Do you think the lore of the series is generic? : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:38 pm

Oblivio could ave been a verry different game if more of the obscure lore was taken into consideration and implemented, just imagine if te insperation that went into KotN was rampand in vanilla oblivion

I wished KotN had more interesting books, other than Song of Pelinal, something on Alessia, Morihaus and about Umaril's father (that I would love to see it)

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:08 pm

Someone must have gotten these forums confused with Amalur.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:14 am

I find myself curious, though this is probably the wrong place to ask this question: What is Dark Souls about? What is the lore there? I want to know if I'm missing something huge, if (certain) people (who likely don't know what they're talking about) think that TES is generic in comparison.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:55 pm

As people have said before, the surface elements are often very generic (Morrowind is an exception). So you can't really blame people for thinking it is generic when all they see is very similar to what they have seen in every other poorly written universe before. The books make it less generic, but it doesn't matter if they don't do anything with them.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:19 pm

Someone must have gotten these forums confused with Amalur.

That was Rolston's one, was it not? Is it worth buying? I'm not a fan of Salvatore's writing style/technique per se, but he's one of the better FR writers IMO.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:24 pm

Funny that a topic like this comes up while the biggest Lore event is going on right now.

Damn memospore

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:03 am

As people have said before, the surface elements are often very generic (Morrowind is an exception). So you can't really blame people for thinking it is generic when you have to dig through the books when all they see is very similar to what they have seen in every other poorly written universe before.

Not blaming anyone. It sounds like it, I suppose, but I was mainly trying to be overly specific so that I didn't get burned myself for just saying "people."

Also, I ask so that I can make a better judgment myself. Just as these folks don't know what they're talking about regarding TES, I know literally nothing about DS.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:28 am

That was Rolston's one, was it not? Is it worth buying? I'm not a fan of Salvatore's writing style/technique per se, but he's one of the better FR writers IMO.

It was aight. Truth be told I'm a bigger fan of Claudia Black than Salvatore's writing. I will say that 'generic' did come to mind a couple of times while playing it, but it's worth giving a shot.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:16 am

Not blaming anyone. It sounds like it, I suppose, but I was mainly trying to be overly specific so that I didn't get burned myself for just saying "people."

Also, I ask so that I can make a better judgment myself. Just as these folks don't know what they're talking about regarding TES, I know literally nothing about DS.

I was talking about how Tamriel will come across as generic to people who don't know the lore, because very little of what we actually see separates it from every other DnD and Tolkien rip.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 2:46 pm

If a person doesn't give two [censored] about a series, you could talk to them till you're blue in face and not get anywhere. I really wouldn't let it bother anyone all that much.

I wished KotN had more interesting books, other than Song of Pelinal, something on Alessia, Morihaus and about Umaril's father (that I would love to see it)

The songs were fine, as Morihaus and Alessia were there in good capacity. Oblivion also had the Commentaries, which were a fun read. Really, Skyrim could have benefited from some exposition material. As I said, a saga on the Dragon wars or some documents giving a in depth look at the machinations of the Dragon Cult would have been lovely. I did love the Songs of Return though.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:05 pm

It was aight. Truth be told I'm a bigger fan of Claudia Black than Salvatore's writing. I will say that 'generic' did come to mind a couple of times while playing it, but it's worth giving a shot.

Thanks, so into the wishlist it goes...
...Wait, was Claudia Black referenced ironically or do you mean she's doing voice acting on there?

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:27 pm

That was Rolston's one, was it not? Is it worth buying? I'm not a fan of Salvatore's writing style/technique per se, but he's one of the better FR writers IMO.

Its a decent game with very good lore.
Good RPG as well in that you can actually fail at things, skills matter and choice is not always straightforward.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:33 pm

"Generic" is a loaded word and I'm not really interested in engaging it. A lot of elements of TES are familiar, certainly, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing and it does have a lot of unique ideas too.

What's bad is when a series uses those familiar elements as an excuse to not put real thought into its own universe. Even if you didn't like Oblivion or Skyrim, I don't think anyone can level that accusation at TES.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:13 am

Thanks, so into the wishlist it goes...
...Wait, was Claudia Black referenced ironically or do you mean she's doing voice acting on there?

