New Character System Open - Feedback and Suggestions Welcome

[Jeric 46,834]

By the time I hit submit on this the new character system will be available for all users. This is a soft launch, and what I mean by that is that I will be making frequent changes to this new feature over the course of the next few weeks. We need to see how this feature will be used to be able to figure out what works and what doesn't work. It is a rather intuitive system, and I think almost anyone can use it with minimal instruction. As new questions are asked I will add them. 

 

FAQ

So what is this character system?

this is a system meant to support Roleplay on MLPF. In the past, characters were handled in a database that you would have to link to while you RP'd. They were not dynamic and not really directly linked to textual RP on a forum. Character databases didn't take advantage of the technology. What the old system lacked was a way for you to feel immersed as the character, and feel like you were interacting with other characters. What the new system basically does is ... you can post as a character you make. This can be Pony or something else. This can be an official character of Pony, like Rarity, or your own original character. When you are in an RP then you will be (hopefully) interacting with the other characters, 

 

How many characters can I create?

For now, users can create / manage five character sheets that they can post as. Subscribers and other financial supporters can create / manage ten characters. This is for two reasons. One, part of this is manual for staff. Two, we wanted to give Subscribers something extra as a thank you for helping us. MLPForums needs Subscribers to stay up and running. Later down the line we may be able to create a way to make a one-time nominal contribution for unlimited characters. So ... TLDR Users have five and Subscribers have ten. 

 

So I can delete characters if I don't use them to make room?

We have set it up that you can delete characters as you see fit to make the five character limit more manageable. 

 

Can I use canon characters?

Yes! You can use any character in any fandom or universe you desire. The limitations are only tied to our current global rules. No NSFW, etc. One special rule is that no character can be created to impersonate a user or staffer. Also any creation of an IRL public figure will likely not be allowed. 

 

Can more than one person RP as Rarity?

Yes. We only own our OCs. There can be unlimited canon characters. In some cases, a fun RP can actually call for multiple RP'ers of one character meeting. 

 

I created a character for an RP but I don't see the character available to use?

All current characters created in this system require staff approval. Until approved you will not be able to see the character and it will be hidden from others in your character page. We hope to be able look and approve characters very quickly but this is all new for us. Eventually Subscribers and such will be able to skip the approval queue. The approval of your character for general RP is ONLY going to require that you have not reached your cap, AND that it is not a troll character or in violation of the rules. 

Hey! This character sheet is full of just pony. You said I can make whatever character I want, right?

It is and you can. We are a Pony forum and most RP's here are specific to Pony so the sheets focus on pony. That said, none of the fields are required except the name. If you feel a new field is needed, let us know. Eventually I would love to have different sheets and even a generic one that you can build. 

 

Where can I use characters?

In the Pony Roleplay Section, Ask-A-Pony Forum, and the occasional specialty Event Forum .... ( Like the Pony World Cup ... hint hint). The Testing Forum is also open for experimentation. 

 

What are ... groups?

These are a way of organizing Characters. Also the beginning of automating things. Currently there are only a few groups. Everfree Roleplay is the default group. Equestrian Empire will be the special FiM Canon RP with some new features, and slightly more polished. Inactive is where characters that haven't posted in 90 days. They won't be deleted, just put aside. This allows RP users to quickly identify other active roleplayers. 

So how do I make one of them there character things?

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

So how do I post as a character?

After creating a character and having it approved, you will see a small drop down menu when you post in an RP eligible forum.  That drop down will have a list of all your characrers and one that states Out of Character. OOC is you. You will also see a 'change character' link that will let you switch a character if you make a mistake ... or ... if you are an evil changeling queen and want to go Bwahahaha. 

 

GO HAVE FUN. and give me ideas and such. 

[Will Guide 21,325]

So I have just started by creating a page for the Canon character Thorax. Though I'm only focusing on the basic stuff given what few episodes featuring Thorax we have seen on the main show. I will soon be working on my own OCs.

