Other Preferences About Code?

[ashen.eidolon]

Hi! I was just wondering what's everyone's feedback on using code in roleplaying?

Personally I have been roleplaying a long time and I'm 25 years old now. I'm sure coding has been around longer than I realize but certainly not to the degree it's gotten to in the last few years.

I do really enjoy the coding aesthetically, but I find trying to use it myself becomes more of a chore then it's worth. I stop enjoying responding when I have to deal with a code every single time. I would like to learn more about it and have been trying to teach myself, but I have a life outside of roleplaying and it's just supposed to be a fun hobby for me. I've actually had people drop me as a partner because I don't use coding, and it seems somewhat....idk....irrational to me? Lol

Anyway I just wondered if anyone felt the same or if people could provide feedback as to why they prefer to only roleplay with people who do use code?

I apologize if this has been asked before, I've been away a lot of years lol.

 

[Ayama]

So back in my Gaia days, coding was specifically used as a means of vetting and controlling players, and you had to put an insane amount of time into it just to be admitted to the RP, which then usually didn't even take off. Very pretty, but total bummer.

On here, people are not nearly as snobby or annoying about it, and very little restrictions are imposed on the players. The OCD side of my brain that wants everything to be pretty pretty and matchy matchy doesn't like this, but I do have to admit it's far less toxic.

For my personal preference, I just like the way codes look and work better than anything un-coded, but I also think it's important to have plaintext versions for people that's an issue for (if you want to be open and inclusive). I honestly don't get RPing on mobile for so many reasons but, if the appearance detracts from the content and excludes potentially great players from your projects, you also have to consider where your priorities lie.

 

[Kveykva]

i've always looked at coding as a kind of "you do you" sort of thing. some people enjoy coding character forms, some people think it's more trouble than it's worth, but at the end of the day, it doesn't have any effect on the quality of your writing.

i enjoy coding to a degree, but i always try to keep it pretty simple so that mobile readers can actually read my posts (as i tend to read a lot of stuff on my phone, and then actually write posts at my computer). that said, coding on RPN absolute terrifies me lmao. i'm used to pretty simple bbcode, but there's so much crazy stuff you can do on this site that i've just mentally checked out.

there will always be some people who are very elitist when it comes to roleplay etiquette and coding, as it's something i grew very familiar with when i dipped my toe into tumblr's writing communities, but if somebody thinks your writing is worth less because it isn't aesthetic enough, you didn't want to write with them anyway.

 

[PyroOvalord]

Definitely agree with Kveykva. If you wanna do that, great! If not, great as well! Ultimately it'll have no real impact on a roleplay in my opinion. Since the real magic for me is all upstairs in our imagination drawing the words to life in our heads. I must say thought, to have the commitment to do so AND write is a mindset that I envy.

 

[GojiBean]

Coding's a personal taste thing, for sure.

I typically only use it if I have several characters with talkative personalities, and I'll color their dialogue so that they can easily be told one from the next without me having to write "so and so said" after each line. That gets tedious and cumbersome after a while, ya know?

The only other time I use coding is when I want to create a nice looking character sheet.

Other than that, I don't use it for much of anything anymore.

Cheers!

 

[Solivagante]

New to RPN, former Gaia RPer, and while I made (what I thought at the time were) pretty snazzy post formats back in the day, the embedded CSS stuff I see here just blows me away. It's really neat but... it hurts my eyes! I also feel like some of the super complex and pretty codes I see on the BBCode forum end up emphasizing fancy graphic design more than the text, usually with images that take up a larger area of the post than the scrollbox for text. That's just not something that fits my style, but I'm glad people who like it can play around with it!

That said, I'm ENAMORED of all the options RPN has that Gaia didn't when I was there (which was like a decade ago at this point). Tabs, scroll boxes, and accordion folders are enough to keep me happy. I feel like those give me good ways to organize information so that lore or character profiles aren't giant Walls O'Text, but are also still quite accessible and easy/intuitive to navigate. (The first time I saw a group RP interest check with numbered subsections I was like.... where's the rest of it? OHHHH.)

Also, infinite love for pindent. I just like the way it spaces things out.