Claudia plays the dueterogonist. It wasn't her best. Either she was just in it for the check or she was trying too hard to distance herself from Aeryn and Morrigan.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:57 pm

Its a decent game with very good lore.
Good RPG as well in that you can actually fail at things, skills matter and choice is not always straightforward.

Sounds awesome.
What's the chargen like, anything like Daggerfall? //yeah ten years+ and I'm still looking for anything to come close to that...//

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:44 pm

Sounds awesome.
What's the chargen like, anything like Daggerfall? //yeah ten years+ and I'm still looking for anything to come close to that...//

Think open world DA:O, but with more build options. But real time. Not turn-based.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:16 pm

Sounds awesome.
What's the chargen like, anything like Daggerfall? //yeah ten years+ and I'm still looking for anything to come close to that...//

No chargen is quite basic but there is a lot of room for character development.
I was very impressed with some of the faction storylines, but I cant delve into that too deeply without spoilers. Also quite impressed with the depth of the lore.
Its a very expansive game and its doubtful youll have seen or done half of it by the time youre max level. So in my opinion that makes it an excellent game for experiencing different content with different characters.

A real, real shame they went bust. I was actually sad over that.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:23 pm

Claudia plays the dueterogonist. It wasn't her best. Either she was just in it for the check or she was trying too hard to distance herself from Aeryn and Morrigan.

Still pretty cool to have both her and Rolston contributing to the same title...

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:16 am

Think open world DA:O, but with more build options. But real time. Not turn-based.

Never played DragonAge, but I do tend to prefer real-time combat over turnbased (simply because it's easier for me).

No chargen is quite basic but there is a lot of room for character development.
[SNIP]
Its a very expansive game and its doubtful youll have seen or done half of it by the time youre max level. So in my opinion that makes it an excellent game for experiencing different content with different characters.

That sounds good, too.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:35 am

The building blocks of the framework are generic. But the actual end result? Hell no.

I've barely begun to scratch the surface of the deeper lore, and even I can already cause headaches for people unacquainted with the TES universe.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:59 am

The building blocks of the framework are generic. But the actual end result? Hell no.

I've barely begun to scratch the surface of the deeper lore, and even I can already cause headaches for people unacquainted with the TES universe.

The eldritch power to cause headaches should never be used for evil. It is a result of becoming more attuned with the Holy Monkey and with great power comes great responsibility, lest he smite you with questionable projectiles.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:04 pm

The building blocks of the framework are generic. But the actual end result? Hell no.

I've barely begun to scratch the surface of the deeper lore, and even I can already cause headaches for people unacquainted with the TES universe.

You're lucky. Whenever I try to explain anything I usually end up spouting garbled gibberish on the stuff I'm currently trying to figure out. Tried explaining the role of gods in the TESverse to one of my professors yesterday and ended up babbling about enantiomorphs and apotheosis. Ah, well.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:02 pm

"Generic" is a loaded word and I'm not really interested in engaging it. A lot of elements of TES are familiar, certainly, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing and it does have a lot of unique ideas too.

What's bad is when a series uses those familiar elements as an excuse to not put real thought into its own universe. Even if you didn't like Oblivion or Skyrim, I don't think anyone can level that accusation at TES.

Right. Skyrim defiantly had thought put into it, and I particularly like how they handled the Civil War's backstory and the Thalmor. How the Thalmor act in Skyrim makes sense if you know Altmer lore. But if you don't, you're likely to get an image of Nazi elves and little else.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:11 pm

You're lucky. Whenever I try to explain anything I usually end up spouting garbled gibberish on the stuff I'm currently trying to figure out. Tried explaining the role of gods in the TESverse to one of my professors yesterday and ended up babbling about enantiomorphs and apotheosis. Ah, well.

I dread DLCs because of this very reason minus the gibbersh. That's what they [my buddies] hear, but I'm being clear as day. Ironically they're the ones who ask me to break it down to them so they can be like "Noooo Way" or "Ooohh [censored]" or "That's crazy". It's worth it when they finally get it.

» Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:59 pm

Generic? Far from it.