Over the last little while I've been devising a storyline for a completely original world. I'm talking about new concepts, traditions, language, nationalities, religion/beliefs, geographical world. I'm rolling this all into an RPG.
But, my primary concern remains: Would this discourage players from attempted to join into the game?
I mean, my guess was that the average player would glance at the website or game, read a few sentences littered with seemingly obtuse words and phrases, get frusterated and leave.
I've halted all development on the storyline until I figure out if I should go ahead with this plan, or fall back into the protective layer of run-of-the-mill goblins and orcs RPGs.
So, that's where whoever is reading this comes in. I would appreciate it if you would skim through the half-finished website that I have been working on, stop by the glossary, read the pieces of writing I have done, and reply with your opinions.
www.geocities.com/nt_mud/
Thank you.
- Malver
ID:154124
 May 25 2002, 5:47 pm
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May 25 2002, 6:09 pm
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ADDiCt
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This game actually looks very promising if there are programming skills to back this up, I really hope this game is made, It sounds really fun. Everything sounds thought up really well, good job. Even if I don't bother to learn the terminology, I would just write down the glossary and use that by my side.
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So, if slanddish women have no breasts due to their gift of strength, to guys all have giant manboobs due to their lack of strength? Let's just say that I'll never going to the Kingdom of Slandd looking for love! :-P
-Lord of Water | |
Malver wrote:
Over the last little while I've been devising a storyline for a completely original world. I'm talking about new concepts, traditions, language, nationalities, religion/beliefs, geographical world. I'm rolling this all into an RPG. Generally speaking, a complex storyline is only worthwhile if it's a tool for engaging the player. If it becomes a background for all obstacles, puzzles, minor NPCs you have to deal with, then it's a good thing--especially if exposition is done as the game unfolds. Users are a lot more interested in a story they're a part of. I mean, my guess was that the average player would glance at the website or game, read a few sentences littered with seemingly obtuse words and phrases, get frusterated and leave. I think you made a wise guess. Such background info is better appreciated for fans of the game, whereas newcomers will see it and think more effort has been expended on the story than the game. (Often enough, they're right.) I've halted all development on the storyline until I figure out if I should go ahead with this plan, or fall back into the protective layer of run-of-the-mill goblins and orcs RPGs. I think a good story is woven into a game in pieces. The more the subtle histories, intrigues, etc. can be seen in the attitudes and obsessions of the NPCs, or in the places monsters attack, and so on, the richer your world will feel. The world will make the storyline more valuable, and vice-versa. Too often authors forget that and write both a game and a storyline, making too little effort to connect them. Lummox JR | |
Malver wrote:
Would this discourage players from attempted to join into the game? The more "different" your game is from typical MUD/RPGs, the more important it becomes that the game be designed to help the player ease into it. If people start out and have no sense of how they are supposed to proceed in the game, they will naturally fall back on what they've learned in other MUDs/RPGs, and when they don't find Orcs, or can't bash things in the way they are used to, they'll get frustrated and give up. This is partly their fault and partly the game designer's...or you can lay it all at their feet (as some BYOND designers do), and post bitter messages about how stupid players are for not understanding your game instantly. Or...you can create things to do that are handed to the player right away, that show them how to make progress in your game and what kind of game it is. One of the professional text MUDs that costs good money does this...the moment you start, you are whisked into a long newbie quest that takes you around the world and shows you how to play, and instantly gives you things to do. | |
Lord of Water wrote:
So, if slanddish women have no breasts due to their gift of strength, to guys all have giant manboobs due to their lack of strength? Let's just say that I'll never going to the Kingdom of Slandd looking for love! :-P I knew somebody would try to make a comical remark on that topic. Mainly because I know that much of the BYOND community population is immature and is incapable of depositting constructive critisizm. I should have known better. Oh, and your 'slanddish women' are properly written 'Slanddwomen'. :P - Malver | |
Thanks go out to Deadron, Lummox JR, and ADDiCT for their *helpful* feedback. I appreciate your replies, and I think that I now feel confident enough to take on this challenge.
I was mainly looking for everyone's <font color=aqua>personal</font> opinions on it, but the information supplied by Deadron and Lummox JR was equally helpful. Thank you. - Malver | |
I thought that was a nice touch. Did you know that some stories of the Amazons, the original matriarchal warrior tribe, say the same thing?
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While your whole concept seems quite interesting, generally I dislike games that resort to making up slang, local vernacular, or other forms of non-English words, to add atmosphere.
Mainly, I feel that atmosphere should be conveyed more by societal mannerisms rather than dialect -- I mean, sure, every city in the world probably has a local dialect that gives it character (for example, the Vancouver Cultural Centre is referred to in some places as The Culch), but I tend to dislike learning a whole dialect to be able to get into a game. Point being, players are foreign to this realm. If you establish that the players are foreign, then of course having to learn a language is appropriate. However, if players are supposedly denizens of these lands, then forcing them to learn a language to get into the game generally spoils that aspect. That's why, for example, learning Runic in Britannia makes sense to me -- I'm an avatar from Earth. (Of course, Runic is just a blatant Tolkien rip-off, but I digress.) But having to learn Elfish* in a land makes no sense to me if I'm an Elf, for example. I should just be able to speak perfect English and have people who don't speak Elfish* see gibberish. Dialects and that are also things that generally annoy me about cyberpunk games. Eh, choomba? * Elfish is the proper Tolkien noun for their language. =) Spuzzum's lawyers require him to note: I am a pessimist. The fact that I'm only pointing out gripes about the dialect should indicate that I find everything else interesting and acceptable. =) | |
* Elfish is the proper Tolkien noun for their language. =) Actually, if you wanna get technical, the 2 main Tolkien elven languages were/are Quenya and Sindarin ^_~ Ni quetuva Quenya~ >:P Really, I will @.@ someday.. *sniker* El, the elf-freak ^_~ | |
Elorien wrote:
* Elfish is the proper Tolkien noun for their language. =) Okay, okay, that's enough elfish or whatever. Leave my thread alone. >:) - Malver | |
* Elfish is the proper Tolkien noun for their language. =) Actually Elfish is the name of a Maxis game in which you breed fish to put into your fishtank. It functions as a screensaver, too. Lots of fun. El-Fish | |
Foomer wrote:
* Elfish is the proper Tolkien noun for their language. =) Heh... I read about that one in the 150 Best Games (and 50 Worst Games) 15th Anniversary edition of CGW (November '96). They said something similar to: Pros: Novel, works like a screensaver. Cons: Just a novelty, works like a screensaver. That issue of CGW went the way of the recycling a long time ago after it lost about half of its pages from overuse. The funniest thing was that issue had an ad for Battlecruiser 3000AD. "The last thing you'll ever want." It was right -- I never want to even see anything from Derek Smart ever again. =) | |