Quality of Life Thread [Patch 4.2 and beyond]

[Rhysati]

You're entitled to your opinions on the rest, and you're even entitled to the opinion that Balmung should be unlocked, but the notion that RP is now more difficult to find on Balmung is not an opinion but a totally incorrect "fact." As someone who is on Balmung, RP is still as easy to find as it used to be, whether it's by attending the numerous RP events every week, doing walk-ups at the Quicksand, joining RP LS's and FC's, or utilizing the RPC and tumblr to make connections. I've played actively on Balmung since launch, put myself out there and networked a ton, and I still meet new faces in Balmung's RP community even this long into the server lock. Unless you're perhaps someone with a known history of being rude and inconsiderate to other people who can only rely on fresh blood to the community who are unaware of your attitude and reputation, in which case it sounds as if the issue would be you and not the server, you should have no issue on Balmung. If you think the grass is greener on Mateus, you don't have to transfer, you can just roll an alt there, since it's not like you need to immediately have a maxed out character just to RP. Cheers!

Whether you are correct or not about the individual and their known history, the rest of this is a bit skewed. If you don't mind throw away RP, then sure! There's tons to be had by walking into the Quicksand. Of course you are likely to have a giant Xaela walk up and offer you some rather ridiculous unwanted anatomy. Now, if you want quality RP with long-lasting connections, character arcs, and stories you are a lot more limited. And if you are in to something like Keeper RP or just tribal/shroud stuff, you have two options on the RPC. One is dead and the other is so inactive it will only provide role play once every few months.

There are no other options and starting a new FC right now is extremely difficult precisely because there is no new blood coming into the server. If you like the FC you are in or enjoy pickup RP at the Quicksand, then great! For everyone else that doesn't fall into that bucket though it is a pretty serious problem.

[D-chan]

If you don't mind throw away RP, then sure! There's tons to be had by walking into the Quicksand. Of course you are likely to have a giant Xaela walk up and offer you some rather ridiculous unwanted anatomy. Now, if you want quality RP with long-lasting connections, character arcs, and stories you are a lot more limited. And if you are in to something like Keeper RP or just tribal/shroud stuff, you have two options on the RPC. One is dead and the other is so inactive it will only provide role play once every few months.

There are no other options and starting a new FC right now is extremely difficult precisely because there is no new blood coming into the server. If you like the FC you are in or enjoy pickup RP at the Quicksand, then great!

I don't think that's the case at all. There is more to be found at the Quicksand than "throwaway RP" or ERP, so if that's all you've found there, I don't know what to tell you, because the experiences of myself and others have been different. I have made quality connections there. It may not always work out or even be the norm, and sometimes you have to wade through a few creepers or RPers who just may not be up to your standards, but if you put in quality RP of your own, communicate OOC, and make an effort to stay in touch and uphold your part of the relationship, you can make lasting connections even at the Quicksand. Do you ever think maybe you aren't finding the RP you'd like because you are so quick to automatically dismiss certain RP venues and the people there are not being "quality," or making the assumption that those who enjoy them somehow have lower standards than you?

The RPC is not just a FC/LS directory. It's an entire forum with a chatroom and plenty of subforums for finding RP in various ways. You want Keeper clan RP or Shroud-centric RP? Make a thread looking for connections of that type. Make a LS for these things and advertise it there--as someone else already replied to you, linkshells are a thing, they are much easier to run than FC's and much easier to get a member-base for. Don't want to deal with running something in game? Make a Discord for Keeper/Shroud related role-players, toss up a permanent invite link on the RPC and you don't even have to deal with inviting people. Organize an RP event on the RPC for some sort of festival celebrating the Black Shroud and its people. Even FC's are still an option, at least if you are fine having an FC that isn't huge. Even with no new players incoming, people are still returning to the game from long breaks, FC's are still disbanding, people are still FC-hopping or waiting around FC-less as they search for their perfect fit; there are still people to be recruited.

If you can't find the RP you want, make it. You can't be upset that others aren't doing the thing you're not doing, either. Or heck, if you don't want to take charge yourself, just make a thread on the RPC stating your interest. Others might step up to the plate themselves if they see there is a want for it, or they can maybe even suggest groups that exist on the server but aren't currently listed on the RPC. A lot of people use tumblr (as Enla several posts above linked one of the great Balmung tumblr resources) or the numerous community Discords and don't often touch the RPC, so the RPC is definitely not a perfect representation of everything that's on the server.

You have to put in a little work to find the RP you want, especially if you want to be picky about "quality" or hone in on specific themes that may not be appealing to a large portion of the community, but that does not at all mean that the server and RP community are dead.