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Post by Verse on Mar 13, 2015 10:07:43 GMT -8
Im trying to make a site application that people don't immediately dread when they see it. What do you like filling out in an application?
Ic/ooc bits, personality bullets/paragraphs?
Unfortunately history can't be optional but what would make it more appealing/fun?
What do and don't you like filling out and why?
Edit: do you like multiple images(big/small?)on an app to place or just one icon is enough?
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THIS HAND OF MINE IS BURNING RED
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Post by middy♥ on Mar 13, 2015 10:22:15 GMT -8
I'm down with anything on an app as long as it's not an RP sample. =w= I will noooot join a site that has one... eugh. Unless there's an option to just take one from another site that I'm on LOL.
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Not your ordinary cracker
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Post by Wise Cracker on Mar 13, 2015 10:41:29 GMT -8
I'm up for histories as long as the word count isn't ridiculous (like over 500 words is REQUIRED) or maybe just no word count at all and look at quality over quantity? XD And you're free to put what you want (yes I've seen apps where they want histories to be specific which is bizarre to me). That's my two cents because like anything else I'm fine with filling out as long as my creativity isn't stifled.
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Post by eggy azoozoo on Mar 13, 2015 11:39:40 GMT -8
IMO history and personality sections just seem to be essentially the same thing to me. History informs personality, personality can be highlighted through the character's actions as stated in their history.
For whatever reason, I dislike RP samples just as a completely visceral "hell no". Like.. Yeah I could just port over my most recent post? But I don't want to, and I feel incredibly babied by having to provide a sample like that. You should already be able to tell what my RP fit is to this site through 1) my character concept and my actual understanding of the site setting 2) how my other sections are written out, if you actually ask me to write full sentences. And it feels like the type of site that would care enough to ask for an RP sample would be the type of site that asks for full paragraph profiles anyways.
As for the icon, it doesn't really matter to me, unless I happen to choose a more obscure FC and cropping an appropriate image gets annoying.
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Post by Kupo on Mar 13, 2015 11:56:00 GMT -8
I never actually understood the point of rp samples, by history alone you can already tell how adept a person is with roleplaying if that was the purpose. I just feel as if it's a unneeded thing in most sites not that I don't mind creating a short rp of my character i'm creating as a sort of test drive though I do dislike to copy and paste previous roleplays. For other things I dislike I suppose it would be putting down a explicit orientation. Mainly, rather than labelling my characters I like them to develop their orientation via rp by however things go since I rarely ever fully plan where my character will end up in it's life and I surely don't wish to as it ruins a element of surprise - good or bad.
As for images, I like for there to be a icon/imageless version of the profile as not everyone is adept at creating the image. Sure, I wouldn't mind helping those in need but the site shouldn't make it seem like you'll -have- to have some knowledge of image editing in order to make a character there. Then again, that would be a bit hypocritical as I really hate seeing bitmappy and etc images around sites whether it's in profiles or simply mini profiles as they hit one of my ocd nerves.
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Post by Verse on Mar 13, 2015 11:58:37 GMT -8
eggy azoozoo
I agree with the personality and history can be the same thing, and personally there are some days I'll want to write their personality and other days that I simply don't and would rather put bullets.
Do bullets make it less redundant?
middy♥ - I agree with personality samples on all of you, I loathe those so those aren't even gonna be remotely considered.
Wise Cracker - No there wouldn't be a word count, like you said quality over quantity. We have an extensive lore going on so as long as we see that you understand and it isn't just sort of cropped from another site to fit, we'd let it go through.
What about likes/dislikes section - do you like filling that out cause it helps establish your character more or?
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Post by Verse on Mar 13, 2015 12:00:26 GMT -8
I never actually understood the point of rp samples, by history alone you can already tell how adept a person is with roleplaying if that was the purpose. I just feel as if it's a unneeded thing in most sites not that I don't mind creating a short rp of my character i'm creating as a sort of test drive though I do dislike to copy and paste previous roleplays. For other things I dislike I suppose it would be putting down a explicit orientation. Mainly, rather than labelling my characters I like them to develop their orientation via rp by however things go since I rarely ever fully plan where my character will end up in it's life and I surely don't wish to as it ruins a element of surprise - good or bad.
I actually never considered this, a lot of people never really complained about that but I can definitely see the point of view for it. We'll have to consider dropping it out for these reasons. Thanks for your input. <3
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Post by Jacob on Mar 13, 2015 12:03:04 GMT -8
I enjoy filling out basic information, whatever the staff requires; paragraphs work better for me where appearance, personality, and history are concerned. I can't truly suggest ways to ease the last section. I love researching and drawing up my characters' pasts, from how their parents met until the game's present time. Sample role-plays of non-canon figures irk me, though.
As far as visuals, when I still worked with ani-manga representations, the concept of one of my original males was apparently unique. There was solely a single person at a site ran by a user I follow who played anything close to it. She sadly disappeared, leaving me the now only writer trying the idea. His chosen face claim had photos which weren't up to my standards. I preferred icons, then, instead of full-blown images or banners.
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Post by eggy azoozoo on Mar 13, 2015 12:21:11 GMT -8
eggy azoozoo
I agree with the personality and history can be the same thing, and personally there are some days I'll want to write their personality and other days that I simply don't and would rather put bullets.
Do bullets make it less redundant?
