Character Abandonment

[Valkyria]

5 hours ago, L I C E said:

funny because i feel i got massive shit from people for rping my character post the fall of the faction i was in like that was the only purpose she served. it's actually i would argue seen to be a bad trait to rp your character even after their faction expires in GTAw by many of the people i've encountered and i almost did CK/NC due to peer pressure bc all they do is hop from flavor of the month to flavor of the month. "why don't you just NC? ur faction is gone" they tell me again and again, like all that matters is just roaming around, asset hoarding and DMing like that's all there is to RP here, on a character whose total life expectancy is however long it is until OOC drama rips the new faction apart.

if you aren't asset hoarding ur doing it wrong lol as for dm just switch to bladesworn and hit them with the ol razzle dazzle

 

props to you sticking through with your character and all the hardships that came with it

[KingstonThaIII]

I'll admit I'm guilty of this only because I don't really know how to properly send off a character I have no interest in any longer.

[Timzii]

Tbh it's normal that characters usually last for around 4-6 months before being abandoned, simply because roleplay gets too repetitive and people lose interest. 

[Chuckles]

I feel like the context of the post is being overlooked and it's shaping into a new topic entirely as a result. The objective of the thread was founded around players leaving characters during active conditions. I do not blame people for running into a brick wall with their characters nor do I blame people for wanting to try new concepts, characters. The purpose of this post was directed at those who abandon their characters mid-conflict, mid-business, mid-storyline or mid-investigation. Boredom and demotivation isn't the problem here, dereliction is because it harms more than one person's structure. I would even go further to say that leaving with no plan, background or arrangement is powergaming.

 

My problem is not with those who leave inactive characters. It is with those who leave active characters spontaneously and with no real inference.

[Trupiano]

10 minutes ago, Chuckles said:

I feel like the context of the post is being overlooked and it's shaping into a new topic entirely as a result. The objective of the thread was founded around players leaving characters during active conditions. I do not blame people for running into a brick wall with their characters nor do I blame people for wanting to try new concepts, characters. The purpose of this post was directed at those who abandon their characters mid-conflict, mid-business, mid-storyline or mid-investigation. Boredom and demotivation isn't the problem here, dereliction is because it harms more than one person's structure. I would even go further to say that leaving with no plan, background or arrangement is powergaming.

 

My problem is not with those who leave inactive characters. It is with those who leave active characters spontaneously and with no real inference.

 

It's a tricky topic because while I see where your coming from and I agree with you to an extent, the topic becomes murky in the details. The line for when it's acceptable to retire a character is different for each person and to an a certain point each character. On top of that, how is someone supposed to know they are mid-investigation, mid-murder plot, etc. In their eyes they could be quitting said character at the perfect time, but for those around them it could serious mess with on going plans.

 

While I agree, there are definitely situation where people definitely should know they're in the middle of something. The prime example that comes to mind is the countless number of cash loans I've given out only to find out days later said player quit the character. It sucks and I do partially wish those types would receive punishment, but I also realize that trying to enforce something like this would be frankly an almost impossible headache. The truth is, nobody ever truly knowns if they are quitting when their stories done. They could, in their view have finished up all their loose ends. Should they face punishment because of a storyline they were entirely unaware of?

 

Lastly, and I think most importantly. This is a video game, something we all play for enjoyment. I recently quit my character to the displeasure (And celebration) of a lot of people. People I considered friends became frustrated with me for the exact same points that your bringing up and I agree with them to an extent, if I was in their shoes I'd feel some what of the same way. But I had lost all enjoyment for RP, it wasn't fun for me to play the character anymore and frankly I had reach a point in my real life where I decided I was ready to step away from RP, something that can be incredibly dominating in ones life. Some people were happy for me, they understood that I was trying to better my own life and were 100% behind it even if it created headaches for them. But others like I said, were jaded by it even if it barely or didn't effect their character.

 

I only bring this up because I feel like this happens a lot and while I get it, most of the times the burnout isn't permanent. Someone shouldn't in the back of their mind be sticking to a character or something they don't enjoy because they're fearful of getting punished. Someone might read that and think "Oh if your done playing just take the punishment what does it matter" and while your right. I think we can all honestly admit that Roleplay can be an addicting thing, we all see people in this community who suffer from it. I'll admit even for a period I suffered with it and someone who is unknowingly addicted to this shit is going to use that fear of punishment as a motivation and excuse to continue on playing.  

