The Nametag Debate

[Cerce]

Alright - as it has been mentioned by FunnyCop and many others, people are using nametags as in-character means of locating another character. Some are claiming that it is metagaming. Others claim that it is not. Still others just don't care one way or the other. So; here's a few in-depth reasons as to why it could go one way or the other.

Do note that neither position is incorrect.


For Nametags:

Spoiler (Click to View)

Since Kiwike is part of the Minecraft universe, any and all things that entail Minecraft are therefore universally 'normal' in Kiwike. For example: It is normal for undead to pop up over night, normal for people to fall off of buildings into neck-deep water and survive, and normal for circles to not exist in a 'true' form. As a result, nametags are also 'normal' in Kiwike.

Other various roleplaying games, servers, books, universes, and more, have 'unusual normalities' - such as Star Wars having lazer blasters, or Narnia with talking animals. It is not hard to suggest that all sentient beings within the Kiwike universe have, to some extent, minor kinetic abilities that enable them to 'read' the identities of others. This is also why they can 'read' the identities of blocks, and could - in essence - enable them to kinetically 'boost' themselves when falling into shallow water. These traits could be so minor, or so usual, that it is often not thought about, or even made aware to those that use said traits.

Kinetic abilities are further strengthened by the use of Kiwiships. Although some have proposed that wool has special properties, or that redstone itself enables the ships to rise, it could be that special kinetic boosters enable the captains of Kiwiships to literally pick up and move the ships to their desired destination. Booster engines simply increase propulsion; they do not increase buoyancy.

Furthermore, it is often not thought of as to how equipment is truly created. We all know that lining two sticks in a row, and then having stone on the top three levels of a crafting table make a stone pickaxe; but we don't know how exactly our characters 'meld' the materials together. Again, kinetic abilities could come into play where they 'meld' the materials, creating the blocks and tools we all know and love.

Yet again kinetic abilities show themselves with enchanting. Although requiring far more training than most other uses of kinetics, they can be explained. For example: One could place a weak kinetic buffer on their armor, giving it advanced protection; or, they could cover their weapon with a kinetic force that 'pushes' their opponent, causing knockback damage.

As a result, nametags should and can be used in roleplays, as it is explained through kinetic abilities found common enough by the populace of Kiwike, so common that they do not even mention it.

Other Users:

What if they symbolize sensing another player, like sound or somethin'.

Shouldn't be used to identify or distinguish, but locating is perfectly reasonable considering there is the ability to sneak to counteract it.

I believe that name tags shouldn't be used to locate but can be used to distinguish a player from far away (if not behind a wall of some sort) if they are not wearing a mask.

I've always pictured name tags as footsteps, personally. Still, if we were able to mod the server so that name tags weren't visible behind walls, I would be very happy.

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I think they should be used in roleplay because it's impossible not to use them. If you see someone's name in a mine, most people will find an RP excuse to go into the mine no matter what.

Similar to what Gecko said, since it's there and it'd be extremely hard to avoid, I'd prefer to work with it. In going about this, a nameplate should only allow one to be noted of someone else's presence, not who they are. The fact of the matter is that vanilla minecraft has a way of balancing the viewing of someone's nameplate from afar and knowing that person is 'there,' essentially. That balance is sneaking, and to make a rule forbidding such a use of the nameplate would essentially render sneaking useless. On top of this, of course, we can expect others to use nameplates even if it were against the rules, and we would have yet another problem in which people would complain, taking it to the forums, and blame the staff for not being able to tell (in the least) if that person really used this advantage.

Needless to say, I am leaning towards the Vanilla Minecraft end of the spectrum in this case.

Against Nametags:

Spoiler (Click to View)

Nametags are not realistic, fair, or roleplay-oriented. Many characters do not have the same name as their users, and therefore the kinetic ability to 'read' them is not valid. They pose a potential problem of using OoC information IC by having the ability to 'see through walls'. Since the kinetic ability to read someone's identity has not been confirmed or announced by the administration, it cannot, nor should it be, used in roleplay.

Considering that, if kinetic abilities are taken into account, you can read one's identity, who is to say that, through roleplay, one cannot read more than just the identity? Now, because of the kinetic ability, players can claim that their character is more powerful in kinetics than others, allowing them to powergame without truly doing so - as it would be in line with the server lore.

Even without the kinetic theory, it poses a very large metagaming problem. If a long-time member was to see the name of another long-time member, they would automatically associate their past dealings with that character with the current-time roleplay, and would, as a result, impede on the roleplay due to their use of OoC information. It could be proven that, if one did not know the name or look of someone else, the initial reaction to said person would be significantly different than if they would have already known how the person looks and what their name is.

And really, in what kind of messed-up reality is there floating names above people's heads?

Other Users:

No. If people break rules we're going to just remove the rule and allow it to be done? Smooth.

You can hear people walking so it shouldn't resemble sound. I don't want people to simply look trough 10 Walls and locate me. That's not realistic at all.