If it works for your site and for the purpose of approving profiles to allow either bullet points or a mashed-up paragraph form section, that would seem to address the issue of people preferring one over the other. I have my own complaints about when the personality description must include x number of "positive" or "negative" traits but that's just something else. For me, I can rarely think of good likes/dislikes at the point of profile writing. That's something that comes to me through RPing itself and OOC banter about characters. Other people have said that it helps to flesh out your character's quirks a bit, but I've more often seen stuff like "dislikes: rude people" or something where it's just completely obvious and non-informative. But then again people who are importing characters that already are more fleshed out can easily have a lot of meaningful things to put in there, so an optional trivia section is a nice way to incorporate that. EDIT: because i am a super opinionated and judgmental person but Ultimately there are things that make sense for your site, given your setup and setting and the environment you want to cultivate, and some things that won't fit. What works for the kind of RPer who's attracted to easy breezy slice of life RPs, or the kind of RP where you dive right in, might not necessarily be what your site is trying to attract, and that's completely okay. So I just wanted to make sure I added that before you felt bad or felt like you have to try to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and feel like you're not being true to your aims at the very end of it.
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Not your ordinary cracker
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Post by Wise Cracker on Mar 13, 2015 12:23:48 GMT -8
For me, I can rarely think of good likes/dislikes at the point of profile writing. That's something that comes to me through RPing itself and OOC banter about characters. Other people have said that it helps to flesh out your character's quirks a bit, but I've more often seen stuff like "dislikes: rude people" or something where it's just completely obvious and non-informative. But then again people who are importing characters that already are more fleshed out can easily have a lot of meaningful things to put in there, so an optional trivia section is a nice way to incorporate that. I pretty much agree. Likes and dislikes seem redundant to me, plus I do kind of figure out more about my character as time goes on and such XD I know a few people who would try to find random stuff to put in their likes and dislikes part of an app and then realize their character's tastes have changed and have to redo that section over again.
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A seadog looking for crewmates
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Post by Elena on Mar 13, 2015 13:20:39 GMT -8
I think likes and dislikes help building the personality, as long as people take them seriously and don't just fill something for the hell of it.
As for the image... one is enough.
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Phantom of the Black Parade
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Post by Kuroya on Mar 13, 2015 16:22:47 GMT -8
I'm personally the sort who gets really annoyed at appearance sections. I mean... I understand if it's accepting for original art or no faceclaims, but if there's faceclaims, whenever I see an appearance section, it annoys me. I mean. I'm just sorta like ".... why do you need a paragraph about me describing what you see in this image that you're already having me link or this person that you're having me reference?" I get even more annoyed when it goes into really extensive detail, like one section for normal clothes, one for general appearance, and one for I don't know some alternate appearance or something. Heights and weights also annoy me but that's more personal since I never have numbers and I'm bad with them.
I also really am not fond of likes and dislikes and habits as required sections. Those sorts of things tend to come out in RP, and really, I'm going to be entirely honest and admit that within a week, I usually can't name all of the things I list because I find them out through RP and listing them on the app was entirely sort of... random since I didn't have the chance to find out.
I definitely favor icons over images. You can find a 100x100 icon for just about any faceclaim you want - to the point where you can get them off Google if you're really desperate usually, or usually there's someone who won't mind making at least one for you if you need one and can't do it yourself.
The one thing in here that I don't see that I actually like seeing on apps is asking for the RPer's age. And I say this not so much as a stalker so much as I try to be a bit more careful about what subjects I'm RPing with for who, particularly when involving minors. It also, and I hate to sound like this but it is true, gives me a bit of an idea of what to expect. I've seen some immature twenty-year olds and some mature sixteen year olds, but really... seeing the age does make give me a bit of reassurance as both a normal member and an administrator.
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Post by beekeeper on Mar 13, 2015 17:47:03 GMT -8
agreed, that mandatory appearance sections are stupid as fuck and more often then not just purple prose about what a Great Beauty they are. if there are any notable features or differences from the fc why not just mention it in the etc. section
anyways, my favourite apps are short and sweet. an app should be about giving people an overview of your character, not a 'development' pissing contest.
tbh i prefer freeform apps. a lot of the time the apps i write are very conceptual ie. vague. i find it difficult to even set down a dettailed history before i've started playing them. 90% of my character creation happens in rp, and i hate writing apps actually, i just want 2 rp ok
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Not your ordinary cracker
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Post by Wise Cracker on Mar 13, 2015 18:08:15 GMT -8
tbh i prefer freeform apps. a lot of the time the apps i write are very conceptual ie. vague. i find it difficult to even set down a dettailed history before i've started playing them. 90% of my character creation happens in rp, and i hate writing apps actually, i just want 2 rp ok ASDFGHJKL finally someone with the same thoughts as me on that xD this is pretty much my mindset right here. I thought I was alone on that i don't get out much it's scary out there
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MOTHER OF THE MAGICAL GIRLS
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Post by SIFR on Mar 13, 2015 18:10:37 GMT -8
I know this completely contradicts middy♥'s first response, but I want to see a site where the app is nothing BUT an RP sample. You can be a good roleplayer but an absolutely shitty profile writer. And imagine this as an app. The therapist walks into the room, and beckons you to sit down on the couch, before taking her seat beside you on her chair. She clicks her pen, and scrawls something down, before gazing at you in a scrutinizing manner. "Full name, age, and gender identity, then I want you to tell me about yourself. Tell me a brief life story, but remember to include the important parts, and remember that I cannot judge you here in this place, so tell me everything. And finally, tell me how these events made you feel and made you grow as a person." Finally, to conclude, make sure the app has a place to put a picture of your char, and presto. Neat way to mix up the profile process.
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