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starsignal
Registered
just a page in someone's book
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 Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 12:49 pm |  |
When I started playing RPIs (not so very long ago), the think and feel commands were new to me. The impression I've gotten from people is that it's generally good to use them, especially because they can result in stuff like RPP, so I started trying to use them more, but most of the time it feels artificial and forced to me. As a result, I'm pretty sure most of the things my character thinks/feels wouldn't be of interest to anyone else (granted, all of us have an abundance of superfluous thoughts on any given day, but maybe that's beside the point).
Anyway, after seeing the post Throttle made in the meme thread, I'm wondering if the admin have any tips for good uses of think/feel. Should it only be used when a character has something of real consequence to consider? If we're just using it to feel like we're doing it right, is it just as well not to use it at all? Or should we think all the silly, boring, vapid stuff our characters would think about, because that's actually reminiscent of real life?
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Holmes
Dictator in Absentia
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 1:07 pm | |
I'm personally a terrible thinker. I almost never use it, except when my PC is having some clear, internal struggle or something terrible has happened and the interesting things are happening on the inside instead of openly.
However, I love the command, and as an admin, I love when players use it effectively to convey their character's motivations. It brings characters alive in a way that can't be done simply through emoting.
Throttle's post does ring a bit true- if your thinks are constantly frivolous, if they're just things that are obvious at a glance, then they're likely to stop getting much attention. This is less a matter of quantity, and more of substance. You should use thinks to help establish your PC- let us see how they work internally, let us know more about them. One day, we may end up using it.
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HAL
Administrator
Senior RPA
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 1:19 pm | |
Personally, and this is very much personal preference, I like thinks whenever you want to do them. They give me a great feel for what your character is doing, who they are with, and what their goals are. Without thinks, I really have to guess about your character development.
Here's an example: There was a character, either a recruit or a private, but a relatively new character, that went out on the Cannibandit RPT. They'd been thinking consistently for the past two days, not always the most detailed thinks, but things that gave me context as to what kind of a person that character was.
When they died, I actually was a little sad, because I felt like I /knew/ that PC. When other people die, I usually don't know who they are, and I don't have a reaction to it. But you bet your ass when that player who thought died, I went right over to the RPP forum we have up top and posted about how wonderful they were to watch.
When I'm up top, and I see good thinks, or consistent thinks, I go out of my way to make a note on pfiles about it.
I personally like thinks, even when they aren't God's gift to man, because I get to follow your PC's actions from anywhere in the world. Even if it's a low background hum of activity, I like it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 1:19 pm | |
I'll be honest. I forget to use them a lot. And then I'll use them with absolutely no extra information which probably makes them incomprehensible (think He is so annoying rather than think Billybob drives me insane! He won't stop talking about his squick farm!) which I need to do better.
When I'm doing something solo and feel like I want to make it more interesting, that's when i use a lot of thinks. And I do try to make those interesting/entertaining.
Maybe that's just me craving some attention ;D
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 2:01 pm | |
So, I don't think I'm quite as good as I'm sure some people are at Thinking (and I don't think I've -ever- used Feel before) for my characters, but I thin they're probably the single most effective tool for developing your character and giving Staff something to work with. Since they can't always be looking at every interaction between characters (especially the ones that might be happening when you're by yourself), it's often the only way to show what and how you're acting, especially if your characters motivations contradict what they're saying/doing.
I will say I use Thinks -most- often when I'm lying/thinking something that ends up in stark contrast to my actual actions which is what I'd recommend putting emphasis on first, because it's easiest to identify those situations as "Hey, I should throw out a couple of thinks," scenarios. Once you get into the habit of that, you can proceed to use it to define other aspects of your character.
As Holmes and HAL have shown, some Admins prefer different kinds of Thinks, but I'd be willing to say -all- of them are beneficial, so if you get the urge, shoot one out. It's unlikely Holmes will ban you for being annoying with your arbitrary thinks-- though you never know.
I've personally experienced (though only once or twice) staff using the things I've put out in Thinks as ways to progress the story going on around me in the forms of personal echos/hallucinations. While that might not happen as regularly here - though don't quote me on that - that's just one of the reasons to do it. Once you get into the habit of it, it gets easier to remember to do, and I personally find it important personally to develop my character in my own mind, so if you're only doing it for that reason, that's good enough.
tl'dr: Do it, because no one loses.
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 2:27 pm | |
I like to think and feel with my characters, mostly because they don't usually express all their thoughts and feelings, particularly the conflicted ones. It helps me round them out in my head.
However I know sometimes the messages are kind of arbitrarily posted, lack contextual detail, and don't really add anything new to the scene. Also, sometimes my character would be thinking or feeling something but because I halfway or fully express it with an emote, I don't use the think/feel commands. Sometimes I do anyway, again, just to round things out because that's what entertains me.
Sorry if it's bothersome but as long as it doesn't seem to hurt anything I'm going to keep doing it because it's fun for me! When I can't formulate the character's thoughts or when they're produced in a stilted way, I feel as though I don't have a good grasp on the character to roleplay them. So in order to secure that grasp I have to keep trying thinks and feels, however awkward. 
I'm going to try to provide more context in them, though, after reading this thread. And I'll try to keep them from being meaningless, too, knowing that admin watch sometimes. Can't promise anything, though, because I use them almost reflexively when I'm into the mood...
I was reading some help files just now and found the 'plan' command, which seems pretty cool as well, and I'm going to try it out. It provided me some food for thought regarding future character development.
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HAL
Administrator
Senior RPA
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 3:05 pm | |
Context is always nice.
think *looking toward Bjork* Man you are a sexy beast.
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 3:20 pm | |
I struggle with thinks..and feels (actually just remembered there was a feel command the other day.)
The reason I struggle is because there are times when I don't actually want the admins to look at me, this could be anything from sexual Rp to plotting something nefarious to hunting.
For example, if I take my character out solo hunting, if I use thinks and feels while going after lagato..there is a possibility that an admin might animate a lagato or interfere with what I'm doing in a way that could negatively affect my hunt. I even had an instance where a lagato was animated to search in the room I was hiding in, not because I was thinking or feeling but just because someone was bored and wanted to pick on me, somehow I drew their attention and in those situations I'd much less want to draw attention.
Because of these periods where I'm consciously not thinking or feeling I'm forming a bad habit of never using either command even when it would be beneficial too.
I'd really like to put effort into my current character to think/feel regardless of what might befall me by gaining admin attention.
Ps: I'm not saying I don't enjoy admins interacting with me, just not in certain situations 
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 3:49 pm | |
It's a great command for when your character is somewhere he absolutely doesn't want to but has to be for any prolonged period of time regardless. Some friend having a really cheesy wedding? Think. Someone being flayed before you? Think. Your fairly large group is having a walk somewhere and you don't want to be that one guy who always spams his bright ideas while it's already hard to keep up with what's going on? Think.
Absolutely the best command ever.
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Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 4:49 pm | |
I like to use thinks to display stuff that isn't in line with what my character is saying/doing. If he's chatting up a friend and happy, and acting happy, I feel like thinking 'Man I'm happy' seems kind of a waste. But if he's acting happy and on the inside pissed off about something, I'll try to throw out a think or something for that- I also have a bad habit of trying to bait admin attacks with my thinks. Think man I sure hope nothing tries to eat us right now... and sit back and wait for violence.
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