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[Eric]

There is a supposed quote from a historical game called EU3 that, paraphrased, goes something like this:

Of the establishment there is one and only one head, not many heads like a monster.


Part of the problem that we run into with tailed beast fighting is that people from differing styles of play encounter issues with simple zoning issues. Zoning is an art, and it is an art that has, sometimes, lost a bit of the class and added more crass. The many different zoning rules and ideas are clashing, and it is not a good thing when people are unwilling to compromise, to give and to take.

Now, I understand that trying to make a uniform void list or something of that sort is completely out of the question. However, as was put in a secret location, a guide to zoning, heck, a guide to RPing, is a necessity for any uniform kind of play, such as tournaments, biju fights, etc. Without it, across the board zoning and RPing is going to continue to be a mess of "what do you accept?", which works until there is a committed RP in progress.

This thread therefore, is created to compile and put together all of the rules of SL, so that we may put them in a public viewing place, all in one place, for the enrichment of all of the newcomers and veterans alike.

Chief among them being courtesy and general sportsmanship-like behavior, but who would tell the lion, whom hacks and slashes at the antelope for its very survival, to behave and treat the prey with fairness and understanding without carrying about a stick big enough to enforce it? Or even an American politician gripped in the throes of campaigning, who cannot win the masses without stooping to the level of the worst of scum?

Moderators cannot enforce a personal interpretation of what is proper (well, yes, both SL mods and forum mods can, but there is less mess when such is not the case) very well, but can enforce community standards particularly well. However, if the community standard is mud slinging and ankle biting like a bunch of rabid animals, well, sometimes, creativity has to come into play with moderation.

I will not make such a call to rule gathering arms without first offering up several major categories that need to be sorted out:


Zoning - The basics first. What is a post? What is an auto-hit, etc. This stuff can be put on the wikia, for instance, and the wikia can be linked whenever someone asks about this sort of stuff. A zone guide, a uniform one at that, should make zoning between parties less complicated.

Acquisition of Power - Some say RP, some say resets, some say everything inbetween. As a RP society, RP cannot be completely cut out of the equation here, but as a game with a forest component, that also cannot be completely cut out. Resets are largely barriers to those who do not have the resources (this includes time) to acquire an account with high resets or to power level without the OP resets. RP is a barrier to those who do  not have the resources (Mostly time and inclination, but literacy is part of it too) to type out decent RP training and travel and adventure time stuff.

Community Not communities, but community. Who is defined as the community, who in the community has/uses their voice, etc. As Kyutu once put it, communities as a single community is tricky business, but a single community among many communities at least maintains continuity better. Mind you i am heavy paraphrasing on that.

It's late, so I won't be adding much more than that  till tomorrow, but I'm sure this will get a few late nighters/different timezoners started at least.

[Keito Uzumaki]

I second this notion. That is kinda what I was implying with the whole forum based rp. To set these general accepted regulations so that RP can run more smoothly without all these drama infused arguments. Also which is why I advise more people to be more active on the forum just as much as they are on SL. Put their word in, so we could all generally accept something. Because unless you plan on quitting, the same people are gonna be here and have been here. Whats the point of the disagreement. >>;

One thing people oversee is that Rock Lee couldn't even use Ninjutsu and still kicked arse. Then we got these hybrid mix test subjects with implants left and right, who'd probably get schooled by bushy brows #2. As seen with the Naruto series, even all great villains end up getting defeated. Can't win them all. But trail and error is what makes great ninja! Overcoming the defeat!

[Garō, Ichirou]

I also agree that we should compile rules and all, I also agree that we should move rp to the forum (hence why I posted somewhere talking about a way to do that, but got little response) but I think a big thing now is that Resets are losing their worth, it takes too much time to build up resets and people don't want to commit to that so we end up losing a player, But There's something else that I want to talk about, and that is 'time-skip' rp, which would be an rp like "Such and Such does such and such for the rest of the day, or for the next few days, or whatever" basically just a way to cram a few days of activity into smaller posts, increasing the rp gain from it while taking less time, because not everyone sits down and rps out every single action of every single day no matter what. not only that but going by the game logic 3 days pass at a time, so I believe it would be feasible. But I feel like there are a lot of people who don't like it.

[Suishou Koji]

Absolutely hates forum rping. Not my preference.

[Eric]

This thread is not focusing on moving RP to the forum. It is focused on jotting down the rules and norms of SL so that it can be compiled and placed in relatively public areas so that there are fewer issues, especially when zoning is involved.

