So currently I'm lobbying my mud for a think command. I've played before on a mud that has it, and I adored it there. But I was wondering what ya'all thought about it? Is it integral to good RP? I personally feel that it adds depth and dimension to my characters, but is it just an extra command that isn't really necessary?

I know SoI and Arm both have this command, but I'm not sure if Brody's games do. And if your games don't Brody, do you notice the lack? Although that question would no doubt go out to anyone who felt like answering it.

At the risk of looking stupid, what's a think command?

Hmm. PennMUSH code has a think command. You type something like think (whatever) and it broadcasts whatever that is to yourself.

Beyond that ... I'm not sure what you're talking about. If you mean a command that allows you to display your inner thoughts through RP - we use : or pose, which can then include actions and dialogue - although we frown on "inner dialogue" as a sort of powergaming, because it should be apparent through your actions what you might be thinking - or what you might be trying to conceal.

For example, if you type :looks at Player B up and down and thinks they are a total moron, but says aloud, "You're a nice guy," well, that'd be unfair to the other player. Much better to type something like

:looks Player B up and down with a derisive sneer and growls, "You're a nice guy." Then the sarcasm is evident.

I may be totally off track on what you're asking, though, so feel free to clarify.

The "think" command does exactly what the name supposes:

It allows you to give your character the opportunity to think.

It sends an echo to yourself, and staff members who might be watching the RP, and to *secret stuff intentionally omitted* for the purpose of *secret reason intentionally omitted.*

The people in the room you're in (with the exception of *secret stuff intentionally omitted*) would not get any indication of your thoughts - except perhaps as a pause in the conversation while you're busy typing it out.

The purpose is several-fold - 1) to help you flesh out your own character, his motives, ideas, inspirations. 2) to give the staff a better understanding as to why your character is behaving however he's behaving. and 3) *secret stuff intentionally omitted.

The secret stuff is part of the game secret, but suffice it to say with our karma system, only HIGHLY trusted players with proven track records and a solid sense of integrity, RP ability, and responsibility would be allowed to play those secret roles. And though I've never played one of those roles, I would venture to guess that the potential for fun would be lessened significantly if there was no thought command.

Yep! Jazuela described it nicely.

In no way did I mean someone broadcasting their inner dialogue via an emote. I like to keep the physical actions as the physical actions, but I like to specify what's going on in the inside.

I'm still curious though, how much does it affect the quality of RP?

Hmm. Well, the think command in PennMUSH does that - but it doesn't send anything to the staff. It's totally private. Interesting, though. I've never really seen it used all that much in the JTS games except as a means of quietly testing poses or @emits before broadcasting them to the room at large.

Que viva el think! We have it in Avendar, and it's very nice to know when particularly interesting things are afoot without having to follow PCs around or monitor spammy comm channels. We do get the odd duck once in a while who doesn't quite understand the purpose for the command (like the player whose character kept thinking 'hmm' constantly), but overall it has been invaluable.

Even I like the think command, I think it may only be usefull in games like Arm which have staff that may be need more understanding of the character's motive or for that other thing that Jaz intentionally left out. But, then again, it is another layer of RP that helps flesh out the character, so what the heck.

It really depends on the game. If it's an RPI or some other sort of high RP mud, the think command can be really useful. If the mud is pure H&S or close to it, there isn't really a point to having it at all.

Shadows of Isildur has got a think command which, as a former player, I always found useful in developing my character from a roleplay standpoint...especially when you're stuck for several real life hours roleplaying by yourself!

When I played SoI I didn't really role-play by myself. Of course, I did play a solitary Gondorian hunter. I never felt the real need for a think command. I thought "What do I think about in real-life?" what followed was a bunch of stuff too mundane to type out and some things that were highly innapropriate.

If you're a solitary figure I can see why the day-to-day thoughts would be too boring to write down (been there, done that) but it's soooo different if you're involved in an active plot, even on rudimentary levels.  I found that using the think command extensively in those cases actually helped me earn roleplay points...always a good thing!

I really don't feel the think command adds anything for me. My character has his background, he has his thought patterns, and some of this is manifested in rp now, and some of it won't come out for years. I like my rp like I like my books: without an omnipotent entity that can get into everyone's heads. That way, the twists are more unexpected, the surprises, well...more surprising.

I've played on all the major RPI's, and I've never found it to be very useful. I know what he's thinking, why should I type it out, other than to red-flag the admin that there actually is a method to my madness?

I believe a "think" command would be useful in PK environments where RP is encouraged or required.  In a system where PKs must be justified, players usually kill first and think later.  A system that keeps track of a character's innermost thoughts would be great for RP leading up to a PK.  Of course, there are other ways of going at this such as a journal of motivations.  This journal would be submitted to an immortal before the PK and to the person PKed after the PK.  Of course, this information could only be used for OOC purposes - I think there would be less hard feelings if both parties knew why a PK took place.  Nevertheless, if you have the time to implement a "think" command, it would only add to the MUD.

Both Harshlands (where SoI's code developed from) and Armageddon have think because it's a valuable RP tool. It's been a long time since I played a H&S for any reasonable amount of time (and cared to remember much of the experience afterwards), but I seem to recall the command in a few so I'm not certain it's origin isn't in the original DIKU (again, it's been a long time since I messed with DIKU as well so I don't recall off-hand).

As for the above post about a solitary role in SoI (or any RPI for that matter), that's where think becomes even more important. It's a gauge for your motivations since talking to yourself doesn't really make sense unless you're playing a bit of an oddball. How else are your actions to be understood by staff if you don't think?

Just my take on it.

Jason

I completely agree with you prof1515.  Walking around muttering to myself isn't something I seek out, it can be fun on occasions, but most times I'd rather not.

Alot of my playerbase is more in accord with Wik regarding the topic at hand, they consider it more an RP style, rather than an essential tool.  But, thanks to all of you posting, I've been able to convince them to add it to the to-do list.  So thank you!