Extremely Intrigued by SL MMOs: Why choose SL?

Hello everyone!
I'm fairly new to SL and after exploring, i've noticed the vast amount of combat / pvp / MMO-esque worlds that players have created--and are extremely successful. I am extremely intrigued at the fact that you choose SL over games like WoW or COD. If possible, would anyone be interested in answering a few of my questions about the SL gaming world? We could chat on SL or message here.

Thanks so much!
Sumire

I have no interest in combat, I'm in SL for socializing and building... something you can't do in any other 3d environment I've found, and something that I've become accustomed to in older text-based virtual worlds. Really, SL is the only 3d online environment I'd *call* a world.

Thanks for replying hastily, Argent!
I've definitely acknowledged that SL is basically the only place where one could build anything, and that's a major plus for SL. It truly is a world.
You wouldn't happen to know anyone who would be interested in chatting about online SL combat?

No virtual combat here either, I have enough of that irl. Here's a thought, call me radical if you like but how about joining some 'combat' type rp groups in-world and actually asking the 'players' why they do it in SL, as opposed to say WOW or messing about on call of duty?, but I tend to find a simple approach usually pays dividends. Asking the folks on here for an opinion, might be akin to putting your hand in a mangle.

Fox, I've tried! I've tried to fit my character into the world and attempted to ask but I felt like I was disrupting their In Character mode. I wish I knew of a place on SL where players from combat areas just hung out, like a cafe or something, where they are more easily approachable...

It's the same reason as whith anything simular...

People simply prefer homegrown stuff, more often than not you get a better experience.
It doesn't matter if its a combat game, a pay2play-game-of-skill or whatever else, the mainstream choice simply doesn't have the extra charm.

True, Andy, I didn't think of it that way. This stuff, SL, is all homegrown. I can see why many would prefer it.

Also, many people seem to prefer RP mixed in with their combat, so they'll go for the system with the best combat. Others prefer combat mixed in with their RP. If the RP they're into is in SL, that's where they'll want to have their combat.

I suppose most people enjoy the aspect of being able to customize their RPing in SL as opposed to a set gameplay like in mainstream MMOs..
I wonder if there are more cons than pros to combat/rping on Second Life as well.

Sumire,

There are many different aspects to this whole "SL for Online Gaming" and if there's anything you need to ask people, this is one way to do it, though it becomes slanted by some jaded people very quickly. U_U T_T

I tend to think that there are places in SL that you can actually purchase add-ons and enhancements to your avatar (i.e. HUDs and specialized outfits) for play in many of these PvP and RP regions. One region that comes to mind is the area that uses John Norman's "Gor" novels as the basis for RPing. (Please Note: I have been there and RP'd, but I do not particularly like the premise for RP, though I do like the the novels.)

There are others, relating to sports, that many play and get good at with practice AND scripting. There's a hoverboard sim, I wish I knew where, that I've added myself to, through a friend's insistence. (He's a huge simboard fan! ^_^) It's something that many players are into.

On a more personal note: I am working on bringing my own blend of RPG to SL, but not until I have a better grasp of LSL and the 'props building' aspect of my needs. Once I can figure it out, I will be crafting objects that do something! instead of just "dumb" objects.

Albeit set up for sandbox and semi-generic RP, SL is an awesome location for 3D personal networking. Most people hop in/on to get away from life, or to talk to others who have similar interests. Where can you go, anywhere in the world, and interact with people from the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, India, Japan, Australia, and the US in any ONE location, like London or Tokyo, for instance-- YOU CAN'T! Second Life is JUST THAT! A global 3D avatar-friendly networking site!

I hope this helped, Sumire. Please contact me for other insights. ^_^

I never really thought about that, but there seems to be more CONs than PROs to actually crafting an RP experience in SL.

