Hudson
Electron
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2016
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- Nebulae
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I was curious about how veteran players felt in reflection of having been around the scene for so long. I interviewed a few of them and found what I think is a wide range of feelings on the past, present, and future of serious roleplay in Garry's Mod. I've edited late interviews into the post with blue text.
Zak:
Is serious RP underrated?
If anything, it's a little bit overrated, and I honestly hope it dies sooner rather than later so people can move on to better games in better engines and continue to push the envelope. We really need a Garrysmod 2 in order to ever get a fresh look at the whole "gmod roleplay" scene, because as it stands, the community has hit pretty much every limit you can imagine, from server size to engine limitations to map limits and so on.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Oh yeah, all the time, and even now I don't roleplay in the traditional sense unless I'm playing on a small private server where I know there's gonna be a large majority of people who care more about roleplaying than getting items or farming money and so on. As far as mainstream, there's two reasons I stick with it.
The first reason is that being a developer and running events and the like scratches the creative itch, so to speak. While doing that sort of thing, it's an excellent environment to work on the basics of programming and multiplayer game design, and it feels pretty damn rewarding to contribute to something that players will enjoy.
Second reason is that I've always enjoyed directing an experience, be it through DnD, adminning an event, running expeditions, so on and so forth. It's like a twist on the first thing, creating something player-driven satisfies a similar itch.
Dallas:
How did you find the scene?
I stumbled across serious rp in the form of an HL2RP server at a small semi-srs rp community which had a short lived attempt at HL2RP. It lasted a month before that tiny server but that's all it took for me to become invested in it.
Is serious RP underrated?
Underrated? I would say so. I believe there is a real possibility to go deeper with the storytelling, a level few ever realise, that makes RP totally unique and investing. There is so much untapped potential that is either not explored out of fear or ignorance. Should it be more mainstream? No. Gmod had its time and it certainly has peaked until whatever the next big thing is. The gaming scene has moved on, we haven't. I'm still a believer in the power of stories that the medium can create.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I've left a couple of times now but what brings me back is the social aspect. I have met many people through the communities I've been with. Some I would call my friends, some who I know more as real people now than as online personas. I am always brought back by the need to catch up with my friends, and RP is part of that discourse.
Dazza:
How did you find the scene?
Stumbled upon it accidentally on the server browser having had no knowledge of HL2 or its story.
Is serious RP underrated?
Depends on who you're playing with, when it's played by disruptive or unserious players it can be one of the most unenjoyable experiences known to man, probably on par with waterboarding. It's made by the players and can be really great if the atmosphere is maintained successfully, which for the most part it is on HL2. Towards the end of WW3 I think the bad players outweighed the good and it ruined it. It's a large factor in why WW3 closed - tired staff members working for ungrateful players.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
It's so unique, I've never experienced anything quite like it. I find the feeling hard to describe, you'd have to experience it to know. I've always been around in some capacity and I probably will be for as long as nebulous exists.
Swagile:
How did you find the scene?
HL2RP back in the day was during the peak of DarkRP; back when DarkRP was good. Personally, when I first joined ShitRP (Sinvestos RP), I thought it was just another DarkRP in a different settings. But after staying around in the community and doing bad /me's but still being taught how to roleplay better, I was able to immerse myself in the HL2 universe and the lite type style of roleplay ShitRP provided was extremely fun for me. They catered to the DarkRP and Roleplay community very well back then; it was amazing to RP on the server because they didn't take themselves mega seriously back then.
Is serious RP underrated?
Serious roleplay can be good... if in moderation. If you learn how to not take everything seriously all the time, and are able to add fun into the gamemode with some wacky elements to it (like a old man rebel with a cane shotgun), then you will have fun. Serious roleplay in Gmod is ALWAYS a balance between good or bad mechanics, being too serious and not being serious enough, and player agency as a whole. Not every gamer is suited for roleplay because roleplay is more of an escapism mechanic than most video games as you have to put yourself in the shoes of a character; which requires a lot of imagination and empathy to pull off correctly.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I keep coming back because ive made some of the best friends online via roleplay. This is usually because roleplayers are subjected to some of the weirdest yet funniest situations and they have to adapt and overcome them; and its usually done with fellow friends. The best roleplay out there is like a good co-op game; where you collaborate with friends for a fun experience where instead of beating a game, you develop a character.
