Xeno Roleplay Discussion

[Toroic]

Hey, I wanted to open up a discussion for some ways we could incorporate more RP into xeno play. Currently we have too much meme-ing, and I think long term it would be beneficial to make playing xeno more of an unique experience.

I have a couple ideas that we could try, and at this stage I welcome all ideas.


1) Have an official list of xeno locations on the forums (ideally stickied in this section)

Here's a list of suggestions and current words

Metal Bird = dropship

Metal egg = droppod

Great Dome = Nexus

Tall spike dome = T-comms

Red Cross dome = medbay

Green leaf dome = Hydro

Metal spitter = gun

Far spitter = sniper

Boomtube = SADAR

Fire spitter = incinerator

Boomrocks = mines

Furry host = monkey

Tall host = human

Headhunter/deadly host = Yatuja

Autospitter = turret


2) Instead of communicating through words, hivemind communication being done through emotes.

Examples:

"Elite Queen desires more drones from larva"

"Mature Spitter (109) is grateful Young Crusher (243) saved them."

"Mature Praetorian (762) wants sisters to help attack great domes from the west"

"Young Runner (519) thinks Young Runner (114) should only swallow monkeys for 10 seconds because otherwise they die"

"Young Sentinel (932) fears 3 deadly host outside hive, and saw 10 tallhosts at red cross."

What does the rest of the community think?

[Sancronis]

Generally the Yautja are referred to as Headhunters. You might want to add auto spitters for turrets. Otherwise, quite good suggestions.

The communicating through verbs could be good if people adhere to it.

[Toroic]

Generally the Yautja are referred to as Headhunters. You might want to add auto spitters for turrets. Otherwise, quite good suggestions.

The communicating through verbs could be good if people adhere to it.

I think that since it would switch the xeno communication from 1st person to 3rd person it would really improve the "feel" of playing a creature with no real language but a telepathic connection with others of its kind.

[ShortTemperedLeprechaun]

i like this honestly. If this ends up letting me get more rp with xenos as a pred, that's a bonus.

[Renomaki]

I honestly would love it if people tried to get more into the spirit of being a xeno, instead of just spouting memes and/or have far too many human traits to be considered a xeno.. And reduced dancing.. If marines aren't allowed to fart anymore, then xenos shouldn't be able to dance up a storm.

I also wouldn't mind if xenos were a little less aggressive too.. I know the hive is supposed to seek out hosts and stuff, but it seems very often that you have xenos that, upon seeing marines, IMMEDIATELY attack them rather than stalk them from the darkness and attempt to hug them ASAP. Aliens complain about marines shooting on sight, and yet there were plenty of cases were the aliens aggroed the marines at first sight. If the aliens didn't aggro them on first contact, then it would create for a more tense atmosphere for marines, them being more paranoid about what is going on around them, and making it all the more surprising when they encounter the alien nest for the first time. After all, marines aren't TECHNICALLY supposed to be hostile to the "wildlife" until the wildlife turns hostile towards them.

But then, that is just me I guess.

[Toroic]

I honestly would love it if people tried to get more into the spirit of being a xeno, instead of just spouting memes and/or have far too many human traits to be considered a xeno.. And reduced dancing.. If marines aren't allowed to fart anymore, then xenos shouldn't be able to dance up a storm.

I also wouldn't mind if xenos were a little less aggressive too.. I know the hive is supposed to seek out hosts and stuff, but it seems very often that you have xenos that, upon seeing marines, IMMEDIATELY attack them rather than stalk them from the darkness and attempt to hug them ASAP. Aliens complain about marines shooting on sight, and yet there were plenty of cases were the aliens aggroed the marines at first sight. If the aliens didn't aggro them on first contact, then it would create for a more tense atmosphere for marines, them being more paranoid about what is going on around them, and making it all the more surprising when they encounter the alien nest for the first time. After all, marines aren't TECHNICALLY supposed to be hostile to the "wildlife" until the wildlife turns hostile towards them.

But then, that is just me I guess.

As much as I love xeno dancing, I'd give it up never to hear the word "cuck" or trump memes as a xeno.

First contact aggression should be expected on both sides because marines are marines and xenos are naturally aggressive.

[Renomaki]

Once Trump becomes president, the memes will stop I believe.

It is only funny because it is possible, but once it becomes reality... That is a different story.

[ZDashe]

+1 to the 3rd person expressions, I personally like it a lot. Sadly the 'me' verb can only be seen locally, if not I would be abusing it all the time as comms for Xenos.

[Toroic]

+1 to the 3rd person expressions, I personally like it a lot. Sadly the 'me' verb can only be seen locally, if not I would be abusing it all the time as comms for Xenos.

I've been just using hivemind the exact same way as /me. It's fun and you can communicate the same information.

