I like lore, I feel it gives the necessary agnst.
I like some involved/deep official background lore,- like the one here on the races-, and light "official" lore that is enough to get a starting ground for character creation and an idea of what to expect in certain areas. By that I mean what mind set to anticipate.
However I expect the NPC's to live up to the "official" lore , so if the official lore is a dragon kissed the iceberg, causing the iceberg never to melt but still hold a pool of lava, then when it erupts I would expect to hear NPC's shout about the kiss, or if I were to ask about it I would hear some local colorful interpretation of the kiss. Also, I like it if NPC's gently test me on Lore, like for certain quests, if you know what I mean. For instance; if I work on dragon faction and a dragon of this faction asks me if I am a dragon slayer, I will say no. If I was supposed to say yes for an interesting quest, it does not make much sense.
Ordinarily, I like Player generated lore based on the certain players experiences. Often the player lore is more involved.
Kilsin said:How important is a games' Lore to you, do you stop and read books and quest text or just blow past content and ignore it to get to the rewards? :)
Kilsin,
I love lore, and in-depth quests. The more clues or hints within the text the better. Like within the text of the quest, it describes a landmark in vague details and I must use my intelligence to figure it out OR better yet the clues are more obvious or available with a character with a HIGH intelligence for example:
6-10 Intelligence = basic quest information with very little read between the lines clues.
11-15 Intelligence = basic quest information with a subtle clues/options.
16-18 Intelligence = basic quest information with several clues/options.
Quest example:
Aarotavia has requested your immediate assistance with the investigation of the missing children. “Over the past several weeks children from the village have gone missing” Aarotavia states. “What’s worse is that the last two search parties have yet to return” Aarotavia states in a worried tone. Aarotavia tells you “that both search parties headed to the Silent Plains based on the intelligence they received have yet to return”. She indicates “that’s several wild tribes had recently migrated in the area based on reports of the village scouting parties, though they have been unable to locate the tribes actual location”. Aarotavia tells you “the road north out of the city offers the best option for traveling to the edge of the Silent Plains as it is regularly patrolled by the king’s knights.
At this point based on the intelligence of the character, additional options could be available. For example:
6-10 Intelligence can ask “which way is the road to the silent plains?” Aarotavia points to the road behind you and states “follow the road and follow it to the right when you reach the graveyard”.
11-15 Intelligence can additionally ask “can you tell me where I can speak with the lead scout about their reports?” Aarotavia indicates that the lead scout Haddrus just returned and you can find him in the king’s armory in the southern part of the city.
16-18 Intelligence can ask all of the previous questions and seek out that information.
From this point, it would be up to the character to deduce where and how they would set out their adventure. For example, a character with 16-18 intelligence may deduce that a good place to start is the “Oracle of Dimmitri” based on the additional information of human sacrifice.
JoshuaLLFE said:Kilsin said:How important is a games' Lore to you, do you stop and read books and quest text or just blow past content and ignore it to get to the rewards? :)
Kilsin,
I love lore, and in-depth quests. The more clues or hints within the text the better. Like within the text of the quest, it describes a landmark in vague details and I must use my intelligence to figure it out OR better yet the clues are more obvious or available with a character with a HIGH intelligence for example:
6-10 Intelligence = basic quest information with very little read between the lines clues.
11-15 Intelligence = basic quest information with a subtle clues/options.
16-18 Intelligence = basic quest information with several clues/options.
Quest example:
Aarotavia has requested your immediate assistance with the investigation of the missing children. “Over the past several weeks children from the village have gone missing” Aarotavia states. “What’s worse is that the last two search parties have yet to return” Aarotavia states in a worried tone. Aarotavia tells you “that both search parties headed to the Silent Plains based on the intelligence they received have yet to return”. She indicates “that’s several wild tribes had recently migrated in the area based on reports of the village scouting parties, though they have been unable to locate the tribes actual location”. Aarotavia tells you “the road north out of the city offers the best option for traveling to the edge of the Silent Plains as it is regularly patrolled by the king’s knights.
At this point based on the intelligence of the character, additional options could be available. For example:
6-10 Intelligence can ask “which way is the road to the silent plains?” Aarotavia points to the road behind you and states “follow the road and follow it to the right when you reach the graveyard”.
11-15 Intelligence can additionally ask “can you tell me where I can speak with the lead scout about their reports?” Aarotavia indicates that the lead scout Haddrus just returned and you can find him in the king’s armory in the southern part of the city.
