Hello Everyone,
I am doing some thinking out loud here...well....typed....ah hell you know what I mean...
I have noted in some past posts that I am somewhat lacking in building skills. However, I have decided to try my hand at this once again. This time I was a bit smarter about it. I downloaded some 3d modeling software and have been going over tutorials. Now a lot of folks say you should go to classes to learn how to build. There is a lot of sense in that. However, I do not have the time to sit in a class in second life. I sometimes, more often then not, have to log due to RL demands. So reading articles and watching video tutorials are going to be my main means of learning.
Why am I going to learn to do this? Mostly because, it just makes sense. Most everyone I know has at least some building skills and turns out some very good items. I don't know that I will ever be as skilled as some, but it would be nice to put together something that others find useful.
What will I build? Now there is a good question. Being as I am gun hound in both SL and RL, I will likely try my hand at that. However, building a gun is a ways down the road. I will start with something a bit easier, like maybe a 1 prim chair/table/etc. Eventually I will progress to more complex projects, but I have found that in most things you have to learn how to walk before you can run.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Roleplay, some more thoughts
Hey Everyone,
My alt Ezra had the honor of showing some new folks around Deadwood a few nights ago. I had met several of these folks when playing in other sims. I think they had a good time, but they were a bit skittish on one issue.
The people I toured were para's. Now most of you know what I mean here, but to avoid any confusion, para equals paragrapher. In Deadwood, most of us post one sentence, sometimes two. Paragraphers are just that, they normally post a paragraph at a time going into great detail about what they are doing, thinking, etc. They were afraid that their style of rping would be frowned on and/or, they would be shunned. I don't believe that any of the regulars in Deadwood would be so rude.
Is one preferable or better than the other? In my humble opinion, No. It is personal preference. I use one line posting for several reasons. First, thats the way I was taught when I first started rping. Two, while I can type, i am far from being the fastest out there.
Paras give a lot of detail about what is happening in their post. The problem that comes in is if the person is a slow typist, you have people standing around for a minute or more while someone posts. While in a sim that has primarily paras, this is not a huge problem as the regulars expect some time to elapse between posts. In a sim that is primarily one liners, people will continue their conversations and the para can find themselves falling behind in the conversation, unless they are very fast typists.
So why am I expounding at length on this? I believe that when someone comes into your sim and they are using a different style of rp, you should try to include them in whats going on. I have played in sims where para's are the majority. I have found that I make longer posts in that environment, because that is the expectation. The reverse is likely true for paras who come into sims where one liners are dominant. They will shorten their posts, perhaps still longer than most folks, but is that a bad thing?
My alt Ezra had the honor of showing some new folks around Deadwood a few nights ago. I had met several of these folks when playing in other sims. I think they had a good time, but they were a bit skittish on one issue.
The people I toured were para's. Now most of you know what I mean here, but to avoid any confusion, para equals paragrapher. In Deadwood, most of us post one sentence, sometimes two. Paragraphers are just that, they normally post a paragraph at a time going into great detail about what they are doing, thinking, etc. They were afraid that their style of rping would be frowned on and/or, they would be shunned. I don't believe that any of the regulars in Deadwood would be so rude.
Is one preferable or better than the other? In my humble opinion, No. It is personal preference. I use one line posting for several reasons. First, thats the way I was taught when I first started rping. Two, while I can type, i am far from being the fastest out there.
Paras give a lot of detail about what is happening in their post. The problem that comes in is if the person is a slow typist, you have people standing around for a minute or more while someone posts. While in a sim that has primarily paras, this is not a huge problem as the regulars expect some time to elapse between posts. In a sim that is primarily one liners, people will continue their conversations and the para can find themselves falling behind in the conversation, unless they are very fast typists.