I have left the scene many times, however, because of communities ceasing to care about their players. Corrupt administration, apathetic playerbase, and even bad game mechanics have left me leaving but then later coming back when I find my friends playing in a good community or one that is willing to change for the better.
Roman Loaded:
I first came upon this dumbass gamemode literally looking for autists to banter with, found it funny that someone could be so obsessed about a game series that hadn't even got its own solid conclusion, but to be honest it was the community that kept me around primarily, the game itself is obviously fun but the people I met here are the real reason I ever bothered to come back.
I wouldn't say it's an underrated mode, I just don't think people have either the character building or storytelling skills a lot of people on this server have (excluding any of the genuine cringe, which of course is abundant), which pretty much makes them aggy enough to avoid everything related to an RP mode with violent distaste.
Twar:
How did you find the scene?
Me and a bunch of old Teamspeak pals from Takistan Life bought Arma 3, and whilst waiting for it to install one of the guys said we should go play Gmod whilst we waited.
He said we should go on a HL2RP server, we ended up on LemonPunch. I had no clue what the game mode was, and the closest to roleplaying I had done was on Runescape about 2 years before.
We came on, ended up pissing about but I enjoyed the gameplay, I enjoyed the whole creating a character and telling a story. I played on and off for a few months before finally settling down as a regular player.
Is serious RP underrated?
Roleplay isn't for everyone, it's not fast paced action all the time and it's not always fun or exciting. Roleplay is telling a story with many more people putting their own input into it. It doesn't always go the way you want it to but it ends up being fun and interesting.
If people like reading or writing, they should try it out. You get to write your own story with many other peoples input and you get to meet people with extremely similar interests and people you never would have met before.
I don't think everyone should know about it, it's definitely not for everyone. It's slow and can be tedious and even boring at times, but it's the overall story you make and the impact you give on other peoples stories that makes it fun.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Roleplay is a really specific niche. I've kept coming back cause HL2RP is really specific, it's a slice of life with a dystopian setting. It's not overly fantasy like many MMO's roleplay provides. It's modern enough to be relatable and for you not to have to do an absurd amount of knowledge but allows you to dig deep into lore and allows you to have enough out of realistic elements to be interesting.
I've been tempted to leave many times, but there's not many similar places out there. The community may not always be the nicest and the gameplay may not always be fun, but the stories that get old and the overall stories told make it far too interesting to just leave.
Flippy:
How did you find the scene?
Me and my friend were looking for a new gamemode to play around six years ago now, been here ever since.
Is serious RP underrated?
I think it depends what you like. To some, it's boring and to others, it's amazing. Sure everyone should try it if they want to but I don't think it's something everyone should know, if they like the game they will find out about it sooner or later and it's best to have experienced people playing on the server, given that it means less pressure on the Staff Team.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I've been tempted to leave many times, given I was doxed and swatted - but I come back due to my relation with this community and my friends that play the server.
Nexus:
How did you find the scene?
Played a lot of darkRP through a friend, got bored quickly, moved on to PERP which was slightly more serious. After that I found a few Fallout RP servers since I was big on Fallout at the time, enjoyed them, ended up playing Half-Life 2 eventually, same thing as I did for Fallout RP, looked it up, found it, got stuck.
Is serious RP underrated?
I think it's the same as any online RPG in the sense that it's not for everyone. I think that if you enjoy roleplaying games and Half-Life you should give it a shot, but I also believe you have to be somewhat more maschocistic than most if you're playing a gamemode where you roleplay being opressed and have a permadeath system at all times no matter how old your character is.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Knowing most of the community and sharing their interest keeps everything fresh when they continually propose new ideas and fun stuff to do on the server, I've taken longer breaks but as long as I enjoy myself I intend to stick around.
