Added

My feelings are mixed on this. I think having a notice that many use Around for RP-only would be nice in theory, but question how many would read such a notice.

However, I've also noticed that at certain RP events, folks have to shout to make their words heard by all attendees. That makes me wonder if it would not be better to simply add a Roleplay channel that is like Around but with a longer range (50m?) that is used ONLY for RP.

i'm happy with the idea, as long as it is made clear that it isn't expected that everyone must use Around chan for role playing only. I also like the idea of a dedicated role play channel where it is definately expected and so there would be no confusion. In fact it would be possible to create such a channel already, with the /channel command. Just a matter of making it popular. Might need to be moderated somehow though to get rid of ooc chatter

Hi,
For me what makes around channel a roleplay channel de facto is the range limit (25m talking and 50m shouting) that reflects the voice of someone cannot physically reach all Atys.

As this game is announced to be a roleplay one, won't it be normal to have this channel dedicated to it ?

The convention is to put your words into bracket ( ) if they are ooc. The link Revvy is proposing could lead to a page that explains those kind of conventions.

Quite so, but I think that we could do even better than that with relatively little additional effort.
First off, I'm still not convinced that that is a universal thing. It may be how you and those you have been playing with for years have done it, but honestly, the whole "Around is for RP" thing is news to me. I didn't know that that was a thing until a couple weeks ago! If it managed to escape my notice for over six years then I can only assume that Atys operates a lot differently when I'm not around.

Second, I have seen RP events where the team used a channel other than Around. Maybe an event-specific one, maybe Region to get around the 25/50m range, but regardless, there is precedent for event teams using other channels.

Third, I don't see it as too much a change when you consider the relative magnitude of potential benefit. If only a minor habit change amongst a small minority is needed to avoid needless conflict and unrest among all, then it's worth considering even if it requires the hidebound few to shed a little xenophobia. I know how hard it is to kick old habits, but sometimes you just have to.

I can see your logic, but I have also not seen it used that way very often in the years that I have been playing. More often, I see it used more as a shorter range substitute for Region. My proposal is an actual dedicated channel that allows Roleplay to be separate from what Around is used for 98.5% of the time I've seen Around ever used.
Convention... according to who? That is the root of the entire issue here. So before anyone else speaks of conventions, please just remember that Ryzom is played by people all over the world! Just because it's the way you and your friends do things doesn't mean that it's a universally accepted norm!

I guess these things must have changed during my 4 year hiatus. I've never seen Around used for RP outside of events.

I understand that it's probably the case in the RP community but other than that, I mostly see it used for communication among players who aren't teamed.

A warning that some people use the channel for RP is acceptable but saying that's it's RP only is simply untrue.

I don't know how big the RP community is compared to the non-RP one. But I'd go by who is in the majority. A designated RP channel sounds like a good idea to me. If people want to RP, they will let you know and join the appropriate channel.

The game is announced to "feature" roleplay, its not solely for roleplay.

[Edit] Part deleted because out of topic.

ok let's say the game is very proud of featuring roleplay on a high level and promotes on it as a major interest.
Thus, the around channel is naturally used for roleplay interactions. It would be good if 2 lines state that when the game start, with a link to learn more.
Those 2 lines won't bother you nor force you to do something.

+1

perhaps a step further would be to introduce a particular font or text colour for role-playing conversation and a hotkey toggle to switch it on or off. Like, for instance, when you toggle RP on, the text goes italics. Then people could act as their characters in any chat, and be clearly understood in that context. I'd be happy to even make something like that part of the CoC. When you are in italics, you act atysian and don't ask questions about SYS.INFO, the linux client, or talk about the world cup.