AoD lore

You are wise in the ways of the internet, Elhoim.

jejeje... I´m at work right now, I´ll work on them when I get home.

Okay, here they are. Very interesting spoilers up ahead! (The first one is well known, but the second screen was a big spoiler for me!).

You had to expect something, didn't you? The game was designed to be replayable, and surprises work only once, so don't worry about the spoilers.

jejeje, I really like the story so far. I may be somewhat of a cliché, but a well done one.

It's looking very promising.

Just curious, is it theoretically possible to find all the lore in one sitting? Also, is there a single true account of what happened or is intrinsically ambiguous?

Looks great, BTW. Reminds me of actual history where the accounts vary depending on who you're asking and what their agenda is.

The term "research center" has a very modern cling to it. I have no better suggestions myself, but I'm sure some other codexers might have. English isn't my first language, so I might just be silly. I know it't nitpicking and that the writing isn't the topic of the thread, and I really like what I read, but that term felt very wrong.

Azael said:

Just curious, is it theoretically possible to find all the lore in one sitting?

Click to expand...

Impossible. You can't join all seven factions, and thus can't access their records, libraries, loremasters. House Crassus, for example, was the House of "scientists". They can't tell you much about the war, but they still have the Al-Akia records. The Assassins Guild was formed from the Emperor's own "special forces"; they were sent to clean up Al-Akia, etc. Every faction in the game, even the Merchants Guild, was involved in these events one way or another.

Also, is there a single true account of what happened...

Click to expand...

Single and complete? No. Scattered pieces? Yes. They are not marked as "what really happened, volume X" though, so you'll have to play with the pieces of the puzzle. It's quite possible to form two very different opinions in two different playthroughs.

Looks great, BTW. Reminds me of actual history where the accounts vary depending on who you're asking and what their agenda is.

Click to expand...

Pretty much.

Dementia Praecox said:

The term "research center" has a very modern cling to it. I have no better suggestions myself, but I'm sure some other codexers might have. English isn't my first language, so I might just be silly. I know it't nitpicking and that the writing isn't the topic of the thread, and I really like what I read, but that term felt very wrong.

Click to expand...

Any suggestions then?

Hah. "What Really Happened Vol. X". Damn, but that reminds me of Morrowind.


If we're still going for the Roman flavor, schola is the latin root for school, acadamy might be a better fit, and theoedificum would be a made-up compound word for theory-place. The problem with this discussion is that apart from adding the exotic flavor to the text, it ultimately needs to be translated into a common vernacular, and if research building is the best translation, why not use it?

Research chamber, records chamber, hall / house / of records, "exchange" (that was the name of the last still-maintained academic library in "The Omega Man". It was run by old teachers & profs.), archives room/chamber/hall, old records.

"The old shelves".

"Research center" has a whiff of the WoT's Age of Legends before all the male channelers went nuts and fractured the world. There's a nice pre-apocalyptic ring to it.

Can the lore you discover be used in the plot, like for example as very important information that can be used as a bargaining chip for power, or is it more just an interesting read that doesn't affect further gameplay, ala Elder Scrolls?

It's directly related to and will affect the main quest and the game's endings. It's not just the background.

Edit:

From the website:

Centuries after the fall of the empire, the world still rests in an uneasy balance, where even myths and fables deceive. A name on an ancient map brings back the memories of the distant past, turning a myth into unclear reality, and casting the player into political games built on years of discontent and ignorance of the past. Exploring both the legends and the land, you will have an opportunity to learn what truly happened in the past before the war turned civilization to ash or remain ignorant, believing in what you are told. You will be able to make powerful alliances, faithfully serving the interests of your patrons, or manipulating them to reach your own goals. You will have to find out where the map leads to and what is waiting for you at the end. That's where the future of your world and your own future would be determined.

my vote is for "hall of records", since to make sense in the setting. i'm fairly unconcerned about details like this so "research center" doesn't really bother me.

i promise i will stop making posts like this, but i feel compelled to yet again expressive the massive interest i have for this game. conceptually at least, it just keeps looking better and better. the fact that AoD is being designed for replayablity guarantees a wise investment provided the other elements fall into place more as less as they have been presented. god, i can't wait to play this. thankfully the release date seems to be later this year since i can't see how juggling AoD with my 60 hour workweek, martial arts classes 5 nights a week, kendo/mma tournaments and my college apps all fitting into my schedule.

keep up the good work!

