Video Game Story Telling: Frontier's biggest strength.

[Tams]

I'm in agreement with most that FDev's story telling isn't all that great. Their story itself might be very interesting but the way they tell it is pretty naff - considering they're not the ones telling it, YouTube and Reddit are!

If I were sat in game and the Thargoids blew up Earth, I wouldn't find out about it until the next day when I checked ObsidianAnt's YouTube channel. Now I might be mistaken but I'm sure in a future that allows a pilot to telepresence on to an allied ship in real time from one side of the galaxy to the other, someone can think of some way to deliver the news to players regardless of where they are and in an interesting fashion (Galnet is really dry, even important stories just get lost as they're not really emphasized in any way and can be overlooked in the middle of all the mundane "news") Voice acted breaking new bulletins delivered to player's inboxes would probably be the best first step in my opinion.

I get that most features in the game are placeholders until they can be fleshed out but with season 3 coming now is our chance to try and get some changes made and immersion in the populated galaxy needs to be one of them. I'm all for making your own story, and I know we'll never be the "Heroes of the Galaxy" like some people want (I like that), but FDev need to find a way to invest their player base in to their stories a lot better than their current solution.

 

[verminstar]

I tried a bit of the story last night.

Found one of the thargoid'd cap ships at a distress signal. Very nice. Interesting for about 5 minutes. Can't really do anything with it.

Then went to the Thargoid base. Drove around a bit, shot a few things, scanned a few things, Very nice, Interesting for about 20 minutes. Couldn't really do much as I didn't have any of UA's, UP's or UP's (I don't even know what UP's or UL's are to be honest). I didn't have the special rack for them either.

I am trying to get involved and find it interesting but I'm struggling. It's all very nice and atmospheric (except when I kept clipping through the ground) but the gameplay involved seems to be
Read about stuff online (although parsing that information is a mission in itself).
Spend ages flying to where it says to go.
Find something that's admittedly cool looking.
Faff for a bit as interaction is limited.
Get bored.
Log off.

Can't wait for 2.4 to drop so something will actually happen.

Then ye know as much as I do and I dont even need to play the game to know it...one can follow the entire thing on both the forums and OA youtube and still be as clued in as anyone actually playing the game. In fact, if ye dont use external sources like the forums and youtube, and simply stay in the game itself, the non player could actually be more clued in than you are.

Now thats storytelling...ye know the story by playing other games and never logging in to play elite again. I suppose some like it...personally I think its a bit of a joke. Frontier tried to break from the norm and do something nobody has ever attempted before. Theres actually a good reason why nobody has ever tried it before...seems frontier have no idea what that reason was and charged ahead at full steam...

I gotta say, it hasnt exactly been a resounding success story so far...but thats the beauty of youtube...one doesnt actually need to be here to follow the story and one can find other activities to occupy ones time and completely ignore it ^

 

[B1rdy]

There are two very different complains in this thread:
a) FDEV need to get better at story telling (Galnet, summaries, missions involving the new stuff, etc) but stuff like just one player has the first thargoid encounter and everyone else will be second is fine.
b) FDEV needs to put me in the middle of the story. I want to be the first to encounter thargoids and stuff. I want my own storyline with my personal progression, regardless if this breaks the immersion of the entire galaxy. Gameplay first, galaxy second.

Please correct me if I am wrong, to me it looks like you are complaining about b). Sorry to tell you, but this is very unlikely to change. It's possible that we get our own little unimportant storyline at one point (like naval progression for example) but the game will always revolve around Sag A rather than you. And that's the point where FDEV is doing it brilliant in my opinion although they still need to improve and learn a lot. Something like this has never happened AFAIK, it's a completely new approach and I guess Peter Molyneux is kind of jealous about it.

Neither me nor, I think, most of the other in this thread want option b) in this game. But ED could tend a little more in that direction. We are playing a member of the Pilots Federation after all, part of the upper 10,000 so to speak. The game should provide a little more information/ optional missions on the background story.

