Character Profiles Etc....

[Pirog]

I also like the idea of a text based description over a picture.

But the basic attributes, like hair color, eye color, skon color and so on should be fixed when creating the character...otherwise people could change it along the way to fool people in the game.

There should also be a space where you could write information that could change over time or have been added since the spawning of the charcter. (Like scars, hair style and so on.)

[swymir]

Well I don't know how many people would change their skin and hair color from time to time. Maybe open up the game to hair dye and tannign beds in addition to the make-up idea. Or make skin-tone affected by the weather. If your up in th emountains where it snows a lot you will be lighter then someone in the desert where it's always sunny.

[Solfius]

I think that should be automatic. Once players choose their attributes they stay like that, and are only altered by the game mechanics.

(and I've just remembered an arguement for not having player chosen attributes: there won't be a great deal of variety as many players that don't have any particular role playing interest might choose the "best" options ie. making their characters all similar/ the same looking)

[DYip16]

We should stay AWAY from any char profiles involvin intrests n stuff.... As for appearances... Clothes and maybe hair n eye color... Then again, we might be able to alter that with some mixed chemicals forming hair bleach lol...

spy sneaks in unharmed b/c he has blonde streaks

[Solfius]

So you are well in favour of fully automatic descriptions, or player chosen from menu type things?

[DYip16]

Probably the player selected interface thing... Automatic might be a bad idea for new RP players... Unless of course that concept with birth, and the attributes of the parents being passed on to the baby... Hmm Now I'm not sure... Automatic might be the way to go b/c it sort of forces the person to be a character... Also, if we have to many identical chars, the generator might be able to change it so its relatively even...

[Missy]

I've come to form the opinion...that if i absolutely had to choose........I STILL would not want computer generated photos- nor would I want computer generated pre-written/picked text descriptions.
AND i DEFFINATELY do not want people to be able to chooose from drop down lists for their simple hair and eye colors. I DO NOT want other peoples chars running around LOOKING like mine. Forget it!!!!! (which is what would happen if you had drop down lists- everyone would have the same facial features...but gee one might have blonde hair the other might have brown.....and you'd still end up meeting someone with brown hair and green eyes and same face like you...thats not origionality..even if they did have a scar)
If we're not aloud to use pictures we choose ourselves? Then I'd choose written descriptions we write ourselves over any other choices given.At least then I'd still be in charge of "what" my character looked like. If my chars dress is two sizes too small.....I should be able to say that. And if her hair is brown with a red hue..by god I should be able to write about it for her description. Since noone wants to let us choose our own photos...YES i'd have to say written descriptions that we ourselves get to write. !!!!!!

When my husband gets home and hooks up our scanner (Which is monday) I plan to post the sketches I have made of my chars on the old boards. At least they will have not gone to waste. They aren't anything "spectactular" but it gives me practice lmao. ....its a far cry from true artistry..lol...but i like them....I love them....because they are what IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII THINK MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY CHARACTERS look like/will look like when they have clothing.

[Meh]

But would a text description of "looks like a Olip" be helpful ar harmful either way?

[Missy]

Depends on how you think of it i suppose. First (I DONT know what a olip is)


When i say write char descriptions i want full ability....I want to be able to write...

Catherine Aspens Profile: A woman in her twenties who seems to be in good health!

A nature posessed by many her hair flows long to just above where back meet bottom. The ends frayed from much time, and little maintnence. Each strand laiden in the position her movements had last left it. The dark silky but unkempt red hued bundle shadowing her high cheeks; Leaving her ears dismissive to onlookers about. Each brow dark in nature: always at a slanted peak; well with in its means of alotted fore-head. Her shoulders bony- peaked out through the wisps of hair. Gallantly held high, and arched rightly- as she kept herself proper balanced at all times. The clavical that surpassed all defined niches, has the ability to draw eyes where they needn't belong. For that matter, the rest of body left uncurved, yet she was still noticibly- of female characteur. Ever more:........hidden beneath the cotton garb but not always so - depending on her footing , muscular defined legs could be imagined, provided her skirt swayed the right way as she moved along. The bareness of her arms could glint when hit in the direct sun ray, golden-ed to a standard met by living conditions all were forced under. Hands that bore- dirty beyond finger nail line- seemed so simple compared to the mass amount of mud caked to her feet. Her lips radiantly perched upon a clefted chin, did not fore-go the point that protruded air from her nose. Orbs of demeanor, felt as though they pierced you, should you catch her eye. The green masses that filled her skull, surrounded by greyish-white, left all that noticed- believing there was more to be learned about Miss Aspen. It was oft that those eyes led people to believe she was one with corrosive attitude, yet properly mannered.







