I don't know how you are with this, but what usually pisses me off greatly is the missing/standard Bioware bio charcter description (usually accompanied by the general brown head picture to add insult to the injury).

Just how the hell should I picture a character before my mind's eyes if there is zero info on it?? And how to initiate some proper RP with it?

Maybe it is just me, but somehow I see a lot of new chars with these quirks nowadays.

My suggestion is to get some checking on this in the script of the Welcome area, same way as it is done with the deities. If proper deity name and alignment can be enforced for divine spellcasters, than the same enforcement could be applied on a factor which is more widely affects the playerbase and playability of the server.

I am not expert on scripting but making a quick check on that data of the character when he/she tries to enter the leave portals from the welcome are would do the trick IMHO.

It could simply give a proper error message and does not allow the character to leave the welcome area through the portals if one of the following conditions are met:

-the text is shorter than 20 character -the text is the exact match of or contains exactly the standard Bioware background text.

Thoughts on this?

You can't do that. Character descriptions aren't something you can look like that or test.

With all respect, I think this idea is not the best. A better solution would be to ask via tell the description of the char. He could tell you everything you need to know, and with details you could ask for.

Although it might take time if someone's talking to you/him, though, forcing them how to build the char is not the most pleasant.

What Oro says.

Even if it were possible, I don't think it'd be a good idea. It may drive away noobs (who might potentially become very good players) since it's a lot of a requirement for people who just want to get on and play, and there shouldn't be any regulation on how people choose to describe their characters.

I'm sure some fantastic RPers/PCs on EfU have had bios less than 20 characters anyway.

At the very least, have it somewhere on the website/start screen/whatever that it is suggested they write a brief description themselves, rather than using the bioware one, and what it should contain. PMing for info about things that should be blatantly obvious takes time and will probably annoy the player after a while. A simple 'how to' somewhere obvious would be nice. For example, recommended: basic physical description, interesting features, holy amulets and any instantly obvious traits like limps, accents and ways of speaking. Not recommended: knowledge other players have no way of knowing, particularly things that may lead to metagaming such as alignment, diety if not shown by symbol, particularly the more evil/secretive gods, likes/dislikes, 'I am an assasin hahaha' (which I actually did see once), etc. Also 'RP for info' is all very good but I shouldn't need to talk to you to notice you are tall and have long blonde hair.. I would also really like it if there was a way to change your description after character gen, but I seem to remember a long discussion about why that wasn't feasible so I won't ask.

Also, would it be possible to have a message that pops up and says something like 'you have not completed a personal description for your character. It is recommended that you do so, for ease of interaction with other players. Would you like to continue anyway? Y/N' ?

The system that would allow this check to be made isn't currently available on the EfU server, and won't be for awhile. I also agree that...while it is nice to see people with short bios, there shouldn't be an enforced policy over them.

I'm pretty sure a lot of my best descriptions were less than 20 words. You don't really need to write a full paragraph in order to convey a sense of the character.

-Cross

Actually a long paragraph is somewhat repulsive. I wouldn't read a three paragraphed bio.

I really don't think the lack of a detailed bio affects RP. The only thing I can think of is that the player with the longer bio has spent that little bit extra thinking it up. RP and interaction with any said PC usually determines all you need to know.

Character coolness is directly related to the length of the character's description.

Personality and background should be completely RPed, I agree. But just little, basic things like 'tall for an elf' or 'a little overweight' actually do help - people's reactions do have a lot to do with looks, like it or not. The scowling one-eyed guy with the scar-tissue is not going to get the same first reaction as the sunite elf. If there's a portrait that helps a little, but unless you use the basic set (and have 7 identical twins) you can't be sure that everyone else will see that. I was going out with someone IC for two months without seeing his portait, but I had a good mental image from his description. His portrait was a lot older looking than I'd pictured, but it was pretty much accurate. Without the description it would have been different.

In a game with such a limited amount of physical differences - fat or thin, and less than 20 different heads, is it? - you need something to set you apart. Just think how much difficulty we're going to have describing you to the watch otherwise!

alogen With all respect, I think this idea is not the best. A better solution would be to ask via tell the description of the char. He could tell you everything you need to know, and with details you could ask for.

