Suggestion: Make Lore More Accessible

ElVexo
ElVexo
The Elder Scrolls games have always excelled in their rich lore and magnificent world-building. ESO is no exception. However, unlike the single player games, the lore in ESO can be very difficult to consume. I believe there are two ways in which the game could be improved by increasing the accessibility of the lore.

1. Solo Dungeon Design: Many of the solo dungeons contain a story line told through a number of books or scrolls placed along the linear path of the dungeon. Unfortunately, in most cases, if a player takes the time to stop and enjoy the story line, enemies spawn all around the distracted adventurer. Even with Eidetic Memory (the culmination of the Mages Guild quest line) or an add-on like Librarian, accessing the missed content afterwards is difficult and time-consuming. Placing the dungeon lore items in a part of the dungeon safe from enemies would vastly improve players' ability to enjoy the game.

2. Offline Access: By its very nature, an MMO imparts a certain urgency upon players. When grouping, we feel an obligation to our party members to not make them twiddle their thumbs while we stop and read novels at every bookshelf we pass. Often times even outside of solo dungeons, lore items are placed in areas in which the player can be attacked while reading. Additionally, many players simply feel a drive to play the game while playing the game. Time spent reading lore, regardless of how enjoyable it is, can feel like a waste of limited game-time. Making discovered lore items available offline through the players' account page would allow players the opportunity to enjoy the lore at their own pace, in their offline time, without disrupting their adventuring time.

[EDIT: After a shockingly civil and productive discussion, I'm adding a third, related suggestion for improvement.]

3. Advanced Search/Filter Criteria: So that players can enjoy lore books they have collected but were unable to read at the time, add enhanced search/filter criteria for Eidetic Memory that allows the player to easily find lore items by associated quest or location found.

We, the half dozen or more consumers of ES lore, appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to seeing it implemented with the next patch.
Edited by ElVexo on 5 June 2014 18:36
  • ZOS_TristanK
    ZOS_TristanK
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    Hey, @ElVexo. We wanted to let you know that we've moved this thread to the general discussion forum so our other players and read and discuss. Thanks!
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  • Saltypretzels
    Saltypretzels
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    i would like this feature also. Also is there dialogue somewhere for all of the quests in the group dungeons? Because I usually have to skip that too since the group is already running ahead.
  • ElVexo
    ElVexo
    Thanks for the assist, @ZOS_TristanK‌. I wasn't sure of the most appropriate forum to post in.
    Edited by ElVexo on 30 May 2014 16:27
  • Ragnar_Lodbrok
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    I have no problem where lore is placed. If you want to see all ES lore offline, go to elder scrolls wikia, it has every piece of lore in all ES games there.
  • Caroloces
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    I think your suggestion is a great idea. I also sense the urgency when you're grouping with others, and while I have an impulse to do more exploration and reading while grouping with others, I often let that go so I don't let my group members down during combat.
  • Dimar
    Dimar
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    I think your missing the point. The point is to seek out the lore. That's why it's placed as it is, a reason to explore not just stored in a library so you don't have to do anything to get it.
  • ElVexo
    ElVexo
    Ragnar makes a fair point. All (or at least much) of the lore content is available offline via wikis at this point. Similarly, we could go to the wikis to read quest details that we missed by skipping through NPC conversations. To me, however, there is a significant difference between reading my content which I have personally unlocked via exploration in the game and the compiled content of scores of other players. Discovering the missing lore is part of the fun.

    Further, I think it serves ESO better if we are coming to them for our lore rather than 3rd party wikis.
  • Windshadow_ESO
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    It would be best if this could be considered. The op has focused one of the problems that you have going from a solo game to a multiplayer game

    the problem with the wiki mentioned is that it is far to easy to see spoilers and not have the unfolding story part of the experience ... One on the reasons I seldom group is that I like to read these as I go through an area... I only group if I have seen all the story content of a section before as very few want to do anything in a group but blast through a place as fast as they can
  • jdoe
    jdoe
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    I think the discussion thus far is very constructive, and I don't really have any specific suggestions, other than I wish we could somehow bring more TES newcomers into the lore. Lore is absolutely a vital part of the ES franchise, and I personally believe that's what really separates ESO and other MMOs (having such a rich history of lore). Moreover there are so many just AMAZING things for a lore buff in the ESO universe that had never been seen before. I just wish we had some good means to bring those who are new to TES into it. Though, part of it may simply be that we are closer to the beginning of the lore, and thus not as much of it is as of yet written.
  • Rosveen
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    I have no problem where lore is placed. If you want to see all ES lore offline, go to elder scrolls wikia, it has every piece of lore in all ES games there.
    For lore summaries and in-game books you go to the Imperial Library (the best option) or UESP. Both better than the wiki.

