Hello Wild West RP Family!
I know it is not common to run into a player/character who isn't able to use voice communication and if you do please don't feel that they are ignoring you. From my own experience, it takes patience to roleplay with the mute & silent.
Before we start I'd like to introduce myself! My name is Mayumi and playing a mute character in most RP games is not by choice. I was born premature with a few health conditions. I grew up having seizures which we couldn't afford to take care of and during my 5th grade year I had a stroke in class. The stroke caused brain injury and for a short while I was still able to speak but the frustration of trying to do so gave me massive headaches. This condition I developed is called Aphasia and a few months down the line it developed into Dysarthria.
But enough of that, let's get going with the guide!
**UPDATE**
William Hayes - June 19th, 2020
Since this has come up as a frequent issue again - do not use /me to speak while incapacitated. There is currently a suggestion addressing the use of voice while incapacitated. Using /me to speak (at all, but especially while incapacitated) will end in a ban.
Only approved mutes may use /me to speak period.
Only approved mutes may use /me to speak period.
**UPDATE**
William Hayes - April 8th, 2020
Okay, I'm going to be clear for all the people now playing "mute" characters. This does not apply to people who cannot speak for OOC reasons but would rather have a mute character.
If you're going to play a mute, you play a mute. You can write, but you can't /me to speak. I've seen it very often where people are using /me to avoid having to use their voices and this needs to stop. Its one or the other, you can't have it both ways.
Again this doesn't apply to people who are OOC mute.
If you're going to play a mute, you play a mute. You can write, but you can't /me to speak. I've seen it very often where people are using /me to avoid having to use their voices and this needs to stop. Its one or the other, you can't have it both ways.
Again this doesn't apply to people who are OOC mute.
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In-Character Mute
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IC MUTE RULES & REGULATIONS
1. You are playing a mute character IC so you are not to speak at any given time.
2. You NEED to carry a NOTEPAD and CLIPBOARD at all times. These are your two most valuable items as IC mute.
2. Please be patient with others, especially yourself. This is not an easy way out of things.
3. You are not allowed to use /mu, ever. Caught using /mu or even /me to "speak" will get your mute character reported and possibly removed.
4. Do not abuse your opportunity to play an IC mute character. If you feel you are being overwhelmed, take a break or you can speak to me about it.
5. These rules DO NOT apply to OOC mute players (more on that later)
** Interactions & Communicating **
Welcome fellow mute! This section will explain the basics of interacting with the RDR2 world and communicating to your fellow travelers. As I've stated before, this isn't an easy way out of roleplaying. In fact, playing a mute character is one of the toughest roles to play in a game that requires voice and has a limited text chat. So ask yourself this first before continuing, "Are you ready to endure the hardships of having to type something up and having to delete it because someone interrupted your conversation?"
Let's begin!
Interacting with NPC's is the best training you can ever do to get your /me typing skills ready for the real deal. When approaching a group of travelers or even just a single traveler in the world, you may be thinking, "Oh how will I introduce myself? Do I walk up to them and type out an action? I hope I don't make them wait too long..." There's a cool way to do this which is quite common in text RP. Before walking up to the NPC (if you're practicing) or the traveler (player), I usually type out what I want to do first from a distance. So let's say I want to start a conversation. First, I'd go ahead and type /me she waves to the man and smiles. Second, I'd ctrl+a (select all), ctrl+x (cut) that /me so that it's saved. Thirdly, I'd walk up to the NPC or traveler and before getting any closer, I'd paste the /me she waves to the man and smiles. This way, you've started somewhat a conversation and also gives you time to begin your conversation.
Starting the Conversation
Now that you've approached the NPC or traveler. It's time to start communicating. But how?
I SUMMON YOU CLIPBOARD!
/write is an amazing new feature that the devs added and I've been using it so much lately! This depends entirely on the person you are communicating with. If their character can't read, then you're conversation will not get anywhere which would lead you to move on and just say your farewells.
DON'T TRY TO FORCE THAT PERSON TO READ WHAT YOU'RE WRITING. ALSO, TO THE PERSON THAT CAN'T READ, DO NOT FORCE YOURSELF TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS WRITTEN. THIS IS SEEN AS FAILRP/METAGAMING. NO OFFENSE TO THE CHARACTER THAT CAN'T READ BUT THERE'S NOTHING A MUTE CHARACTER CAN DO AFTER THAT.
Now, if the person can read what you are writing or is trying to read (at least understand some words), you can continue. I also forgot that you can also draw to explain things to that person so get creative but don't abuse the /me mechanic. After a few minutes of conversation going back and forth, there is no way one side of the paper can fit everything you've been writing. SO, try to make sense of it and maybe... turn the piece of paper over?
Doing this also gives that person a break from reading so damn much lol. This also gives you the opportunity to either continue or to end your conversation. Remember, this requires patience for both persons or even the entire party. Of course, if there are more than one person you are conversing with, you'd have to move your character around in order to make it feel like you're showing them your clipboard.
Another example of using /write and /me to create a scene.
I SUMMON YOU NOTEPAD!
Using the notepad is also a useful item in the game and can be used for many things. If you feel that you wont be able to get your message across through /write, using the notepad will help you get what you need out to whoever has the time to read it.
** Actions & Feelings **
Since you can't express yourself through tone of voice you are limited to using the /me to express the way you are feeling. Also, doing actions with /me is pretty much common in lots of RP games.
I will show some examples of how to do this but MOST should know how this works by now.
Pretty much self-explanatory and common sense.
THE DO-NOT-DO OF /me and /mu
Please, please, please... for crying out loud stop abusing the /me and /mu to get your message across. You break the rule of "breaking character" while doing this and will get you reported.
Here are some examples of WHAT NOT TO BE DOING!
DO AND DO-NOT'S
Please refrain from using the /mu to speak when you are having OOC problems. This goes for having microphone problems and hearing problems due to TeamSpeak maybe crashing. Also, when you are incapaciated, you should NEVER use /me or /mu to speak with. Actions using /me are fine like /me she snores and twitches. I will show how to use /me properly with these examples.
DO
DONT'S
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Conclusion
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Remember, you're playing an IC mute character meaning, you actually have a voice OOC. To be honest, you should use your voice even if you feel nervous about using it. There's a deep struggle being OOC mute and playing here. The community has showed me amazing support and understanding to a point that they've developed a /mu system for me to use. When I see other players using the /mu to speak, it actually does bother me a bit because it feels like a mockery. If you were approved by staff to use /mu then PLEASE get in touch with me so that I know who to expect before I start reporting abuse of use.
Before this implementation, I took a HUGE leap of faith with Elizabeth Corvus using /me whispers, and it worked in my case. But to see it used by others who I KNEW COULD SPEAK, bothered me so much. Anyway, enough of me ranting about it. All I ask is to please read the rules, like actually READ the rules before applying.
You can read them here: WWRP RULES & GUIDELINES
Also please read this: Mute Character Policy
I HAVE MORE TO POST HERE FOR /mu (Coming Soon)
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