THIS IS HOW I WOULD like to describe some characters....NOT everyone is goign to want to describe their characters in this way. I GET That much. And they don't have to....but why should i have to settle for less when i CAN do this??????? If i want to describe my character in a way such is this ...WHY can't I? And if someone WANTS to say...their character has ..JIM BILL BOB's Profile - Man in his twenties who seems to be in good health
Brown hair, brown eyes, short in stature, wearing jeans WHY CANT THEY?
IT should be left up to the player to decide! HOW THERE Char LOOKS.
OF course the player should be reasonable though...WHEN my character gets older..she won't sound so daunting in my desription..I Should have the ability to change it as she grows old (this resolving the fact people think it needs to be ovious chars are growing old) as she is attacked by people and cut up....and as she is bitten and scarred by things, I should bee able to change it as she is moved around, straitened up-cleaned up or disheveled. MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Not YOUUUUUUUUUU OR anyone else. HOW in the hell is anyone else going to be able to keep TRACK of what my char does anyways? NOONE BUT me...can do so. IF her hair is greasy because she hasn't been in the water? I'll write it so. If she has dirt on her face...IT SHOULD be written and described so that those who come across her KNOW what there character is ACTUALLY LOOKING at.

If a character comes up to my character who has fallen in the dirt and gotten her face all dirty.......THEYLL assume she has a clean face.....because everyones characters aren't described (due to the way everyone else wants it) BUT ORDINARILY if someone approached someone who fell in the dirt and got their face dirty they'd see it right????????? RIGHT! THats why it should be up to ME! and that is why i should be able to write about her desription vs having it picked...So characters who approach her actually KNOW to SEE what they are looking at.

[Solfius]

argh, long post. Forgive me, but i only read half of that, to the base of your example description.

How about we have both? drop down meun choices, then the option to expand upon them in a description?

Persoanlly, I would see the drop down menus have enough detail not the be easily similar. I mean: have lots of menus for different features, so you can specify a quite detailed appearance for your char.

Things like hair length, nose size, ear size, shape of both, lips, physical build, skin tone etc etc. just about anything you can see

[Missy]

Not to mention...say my character does get attacked by someone with a sabre? WHO are you to say where that sabre cut her at??????????? Maybe it cut her in the arm ....maybeeeeeeeeeeee she got it in the abdomen and it ISNT visible to the other characters eye? But the blood and the hole in her clothing would be. shouldn't I be able to describe all stages of her wounds too? Changing her profile when its necessary?
Her stab isn't going to be a stab wound forever but it isn't going to be a scar right away either......it will be a scab first..
When she is fully healthy again...I'd change that girls profile..and make it into a scar....

And what about skin color? When weather comes along- or if she travels to the desert....Should I be able to write about her sun burn? OR how about if she was dark to begin with from living in a naturally sunny area but moved to the mountians where there was little sun....Skin color especially when referring to tans....FADE. So does hair color....My hair is brown with a red tint to it. In the winter time its normally real dark looking....But in the summer it lightens...
It's lighter than usual always now that I'm living in Hawaii.

And what about birth marks? Moles? Pimples? Hairy arms? Hairy legs? chapped lips? Pale from being sick? Skinny from lack of food? Rotten teeth from malnutrition? Sunken eyes from malnutrition? Postsure from being sick....posture from malnutrition? What about limps from previous injuries? Ahhhh..yeah limps should be described too....WHEN a character is in a town PEOPLE would SEE that person is limping any time he walks that should be aloud in description...