    I support the OP's suggestions, though these days I usually don't read in dungeons and sift through Librarian after I'm done questing. Group dungeons are the worst, if I'm running a PUG I never have time to read anything. I have to take screenshots of every dialogue... But this can't be helped.
  • ElVexo
    ElVexo
    jdoe wrote: »
    Lore is absolutely a vital part of the ES franchise, and I personally believe that's what really separates ESO and other MMOs (having such a rich history of lore).

    I couldn't agree more. And that's why it bothers me that so much of the lore is difficult to experience.

  • Worstluck
    Worstluck
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    Yes, this has bothered me from day one. A lot of the lore books are in places that I have to quickly 'read' them, or I will risk dying to re-spawning monsters. I realize that most of this lore is available outside of the game, that's not the point. It's a role-playing game that does have some immersion, and it's nice to get immersed in the lore while playing the game, not reading a wikipedia page.
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  • Ragnar_Lodbrok
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    Worstluck wrote: »
    Yes, this has bothered me from day one. A lot of the lore books are in places that I have to quickly 'read' them, or I will risk dying to re-spawning monsters. I realize that most of this lore is available outside of the game, that's not the point. It's a role-playing game that does have some immersion, and it's nice to get immersed in the lore while playing the game, not reading a wikipedia page.

    You do realize that once you get eidetic memory you can reread all the lore youve read up to that point?
  • ElVexo
    ElVexo
    You do realize that once you get eidetic memory you can reread all the lore youve read up to that point?

    Yes, but there are over 2,000 total lore books between Eidetic Memory and Shalidor's Library. The individual items in the list are not named 'Deshaan Solo Dungeon #5 parts 1-4.' It's prohibitively difficult to find the specific item you were just reading when 3 bandits spawned on you.

    And, as was suggested in the quoted post, that's not the point. We're requesting the level of immersion this role-playing game deserves.

    I absolutely concede the point that the lore books are available via EM and external wikis. But I think there is still room to (1) improve lore book locations so you can read them in-game without catching aggro and (2) read lore books in an offline mode customized for the account/character that discovered the lore via exploration.
  • Snowstrider
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    Most lore books in eso are just old books we have already read in other games,Wish most of the new ones would be saved in the lore library too.
  • PBpsy
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    We are the good guys. They are the bad guys . The daedra are the evil or not that evil daemons. The Aedra are the good worthless angels/impotent creator gods.We must kill all the bad guys and the evil daedra. We don't know where the aedra are and we sometime like to hang out with not so bad daedra because they are kewl. That is a as accessible and still as I accurate I can make it.
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  • poodlemasterb16_ESO
    poodlemasterb16_ESO
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    Yeah for TES players there is not a lot of new stuff. I mainly read everything, well speed read really, for the buffs. I have taken my low level crafters into very tough places just to read the books. An enchanter takes forever to level and a few books make a big difference.

    I make a point of clearing the bookshelves areas but a lot of what I enjoy is a bit perverse. Boss? Oh yeah he's over there, I just came to read.
  • ElVexo
    ElVexo
    I'm thinking that as an addendum to the original post, another useful addition would be some advanced search/filter criteria for Eidetic Memory that allows the player to easily find lore items by associated quest or location found.
  • Catflinger
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    Most lore books in eso are just old books we have already read in other games,Wish most of the new ones would be saved in the lore library too.

    This game has brought in at least some new fans to the Elder Scrolls world who haven't played the older games. Yep, we exist. :) I actually spent time on UESP reading up on all the back stories to get caught up because it was pretty overwhelming at first.
  • Epona222
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    Honestly as a long-time TES fan, I was expecting to come to this thread and rage against any watering-down of the lore!

    But the suggestions you make are excellent and well needed, it it not possible to sit and read when there is a mob going to spawn behind you any second or a party waiting for you, and we shouldn't really have to wait until much later in the game to be able to take a perk to go back and read all the missives and documents in a dungeon.

    So yeah, good thread.
    Edited by Epona222 on 31 May 2014 14:33
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  • ElVexo
    ElVexo
    I've edited the OP with the fruits of our labors. That's good work, boys.
  • ShedsHisTail
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    Should be a "Great Library" in each of the Capitol Cities containing all of the major lore books.

    What would be -super- killer is if that Library also had a "Fiction" setting where the Devs could include user created content. Stories and fan-fiction and such.
    "As an online discussion of Tamrielic Lore grows longer, the probability of someone blaming a Dragon Break approaches 1." -- Sheds' Law
    Have you seen the Twin Lamps?
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