- If the player decides to find the lead scout and successfully locates him. In a depressed voice, Haddrus states, “that the latest report from his scouts indicated that the tribes they believed to have took the kids have begun migrating to the east towards the river before the Steppes of Ru’lun”. He provides you a basic map highlighting a few landmarks (three farming villages at position x, y; a sacred grove with a huge tree drawn).
16-18 Intelligence can ask all of the previous questions and seek out that information.
- Additionally, the player has the option to use his intelligence to deduce additional landmarks based on the townsfolk lore and previous readings (while it may not be 100% accurate from the basic map provided by Haddrus) a few locations can sketched such as the “Oracle of Dimmitri” known for human sacrifice approximately 10 miles east of the sacred grove and an abandoned outpost in which the kings army once repulsed a great army about two days travel from the river at x, y coordinate.
From this point, it would be up to the character to deduce where and how they would set out their adventure. For example, a character with 16-18 intelligence may deduce that a good place to start is the “Oracle of Dimmitri” based on the additional information of human sacrifice.
That is an interesting idea Joshua, I like it :)
Kilsin said:JoshuaLLFE said:Kilsin said:How important is a games' Lore to you, do you stop and read books and quest text or just blow past content and ignore it to get to the rewards? :)
Kilsin,
I love lore, and in-depth quests. The more clues or hints within the text the better. Like within the text of the quest, it describes a landmark in vague details and I must use my intelligence to figure it out OR better yet the clues are more obvious or available with a character with a HIGH intelligence for example:
6-10 Intelligence = basic quest information with very little read between the lines clues.
11-15 Intelligence = basic quest information with a subtle clues/options.
16-18 Intelligence = basic quest information with several clues/options.
Quest example:
Aarotavia has requested your immediate assistance with the investigation of the missing children. “Over the past several weeks children from the village have gone missing” Aarotavia states. “What’s worse is that the last two search parties have yet to return” Aarotavia states in a worried tone. Aarotavia tells you “that both search parties headed to the Silent Plains based on the intelligence they received have yet to return”. She indicates “that’s several wild tribes had recently migrated in the area based on reports of the village scouting parties, though they have been unable to locate the tribes actual location”. Aarotavia tells you “the road north out of the city offers the best option for traveling to the edge of the Silent Plains as it is regularly patrolled by the king’s knights.
At this point based on the intelligence of the character, additional options could be available. For example:
6-10 Intelligence can ask “which way is the road to the silent plains?” Aarotavia points to the road behind you and states “follow the road and follow it to the right when you reach the graveyard”.
11-15 Intelligence can additionally ask “can you tell me where I can speak with the lead scout about their reports?” Aarotavia indicates that the lead scout Haddrus just returned and you can find him in the king’s armory in the southern part of the city.
- If the player decides to find the lead scout and successfully locates him. In a depressed voice, Haddrus states, “that the latest report from his scouts indicated that the tribes they believed to have took the kids have begun migrating to the east towards the river before the Steppes of Ru’lun”. He provides you a basic map highlighting a few landmarks (three farming villages at position x, y; a sacred grove with a huge tree drawn).
16-18 Intelligence can ask all of the previous questions and seek out that information.
- Additionally, the player has the option to use his intelligence to deduce additional landmarks based on the townsfolk lore and previous readings (while it may not be 100% accurate from the basic map provided by Haddrus) a few locations can sketched such as the “Oracle of Dimmitri” known for human sacrifice approximately 10 miles east of the sacred grove and an abandoned outpost in which the kings army once repulsed a great army about two days travel from the river at x, y coordinate.
From this point, it would be up to the character to deduce where and how they would set out their adventure. For example, a character with 16-18 intelligence may deduce that a good place to start is the “Oracle of Dimmitri” based on the additional information of human sacrifice.
That is an interesting idea Joshua, I like it :)
Thanks, I think that would add a whole new element to character creation and then questing! :)
JoshuaLLFE said:Kilsin said:How important is a games' Lore to you, do you stop and read books and quest text or just blow past content and ignore it to get to the rewards? :)
Kilsin,
I love lore, and in-depth quests. The more clues or hints within the text the better. Like within the text of the quest, it describes a landmark in vague details and I must use my intelligence to figure it out OR better yet the clues are more obvious or available with a character with a HIGH intelligence for example:
6-10 Intelligence = basic quest information with very little read between the lines clues.
11-15 Intelligence = basic quest information with a subtle clues/options.
16-18 Intelligence = basic quest information with several clues/options.
