Remember Slappy the Cool, Randolph the Reindeer and the ridiculously named Squinkmar the Destroyer in Vanguard?
I know I am in the minority in that I thought these guys were hilarious. They really brought a smile to my face. But I am super respectful of the community's wishes, so I won't complain if similar humor is not included in Pantheon.
That being said, I love to laugh when I play games, so I have some questions:
Which types of humor do you like to see in games? Which types of humor do you not like to see in games? Examples are welcome!
Cheers! :)
I like some humor but I'd prefer they err on the side of immersion.
There were lots of funny references all throughout EQ, particularly npc names. Stuff like Sansa, and Joffrey (way back in the 90s before GoT or SOIAF was cool), they had Aradune is stinky painted on the walls of the sewers, and lots of other humorous easter eggs (like the unique poker painting in every bar).
Dullahan said:I like some humor but I'd prefer they err on the side of immersion.
There were lots of funny references all throughout EQ, particularly npc names. Stuff like Sansa, and Joffrey (way back in the 90s before GoT or SOIAF was cool), they had Aradune is stinky painted on the walls of the sewers, and lots of other humorous easter eggs (like the unique poker painting in every bar).
I hope references like this are included in the game. There is a current thread about what we would like our respective epitaphs to say - I think there should be a hilarious permanent tombstone for Vanguard.
I also would love to see rare Pantheon NPCs named after EQ and Vanguard NPCs.
Morrowind had references to a lot of works including Indiana Jones and Nirvana, but the fact that I had to go super out of my way to locate the funny stuff is a turn-off. I'm a fan of silliness myself, so my personal preference is to see something more overt and downright funny. I want to laugh a lot - as long as it isn't overdone. WoW: Catacylsm had cultural references everywhere, and it was immersion-breaking to the extreme.
AlannaTheFair said:Remember Slappy the Cool, Randolph the Reindeer and the ridiculously named Squinkmar the Destroyer in Vanguard?
I know I am in the minority in that I thought these guys were hilarious. They really brought a smile to my face. But I am super respectful of the community's wishes, so I won't complain if similar humor is not included in Pantheon.
That being said, I love to laugh when I play games, so I have some questions:
Which types of humor do you like to see in games? Which types of humor do you not like to see in games? Examples are welcome!
Cheers! :)
I'm all for a lore friendly laugh or two but Slappy and Randolph literally ruined immersion and gameplay in some instances. I hate, No, I want to burn them with fire dislike them both more than having teeth pulled I care to express.
Benny said:Kilsin gonna hate you now when you bring Randolph the Reindeer :P
Randolph the sparkle farting, immersion breaking, content skipping holiday mount that was left on for eternity needed to die in fire! :D
And Slappy (and his pita brother), that little annoying dancing thing made SoD more painful than it needed to be not to mention drive by Slappy whistles with a raid of 30+ standing around, it used to make people rage log out!
Randolph the sparkle farting, immersion breaking, content skipping holiday mount that was left on for eternity needed to die in fire! :DAnd Slappy (and his pita brother), that little annoying dancing thing made SoD more painful than it needed to be not to mention drive by Slappy whistles with a raid of 30+ standing around, it used to make people rage log out!
Hahaha! I knew you would say that! :)
Which types of humor would you like to see in the game, Kilsin? Since I know you hate immersion-breaking humor, do you have any specific ideas as to how humor should be handled in the game?
I would like to see humour in game but it should be funny because it is funny, not because there is a Star Wars reference hidden in there... If there must be references to the real world then they need to be either proper well hidden easter eggs or so subtle and clever that you don't immeditaly realize. WoW went way over the top and just smacked the real world comedy references in your face at every turn...
AlannaTheFair said:Randolph the sparkle farting, immersion breaking, content skipping holiday mount that was left on for eternity needed to die in fire! :DAnd Slappy (and his pita brother), that little annoying dancing thing made SoD more painful than it needed to be not to mention drive by Slappy whistles with a raid of 30+ standing around, it used to make people rage log out!
Hahaha! I knew you would say that! :)
Which types of humor would you like to see in the game, Kilsin? Since I know you hate immersion-breaking humor, do you have any specific ideas as to how humor should be handled in the game?
I really don't mind funny takes on names, funny npcs, funny text in lore and quests or even silly quests or item names within reason, it's just the big things that break immersion or really stand out from the game like Randolph that kill it for me, Slappy was ok, very annoying but I would rather him than Randolph if I had to choose :P
Dravid said:However the skittle shooting flying rainbow whale in Vanguard was awesome .. totally awesome and not immersion breaking at all.
My all time favorite mount.
Hahaha, that thing was so bad it was funny, that was a cash shop item from memory but man it looked like a blimp polluting the Telon skies with some stinky Pally on its back! lol :D
AlannaTheFair said:I think the only humor WoW did correctly was the whole Leeroy Jenkins thing.
In any case, I guess my point is subtlty and fit.
Cultural references (especially ones that will be quickly dated) should be subtle, not overt. Maybe not hidden to the point you have to google it to appreciate it, but not in your face like an entire zone dedicated to it. Cultural ARCHETYPES (like Goblins being Industrual Revolution New Yorkers in mindset and even accent) is okay, but you shouldn't have a transplant of a NATIONAL IDENTITY into a game unless the game actually has people from that real world nation somehow transported to it (in the present or in the past as their ancestors who set up that nation-state originally - in Eve Online, the Gallente Federation is the descendents of French explorers into that part of space 20,000-ish years before the game starts).
If it fits, and is subtle, I think it's great.
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Also, isn't it funny how "Slappy the Cool" is immersion breaking, yet "Ragthar the Cold" or "Cherlus of the Frost" is less so?