Hall of records wouldn't work. It was a large lab complex designed for a certain type of arcane experiments.

Think this, not that.

i feel compelled to yet again expressive the massive interest i have for this game. conceptually at least, it just keeps looking better and better

Click to expand...

Thanks.

Arcane Academy?

Academy implies school, while we need something that means/implies lab.

Edit: i.e. not a place of learning, but a place of doing.

Vault Dweller said:

Single and complete? No. Scattered pieces? Yes. They are not marked as "what really happened, volume X" though, so you'll have to play with the pieces of the puzzle. It's quite possible to form two very different opinions in two different playthroughs.

Click to expand...

Beautiful. Just beautiful. I am literally lost for words trying to convey how much I like this. This is far from the A or B choices that immediately change the world, or your character's "alignment", featured in ALL games I have played (including my favorite game, PS:T). Here you not only affect the world with your choices, but your, the player's, vision of the (game) world is affected by your character - i.e. the information you have is determined by your in-game interests, abilities, and affiliations. Simply brilliant. Does this extend to factions as well? Would you get a different impression of a faction depending on whether you side with it or not (i.e. religious fanatics vs. well-meaning clerics)?

Now I will tell you openly that from what you have shown so far, I can't see your story and writing rivaling PS:T's, although it is quite good. But even if the game itself turns out to be mediocre, the approach you are taking here guarantees that I will spend many hours happily playing it.


A word of warning, though. In a complex game, you have to make it clear for the player what he is doing, and what consequences that could have - i.e. have him understand how the world functions.
This does not mean oblivion-like handholding, or having all consequences be readily apparent.

It is, however, very important that the player understands what options he has, and that he can predict with reasonable accuracy what consequences they will bring.

What I am saying is that the player needs some help in the beginning, either in the form of detailed stat descriptions (i.e. "you are very charismatic, and could, for instance, convince a guard to "borrow" you his horse because you are on an urgent errand for the duke"), or in the form of a tutorial-like area or series of quests, something Gothic did quite well.

This might not be a mayor concern, but it bothers me in some games (Darklands, for example), so I though I would be worth mentioning. Basically, try to teach the player early on how the world works and what his options are.
You would be preventing a) the players feeling that their actions have random, not meaningful, consequences, and b) aimless wandering, where a player talks to *everyone* in a town just in case someone offers a different way to solve a quest.
I recommend a tutorial-like period in the game where the player gets to understand how the world works.
I understand that you must strike a balance between non-random and far-reaching consequences, and between intuitivity and simplicity and exploration and complexity, and that in both cases the latter is more important. This is just a warning about an issue that might become problematic.

Dementia Praecox said:

The term "research center" has a very modern cling to it.
Any suggestions then?

Click to expand...

Hmmm. I also think "research center" is too modern. Arcane research center at least? But I suppose such a place would probably be called academy, lyceum, or school, even if does not take on actual students. What about mage/arcane tower or whatnot? How about a description: a fort/tower/castle/thingie where research into the secrets of arcane magic was conducted?

Would arcane workshop do? That's the closest I see to a magical "doing" place, but I don't know if workshop is also too modern or if it makes it look less of an magical experiment site.

Edifice of devisal records. Edifice of lost deviations. Olden mind's studies. Index Arcanum. Olden devices index.

Arcanarium. The most appropriate name might vary a bit depending on just what 'arcane' is in the current context - I'm assuming it's technological, but no-one alive in the game's present realizes that. Research center is fine, though, for goodness' sake. Gods, you'd think the site was crawling with persnickety nitpickers. Oh, wait.

It's doubtless a slap-worthy observation, but the lack of coherent history is very reminiscent of Morrowind's redeeming feature. Look on the bright side: you don't have to explain how all possible endings of Daggerfall's main plot could have happened concurrently.

