Hello, all. Alex Harrow here.
This is about to be a big nasty wall of text, so I put it in chunks if you wanna just get to what you wanna get to. Feel free to reply here or message me if you have any questions or comments.
1: my and why I wrote a wall of text
2: the need to organize lore
3: the proposal
4: an example and a small resource.
5: THE PLAN
1: me and why I wrote a wall of text
I got this game some time around October and instantly the vastness of the galaxy entranced me. Seeing those systems, each representing a world, a government, a history and culture unlike the others, left my imagination spinning. as I looked through the lore, I saw the wisps of information that shade the galaxy just lightly enough for me to imagine the people on the planets I visit as I smoke space grass in my Asp (just for medicinal purposes, you understand…). Soon, I found the stories, the community, the videos, and all manor of creation inspired by this universe. like them, the game rekindled my creative side, and I began to write again, using Elite as a canvas. As I continued, I realized a potential to this game that others had already found: that it could be more than a game, but a creative backdrop for people to create their own narratives with. This game could be used like Lego blocks, with elements, systems, established lore, and faction activity making potential new creations, new stories, and new art. With the large pieces in play, such as the the major governments and politics, to the small shared details like ship usage, system distances, and local histories, I thought that it would be the perfect place for writers, especially new ones, to learn the dynamics of story writing, among a host of other creative pursuits.
As I continued writing, though, I ran into problems. If I chose Eranin in my story, would it conflict with what has already been written? Could I write about the adventures of a politician in a system controlled by a real faction? how can I find the right backdrop to a story in an ocean of information?
I began collecting information. First, I read the Dark Wheel. After reading it through (and loving that wonderful pulpy feel it has, if you haven't read it), I was disheartened to find it was not only not canon, but was (possibly, from what I heard) "semi-canon", an even trickier knot to untangle if true. I looked to Frontier and found snippets of the world transmitted through GalNet articles. On forums (so so many forums) I saw snippets of information from secondhand developer quotes. As I continued reading, I saw stories about wars and factions being played out by real groups, along with stories of organizations like the Fuel Rats and the Hutton Truckers contributing to the world as much as any announcement by Frontier. I continued collecting what could be considered canon, and where those sources came from. I realized that even with the free time I wish I had, I would not be able to keep up with the level of attention the collection would really need.
2: the need to organize lore
The galaxy is becoming more dynamic as each day passes, with more history and player content created from multiple sources. On top of this, the sources are disparate. There has been an amazing amount of player generated information and tools, and more and more useful pieces are being created as time goes on. While this goes on, players and authors have both been attempting to describe the galaxy while acknowledging the material isn’t exactly easy to parse. As things continue, shift, change, and become more complex, this information will continue to compound and become even disparate. This not only hurts new players who would face a steeper and steeper curve to find what particularly suits their fancy, but groups like factions looking for a new spot, creators looking for detailed lore resources, role players interested in maintaining immersion, and researchers working on current in game mysteries would be at an unnecessary disadvantage.
Rather than continue to collect information separately, we should be working together to create access to not only lore, but to as much information as can possibly be compiled and maintained, whether it come from Frontier or through player generated creation.
3: the proposal
I propose a curated and orderly compilation of all information relating to the game, starting with canon lore. This plan, if given enough support, would eventually entail all canon lore organized in a readable fashion, system history and information, faction history and system information, Powerplay history, player generated stories, comics, links to videos, and other creative ends, link aggregation of relevant projects and tools, potential articles to aid in info navigation, and other projects related to lore and information distribution. While this seems like a rather monstrous task, an attempt, especially as the game continues and accrues information, is warranted. If this is the beginning, the future additions to the game as the years go by could become more nebulous.
This goal can be done with a group, or through a simple direction of public outreach geared toward people who wish to help. Depending on the amount of people involved, it could be a major in game group, attracting like-minded people with a vested interest in maintaining accurate lore and info, or it could simply be a way for those already trying to organize things to group together to work more efficiently. I am kinda interested to see how many people would be interested in this particular scheme…
4. an example and a small resource
Naturally, a large task like this would need a lot of input to come together. I have a more outlined plan of what needs to be done, although I wanted to at least begin (I have been sitting on this idea for too long). In the short term, I have already begun to collect lore, starting at the most obvious place with the galaxywide GalNet articles. This is to partially exemplify what I am interested in doing, as well as provide a small peace offering, if you like stuff like all the GalNet in one spot.
NOTE: the link below is a google doc that’s about 524 pages long (in case you don’t want to open a 500+ page file). It is also not fully formatted, so I will be working on it and have it cleaned and ready in a week or two, the way my schedule is going. My goal is to have it in a format that can be easily searched with a Word or Notepad, or used in text editors or programs if that’s how you get down. If you would like the txt file or would like to host said text file, just message me and we can work something out.
