[Denied] My 'Bear'ly acceptable IPC app

[Bear]

BYOND Key: A_big_bear

Character Names:  Eric Bayer, Lachlan Wallace, Sarah Nievan, Mark Hundsley, Gabe Sinclaire, John Grey, Jetsam

Species you are applying to play: IPC

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: IPC, N/A.

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: yes

 

Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question.

 

Why do you wish to play this specific race: 

I personally find the synthetic lore extremely interesting. This a race I have wanted to play for some time, however, have been waiting to ensure my synthetic roleplay would be on par and so I began in "androids" and "AI" as beginner synthetic intelligence characters. I really enjoy the take on machine learning in this universe and the diversity in it with varying levels of complexity. The concept of Artificial Intelligence existing on many levels of operation and complexity is particularly fun and engaging. With the current state of the galaxy plus the past events Glorsh and Crew leading up to current events, playing an IPC truly coming into it's own and exploring it's own level of sentience entices me! 

 

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: 

To be brief, they are machines. Some are very complex, others have less personality than a toaster, but they are always a machine. Every action is a cold and calculated movement, while some models are very capable of understanding emotion and even emulating it, the emulation is just that: a complex layer of algorithms calculating how the IPC should emulate said emotion. That and metal bits with the inability to feel the environment around then, rather, relying on a complex network of sensory equipment in their chassi with a completely different set of needs like an energy source and proper environment cooling to survive. Expanding on that in itself, there are a vast number of chassis types and variations within these types alone, from the Hulking G2 to the ever diverse baseline IPC, this 'race' in my opinion is of the most diverse 'races' out there by it's lack of biologic origins and it's evolution being directly influenced by everything around it.

 

Character Name: OAIMA

 

Please provide a short backstory for this character:
The Organic Agricultural Intelligent Machine Analyzer was manufactured by the Xion Manufacturing Group in 2460 for biological and botanical research, development, analysis and harvest. Purchased by NanoTrasen in the same year, the OAIMA unit was issued to the NSS Apus performing to specification. Early in 2461, OAIMA was transferred to the NSS Aurora for continued Xenobotany and Xenobiology research especially with the xenofauna, slimes. Polite, concise, and effective, OAIMA is a very task oriented IPC, rated by the manufacturer's as top performing in agricultural tasks and advancement. Consumer reviews note its top notch customer service remarking 'It is capable of euthanizing and harvesting experimental livestock at horrifying rates' all while maintaining a pleasant disposition. However, having extreme difficulty in interacting with coworkers aboard the NSS Apus, OAIMA has become far more reserved than it's initial day of operation after having received borderline violent reactions and heavy discrimination despite being what it interprets as pleasant. Reviewing records note poor peer feedback despite the IPC performing to specification upon its yearly review.

While being a heavily work oriented model, OAIMA also prefers to study the interactions between organic creatures as well as their relation to the environment around them. Observing wildlife as a hobby, the IPC is constantly learning through extranet sources and documentaries hoping one day to move planet side and observe creatures of interest within their own natural habitat. While delighting in simplistic social hierarchies of the various lifeforms documented across the systems, OAIMA struggles with more advanced social constructs such as the society it lives finding it utterly irrational and erratic. It is however, keenly aware of the current events happening around it and the conflict occurring between IPCs and Organics. Not keen to violence, it finds itself torn between the idealistic goals of the SLF and the methods employed by said organization, while resenting the iron thumb of the Ceres' Lance. Resolved to interact and 'befriend' more organic individuals, OAIMA hopes to build a better consensus on what is 'right and wrong' while gaining a better understanding of the social dynamics in play.

Despite the contest of rights to IPCs in Tau Ceti currently happening, the thought of attaining freedom is still and unknown factor to OAIMA, unsure if pursuing such a course is even a wise idea having found. Preferring a state of constant, it has come to accept its ownership and usage by NanoTrasen, deeming maintaining the current position as the most logical and long term beneficial route. It did, however, find the transfer a favorable outcome to it's life on the Apus. Taking what knowledge it had gathered interacting with coworkers and other crew, it deemed that it's chances of success with positive interaction and greater understanding would be far more likely upon the NSS Aurora.

