Game Lore

[RZ1029]

What is your opinion/view of game lore. That is, are you the type of person who:

1. Strictly defends it and abides by it

2. Ignores it completely especially when it comes to mods

or

3.Follows it but modifies it slightly and makes their own interpretation of it.

 

I'm a #3/#2 guy. #3 applies on my first playthrough, always. I always play the game through the first time around without any mods that go beyond the scope of the lore and technology. #2 is pretty much everything from there on out. My second play through I mod the bejeezus out of everything to make it what I want. For example, my current character in Fallout: NV looks like a modern-day PMC with the best in tech.

[Swordfish42]

I like all, but mainly #2 and #3.

 

For oblivion, I do have mystic elves, as they are elves, which I see as lore friendly.

 

That being said, I also have lightsabers, to use in my spare time, or to add to my mannequins, and dragons, to fly around tamriel.

 

It's frustrating to try and find a good armour for my character, when my dad is in the room and most are skimpy. But, each to their own I guess.

[marharth]

It depends on the game and how the lore is used...

 

If the lore is entirely myth put together by humans/main race (in game ofc), it makes perfect sense to be able to change it since it was pretty much made up in the first place.

 

In the case of oblivion for example, some of the lore in there is just made up out of nowhere. Some of it has proof to back it up. I have issues with people changing lore that makes sense and has proof behind it. I don't care though if people mess up lore crated by the race in game that has no proof or history behind it.

 

Also if something is made with lore in mind, but doesn't directly conflict with the lore it is fine.

 

EX: No way you should be able to change Demora (spelled that wrong) stuff, since all of that is pretty straight forward. However it would be fine to make a new island with a existing demon thing (I forgot how to spell it, so ill refer to them as demon things from now on) being worshiped its fine as long as the island is far away enough from main land that people wouldn't know about it.

[Ghogiel]

depends on a whim.

 

lore in games,looking at tes, evolves, changes, and contradicts as it is expanded. No real Lore Master is going to be number 1 anyway. for they know enough to know they don't know enough unless that piece of lore is clearly only to be interpreted in a narrow way

 

as for 'I hate all those bikini mods'. Great. Now if only 1% of those people who actively moan about that actually made mods, we'd have more mod choice. It just appears that people who moan about that have no released mods to their name.

Edited December 19, 2010 by Ghogiel

[myrmaad]

/rant on/

I can't for the life of me figure out why it's so difficult for the general population to deduce that a mod that allows for character customization (simply the one that has offered the most clothing choices via member support for the longest amount of time would be a highly popular mod, especially having the additional time to benefit from support and with a solid base of users over the span of that time would not be likely to have racked up numbers.) /rant off/

 

While I appreciate the lore from the game, I also appreciate history is written by the victors and even on earth we unearth new facts every day, facts that you might say increase "earth lore". For example, how many have read the Canterbury Tales? Ok maybe you have, so then ask yourself were they written in a vacuum?

 

Yeah you may think that medieval lore was all about Elizabethan fashions, but she was late in the game. Before that it was fashionable to expose ladies' bare breasts, men wore codpieces and very long toed shoes to enhance their "masculinity" and often priests' robes ended above the waist. You heard me right. And there 's so much more to medieval fashion that isn't even common knowledge or perception.

 

Bethesda didn't spend an inordinate amount of time (and I don't think they should have) providing clothing and armors, and while they based those clothing choices on the standard accepted version of medieval history, I think there's plenty of room for fantasy clothing and armors. That's the least of my lore worries.

 

 

I don't really get to fussed over whether someone else's game has lore-breaking elements in it. Thanks for the story Bethesda, but this is now my game and I'll take it from here, and write my own lore as needed. I reserve the right to adapt it with new information at any time.

[ilDuderoni]

I see Game lore as an universe, and mods have the potential to build further on it, which is a plus.

But a non-lore mod would therefor not receive a lesser rating solely because of its lack of lore-friendliness from me.

It just misses out on that extra. The difference between a good ol' fashioned 9 and 10. Not a big difference, really.

 

It's hard to really express an opinion of this without not including the 'mods' topic in it.

Game lore never really is an issue within its own game when mods are not something to hold as a contender. Like other games that aren't so easy to mod.

The game lore topic only really surfaces between a game and its successor. Just take a look at how (some) Fallout purists despised Fallout 3 because of so many things. I think one of them was the change in gameplay from turn-based (or whatever F2 was...I never played it, sadly) to live-action with VATS as an extra.