So why am I expounding at length on this? I believe that when someone comes into your sim and they are using a different style of rp, you should try to include them in whats going on. I have played in sims where para's are the majority. I have found that I make longer posts in that environment, because that is the expectation. The reverse is likely true for paras who come into sims where one liners are dominant. They will shorten their posts, perhaps still longer than most folks, but is that a bad thing?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Looking for a good time on Friday Night contd
Ezra sat at the table watching several fights while he rested up. Several of Clay's soiled doves walked by, a couple of them smiled at him and Charley. "Ezra, I'm a gonna go ask one of them girls to dance and mebbe take some time fer myself upstairs." Ezra gave a nod, "Don' be takin more'n one with ya tonight Charley. I knows ya only gots money fer one and the Mayor weren't none to pleased with ya the last time ya come up short. Fact is, ifn I hadna come up with the money he was gonna have that big ol security man o his pay ya a visit." Charley glanced over where the hulking form of Martin Ramey stood in a corner and swallowed hard. "No need ta fret Ezra, I aint a gonna do nothin that stupid."
"Alright, is there anyone brave enough to step into the ring?" Clay shouted. Jumping up and climbing into the ring Ezra began to bounce back and forth on the balls of his feet, waiting to see who was going to fight him. He smiled a bit when Silas Acker climbed into the ring. "Are ya ready to commit mayhem?" Clay shouted. Ezra and Silas responded with "Aye".
Clay rang the bell and Ezra charged Silas. Silas let out a scream and began to run around the ring, Ezra right behind him. With a sudden stop and twist, Silas slammed a right fist onto Ezra's chin. With a grunt, Ezra staggered back, "Why you sneaky son of a bitch". Ezra leaped up and both men began to pummel each other. Silas slipped to the side and began to run again. Ezra followed a bit more cautiously. Silas moved at top speed and spun around getting behind Ezra and pounding his kidneys. Ezra backhanded Silas, catching him in the side of the jaw. Both men backed away a bit. Ezra looked at Silas with a bit more respect. The man might be a feckless idiot, but he could fight. Ezra charged again and Silas met him in the middle of the ring. For a full minute the two exchanged blows, until Silas landed a hard left on Ezra's temple. With a groan Ezra dropped.
The next thing Ezra saw was the sight of Daisy Stratten looking into his face with a concerned look. She had a wet, somewhat dirty rag, wiping some of the blood from his face. She smiled when she saw his eyes focus on her. Ezra smiled back and winced, his lip was split and it began to bleed again. It also felt like his jaw was just this side of broken.
Daisy frowned at the wince and sent a scowling look at Silas who was still crowing about his win. With gestures Daisy let Ezra know she wanted him to go upstairs where he could rest up. Ezra nodded and letting Daisy try to support him he walked up the stairs a gleam in his eye. He whispered to himself, "This is how ya has a good time on a Friday night."
"Alright, is there anyone brave enough to step into the ring?" Clay shouted. Jumping up and climbing into the ring Ezra began to bounce back and forth on the balls of his feet, waiting to see who was going to fight him. He smiled a bit when Silas Acker climbed into the ring. "Are ya ready to commit mayhem?" Clay shouted. Ezra and Silas responded with "Aye".
Clay rang the bell and Ezra charged Silas. Silas let out a scream and began to run around the ring, Ezra right behind him. With a sudden stop and twist, Silas slammed a right fist onto Ezra's chin. With a grunt, Ezra staggered back, "Why you sneaky son of a bitch". Ezra leaped up and both men began to pummel each other. Silas slipped to the side and began to run again. Ezra followed a bit more cautiously. Silas moved at top speed and spun around getting behind Ezra and pounding his kidneys. Ezra backhanded Silas, catching him in the side of the jaw. Both men backed away a bit. Ezra looked at Silas with a bit more respect. The man might be a feckless idiot, but he could fight. Ezra charged again and Silas met him in the middle of the ring. For a full minute the two exchanged blows, until Silas landed a hard left on Ezra's temple. With a groan Ezra dropped.
The next thing Ezra saw was the sight of Daisy Stratten looking into his face with a concerned look. She had a wet, somewhat dirty rag, wiping some of the blood from his face. She smiled when she saw his eyes focus on her. Ezra smiled back and winced, his lip was split and it began to bleed again. It also felt like his jaw was just this side of broken.
Daisy frowned at the wince and sent a scowling look at Silas who was still crowing about his win. With gestures Daisy let Ezra know she wanted him to go upstairs where he could rest up. Ezra nodded and letting Daisy try to support him he walked up the stairs a gleam in his eye. He whispered to himself, "This is how ya has a good time on a Friday night."