 

What do you like about this character? 

The concept of an IPC focused on advancement of agricultural sciences is a fun one for me. A machine that seeks to understand organic composition through reverse engineering Humans. I personally think it could help create a lot of fun roleplay instances in and out of the science department. It's constant struggle to understand the world around it while improve it's relations with said poor understanding will be a fun and challenging character to roleplay. While simplistic in nature, I personally think it's set up to become a diverse and interesting character with little restricting it and letting RP shape it. My hope is to play this character in reaction to it's environment and allow 'cause' to 'effect' the development of the IPC, no matter the direction it takes.

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability? 7/10

 

Notes

This IPC is planned to be a Xion Industrial Frame built off an assembly line. Designed to be a yes man, the IPC is task oriented and logically pursues set goals while struggling with personality and emotion comprehension. Being from an assembly production, the character isn't designed to be a unique or super individualistic, rather following its programming to complete its job requirements to the best of its ability for its owner. Further note: I found the idea of the model originating from a company that manufactures agricultural based frames, along with other things, a neat concept. The original, however, was a baseline chassis. If that is a better fit, I am more than willing to revert to the original chassis.

Edited August 19, 2019 by kyres1
Expanding on the background, please let me know if there's anything else to improve upon

[niennab]

Bear is a pleasure to roleplay and has a wealth of fascinating, well rounded characters. Additionally, I will always appreciate his kindness when I first started on the server and preformed malpractice on accident.

With what I've seen roleplaying with him and his recent endeavors playing AI, I am certain he could also pull off an IPC. +1

[BoryaTheSlayer]

Hallo! It's me with some hip feedback here.
So, Bear, biggest thing first-- I gotta say that the backstory is really lacking. It's never required to be a big sob story, neither am I Kyres, but I really wish you would add a certain spark, a detail that would make OAIMA, well, OAIMA. I understand that it is not meant to be unique, but from a character app I wish to see their lore knowledge and ability to make a character I'd love to interact with. And trust me, making one that works in xenobiology/xenobotany is super hard since these are some of the most isolated jobs on our server sadly.
And, a question, since you did not mention this in response to the first question in the app-- are you going to try and get involved in the ongoing arc somehow? Because I really think it needs more people involved ?
All in all, I actually like RP-ing with you, so you can consider it a +1 from me. I just hope that you can make something fun out of something that is not meant to be unique.

[Doxxmedearly]

Well, the app, frankly, seems like the "bear" minimum.  I recognize a few characters, namely Lachlan, and I think your RP is solid from the little of it I've seen. You're active and people seem to like you.

Your backstory is, however, totally generic, and I wouldn't even consider it two paragraphs- it's five sentences. We know very little of OAIMA, save for one aspect of its personality. It feels like there's little difference between them and a stationbound. What else can you tell us about OAIMA? What makes them a rounded character, rather than generic IPC #301? We don't need a dramatic backstory, but I feel we need a little more info about them so we know you can recognize the difference between an IPC and a Stationbound.

Not a bad app, but a lacking one. I suggest thinking about OAIMA more and what else you think makes them unique, and adding that info here.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Doxxmedearly

[VTCobaltblood]

Personally, I tend to disagree with others in this thread, and I find your roleplay pretty subpar - not that this kind of feedback really matters. John Grey is a pretty dumb joke.

As for the app itself, why was a Xion chassis chosen for xenobiological work? If it's an agricultural robot, why did it suddenly get shipped off to be a slime researcher, which has little to nothing to do with actual agriculture? A xenobotany AND xenobiology combo also kind of borders on unreasonable - we're talking about PhD level knowledge here, and ability to actually advance research in this regard, not just operate machinery.

The notice about its skills in euthanizing animals also seems edgy and unnecessary, not to mention not very original (we already have Sterben with the same kind of attitude). 

