Online RPG Sexual Identification

[MintSoda]

At the risk of having my head chopped off for appearing in this thread, I am going to raise my hand as the dreaded cousin who never lets poor amraam game.


Which is a crock btw, as you are on the game all day while I work. ;p

For those of you who play and are looking for a roleplay guild, the guild I am in has been going strong for over six years in as many as six different games. We are a roleplay guild, Horde, but laid back with some ooc as well. Everyone is close knit, and we are in it to have fun and pvp like crazy. If your interested, drop me a pm and I can explain more and give the link.
I also posted in the roleplay thread Amraam has started, and we have our own site with roleplay forums.

We are actively recruiting, but particular about qualifications and we want quality not quantity. If you dont enjoy pvp, dont bother as this wont be the guild for you.

You forgot to mention your guild name, server name, and character name hun.

 

[rcuhljr]

Interesting to see so many WoW folks, Seped (60 troll rogue) from blackhand here.

I have on occasion tried playing female characters, and while there's nothing wrong with it, it causes me one major problem.

I use custom emotes constantly and on the fly /me stretches lazily. etc. etc.
and 9/10 times when I do that I do it from a male tense, which freaks out the people oggling my toon when the cute girl smiles to himself.

so I stick to male characters, much less complicated for me. This thread was definently an interesting read. I'm on my way to a MC raid currently.

 

[John Doe]

No offline play for WoW, but it does have one of the best evolving server platforms of any MMORPG right now. Anyone that had to suffer through their development process can attest that it has come a long ways.

Okay...does that mean my lag won't suck even though I'm on dial-up?

I'm a female gamer and I've experimented with both female characters and male characters. I actually like both but for different reasons. Female characters are easier for me to identify with, but at the same time male characters don't have to put up with the slew of shit that female gamers have to go through. The female population in gaming is steadily growing, but let's face it, the majority of online gamers are still lonely, socially inept, teenage males who react like lonely, socially inept, teenage males when around anything female. Make a male character and poof, all the lame pick up lines and harassment goes away.

I don't see why men try to rationalize making a female character. Do you really believe Tomb Raider was so popular because female gamers bought it? Men like playing female characters, it doesn't mean you have gender issues and you don't have to make excuses like "oh I just wanted to see her dance" or "I'd rather stare at a hot elf's ass when I game." You're not alone, you're not weird, you're not having a gender crisis. You don't have to make up a reason, and you don't even have to over analyze it, just do it and be honest with people about it. You're doing it because you wanted to play a female character...big deal.

Yes and no. It's not making up a reason. Part of it really is for the hot elf ass. A lot of guys can be sexually attracted to a video game or cartoon character.

Personally I like it. Imagine WoW if everyone played along gender lines. 80% of the population would be male and 20% would be female instead of the about even split we have now. That means four guys per girl...normally that would sound like a dream come true for the straight women out there, but let's face it, we're talking low quality high quantity males in that group and not all female gamers are straight (I'd say the lesbian/bi population is well represented).

Oh and in case everyone is wondering, I play WoW on Scarlet Crusade and Shadow Council (Role Playing servers). I tend to play lesbian characters or straight male characters because most of my gamer friends are straight males and it's easier than saying "I like you as a friend..." over and over.

I've also played Star Wars Galaxies, Everquest 2, Lineage 2 (that's where my avatar is from...good graphics, crappy game), Anarchy Online, Neverwinter Nights online, and The Sims online. Every single game this topic has come up and every single time straight males make excuses for why they're playing female characters. I've heard less questioning of sexuality going on at first timers GLBTA meetings. Just be honest with people about it, be honest with yourself about it, and enjoy the game. Nobody is going to think you secretly want to be a fat Italian if you play Mario games, so why question this?

I don't see anyone questioning it at all. Believe it or not most guys are already being honest about it.

 

[MintSoda]

Okay...does that mean my lag won't suck even though I'm on dial-up?

You're on dial up playing a third gen game, of course you're going to have lag. You're probably going to have lag playing any MMO on dial up now. The only difference between WoW and a lot of games is it won't be WoW's fault you have lag, it'll be your internet connection. Until you upgrade to high speed you'll never notice the difference between a good game network and a crappy one because your connection speed is going to make them all feel crappy.

Oh and the original post was about someone questioning it...so if you want to see someone questioning a male playing a female character you should read the original post.