 

[Knightshark]

Neither me nor, I think, most of the other in this thread want option b) in this game. But ED could tend a little more in that direction. We are playing a member of the Pilots Federation after all, part of the upper 10,000 so to speak. The game should provide a little more information/ optional missions on the background story.

At least there should be some 'invitation' to join the story in game. Now, you need to find the Canonn thread here and join to participate.

 

[babelfisch]

Neither me nor, I think, most of the other in this thread want option b) in this game. But ED could tend a little more in that direction. We are playing a member of the Pilots Federation after all, part of the upper 10,000 so to speak. The game should provide a little more information/ optional missions on the background story.

Yes, some missions could do the trick and shouldn't be to complicated. How about "We heard rumours about about Alien ruins being found, could you go there and check it out for us?"? There would still be one CMDR to find them first, but everyone else would be guided to these places. There are lots of options, either via individual contacts or even getting contacted automatically by Professor Palin for example...

 

[starman]

Walls of text? Cut scenes are not allowed. I remember seeing a demo of a visual news reporting system at an expo. Where events around the galaxy were reported on visually. Or maybe I just imagined it. Think CNN for Elite.

The original argument for not having cut scene was that the graphics quality was noticeable higher that gameplay graphics. This is no longer the case. A ejection sequence would be nice. There is a trailer where u can definitely see the comander walking about and entering the ship.


[video=youtube;dwvjElmFCfE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwvjElmFCfE[/video] Look space legs!

 

[KING5TON]

(Galnet is really dry, even important stories just get lost as they're not really emphasized in any way and can be overlooked in the middle of all the mundane "news")

I tried looking on Galnet last night to find out where the Alien base was before looking online.

Found a single story about it (amongst all the powerplay news that no one cares about) and it told me next to nothing.
It was basically "There's thargoid stuff, It's all very interesting and exciting" Well GEE thanks! much more informed now!

Does David write all the Galnet posts?
It's like one of his interviews, all "Exciting" and "Interesting" but never really says much.

 

[starman]

I tried looking on Galnet last night to find out where the Alien base was before looking online.

Found a single story about it (amongst all the powerplay news that no one cares about) and it told me next to nothing.
It was basically "There's thargoid stuff, It's all very interesting and exciting" Well GEE thanks! much more informed now!

Does David write all the Galnet posts?
It's like one of his interviews, all "Exciting" and "Interesting" but never really says much.

Its must be quite a challenge to pretend not to know what's coming up or how all the magic works. Its like the wizard of oz.

Guy Richie recently stated that he forgets that he made the film so can watch and wonder what happens next. Yeah King Arthur we all want to forget...

 

[starman]

Then ye know as much as I do and I dont even need to play the game to know it...one can follow the entire thing on both the forums and OA youtube and still be as clued in as anyone actually playing the game. In fact, if ye dont use external sources like the forums and youtube, and simply stay in the game itself, the non player could actually be more clued in than you are.

Now thats storytelling...ye know the story by playing other games and never logging in to play elite again. I suppose some like it...personally I think its a bit of a joke. Frontier tried to break from the norm and do something nobody has ever attempted before. Theres actually a good reason why nobody has ever tried it before...seems frontier have no idea what that reason was and charged ahead at full steam...

I gotta say, it hasnt exactly been a resounding success story so far...but thats the beauty of youtube...one doesnt actually need to be here to follow the story and one can find other activities to occupy ones time and completely ignore it ^

Isnt that the META GAME? a franchise extend beyond say the core 'FILM'" Disney films are really just 2 hr adverts for the merchandise. Lucas made more money the toy licence.

 

[verminstar]

Isnt that the META GAME? a franchise extend beyond say the core 'FILM'" Disney films are really just 2 hr adverts for the merchandise. Lucas made more money the toy licence.

