Communications
Communications
Way back during the start of the MMORPG genre, in the early days of Ultima Online, roleplayers only had a couple of chat channels in the game to use. Therefore, all in game chat was done IC. To speak OOC, or to coordinate with another player not in the vicinity of your player, we used ICQ. In current MMORPGs, having to use a third-party IM client is no longer an issue, what with all the channels available in game. However, this game mechanic is a double-edged sword for many roleplayers who sometimes struggle with justifying their character’s ability to communicate with another character, sight unseen.
One of the neatest game items in UO are the communication crystals. When activated, these crystals allow the user to speak into them, and send that speech to another character with a linked crystal a great distance away. Yes, they have their drawbacks, but the concept remains solid up to today, especially for roleplayers. For example, every character in WoW has a hearthstone, which allows them to set a home inn they can magically teleport to. In RP fashion, this hearthstone may also be enchanted to allow for communication between characters near and far, and is a very common element brought into use among members of an RP guild.
Whispers and in game IMs are other game mechanic aspects I hear roleplayers rumbling about. How can someone who is leagues away from me “whisper” to me? Again, this is another game mechanic I ignore, meaning that I see it as what it is – a way for a player to contact me in game without having to download and have a third-party application take up valuable hard drive space to do so. To that end, that is why I am adamant about being IC on all other in game channels, and keeping whispers and “/tell” strictly for OOC chat. Of course, that is my choice only, the way I choose to RP. You should RP whispers in a way that feels comfortable to you.
Filed under: World of Warcraft