do we even want voice?

That's called feature creep - it is a very bad habit in software development, as any professional developer will tell you!

Matthew

You can embrace new technology without being able to afford it. That's why I want a personal helicopter...yet don't have one.

You can embrace new technology without being able to afford it. That's why I want a personal helicopter...yet don't have one.

Um, no. Text-based online RP is a combination of imagination, literary ability and improvisation -- all of those are more important than "acting". Acting involves expressing onself "in character", but generally that character is the creation of someone else, and you are following a script. That's why in real life we distinguish between "acting", properly understood, and "improv". Sure, there is an overlap, but improv is closer to RP than what most people understand to be "acting". In online RP, acting becomes important when voice is used, because of course the timbre, timing, expression, and diction of your real life voice take the center stage -- but that's very different from text-based RP, and the differences are more fundamental than academic, in my opinion.

Let me be a bit more clear for you - since you're splitting hairs here.

role Play is role Play - be it text, voice, whatever. You are assuming the role of a character.

when 'acting' you assume the role of a character to.

On the base level there is no difference.

Next time don't assume when someone mentions role Play that they mean text based RP.

They're not even in the same ballpark. Is reading a book the same as watching a movie or seeing a stage play...or even acting in one? No.

The difference between text-based RP and LARP-ing is vast. One allows a participant to take part in the action by controlling a number of subtle and nuanced descriptions. The other relies on their ability to hurl socks and speak in a caricatured voice. Is one "better" than the other. No. Did they both evolve out of pen-and-paper RPG's. Yes.

SLRP has developed into a text-based collarborative form of literary storytelling.

VOXRP will turn into something...different. I'm not saying "worse"...but the myriad problems that loom for it (babbling confusion, lack of logging, no ID for the actor, bg noise pollution, etc...), make it VERY difficult for me to even want to think about using it in a roleplaying environment.

Yes...you can mute people...but a text-based system allows conversations to occur...with the possibility of them being overheard or ignored...without having to mute them as *unwanted*...and they're much less of a distraction than a possibly misheard voice.

Next time don't assume when someone mentions role Play that they mean text based RP.

Let me be a bit more clear for you - since you're splitting hairs here.

role Play is role Play - be it text, voice, whatever. You are assuming the role of a character.

when 'acting' you assume the role of a character to.

On the base level there is no difference.

Next time don't assume when someone mentions role Play that they mean text based RP.

I can picture it now. Saturday Night gaming session, everybody is sitting around the table ready to begin roleplaying. Just then everybody whips out their cellphones/pda's/blackberry's and begin to text each other.

I can picture it now. Saturday Night gaming session, everybody is sitting around the table ready to begin roleplaying. Just then everybody whips out their cellphones/pda's/blackberry's and begin to text each other.

Hmmmm. Maybe that could mean that there's more reasons to not want to voice than being a 372lb. version of Dennis the Menace sitting in a basement and deceiving everyone in SL with an Avie that looks like Monica Bellucci.

Naw! That's crazy talk!

I can picture it now. Saturday Night gaming session, everybody is sitting around the table ready to begin roleplaying. Just then everybody whips out their cellphones/pda's/blackberry's and begin to text each other.

This is flipside of this is what I was saying in the other thread.

The Voice Using version of Dennis might be telling everyone he is a gainfully employed professional who is considerate, confident and capable.


... In short he is pretending to be a Man online.


Was just turning some assumptions around .

I'm sorry, did somewhere in my original post did I name call and miss it or something? *checks* Nope, I didn't. So way to go slapnuts. I can only guess you'll be disappearing when age verification shows up

I have to say Michael is not entirely wrong here at all. I for one will not be making Any use of Voice, and i freely admit it's because i have a personal phobia, For example i Posatively Loathe speaking on the telephone, and avoid it where ever Possible In RL i'm Intensely shy, and solitary by Nature. No, Voice is not something i would use at all. I Don't, however wish to Prevent Others from using it, But if they want to speak to me they will have to Pay attention to text, because i will neither speak on, nor Monitor the Voice Channels.
The fact that it IS a Personal Insecurity does not invalidate my Stance. Quite seperate from my own personal feelings, I'm Not at all sure voice Is a Good thing. I've Noted in the Past where voice is used, the persons voicing have a tendancey to ignore everything but the Voice in their Ear, and they Miss a great Deal. The fact that they are so focused on Voice ALSO means that those persons in text only who might benifit from the Experiences of an Older Player who is In voice will end up Missing out.
There ARE the concerns about voice griefing. The additional layer of annonymity WILL encourage the more Flagrant Abusers of SL, and you can pretty much Count on any Voice event, like Concerts, or lectures being completely spoiled by "Jamming" caused by the griefing elements.
Those are a couple of my concerns, and as i said, they are Quite apart from my own personal Discomfort. IF there were a way to Acheive Voice in SL while Ruling Out these issues, I would be Pro-Voice (For others of course). As it is these issues will not really touch me, because i simply won't use the system, but i DO have concerns for those second citizens who are Hoping for a Quality Experience with Voice that i Honestly beleive they will NOT Get.
Voice is a FACT. It's Coming, and asking NOW if we Really Want, or Need it is more or less like Asking if we Really want or need Tomorrows Dawn. We have no choice in the matter, it's Coming regardless, But what sort of Day Tomorrows Dawn Brings IS something we can Affect. I say Wait, See what sort of problems become paramount, and Give LL our feedback on Possible fixes, that would be the most constructive use of our time and typing.

Angel.

Someone calling someone else "slapnuts" made me laugh so hard I coughed up a piece of banana. That cheered me *right* up.

I don't understand your point here. What do you gain by finding out otherwise, and what contribution does voice make towards clarification of this person's real status or financial situation?

More to the point, why do you care what this person's true status is in RL if SL is anything more to you than a Craig's List with 3D pictures?

hehehehe I dont care! At all.

But there are who people really seem dead set on claiming that women who wont voice must be RL men. Im just saying plenty of the RL males round here who claim to be men .. arent.

Good lord, I go away for a few hours and a perfectly decent and friendly thread about SL hair has degenerated into a fight about something call Voice (what is that, by the way, as it keeps popping up in all kinds of strange threads), or role play, acting, and general nastiness.
People, can we please stay on topic. I need to be cheered up, as building is a nightmare right now. Thanks

Chas cum Brenda

They might have meant 'slaapmuts' (sic), which I think is Dutch for a sleeping cap. Very bad for hair, even in SL.

hehehehe I dont care! At all.

But there are who people really seem dead set on claiming that women who wont voice must be RL men. Im just saying plenty of the RL males round here who claim to be men .. arent.

Chas cum Brenda