[Boltersam]

marines aren't TECHNICALLY supposed to be hostile to the "wildlife" until the wildlife turns hostile towards them.

But then, that is just me I guess.

*Marine stabs dog*

*Dog bites marine while bleeding heavily*

"WILDLIFE HOSTIIIIIIIIILE!!1!!11!1!!"

Face it, replace the dog with a runner sitting down doing nothing, and you have first contact on CM. Don't try to deny it.

As for the suggestion, while this is well and good for physical speech, the hivemind is it translated to English, and every noun has the known meaning behind it imprinted on the message.

For example, on the Ice Colony, the original Aliens saw humans use elevators. If they say elevator in the hive chat, it has what the Xeno thinks it is imprinted upon it, a big metal box that moves from the underground to the surface and back with the control of a console operated by humans.

But that's just how I think it works, and a problem with emotes is that humans can understand them too.

[Toroic]

*Marine stabs dog*

*Dog bites marine while bleeding heavily*

"WILDLIFE HOSTIIIIIIIIILE!!1!!11!1!!"

Face it, replace the dog with a runner sitting down doing nothing, and you have first contact on CM. Don't try to deny it.

As for the suggestion, while this is well and good for physical speech, the hivemind is it translated to English, and every noun has the known meaning behind it imprinted on the message.

For example, on the Ice Colony, the original Aliens saw humans use elevators. If they say elevator in the hive chat, it has what the Xeno thinks it is imprinted upon it, a big metal box that moves from the underground to the surface and back with the control of a console operated by humans.

But that's just how I think it works, and a problem with emotes is that humans can understand them too.

I'm not using the /me function to communicate, I'm basically saying the same thing I'd use /me for over hivemind.

Example:

:a is concerned that tall hosts are pushing into the hive. Wishes to attack as a group.

[Boltersam]

I'm not using the /me function to communicate, I'm basically saying the same thing I'd use /me for over hivemind.

Example:

:a is concerned that tall hosts are pushing into the hive. Wishes to attack as a group.

In that perspective, it would be much more immersive, but I doubt you'll get the greytiders to play along with it.

[Toroic]

In that perspective, it would be much more immersive, but I doubt you'll get the greytiders to play along with it.

Kind of a win-win if we get the vets to do it. Better RP and we can spot the newbies.

[Sancronis]

Kind of a win-win if we get the vets to do it. Better RP and we can spot the newbies.

Whilst it would allow the greytide to be visible, it could discourage them from engaging in being a proper xeno.

[Toroic]

Whilst it would allow the greytide to be visible, it could discourage them from engaging in being a proper xeno.

I disagree. If we raise the standard of RP it makes meme-spewing xenos stick out uncomfortably.

If xenos are yelling at each other like marines do, use marine names for locations and weapons, and generally are not in character, then that means it's acceptable to fall below that.

Last night some xenos initially found it weird, but it didn't reduce comprehension and there was less toxicity and meme garbage than I've ever seen by xenos.

[Warnipple]

Hot metal = Bullets

Enemy hive = marine FOB

Sky hive = Sulaco

alternate name for mines: explosive rocks

large/explosive spitter = sadar

[Sarah_U.]

Sad part is, you can call the literal thing out since you're a collective. Look at Xeno RP guideline.

[WorstInTheLooby]

What about including a way of communicating abstract ideas in the same 3rd person style format?
A good example would be; response(eyes(optimal(chromatic-spectrum)))
Obviously not like that, but the general idea that you can say more by writing less if you do it right.
Obviously replacing the hive-mind text with the third person is the first step but is the step that lets you communicate abstract points easily, like assessing threats in the normal abstract of human thought and communicating it similarly as such. Just doing straight up 3rd person communication is still great though.

Also, I wish aliens just did things better in general, like you don't need to refer to non-player possessed larva as SSD, you can pass it off as being a result of what the hive-mind can support. Also i doubt anybody here hates fun, I myself just think it would be a quality of life improvement, although it's hard to have a Serious-RP & Med-RP SS13 server combined and not have a joke every now and again, if I had to give SS13 a genre tag it would be drama, comedy & partial-tragedy.

[outordinary]

Sad part is, you can call the literal thing out since you're a collective. Look at Xeno RP guideline.

This, most of the time if I am too busy to RP the stuff, I'll just call it by the name if its easier. Using .a as a .me command sounds nice though.

[Jdobbin49]

I have also occasionally seen grenades be refferred to as boomsticks so thsts another word to be used

[Renomaki]

If only there was a way to automatically replace certain names in xenospeak with their xeno version. Whenever xenos talk about things like rockets and mines, and I have to keep replying with "what?", it does get a little tiring. On the other hand, It it probably more out of comfort when people scream "MEDBAY" rather than "RED CROSS DOME", since it is a lot easier to remember.

Having some kinda translator might be possible, right? The russians have it for russian speak, why not xenos?