It seems there are two types of servers out there.
Free for all servers where anything goes:
- Where your character can murder, attack, maim, whatever he wants without any particular reason to do so. This can be fun as things fall apart pretty quickly and you're trying your hardest to survive against all odds. However from a roleplaying perspective this has some very serious drawbacks, like Heads having little or no control over their respective deparments, and everyone being paranoid of being alone with another person. Why bother trying to keep the station up and running when you should all be trying to call the shuttle ASAP to get away alive? But there's something to be said about being able to beat a guy to a pulp without worrying about a ban being handed down for it.
However I prefer the other type 99% of the time:
- Where you actually roleplay a character. If you're en engineer, your job is to keep the station up and running. Repair damage, set up the engine, fix problems, etc. If you're a doctor, then you actually treat people who come into medbay. If you're a head, people in your department make at least an attempt to listen to your authority.
The problem with wanting to roleplay is that it's hard to find a server that is like-minded. One of the ones I found which I play on almost exclusively now is Alium Deathtrap.
They are strict on their punishments, which leads to a lot of players coming in from other servers getting bans that they might think they didn't deserve. I myself almost got banned on the server a couple of times (not sure if it would have been permabans or not, never did ask) for things that at the time I didn't think would be an issue.
Upon thinking of it, the reasons are all valid. They want to maintain a server where the players who play there understand that they are roleplaying a certain character. You are an engineer, why would you know how to perform a surgery to remove that alien embryo? You are a security officer, you shouldn't be walking around tasing everyone who asks why they should submit to a search. They want a server who's characters actually have a role in the station and fulfil it to the best of their abilities.
The drawback of course is players who might very well make excellent additions to the servers might be bringing in their bad habits from other servers and getting banned for it before they learn the way to do things. I often walked around in a full hardsuit, with internals on, with no reason to do so (this did not get a warning, btw, they are not THAT strict). ;)
I'll also let slip now and then an emoticon in IC chat without thinking.
This server also has long rounds, which I like as it gives my character a chance to develop. I can actually accomplish tasks that I set out to do, like build a few mechs as a roboticist, instead of fiddling around for a while trying to get the material before finally hearing the shuttle is being called 45 minutes into the round.
Most rounds end with something going downhill. Traitors being finally assigned roles, a changeling being created, or most often, Aliens boarding the station and trying to eat everyone.
The one thing I would like to see is a minor even happening every now and then. say every 2 hours (games on this server typically last no less than 8 hours, and can go 15 or more on rare occasions) of game time something small might happen. Like near the beginning it can be things like electrical storms shutting down the power grid, or a meteor hitting a single area of the station requiring repair, to later in the round single traitors being created, or other larger events occuring.
These things do happen on the server sometimes. But they have to be initiated by the admins. I think it would be great if it could happen automatically. Also my personal preference would be for it to happen more regularly than it does, to give those times where you're 4 hours in, and nothing really to do some spice.
One of my favorite rounds ever was on another server. I logged in and found hull breaches all around the arrivals shuttle, in fact all over the station. Power was out, and there were a couple of pockets of survivors, but not many. One came to get me in an EVA suit, and pulled me to safety. We spent some time trying to repair our area of the ship and get things up and running as best we could. It was obviously hopeless though and we eventually went out looking for a way out. After a while, she got lost in space and I found a head's ID. I called the shuttle and was the only one who made it off alive. I still don't know what caused the catastrophe. But having to deal with surviving without a specific time-frame to do so, that was terrific.
Which are some of your preferred servers and why?
ID:1247406
 Apr 26 2013, 9:40 am (Edited on Apr 26 2013, 9:52 am)
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don't get me wrong i have nothing but love for all types of ss13 i'm just not really down with stuff like getting threatened with a ban because i drew on the wall with a crayon or picked up some tools.
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The drawback is that you are weaker than gold.
But you can also play aliens for freeee! | |
Haha fair enough.