 

[HybridCrow]

You're on dial up playing a third gen game, of course you're going to have lag. You're probably going to have lag playing any MMO on dial up now. The only difference between WoW and a lot of games is it won't be WoW's fault you have lag, it'll be your internet connection. Until you upgrade to high speed you'll never notice the difference between a good game network and a crappy one because your connection speed is going to make them all feel crappy.

Oh and the original post was about someone questioning it...so if you want to see someone questioning a male playing a female character you should read the original post.

Actually, you're PARTIALLY right on the lag. It's not just internet connection. It is also the type of video graphics card you're using AND how much workload the server is taking. I have heard several times that some really large groups that battle it out can cause the server to lag like heck AND even crash it. Even I have actually experienced an area highly populated to be VERY laggy.

 

[amraam840]

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[MintSoda]

Actually, you're PARTIALLY right on the lag. It's not just internet connection. It is also the type of video graphics card you're using AND how much workload the server is taking. I have heard several times that some really large groups that battle it out can cause the server to lag like heck AND even crash it. Even I have actually experienced an area highly populated to be VERY laggy.

Obviously processor speeds, video cards, and RAM can all affect game performance, but all things being equal dial up will have lag when cable won't. WoW has taken steps to get rid of high server loads by adding more capacity. I haven't seen many "high" population servers for them so their server workload is never above capacity. In WoW even raid groups aren't allowed to be very big, so you'll never get server crashing battles there.

In SWG we crashed the server probably ten or twelve times with large scale PvP battles (40-80 per side...80-160 people total). Eventually SWG had to cut back on group sizes to prevent us from doing this.

Server concentrations like Ironforge actually have gotten a lot better about lag. Yes, I guess if you really want to go through ALL the steps about it there are a million factors about a computer's personal set up that can make a game run bad, but that isn't lag. That's a performance problem. Lag is specifically the PING rate. It's a term used by network engineers that was picked up by the gaming populace and is misused a whole lot. It is specifically the amount of time it takes from server data to load across the server to the end user. It has nothing to do with your video card, sound card, processor speed, or any other part of your computer but how the data gets in. So no, I'm ACTUALLY right. Yes, performance will vary from computer to computer, but lag only varries from connection to connection.

 

[John Doe]

You're on dial up playing a third gen game, of course you're going to have lag. You're probably going to have lag playing any MMO on dial up now. The only difference between WoW and a lot of games is it won't be WoW's fault you have lag, it'll be your internet connection. Until you upgrade to high speed you'll never notice the difference between a good game network and a crappy one because your connection speed is going to make them all feel crappy.

That seems to be the case for most games, at least for me. That and whenever I ask what i can do to decrease lag, people just say I should get broadband. Then I yell at them.

Oh and the original post was about someone questioning it...so if you want to see someone questioning a male playing a female character you should read the original post.

It was someone else questioning his choice, not him. The originator of the thread is just fine with it. Your point was guys shouldn't question it or feel guilty or weird for choosing to play a female chracter, not what others think of it.

 

[John Doe]

Lag is specifically the PING rate. It's a term used by network engineers that was picked up by the gaming populace and is misused a whole lot. It is specifically the amount of time it takes from server data to load across the server to the end user. It has nothing to do with your video card, sound card, processor speed, or any other part of your computer but how the data gets in. So no, I'm ACTUALLY right. Yes, performance will vary from computer to computer, but lag only varries from connection to connection.

Technically the ping rate is the amount of time (generally in milliseconds) it takes for a packet of information to go from the user to the server and back, like a sonar ping.

 

[MintSoda]

Technically the ping rate is the amount of time (generally in milliseconds) it takes for a packet of information to go from the user to the server and back, like a sonar ping.

High ping rate means the information packets are lagging behind expected return rates. That's where the term lag came from. I guess I didn't explain the connection very well.

It's kind of become a catch all term for people though, which isn't accurate. Packet loss is lag, high ping is lag, low frames per second isn't lag it's computer performance latency. People just use it as a catch all for when their game is running slow, when it is something very specific.

Actually Guild Wars runs pretty well on some dial up services. It hadn't occured to me to try it on my lap top until last night and it's such a stream lined game I only had a little extended load time and no during play lag. So you might want to try that for an MMO on dial up. Plus they don't have a monthly fee, which is always nice.

