Connect the Dots

     Recent events have reminded me of some...minor...details that make the difference between roleplay, and really good, immersive roleplay.
     Most people assume because they don't see dots on the map, no one is there. In choosing to raid or steal from a panther camp, city, whatever....is it reasonable to assume there's no one there, just because no one shows on the map? Are you really roleplaying then? Many people even deliberately seek to come in when there's no one there. They roleplay their epic break in and theft, but they removed any real challenge by making a point of hitting an empty sim.
     I've seen people many times 'scout' from a sim's market, or docks, where they have no realistic line of sight to their target area. This is often passed off as 'roleplay'.  The usual excuse is they don't want to be shot on sight. Granted, some sims do that, but not all. But, you're scouting, presumably because you're up to no good on behalf of a larger group up to no good, you should be shot at. That's realistic.
     And one of my favorite topics...fires. People like to set fires around here, it's like being around a bunch of pixel pyromaniacs. But do they really know why they're setting fires? Most often it's just because for some reason people think this goes along with raiding. Eh, maybe. In human history there's plenty of examples of burning going along with pillaging. But this isn't Earth, this is Gor we're roleplaying on. Setting fires, especially in the forest, was never something lightly done, even by outlaws. It gets more complicated, realistically, when taking in to account WHAT is being set on fire. Cities and other stone structures should be a no-brainer. Panther camps add a whole new factor...you're setting fire to wooden structures, surrounded by forest. If you have any idea how a forest fire works, and how fast it can move, you'd get just how monumentally foolish this is.
     Is it really so hard to rely only on your avatar's direct line of sight, think about the rp setting you're in, and a realistic way to do what you're doing? Maybe these details aren't so minor afterall.