Let's start with something that should be pretty straightforward. What is the SL community?

I think the relevent SL community is predominately the branch of people who RP on the site and keep up with the going ons of the forum through various means. Now before people call me out for excluding all of the people who avoid the forum like the plague, do not abide by decisions made here, and visit it under no circumstances, let me remind everyone that the forum is the place of discussion for different world of RP. No matter how nasty things sometimes get (mods are trying to get some crackdown on it, but the fine line between what is appropriate to moderate and what is practical suppression can be hard for both the moderated and the moderator to hash out at times) this is still the place where a large population of players have the ability to catch up on and put constructive input into the system. If they choose to stay completely aloof, then that is their business, and should not be considered the same branch of SL as the RPers who do keep an eye either at the door or near the mouth of someone who keeps an ear near someone who does have an ear at the door.

Those who do not even visit the forums to skim the latest introduction of character profiles or missions really are not quite in the same community as those kept abreast of what is going on. Nothing wrong with them, I suppose, but in defining community, I can't help but want to make a separation between those who keep up with the forum (even through a third party) and those who could care less.

The most common rebuttal though is likely to be that those who don't visit or even keep up with the forum have a good reason not to, and should not be considered a separate community. Chances are, they follow their own rules, have their own miniature debates of varied frequency and intensity, and are not keenly interested in the political feel of the forum. Which again, is fine, but they are a distinct branch of SL community, just like the forum goers and such are a branch of SL community. In that sense then, "SL" as used in making decisions here on the forum is the latter and not the former.

So two branches of SL RP as I see it. Those who keep up with the forum, and those who don't. Those who don't are excluded from the decision making process here on the forum on the criteria that they do not follow the rules that they do not know about. And many of the active SL RPers do have one ear here on the forum, even if they don't necessarily visit or have an account. Even if I'm wrong on that very last part, my distinction making still stands as far as I'm concerned.

So in short and with less repetition, the SL community that is important here is the group that holds the forum in enough esteem to be kept abreast of what is going on, and actually vaguely goes along with some of the regulations and such hashed out here.

[Mei]

Eric, why don't you write a first draft to all of this? I can be one of the editors. xD

[Eric]

Eric, why don't you write a first draft to all of this? I can be one of the editors. xD

Considering the pace of the thread, it is looking like that might be necesary. I wanted a bunch of people pitching in so it wouldn't be me prattling on for like, half a thread's worth of words, but pushing the boulder is why I made this thread I guess. It'll take some time though, probably  a good 2 hours or so of just sitting down and writing/researching.

[Mei]

Don't forget to provide examples. xD

[Eric]

Finally got the time and motivation to work on this, so, here we go with draft one. Be aware, it is wordy (as is most first drafts of mine) so it would be a pleasure to have anyone commenting or critiquing read the entire thing before doing so. There is no rush to post a comment, so I implore again that you read the entire thing before commenting.

Here it is:

Basic Rules of Thumb for RP

- Know your reason for being on the site. If you want to just be social and chat, there are clans and/or organizations that do just that. If you want to do nothing but casual RP, there is a group for that too. If you want hardcore RPers and regularly "serious" RP of sorts, there  is a group for that too.
     If you have no idea why you're on the site and you're just checking it out, then wander about and float, talking to whoever you meet and find a receptive niche to start in. Either way, you need to find a group that you want to fit in with, because, for lack of sugar-coating, if you don't have anyone to interact with on this site and can't find someone to interact with, then you might as well spend your time somewhere else.

- Once you have your reason for being here and find a group that you think you are interested in, find one of the active members (if it is clan-specific) and chat (either via PM's or other means). If at first you don't succeed, keeping trying a bit. Especially among the hardcore RPers, it takes a little more effort to get recognized when first starting up. Post that you're looking for such and such even if you are outgoing enough (recommended for those looking for casual and chit-chat).

- Start with one and go from there (starting with hardcore not recommended for those not used to the concepts of RPing at all). Generally, the rules of the realm (beyond the hard-coded ones that Neji has set) regarding RP often depend on who you are hanging out with. The casual RPers are likely to have the most diverse and flexible, while the hardcore will generally have written in various places (narutoprofile wikia, here on the forum, etc.). Even within the major communities, sub-communities exist that may or may not follow certain norms. This makes it extremely difficult to compile a comprehensive and exhaustive list of rules for each and every group in SL since even the extremes with which the rules are followed vary.