What, if anything, are you doing to avoid a variant of KOTOR2 syndrome? As far as I understand, it was all to easy to get through that without ever having had a clue what the hell was going on, which pissed a few people off. Personally, I think not knowing what the hell's going on is potentially a perfectly valid player character end point, but I guess I see how it could be frustrating.

sqeecoo said:

Beautiful. Just beautiful. I am literally lost for words trying to convey how much I like this.

Click to expand...

Thanks.

Does this extend to factions as well? Would you get a different impression of a faction depending on whether you side with it or not (i.e. religious fanatics vs. well-meaning clerics)?

Click to expand...

Of course.

Now I will tell you openly that from what you have shown so far, I can't see your story and writing rivaling PS:T's...

Click to expand...

I agree. PST was a brilliant game.

What I am saying is that the player needs some help in the beginning, either in the form of detailed stat descriptions (i.e. "you are very charismatic, and could, for instance, convince a guard to "borrow" you his horse because you are on an urgent errand for the duke"), or in the form of a tutorial-like area or series of quests, something Gothic did quite well.

Click to expand...

That's what the vignettes are for. They introduce different characters to players and show what they can do and how.

From the grifter vignette:

***cutscene***

Gracius the merchant, enters the inn.

The innkeeper: Hail to you, Gracius! How may we serve you today?
Gracius: The usual will do: your best room for me, quarters for my servants, and storage for my goods. Send for a good loremaster - I'd require his services later on, and have one of your goons to make sure I'm not disturbed.
Inkeeper: Consider it done, oh generous one.

***

Description: While Petras was an unknown, ordinary-looking man, personas he created to pull various cons were well known, often famous characters, usually wanted dead. He sold silver mines, treasure maps, magical rings, and resurrection potions. He foretold future, communicated with spirits of recently deceased, and transmuted scrap metal into gold. He even managed to sell his own description - fake as usual - to some assassin guildsmen hired to put an end to his exploits.

Petras: That should be interesting. I wish I didn't have to leave. Here, take this - * he gives you a bundle of clothes* - put them on and go introduce yourself to the good merchant. His room is upstairs.

1. Wait. I've never *been* a loremaster before. Any tips?
Loremasters are a pretentious sort. Just pretend that you know everything better than him, dismiss his attempts to argue with you, and throw in some names and obscure references.

2. Why should I do it?
Why not? Do you have a better scheme at the moment? No. Then go in, pretend to be the loremaster he sent for - since he was stupid enough to announce it so loudly, and take whatever artefact he's got. I'm sure it's worth at least a few hundred coins. Not bad for ten minutes of work, no?
...

Are you...

I am the loremaster you sent for. Let's not waste more time. Show me what you have.

I have a gift for lord Antidas, and I wish to have it appraised, to be certain that the gift is worthy of my lord and benefactor. *he hands you a carefully wrapped scroll*

It's a simple map. Why do you feel it has any value at all?

*he looks at you suspiciously* Surely you've noticed the seal at the bottom?

Ah, the seal... of course.... Well, maybe this particular seal is a rarity in a whatever village you came from, but here...

I was assured that it's the symbol of Thor-Agoth! Are you saying it's something else?!

That's exactly what I'm saying. However, that doesn't mean that the map is completely worthless. Some symbols look interesting... It's a pity that I don't have time to study the map and compare the symbols to what lord Antidas has in his library.

*the merchant reaches for his coin purse* Friend! Benefactor! Please accept this humble sum and do what you can to turn this accursed map into a worthy gift.
...

That should give players a good idea of what to expect. As for anything else, I'm fond of gameplay discoveries in games. "Wow, I tried that and it worked!" kinda stuff.

Thaumaturgikon? I know its fake byzantine rather than fake roman, but it sounds kind of cool.

Why not Ancient (or Arcane) lab? Alchemists have labs so it wouldn't make it sound too much like a science lab, but maybe that could mean that it was a science lab before the war and current people still use it to create stuff and kept the name, just with them thinking it was similar to an alchemist's lab.

What the hell am I talking about? I don't even know if that is something that would even be in this game.

I'm high. DAMN IT!!!!