I have seen some designs on this board, especially armor, that are absolutely over the top. I don't know what motivated these designs, but I take issue with them because they appear to have been created to be all powerful. I'm not going to list examples because I don't want to be accused of attacking someone. But I know of armor that are created to stop just about everything, making their wearer nigh invincible.

So I ask this: what motivates your submissions and why do we allow tech to be created that makes our characters essentially gods?

 

[Judah Dashiell]

 

[Raien Keth]

[member="Barrien Siegfried"]

There are many damage types that few use. But I am a broken record on this now so I'll take the above advice

 

[Seris Caine]

[member="Raien Keth"]
Explain for those of us that haven't heard you say it before?

 

[Micah Talith]

I roleplay and end up plesantly surprised that I can sub things cause of it.

 

[Nyxie]

I usually avoid making subs due to IC necessity or to cover up some inherent weakness, as to me that defeats the purpose of the flaw in a character or item. I especially love making balanced things that come with a drawback or special weaknesses for exactly that reason; they add to the depth of roleplaying. That said, I'll usually just make something on a whim or to fill a gap of the particular kind of item for a faction/group, otherwise everything else is solely a token to promote character story or personality.

Perfect example: My old main, Aynea, had two particular racial traits which were superhuman agility and increased strength. While I could have just crammed insert-damage-type-resistant armor on her without much of a loss, I wanted her focus to be on swift and agile bursts as opposed to being a sponge, so I just stopped using armor on her entirely. Now she might not have awesome lightsaber-stopping super armor, but it won't matter if she can get in and out without ever getting hit. In the end, the Factory is just another layer of diversity and little else, so it falls on us as the writers to moderate what is fair and what is excessive in our writing.

Anyways, if you have an encounter with someone where you feel the submission or use thereof is way over the top, there's always the report button, but as always keep that as a final resort.

There are many damage types that few use. But I am a broken record on this now so I'll take the above advice.

Explain for those of us that haven't heard you say it before?

No one should have to change our playstyle or limit themselves to a narrow band of items in order to retain viability in the roleplay environment, so they would be words wasted. However, I've always said where there's a will, there's a way, and clever writing will always trump omnipotent items.

TLDR: The item might make the character a god but it won't make the writer one.

 

[Seris Caine]

Well said.

No one should have to change our playstyle or limit themselves to a narrow band of items in order to retain viability in the roleplay environment, so they would be words wasted. However, I've always said where there's a will, there's a way, and clever writing will always trump omnipotent items.

TLDR: The item might make the character a god but it won't make the writer one.

I agree, but it is also good to know the information he mentioned for reference as well.

The last thing you said was spot on. And as you said, we can always report if need be. I agree with that. But I think people shouldn't be driven to attempt to create things that are over the top anyway. It ruins the RP.

All Luke used to defeat Vader and Palpatine was a lightsaber, the Force, and some help from his father. He didn't roll in wearing cortosis, tarentatek hide and laminanium.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

[member="Barrien Siegfried"] - I submit things to the factory for a variety of reasons? The chief one? Because my character is an inventor, and he likes to make things? OOCly? It's fun. I enjoy it. End of story.

 

[Vaulkhar]

[member="Barrien Siegfried"]

I think in reality, if you have the capability of becoming powerful with the submission of an item, you will. And I mean this from a character's perspective. Why not make armor made of phrix and simply never die if it'll guarantee victory after victory on the battlefield for your faction? Out of character it looks odd and a little unfair, but from a character point of view, it makes sense.

I think you should be able to submit whatever you like as long as it makes sense from the perspective of the character.

 

[Raien Keth]

[member="Cheshire"]

No one should have to change our playstyle or limit themselves to a narrow band of items in order to retain viability in the roleplay environment, so they would be words wasted. However, I've always said where there's a will, there's a way, and clever writing will always trump omnipotent items.

'Many' damage types, its not a narrow band at all. If you mean a standard blaster or force technique doesn't penetrate X armor every hit, well yes, that's true.