My original statement was simply that WoW has taken steps to reducing server lag, which they have. It's still a bohemoth of a game to run without broadban and a high end system. No matter how much capacity they add, data stream optimization they do, and server stability measures they take it's still going to be a big game with a whole lot of people playing it. On dial up and broad ban I have noticed that WoW has less lag than SWG or EQ2. Dial up will always have lag and SWG seems to have lag no matter what, two things I've just come to accept.

 

[HybridCrow]

Ok, put the thread down! You're jacking it up too high.

 

[John Doe]

High ping rate means the information packets are lagging behind expected return rates. That's where the term lag came from. I guess I didn't explain the connection very well.

Yes I know that, but the millisecond measurement still counts the time it takes for a round trip, not a one-way trip as you suggested.

It's kind of become a catch all term for people though, which isn't accurate. Packet loss is lag, high ping is lag, low frames per second isn't lag it's computer performance latency. People just use it as a catch all for when their game is running slow, when it is something very specific.

Yes, I also know the difference between a high ping and low performance. And I can also tell which is the problem just by looking. Generally a high ping will cause jumping or skips, characters/targets being in one place then jumping seemingly instantaneously to another spot, instead of moving smoothly along its track. This is because your computer is updating the coordinates of the object too slwly, or more accurately, it's not updating often enough.

Low performance however usually means the game will slow down so to speak, either literally going in slow motion, or more frequently, it will seem choppy because the framerate is lower.

Actually Guild Wars runs pretty well on some dial up services. It hadn't occured to me to try it on my lap top until last night and it's such a stream lined game I only had a little extended load time and no during play lag. So you might want to try that for an MMO on dial up. Plus they don't have a monthly fee, which is always nice.

My original statement was simply that WoW has taken steps to reducing server lag, which they have. It's still a bohemoth of a game to run without broadban and a high end system. No matter how much capacity they add, data stream optimization they do, and server stability measures they take it's still going to be a big game with a whole lot of people playing it. On dial up and broad ban I have noticed that WoW has less lag than SWG or EQ2. Dial up will always have lag and SWG seems to have lag no matter what, two things I've just come to accept.

I keep forgetting these MMORPGs quite often require a monthly membership. My first run-in with thatw as with Anarchy Onlien which I thought would be an interesting take on roleplaying, but i didn't want to pay to play after I'd already purchased the game anyway, and most other genres include multiplay for no extra charge.

So anyway, than you for the tip. I'll check out Guild Wars. Does WoW require a monthly fee?

I'm also wondering, since you mentioned SWG, are you at all familiar with KOTOR? If so, is it another RPG?

 

[amraam840]

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[amraam840]

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[amraam840]

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[MintSoda]

And to all'y'all, how is guild wars? I just got my own WoW account, but saw Guild Wars on the shelf and it looks much the same, any details?

And so the thread doesn't get moved... How is the cross-gender population there? Is there a close-to-equal male/female character ratio in that game as well, and how many (real life) ladies do you all think are playing it?

Guild Wars is gorgeous. It runs on the same graphics engine as Lineage 2 so it's an amazing looking game with a tested and stable engine. It can get kind of bland though, it's definitely not as immersive as the other big three. The role playing is essentially non-existant and character development is kind of on the weak side. All in all it's a supplement to another game I would think. Or if you don't have much time or money to devote to online gaming but you still want to do it sometimes, it's a good game to devote a few hours to a week.

 

[MintSoda]

Yes I know that, but the millisecond measurement still counts the time it takes for a round trip, not a one-way trip as you suggested.

So anyway, than you for the tip. I'll check out Guild Wars. Does WoW require a monthly fee?

I'm also wondering, since you mentioned SWG, are you at all familiar with KOTOR? If so, is it another RPG?

I didn't suggest or mention anything about how Ping rate works. I just mentioned that was the barometer of lag. I didn't even really mention what the numbers meant. So, I don't know where you got that.

WoW is the standard $15 a month with a break if you buy more than one month at a time. I think it goes down to $10 if you buy 6 months.

I've played both KOTORs, I'm a huge Star Wars nerd, the first one had a lot of depth, a lot of story and there is even a lesbian themed romance. The second one is all about character leveling and very little story comes into it and the ending is a massive dissapointment. It's one of the very few platform games I've seen with not only an interesting gay storyline, but actually a very sweet one. I would highly recommend KOTOR the original. If you play it and love it then maybe rent KOTOR2.