- Read and write with your own ability, and improve if the niche requires. If you cannot read (no joke, if you cannot read due to age or lack of education) then this place will be a very difficult place for you to be. If you cannot write (or write extremely poorly) then it can be tricky for others to understand you (or in the case of hardcores, take you seriously). You don't need grammar as decent as this list, but text talk and complete jibberish are highly unrecommended, even for dealing with the social bees.

- Play the actual game. Especially if you want to join the hardcore RPers, you need to actually play the game some; a forever acad with great RP skills may not necessarily be looked upon as noob/newb if he/she has been around for awhile and is already well recognized, but if you have to have resets (in-game achievable power-ups) for anything, only the exceptions can get away with a new acad account.

- Be patient. In many circumstances you will be found waiting on someone to post or something; that is completely natural, completely normal around here, and varies ebtween groups on the length of time. It also varies between individual players (some are really active and seem to live here, others seem seasonal, and yet others are completely unpredictable), but in general, be prepared to do a little bit of waiting while you are here.

- Real life comes first. It may seem obvious, evident even, but especially in hardcore SL RPing, there are certain expectations and responsibilities bestowed upon characters that require a level of dedication; if your RL doesn't permit the extra weight, drop it or have it potentially taken away from you, sometimes in a most unflattering fashion. The casual RPers are less likely to be harsh by nature, but their time just like yours is valuable.

- Understand that there are two major divisions among RP: Casual and Hardcore, as already hinted at earlier in this section. You can recognize Hardcore RPers by the way their characterss are set up; bios the length of a book, powers as long as the original naruto anime, etc. with "void" lists and other such things. Casual RPers may be recognized by a visibly more lax tone in their bios (descrption of who's pet they are, family descriptions, outgoing invites, short and to the point descriptions that only cover the bare essentials, comparatively sparse if present at all 3rd party bios, etc.), and a less condescending attitude towards newcomers trying new things deemed fairly inappropriate.
      Please note, the majority of SL RPers fall somewhere inbetween. Very few are strictly at the extremes, largey because these two groups, more often or not, have to interact with each other in order to have a RP outside of a village and/or clan (like-minded folks tend to congregate in clans). Hot RP spots are in clan halls and village boards, but the zones often have non-fight RP there as well.

Zoning and RP Fighting

Once upon a time the only place you were allowed to (supposed to, really) fight were the fighting zones, accessible from every village in the realm. Well, that isn't really false, but it is not nearly as heavily enforced now as it was then. Let's start with just the general rules for zoning, since they generally apply to all fights in the realm:

http://wiki.shinobilegends.com/index.php/How_to_Zone_Fight


That is a starting point, but the art of zoning has evolved since then. For one thing:

Note: Using demons, curse seals of heaven, sharingan, etc that you do not have ingame, will displease many people in the zones. The best suggestion is: "Use what you think is fair for our level."

Can be variable depending on who you roll with. The last sentence, "Use what you think is for for [your] level" is appropriate. what that level is dependent on who you are RPing with. If you can get people to accept it around you and even "abroad", then you're typically in good shape.

I can give myself as a prime example of the above:

I'm considered one of the most skilled shadow imitation users in the realm (if not ever) but I did not get there by claiming everything I have now on day one. First, I had to wear the badge of Nara for awhile, which got people used to the idea that there is a Nara running around in an Uchiha-Senju dominated hardcore RP realm (the dynamic has slightly changed, but only so much so). Since the series offered so little for me to compete with the likes of Amateratsu and Kamui using canon alone, I became a custom jutsu oriented character, meaning that I needed to learn how to make good custom jutsu that will be accepted by the most people.

So I worked at it, getting some of the people I respected around me to help me out (Rares originally disapproved of gate of shadows altogether) while RPing out the discovery and creation of said techniques. That won noticeable points, since one can't reset and become a Nara master in any iteration that I know of around here.

However, testing the techniques in mock zone fights, and then subequently using them in real fights was crucial to balance and comprehension. My reputation for being well-written and, admittedly, kind of good eventually got me to about where I am now. Today, my character is revered as the premire shadow imitation user unrivalled in the realm, once or twice even being referred to as a shadow imitation God of sorts. Needless to be said, that took time and effort, but most importantly, it took knowing what was acceptable and not acceptable among the people I RPed with. Most preferred having a canon basis to things, at the very least, so most of my techniques have a canon basis to them (parent tech being canon or principle demonstrated in the canon).