Chop:
How did you find the scene?
I was actually just really high and thought i'd go minge in some RP server. But i soon realised that for some reason the server appealed to me so i stuck around and here i am today.
Is serious RP underrated?
It is, there's only a few servers that are on nebulous' level of RP. Everything else is very light RP and before i found and actually enjoyed HL2RP I thought darkRP was the most RP you could get from gmod.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Well i actually just came back after a six month break, i had some bad experiences with the lack of support and moreover straight up OOC targeting of our Italian mob back in the day both from players but also staff members.
What brought me back was the focus on better rebelRP, more events and genrally the movement against scripts and tokens being the one and only thing that rules.
Harry:
How did you find the scene?
Actually, I originally stumbled upon it when playing with one of my real life friends back around 2011, he only showed it me briefly before ultimately I got seriously involved in playing it.
Is serious RP underrated?
I definitely think that serious RP is underrated as a whole, not just HL2RP. There's a lot of things we could do with it within storytelling and building a good narrative, but mainly expanding the lore of the universes we're in. At least within Nebulous and other servers, I've noticed that people are too unwilling to break away from the base games lore which I think heavily weights down the growth of serious RP as it is that inability to try new things.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
What keeps me coming back is the community and mainly my friends I've made here, it's more so coming on TeamSpeak than playing the server nowadays, at least for me.
Blackquill:
How did you find the scene?
I began like most people, sandbox to darkrp, to cityrp (fearless to be exact) and then finally the progression to serious rp on a Black Mesa RP server called Heartbit. I stumbled upon it randomly and ended up playing there the majority of the time and popping in to 2014 tier LemonPunch every now and then.
Is serious RP underrated?
To me, it depends what you want to get out of it and what you see it as - if you see it as item hording and the like, you're really not going to get the most out of it in my opinion. I won't say one way of playing is superior to another objectively; because it's ultimately up to the player but speaking as a player and not an SD: I find it most enjoyable when you're crafting a story for yourself and the characters around you - a lot of people shrug it off as 'boring'. Wouldn't call it underrated or overrated; it's what you make of it.
I don't think everyone would understand it initially, since majority of us didn't when we stumbled onto it for the first time.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I've never left and haven't really been tempted to leave during my time as staff across LP and Neb. There's hard times but they pale in comparison to the good times had by players and myself alike. I'd say at the end of the day - giving people an experience to remember and enjoy is worth a lot to me. Not only that but I find myself looking for ways to engage players more and give them unique experiences.
Char:
How did you find the scene?
Stumbled upon it after I got Gmod. Completely accidentally circa. 2010.
Is serious RP underrated?
Yes and No. The reason that Gmod RP appeals to me so much is that I have always had a knack for creative writing. I have always loved telling stories and hearing other people's stories. I don't believe that anything should be off limits in RP and that someone should be free to explore whatever aspects of story telling they like no matter how absurd or far fetched one may perceive. It is like when you were playing with your mates at an early age - the one cunt who kept telling you what you could and couldn't do was always the one most disliked.
But that's why I feel not every gamer should know about it - people are arseholes and will ruin anything and everything. The same is with RP. It has to be done the way they like it and they must have it their way - that has always been the problem with serious RP. Not to say I don't love meeting people through the gamemode and experiencing new ways to play and new narratives - that's fantastic. But alas, people are people and will demand the game be played in certain ways.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
The people, mainly. Yes, I like the gamemode and storytelling within it. But it is the people that make it and the community - for all of its many faults, I think Nebulous has some solid people in it. I've met some of the best internet people I know here, people I would consider my friends. People I talk with almost daily about things mostly outside RP. So I'd say that's the main reason.
Of course there was my love for WW3RP - that's always had me come back. Although some people think I have somewhat of a reputation for being an asshole, which includes some members of CM from what I've heard, I've always done what I think is correct for the gamemode, I've poured countless hours into managing and dealing with WW3RP. I like to think I left a good impact on it for the people which played when I was an SD /SA.