We just have a topic started about how tells are breaking the immersion. Besides, if somebody gets interesting, I can do it once, twice, or heck, even three times. The problem is that recently the number of such characters increased dramatically. It is no fun if you are surrounded with 5 such clones of brownheads/emptybios on a quest.

alogen Although it might take time if someone's talking to you/him, though, forcing them how to build the char is not the most pleasant.

1) Every rule is a forcing. E.g. divine spellcasters are already forced to enter proper alignment and choose only certain pairings of domains by server rule. We have such precedence here already.

2) I am sorry to say, but you got something totally wrong here. What has this done with character build? It is simply the description of the character. I don't care the looks he/she has, I just would like to know how he/she looks. That's all.

Ladocicea What Oro says.

Even if it were possible, I don't think it'd be a good idea. It may drive away noobs (who might potentially become very good players) since it's a lot of a requirement for people who just want to get on and play, and there shouldn't be any regulation on how people choose to describe their characters.

I'm sure some fantastic RPers/PCs on EfU have had bios less than 20 characters anyway.

Technical limitations, what Oro wrote, I can accept. But the rest of it I found quite contradicting.

Okay, keep EfU noob friendly. Altough noobs are better not choosing any divine spellcaster class without checking out the relevant sections in the forum, and thinking about their selection wisely. I quote you here: "it's a lot of a requirement for people who just want to get on and play". And it is just one thing. EfU is not noob friendly, there is too much extra scripting and changing put into it (which I love and apperciate a lot, and I am here exactly for this!!).

Ladocicea

there shouldn't be any regulation on how people choose to describe their characters. I'm sure some fantastic RPers/PCs on EfU have had bios less than 20 characters anyway.

I don't want to restrict anybody how he describes his/her char. Just describe him/her somehow, that's what I would like!!! 5 little words mean already a big difference, I don't want essays pages long. The 20 char is an artificial limit, you can waive that, I just thought it to be used to get something more creative than 'a tall elf' or 'ugly human'.

Well, EFU actually is noob friendly believe it or not. There is the FedEX quests, the first log room is good enough to understand what's going on (And I know this, I remember when I first came). And perhaps I'm not the best RPier, but I know many are, they just need this little "freedom".

Now, you want people to have good descriptions? Prove yourself as an example. Eventually it would become a trend and the less noob players, with their second or third char might as well do like you.

When you first get into this world, it might be hard to think about something. I'm sure if one enjoys his stay here, he would write a short description, as he would feel its important to have.

I still am sure the idea is not the best (Not that mine is much better). And, believe it or not, some might leave, or not even come in first place, had this been enforced.

// I say he, but I mean both male and female //

alogen Now, you want people to have good descriptions? Prove yourself as an example. Eventually it would become a trend and the less noob players, with their second or third char might as well do like you.

All of my characters have 5-6 sentences of description. Just to cover the basics, not long soap operas. Even my first one on EfU had. Why? Because I read the rules first. It is so easy. A newbie can do that, too. It is about courtesy to other players. I just would like to expect the same in return. But maybe I am asking too much.

Hmm. The idea's nice, and I always prefer (even though I'm just a 'few days old') to see a well thought out description when I click on the character. However, it's not terribly fair to force the idea. Personally, I LOVE writing the character descriptions and even did for the ones that no one ever saw in the local Neverwinter games too. But that's my thing, not necessarily everyone else's. I'm an egotist who loves to flaunt the ideas I come up with-- ie the character descriptions.

Other people however like to play their character out before even thinking about anything that has to do with their character. It's how they roll. I think that the -idea- should be more widely promoted, but not imposed.

And that's my opinion. hehe.

1.maybe first and last pc names 2. i use a diffrent picture pack[Narfell] 3. most of the time with my pcs what you see is what they look like

Admittidly, not having a full description or portrait can have its advantages.

I didn't pick a portrait for one of my characters since I didn't find one I thought suited him (this was before I downloaded the horde I now have in my portraits folder) and that has actully worked out best since he spends most of his time with his helm on, so other characters shouldn't really know what he looks like anyway.

But becoming all dark and brooding was not somthing I had intended for the character when I created him.