Character descriptions

[Doug R.]

Guy on the street: Why do we want this?

Admin: Because players get tired of repeating hair color, etc, in their RP over and over.

GOTS: Alright, so just let players set such things in description boxes.

Admin: We can't trust the players to do that.

GOTS: But we already trust them not to cheat.

Admin: But we keep an eye on them.

GOTS: So why can't you keep an eye on this too?

Admin: Um, er, um, it's too much to keep an eye on?

GOTS: Well, cantr's supposed to be a society simulator and has genes already, so why not just assign characters genetic colors?

Admin: That would make some players angry, because it would screw with their preconceived notions.

GOTS: Well why not...

Admin: *interrupts* And also, even though Cantr was designed to be a society simulator, it really hasn't turned out to be one so much, and is more of a roleplaying game, so hard-coded color genes would go against the spirit of role-play.

GOTS: Uh, what if we hard code it and give existing players a choice?

Admin: This is really getting complex. I think I'm going to go watch Firefly.

The easiest thing to do is trust the players. Is it really worth all this just because someone might put "ultimate badass" in his hair color description box? He'd be reported or killed, just like every other idiot that does something moronic IG.

Let's keep it simple...

[Piscator]

Some people still think that one's language group shouldn't be that easily discernible. A limited set of predefined options would be easily translatable in all of Cantr's languages, whether they are ruled by genes or not.

[joo]

Some people still think that one's language group shouldn't be that easily discernible. A limited set of predefined options would be easily translatable in all of Cantr's languages, whether they are ruled by genes or not.

I agree. The appearance have to be, in some way language-independent. Either by displaying and RGB colour, or having preset colour descriptions.

[Gran]

The concept of Cantr seems to be around near-infinite choice by letting players RP almost anything - the only limitations put on the player are the resources, location, clothing and ability to build only items specified in game. Everything else is up to the player to RP. Limiting hair colour to set choices IMHO erodes Cantr's main 'selling point'.

I don't really see how this confines roleplay in any way. From what I see, any prohibition creates choices to backup those you can't choose anymore.

And more, I am back with the idea that only natural hair should be genetically gained traits. And its all about with basic sociological reasoning: does someone who wants bright purple hair someone who wants to fit in a crowd of blondes? Hell no!!! And thats for those people that there is hair dye. Even more, it would make those people even more different, because the "Oh, my char would look cute with pink" people wouldn't bother to get the resources, turning the hair dyieing and different hair colors actually relevant.

I mean, if at the end, people would spawn with green hair, what would be the difference? None, I say.

Although since characters wouldn't know how sex work, the first assumption would be likely, it just wouldn't necessarily be correct.

Fixed.

[Doug R.]

Some people still think that one's language group shouldn't be that easily discernible. A limited set of predefined options would be easily translatable in all of Cantr's languages, whether they are ruled by genes or not.

Alright, so people not of your language can't see the descriptions. Fixed. For all they know, you left the fields blank.

[Piscator]

Definitely a solution, but not a very elegant one.

I don't see the problem with hardcoded options, as long as we include the option "strange".

"You see a man with light skin, blue eyes and strange coloured hair."

People who like to have normal colours can choose them from a list and those who like it more extravagantly choose "strange cloured" and rp it. That wouldn't work with genetics though.

An additional character description (that could be hidden from other LGs) is still a good idea and could be used to specify "strange".

[lordcooper]

I thiink what was meant by language independant is that the options translate.

Easy example: English player chooses blue as a hair colour. French player sees bleu

[SekoETC]

Yeah. But that "strange" option would reduce the amount of options, I must admit...

[lordcooper]

Sorry, I'm waaay against having 'strange' as an option. Would be quite pointless really...

Piscator: I spy a fellow Pratchett fan...

[Piscator]

What gave me away?

Why would strange limit the options? You could give a list with 100 different colours and just add "strange" as an alternative to "none of all". I think seeing someone with a strange, special or whatever you want to call it colour would be nicer than seeing nothing at all.

[lordcooper]

In the beginning, there was nothing, which exploded.

I'm pretty much word perfect on most of his books....The shame...

Anyway...

You don't walk down the road and see a man with strange coloured hair. You see a man with (random example) flourescent purple hair.

[Dudel]

Quesion: I have purple hair... isn't brown hair then strange?

I would never ever do purple hair! But it is something that I think should be thought about. Just keep it force coded so that it is translated or you coud encourage people to write descriptions in english? Since there are more english characters.

[Gran]

Stop the boggy ranting and hear about hair dye!!!

Why should any of the chemically and biological unlikely colors be spawned with? We'll get a bunch of no-good lassies who wouldn't stand with the colour revolution! (Seriously, wouldn't it take the magic out of it?)

Plus... "strange" hair? That's is so general that general would be restrictive.

[Rebma]

Agreed. Re-read my ideas for hair dye. You'd only need white, light, medium, dark, black.. or w/e and then the dyes would do the rest. Sooo simple. And would please everyone.

[joo]

The word "strange" implies that that particular colour is found to be different or foreign in some way by the player seeing it. If I spawned in a town full of purple-haired characters and had purple hair myself, I wouldn't consider my fellow citizens' hair colour to be "strange" every time I looked at them.

You cannot create such a division between "normal" and "strange" hair colour, as such divisions exist only in people's minds based on what they have seen -- especially if you use such an opinionated word as "strange."
</uneccesarily_long_rant>