Frankly, nothing made me happier here than when the players on my server (when I was SD, RB's when he was respectively) were happy. And I hope that people had fun right up until we decided to close.
What brought me back to WW3RP staff at Neb into the scene was that my pal RB wanted me to work with him in using mine, Dazza and Dallas' co-developed lore for the 1983 version of WW3RP. I also quite like RB as a person and wanted to help him along.
I did try WW3RP staff at the birth of it at Neb - under Toasty. As Silver and Oxy denied my application for 'not wanting old staff', which of course wasn't the real reason. The real reason involves a lot of drama I wasn't really sure about. But whatever. At that time I didn't feel it, it wasn't the same as the golden days back at LP - which was really under Toasty, Not Tiger, Krish and then Myself followed by Myself and Dazza. I think since late 2015 early 2016 I've been trying to emulate how much fun I had then. The most fun I've had sitting on my ass playing this gamemode.
But it was to no avail - not to say I didn't have a blast the last couple of months.
It is a pity that the game I so liked is disappearing along with some good people - but that's just the way it is.
Fireman Dan:
How did you find the scene?
It's something I really stumbled into, for the most part. I played sandbox and darkrp for the most part. GMod Tower and theatre servers are where I was also a frequent flyer. One day I ended up on a semi-serious PERP server, then started exploring more from there. I found my happy place in Metro 2033 Serious RP back in about 2013 or 2014. Over there, I quickly became staff because of my dedication and ended up being a community manager on two separate Metro 2033 RP servers and even led the Ranger faction for that time as well. That's where I really honed my RPing further than forum RP which I was used to.
Is serious RP underrated?
I feel it is pretty subjective when it comes to this question. It depends on what you're looking for and how you want to go about getting it. I think a lot of gamers know RP servers exist, but for many, it's not their cup of tea. Taking a look at Nebulous's approximately four-thousand members compared to the GMOD community as a whole, RP is a niche market. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, either, which brings me to the second question. I don't think everyone should know about it because, well, there are hundreds of gamemodes on GMOD. I don't think any one person is required to know about a certain one, because it's not something that should be pushed upon people. Let people make their own choices and discover what works for them in the game, because there's something for everyone.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I came back to GMOD after a long hiatus and legal trouble. The owner of the first Metro 2033rp community I was a manager for had DDOSSed me and Doxxed me for leaving them, releasing my home address and all that jazz a couple years after I left them. For a while, I played other games; Warframe, TERA, Black Desert Online, Borderlands, and Mech Warrior Online. Eventually, though, I wanted to see how GMOD rp was going again, so I searched up for a Metro server. I didn't really like the people running the one I saw, so I decided to give HL2RP a shot.
I've been on it once a long time back before I tried Metro, and wanted to give it another shot. I think it was SCG, but I'm unsure. I didn't like it one bit back then due to the lack of any help, contrary to here where even average players go out of their way to assist you in learning the lore, rules, and how to RP. I decided to join Nebulous because not only was it the most populated on the list, but it also didn't look at first glance to be some kind of darkRP server with fast cash, etc, with thousands of tags in the title. I joined Neb on C24 and have been here ever since.
As for what's keeping me here? Flippy, Blackquill, UM, and CAB, for the most part. Everyone here makes it so much fun, and people seem to understand that we're a community. I'm happy to be here and continue to contribute to Nebulous Cloud.
Powley:
How did you find the scene?
Kind of just stumbled across .biZ when I was at my friends house playing, we joined and didn't really understand what was happening. When I got home, I booted it up and tried it again, and I actually really got into it.
Is serious RP underrated?
I mean, yeah I guess it's underrated in a sense, but at the same time it's a very niche group of people who will play it. I don't think it's for everyone, but it definently has garnered a hardcore and loyal playerbase spread across multiple communities.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Left the scene a few times, and I only return because of the friends I've made. Honestly, if my friends were to leave I would aswell, it grows stale sometimes and you just need a break. Always end up returning, though.