A Collection of GalNet Articles 3300-3301: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YebF3iCMcmDwpbZImI1GPoQdl7IPmsrRZXSue5GmQao/edit?usp=sharing
I have used this information to begin adding to the Elite wiki, which I think is the strongest candidate for all lore information in game.
GalNet articles:
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Galnet_Articles_From_the_Year_3300
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Galnet_Articles_of_January_3301
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Galnet_Articles_of_February_3301
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/GalNet_Articles_of_March_3301
As you can see, I have not finished the articles from 3301. The compilation so far has been fun, but I only have so much time to dedicate to putting it together this way. As you can also be, the links to the relevant articles, apart for the first few entries of the year 3300, are relatively blank, making it harder for people to fall down the wiki hole.
Below is the plan as I have figured it so far. There is a bit more here and there, but honestly I have no idea if anyone else would be interested in doing this with me. I hope so. If no one is, well, I guess I will just keep getting the GalNet up, then go from system to system looking for original local articles.
5: THE PLAN
THE PLAN:
GOAL: to curate and compile the lore and information in Elite: Dangerous for the purpose of helping all players through access. The goal can be reached by
- Forming a group dedicated to information compilation and curation in an organized manor
- Maintaining and directing contributions to the game data from interested parties
METHOD:
- Establish a group, whether in game or online, that is dynamic and able to fulfil ongoing goals and projects
- Get in contact with established contributors, such as the wiki contributors, authors, forum moderators, developers, and major wings for cooperative communication
- Transcribe and curate established lore sources
- Find and curate faction information that effects the in-game galaxy or canon lore
- Establish an easily accessible directory for players to find lore, factions, information, or tools they are looking for
- Distribute methods of contribution for players not interested in participating within faction
RESOURCES:
- Established sites, such as the Elite wiki, Inara, eddb.io, etc
- Frontier forums and Reddit subreddits, etc
- My brain
- Google docs
- Like 20 bucks
NEEDS:
- A centralized and accessible location for discussion and logistics
- A page that can catalogue and curate developer and player contributions to Elite
- Previously compiled work from fellow lore compilers
- A cool name
- You, if you:
o have experience leading a group
o have suggestions on how to better the plan
o have logistical expertise and willingness to contribute
o wish to put a tinfoil hat and find out what systems the Thargoids might land on
o want to know if the system you are trading in is a backwater paradise or a historical civil war hotspot before writing, filming, or roleplaying in it.
o want to see what factions are where before choosing a system
o think editing wikis is good times
o want to write about Imperial fashion or Pirate culture
This is about to be a big nasty wall of text, so I put it in chunks if you wanna just get to what you wanna get to. Feel free to reply here or message me if you have any questions or comments.
1: my and why I wrote a wall of text
2: the need to organize lore
3: the proposal
4: an example and a small resource.
5: THE PLAN
1: me and why I wrote a wall of text
I got this game some time around October and instantly the vastness of the galaxy entranced me. Seeing those systems, each representing a world, a government, a history and culture unlike the others, left my imagination spinning. as I looked through the lore, I saw the wisps of information that shade the galaxy just lightly enough for me to imagine the people on the planets I visit as I smoke space grass in my Asp (just for medicinal purposes, you understand…). Soon, I found the stories, the community, the videos, and all manor of creation inspired by this universe. like them, the game rekindled my creative side, and I began to write again, using Elite as a canvas. As I continued, I realized a potential to this game that others had already found: that it could be more than a game, but a creative backdrop for people to create their own narratives with. This game could be used like Lego blocks, with elements, systems, established lore, and faction activity making potential new creations, new stories, and new art. With the large pieces in play, such as the the major governments and politics, to the small shared details like ship usage, system distances, and local histories, I thought that it would be the perfect place for writers, especially new ones, to learn the dynamics of story writing, among a host of other creative pursuits.
As I continued writing, though, I ran into problems. If I chose Eranin in my story, would it conflict with what has already been written? Could I write about the adventures of a politician in a system controlled by a real faction? how can I find the right backdrop to a story in an ocean of information?
I began collecting information. First, I read the Dark Wheel. After reading it through (and loving that wonderful pulpy feel it has, if you haven't read it), I was disheartened to find it was not only not canon, but was (possibly, from what I heard) "semi-canon", an even trickier knot to untangle if true. I looked to Frontier and found snippets of the world transmitted through GalNet articles. On forums (so so many forums) I saw snippets of information from secondhand developer quotes. As I continued reading, I saw stories about wars and factions being played out by real groups, along with stories of organizations like the Fuel Rats and the Hutton Truckers contributing to the world as much as any announcement by Frontier. I continued collecting what could be considered canon, and where those sources came from. I realized that even with the free time I wish I had, I would not be able to keep up with the level of attention the collection would really need.