If you want to rp with everyone its give and take on both ends, so you do have to adapt to how they roleplay.
Between some players that adaption is nothing at all, between some its more of a stretch, but that's life.

[member="Barrien Siegfried"]

Which bit? If I can give some sound advice if this is just about tech. Go look up the different damage types on wookieepedia, if you need more advice send me a pm. There are I dunno lets throw an estimated guess out there, over a dozen we can name offhand, and more out there in factory. I've never seen an armor that can resist half of them at once, (and by resist I mean sit there impervious) and many of these can be done by force technique as much as by tech. I will be deving more guns with [member="Sere Reene"] in the coming periods for more damage types.

 

[Seris Caine]

[member="Vaulkhar"]
How very Sith-like of you!

The short answer is no, I wouldnt, because I value the story of war rather than beating the pulp out of my opponent, which is the main reason the factory sees so much use in my opinion. People don't like to lose. Me, I don't mind losing, and Barrien, for example, would seek to resolve the reason for his loss through training and seeking guidance on his shortcomings rather than making god armor or superweapons.

If someone beats me because they have some ridiculous tech, I'm generally not impressed. Being beaten by a skilled writer using cannon items is more impressive to me.

 

[Seris Caine]

[member="Raien Keth"]
I was just curious if you had a list you could post for people's reference was all. I know plenty of different cannon weapon types and such, was just trying to be helpful for others.

 

[Raien Keth]

[member="Barrien Siegfried"]

Ooohhh now i'm on the spot! I have no such list unfortunately I just pull them up when I want to dev something. Here are some off the top of my head and I swear I won't peek, lets see if I can do 12.

You've got:
1, Cyroban
2, Carbonite
3, Tensor
4, Plasma Anti Droid and Plasma Heat (not debating the second, referencing it)
5, Incendiary (flamers and grenades)
6, Particle (pure beam)
7, Blaster
8, Biological
9, Acid (+Chemical)
10, Explosive
11, Concussive wave
12, Sonic
13, Ion or Electrical
14, Pressure
15, Impact - Pure Slug
16, Radiation
17, Piercing - AP Slug

And that's my twelve+ Many of these are covered by the same types of resistances, or have partial resistances, like for example explosive and concussive would share similar attributes, as would biological and chemical, or those damnable bugs! Particle Beams are somewhat ambiguous and you need to hunt around for the rare types, as you'll find two descriptions. I know there are others, antimatter (not sure if anyone ever built a gun) for example.

 

[Seris Caine]

[member="Raien Keth"]
Pretty good list. Thanks!

 

[Ellie Mors]

I make things that people haven't made before for the express purpose of being the person who created them.

No amount of super-amazing armor and ultra-enchanted swords can protect someone from a superior opponent, even my 40 KG of alchemized steel can't protect me from defeat.

Nothing submitted to the factory makes you or your character gods or even something close to it, anyone who acts like it in an RP of any kind is just asking for a report.

 

[Raien Keth]

[member="Barrien Siegfried"]
Welcome I failed to list all the obvious nonlethal or lethal stun and gas stuff :/ I just realised.

 

[Seris Caine]

[member="Bianca OOC"]
They are asking for it, I agree. In some cases they have to edit their stuff. In other cases, some things are allowed that shouldn't be. Honestly, I think review policies should be more stringent and it is far too easy for people to get rare items.

[member="Raien Keth"]
Hopefully people would know about those things!

 

[Antoir Setrrin]

I still remember my first factory submission...
Super heavy, made of plain old metal, with no real tech add-ons. It was beautiful...
That was awhile ago.
*goes back to making super-powered phrik armor with spinning blades of death*
That was a joke

 

[Enoch Zambrano]

Because I'm a nerd.

And I would like to point out that submissions that make people 'gods' are, as a rule of thumb, worked for.

 

[Ellie Mors]

And I would like to point out that submissions that make people 'gods' are, as a rule of thumb, worked for.

They also don't exist.