My opinion about roleplay in 2238. I roleplayed too in ways different than PvP, anti PK. I tried to establish radiomadbrahmin, and then i tried to create something like church.
Problems i saw:
1) Roleplay is mostly incompatible with "game rules".
I.e. my radiomadbrahmin needed 2 logged chars at same time. One was broadcaster with scripts (=> this char was stationary and was unable to move if he broadcast), second logged char had several functions: nonstop checking of radio broadcasting correctness, reporter, free radio donater, ... . If i want to broadcast actual informations, i needed to be in the centres of any events. So basicly: stationary char was located in NCR (where traders tried to sell their stuff, newbies tried to find friends, ... ) and second char was traveling across wasteland = mining, crafting, PvP. So i got two sources that i could use.
But i was prisoned because of dual logging. Funy, because PvPs enemy used proxies in pvp, and i was using (and declaring it to GMs) only for purpose of this roleplay.
So even GM could ruin by their actions roleplay.
2) GM and devs are apathetic to RP that is different than their own ideas.
I tried to get robe skins to my church char and chars of members of our church (because non killing policy leaded to situation, that everyone killed us and loot our robe). The answer was: "find your own robes, and give it to members of your church, we dont care, and it would be unfair to basic players". So in fact, this was total misunderstood of what church RP was (it was not one faction, we gathered players from even enemy factions), but it was unsuccesfull because of this reason. Result = players empty churches (and cities) across the whole wasteland cities.
So "fairness policy" resulted into ghost towns. (non only in my case). So in general .. i suggested little "socialism", targeted support of roleplay, but "pure kapitalism" won, (pure equal chances for everyone). Although in my RL i am more conservative that liberal (in east countries language, i am more right wing orientated), this could not work in game universe, if you can not create your own locations, places, items, quests, ... .
I agree that devs will implement new quests, but this will sufficient only for first few days, weeks after wipe, than everybody would know this.
Look at Requiem (fonline mod). I dont have enough time to test it for many hours, but my first experience in unguarded town (almost every generaly accesible location is unguarded there) was that:
a) there were players welcoming me. I found that they had faction base under that city (= created for them, by GM they give them monopol to use it). I found that this is not only one case, but many factions have this.
b) in that location, there was a dog char played by man. When he saw me, he run to me, then he bites me 3x times, but he did not killed me. First i was confused, then i was text barking on him, finaly, i found a meat and gived it to him, and after that time, he always greeted me (because there is NAME COLOURIZING and the player was able to recognize me!!!). = ROLEPLAY
c) in Requiem, there is enclave, player driven faction. They have to gather, craft.. like everybody else, but they have special base and rank before their names. Their roleplay is based on kill everyone, but their priority is to defend F2 enclave locations. In one team quest, when you can send for stuff and then PvE (Cathedral repetable quest), you can call npcs of enclave and then kill them. This player driven faction is focusing on preventing this, (prevent to kill enclave NPCs) = roleplay.
So in general, there are other servers (with more players), with less rules (FOCD, free alting), with positive aproach from devs and GMs, where RP in some way works and game is more fun.
x
In 2238, there is forum "battle" about removing or bringign back old NAME COLOURIZING.. HOW PATHETHIC!!!
Reasons of clinical death of RP:
1) Devs dont have enough time
2) Good RP requires also team work. But devs gathered all GM usually from "solo" players, that dont have enough experience with needs (roleplay needs,...) of faction players.
3) Devs dont play 2238, so they are divorced from game reality and their decision-making is dependent on players, who are mostly conformal to them (GMs, solo players), instead of players, who wants to evolve some game mechanism and have experience with that.