Tip o' the hat to ye

[Mary the Prophetess]

<DIV>I have been experiencing EQ 'burnout' over the last month or so.  I still have my station pass, and I still log-in about once a week, for an hour or so, but after 6-7 years now, I need a change of pace.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>A couple of weeks ago, I subscribed to a new release, Dark & Light;  the largest, (and perhaps most flawed MMORPG), ever to hit the market.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In almost every way EQLive, (and certainly EQ2), have it beat.  Certainly it is an absolutely HUGE world, (by anyone's standards), but the area where it misses the mark, (especially), is in the depth and richness of the lore.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>There is no lore as far as I can see what-so-ever. Just some cumbersome names and a pantheon that has no motivations or agendas.<BR><BR>No heros, no villians, not even names for the geographical features (just--"That really tall mountain North of Riglin"). No themes, no kings, no queens, no history. <BR><BR>It is remenisent of an aspiring DMs first attempt at world-building in D&D.<BR><BR>It is not a 'believeable' world.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It really makes you appreciate the immersive nature of Norrath, and of the efforts of the designers that make it that way.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It also points to the differences in resources between 'giants' like Sony and Blizzard, and those that hope to compete.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As the old saying goes, </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"Money talks, and b--s--- walks."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am curious. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What are the duties of Vhalen, Jindrack, Owlchick, et al.  Are you soley in charge of lore, or do you program as well?  Do you know, and communicate with, your counterparts in EQLive?  Do you play characters? (I won't ask who or where)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One really appreciates this game when it is compared with its competitors.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Granted, if I had MY way, and they made ME the Supreme Autocrat of all the MMORPGs, I would meld the best aspects of several different games into one 'perfect' (from my point of view) game.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>At any rate, I have a renewed appreciation for the efforts you all make.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I will stay with Farlan for a couple of months to see if they can untangle things [because it offers some things EQ2 simply does not], but I can't see anything out there, [including Vanguard], that is likely to make me cancel my subscription.</DIV>

[IrishWonder]

<P>I've said it before, and I'll agree with Mary here and say it again....</P> <P>Anyone would be very hard-pressed to find a game background and lore community that is more rich, organized, immersive, and interactive than the EQ2 world and lore community :smileyvery-happy: It is truly what keeps me here. EQ was my first MMO, so at first I thought it was fanboi syndrome... but after playing games like Dark Age of Camelot and Lineage 2 in my 1 1/2 year transition period, after I quit EQ and before EQ2 came out, I can confidently say that this game really does sport the best history and lore.</P> <P>The recent changes to the world, and the way they are leading up to the return of the gods, even takes it up a notch... which I didn't think was possible :smileyhappy: Adding an environment that truly reacts to the lore like this is genious, and long overdue in a MMORPG.</P> <P>Keep up the AWESOME work, devs!!!</P>

[SageGaspar]

Hehe, I was just about to type up a PM to Vhalen, and fancy this should come along <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />I really haven't run into a community that's given so much to its lore fiends for so little. It's obvious that Vhalen has an amazing amount of knowledge of the world and the way different quests have been integrated to reference other quests just bowls me over. Every time I see another reference to the Obelisk and the Shadowed Men it makes me so very happy. The recent lore quests are an amazing addition as well.Owlchick as I understand it writes most of the books, and on that count I find most of them to be thoroughly entertaining. Trinni is my favorite, I was so sad to read that she finally graduated <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />I don't know who designs which quests in terms of dialogue and storyline, but some of them just bowled me over. Prismatic 1.0, the Smarmy Sprocket, Tinkerers' Bag, Cauldron Hollow, Nektropos Castle (Rikantus et al plus what happens inside), Claymore, the Courts... more than I can think of to mention, but there are a lot of great quests.And finally I love the way everything comes together. It must be pretty tough, but lots of times the graphics and what mobs say as you're attacking them supports the lore and the storyline. Or when one quest references another. That is what really makes you feel like the world is fully fleshed out.<div></div>

[Jindrack]