[Sparklefan1234 161,634]

@Jeric  May I create a page for Della Duck and Rapunzel or is this MLP exclusive? 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Sparklefan1234

[Rikifive 23,472]

I don't RP but holy balls, things sound cool and look neat. Haven't delved into this much, but at first glance everything is clear and nice to work with. I'm sure everyone will have fun with it.

i could make  as a character and post dumb jokes all over the place tho 

[North Star 4,466]

Pinkie Pie, Wielder of the Rocket Propelled Rainbow Grenade of Friendship 

[Will Guide 21,325]

While not all the details I wanted are written into my Characters' bios, I have set up the 3 characters I use the most. I mostly intend to use the Ask a Pony section. All in all, this system so far is shaping up to be a nice improvement.

[Jeric 46,834]

47 minutes ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

@Jeric  May I create a page for Della Duck and Rapunzel or is this MLP exclusive? 

Yes you can 

[Goat-kun 2,496]

Why are there only two small brackets for spells? Skills are a key feature that demand lots of room for explanation especially since nothing's truly canon. I suppose your Rarity will never be able to form magic shields. Well, I suppose that's all one needs for ask a pony. Though, a smart cookie would type in a brand of magic, if one was able to find a world that would be able to offer a sufficient summary.

[Will Guide 21,325]

so I have it figured out where I can change my post to make it officially look like it's spoken by the character I'm playing as. Already on Ask Thorax, I changed most of my past posts to say Thorax answered those questions and it looks lovely

I will say one thing though:  on my Ask the Will Guide topic, most of my post have both Unicorn AND Changeling Will answer the questions. So I guess I'll just alternate between using Unicorn Will Guide and Changeling Will Guide if both characters answered in one post

[TBD 17,228]

10 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

So I guess I'll just alternate between using Unicorn Will Guide and Changeling Will Guide if both characters answered in one post

That would be the case! You’re allowed to make more than one characters profile if you characters are one but are different. Just keep in mind, 5 characters is the limited. Subscribers are allowed to make  ten characters 

Also for everyone here, I will try my best to help out answering questions or helping around how the system works as best to my knowledge.  Thank you again @Jeric for all your hard work and dedication for making this possible!!!

[Jeric 46,834]

1 hour ago, Goat-kun said:

Why are there only two small brackets for spells? Skills are a key feature that demand lots of room for explanation especially since nothing's truly canon. I suppose your Rarity will never be able to form magic shields. Well, I suppose that's all one needs for ask a pony. Though, a smart cookie would type in a brand of magic, if one was able to find a world that would be able to offer a sufficient summary.

 

Actual actionable advice that I can work with.

[Sparklefan1234 161,634]

3 hours ago, Jeric said:

Can more than one person RP as Rarity?

Yes. We only own our OCs. There can be unlimited canon characters. In some cases, a fun RP can actually call for multiple RP'ers of one character meeting. 

 

DARN! I can't RP as my "Creativity Consultant" Rarity because:

1. I thought you were using her already. 
2. I already picked Applejack and I don't want to use more than one Mane 6 pony because that isn't fair to other users. 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Sparklefan1234

[Will Guide 21,325]

I can see that both Unicorn and Changeling Will are considered inactive because so far none of the posts I attach my character to was from within three months ago, right?

[Silly Druid 6,114]

I'm going to make some characters later today, but for now I have questions about the current version of the creation form:

1. Why are the first two choices in "Species" empty?

2. Why are "Likes" and "Dislikes" required?

Edit: Also I think there is a bug with displaying the last poster on the thread list. I posted here, and on the thread list here it says the last poster is Pinkie.

Edited February 7, 2021 by PawelS

[Goat-kun 2,496]

6 hours ago, Jeric said:

Actual actionable advice that I can work with.

Merge backstory with key moments since they are practically the same thing and substitute one of them with a large bracket called Abilities.

[North Star 4,466]

6 hours ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

 

DARN! I can't RP as my "Creativity Consultant" Rarity because:

1. I thought you were using her already. 
2. I already picked Applejack and I don't want to use more than one Mane 6 pony because that isn't fair to other users. 