Thanks to everyone that gave an interview or helped organise this little project. I'll save it to the archive.
Zak:
Is serious RP underrated?
If anything, it's a little bit overrated, and I honestly hope it dies sooner rather than later so people can move on to better games in better engines and continue to push the envelope. We really need a Garrysmod 2 in order to ever get a fresh look at the whole "gmod roleplay" scene, because as it stands, the community has hit pretty much every limit you can imagine, from server size to engine limitations to map limits and so on.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Oh yeah, all the time, and even now I don't roleplay in the traditional sense unless I'm playing on a small private server where I know there's gonna be a large majority of people who care more about roleplaying than getting items or farming money and so on. As far as mainstream, there's two reasons I stick with it.
The first reason is that being a developer and running events and the like scratches the creative itch, so to speak. While doing that sort of thing, it's an excellent environment to work on the basics of programming and multiplayer game design, and it feels pretty damn rewarding to contribute to something that players will enjoy.
Second reason is that I've always enjoyed directing an experience, be it through DnD, adminning an event, running expeditions, so on and so forth. It's like a twist on the first thing, creating something player-driven satisfies a similar itch.
Dallas:
How did you find the scene?
I stumbled across serious rp in the form of an HL2RP server at a small semi-srs rp community which had a short lived attempt at HL2RP. It lasted a month before that tiny server but that's all it took for me to become invested in it.
Is serious RP underrated?
Underrated? I would say so. I believe there is a real possibility to go deeper with the storytelling, a level few ever realise, that makes RP totally unique and investing. There is so much untapped potential that is either not explored out of fear or ignorance. Should it be more mainstream? No. Gmod had its time and it certainly has peaked until whatever the next big thing is. The gaming scene has moved on, we haven't. I'm still a believer in the power of stories that the medium can create.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I've left a couple of times now but what brings me back is the social aspect. I have met many people through the communities I've been with. Some I would call my friends, some who I know more as real people now than as online personas. I am always brought back by the need to catch up with my friends, and RP is part of that discourse.
Dazza:
How did you find the scene?
Stumbled upon it accidentally on the server browser having had no knowledge of HL2 or its story.
Is serious RP underrated?
Depends on who you're playing with, when it's played by disruptive or unserious players it can be one of the most unenjoyable experiences known to man, probably on par with waterboarding. It's made by the players and can be really great if the atmosphere is maintained successfully, which for the most part it is on HL2. Towards the end of WW3 I think the bad players outweighed the good and it ruined it. It's a large factor in why WW3 closed - tired staff members working for ungrateful players.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
It's so unique, I've never experienced anything quite like it. I find the feeling hard to describe, you'd have to experience it to know. I've always been around in some capacity and I probably will be for as long as nebulous exists.
Swagile:
How did you find the scene?
HL2RP back in the day was during the peak of DarkRP; back when DarkRP was good. Personally, when I first joined ShitRP (Sinvestos RP), I thought it was just another DarkRP in a different settings. But after staying around in the community and doing bad /me's but still being taught how to roleplay better, I was able to immerse myself in the HL2 universe and the lite type style of roleplay ShitRP provided was extremely fun for me. They catered to the DarkRP and Roleplay community very well back then; it was amazing to RP on the server because they didn't take themselves mega seriously back then.
Is serious RP underrated?
Serious roleplay can be good... if in moderation. If you learn how to not take everything seriously all the time, and are able to add fun into the gamemode with some wacky elements to it (like a old man rebel with a cane shotgun), then you will have fun. Serious roleplay in Gmod is ALWAYS a balance between good or bad mechanics, being too serious and not being serious enough, and player agency as a whole. Not every gamer is suited for roleplay because roleplay is more of an escapism mechanic than most video games as you have to put yourself in the shoes of a character; which requires a lot of imagination and empathy to pull off correctly.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I keep coming back because ive made some of the best friends online via roleplay. This is usually because roleplayers are subjected to some of the weirdest yet funniest situations and they have to adapt and overcome them; and its usually done with fellow friends. The best roleplay out there is like a good co-op game; where you collaborate with friends for a fun experience where instead of beating a game, you develop a character.
