You want to make outlands popular and interesting? This is how you do it.

[putin]

I know I've started a lot of threads recently but I have a lot on my mind I need to post.

  I've noticed something that a lot of people do and that's simply ignoring new people or people without much importance to you. A new player want's to get in on the RP, they are there to RP, they won't want to sit on the sidelines and watch, they want to get there hands dirty. Outlands will die if we don't give new players or even generally anybody a chance to RP with us. If a guy comes up to you and saids "Hey", he wants to start RP and strike up a conversation. Don't fucking walk off like your to good or have better things to do(because most of the time you dont), I see this in players with vests all the fucking time or people who thing there "above" others. Keep in mind, I have a vest and all this cool shit that makes me look bamf, I do this sometimes to players but recently I have tried to include people I know nothing about. The moral of the story, don't lock yourself up in your little base all the time and ignore everyone.  I'm speaking to the players here who have been on outlands for over a year esspcially, let's get outlands on its feet and let's really create some RP with newer players and create new interactions. I don't give a fuck if you a super fucking lolwebel spy faggot, include people and talk to people because it's that fucking simple.

[smt]

Some characters don't openly converse, and you can't force that on someone. I agree more people should start including people in their RP if they're clearly trying to start RP or are new, but you can't try and force that onto people, because some characters just aren't like that for various reasons (incredibly shy, busy with other stuff, just a dick char IC) - of course you can still RP with them, but you can't just say "ok everyone has to rp with people now".

[putin]

Some characters don't openly converse, and you can't force that on someone. I agree more people should start including people in their RP if they're clearly trying to start RP or are new, but you can't try and force that onto people, because some characters just aren't like that for various reasons (incredibly shy, busy with other stuff, just a dick char IC) - of course you can still RP with them, but you can't just say "ok everyone has to rp with people now".

I understand that but what I'm more trying to say is pretty much RP with people when you can and have conversations, dont isolate yourself all the time. Shy people still talk, busy people usually aren't busy on outlands, and there aren't to many dick characters.

[Lone Wanderer <??"?]

I try and RP with people who seem new, or are new to me at least on Jennifer Hanson. She's a very open person, and I try to include people when I'm not doing actual buisness on her. Generally, people'll interact and such, because they like company

On my 'Flower' character though, things are different. She's shy, somewhat childlike, and, let's face it, crazy. She feels very uncomfortale around people she doesn't know, especially large or heavily equipped men. That's just her character. She's afraid to interact with people. But I generally try to make that side of her interesting and able to involve people in some kind of RP.

[Airborne1st]

I've seen a lot of this as well. To a new player, or even someone who's just made a new character, its somewhat difficult to get into the action because "the action" is seemingly created and ran by a group, or certain groups of individuals who, in most cases are either a) really old oldfags on outlands that have managed to keep their characters alive for an ungodly amount of time and have been the center of attention since the original Ineu map, or b) the vested characters bobby mentioned. It sort of seems and feels like this group/groups always want to run everything and be the center of attention, always in the action, and shunning anyone new. I'm not saying this IS the case, I'm saying this FEELS like the case. Its just the feel I personally get often times. I'm one to talk, my character has been around since Canals, although I've had to recreate it a time or two due to inactivity wipes of hl2rp characters, but ICly he's always been around. At the same time, I bet many of these vested and "high profile" characters don't even know my character's name. That's mostly because of how I've chosen to RP, which is to intentionally lay low most of the time and survive above all else. Now currently, I am involved with a group that recently ICly escaped to the new map, so I'm one to talk I suppose about being a part of action creating/seeking groups. But still bobby has a point and I've seen it exist in Outlands since Canals.

Anytime a group is formed, whether it be organized like JURY or the Alliance, or just a rag tag group of friends doing whatever together, they often tend to shun newcomers, whether those newcomers are actually new to the server or their character's are just new. I feel like people who are often in the action of things in Outlands need to be a bit more open with their RP as well. Not that they can be forced, but it would make it easier for other's to get involved and have fun as well.

You can argue, "Well all they have to do is make themselves involved" but time and time again, I've seen people form these groups and if someone asks to join them, they're shunned as if they're not good enough, like that group is too elite for anyone else to join.

[YankeeSamurai]

I'll gladly roleplay with anybody who's good at it, I don't care who they are or how long they've been around.
Conversely, I'll extremely reluctantly roleplay with anybody who's bad at it, I don't care who they are or how long they've been around.

All right fine, I suppose it's my obligation as a member of CG to educate bad roleplayers, but let's be honest here: it's a drag, I'd rather be actually having fun in the limited time in which I am online, and I'm not an admin or a faction leader so technically the education of novice players isn't my responsibility.

I hate to be a shitbag about it, but I have a hunch it's similar to the sentiment of a lot of other Outlands players.