Another important factor is the lack of competition. What little shadow imitation users came along during that tenure either faded out, gave up, or simply did not invest as much into it as I did. You will find people who disagree with me on that last note and would even add that some got shunned out because I discovered some of the stuff they were trying to do first (principles anyways), but the point remains that who you choose to RP with is important in guiding your progress from newcomer to respected RPer.

- Get a sparring partner. When I was still very noob and knew absolutely nobody around here, I did not get very good at zoning until I started sparring (and even then I still kind of failed, but live and learn ya know). Some of those sparring partners became friends and connections that would last a long time during those days. Until my hiatus and return (and my and SL's shift to a different style of RP generally) all of those bonds were tight. A few of them are even still around today; maybe different names and affiliations, but still here.
   Don't forget to get a sparring partner on your level so that you can both grow together.

- Find a teacher. This is even harder than finding a sparring partner because you want a teacher who will teach you how to fight and be just as active if not even more active than you. You also need to find a teacher that has time to teach.

- Understand naruto lore and mechanics. Understanding real-world logic is important, but understanding naruto mechanics (Here, lightning beats earth for example) is critical to any sort of fighting that you will be doing. The most thorough way to do that is to just read/watch/study the series (as it is explained throughout) but the most convenient is to just ask your teacher and use the naruto wiki as a guide.
    I am telling you now, I would be a lost joker without having the naruto wiki as a guide for canon material. Having to flip through the actual material each time I need information would be such a pain in the behind, especially when citing them here on the forum.

- Find something unique to fight with. Many players attune their arsenals and defenses to the most common OP denominator, so something out of the box (and acceptable at the same time) can be a way to get around them. However, players will also adapt to that as well if you make a reputation enough for yourself (my rep for shadow imitation makes people avoid shadows and horizontal fighting for example) but at least you will have something of your own to boast about and maybe even teach.

- There will be disagreements in zone fighting. Most of the disagreements on here, if you read carefully, are all about zone fighting and what people do while zoning. So learning how to rationally (or at least calmly) speak your case goes a long way in keeping tensions relatively low. If you are a bit of a hothead and cannot help yourself, do not make your issue grandly public (I.E, posting it here on the forum); it will hurt your image in the longrun.

- Learn how to make a persuasive argument. Especially in hardcore RP, persuasions is sometimes the only way you are going to score a hit on your opponent; sometimes you have to persuade a judge, but other times, you are trying to convince the person you are RPing with why things happen as you say they are. Again, there will be disagreements and they have a case all their own, but some level of persuasive skill (how to craft the argument, etc.) will go a long way in disputes. This is one of those out of character things that your teacher can teach you, but fight long enough at the hardcore level and you will see good and bad examples of persuasion.


That's about it for now, but just a general rule of thumb, a word from the wise sort of thing:

You can bake tastier things with sugar than with vinegar. Likewise, you will get better RP reception by being nice (to a degree) and level than with personal attacks and pointless lashing out.




------



That's what I got so far.

[Camel]

So far so good. It has my approval. 

[Rusaku]

 

[Genesis]

If you're going to do this, post the links in SL. There's a stigma that the same 5 people are making the rules. Advertising this would be wise IMO.

[Rusaku]

If you're going to do this, post the links in SL. There's a stigma that the same 5 people are making the rules. Advertising this would be wise IMO.

Psh that's because there are only 5 people who make the rules >.> Most people's opinions actually don't matter here. It's all for show. Though this is for another topic I guess.

[Suishou Koji]

If you're going to do this, post the links in SL. There's a stigma that the same 5 people are making the rules. Advertising this would be wise IMO.

Psh that's because there are only 5 people who make the rules >.> Most people's opinions actually don't matter here. It's all for show. Though this is for another topic I guess.

Isn't that the truth.

[Eric]

If you're going to do this, post the links in SL. There's a stigma that the same 5 people are making the rules. Advertising this would be wise IMO.

Psh that's because there are only 5 people who make the rules >.> Most people's opinions actually don't matter here. It's all for show. Though this is for another topic I guess.

Doesn't help that so many don't bother showing up here to even pitch in their effort and then whine and moan that the ones who do show up make the rules. Like, literally, that is what is wrong with America these days; too many people complaining about the system without actually doing anything to improve it.

But I digress, I would have preferred a more polished version to be sent off. Are there any critiques for it so far? I think I may have forgot to include a difference between RP fights and zone fights, however few the differences are.