Maybe if obsidian was making money which Im fairly sure he isnt, while Drew hasnt become a best selling author with book signings every weekend. If this is about making money then...nah I got nothin sorry, Im literally lost fer words at this point because it occurs to me that ye might actually be technically right ^

 

[CapuchinSeven]

Walls of text? Cut scenes are not allowed. I remember seeing a demo of a visual news reporting system at an expo. Where events around the galaxy were reported on visually. Or maybe I just imagined it. Think CNN for Elite.

The original argument for not having cut scene was that the graphics quality was noticeable higher that gameplay graphics. This is no longer the case. A ejection sequence would be nice. There is a trailer where u can definitely see the comander walking about and entering the ship.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwvjElmFCfE Look space legs!

Oooh look, 'conders actually being outmaneuvered and needing to use turrets rather than FA'ing all over the place with engineered dirty drives.

 

[starman]

Maybe if obsidian was making money which Im fairly sure he isnt, while Drew hasnt become a best selling author with book signings every weekend. If this is about making money then...nah I got nothin sorry, Im literally lost fer words at this point because it occurs to me that ye might actually be technically right ^

What is the difference between being technically right and just right.

[video=youtube;hou0lU8WMgo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hou0lU8WMgo[/video]

 

[starman]

you cant make money of the back of Elite unless you give it to Frontier. Coming up with a completely original story that will grab a market is quite hard. Writing story based on branded content is a popular strategy. Look at the approach with the third game it actually breaks the original philosophy of owning the stack.#

Any plans for a Planet Coaster novel?

 

[starman]

Maybe if obsidian was making money which Im fairly sure he isnt, while Drew hasnt become a best selling author with book signings every weekend. If this is about making money then...nah I got nothin sorry, Im literally lost fer words at this point because it occurs to me that ye might actually be technically right ^

Some people make video about how to apply 'make up' . She has millions of followers get free make up a book also . These days its about building up a online presence. Monetisation's comes later. OA has a voice attack voice pack. You become a online celebrity . So then you have a voice that corporations listen to . Still its a strange paradox. It can also back fire. I personally have been cyberstalked. Employers look at your online profile and it can cost you your job. Can you imagine if that cmdrs you were ganking turned out be your boss lol.

 

[hgoel]

Some people make video about how to apply 'make up' . She has millions of followers get free make up a book also . These days its about building up a online presence. Monetisation's comes later. OA has a voice attack voice pack. You become a online celebrity . So then you have a voice that corporations listen to . Still its a strange paradox. It can also back fire. I personally have been cyberstalked. Employers look at your online profile and it can cost you your job. Can you imagine if that cmdrs you were ganking turned out be your boss lol.

Being fired for your behavior towards your boss in a video game would be extremely unethical and potentially illegal in some parts of the world. That's a bad narrative to try to push. This is like suggesting that you can lose your job for getting into an internet argument on say, Reddit, on a topic unrelated to work.

Also, I don't see where people seem to be getting the idea that most people in this thread want the story to be centered around them. Most posts are asking for the game to make it possible to experience the story, we shouldn't have to look up something online to find its location even after a Galnet post.

 

[starman]

Being fired for your behavior towards your boss in a video game would be extremely unethical and potentially illegal in some parts of the world. That's a bad narrative to try to push. This is like suggesting that you can lose your job for getting into an internet argument on say, Reddit, on a topic unrelated to work.

Also, I don't see where people seem to be getting the idea that most people in this thread want the story to be centered around them. Most posts are asking for the game to make it possible to experience the story, we shouldn't have to look up something online to find its location even after a Galnet post.

Which parts of the world is that. In my experience bosses use their position to get there staff to do them favours. 'Paint their fence'.

Yes its happened getting fired for online rant http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2009/08/10/woman-fired-facebook-after-rant

Just look at this forum. I have got into hot water regarding comments about the 'Corporation'

I was at a party and randomly met someone who was a recruiter for Amazon. I said something random and now can never work for Amazon. The point being a comment made in a informal setting impacts you professional space. Hopefully she was drunk and wont remember it.