[Moose]

This problem with roleplay is not a Dev problem, GM problem, or even Event Admin problem.

First and foremost, it's a PLAYER COMMUNITY problem.

At some point in time, people decided that roleplaying outside of incredibly closed off player homes with their special friends beats roleplaying outside of their safe spaces player homes. It's like they took the events of Current Year and applied #stayathome to their SL2 life! :^)

Here is a screenshot from 2018-01-08, taken at roughly 0100 hrs in some US timezone. Look at how many people standing around and actually roleplaying. The Cellsvich Square is the first place a brand-new player is introduced to when they launch SL2 and to see a small amount of players or absolutely no players, gives the community as a whole a bad look. Even though it is silent, it shouts out volumes. "There's 88 players on but no one in the main player hub! Where are the players?!"

Now don't take this as me having a problem with Dormeho Square roleplay. I think it's quite lovely. The reason I have no problem with it is because any type of public roleplay breathes life in the game. It actually makes the world seem alive.

Now peruse this screenshot from 2020-07-23, taken at roughly 1700 hrs in the same US timezone. Do you notice the difference? Now you can just dismiss these screenshots as cherry-picked to try to dismiss my argument, but how many of these PLAYERS in the first screenshot are even seen outside of player houses nowadays if they still even play this game?

Engage in some honest introspective thought for a moment: How many times have YOU personally roleplayed outside in an environment where you couldn't pick and choose who could potentially interact with your character?

What has made many players so afraid of not roleplaying in a place they have complete control over? It doesn't lead to any organic roleplay if you are picking and choosing who can interact positively and negatively with your characters. It isn't organic all relationships with that character have been pre-determined because we are such good friends OOCly. Have many players' sensitive sensibilities been hurt that much?

Players are blaming Dev, GMs, Event Admins how this game isn't like isn't like SS13, with its super interactivity. Players gotta blame themselves. When a player walks their character in a public place where there is roleplay occurring, do a 360 and moonwalk away back to their cave safe space player house, THEY are in fact contributing heavily to the problem!

As for solutions, I can only offer a few as my words are unlikely to encourage the shrinking violets from cease roleplaying in the places they feel the safest or get implemented anytime soon.

• Encourage small public events in easily accessible places
  
• Award roleplaying points manually if player is roleplaying inside a player made instance.
  
• Award more roleplaying points if player is roleplaying outside.
  

This thread is a step in the right direction. Many of the players who have posted here have acted quite disingenuous and downright dismissive if this topic is brought up in Global OOC. This issue has been brought by old players and new and frankly to dismiss is wrong. 


Be the change to make SL2 a much better SL2. In fact, I already believe that change is happening now. Since Fern posted this thread, I have seen player characters that are NOT a part of the usual suspects, roleplaying in both Cellsvich and Dormeho. This is a step in the right direction.