Kilsin said:I really don't mind funny takes on names, funny npcs, funny text in lore and quests or even silly quests or item names within reason [...].
Yes! :) I love seeing silly stuff like this too. I'm fine with no Slappy the Cools as long as there is a way to incorporate humor like this.
Renathras said:I think the key is subtlty. For instance, pre-Cataclysm Harrison Jones (a mix of Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones, for those that didn't know) was funny. It was a character that was an explorer/adventurer and occasionally showed up for some things.
In Cataclysm, they made an entire zone (half of its quests) basically an Indiana Jones movie.
I agree with your assessment. I would have loved Uldum had it not been for that woefully contrived quest chain.
WoW was also capable of using subtle references, but the problem is that they sprinkled these seperate references everywhere. I would encounter a single reference in one quest and then encounter an unrelated reference a few quest chains later. There is an NPC in Blackwing Descent named Finkle Einhorn, there is an achievement in Twin Peaks called "Fire, Walk With Me," the Dalaran Underbelly has a rat that appears to be talking to three turtles. I don't want to see references often, even if a particular reference is done only one time.
I'm mostly on board with the folks who don't want to see cultural references - I would just request that they are done very rarely, placed tastefully and only reference the development team, EverQuest and Vanguard. I wouldn't mind seeing an NPC or a mob deep in some structure who is named after some developers or a character in the aforementioned games.
Oh, I don't mind Splinter talking to the Turtles - as long as it's an easter egg rather than an in your face thing forced on you. That's what breaks the immersion to me.
I also don't mind clever phrases and such. For example, I love Final Fantasy 14's localization team. They have some quest names that make me laugh when I encounter them. "Questions and Lancers", "Ifret Ain't Broke..." and so on.
I appreciate clever.
I dislike in your face.
I guess it can seem arbitrary or a fine line to walk, but I think the litmus test should be "if a person born 20 years from now saw this, would they be really confused?" (for example, if some reference was made to Miley Cyrus twerking or the 300's "This is SPARTA" and kicking someone into a hole - that reference would be HORRIBLY DATED 20 years fro now) is fairly good. And the, secondarily, is this reference forced into your face, or is it subtle and along side. That is, is it thrown at me (Uldum), or is it something I would just stumble across on my own and go "huh, that's clever" (rat talking to turtles in the sewer)?
I don't think it's fair to ask everyone to conform to a certain standard of immersion, just as you wouldn't expect everyone to conform to a play style. (Not everyone likes to RP, just as everyone isn't a hardcore gamer.) I knew a lot of people who use silly or unconventional names or didn't care two flips about lore, and loved EQ just as much as I did. It happens in real life, too. There's a nurse in my doctor's office whose name is Woolite. Most people wouldn't dream of naming their daughter after a gentle laundry detergent, but her mother named her that with all honesty and sincerity.
I've always believed that you're the master of your own immersion, and the stronger your willingness to use your imagination, the more real it all seems. So if I see someone named Pkdood, it's up to me to not break my immersion: "It's spelled Pkdood, but it's pronounced 'Pendergrath Stronghammer.' " That way, the other person enjoys the game in his way, and I enjoy the game in mine.
Lghtngfan said:I've always believed that you're the master of your own immersion, and the stronger your willingness to use your imagination, the more real it all seems. So if I see someone named Pkdood, it's up to me to not break my immersion: "It's spelled Pkdood, but it's pronounced 'Pendergrath Stronghammer.' " That way, the other person enjoys the game in his way, and I enjoy the game in mine.
This is an interesting perspective, Lghtngfan. It's very useful. :)
I started this thread to gauge the community's feelings on humor. I haven't noticed anyone telling others outright that they must conform to a standard. What I do see is people being honest and direct in sharing what works for them as individual players, which is what I want to hear! We're all just putting our opinions and ideas out there with the knowledge that the developers may be reading - ultimately the decision lies in their hands.
What kind of humor do you like to see in games, Lghtngfan?
AlannaTheFair said:This is an interesting perspective, Lghtngfan. It's very useful. :)
I started this thread to gauge the community's feelings on humor. I haven't noticed anyone telling others outright that they must conform to a standard. What I do see is people being honest and direct in sharing what works for them as individual players, which is what I want to hear! We're all just putting our opinions and ideas out there with the knowledge that the developers may be reading - ultimately the decision lies in their hands.
What kind of humor do you like to see in games, Lghtngfan?
Hi Alanna ... I guess I didn't really answer your original question. I'm all for breaking-the-fourth-wall kind of humor -- or any kind of humor for that matter. To me, it's a reminder not to take it to seriously because it's, in fact, just a game. (With a nod to MST3K, I like saying, "Just repeat to yourself it's just a game, I should really just relax.") I'm a lore junkie (I can quote most of EQ's lore chapeter and verse, even though I haven't played in eight years), but that doesn't mean I can't have a good laugh, even at the game's or my expense. To this day, I love walking around in MMOs on my own and have pretend conversations with NPCs in my mind. (I'm a friggin rockstar in Hoelbrak in GW2!) But one of the best times I ever had in GW2 was repeatedly jumping off the lodge in Hoelbrak with a couple of friends, trying to kill ourselves to work on our rezzing daily. Totally immersion breaking, but we were all crying we were laughing so hard.
I just get really nervous when I see people speak in absolutes when it comes to things like immersion. (I've seen it other threads; that's why I jumped the gun a bit on yours.) Immersion is sooooo subjective. And if I was forced to put my psychology hat on (not that I have one), I would say many people look back on games like EQ and think that it was the game itself causing the immersion, when in fact, it was the communities that were established that made the whole thing believable. (Does that make sense?)