 

[MxKit]

The coding stuff is really neat for RP ads and character sheets (though I don't use one for my own ad), but... unless it's something really simple, if coding seems required for the RP posts themselves, I'm out.

I can get the desire to have a picture of the character alongside the post, especially if it's used for expressions! (That's my LJRP/DWRP blood talking.) But when the posts are cluttered, or they have tiny or brightly colored or otherwise hard-to-read font, it just makes it a bit more difficult to read in a really unnecessary way, and having to use a complex code for every IC post isn't for me.

 

[Zazz]

I actually avoid heavily coded posts/threads. It's hard on the eyes, and if I have to spend more than half a second distinguishing an "a" from a "d", I'm no longer engulfed in the actual writing content.

 

[Idea]

I’m actually a little amazed at the reaction to this thread so far. Usually whenever there’s talk about coding it’s people throwing fruit at people who code (to be clear, it’s usually just about those who insist on really bloated code and stuff that makes it too hard to read, but my point is that I’m surprised the reaction is being so positive towards coding here when it’s usually so negative).


That matter aside, I completely agree with what’s being said here - coding usage is a matter of personal preference and enjoyment, up to of course what still makes it viable to roleplay with you (even if you don’t, you can still use the coding, just at your own risk by throwing away interest). I myself very much enjoy coding, especially as I try to tailor the coding to the character and roleplay, though I do make sure to leave a semi-coded tab for those who may have a harder time reading with the “fancier” bells and whistles, and I don’t ask that my partners code. So I think you can code or not as you prefer, and in most cases people will be perfectly with it either way.


Of course, I think good / nice-looking coding is definitely something which draws the eye, and in some cases can be useful for organization (mostly basic stuff like tabs). So there are advantages though of course effort and risks as well to using code, and ultimately it’s up to your personal preference and your target audience which you should choose. It’s also become more common practice nowadays to go just go borrow one freebies coding the coding center even if you do not wish to learn coding yourself.

 

[ashen.eidolon]

Yeah, I'm not responding to anyone in particular because I agree with everyone here for the most part!

I find I really enjoy the codes when they're on interest checks, especially for group roleplays because they keep everything so organized.

However I do a lot of reading posts on here on my phone and that can make it challenging, whereas I do most of my responding on a computer. But it does take away from me being able to interact "on the go" when everything is super coded (no matter how gorgeous it often is) and I can't really access it mobile.

That said, I have only run into a few roleplays on here where that was a specific requirement, that you character sheet and responses had to be coded, but it definitely turned me away from the roleplays/interest checks because if I can't find a suitable freebie that fits my vibe for the character then I'm just at a loss... I try learning on my own but I'll be the first to admit much of it is completely out of my depth. It's hard! lol, or it looks hard anyways.

 

[bastion]

I have an appreciation for looking at pretty codes, but so many don't consider accessibility, whether it be considering if they text can be read on both light and dark modes, or if can be viewed fully in mobile as well. I've been unable to read many posts because the code just doesn't work on my phone and I'm not able to use my computer.

Personally, I don't have any interest in using a code for RP responses since it would make it so much harder to respond. I've definitely entertained the idea, but realized it would just make it too difficult.

Although I suppose a very simple response code could make it work and even be useful for clarifying which character is talking and acting in scenes where I'm playing multiple.

When it comes to interest checks, I do want to use codes, but also usually end up finding it taking too much time so I'll just do basic stuff so I can just get it out. However I do really like when a code is used for organizing an interest check in an easily accessible way, so I'm trying to figure out the right one for myself now.

 

[Sorin]

Hit or miss for me.

Some of the codes that I've seen are absolutely beautiful and a delight to look at, but as someone who likes to scroll through the Nation on mobile, I find that many of them tend to break (shoutout to the folks who keep mobile friendly versions in their interest checks). This may also be a hot take, but I feel like heavy coding sort of turns me off a little from some interest checks/Roleplays? At least to some degree. It's entirely intimidation on my part, I'll admit, because I'm incredibly nervous about being judged for my lazy writing to begin with, so very impressive code kinda dings something in my head that says "I'd probably disappoint them". Entirely a me thing, I know, and I otherwise echo the sentiments above of folks who state "you do you" in terms of coding.