2: the need to organize lore
The galaxy is becoming more dynamic as each day passes, with more history and player content created from multiple sources. On top of this, the sources are disparate. There has been an amazing amount of player generated information and tools, and more and more useful pieces are being created as time goes on. While this goes on, players and authors have both been attempting to describe the galaxy while acknowledging the material isn’t exactly easy to parse. As things continue, shift, change, and become more complex, this information will continue to compound and become even disparate. This not only hurts new players who would face a steeper and steeper curve to find what particularly suits their fancy, but groups like factions looking for a new spot, creators looking for detailed lore resources, role players interested in maintaining immersion, and researchers working on current in game mysteries would be at an unnecessary disadvantage.
Rather than continue to collect information separately, we should be working together to create access to not only lore, but to as much information as can possibly be compiled and maintained, whether it come from Frontier or through player generated creation.
3: the proposal
I propose a curated and orderly compilation of all information relating to the game, starting with canon lore. This plan, if given enough support, would eventually entail all canon lore organized in a readable fashion, system history and information, faction history and system information, Powerplay history, player generated stories, comics, links to videos, and other creative ends, link aggregation of relevant projects and tools, potential articles to aid in info navigation, and other projects related to lore and information distribution. While this seems like a rather monstrous task, an attempt, especially as the game continues and accrues information, is warranted. If this is the beginning, the future additions to the game as the years go by could become more nebulous.
This goal can be done with a group, or through a simple direction of public outreach geared toward people who wish to help. Depending on the amount of people involved, it could be a major in game group, attracting like-minded people with a vested interest in maintaining accurate lore and info, or it could simply be a way for those already trying to organize things to group together to work more efficiently. I am kinda interested to see how many people would be interested in this particular scheme…
4. an example and a small resource
Naturally, a large task like this would need a lot of input to come together. I have a more outlined plan of what needs to be done, although I wanted to at least begin (I have been sitting on this idea for too long). In the short term, I have already begun to collect lore, starting at the most obvious place with the galaxywide GalNet articles. This is to partially exemplify what I am interested in doing, as well as provide a small peace offering, if you like stuff like all the GalNet in one spot.
NOTE: the link below is a google doc that’s about 524 pages long (in case you don’t want to open a 500+ page file). It is also not fully formatted, so I will be working on it and have it cleaned and ready in a week or two, the way my schedule is going. My goal is to have it in a format that can be easily searched with a Word or Notepad, or used in text editors or programs if that’s how you get down. If you would like the txt file or would like to host said text file, just message me and we can work something out.
A Collection of GalNet Articles 3300-3301: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YebF3iCMcmDwpbZImI1GPoQdl7IPmsrRZXSue5GmQao/edit?usp=sharing
I have used this information to begin adding to the Elite wiki, which I think is the strongest candidate for all lore information in game.
GalNet articles:
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Galnet_Articles_From_the_Year_3300
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Galnet_Articles_of_January_3301
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Galnet_Articles_of_February_3301
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/GalNet_Articles_of_March_3301
As you can see, I have not finished the articles from 3301. The compilation so far has been fun, but I only have so much time to dedicate to putting it together this way. As you can also be, the links to the relevant articles, apart for the first few entries of the year 3300, are relatively blank, making it harder for people to fall down the wiki hole.
Below is the plan as I have figured it so far. There is a bit more here and there, but honestly I have no idea if anyone else would be interested in doing this with me. I hope so. If no one is, well, I guess I will just keep getting the GalNet up, then go from system to system looking for original local articles.
5: THE PLAN
THE PLAN:
GOAL: to curate and compile the lore and information in Elite: Dangerous for the purpose of helping all players through access. The goal can be reached by
- Forming a group dedicated to information compilation and curation in an organized manor
- Maintaining and directing contributions to the game data from interested parties
METHOD:
- Establish a group, whether in game or online, that is dynamic and able to fulfil ongoing goals and projects
- Get in contact with established contributors, such as the wiki contributors, authors, forum moderators, developers, and major wings for cooperative communication
- Transcribe and curate established lore sources
- Find and curate faction information that effects the in-game galaxy or canon lore
- Establish an easily accessible directory for players to find lore, factions, information, or tools they are looking for
- Distribute methods of contribution for players not interested in participating within faction
RESOURCES:
- Established sites, such as the Elite wiki, Inara, eddb.io, etc
- Frontier forums and Reddit subreddits, etc
- My brain
- Google docs
- Like 20 bucks
NEEDS:
- A centralized and accessible location for discussion and logistics
- A page that can catalogue and curate developer and player contributions to Elite
- Previously compiled work from fellow lore compilers
- A cool name
- You, if you:
o have experience leading a group
o have suggestions on how to better the plan
o have logistical expertise and willingness to contribute
o wish to put a tinfoil hat and find out what systems the Thargoids might land on
o want to know if the system you are trading in is a backwater paradise or a historical civil war hotspot before writing, filming, or roleplaying in it.
o want to see what factions are where before choosing a system
o think editing wikis is good times
o want to write about Imperial fashion or Pirate culture
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