 

For those reasons as silly as they might seem, I'm against any form of punishment to address the issue as it would simply be a headache to enforce with way more negatives then positives. There are just too many variable that would have to be considered in a decision and the option to just get up and quit, as frustrating as it may be for others should always be on the table. 

[Chuckles]

2 hours ago, Trupiano said:

 

It's a tricky topic because while I see where your coming from and I agree with you to an extent, the topic becomes murky in the details. The line for when it's acceptable to retire a character is different for each person and to an a certain point each character. On top of that, how is someone supposed to know they are mid-investigation, mid-murder plot, etc. In their eyes they could be quitting said character at the perfect time, but for those around them it could serious mess with on going plans.

 

While I agree, there are definitely situation where people definitely should know they're in the middle of something. The prime example that comes to mind is the countless number of cash loans I've given out only to find out days later said player quit the character. It sucks and I do partially wish those types would receive punishment, but I also realize that trying to enforce something like this would be frankly an almost impossible headache. The truth is, nobody ever truly knowns if they are quitting when their stories done. They could, in their view have finished up all their loose ends. Should they face punishment because of a storyline they were entirely unaware of?

 

Lastly, and I think most importantly. This is a video game, something we all play for enjoyment. I recently quit my character to the displeasure (And celebration) of a lot of people. People I considered friends became frustrated with me for the exact same points that your bringing up and I agree with them to an extent, if I was in their shoes I'd feel some what of the same way. But I had lost all enjoyment for RP, it wasn't fun for me to play the character anymore and frankly I had reach a point in my real life where I decided I was ready to step away from RP, something that can be incredibly dominating in ones life. Some people were happy for me, they understood that I was trying to better my own life and were 100% behind it even if it created headaches for them. But others like I said, were jaded by it even if it barely or didn't effect their character.

 

I only bring this up because I feel like this happens a lot and while I get it, most of the times the burnout isn't permanent. Someone shouldn't in the back of their mind be sticking to a character or something they don't enjoy because they're fearful of getting punished. Someone might read that and think "Oh if your done playing just take the punishment what does it matter" and while your right. I think we can all honestly admit that Roleplay can be an addicting thing, we all see people in this community who suffer from it. I'll admit even for a period I suffered with it and someone who is unknowingly addicted to this shit is going to use that fear of punishment as a motivation and excuse to continue on playing.  

 

For those reasons as silly as they might seem, I'm against any form of punishment to address the issue as it would simply be a headache to enforce with way more negatives then positives. There are just too many variable that would have to be considered in a decision and the option to just get up and quit, as frustrating as it may be for others should always be on the table. 

For reference, I agree with every point made here.

 

I'll be more engaging in the conversation when I've got more time.

[Alyssa McCarthy]

I do agree, I don’t think it’s a solution to threaten punishments & ultimately players should be able to choose when to reroll.
 

I do think a lot of this comes down to player mindset.

 

There are typically less experienced role players who have a character concept in mind and when the char falls outside that concept, they give up and re roll - a very simple example of this is making a criminal char and then gets sent to prison, or a cop and they get fired - they suddenly lose interest in the character because it wasn’t a character they were roleplaying but rather a specific concept. 
 

Compare this to a player who is telling the story of their character, how they move from high school, into college, into a job, make friends around the city and live a ‘life’ rather than a concept. It doesn’t matter if their char gets expelled or fired because just like RL, the char picks themselves up and moves on. It doesn’t matter if they fall in with a crime gang, it’s part of the characters story and to this kind of player, it’s the storytelling that is important, not any particular concept or part of their characters life.

 

Fluid characters and character development make for far longer lasting chars.

Edited October 9, 2021 by Alyssa McCarthy

[Brett Love]

Happens way too often, namely with Gang Characters. Many times a person is shot, senior gang member passes off the gun to low junior member. Then the senior member name changes, to avoid prosecution.

[KinnyWynny]

It happens with arsons too, often a throwaway character is made or pulled out of the woodwork, they burn down a building/business, and then disappear from the map until needed again. Probably the biggest reason an arson case has never been prosecuted on the server.

[knppel]

this becomes a further problem as we're financially rewarded for using new characters (see below)