[putin]

This is really the choice of the players. If you want a populated outlands server then be more open about your roleplay. If you don't want it populated a lot then simply isolate yourself. If people feel that have connections on the server and friends to RP with they will join and RP. If they feel they will join and just end up being on the sidelines then they will leave, it's simply as that.

[Statua]

Why don't people ever go on patrols anymore? Thats probably one of the best ways to get new players interested. There's tons of ways to keep players interested or give new players something to do:

-Go on a patrol
-Give them a task like fetching water from the lake
-Get them to give you a quick hand with whatever you're doing
-Talk about pre war, thats the most common topic of discussion

I know I used to block people out with civiwatch and stuff, but that was for 2 reasons. One, my guys were getting hurt by randoms and 2, I was being realistic instead of thinking about the RP. Yeah, its logical an organized group with some heavy firepower wouldn't just let any random in. But that doesn't help RP. Like I said in a previous thread, sometimes you just gotta say 'fuck logic' for the sake of RP. I might start up a new group with a new character that does patrols and monitors the outlands. This group will be pretty open to new players.

[raged]

I used one of my characters as an experiment to see who'd be willing to roleplay with somebody who's received severe brain trauma and a collapse of mentality near to the point of being considered retarded and to see who'd roleplay with me. The majority of outlanders (whom having changed my OOC name had no idea who I was) had no problem ignoring me whether they just didn't react or they IC'ly walked off and it went to the point where one of them tried killing my character just because he could with questionable IC motivations and more or less p2w'd his way through the whole thing which dallas can confirm on my behalf. It's a little different when I play a vortigaunt because suddenly everybody wants me to use "that green magic" to make their car run forever. From my point of view the regular playerbase is elitist in their nature because they don't want to RP with an average joe who just joined the server.

[The Mysterious Stranger]

 I recently constructed a shop for those who wish to come talk to my character (Johnathan Garrison) for some necessary supplies through trading tokens (mostly this trade) or rather items. Some players tend to talk to my character for information like where they can get a job, where they can get tokens, when is the shop opened and closed, etcetera etcetera. I had atleast two customers today and I tend to do this regularly at points whereas I am bored and there isn't enough roleplay around. For the shop, I have put a board up for others to "tack" papers onto for recruitment, hiring, advertisements, wanted people (or otherwise criminals), and other things related to the category. I tend to do other things on other characters to spruce up the amount of roleplay but this will come at another time. 

[Dallas]

I used one of my characters as an experiment to see who'd be willing to roleplay with somebody who's received severe brain trauma and a collapse of mentality near to the point of being considered retarded and to see who'd roleplay with me. The majority of outlanders (whom having changed my OOC name had no idea who I was) had no problem ignoring me whether they just didn't react or they IC'ly walked off and it went to the point where one of them tried killing my character just because he could with questionable IC motivations and more or less p2w'd his way through the whole thing which dallas can confirm on my behalf. It's a little different when I play a vortigaunt because suddenly everybody wants me to use "that green magic" to make their car run forever. From my point of view the regular playerbase is elitist in their nature because they don't want to RP with an average joe who just joined the server.

I have to agree with what raged has said. Unfortunately a good majority of Outlands old-hands are in fact quite elite when it comes to roleplaying with random fellows. This can be pinned down to the fact some characters have been around since canals and have become very dependent on their items they have harvested over the years. The fact raged's experiment proved that a new character can be "lolkilled" but people flip shit when a char from two years ago dies seems rather backwards in terms of CG being as friendly as some say it is.

[Statua]

I set up a little camp in the woods where people can stop to warm up. Seems pretty effective so far.

[BltElite]

We all understand here that obviously, character personalities split into it. But there is a difference between completely shunning people and actually RP'ing that your character doesn't interact with people much.

[Misty is kinda Mittens]

I really can see this happening. And being a problem. I mean I am starting a new character on the ol' outlands. First RP I get into I get ignored. Its kinda urkable to me. I know when stuff turns into personal business then I can see it being leave people out but when its in the open it looks stupid to forget the people around you. I find this to be situational to whats going on.  But I digress on it. Outlands has like a reverse loyalty system here. As the cps with their power. Old/established people have their own. And I know I am stating what has said before. I've probably been guilty of it my self. Outlands is currently the popular thing right now. We need a welcoming community not a scorn and hate one. 

Raged has tested this shit. I've been in this shit. And I fucking hate it. Now that I know of it. I want to change it. Lets turn a new tide of this.

Edit: Also being left from RP, make you wanna not RP sometimes.

[Airborne1st]

Just because a few people post here giving examples of how they've gone against the point the OP makes, doesn't mean the issues don't exist or are solved. I don't mean for that to sound bad, I'm grateful for those of you who have posted here proving you don't fall into the category that a fair number of players here do, but this issue does exist with enough people and their groups to where it can be mentioned, obviously, as one of our members has voiced their concern on it.

So what can we do about it? Unfortunately not much, other than just create RP that counters those who want to seclude themselves and their action packed RP to their groups.