I have left the scene many times, however, because of communities ceasing to care about their players. Corrupt administration, apathetic playerbase, and even bad game mechanics have left me leaving but then later coming back when I find my friends playing in a good community or one that is willing to change for the better.
Roman Loaded:
I first came upon this dumbass gamemode literally looking for autists to banter with, found it funny that someone could be so obsessed about a game series that hadn't even got its own solid conclusion, but to be honest it was the community that kept me around primarily, the game itself is obviously fun but the people I met here are the real reason I ever bothered to come back.
I wouldn't say it's an underrated mode, I just don't think people have either the character building or storytelling skills a lot of people on this server have (excluding any of the genuine cringe, which of course is abundant), which pretty much makes them aggy enough to avoid everything related to an RP mode with violent distaste.
Twar:
How did you find the scene?
Me and a bunch of old Teamspeak pals from Takistan Life bought Arma 3, and whilst waiting for it to install one of the guys said we should go play Gmod whilst we waited.
He said we should go on a HL2RP server, we ended up on LemonPunch. I had no clue what the game mode was, and the closest to roleplaying I had done was on Runescape about 2 years before.
We came on, ended up pissing about but I enjoyed the gameplay, I enjoyed the whole creating a character and telling a story. I played on and off for a few months before finally settling down as a regular player.
Is serious RP underrated?
Roleplay isn't for everyone, it's not fast paced action all the time and it's not always fun or exciting. Roleplay is telling a story with many more people putting their own input into it. It doesn't always go the way you want it to but it ends up being fun and interesting.
If people like reading or writing, they should try it out. You get to write your own story with many other peoples input and you get to meet people with extremely similar interests and people you never would have met before.
I don't think everyone should know about it, it's definitely not for everyone. It's slow and can be tedious and even boring at times, but it's the overall story you make and the impact you give on other peoples stories that makes it fun.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Roleplay is a really specific niche. I've kept coming back cause HL2RP is really specific, it's a slice of life with a dystopian setting. It's not overly fantasy like many MMO's roleplay provides. It's modern enough to be relatable and for you not to have to do an absurd amount of knowledge but allows you to dig deep into lore and allows you to have enough out of realistic elements to be interesting.
I've been tempted to leave many times, but there's not many similar places out there. The community may not always be the nicest and the gameplay may not always be fun, but the stories that get old and the overall stories told make it far too interesting to just leave.
Flippy:
How did you find the scene?
Me and my friend were looking for a new gamemode to play around six years ago now, been here ever since.
Is serious RP underrated?
I think it depends what you like. To some, it's boring and to others, it's amazing. Sure everyone should try it if they want to but I don't think it's something everyone should know, if they like the game they will find out about it sooner or later and it's best to have experienced people playing on the server, given that it means less pressure on the Staff Team.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I've been tempted to leave many times, given I was doxed and swatted - but I come back due to my relation with this community and my friends that play the server.
Nexus:
How did you find the scene?
Played a lot of darkRP through a friend, got bored quickly, moved on to PERP which was slightly more serious. After that I found a few Fallout RP servers since I was big on Fallout at the time, enjoyed them, ended up playing Half-Life 2 eventually, same thing as I did for Fallout RP, looked it up, found it, got stuck.
Is serious RP underrated?
I think it's the same as any online RPG in the sense that it's not for everyone. I think that if you enjoy roleplaying games and Half-Life you should give it a shot, but I also believe you have to be somewhat more maschocistic than most if you're playing a gamemode where you roleplay being opressed and have a permadeath system at all times no matter how old your character is.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Knowing most of the community and sharing their interest keeps everything fresh when they continually propose new ideas and fun stuff to do on the server, I've taken longer breaks but as long as I enjoy myself I intend to stick around.
Chop:
How did you find the scene?