 

[Shawdios]

I personally don’t like when something is heavily coded. The reason being that it’s really distracting.

I use the TAB codes in my request thread for organization and it’s fine in other peoples’ character sheets and threads. But when there’s bright contrasting colors and sub sections that scroll, etc etc. it’s just too much for my brain.

I’m not saying that I want people to stop, it is really pretty and cool the stuff people can do. But it’s hard to focus on the writing inside it, so I’m likely going to opt out if something is extravagant and not just there for organization.

I color code dialogue so I can easily remember what character is talking, and that’s roughly the max extent to which I code in a RP post.

(Note, as i was typing the post above was posted)

Hit or miss for me.

Some of the codes that I've seen are absolutely beautiful and a delight to look at, but as someone who likes to scroll through the Nation on mobile, I find that many of them tend to break (shoutout to the folks who keep mobile friendly versions in their interest checks). This may also be a hot take, but I feel like heavy coding sort of turns me off a little from some interest checks/Roleplays? At least to some degree. It's entirely intimidation on my part, I'll admit, because I'm incredibly nervous about being judged for my lazy writing to begin with, so very impressive code kinda dings something in my head that says "I'd probably disappoint them". Entirely a me thing, I know, and I otherwise echo the sentiments above of folks who state "you do you" in terms of coding.

I agree that heavy code can be a turn away, for me at least. I mainly navigate on mobile due to not having a computer readily accessible. And a lot of times the code breaks, so I click out if there no Mobile friendly version. Coders, you do you. I love looking at your posts, but for me it’s hell to try and read.

 

[Solivagante]

Although I suppose a very simple response code could make it work and even be useful for clarifying which character is talking and acting in scenes where I'm playing multiple.

As Shawdios also mentioned above, the simple solution for this is color-coding - I used to do this all the time in Ye Olde Gaia Dayes if I had multiple characters. The one difficulty on RPN that Gaia didn't have was the dark/light mode option, so you'd have to choose your colors from a fairly limited palette to make them readable on both. (Or maybe there's a way around this, to have colors be inverted automatically? If so, far beyond my ken.)

Another option - though this works better if you're writing separately from each character's perspective, not having them in dialogue - would be to give each person their own text alignment, so Character A is left-aligned,

Character B's text is centered,​

and Character C's text is right-aligned.​

That's fairly simple to do with rich text editor, but it is gonna look a little funky.

Hmm. Now I'm trying to think of other good background-neutral tools to distinguish multiple characters.

 

[nerdy tangents]

You can put a background behind your text. So if your using dark mode just put a black background behind the text, light mode a white background.

It’s

[bg=color] text [/bg]

 

[bastion]

The one difficulty on RPN that Gaia didn't have was the dark/light mode option, so you'd have to choose your colors from a fairly limited palette to make them readable on both. (Or maybe there's a way around this, to have colors be inverted automatically? If so, far beyond my ken.)

Yep, that's the issue I've run into. Having a very simple codes setup where I can just copypaste my replies into for each character would be the next step-up that could prevent the issue, since there's plenty of simple codes with backgrounds built in so they won't be affected by dark or light mode.

Another reason a simple code has an appeal to me is I could include a little image of my character. If I really got inspired, I could even make a few different expressions that I can have to swap in per reply for a nice fun touch. I haven't had the energy to do that yet, but it's a fun thought.

 

[Shawdios]

Yep, that's the issue I've run into. Having a very simple codes setup where I can just copypaste my replies into for each character would be the next step-up that could prevent the issue, since there's plenty of simple codes with backgrounds built in so they won't be affected by dark or light mode.

Another reason a simple code has an appeal to me is I could include a little image of my character. If I really got inspired, I could even make a few different expressions that I can have to swap in per reply for a nice fun touch. I haven't had the energy to do that yet, but it's a fun thought.

Can’t you make the code a post macro?

 

[bastion]

Can’t you make the code a post macro?

I don't know what that means

 

[Sugarnaut]

I definitely agree with people saying that most people are pretty lenient on code usage. As someone who moved to RPN from Gaia, the appeal of using codes the way they work here is the biggest reason why I moved over. Even on Gaia my eyes got cross-wired with code but it's a fairly easy adjustment after a little while. Reading posts on here on mobile is a godsend compared to GO too. Oh man... Those [ list ] nightmares...