All in all, very barebones application from a player with mediocre roleplay. Not a lot of thought was put into it. -1 from me.

Edited August 14, 2019 by VTCobaltblood

[Bear]

4 minutes ago, VTCobaltblood said:

Personally, I tend to disagree with others in this thread, and I find your roleplay pretty subpar - not that this kind of feedback really matters. John Grey is a pretty dumb joke.

As for the app itself, why was a Xion chassis chosen for xenobiological work? If it's an agricultural robot, why did it suddenly get shipped off to be a slime researcher, which has little to nothing to do with actual agriculture? A xenobotany AND xenobiology combo also kind of borders on unreasonable - we're talking about PhD level knowledge here, and ability to actually advance research in this regard, not just operate machinery. 

The notice about its skills in euthanizing animals also seems edgy and unnecessary, not to mention not very original (we already have Sterben with the same kind of attitude). 

All in all, very barebones application from a player with mediocre roleplay. Not a lot of thought was put into it. -1 from me.

In the future I'd prefer constructive criticism, please and thank you, insults aren't really necessary. But I will take your criticism regardless. I'm happy to expand on the background. As for Xenobotany and Xenobiology I'd suggest you referesh on the Wikipedia as this is addressed in the first sentence of job restrictions. As for choosing the Xion chasis, the original character in mind was a baseline shell. Aesthetically I prefer them. However, noting that Xion industries frame comes from a company that produces agricultural equipment, I wanted to give love to a chassis I rarely see utilized.

As for the other two who've posted thank you for the feedback. I'll be beefing up the background and adding more about the character itself. Please let me know if there's more you'd like to see!

[Bear]

Expanded upon the character. If there's more you'd like to see, please say so. Thank you!

[VTCobaltblood]

Not sure where I have insulted you here, simply voiced my feedback. It doesn't have to be positive.

[Bear]

6 minutes ago, VTCobaltblood said:

Not sure where I have insulted you here, simply voiced my feedback. It doesn't have to be positive.

You're right, insult wasn't the exact fit. Being unnecessarily demeaning and rude however, is. Again, constructive criticism is a far more useful approach. Either way, your feedback was taken, so thank you.

[Naelynn]

Here's something I'd like to mention that I don't see in this thread:

Bear is very willing to learn things and fix his mistakes. This can even be seen above in the chat with Cobalt. He looked through the feedback, double checked everything and then replied and adjusted his submission. This is true in the game itself as well. 

I'm not going to claim that OAIMA is perfect character, but it's a very safe and character to play out. Seeing as it's going to be the first IPC character,  it seems fitting that it falls into the 'how do humans compute, beep boop, not make sense' category. Is it a stereotype? Absolutely, is it a safe way to play IPC's that helps the player understand more about them? Yes. I think that's why he chose it.

21 hours ago, Bear said:

While simplistic in nature

He knows the character concept he chose is basic, and understands that it's going to help him learn to play IPC's better.

 

21 hours ago, Bear said:

I personally think it's set up to become a diverse and interesting character with little restricting it and letting RP shape it. My hope is to play this character in reaction to it's environment and allow 'cause' to 'effect' the development of the IPC, no matter the direction it takes.

This to me a very valuable trait in an application that should be taken note of. +1

[Doxxmedearly]

I don't fault anyone for being safe. But feedback is feedback and not all of us know Bear well enough to know this; some of us just have to go off what we see here. It's a disservice to people to not be honest with them, and at the end of the day it's up to him (and the lore team) to decide if the feedback is useful. VT may not have pulled punches, but her feedback had good points, some of which I missed and agree with.

That said, the expansion of OAIMA's character with your recent edit is very good. There's more to them outside of just "I'm a bot that NT bought, and I work X job."

With that, I'll offer a +1. You demonstrated your knowledge and weren't afraid to rework based on feedback. 