<DIV>Thanks for the nod <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'm just a game designer with a passion for the lore and story of the world.  If by program you mean do we get our hands dirty putting stuff in game, then yes <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.  We script (easier form of programming), write and implement quests, design and populate zones... just all the fun stuff in my opinion. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  We know our counterparts in EQLive but usually we work seperately on our respective projects.  And of course I play almost every night <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I can honestly say that one of the greatest challenges is having all these stories to tell and only being able to realistically tell so many at any one time.  This world is so big with so many major things going on that we can only focus on so many things at one time.  Vhalen, Illucide, and I have this big whiteboard in our office full of stories that still need to be told or need to be added too.  Plus Vhalen comes up with things that have hooks as far back as pre-EQ1 that he'd like to tell, and the amazing thing is he just pulls them from his head... remembering names, dates, relationships and crazy stuff like that.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Some of the things I've done are the old Freeport class and subclass quests, about half of the heritage quests, I wrote and implemented the Prismatic 1.0 quests with Illucide, Maj'Dul and its court series, Tenebrous Tangle and Sanctum of the Scaleborn, the Forsaken City, as well as contribute to the overarcing lore behind the expansions and Fallen Dynasty.  I can't wait for you guys to see Faydwer, it's going to be awesome. <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN> </P><p>Message Edited by Jindrack on <span class=date_text>06-16-2006</span> <span class=time_text>10:34 AM</span>

[Vhalen]

Oh great! You told them about the whiteboard. Now we are going to have to get a better lock on the door.

[Jindrack]

<DIV>Maybe I should make the "NO CAMERAS ALLOWED INSIDE" sign bigger...</DIV>

[Saroc_Luclin]

A white board eh? *plots an invasion route that will get the history books AND pics of the white board*Of course you could always go the Lost route and write it in ink only visible in blacklight. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[Snarks]

big nod to whoever wrote the lore, quest, and zone for the Fluttering Wing quest. i'm one of those people that powers through quest dialogue at lightning speed, but this one had me captivated for once it really does make the game so much more fun to read stuff, maybe I'll start paying more attention <span>:smileytongue:</span> <div></div>

[Phylok]

<DIV>so any clue as to what stories will be comming soon?  Kithikor perhaps.</DIV>

[Etherium]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Vhalen wrote:<BR> Oh great! You told them about the whiteboard. Now we are going to have to get a better lock on the door.<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>This is a true story!</P> <P>Years ago, I worked at a company where we would put future projects on  a white board.  To be safe, we put a big "Do Not Erase" in the corner.  This worked for a good deal of time.  So long that we got complacent about copying things down.</P> <P>One night we left early and did not take time to write things down.  As Murphy would have it, the board was erased!  We spent awhile reconstructing what we had on the current project and wrote an even bigger note.  Also, we copied it all down.  </P> <P>Good thing we did.  It was gone again the next day.  After a lot of effort to contact the janitorial service, we found out they had changed crews for our building.  The new person assigned to that area was a new immigrant from Korea and could not read English yet.  We found out how to write "Do not erase" in Korean and things were fine for awhile after that.  </P> <P>Beware of Murphy's law.  Be sure to record everything you leave overnight on a white board!  The story is vital!</P>

[DocSavag]

By write it down I'm sure you meant whip out a digital camera and take a high resolution image of it so that you don't have to type it all out <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[shvmoz]

<div><blockquote><hr>Etherium wrote:<div></div>Good thing we did.  It was gone again the next day.  After a lot of effort to contact the janitorial service, we found out they had changed crews for our building.  The new person assigned to that area was a new immigrant from Korea and could not read English yet.  We found out how to write "Do not erase" in Korean and things were fine for awhile after that. <hr></blockquote>On the day before I interviewed at, uh, a major San Diego-based MMO developer and operator, they had a similar incident in which a member of the cleaning staff wasn't able to read the sign saying, in effect, "don't use this sink, it'll overflow, we'll all be swept to sea".  The result was the sort of hilarity that one would expect to ensue when an office floor full of computing equipment and design paper gets its flood on.Mostly had it dried out by the time I got there, though, and they had one fantastically translated sign over the sink.Mike</div>

[Mary the Prophetess]

<P>That damned Murphy is the most dreaded MOB in any MMORPG I have ever played.</P> <P>Fear him.</P>

[Trepan]

<blockquote><hr>Jindrack wrote:<div>Maybe I should make the "NO CAMERAS ALLOWED INSIDE" sign bigger...</div><hr></blockquote>I take pictures of every one of those signs I see. What I appreciate about the lore team is the history they themselves have with the lore.  Thats the key - the time spent soaking in it.  Thats what, I think, allows Vhalen & Co to lean back, take a deep breath an exhale a tale about an event that happend years ago (real time years) that no one else remembers.  They were there.  They lived it.  They sat around a table with friends with character sheets and even toons with names like "Fiddy" or "Christiana" or "Rikantus" lovingly scripted at the top. Even if they weren't there at the beginning, they've been here.  Its their footprints we're following down the paths of the myths of Norrath. Thank god they're still here. Cheers<div></div>