Layonara - View Single Post - Party chat: What it is, and what it is not

Dorganath · 01-23-07, 04:51 AM

This is just a friendly reminder about the use of the Party channel in-game, as it seems that enough people do not completely understand how it should and should not be used here.

What the Party Channel is:

Most importantly, it's a way for GMs to keep track of people and conversations during quests.
A way to keep in contact with other characters in your group that does not directly disturb anyone not in the group.

What the Party Channel is not:

It is not a free license to communicate OOC with members of your group because the general server population cannot hear it.
It is not an appropriate way to communicate, IC or OOC, with members of your party who are in different areas of the server, or even far enough away in the same area as to be out of earshot.
It is not a way to meta-game the location of other members of your group.

You may ask, "Why is this a problem, if no one in my group cares about the OOC?" The simple answer is that the Party channel is seen by any GMs who are currently logged on, and if a GM is running a quest or impromptu event, such OOC chatter can be a terrible distraction for a GM trying to sort through the conversations of a party (or parties) with whom he/she is trying to interact. We ask that you don't do it, so please, don't do it.

If OOC communication is necessary, use of Tells is preferable to the Party channel for the simple fact that Tells are already OOC and GMs do not see them at all. There are also cases, such as if you need to log out or step away from the computer for a few moments where a brief OOC notice to the rest of your party is desired. Typing things like "// brb" or "// gotta log" or something similar is fine, because it's brief and it is the most appropriate means to communicate such things to a group of more than a couple people.

I have seen comments ranging from asking what music the other people in the group liked to hear to people in various different parts of a server talking about where to meet to go gather some kind of CNR or to help some character(s) retrieve their grave(s). None of these are really appropriate uses of the Party channel.

I know that sometimes things come up, people slip, mistakes happen, whatever. We understand this and it's fine when it happens, but it should be the exception, not the rule. Entire OOC conversations should not take place in the Party channel. Please try and be observant of this.

01-23-07, 04:51 AM	#1
Dorganath Administrator Characters Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chicago-ish Posts: 8,263 Thanks: 69 Thanked 1,602 Times in 761 Posts	Party chat: What it is, and what it is not This is just a friendly reminder about the use of the Party channel in-game, as it seems that enough people do not completely understand how it should and should not be used here. What the Party Channel is: Most importantly, it's a way for GMs to keep track of people and conversations during quests. A way to keep in contact with other characters in your group that does not directly disturb anyone not in the group. What the Party Channel is not: It is not a free license to communicate OOC with members of your group because the general server population cannot hear it. It is not an appropriate way to communicate, IC or OOC, with members of your party who are in different areas of the server, or even far enough away in the same area as to be out of earshot. It is not a way to meta-game the location of other members of your group. You may ask, "Why is this a problem, if no one in my group cares about the OOC?" The simple answer is that the Party channel is seen by any GMs who are currently logged on, and if a GM is running a quest or impromptu event, such OOC chatter can be a terrible distraction for a GM trying to sort through the conversations of a party (or parties) with whom he/she is trying to interact. We ask that you don't do it, so please, don't do it. If OOC communication is necessary, use of Tells is preferable to the Party channel for the simple fact that Tells are already OOC and GMs do not see them at all. There are also cases, such as if you need to log out or step away from the computer for a few moments where a brief OOC notice to the rest of your party is desired. Typing things like "// brb" or "// gotta log" or something similar is fine, because it's brief and it is the most appropriate means to communicate such things to a group of more than a couple people. I have seen comments ranging from asking what music the other people in the group liked to hear to people in various different parts of a server talking about where to meet to go gather some kind of CNR or to help some character(s) retrieve their grave(s). None of these are really appropriate uses of the Party channel. I know that sometimes things come up, people slip, mistakes happen, whatever. We understand this and it's fine when it happens, but it should be the exception, not the rule. Entire OOC conversations should not take place in the Party channel. Please try and be observant of this. Last edited by orth : 04-01-07 at 02:22 AM.