Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

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Slayerhero90
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Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Slayerhero90 »

Know that this suggestion comes from a member of the portion of the playerbase that far /prefers/ extended and higher RP over secret and lower RP. This ain't a joke suggestion or anything like that from a mean-spirited secret player.

Though I cannot speak for the size of the playerbase back when the RP server was first implemented (it was during one of my away-from-Citadel periods), I've been on the main server enough in the past couple weeks (and visited the RP server once or twice in the hopes of finding /somebody/ there) to know that the active playerbase is nowhere near large enough to comfortably and sustainably split between two servers, regardless of the ratios within the playerbase of secret players and extended players. Fewer players on main meant fewer interesting roundtypes. Few players on the RP server meant the pantry was noticeably barer. It was in both's best interest to reconvene on main.

But the RP server remains.

Despite its death by lowpop, it's still a thing that exists. And as long as it continues to exist, I believe entirely that its existence will be used to exacerbate the divide between secret and extended players. To elaborate: I have repeatedly observed a trend where players will be told to go to the RP server as an utterance of disdain towards extended winning the lobby vote or as a rebuttal to just about any complaint to do with a secret round. It's... true, in that the RP server is accessible, but there's more to a functional server than simple playability-- population and moderation, namely.

The obvious retort is, "The RP server is dead and we don't have the population to split ourselves between the two," but it doesn't really change how often this is the sole non-mockery response administered/shouted down at complainers, meaning that the route to further understanding is closed off while the floodgates for enmity stay wide open. And sitting around and waiting for humans to stop being ignorant/dipshits is not a solution to anything.

So, how to negate an argument that demonstrably holds true only in the barest, most technical sense but continues to be asserted? Destroy the entire foundation upon which it stands. Then, at least, new arguments will be deployed and people can shit themselves screaming over a game in so many new and exciting ways.

Open to counterarguments.

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Cabbose
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Cabbose »

Eh, I don't feel like the RP server really pulls that many people. They only have like 4-10 players at a time maybe?

I'd have to agree with most of your points though. The RP server was rolled out poorly, and has had an anemic player base ever since.

Mahei
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Mahei »

Well, I'm with Cabbose here in agreeing with a lot of your points here. The RP server is not exactly the most lively servers out there. That said, I don't think shutting it down is the best idea because it's not going to solve one of the fundimental issues you've brought up there - People getting salty that antagonists antagonize during secret.

Don't get me wrong, something needs to be done to make the RP server more accessable like just putting its IP up on the forums or at least making the discord server easier to find or something. Making it as hard to get to right now is keeping it from being a good, viable server and a legitimate answer to 'I can't believe I just got killed during this secret round!', or the occasional cries thst the shuttle was called to early because even though half the station is space dust people still have RP going on. People need to either adjust their expectations for secret rounds or use the resource we're providing that doesn't have said rounds.

This is all coming from someone who loves Extended by the way (unless we get three full shifts of it back to back, jesus christ), it's a great time to relax, try out new jobs and do some roleplay, but with how quiet they can be I can share some sentiments with the folks who want secret all the time. If we do cut out the RP server, maybe we could shorten the duration of extended rounds by an hour or so in order to make them less grating for the secret oriented folks among us? Even I'm out of stuff to do a third of the way in the shift.

Slayerhero90
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Slayerhero90 »

That's actually not quite the problem I was hinting at, though unreasonably disgruntled extended players are certainly among the problems that exist.

I was actually more referring to the way that the "RP server exists" argument empowers less honorable secret players to feel justified in skirting the rules, and then defend their actions forcibly. For example, when an antag with the hijack objective goes out of their way to kill players in private scenes as a preemptive means to thin the numbers. It's one of those barely-valid plays that technically does have a reason why it doesn't violate rule 8.7 but it's not a great reason when such an antag could deal with them /if and after/ the scene ends instead.

But every time I've seen technically-legal-but-cheap-and-dishonorable plays challenged after-round, the only responses I've seen have been either mockery or "RP server exists". Again, there's no hope in waiting for grown-up children to stop being grown-up children, but this is a means towards the other end.

Mahei
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Mahei »

Ah, I see - My apologies about that. I suppose we're seeing two different sides of this mess as a whole.

Still, I don't think the suggestions to head to the RP server aren't as malicious as you think - I actually made one myself at the end of the round that I have a feeling started this discussion. It ensures they have time to do what they want in safety and it makes sure jobs aren't being taken up by folks who don't plan on doing them. I've had more then one secret round where I've had most of my department (typically medical) off boning each other even as people dying left right and center - Which both puts a damper in my day and ruins my own chance to get any RP in that round aside from screetching over coms about how my coworkers are shit. Of course, this doesn't mean the slots are going to be filled, but it stops someone looking at the crew manifest and saying 'Oh, well they're good'. Also, I kinda think it's unreasonable for an antag to knock, check to see if a scene is going and then wait around politely do they can kill someone.

Slayerhero90
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Slayerhero90 »

Most of the things you said I have no issue with. But I'm not saying antags need to politely kill ERPers who are in designated private spaces; I'm saying antags without a specific kill objective should ignore ERPers in private spaces until said ERPers actually impose themselves as a threat to their hijack objective. ERPers fucking in the bar or maint? Not what I call private. Dorms? That's what I mean by private.

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Cabbose
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Cabbose »

Except when the shuttle comes, every one of those people is a threat to their objective. Hijack should have free reign to murder every motherfucker on the station so they can stroll on the shuttle confidently. Same with glorious death.

Also, "dishonorable secret players"?

Slayerhero90
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Slayerhero90 »

They're not a threat until they make an actual move towards the shuttle. Until then, they're just ERPers in a locked dorm and there is not a single justification for killing them that actually holds any water.

And yes, the portion of secret players that behave dishonorably in the pursuit of succeeding at the game. Sportsmanship is still a thing to be strived for, regardless of the medium of the game.

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Jay
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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Jay »

I can't see shutting down the RP server as being a viable move for any one. Neither of the servers have any real issues with another population wise. The RP server exists for those who want a calm environment while main exists for those who want the standard SS13 experience with a few subtle twists in what can be done and see.

As far as the antags go in regards to killing randomly, that's not actually allowed except under very specific circumstances. The server actually wasn't rolled out poorly. It's been around for a good while, now actually. At the time it had around 20 or so players. But, as most games, people get bored and move on. While people may get mad on main and leave off to the RP one, they still return after a while. Advertising the server elsewhere won't do much in terms of positive population. It'll just bring in more trolls who will do nothing but drive others away.

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RE: Shut Down the RP Server (Sever a Malignantly Useless Limb)

Post by Bacon_Enderman »

Make the RP server better by implementing cryos, and respawning that only begins to count down when you're in the lobby to negate meta. Additionally, the rounds on there should be longer to accommodate more RP, if the round being 3 hours on the other server is only like that so people can max out their departments. Like some people said, RP isn't apparently about that, so then the round length shoudn't be so short and so strict.

If you really want it to be RP and get rid of any crap, then make it extended only, with admin events. That will definitely revive the RP server.

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