I think we can have two versions of the same character - maybe provided they have slightly different names? eg I made a Pinkie, but another person could make a Pinkie Pie, and still another person could have Pinke Pie - Court Jester etc? @JericIs that right? Or can they have the same name?

[Cagey 4,205]

8 hours ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

 

DARN! I can't RP as my "Creativity Consultant" Rarity because:

1. I thought you were using her already. 
2. I already picked Applejack and I don't want to use more than one Mane 6 pony because that isn't fair to other users. 

1 hour ago, abrony-mouse said:

I think we can have two versions of the same character - maybe provided they have slightly different names? eg I made a Pinkie, but another person could make a Pinkie Pie, and still another person could have Pinke Pie - Court Jester etc? @JericIs that right? Or can they have the same name?

Am I missing something? 

12 hours ago, Jeric said:

Can more than one person RP as Rarity?

Yes. We only own our OCs. There can be unlimited canon characters. In some cases, a fun RP can actually call for multiple RP'ers of one character meeting. 

 

[North Star 4,466]

@Cageyprobably me being dense  but does that mean people share the same character (eg multiple people controlling one Pinkie) or make multiple different versions of that character that are controlled by different people?

[Cagey 4,205]

16 minutes ago, abrony-mouse said:

@Cageyprobably me being dense  but does that mean people share the same character (eg multiple people controlling one Pinkie) or make multiple different versions of that character that are controlled by different people?

Is there a way to share characters? I figure everyone just makes their own version, but I don’t really know. 

[DivineMist1000 71,098]

@Jeric Can I request to play as Tempest? 

Edited February 7, 2021 by DivineZebra1000

[Denim&Venöm 16,460]

Go figure this gets launched right after I started work on a character bio in the old system. 

@Jeric While not an issue with the system itself, I am getting all the pending requests for character approvals. Maybe tweak it so the requests go to the RP staff like TBD, Rand and Mentis? 

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

I really need to pay more attention when it comes to site implementations like this. I think I'm the only member of staff who wasn't in the loop regarding this though I won't deny that I have been distant as of late so it's my fault in the end.

Would I use this system? Maybe, but then I only ever used the old system when it came to responding to trivia messages. Huh... I'm starting to feel inadequate since just about everyone can create their own character and use them however they wish within site guidelines. Still... This will definitely bring out people's creative sides and judging from the comments so far, the creativity has barely scratched the surface.

[Sparklefan1234 161,634]

I may not be able to use official RP Rarity but I'm hoping I can still use "Signature Designer" Rarity.  

 

Also, @Jeric can you automatically change the color of the fonts you use when you switch between your RP characters or it still a manual thing? 

[Jeric 46,834]

1 hour ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

I may not be able to use official RP Rarity but I'm hoping I can still use "Signature Designer" Rarity.  

 

Also, @Jeric can you automatically change the color of the fonts you use when you switch between your RP characters or it still a manual thing? 

There isn’t an official RP Rarity. The system isn’t like how account display names work. You can have a Rarity. I can have a Rarity. We all can have a Rarity. 

[Jeric 46,834]

2 hours ago, Denim&Venöm said:

Go figure this gets launched right after I started work on a character bio in the old system. 

@Jeric While not an issue with the system itself, I am getting all the pending requests for character approvals. Maybe tweak it so the requests go to the RP staff like TBD, Rand and Mentis? 

Event staff will be using this system at some point too. But staff can turn off notifications in their notifications settings under the Character category 

1 hour ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

I may not be able to use official RP Rarity but I'm hoping I can still use "Signature Designer" Rarity.  

 

Also, @Jeric can you automatically change the color of the fonts you use when you switch between your RP characters or it still a manual thing? 

Currently a manual thing. I’m hesitant to mess with the editor because it’s never been the most stable of features on IPB. I would love for this to be a thing though. If I can find a plug-in or hook for the editor I’ll consider it. 

3 hours ago, DivineZebra1000 said:

@Jeric Can I request to play as Tempest? 

You don’t need staff permission for that. Knock yourself out.