Friday, February 5, 2010
Looking for a Good Time on Friday Night
Stepping out of the shack, Ezra shivered at the cold. Pulling his hat down a bit more firmly on his head, Ezra stepped out into the frozen mud that passed for a street and headed for the Gem. He had just turned onto Lee street heading for Main, when he heard a shout behind him. Looking back he saw Charley running to catch up. "Goddammit Charley, ya'll be late to yer own funeral." Charley just grunted and muttered, "Ya can go to hell Ezra. This here is my first day off in 3 weeks and I aim to enjoy it the way I see fit." Ezra gave his friend a good natured punch in the arm, "Charley, ya sleep the whole damn day away an then ya gonna make us late ta the boxin matches. Ya beat all, ya know that?" Charley just lowered his head and said nothing.
Ezra and Charley walked into the Gem and found a seat to wait for the matches to start. Ezra looked around to see who he might have to face. There stood Judge Eun by the stage. He would be hard to beat. Marty, the Gems bouncer stood next to the Mayor. Sitting at a table in the back were several men Ezra had not met before. "Charley, looks like I got my work cut out fer me." Then the bell began to ring and Clays voice cut across the noise of the saloon. "Looks like we have enough to get started. Who wants to be the first to prove they are the toughest in town?" Ezra watched as two of the new comers climbed into the ring. Clay rang the bell again and the fight started.
An hour had gone by and Ezra had just won his first fight against a stranger. Sitting down to rest, he noticed Daisy, the Gems mute prostitute dancing on the stage. Ezra caught her eye and gave her a toothy grin. Daisy was a pretty little brunette, who had lost her voice due to a customer trying to cut her throat. "Ya know Charley, I'm gonna buy me an hour o' her time after I wins the fights tonight." Charley just snorted turning his attention back to the ring.
Ezra climbed into the ring again and saw one of the strangers climbing in as well. Grinning he nodded to the man. His opponent stood a good 5 inches higher then Ezra's 5'7" and likely outweighed him by a good 30 pounds. The stranger looked at Ezra and then laughed, "I'm gonna beat hell outta you little man." Ezra said nothing but the grin disappeared from his face, his lips went thin. When Clay asked if they were ready Ezra merely nodded.
The bell rang and the stranger charged Ezra, throwing a hard left towards his head. With a twist and a step back, Ezra evaded the punch. Again the man launched a wide arcing punch towards Ezra's head, Ezra back peddled and stopped in the center of the ring. The stranger came in more cautiously throwing jabs. Ezra's head snapped back as one of the jabs connected. The big man followed up with a hard right hand to the ribs. Grunting Ezra backed away, making the bigger man follow him. The stranger kept throwing punches backing Ezra toward the corner. The man threw another hard punch towards Ezra's head. Ducking down and moving forward to the left of his opponent, Ezra ended up to the left and slightly behind him. Ezra went to work on the mans kidneys, landing three blows before the stranger could get away. Both men were breathing heavily as the closed again, punches flying. For a full minute the two stood toe to toe, then the bigger man stepped back slightly. Ezra slid past a right hand only to catch a grazing left along his jaw. Staggering back he saw the stranger dip his knees in preparation to leap. As the man began the leap Ezra threw a right to the man's midsection. With a whoosh of expelled air, the stranger dropped to his knees. Ezra followed up with two quick punches to the head and the stranger dropped face first on the mat. Ezra staggered out of the ring and collapsed on the chair next to Charley, his breath coming in wheezes. Charley gave him a quizzical look, "Ya havin fun yet?" Between wheezes Ezra gave him a lopsided grin and replied, "Th...th...this..here...i..is a...right...g..gg...good...frolic."
to be contd
Ezra and Charley walked into the Gem and found a seat to wait for the matches to start. Ezra looked around to see who he might have to face. There stood Judge Eun by the stage. He would be hard to beat. Marty, the Gems bouncer stood next to the Mayor. Sitting at a table in the back were several men Ezra had not met before. "Charley, looks like I got my work cut out fer me." Then the bell began to ring and Clays voice cut across the noise of the saloon. "Looks like we have enough to get started. Who wants to be the first to prove they are the toughest in town?" Ezra watched as two of the new comers climbed into the ring. Clay rang the bell again and the fight started.
