Ultimate Application Creation Guide

[MamaBearJade 2090]

Out of Character Information

 

This is pretty much the easiest section of the Application, just write down what it tells you to, most of it is just to see what type of people are coming onto the server.

 

What’s your Minecraft Account Name?: -

Pretty simple, just put down your Minecraft Account Name.

 

How old are you?: -

Also pretty simple, just write down your age. A little tip, don’t lie about your age, people of all ages are accepted onto this server, and you won’t be judged by your age.

 

What time-zone do you live in?: -

Just simply put down the timezone you live in.

 

Have you ever roleplayed before - if you have, how?: -

To put it simply, just put down any past experiences you have had with “Role-Playing”, remember to be honest as you will not be judged if you have never had previous experiences in roleplay.

 

Have you been on any other roleplaying servers?: -

Yet again, just specify if you have been on other roleplaying servers.

 

Have you applied to this server before?(Please link past applications): -

Just link any of your previous applications on the server, if it is your first application then feel free to write “N/A”.

 

How did you hear about us?: -

This is just to find out how people are finding out about the server, simply just write down how you found out about the server, be it a friend told you or you saw it on reddit etc.

 

What do you think the server will be like? -

This is just your personal opinion, from what you have seen just write down what you think the server will be like.

 

Have you read and agreed to the rules?: -

Do /not/ lie about this part, you /must/ read the rules to fully understand what the server is like, lying about it will only make it worse for yourself and other people on the server. A link to the server rules is here.

 

What’s your favourite rule / the rule you agree with the most?: -

This question is put in place to ensure that the Applicant has indeed read the rules, just to rule out any liers. Pretty much just put down a rule that you agree with the most, or like the most.

 

Definitions

 

This section of the Application is to find out how much you really know about Roleplaying. Everything you write in this section must be written on your own and in your own words, plagiarism will not be tolerated.

 

What is roleplaying?

This question is asking what the definition of role-playing is in your own words, a good example would be “Taking the role of a different persona and basing your decisions and actions upon the persona’s personality and traits”, a good thing to add to your application is an example of roleplaying, although it is not needed, it gives the AT member reading the application justification that you understand what roleplaying is, for example you would write the definition of roleplaying in your own words then add an example such as “For example, if a thief type of character saw a rich merchant they would try and rob him, whereas if a bandit type of character saw the rich merchant they would most likely kill him instead of just plain out robbing him”

 

What is Metagaming?

This question is asking what the definition of meta-gaming is in your own words, a good example would be “Meta-Gaming is the use of Out of Character information In Character to further enhance ones goals”, yet again an example is always a good thing to be added, such as “For example, someone is being robbed and tell his friend to come help him over skype, the friend shows up and helps his friend, yet that persons character has no reason to go there as he does not know his anyone is being attacked”

 

Metagaming is when you use any OOC information IC. Meaning if your character wouldn't know something, do something, or feel something normally then don't let that character do it.

 

Metagaming, contrary to what seems to be popular belief, isn't simply calling for help while you're being attacked OOCly to your buddies or somehow magically knowing with no real reason the identity of a killer or something. I'll break it down in more detail.

 

Physical Knowledge Metagaming

 

This form of metagaming is fairly simple and incredibly obvious to point out in most cases. It's what I've listed above. It's when your character knows something about the role play/"in character" world that they shouldn't or have no way of knowing, at least at the moment! Examples for this subtype of metagaming are fairly cliche. Things like helping out a friend who's being attacked when your character would have no knowledge of the events happening to your friend by any stretch of the imagination, or pointing out someone in an illusionary disguise that you would be unlikely to know, even if you know OOC because of the name plate or some other reason.

 

A slightly more subtle version is "investigating" a player In character that your character has no real reason to investigate. If someone is disguised, don't just go up to them because of their nameplate. You have to have an actual reason other to go up to that well disguised character other than "I'm a really good judge of character" or whatever. So is everyone and their grandmother in LotC, it seems. If they do something to draw attention to themselves, then you'll probably have reason to investigate, especially if you're a guard or something.

 

Personal Bias Metagaming

 

Hey, see that guy over there? He stole my cookies...let's ruin his fun today by metagaming his location, identity, or coming up with some bogus accusation/reason to kill him or something for no real reason, just because I don't like that guy in particular!

 

This is harder to prove, but still a horrible thing to do all the same. If you don't like someone, try to steer clear of them - not piss them off or otherwise ruin their time on LotC by subtly attacking them via various means ICly repeatedly for seemingly no reason.