All too often in any RP, you speak to and act a certain way around these other people who are also speaking and acting as you are, but in SL, it's all text. You can only do so much with text-- many people cannot type fast enough, nor can they express their feelings in such a way as to make it seem real. On top of that, too many people either expressly use emoticons or 'texting' to "speak", and anything that is supposed to be spelled out is improperly spelled. I've mistaken someone as having a threatening tone, when in all actuality, that person was just asking a quick query. XD Sometimes, the misspelling is all too rampant, like a 6 year old trying out for a spelling bee. LOL

When you truly can get something together, it ends up seeming contrived and lacking any real emotion. Unless you can one-off Shakespeare's Sonnets and quickly ascertain the situation at hand, a fast response is never fast. I, on a good day, and with my own ideas and style, push about 160 to 200 words per minute... With others ideas, as well as dictation, it drops to around 120. If there's a HUD that can be used in-RP and in-SL for these locations specific to the environment, then it should be used and an 'output channel' for the RP texts, the other texts should be used for expressing emotion(s) and feelings 'you' are experiencing. It's too bad that there's nothing being used like this.

Whenever I RP, I am usually in another game-- EVE, Mabinogi, D&D Online-- and actually trying to role-play my character in certain places, and during certain events, if that can be done with the rest of the party involved. If not, it's all based on the likes/dislikes of the majority of the group. In EVE, I had a character that I created called Braxthis. (A friend brought it over as an ALT to one of his MAIN characters.) Whenever we were questing/raiding, most of us would be RPing-- we loved it! Not only did it allow for deeper interaction with most of the players in the corporation, it allowed for a better understanding of the player behind the avatar. We would, at times, go off and talk about other things, not relating to EVE, and try to get some things set up for RL: websites, web-based apps, and other such things. I managed to get employed as a freelancer for some writing through a contact in EVE, but after the employment dried up, I was back on EVE looking for other work, when I found SL! I could make doing "THIS" into an employable skill-- If only someone would hire me to do so! [Please consider this a resume-of-sorts, I can write almost anything!]

On the off chance that you actually get to join an RP group on SL, and get to play, please understand-- everyone is there for a good time-- some take their fun WAY TOO SERIOUSLY~! Be careful. We'd like you to come back in one piece!

--There's still more information, but I'd like to make sure the readers have a good grasp. If you'd like to contact me, contact me through the Forums with a PM, or on SL. Search for me and we'll talk.

I expect that because people have limited time for SL, if they like to play in combat sims, that's probably where they are when they're online.

Some of those sims have OOC parties and other events. You might try going to those. You'll have to join the appropriate groups to get notice of the events.

Some of those sims and game systems have their own forums, like this one, but on their own sites. You should be able to find them pretty easily.

My answer is totally plain. Tested all of the existing mmorpg game, and it SL developments, opportunities, contacts carried the palm, incomes and in terms of everything else.

The company very good, there are exceptionally many opportunities onto getting acquainted, that they may turn into a lifelong totally real friendship sometimes.

The number of opportunities is endless in the making of objects, experiences and everything else. I may do anything according to my mood, which occurs to me only,. I prepare houses for example many times and I put it on the marketplace of the game.

My real life, and the second between life, I may create the harmony exceptionally simply. Since that I do not have an occasion in my real life to cover, I do it in the game, and this works reversely.

Quite simply, I find SL is vastly more free and open with what you can do. With traditional MMOs, you are pigeon-holed into linear questing, limited character customization, etc. In SL, the sky is the limit. You can really do anything here.... and if you need to, you can always build your own stuff to fill a void that's missing.

Now, the flip side is that some things in SL are not put together as professionally, but there are plenty of extremely well made things.

I have to echo this. If you look at the rp opportunities in SL you can generally find whatever niche you want or make your own. This could be play style, genre or theme. That is not something you will find in any single MMORPG or even as a collective. If you do a bit of searching you can find everything from simulated table top, sims that are similar to traditional PC rpgs, to those that are more like life simulation or dramatic live play. I don't know if it's still around, but I remember one time even seeing a Japanese RP sim where the players were all sarariman simulating corporate life.