An hour had gone by and Ezra had just won his first fight against a stranger. Sitting down to rest, he noticed Daisy, the Gems mute prostitute dancing on the stage. Ezra caught her eye and gave her a toothy grin. Daisy was a pretty little brunette, who had lost her voice due to a customer trying to cut her throat. "Ya know Charley, I'm gonna buy me an hour o' her time after I wins the fights tonight." Charley just snorted turning his attention back to the ring.
Ezra climbed into the ring again and saw one of the strangers climbing in as well. Grinning he nodded to the man. His opponent stood a good 5 inches higher then Ezra's 5'7" and likely outweighed him by a good 30 pounds. The stranger looked at Ezra and then laughed, "I'm gonna beat hell outta you little man." Ezra said nothing but the grin disappeared from his face, his lips went thin. When Clay asked if they were ready Ezra merely nodded.
The bell rang and the stranger charged Ezra, throwing a hard left towards his head. With a twist and a step back, Ezra evaded the punch. Again the man launched a wide arcing punch towards Ezra's head, Ezra back peddled and stopped in the center of the ring. The stranger came in more cautiously throwing jabs. Ezra's head snapped back as one of the jabs connected. The big man followed up with a hard right hand to the ribs. Grunting Ezra backed away, making the bigger man follow him. The stranger kept throwing punches backing Ezra toward the corner. The man threw another hard punch towards Ezra's head. Ducking down and moving forward to the left of his opponent, Ezra ended up to the left and slightly behind him. Ezra went to work on the mans kidneys, landing three blows before the stranger could get away. Both men were breathing heavily as the closed again, punches flying. For a full minute the two stood toe to toe, then the bigger man stepped back slightly. Ezra slid past a right hand only to catch a grazing left along his jaw. Staggering back he saw the stranger dip his knees in preparation to leap. As the man began the leap Ezra threw a right to the man's midsection. With a whoosh of expelled air, the stranger dropped to his knees. Ezra followed up with two quick punches to the head and the stranger dropped face first on the mat. Ezra staggered out of the ring and collapsed on the chair next to Charley, his breath coming in wheezes. Charley gave him a quizzical look, "Ya havin fun yet?" Between wheezes Ezra gave him a lopsided grin and replied, "Th...th...this..here...i..is a...right...g..gg...good...frolic."
to be contd
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
On God Modding and other no no's
Hi Everyone,
While playing in a different sim the other day I saw the most egregious display of god moding that I have ever witnessed. Below is a paraphrased version of the rp:
Player 1: "I have heard enough, it is time for you to die," points the barrel of the gun at 2's head and squeezes the trigger sending the bullet into the precise spot between 2's eyes.
Player 2: Stumbles and falls, then with a sigh of disdain digs the bullet out and stands up, "Your bullets cannot kill me. I have the protection of the Satan's left testicle.
Player 1: Reloads pistol with bullets guarenteed to kill anything, whether protected by magic or not. "This will kill you bitch", fires the gun putting the bullet precisely in the same spot as the last.
Player 2: Falls down from the force of the bullet, then stands up, pulling the bullet from deep inside her skull. With a laugh says, "Fool, your bullets cannot kill a diciple of Satan's left testicle.
At this point Player 1 loses it and start going ooc in open chat how everyone in the sim are horrible god moders and do not know how to rp.
This basically the jist of what actually happened. In full view of several gm's.
So, who was right and who was wrong? In my opinion both were. Player 1 fired his gun and told player 2 it hit her between the eyes. That is god moding, you should never tell someone they have been hit and or where they have been hit. Its Player 2s character, they have the right to decide whether they have been hit or not.
Player 2 was just as bad, coming up with a god like spell. Then says it is so strong she can never be hurt. Ummmm, sorry, but no one is invincible. Not even Superman, let alone a low ranked demon.
Yeah, I said demon. I was playing in a sim that has all manner of dark critters. More on that in a bit.