What about...side burns? Knotty hair? Short hair? Long hair? Medium hair? BALDING? Mustaches? Beards?
Long noses? Short noses....fat noses...noses that you can barely tell the character has nostrils....Noses that look like wild boar noses because that character is just ugly...LOL What about chubby characters who lay around doing nothing but eating?
What about characters who have lots of muscle because they work ALLLLLLLLLLLL THE time...these THINGS WOULD/SHOULD be visible and known. NOOOOOOOOOOOO A character who just meets someone and reads .."man with muscle" wouldn't know why that muscle was there.....BUT He the person seeing SHOULD be able to see it. Even if it is only written in a profile.
What about bruises? AND WHAT ABOUT SMELLLLLLLLLLL??????????????????
smell...characters could smell anywhere from dusty like the sand road- to smelling like pine from being in blojt forest blah blah blah
If someone was sick and had a clogged nose and walked up to a character who smelled of pine? No that character wouldn't be able to tell that the character who smelled like pine smelled like pine. But anyone who walked up to the char who didn't have a clogged nose from being ill WOULD be able to tell ..So smells should be able to be written if a player wants their char to have a scent/smell. How about their breath? IF a char is talkling to someone that is standing five centimeters from their face...YOu better believe the opposite listener is going to be smelling his breath for we have you to invent personal hygene..

What about cellulite- stretch makrs that all come from being over weight? And when we're able to have our chars reproduce? I don't think my char is "not" going to not have stretch marks. (unless shes' really really lucky lol)

Im willing to bet Keri Lukaginhan has some REALLY ugly feet from all the rocks he's dropped on them. But unless you let us describe our characters on our own I won't ever know....

[Solfius]

obviously you feel strongly about this, and post as such.

There are reasons to have a system either way, some you have detailed.

In response to the point about the sabre, it could be programmed to determine where the sabre hits, if Jos wanted to go into that much detail over wounding (it may have other applications as well as profile alteration)

I think it ocmes down to two arguments, no matter how you keep giving answers it's always: letting us, the players, have the freedom to write whatever they want, vs. not letting have total as inevitably some, if not most, will write inappropriately.

[Missy]

obviously you feel strongly about this, and post as such.



I think it ocmes down to two arguments, no matter how you keep giving answers it's always: letting us, the players, have the freedom to write whatever they want, vs. not letting have total as inevitably some, if not most, will write inappropriately.

Correction- Although I say in certain areas "letting players have ability to write as they want" What I mean is "Describe characteristics " as they want.
No...people shouldn't have ability to write as they want or otherwise there will be people who write Jason has a scar because he got hit in the face by judy who was mean...jason fell in hte mud and has dirt all over now. They'll say things that people s houldn't know along with the things people should know.
BUT people join the game and are informed of the capital rule? THis rule applies to profiles just as it does in game talking. If people can't figure that out before they write their profile then they are cheating. Plain and simple. Can only write about things that are obvious- and people would see or know by LOOKING . Otherwise it is cheating....its giving knowledge to characters that they wouldn't have known

[Missy]

And yes..i am opinionated about this.
I don't expect my ideas will be perfect. Especially not the "writing descriptions idea" there will be people who abuse the privelage...but I don't suspect there will be any more who abuse this privelage than those that cheat period? Do you?

People who play this game want to do things in accordance with rules generally right? Why would they write something they weren't aloud to write? Except for those that do not care about the rules and probably would have cheated any other way in the long run.

And it would be simple as it already is to enforce rules....You write a short paragraph in the game description page about the profiles.
First suggest the players look at other characters profiles to get an idea of what a profile should be.
Then give a few examples of what they can not write about...

Anyone who sees someone writing about something that isn't general character knowledge reports them to the staff ...SIMPLE

[Slowness_Incarnate]

Gee..can't we just have it so that people have the option to fill out the profile or not? I mean..if it'd like yahoo...you can leave the profile completely blank.There...problem solved..those that do not want a picute or a discription can leave it totally blank...then go about there merry way.I like the picture idea,it may not be for all so if the person does not want one they don't have to have one.If the player does not want to see a picture,they don't have to look at profiles.It's all a matter of choice. =)[/i]