Roleplay Guide
Due to the recent update, there has been an influx of players into Neon District. Many are new to RPing, and will make mistakes that hinder proper roleplay. Though Neon District doesn't appear to have any official RP rules and as such players are not expected to follow the strategies and rules listed here, these unofficial rules are still important in creating a fun and safe RP. Following them separates the good roleplayers from the bad ones.
Basic Terms
To speedup RPs, there are some common terms that players frequently use. Remember these, as they are of utmost importance. There will be more detail on these in the following passages. Some terms to know:
Void- You have done something of "Fail RP' and the person will not interact with you anymore, or at least ignore that action of 'Fail RP'
Fail RP- Doing VERY unrealistic things, such as godmodding (being invincible), metaplaying (controlling the other person's actions), or not following game lore. This may or may not include finer details such as weapon ballistics, thus it is advisable to have basic knowledge of various firearms and how they operate. E.g, a shotgun will not send a person flying ten feet back with a giant hole in their torso, nor will a taser work against armoured players or certain robotic characters.
Combat RP (CRP) - This is not an innately bad aspect of roleplay, although combat roleplay plagues Neon District. Some basics to combat roleplay involve roleplaying each action in combat (In contrast, fail CRP would be something like *kills*)
OOC- Out Of Context, Out Of Character; This means that the person is no longer roleplaying and cannot take actions against the roleplayer. Anything they say will, for lack of a better term, break the fourth wall.
IC - In Context, In Character; they are the opposite of OOC, it means that you are in the roleplay and anything you say or do is part of the roleplay, unless stated otherwise.
Strategies
Evolving- Keeping the same character with the same name, items, job, and role throughout a long time.
Flesh Out Your Character - Don't make your character a cardboard cut-out! Add layers of backstory, flesh them out with traits, and reflect their traits through the roleplay. Don't just say "Strong", roleplay how they were able to lift the large slab of concrete with ease. Low-effort characters are amongst the worst characters to RP with.
Character Development = The roleplay should have a mental toll on your character. If in the roleplay, your character experienced something traumatizing, then they shouldn't stay like the calm, cool person they were. Have them change as a person- maybe make them have PTSD. Another example would be a character permanently obtaining a prosthetic or some other kind of body modification after an injury.
Chatting Etiquette
These examples are merely guidelines. As long as you have a system which distinctly separates your words from your actions, then you'll have followed the chatting etiquette.
Capitalisation, grammar and punctuation
If your character is speaking or performing an action, then it is advisable to use proper capitalisation, grammar and punctuation. If English is not your first language, then these rules can be overlooked depending on your level of English.
A correct example of this would be:
Hello, my name is ___. Nice to meet you.
Another correct example:
Hello, My Name Is ___. Nice To Meet You.
Not using proper capitalisation, grammar and punctuation isn't strictly against the rules, but it does break the immersion:
hello my name is ___. nice to meet you
Speech and actions
It is very important to have a system that separates your words, from your actions. This will make what you do much more clear, creating a smoother RP experience.
If your character is speaking, it is advisable to use quotations.
"I need to reload!"
This is also correct, though make sure you have something to, again, separate your actions from speech.
I need to reload!
Actions have to be denoted by some symbol (Unless you use quotation marks to separate speech from action). Hyphens and asterisks are very popular.
Here are some correct ways to represent actions:
-I picked up the firearm- -I picked up the firearm
Or:
*I picked up the firearm* *I picked up the firearm
An important thing to note with actions is to be brief, but don't be too brief. Performing too many actions in one sentence is considered powerplay. Another thing to note is you don't have to list every specific action, e.g, you can simply say you reloaded the gun.
-I grab the Nano Inject...- -I open the cap...- -And put it in my arm.-
Here is an example of proper play and powerplay:
-I grab the revolver and shoot you.- (Powerplay)
-I grab the revolver...-
-I aim it at your chest...-
-I fire it.- ("Proper" play)
Actions can also be performed in third person, replacing the "I" with "He"/"She"/"They" or any other term.
Lastly, talking while out of character (OOC). This is usually bookended with parentheses or brackets. As long as it's clearly marked in a recognisable way, it will count as marking OOC chat. You don't need to follow the capitalisation, grammar or punctuation while in OOC, as you are not roleplaying.
Examples:
(you have a cool character)
{you have a cool character}
//you have a cool character
Combat etiquette
Combat is the most popular form of RP in Neon District. Unfortunately, the Roblox RPing community considers it one of the most misunderstood and horrifically unrealistic parts of roleplaying.
Lazy Combat
One of the worst things an RPer can do is be vague with their actions. This can be used to gain an unfair advantage.
Below are some incorrect examples
-I kick your body.- (Does not specify where on the body)
- I punch you.- (Again, where?)
- I slam your head.- ("Slam" is vague, and doesn't tell us where you slammed their head)
An action like this is absolutely horrific and downright idiotic:
i kill you
While combat doesn't have to be overly specific, it must still carry enough detail to be understood by both parties. As mentioned above, adjectives/verbs that are vague (e.g, slam or ram) aren't the best choices.
-I kick you in the ribs.- -I uppercut your chin.- -I slash your left shoulder.-
Of course, this is just melee combat. Ranged combat is significantly harder. Ranged combat is usually done with guns - weapons which have a ton of misconceptions. No matter what, you must study firearms before extensively RPing with them.
Common weapon misconceptions/behaviours.
- Shotgun recoil does not send people flying. It takes a lot of energy to send a fully grown, likely armoured adult flying. Stronger shotguns will knock people down. Similarly, shotgun slugs will generally pass through opponents instead of knocking them down. Buckshot will always knock them down.