When you rp a fight, you have to give and take. Unfortunately, as I have stated in an earlier post you have folks who cannot stand to lose, so come up with this kind of utter trash as rp. Which is why I like to use meters to resolve combat.
I do not know if the GMs addressed these two or not. I hope so, both of them needed a good swift kick in the grocery sack as my friend Dio would say.
Was everyone in the sim like this? NO! There were some good rpers there. This particular sim is heavy on combat. Mostly melee weapons. And I dearly love a good old round of swinging sword swinging. But again I digress from the main point. *sighs*, comes from getting old I think.
Any rate, beware of god moding when you rp. Even experienced rpers will sometimes forget. If it happens, im the other player and decide what you want to do. Play it over? Go with it? Whatever you decide is fine as long as both agree.
Final thought on this bit of my preaching to the choir is this. If something is not working communicate with the others involved. There is no reason to act like an ass and piss off others. Try not to get mad. Remember, RP is not real!!! it is play, which means it is supposed to be fun. And hey its ok to lose sometimes....as i said before no one can win all the time. So play, have fun and don't take things so dad blasted serious.
While playing in a different sim the other day I saw the most egregious display of god moding that I have ever witnessed. Below is a paraphrased version of the rp:
Player 1: "I have heard enough, it is time for you to die," points the barrel of the gun at 2's head and squeezes the trigger sending the bullet into the precise spot between 2's eyes.
Player 2: Stumbles and falls, then with a sigh of disdain digs the bullet out and stands up, "Your bullets cannot kill me. I have the protection of the Satan's left testicle.
Player 1: Reloads pistol with bullets guarenteed to kill anything, whether protected by magic or not. "This will kill you bitch", fires the gun putting the bullet precisely in the same spot as the last.
Player 2: Falls down from the force of the bullet, then stands up, pulling the bullet from deep inside her skull. With a laugh says, "Fool, your bullets cannot kill a diciple of Satan's left testicle.
At this point Player 1 loses it and start going ooc in open chat how everyone in the sim are horrible god moders and do not know how to rp.
This basically the jist of what actually happened. In full view of several gm's.
So, who was right and who was wrong? In my opinion both were. Player 1 fired his gun and told player 2 it hit her between the eyes. That is god moding, you should never tell someone they have been hit and or where they have been hit. Its Player 2s character, they have the right to decide whether they have been hit or not.
Player 2 was just as bad, coming up with a god like spell. Then says it is so strong she can never be hurt. Ummmm, sorry, but no one is invincible. Not even Superman, let alone a low ranked demon.
Yeah, I said demon. I was playing in a sim that has all manner of dark critters. More on that in a bit.
When you rp a fight, you have to give and take. Unfortunately, as I have stated in an earlier post you have folks who cannot stand to lose, so come up with this kind of utter trash as rp. Which is why I like to use meters to resolve combat.
I do not know if the GMs addressed these two or not. I hope so, both of them needed a good swift kick in the grocery sack as my friend Dio would say.
Was everyone in the sim like this? NO! There were some good rpers there. This particular sim is heavy on combat. Mostly melee weapons. And I dearly love a good old round of swinging sword swinging. But again I digress from the main point. *sighs*, comes from getting old I think.
Any rate, beware of god moding when you rp. Even experienced rpers will sometimes forget. If it happens, im the other player and decide what you want to do. Play it over? Go with it? Whatever you decide is fine as long as both agree.
Final thought on this bit of my preaching to the choir is this. If something is not working communicate with the others involved. There is no reason to act like an ass and piss off others. Try not to get mad. Remember, RP is not real!!! it is play, which means it is supposed to be fun. And hey its ok to lose sometimes....as i said before no one can win all the time. So play, have fun and don't take things so dad blasted serious.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
A word of thanks
I have been roleplaying in Deadwood since December 2007. When I first landed in Deadwood as JF Kanto, I was a total noob. I had been in SL for about a month and had just been bouncing around not sure what to do or where to go. After doing a search, I found Deadwood. Reading what it said, I thought to myself, "Self, this looks like a place that might be some fun." So I tpd in and after a bit of fumbling around got myself setup and went into town.