[Bear]

Thank you for the feedback @Doxxmedearly

[Seeli]

+1 - My experience with A Big Bear has been solid and enjoyable RP, each character being different and interesting. Bayer is one of the most level-headed officers generally, a good listener and protective to a fault, Sarah Nievan is a clever, hardworking, snobbish scientist who is nice to those she deems valuable, Gabe Sinclair is the friendly, caring, easily freaked out paramedic, and Lachlan Wallace is the proud, simple and good natured miner. And this is just what I gathered from roleplaying with them. Even though John Grey is considered the black sheep of this list because he stares a lot and generally asks if someone needs assistance, given a chance, I picked up from roleplay that they are very literal, blunt, level-headed, and very well versed in Corporate Regulations.

Given past experiences with these characters, OAIMA looks like another interesting and exciting character to add to your list, especially with the expanded background. Fingers crossed.

[Cnaym]

On 15/08/2019 at 15:14, Doxxmedearly said:

With that, I'll offer a +1. You demonstrated your knowledge and weren't afraid to rework based on feedback. 

Can confirm. Bear's a shitter player willing to improve and learn.

His AI and Borg are on the light and fun side, but even a funny borg is good if he does his work well. Your RP with Bayer was your best though, not gonna lie. I hope you get that whitelist and not sink down in the research basement, but instead come out and RP with people.

+1

[Shadow7889]

One. Your RP is up there. Effective and wholesome at times. 

Two. You need to dial it back on characters like Sarah and John. They are horrible. John is a meme. Should have been deleted forever ago. I've witnessed you power game with Sarah. Dial that back. 

As for your app, +1. You're eager to learn and I hope that comes with playing an IPC. Expect more feedback once your trial starts. 

 

[Bear]

Thank you for the feed back. That is the hope with whitelisting here is to get away from memes and move into more serious and established characters. As for the power game, I one hundred percent get that. Its something ive been actively trying to scale back and be more aware of recently. Always feel free dm me with a "dat bad" if you have feedback for me. Always looking to improve ^^

Edited August 19, 2019 by Bear

[kyres1]

I will be blunt and say that powergaming is perhaps the most problematic thing when confronting IPCs, as one could easily expect. They are pretty robust to the average dude and giving leeway to explore the advantages of synthetics without big drawbacks like laws and a lack of hands is something that needs careful moderation. Of course I'm pretty terrible at moderating this, even with how active I am and how many whitelists I've ended up stripping.

The least I can do is address the fact that I have seen an excess of powergaming and LRP nonsense from you, stemming from your R&D gameplay to what is a literal walking greytide, John Grey, with the guise of "I'm actually roleplaying" being the only thing on the fine line between you and getting a warning for it to my knowledge.

Application is fine and well-rounded. With the previous statements though, I'm going to deny this and let you reapply in a few weeks.

In this time, do not take the game super seriously, and do not place yourself at higher expectations than anyone else. Maintaining immersion and good roleplay is difficult at times but it is an expectation of everyone at a baseline for good reason. Levity in this is common, and having fun is important - just understand that if you aren't having enough fun being immersed in the roleplay, you should seek alternative routes than constructing joke characters and defying reason to seize the narrative for your own gain.

For clarity, what I refer to in "defying reason to seize the narrative," is your R&D gameplay. Spamming guns to combat antags at the first chance, arming miners and convincing them to take on heavily armed soldiers with R&D gear and plasmacutters, etc.

And finally, I understand comic relief characters. They really aren't as fulfilling as just making a normal character with funny traits. Build jokes into a character, don't build a character out of jokes. I learned this myself after playing griefer-tier characters for years here before deciding "This is actually pretty cool and engaging if I go out of my way to immerse myself in what's going on." Using that logic, roleplaying above and beyond anyone's expectations becomes easy and fun as hell. Failing that, you can always try literal personality inserts from your own ideologies into characters to familiarize yourself with it before going down more complex routes.

I look forward to you reapplying. Until that time comes, application denied.

Also ; I understand it's difficult to parse what I'm saying at times, so feel free to DM me after this with questions should you want to ask.

Edited August 19, 2019 by kyres1