Skip to content

IMO on Lore: If it isn't broken, why are you 'fixing' it?

lights eternal··4 votes·739 views

Any plumber, contractor, - person of any trade really, - would say the same thing to you.

If the lore is good as it stands, and functions (not only functions, but is well loved by the community), - why are you trying to 'fix' it? You can't fix something that isn't broken, - but what you can do is potentially ruin what you had previously. I know this as a musician who does a lot of studio work - often your first takes, if you felt them in the moment, aren't going to be improved upon by trying it again 90 times. What you will lose is the 'magic' of the piece, - or in this case: the magic of these stories.
These stories were written likely while the team was excited about creating these champions and their backgrounds. Its that excitement, - that creative amalgam, - that makes a champion's lore 'magical', compelling, and worth reading.

Go through all of your champions, and consider just how many of these champions you're going to have to re-VO, (nearly all of them), to make the switch from a game where the champions are communicating with the summoner/player, - to a game where the champions are communicating with.... ???
How many loyal players are you going to rub the wrong way in this process?

My guess is potentially quite a great number.

If it isn't broken, - you have no business trying to fix it.
Add to it, by all means, - expand upon it (please!)
But you really should consider that re-iterating, doing a 'second take' on the lore is going to inherently mean that that original creative energy felt by the whole development team at RIOT is going to be lost in part, or possibly in whole.
Especially considering just how opposed the community seems to be to these changes.

IME, I never completely rewrite a song, or try to simplify a song once its already written and recorded. It is what it is. I can add to it, - but I'm much less inclined to take things away from it. Because at the moment I put those notes and words together, it becomes less something that I own, and more something that has a shared ownership.

-

These are just my own experiences as a creative, myself. Maybe they will shed light for a developer should one come across this thread.

Thanks!

3 Comments

EmWtTxCTGL3 votes

Lore was broken and was not well loved by the community.

Infact people hated it outwardly. The lore has always been poor and just NOT interesting. The ways the lore was delivered was not interesting (ie paragraphs are great for people who want to go more indepth, but for the masses who want small doses of context it's not an enjoyable way to get lore), the actual lore itself had problems...all around it was a mess.

That's why it's being "fixed" and fixed for good in a way that lets the lore guys tell champion stories without being hindered by stupid crap.

I'm butthurt everything has been removed, everything I knew poof gone. But I can understand it's for the greater good. I want to love the characters, but haven't had a lot of opportunities to love them. Jinx is fucking awesome because her story is so visible with out me having to go out of my way to figure out whats up with her. Literally playing her teaches me so much about how fun of a character she is. The part I love about jinx has nothing to do with summoners or a league, or political conflicts between factions. She's the bad guy, caitlyn and Vi want to bring her to justice. Boom I'm satisfied and so is most of the community. Now Riot can focus on doing this to more champions and not be hindered by all the other crap.

Now that lore can tell better stories there will be more champions to love for more than how their gameplay works.

lights eternal1 votes

I see your point - to an extent for sure.

But I wonder if there isn't a safer middle ground. - The lore definitely did have problems, but it had a lot interest invested in it from years of player-experience as well. Taking summoners out of the league, - that seems like a rather large leap. Getting rid of a 'league' altogether? - That is borderline insane in terms of how a story should be crafted around a game. Without a league - well... There is an 'L' missing in 'LoL'.

I just wonder, like I said, if there isn't a way to preserve what people love - and what seems to be an essential part of the production aspects of this game (ie: champion voice-overs, so on). Why change what is essential to the game? That seems like a great way to potentially start a downward spiral toward a completely broken game in terms of its story-craft. The stories could be expanded upon, - even changed slightly or broadened out like you're saying. Take some of the restrictive elements of the story, and maybe edit a couple of them out based on how problematic they are in terms of developing plots for future champions to join the 'league'. But once again, without a league, we're really back at square one, if not somewhere in.... the void Velkoz .

I just feel as if there are very likeable if not loveable parts of this game that are deeply invested in the lore. That champions talk back, - some are bubbly, some are feisty, some are more than a little evil Veigar (was that a short joke?) - when you remove key components... like the summoner for instance as is being discussed - suddenly my champion is talking to himself/herself. Although that makes the lady of luminosity definitely slightly wilder, (and explains a couple of errant lasers on my part), - it makes for extremely hard to fill plot-holes.

Not to mention the production costs of having all of that voice talent go back into the studio for take #15, trying to recapture Lux, Draven, Sona, - with lines that are directed at... who exactly?

A middle ground would be the most pleasing I feel for everyone. It would be very disadvantageous to remove what 'works'.

lights eternal2 votes

Love the downvotes without the opinions here. lol :)

More from [ARCHIVED] Miscellaneous

More by lights eternal