 

If your character wouldn't do that sort of thing to that person then don't do it. Simple. this also can fall under harassment after a while, and can get you banned for longer than metagaming can at times, depending on the severity.

 

What is Powergaming?

This question is asking what the definition of power-gaming is in your own words, a good example would be “Forcing actions upon another person and giving your character god-like abilities”, an example being given always helps, an example such as “For example, someone gets into a fight and emotes *stabs the knight or *kills the knight, or if someone dodges four arrows being shot at him at the same time” would suffice.

 

Powergaming has two basic forms that are the most common, like metagaming. You can find plenty of examples for each.

 

Force Emoting

 

Force emoting is when you emote the outcome of an action your character does on another character. Never will you have this right. You control what happens to your character and what they do only. You don't control another player's character or what happens to them directly. You can have your character TRY to do something to them, such as

 

Bill attempts to stab Joe in the chest.

 

and that would be fine and dandy. But if you do something such as

 

Bill stabs Joe in the heart, killing him instantly.

 

or

 

Bill cuts off Joe's [insert body part here] and [insert severity of injury or declaration of besting opponent here].

 

then you're forcing your will on their character's. There is no situation where you are allowed to do this. Not even if you win a /roll 20. You don't emote for other players. Other players emote for themselves and decide ultimately what happens to their character...that being said, that brings me to the other form of power gaming.

 

God Moding

 

No, this isn't the /god command OP's of servers have. This refers to when your character is far too strong to be reasonable. Are there always going to be people who are more powerful than each other by leaps and bounds? Of course. Will they have an actual reason that doesn't break rules or lore? Most certainly.

 

It's when it breaks lore or you don't have approval to play something overpowered or "godly" that it becomes a problem. If you get into an even matched fight, and you don't' take a single hit...you're doing it wrong. You're powergaming, unless you both agree to go on a /roll 20 whoever rolls highest basis and you get really freaking lucky with your rolls or there's some other reason that the character who's fighting you can't hit you. If you assume your character can deftly and easily dodge every attack thrown at them, you're mistaken.

 

This isn't a single player RPG. You are not the hero, or the anti-hero, or whatever. You aren't going to be the most powerful man in the realm. You aren't going to single handedly slay all the orcs (who don't even deserve to be killed anyway why would you do that!? D: ) or single handedly slay the massive dragon. And you aren't going to jump, leap, backflip, and dodge every attack one or more people are throwing at you without a damn good reason.

 

Nor are you going to be able to do incredibly strong and powerful things with ease. Your human can't punch that 9 foot tall armored orc so hard that he flies back into the wall twenty feet away. You can't, save for the use of claws or something, punch your hand into someone's chest and rip out their still beating heart like it's mortal combat. You can't karate chop someone's head off, or instantly take out, draw back, aim and fire your bow through someone's forehead with pinpoint accuracy in half a second. You can't make a spirit bomb like in dragon ball Z and crush all your enemies in one fell swoop.

 

Character Development

 

This is the section of your application that is dedicated to one thing only, your character. Remember to be imaginative and have fun with this section of the application.

 

What is the name of your character?

The name of your character can be anything you want it to be, however, try to fit the race. Pick something that fits the character, who they will be forever called. This decision can come after you start the biography as sometimes a name will reflect the person’s life. Elven names can even be used to describe the character, or for added effect, can be the exact opposite of who the character is. Play with the names, choose several names, just make something you feel connects to the character.

 

What is the race of your character?

It never hurts to read up on the lore of your character. The race can be a deciding factor in who your character is. If you have a character who will be quiet and soft spoken, being an Orc would not be your best idea. Race can play a lot in the development of a character and even help decide how they would act. Always take this into account when making your character. You can read up on each race’s guide through the following links. Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Orc, Half-Breed.

 

What is the gender of your character?

This is the easiest question on here. Do you want to be male or female? Do you want to mix it up? Read up on different types of gender labels. This could add to interesting roleplay. Are you a girl who thinks she is a man? Well, then she may be a transgender female. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

 

What is the age of your character?

Again, another easy question. Your character must be no younger than 18 and no older than 700. However, this can also be tricky. Read the lore on your race before putting your age. It is never recommended to start as a fifty year old human or an eighteen year old elf. It just means that there is more restrictions on your character and less ability to grow. Read the lore and understand the ages of the race you wish to be. This will help you in the long run.

 

What is the background story of your character?