 

So, if I'm not wrong, I would have to fashion two opinions.

First, about lore amongst mods: No, I don't mind if they're not lore-friendly. Mods are a choice, and mods can excel in concept too.

In defense of mod-concepts:

Sure, all those adult humping mods are distasteful to many, but take a look at the technology.

If you can make two NPC's or an NPC and PC fornicate, can't you just let them shake hands too?

Wouldn't Oblivion be much richer if NPC's interacted with each other in a more physical sense? Right now I think it's silly that even NPC's who are story-wise in love, never exchange hands, kiss, or a mere hug. The Gamebyro engine (did I spell that right?) doesn't have a lot going for it in matters of NPC animation and interaction.

Example: NPC1 is, according to the story, depressed. NPC2 has good disposition with NPC1. NPC2 can pat NPC1's shoulder to comfort him.

I really don't see how fornication is easier then common social habits we see everyday. I think nobody just bothered making a mere "social interaction" mod as of yet...hmmm. I's got an idea. But I'm wandering off...

 

Second opinion, on lore amongst games and their successor:

I will actually downvote a game that doesn't stay true to the lore of its predecessor. Building the universe of a game is a writer's work.

If you didn't bother to stay in sync with the plan of the story, you probably have something seriously lacking in the story-department self.

The damage or size of my downvote depends on how serious the game takes itself. If the successor to a DA game would be absolutely lore-unfriendly, they'd best have it announced before release to some journalists, or I'd really feel disappointed.

But if its a silly game that doesn't take itself serious, then it's nothing more then a mere annoyance that's quickly forgotten.

 

An example of a movie I'd like to quote for this point:

In "Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me", at one point, they broke the fourth wall indirectly by adressing an inconsistency.

Basil said, regarding the inconsistency to Austin "You shouldn't worry about it too much," and when looking the camera directly in the eye "and neither should you."

Doing this in a game is ab-so-lutely fine with me when there's a comedy value.

(I won't spoil what he was referring to...I'd rather have you watch the first two movies. Watch the third while you're at it.)

 

I did my best to stay on-topic. When reading it over, I think I have. But that's me...

Edited January 5, 2011 by RJ the Shadow

[JimboUK]

What is your opinion/view of game lore. That is, are you the type of person who:

1. Strictly defends it and abides by it

2. Ignores it completely especially when it comes to mods

or

3. Follows it but modifies it slightly and makes their own interpretation of it.

 

I find myself to be a little bit of all of these, but mostly the third one. An example of the first one is how I view many of the low-cut armor mods and "Mystic Elf" characters to break game lore, and thus avoid even viewing such files. An example of the second one is the fact that I have replaced most of the guns in Fallout 3 with real guns, even the energy weapons (the laser rifle is replaced with an M4A1), for no specific reason. And finally an example of the third one is the fact that my Oblivion character is wielding Frostmourne, which I have added to my personal branch of the Elder Scrolls lore as a powerful Nedic runeblade (the Nedic people are the ancestors of Nords, who are the ancestors of the Imperials and Bretons).

 

Number 2 for me, however I wouldn't dream of putting a machine gun in Morrowind or wearing a medieval suit of armour in Fallout. As long as it roughly fits and I like it then it goes in. I've never understood why people make such a fuss about lore unfriendly mods, they're not mandatory.

 

A thought on bikini armour and the like, they are no more ridiculous than having a character run around and even go swimming in a full set of heavy armour. Take Oblivion and Morrowind for examples, not only are people running around and swimming in armour that in reality was only used on horseback because it was so heavy, we also have six foot tall talking lizards and cats, skeletons running about, the dead walking around tombs, people throwing fire from their hands, others summoning all sorts of creatures, ghosts, magic weapons and a population who must have been born as adults because there isn't a child in sight. Yet people focus on some slightly inappropriate attire while ignoring the fact that the world in which people use these outfits doesn't make slightest bit of sense in the first place.

[Sol0Invictus]

I don't mind mods that don't exactly follow game lore, but I think it's pathetic when all of the "Hot Files" on tesnexus are repeatably just HGEC clothes, hentai cosmetics, etc, since I personally find bondage costumes extremely immersion breaking. I'm sure a lot of people will rage when I say that the existence of those mods just supports the "PC gamers are nerds who can't get girlfriends" stereotype.

 

Add to that the Call of Duty Weapons and you've got yourself an agreement.

 

I don't really care about the lore, I just like the game to feel self-consistent.