I have heard that some servers over moderate. I know Alium has been accused of being that way too (but many of those are by people who deserved to be banned, so you have to take any such report with a grain of salt.) I do agree that there are some very fun games to be had at being able to do what you want (so long as it's not griefing). I used to run around as an assistant, break into EVA, use the space suit to shuttle around the station breaking into various areas collecting items that might be of use. And when something happened I was prepared (In one game I had the entire armoury set aside in a locker in some maintenance corridor somewhere. When one of my friends was put on trial, I mounted a failed rescue attempt to get him out. I was not banned for this (possibly because the attempt failed, or perhaps no admin actually cared to moderate). Maybe it would have been different if I'd gone running around the station in armour and shooting everyone I passed by. But that wasn't my character and I wasn't punished for it. However, I much more prefer a structured game most of the time. Not so overbearing that you can't do anything, but that at least you know there's a reason for something happening. I was once shot and then pulled outside an airlock by a non-antag within 30 seconds of spawning, to spend the next 45 minutes waiting for the next round, only because someone felt it would be funny. That is not a fun round for anyone other than the one doing the killing... Anyone have examples of games on one server or another that they enjoyed playing? | |
A really good roleplaying server I like to play on is baystation. I think many people may not know this, but baystation has its own server. Its just not on the list. You can join using this address byond://baystation12.net:8000. Probably one of the more serious roleplaying servers, but the admins are great. Usually if you do something stupid and you tell the absolute truth on what happened, the admins are usually there to figure out what happened and help you correct that problem. More like friendly advice. I almost never see banning used, and I've only seen it happen when someone goes on that server with their only intention being to troll or grief. They understand that mistakes can happen. Also, the round isn't always extended. Antagaonists roleplay too, so things can get pretty interesting. Only thing I would say is that some players can get pretty whiny when someone doesn't act right, or when a round doesn't go their way. I really feel a lot of people should just chill, its usually a game of chaos, not every round is going to go perfectly. But other than that a great server.
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Conor891 wrote:
A really good roleplaying server I like to play on is baystation. I think many people may not know this, but baystation has its own server. Its just not on the list. You can join using this address byond://baystation12.net:8000. Probably one of the more serious roleplaying servers, but the admins are great. Usually if you do something stupid and you tell the absolute truth on what happened, the admins are usually there to figure out what happened and help you correct that problem. More like friendly advice. I almost never see banning used, and I've only seen it happen when someone goes on that server with their only intention being to troll or grief. They understand that mistakes can happen. Also, the round isn't always extended. Antagaonists roleplay too, so things can get pretty interesting. Only thing I would say is that some players can get pretty whiny when someone doesn't act right, or when a round doesn't go their way. I really feel a lot of people should just chill, its usually a game of chaos, not every round is going to go perfectly. But other than that a great server. Baystation was a great server, back in the old days. Things changed, what you see now is a lot less role play than the level they used to uphold. | |
Bear in mind, my positive review of Alium by no means indicates that I believe other servers aren't also good. But my limited playing time coupled with long Alium rounds leads me to play on it almost exclusively. Perhaps with more free time in the future I'll take another look at some of the others again. (Last time I played on other servers I would be what you'd consider still a new player).
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Sulaco Station 13 new server! 24/7
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Smokebuds420 wrote:
Sulaco Station 13 new server! 24/7 Can you bump it any more than you just did? Oh. WAIT. 3 times you did! Congratulations, your advertising is pathetic. | |
you could try mine I am trying to get This kinda server up I
http://orbitnetstation.freeforums.org/post6.html#p6 | |
a heavily moderated server where people are punished severely for doing things that disrupt the game for everyone else but nobody really cares if you want to roleplay or not.
that's my preferred server because all the players are there to have fun and make fun and i don't have to act a certain way or do what the captain says just because he's the captain.
also there aren't any of the sort of awful internet people that i can't stand because they all get banned almost immediately.