I was actually just really high and thought i'd go minge in some RP server. But i soon realised that for some reason the server appealed to me so i stuck around and here i am today.
Is serious RP underrated?
It is, there's only a few servers that are on nebulous' level of RP. Everything else is very light RP and before i found and actually enjoyed HL2RP I thought darkRP was the most RP you could get from gmod.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Well i actually just came back after a six month break, i had some bad experiences with the lack of support and moreover straight up OOC targeting of our Italian mob back in the day both from players but also staff members.
What brought me back was the focus on better rebelRP, more events and genrally the movement against scripts and tokens being the one and only thing that rules.
Harry:
How did you find the scene?
Actually, I originally stumbled upon it when playing with one of my real life friends back around 2011, he only showed it me briefly before ultimately I got seriously involved in playing it.
Is serious RP underrated?
I definitely think that serious RP is underrated as a whole, not just HL2RP. There's a lot of things we could do with it within storytelling and building a good narrative, but mainly expanding the lore of the universes we're in. At least within Nebulous and other servers, I've noticed that people are too unwilling to break away from the base games lore which I think heavily weights down the growth of serious RP as it is that inability to try new things.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
What keeps me coming back is the community and mainly my friends I've made here, it's more so coming on TeamSpeak than playing the server nowadays, at least for me.
Blackquill:
How did you find the scene?
I began like most people, sandbox to darkrp, to cityrp (fearless to be exact) and then finally the progression to serious rp on a Black Mesa RP server called Heartbit. I stumbled upon it randomly and ended up playing there the majority of the time and popping in to 2014 tier LemonPunch every now and then.
Is serious RP underrated?
To me, it depends what you want to get out of it and what you see it as - if you see it as item hording and the like, you're really not going to get the most out of it in my opinion. I won't say one way of playing is superior to another objectively; because it's ultimately up to the player but speaking as a player and not an SD: I find it most enjoyable when you're crafting a story for yourself and the characters around you - a lot of people shrug it off as 'boring'. Wouldn't call it underrated or overrated; it's what you make of it.
I don't think everyone would understand it initially, since majority of us didn't when we stumbled onto it for the first time.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I've never left and haven't really been tempted to leave during my time as staff across LP and Neb. There's hard times but they pale in comparison to the good times had by players and myself alike. I'd say at the end of the day - giving people an experience to remember and enjoy is worth a lot to me. Not only that but I find myself looking for ways to engage players more and give them unique experiences.
Char:
How did you find the scene?
Stumbled upon it after I got Gmod. Completely accidentally circa. 2010.
Is serious RP underrated?
Yes and No. The reason that Gmod RP appeals to me so much is that I have always had a knack for creative writing. I have always loved telling stories and hearing other people's stories. I don't believe that anything should be off limits in RP and that someone should be free to explore whatever aspects of story telling they like no matter how absurd or far fetched one may perceive. It is like when you were playing with your mates at an early age - the one cunt who kept telling you what you could and couldn't do was always the one most disliked.
But that's why I feel not every gamer should know about it - people are arseholes and will ruin anything and everything. The same is with RP. It has to be done the way they like it and they must have it their way - that has always been the problem with serious RP. Not to say I don't love meeting people through the gamemode and experiencing new ways to play and new narratives - that's fantastic. But alas, people are people and will demand the game be played in certain ways.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
The people, mainly. Yes, I like the gamemode and storytelling within it. But it is the people that make it and the community - for all of its many faults, I think Nebulous has some solid people in it. I've met some of the best internet people I know here, people I would consider my friends. People I talk with almost daily about things mostly outside RP. So I'd say that's the main reason.
Of course there was my love for WW3RP - that's always had me come back. Although some people think I have somewhat of a reputation for being an asshole, which includes some members of CM from what I've heard, I've always done what I think is correct for the gamemode, I've poured countless hours into managing and dealing with WW3RP. I like to think I left a good impact on it for the people which played when I was an SD /SA.
Frankly, nothing made me happier here than when the players on my server (when I was SD, RB's when he was respectively) were happy. And I hope that people had fun right up until we decided to close.
