Inevitable frustrated rant

When I first arrived in SL, I was referred by a friend from a text-based RP MUSH. I wondered about doing some similar types of RP inside SL, and found some other people who seemed to be interested to, but looking around there wasn't much support for it; there were very few areas related to it and those that there were seemed to be private. So...

1) I start trying to do things in text-only, vai IM. This quickly breaks down when people constantly say "TP so we can meet" and I have to reply "why? my av doesn't look like my char and the location I'm in doesn't look like where we are, so it just makes it discongruous". Response: "But so what's the point?"

2) I understand the frustration, so I try and work in things that can be done in SL, where support already existts. Result, "It's not the same", "Why have you given up on what you wanted?", etc.

3) So, I grit my teeth and start actually trying to build my own things to support it. It goes somewhat-well, but takes a lot of work. And what's the feedback from the folks? They all leave to do other things, saying "There's no point as nothing is happening and now you are always busy building stuff".

(sigh) Ok, I really don't know anymore. There must be SOME way around this. Anyone know?

Ask those interested to help build

I tried that, too. "I don't understand any of this stuff, and I want to play not work".

Then you've asked the wrong people. Post in the "Help Wanted" forums or ask around. If what you're doing is really cool, then there's a good chance you'll get what you want for cheap or free. Often, there's many really skilled people who are looking for things to create but need someone to give them something to do. Just ask around.

Though my home isn't by far anything near a roleplay environment, I personally would open my patch of land to friends wanting to roleplay out a scene near a chalet up in the mountains or out in nowhere (my outer walls interior is a landscape due to recent popup locations nearby, one of which included a short lived minicasino).

Build a forest and they will hop in..ask them to help it gets messy. Perhgaps if you bought land and structure dit for various roleplay environments, then as a way of recouping some effort, used a pay gate to get in, charging say 5 $L to get inside (a mere token of cash to most roleplayers in a virtual world who appreciate quality, and I'm normally under 1k), and a steady rate of 2 $L per hour to remain?

The gate for the land itself is buyable for 0 $L (free) on slexchange.com (Under gadgets or decor, I believe).

Building is fun in SL... it isn't work.

That's really how I feel. But not everyone shares that enthusiasm for creativity.

That's why we have a money system!

I would say it's work that's fun.

coco

So? Go ahead and TP them, and talk to them in-game. If things don't start out looking right, you can work together to MAKE them look right, if that matters.

It certainly won't look any wronger than it does when you're IM-ing.

Well, except it backfires because if you don't feel the enthusiasm for creativity, you probably don't have any money either. If you can't integrate, there's not so much motivation to buy L$.

In any case, most things I was looked for just aren't available at all, not just expensive.

Actually building is quite simple; any avatar can rez a prim with just a coupel of mouse clicks.

The difference is between building, and building something that looks good. That's where most people fall over, I'd guess, looking at the amount of half-built or gaudy looking constructions that are around the grid.

Although of course the beauty of a build is down to the individual, if I go somewhere and think it looks hideous, I will tp straight out again. If, however, it's pleasant - or even tolerable - I will look round and see what there is. Yesterday I went to a mall and bought some chairs, because I stayed to look round simply because although the design was nothing spectacular, it was clean, open, and uncluttered.

Lewis

omg sl sux we shud all quit

I agree that building in SL is fun, I'm just learning (and awaiting my first big 'oops' that crashes a sim). My earlier post may seem disjointed..if you need clarification ask her eor contatc me in world (once the grid is bakc up). I was watching my snake shed his skin..his markings are beautiful.

You know, my character's supposed to be a member of an alien species that function as a group mind. It takes 4-8 of them working together to operate at human level, and my pack of six is fairly typical.

An avatar that's actually a pack of wolf-sized rat-things with long necks and manipulatory mouths like a Pierson's Puppeteer is a little beyond what SL can handle, and even one of them is way beyond my ability to create. So, you know, you're not the only one.

If you see something in back of your head, and no matter how many prims you use, it never ends up being what you dream, its not fun, thats work.

Well, Pypo, that's what I mean when I say you have to let the creation have its own way. Stop trying to make it conform to what you thought it would be, or what you want it to be, but let it be what it wants to be. Allow it to come out of its shell and see what it is. What it wants to be is generally better than what you thought it would/should be, because it lives in SL and your imagined item doesn't.

It's kind of like - and this isn't an exact analogy, but it's kind of like if you had in mind a dress you wanted for the prom, and you went to the mall to find it, but you never found it, and the whole thing was frustrating. Better to go to the mall and see what dresses the mall has in mind for you, lol.

coco

Oooh Sounds like the Tines from a Fire upon the deep?

That could be a darn cool avatar!

Ooh a Skroderider would also be neat if you could get the avatar hidden well enough without needing invis prims.

I used a hybrid approach, myself; I encouraged people to "dress up" as their character and had a "VR environment cube" to simulate different places (although an actual build would certainly be preferred) but demanded imagination otherwise.

On the other hand, my roleplaying is firmly based in tabletop/paper styles, with IRC-based techniques to make it easier to do in a text-chat-based environent, and may not be useful for someone desiring MUSH-style play.