The very first character I met was a fellow by the name of Willard Deerhunter. At the time he was a U.S. Deputy Marshall working for Marshall Sand Rau. Willard introduced me to a a few folks and showed me around. I spent the next week, just watching what was going on. One night I wandered into the Bella Union and overheard that they needed a security man. Well, being the shy retiring type that I am, JF jumped right up and said, "I can do that." Taj Nishi hired JF on and introduced him to Lola McGinnis. Now, for those of you who knew JF back when he first came into town, I want to thank you for putting up with me. I had no idea how to rp! But Lola took me under her wing and taught me the basics of rp. How to emote, the difference between ic/ooc, and a host of other things that experienced roleplayers take for granted. I also learned a lot from others in the sim. Diogenes Kuhr, Willard Deerhunter, Salissa Wilder, Taj Nishi, Mahalia Bertrand. All of them played a part in helping me to learn the art of roleplay. So to all of you, I wish to offer my heartfelt thanks for the suggestions, help and the knock in the head when I needed it.
Finally I want to thank Caed Aldwych, Rynn Dryke, and Estwee Vansant for providing such a wonderful place to play. Each of them have done a fantastic job in creating the most authentic old west sim in Second Life. Thank you!
I will leave you all with this, if you are reading this and have not visited Deadwood, I would encourage you to visit. You will not be disappointed.
The very first character I met was a fellow by the name of Willard Deerhunter. At the time he was a U.S. Deputy Marshall working for Marshall Sand Rau. Willard introduced me to a a few folks and showed me around. I spent the next week, just watching what was going on. One night I wandered into the Bella Union and overheard that they needed a security man. Well, being the shy retiring type that I am, JF jumped right up and said, "I can do that." Taj Nishi hired JF on and introduced him to Lola McGinnis. Now, for those of you who knew JF back when he first came into town, I want to thank you for putting up with me. I had no idea how to rp! But Lola took me under her wing and taught me the basics of rp. How to emote, the difference between ic/ooc, and a host of other things that experienced roleplayers take for granted. I also learned a lot from others in the sim. Diogenes Kuhr, Willard Deerhunter, Salissa Wilder, Taj Nishi, Mahalia Bertrand. All of them played a part in helping me to learn the art of roleplay. So to all of you, I wish to offer my heartfelt thanks for the suggestions, help and the knock in the head when I needed it.
Finally I want to thank Caed Aldwych, Rynn Dryke, and Estwee Vansant for providing such a wonderful place to play. Each of them have done a fantastic job in creating the most authentic old west sim in Second Life. Thank you!
I will leave you all with this, if you are reading this and have not visited Deadwood, I would encourage you to visit. You will not be disappointed.
Blacks Last Day
Hi Everyone,
Well, the last day for BlackJack is fast approaching and all is in readiness for his violent demise. I will be posting a story after his death detailing his last day.
I again want to thank everyone who is helping with this. A couple of things to note. First, I do not like to do scripted rp as a normal course. This one is "somewhat" scripted. Yes, Black will die, there is not doubt about that. We have even set up a nice little twist to this, so please be there if you can. But I digress, as I said this rp is "somewhat" scripted. Certain individuals will be doing certain things. However, I do not want anyone to think they cannot join in on the fun. I don't want this to turn into a scene where a couple of people are rping and everyone is else is just watching. Rather, I would like to see folks get involved in whatever way they see their character reacting to the situation.
Hopefully this will be a fun time for everyone as I bring the story of BlackJack to an end.
Well, the last day for BlackJack is fast approaching and all is in readiness for his violent demise. I will be posting a story after his death detailing his last day.
I again want to thank everyone who is helping with this. A couple of things to note. First, I do not like to do scripted rp as a normal course. This one is "somewhat" scripted. Yes, Black will die, there is not doubt about that. We have even set up a nice little twist to this, so please be there if you can. But I digress, as I said this rp is "somewhat" scripted. Certain individuals will be doing certain things. However, I do not want anyone to think they cannot join in on the fun. I don't want this to turn into a scene where a couple of people are rping and everyone is else is just watching. Rather, I would like to see folks get involved in whatever way they see their character reacting to the situation.
Hopefully this will be a fun time for everyone as I bring the story of BlackJack to an end.
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