This is what more players have trouble with. Its easy to make a background for your character if you read the lore, understand the timeline, and have a character in mind. Before you write, decide how your character is. Is your character the baker who wanted to save enough money to pull himself and his family out of poverty or is he the wannabe knight who struggles to get the recognition he feels he deserves? Once you know where your character stands presently, its easier to figure out where he came from. The baker had been born a farmer where his family lost their money due to a famine, leaving them sick and in poverty. The knight was the runt of the family, ridiculed by his brothers for being the weakest in the family. The possibilities are endless. However there is caution here. Try to avoid cliches including but not limited to “Orcs killed my parents”, “Bandits destroyed my village”, “I am the last of my family/village”. This will get you denied. Write as much as you can, their childhood, how they got to where you are now, what cities they lived in, what lands they visited. Quality is preferred over quantity, but having more to your story gives you more lore and shows you have fleshed out the character.

 

What is your character’s personality?

Again, another question to think about. Being just “Nice” or “Mean” shows little character development. Try putting in a little more. Don’t be afraid to add in fears, likes, dislikes. Add enough to your character to give them depth. They could be the knight who is so scared of his own shadow that he would flee, yet is brave enough to tackle the bandits of the land to save a bunny. They could be the baker who is so afraid of going back into poverty he becomes obsessed with money in every aspect. Think about what your character went through, how this would make them, how this could change them. Every detail counts in the character development.

 

What are your character’s ambitions?

Is your character the knight who was bullied or the baker who was in poverty? Think of what your character went through and what goals they want accomplish. The knight could want to gain the courage to show his family they can be proud of him, or they can be the baker who wants to create a name for himself and his family. Think of the infinite goals available to your character and pick something that will fit who they are and what they can achieve.

 

What is your character’s special skills?

Does your character have something they are exceptionally good at? Lets look at the earlier examples. The Baker could be great at making pastries, able to pull old family recipes out of his head and create the greatest pies and custards ever seen, but secretly he has skill with a blade, able to create beautiful wooden sculptures that can be sold for a pretty penny, yet he is too nervous to do so. The Knight, although scared of his own shadow, could be great at befriending animals and people. He could also have a great skill with a bow, but is too afraid to shoot because of an accident in his past. Never try to apply as a master of something. Be adequate to advanced, but never master. Make it so you can expand, roleplay and grow more into the character. You could be the knight and find that you feel he should become an medieval vet instead. Leave yourself room to grow and roleplay.

 

What are your character’s weaknesses?

Is your character terrified of moths? Is your character physically handicapped? Find something that your character has to overcome in roleplay. Make it something worth a challenge. Be the knight, terrified of his shadow. Someday he will have to face that fear to save the rabbit from a hunter. Be the baker who is so blinded by greed he has to try and change his ways to keep the family that has become so special to him. Remember, there are many possibilities to choose from and many you can go for.

 

What does your character look like?

This is personally my favorite part. Sit down and describe what your character looks like. From the color of their hair to the scars on their body. Appearance can tell alot about a person. From the scraggly beard of a elder knight, to the scarred face of the butcher. Describing your character helps you imagine what they will look like. Here is also where you would post a screenshot of your Skin. This shows that you have something to represent your character. Make sure their skin matches the theme.

 

What does your skin look like?

Obtaining a screenshot of your skin is the easiest part of the whole application. There are two ways of doing it. First way is by going in game and pressing F5 to get a different view of yourself, then pressing F2 to get a screencap. You can then find the screencap by going into your minecraft folder found. C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft\screenshots (on PC). Second way is going to Novaskin and uploading your skin to that site, clicking the photo button and saving the image. After you did either one of the two ways, upload the picture to any image site such as photobucket.com, imgur.com, or prntscr.com. Copy the link and post it into your application. Just make sure your skin fits the world and is not a copyright character such as Link, Honeydew, or any lord of the rings characters. This guide will help you with this.

 

Notes: This guide is a combination of three guides meant to help new players. Demotheous and their large guide on metagaming and powergaming. Lefty and his perfect app guide. My guide on creating a character. This guide should help new players make great apps that can get accepted on the first try, hopefully. Good luck applicants and thank you Demo and Lefty for such great apps.

[_Thorn 21]

People needed this! Well done!

 

10/10

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

People needed this! Well done!

 

10/10

[Tsuyose 3285]

Excellent.

[MamaBearJade 2090]

Thankies ^^

 

 

I hope this will help new players

[ForeverGinger 148]

Question, I am attempting to send an application in, and I cannot paste things into the application. Ive spent quite a bit of time writing my application in Notepad, and am wondering if anyone can help me!

[Porko 397]

^ Not familiar with Notepad so I don't know what to say.

 

BTW, this needs to be pinned EDIT: Nevermind it was :P

[James 425]

 

 

 

Good Job on the guide Jade, keep it up.

[TheBareSheet 194]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.