Quest example:
Aarotavia has requested your immediate assistance with the investigation of the missing children. “Over the past several weeks children from the village have gone missing” Aarotavia states. “What’s worse is that the last two search parties have yet to return” Aarotavia states in a worried tone. Aarotavia tells you “that both search parties headed to the Silent Plains based on the intelligence they received have yet to return”. She indicates “that’s several wild tribes had recently migrated in the area based on reports of the village scouting parties, though they have been unable to locate the tribes actual location”. Aarotavia tells you “the road north out of the city offers the best option for traveling to the edge of the Silent Plains as it is regularly patrolled by the king’s knights.
At this point based on the intelligence of the character, additional options could be available. For example:
6-10 Intelligence can ask “which way is the road to the silent plains?” Aarotavia points to the road behind you and states “follow the road and follow it to the right when you reach the graveyard”.
11-15 Intelligence can additionally ask “can you tell me where I can speak with the lead scout about their reports?” Aarotavia indicates that the lead scout Haddrus just returned and you can find him in the king’s armory in the southern part of the city.
- If the player decides to find the lead scout and successfully locates him. In a depressed voice, Haddrus states, “that the latest report from his scouts indicated that the tribes they believed to have took the kids have begun migrating to the east towards the river before the Steppes of Ru’lun”. He provides you a basic map highlighting a few landmarks (three farming villages at position x, y; a sacred grove with a huge tree drawn).
16-18 Intelligence can ask all of the previous questions and seek out that information.
- Additionally, the player has the option to use his intelligence to deduce additional landmarks based on the townsfolk lore and previous readings (while it may not be 100% accurate from the basic map provided by Haddrus) a few locations can sketched such as the “Oracle of Dimmitri” known for human sacrifice approximately 10 miles east of the sacred grove and an abandoned outpost in which the kings army once repulsed a great army about two days travel from the river at x, y coordinate.
From this point, it would be up to the character to deduce where and how they would set out their adventure. For example, a character with 16-18 intelligence may deduce that a good place to start is the “Oracle of Dimmitri” based on the additional information of human sacrifice.
Stuff like that would be cool, although always having it tied to Intelligence would likely mean arcane spellcasters get full information every time, while everyone else gets left out. You could have checks for different stats- but how could they have the others make sense? Sure, it makes sense to get info from Intelligence and Wisdom, or persuade them for more info using Charisma, but what about strength? Intimidate them? That won't fit a lot of characters (like most Crusaders), and how often will it come up? Or Dexterity? (Not sure exactly what stats will be there, and no EQ experience, so just using D&D examples).
But there are a couple similar concepts that could work well. You could get info based on your class- Clerics and Crusaders get religious clues, Warriors get stuff about tactics, geography, and history, arcane casters could use divination and other arcane hints, Rogues get hints from underworld sources, etc. But that wouldn't add much to character creation, which others liked. Or have non-combat stats you choose from- rather than tied to Intelligence, you can choose to study History, or Geography, or Religion,etc., and different quests could give you more hints if they're relevent to your character's particular knowledge skills.
If non-combat skills are included that would add to possible clues, of course, such as history or geography or underworld sources. If they are not, my example was only for the basic stats. I presented it from the intelligence/wisdom point of view as the smarter the character the more likely they would know how to ask the right questions or spot hidden clues. Let's face it if someone is lacking intelligence that chance they pick up on subtle clues or know to ask certain things would be rare. However, I do agree someone with charisma could charm answers out of someone etc. However, for my lore/quest example it was based solely on the intelligence and knowledge you would need to solve a mystery because let's face it, intimidation will do little good against a map you find but could be good at coercing information by force, but again you have to be smart enough to know what to ask for...
J
I'm a huge fan of lore. From how the gods and dragons scheme over the world to how some races fight for power to how some individuals shine above the rest. One of my favorite character to read about was Miragul in EQ. With that said, I am more likely to consume lore outside the game (via books & quest dialogue transcript) while I'm away from the gaming rig rather than during my play session, where I prioritize getting some actions done.
According to me, MMOs with succesful lore: EQ1, WoW, TOR, ESO. I noticed that all of them except EQ had well established lore before becoming MMOs, I'm not sure what that means.
MMOs that failed to hook me lore wise: Wildstar, TERA, Rift, Age of Conan, Vanguard, EQ2, to name only these.
Bonus, yet to be released games: Pantheon (i love the lore on the website so far, great read on the dragon accord) & EQNext (despite apparent lack of progress on the game, I enjoyed reading all those ebooks and their re-imagining of the gods origins is interesting)