What brought me back to WW3RP staff at Neb into the scene was that my pal RB wanted me to work with him in using mine, Dazza and Dallas' co-developed lore for the 1983 version of WW3RP. I also quite like RB as a person and wanted to help him along.
I did try WW3RP staff at the birth of it at Neb - under Toasty. As Silver and Oxy denied my application for 'not wanting old staff', which of course wasn't the real reason. The real reason involves a lot of drama I wasn't really sure about. But whatever. At that time I didn't feel it, it wasn't the same as the golden days back at LP - which was really under Toasty, Not Tiger, Krish and then Myself followed by Myself and Dazza. I think since late 2015 early 2016 I've been trying to emulate how much fun I had then. The most fun I've had sitting on my ass playing this gamemode.
But it was to no avail - not to say I didn't have a blast the last couple of months.
It is a pity that the game I so liked is disappearing along with some good people - but that's just the way it is.
Fireman Dan:
How did you find the scene?
It's something I really stumbled into, for the most part. I played sandbox and darkrp for the most part. GMod Tower and theatre servers are where I was also a frequent flyer. One day I ended up on a semi-serious PERP server, then started exploring more from there. I found my happy place in Metro 2033 Serious RP back in about 2013 or 2014. Over there, I quickly became staff because of my dedication and ended up being a community manager on two separate Metro 2033 RP servers and even led the Ranger faction for that time as well. That's where I really honed my RPing further than forum RP which I was used to.
Is serious RP underrated?
I feel it is pretty subjective when it comes to this question. It depends on what you're looking for and how you want to go about getting it. I think a lot of gamers know RP servers exist, but for many, it's not their cup of tea. Taking a look at Nebulous's approximately four-thousand members compared to the GMOD community as a whole, RP is a niche market. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, either, which brings me to the second question. I don't think everyone should know about it because, well, there are hundreds of gamemodes on GMOD. I don't think any one person is required to know about a certain one, because it's not something that should be pushed upon people. Let people make their own choices and discover what works for them in the game, because there's something for everyone.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
I came back to GMOD after a long hiatus and legal trouble. The owner of the first Metro 2033rp community I was a manager for had DDOSSed me and Doxxed me for leaving them, releasing my home address and all that jazz a couple years after I left them. For a while, I played other games; Warframe, TERA, Black Desert Online, Borderlands, and Mech Warrior Online. Eventually, though, I wanted to see how GMOD rp was going again, so I searched up for a Metro server. I didn't really like the people running the one I saw, so I decided to give HL2RP a shot.
I've been on it once a long time back before I tried Metro, and wanted to give it another shot. I think it was SCG, but I'm unsure. I didn't like it one bit back then due to the lack of any help, contrary to here where even average players go out of their way to assist you in learning the lore, rules, and how to RP. I decided to join Nebulous because not only was it the most populated on the list, but it also didn't look at first glance to be some kind of darkRP server with fast cash, etc, with thousands of tags in the title. I joined Neb on C24 and have been here ever since.
As for what's keeping me here? Flippy, Blackquill, UM, and CAB, for the most part. Everyone here makes it so much fun, and people seem to understand that we're a community. I'm happy to be here and continue to contribute to Nebulous Cloud.
Powley:
How did you find the scene?
Kind of just stumbled across .biZ when I was at my friends house playing, we joined and didn't really understand what was happening. When I got home, I booted it up and tried it again, and I actually really got into it.
Is serious RP underrated?
I mean, yeah I guess it's underrated in a sense, but at the same time it's a very niche group of people who will play it. I don't think it's for everyone, but it definently has garnered a hardcore and loyal playerbase spread across multiple communities.
What keeps you around, have you ever left?
Left the scene a few times, and I only return because of the friends I've made. Honestly, if my friends were to leave I would aswell, it grows stale sometimes and you just need a break. Always end up returning, though.
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Thanks to everyone that gave an interview or helped organise this little project. I'll save it to the archive.
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