IDEA FOR A BETTER RIFT LORE

Hyrim

Some days ago me and my friends completed the storyline in Moonshade Highlands, thus preparing to move towards the next area.

 

I have to say we're having a lot of fun playing so far.

 

One thing that stroke me though, is that RIFT lore, while actually good, is not very visible unless you read all the quest texts or browse some fan site.

 

I think lore is the ingredient that turns a fun game into an interactive experience, compelling us to follow the story and making the players feel like they’re part of a living world.

 

Until now, the main way of streaming lore to the gamers is been text: mainly from quests, but also through meta-game (websites).

 

I think that the overall pace of gameplay in a quest-based MMORPG like RIFT is usually quite fast, and if you're playing with a group of people, it usually gets faster, as you tend to complete your objectives more rapidly.

 

Add to that the unique features of RIFT: rifts and invasions, which give the players a very dynamic feel of the world around them.

 

I think that the very way RIFT gameplay is conceived is not optimal for a text-induced lore, thus the sensation of "shallowness" I've been reading on many forums and, God forgive me, sometimes I also felt.

 

But I wouldn't pose a problem without at least proposing a possible solution.

 

Considering the present state of the art of MMORPG, I think that lore needs some more innovative media in order to feel compelling again.

 

Let’s take for instance the game zones, which I recently found out have each one a unique story and background. In each zone the player actions (quests/dungeons) play a key role in the evolving of the events of that area.

 

I’m sure an extremely small part of RIFT players actually know that, because while they may like to be told a good story, they might not want to read wall of texts to get into it, maybe because reading and paying attention to text is what they’ve done all day at work.

 

So sticking with zones, why not considering an introductory video, like let’s say a very short zone trailer, which explains what’s been happening recently in that area, why that happened and what could the player do to help (or to fight) the main factions in there.

 

It may be not a big feature, but maybe it would be a pleasant addition for all those, like me, who actually love game lore, but want to put their minds at ease while playing and having fun.

 

To be more precise, quest texts do not have to be removed, but they could be optional reading to further delve into the game lore, while the basics have been already pointed out.

And secondly, the so called “zone trailer” could be optional to watch, like a button appearing on the side of the screen the first time you enter that area.

 

I think this could be a way to actually make things easier, but at the same time more compelling and without trivializing them.

 

This is also a feature which is relatively cheap to implement, both funding and effort-wise, while well-crafted videos can also have the positive side effect of promoting the game through viral marketing (via Youtube and such).

 

Please forgive the clunkyness of the post, my first actually, but I think this could be a good idea.

 

What do you think?