For anyone who cares I just started a character on Shadow Council on the Alliance side. Lots of PvP there. If anyone is interested in joining in on some raids, adventures or RP send me a PM.

 

[John Doe]

I've played both KOTORs, I'm a huge Star Wars nerd, the first one had a lot of depth, a lot of story and there is even a lesbian themed romance. The second one is all about character leveling and very little story comes into it and the ending is a massive dissapointment. It's one of the very few platform games I've seen with not only an interesting gay storyline, but actually a very sweet one. I would highly recommend KOTOR the original. If you play it and love it then maybe rent KOTOR2.

For anyone who cares I just started a character on Shadow Council on the Alliance side. Lots of PvP there. If anyone is interested in joining in on some raids, adventures or RP send me a PM.

Oh great, more gratuitous girl-on-girl action, like there isn't enough of that in video games already. Wow, I feel deprived because the last time I saw any chicks making out was Hitman 3.

 

[sexy-girl]

i usually play male characters in mmorpgs because the female characters often look pretty stupid ... also female characters can get annoying attention that distracts me from the game

if i chat with people out of character though i don't pretend i'm a guy

 

[Weevil]

I've played both KOTORs, I'm a huge Star Wars nerd, the first one had a lot of depth, a lot of story and there is even a lesbian themed romance. It's one of the very few platform games I've seen with not only an interesting gay storyline, but actually a very sweet one.

Wow. I played KOTOR through twice, as a male and a female character, and I missed that entirely. What is the gay storyline in that game? I thought if you chose a female character they made you romantically involved with the Han Solo knock-off.

Sorry to take this off topic.

 

[MintSoda]

Wow. I played KOTOR through twice, as a male and a female character, and I missed that entirely. What is the gay storyline in that game? I thought if you chose a female character they made you romantically involved with the Han Solo knock-off.

Sorry to take this off topic.

To answer Stupo at the same time, there is no making out. The romance is entirely emotional and verbal. If you're looking for male on male rpg storyline you should give Fable for the Xbox a try. It allows you to both woo and marry men or women, but you're limited to a male only PC.

To answer Weevil, the lesbian romance isn't very easy to manage and it isn't with Bastilla, but with Juhani. There are no love scenes, just very flirtive dialogue leading to a declaration of love which your character can then either reject or accept and depending on that it changes how they leave things for the end of the game.

 

[Weevil]

To answer Weevil, the lesbian romance isn't very easy to manage and it isn't with Bastilla, but with Juhani. There are no love scenes, just very flirtive dialogue leading to a declaration of love which your character can then either reject or accept and depending on that it changes how they leave things for the end of the game.

That must be it. When I played the female I had her be all dark side and she killed Juhani at the beginning. Thanks for answering the question though.

And I agree. KOTOR was much cooler than the sequel. Although that may be because I was smoking a lot of pot when I was playing it.

 

[John Doe]

To answer Stupo at the same time, there is no making out. The romance is entirely emotional and verbal. If you're looking for male on male rpg storyline you should give Fable for the Xbox a try. It allows you to both woo and marry men or women, but you're limited to a male only PC.

To answer Weevil, the lesbian romance isn't very easy to manage and it isn't with Bastilla, but with Juhani. There are no love scenes, just very flirtive dialogue leading to a declaration of love which your character can then either reject or accept and depending on that it changes how they leave things for the end of the game.

So it's one of those games with several possible storylines? I love that shit. You can replay the game ten times and get a different experience every time. I would imagine this is especially true since apparently you can choose your character.

Does the gameplay differ based on your choices too, or just the plot?

 

[MintSoda]

So it's one of those games with several possible storylines? I love that shit. You can replay the game ten times and get a different experience every time. I would imagine this is especially true since apparently you can choose your character.

Does the gameplay differ based on your choices too, or just the plot?

With Fable absolutely everything varries based on your choices. Your appearance is different based on what you do and act like (evil acts make you look evil, good acts make you look good). The characters in the game even respond to you based on things you've done in the past, like if you run around kicking chickens when you're a child you can get the nick name Chicken Kicker. My only complaint was that it is a very short game. The main storyline can get knocked out really quick, but it sounds to me like you're more interested in exploring the depth of a character and storyline than just winning the game, so that might not be a problem for you.