Luckily, a lot of people are nice here and create codes free to use in a range of complex to simple, and many coders are trying to make them mobile friendly too. I think people who use codes are more understanding if you don't use them and you probably encountered some bad eggs ): while people who refuse to use codes tend to be more elitist about the whole thing.

 

[nondescriptname655433788]

I despise code. I love markup languages a lot but they just serve no purpose here. It's always glitchy and annoying on mobile and I don't like other people's aesthetic choices. Additionally, the color choices are so BAD I can't even read what they're saying half the time. Just write in plaintext and add some colors and text decorations. So so so so annoying, I will almost always just choose a different partner.

 

[GrumpySwallow]

The requirements for coding, or "pretty posts," is the reason I left GaiaOnline many years ago. Fossils like me never needed fancy coding for a RP to be enjoyable, and I remember being taken aback when all of the RPs on GaiaOnline suddenly required them in order to join a game. Because I could not or would not make my posts "pretty," I was no longer able to join any RPs on Gaia unless I made my own games. I will not put time and effort into learning how to make codes to please a pretentious GM when in all likelihood the RP will not even get off the ground. It should be my writing that matters, not how much fancy font or borders, or pictures I use in a post.

The most I do is color my dialogue to make reading easier for the other players. I have absolutely no problem with folks who choose to decorate their posts. It's requiring it as a rule where I take issue. Such a thing should always be optional.

 

[Eldritch_Cat_Creature]

personally I never do it because I'm a software engineer professionally! I have no desire to spend 8 hours writing code, come home, and write more code as part of my RP hobby

 

[Onmyoji]

I like to look at pretty designs people come up with in Interest Checks but for my 1x1 roleplays I ask my partners to not use codes aside from basic stuff like colors. I'm using mobile a lot and also have bad eyesight so it's hard to read big chunks of text when it's all decorated. ^^"

 

[dangerfluff]

I'm a web developer and roleplaying is my break from code, so nah. If my roleplay buddy codes, that's awesome!

Though I do worry that they would hold me to the same expectations, so I tend to avoid potential roleplay partners who code—just out of courtesy.

 

[CrimsonDawn]

I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but there are some font colours (especially bright ones) and sizes that honestly hurt my brain to see.

When something is teeny tiny einy whiny even when it's supposed to be important and it extends throughout the entirety of your response, my brain just quits and doesn't want to reed anymore. As a one-off, it's alright. To emphasise a character who is speaking quietly it's clever, even. But when it's "just for the aesthetics", then I quit.

When every other line is in a different colour and it's that way throughout a page-long response it ends up looking far too messy, rather than pretty, for me. I understand it tends to be colour-coded for different characters or types of speech (internal and external, for instance), but it can sometimes get to a point where every line is a different colour and that gets distracting.

Certain fonts themselves are harder to read -- I can enjoy the basic ones like Courier, Times New Roman, Georgia, etc. but there are things I could never deal with unless it was used in titles and headings only.

I love it when a response has effort put into it, but I love it even more when thought - and consideration for others - is put into it.

That is not to say that I don't like coding at all.

I love seeing all those different scroll boxes and having images floating on one or other side of the response, breaking up a long chunk of text with something nice to look at, but I don't require it and don't tend to use it myself. If I wanted to just look at pretty pictures, I've got Pinterest.

Heck, sometimes I use it myself - to bring attention to something, to prevent a response from extending the page length too much, leaving people scrolling for ages to get to the response they want to read, etc. - but it tends to be out of practicality first, aesthetics and weeding out the folks second. If I want to weed out roleplayers who are a better fit for my roleplays from those who might be a worse fit, well... I typically do that through auditions (for canon characters) and character profiles. A well-thought-out profile gives me more hope for their character creation, writing skills, and understanding of canon characters than some coding ever would -- I mean, the focus is on the characters and plot, right? If they add in the extra effort to produce a coded profile, well, that's commendable. I love the extra effort, but it's not specifically what I'm after. It's not the most important aspect of your profile or your response.