I'm struggling a lot with roleplay and I'm having a really rough time in-game. Can anyone provide advice on this?

[JoKenpo]

Hi, I've read the roleplay guide.  And honestly, I know I'm a bad roleplayer in my current state.  Even though I joined back in 2020, don't be fooled.  I am not a veteran.  I didn't do good roleplay.  My interactions have always been me inside a different shell of a character.  That means I end up getting really affected by what happens in-game (my fault, i know).  I did some gang RP back in 2020 for the brief period I played and it was easy because my role was really just henchman and people randomly approached me to recruit me.  I did not play my character ANY differently.  My interactions werent that terrible back then.  I wasn't super close to anyone but things were okay and manageable.   But actually, I think i only interacted with a smaller amount of people and that was pretty much it.

I leave this server for a couple of years because of life and I came maybe a couple of weeks ago.  Pretty much all my old contacts are gone (no response).   Okay, no problem.  I try to go to the same spots to find new people to meet and network with.  Those spots are dead.  It seems like there was no longer some kind of central hub.  Instead, people have seemed to split up into localized bubbles that are insanely difficult to find and get into, if you're lucky.  I am struggling to build bonds with anyone else.  I try to be nice and respectful, I don't force interactions on those who aren't willing,   I will following along/entertain the RP interactions/scenarios/tomfoolery that other people create.  I'm super self-conscious about if I'm annoying someone. I communicate via text.  I excuse myself if its obvious that my presence isn't welcome.  Even though I've met with a lot of people these weeks, feels like nothing is sticking.  And I almost get the sense that either people don't like me or are not interested enough to entertain interactions with me.   I'm stuck.  It sucks to play solo.  Not sure where I can improve.

I did not intend this post to be a "complaining" post.  

Edited February 16, 2024 by JoKenpo
adding context so people hopefully don't bully me

[Pazz]

I'll be honest, 2020 was an alright time, though even with some negativity here and there, I think that currently, the community's a little more welcoming. Obviously, I can't comment for everyone, but I think that it has evolved to be a little more accepting towards people using text chat too.

Hotspots and finding people is a little dynamic and has changed over the years, only because adjustments to the economy were made, eg. fishing making its return resulting in the pier becoming a hotspot with tens of players at peak time, the day of casino release had probably half the server there, with tens of people actually inside at the tables. While perhaps a little more difficult, police and sheriff's stations are active because there are purposes (paying tickets, getting items back, etc.), mechanic shops tend to have people, Weazel News over the years has grown which affected their HQ, city hall has taken on a large role to serve purposes of inquiring with officials and making payments to GOV, resulting in the presence of people there. The community has also begun taking properties and the building thereof more seriously, resulting in the opening of event halls and nightclubs.

I think that generally if you look at the map and look at what locations you think might be relevant, you'll find people. Keep an eye out for the in-game announcements by Weazel, they're pretty informative. The #media channel in Discord often posts in-game event posters, you can find people there.

Besides that, a relatively "easy" integration into social circles is joining any of the factions, whether that is an illegal group or a legal faction. Quotation marks around easy because it is, of course, entirely dependent on what you want to do on the server, and the requirements/expectations set forth by these groups and factions.  

 

[JoKenpo]

4 hours ago, Pazz said:

I'll be honest, 2020 was an alright time, though even with some negativity here and there, I think that currently, the community's a little more welcoming. Obviously, I can't comment for everyone, but I think that it has evolved to be a little more accepting towards people using text chat too.

Hotspots and finding people is a little dynamic and has changed over the years, only because adjustments to the economy were made, eg. fishing making its return resulting in the pier becoming a hotspot with tens of players at peak time, the day of casino release had probably half the server there, with tens of people actually inside at the tables. While perhaps a little more difficult, police and sheriff's stations are active because there are purposes (paying tickets, getting items back, etc.), mechanic shops tend to have people, Weazel News over the years has grown which affected their HQ, city hall has taken on a large role to serve purposes of inquiring with officials and making payments to GOV, resulting in the presence of people there. The community has also begun taking properties and the building thereof more seriously, resulting in the opening of event halls and nightclubs.

I think that generally if you look at the map and look at what locations you think might be relevant, you'll find people. Keep an eye out for the in-game announcements by Weazel, they're pretty informative. The #media channel in Discord often posts in-game event posters, you can find people there.

Besides that, a relatively "easy" integration into social circles is joining any of the factions, whether that is an illegal group or a legal faction. Quotation marks around easy because it is, of course, entirely dependent on what you want to do on the server, and the requirements/expectations set forth by these groups and factions.  

 

Thanks for the advice.  It sounds like it'll take longer this time to get to where I want to be.   I will look around.

[HorusRuss]

I played for nearly 6 months before I found something for my character permanent in the city, it’s definitely not just you and I wouldn’t take anything personally. I think you will find yourself feeling more involved when you find a solid career or join any faction, that way you get to RP and interact with the same group consistently. I’d recommend checking out the casino and attending some of the events which are new since you left. There must have been 100 people at the Rizz contest to meet. 

[britbritxo]

I would echo to join a faction! There are options if you peek around ICly who will hire people even if they have criminal records. I would echo events are great ways to meet people as well.  

[Quietthecutie]

Yeah, events are definately the place to meet new people. it removes alot of the awkward "walk up to a guy randomly" parts of meeting new people. if its a party social interaction should flow.

as for character work, IMO the easiest way to immediately improve is to base your character off of a real or fictional person. this may sound hackneyed but its alot easier to create good roleplay if all you have to ask yourself is "what would charlie sheen/donald trump/john wick do?" and go from there.

Ofcourse the best RPers on the server create their own characters from scratch, and you can see how alot of work goes into making them memorable. but just apeing another personality is alot easier if you are still learning.

[Prezeey]

For me, understanding /me's and /do's gives me a lot of confidence. Everyone will love being around you OOCly and mention you ICly if you give them a good roleplay time. As a former medic, the broken leg meta was just unbearable for everyone. When I was given good material like lots of gunshot wounds... it was an intense RP scene. Every action we did had a consequence or a benefit and those are the ones I remember to this day. Make your interactions with everyone mean something, even if ICly the interaction doesn't favor you.

[JoKenpo]

I've been following the advice you've all given me and I've found a good amount of interactions so far.  I just need to work more on my RP.  Thanks!