Why is LORE SO IMPORTANT TO ALL OF YOU?

Occams Raiser·Apr 26, 2015·3 votes·4,400 views

Explain to me why people give a shit about the lore in a game like this. I'm not being snotty. I really want to know. It doesn't seem to play a part in anything. I have been playing since S3. I would rarely read the character bios. That button they took out that looked like in-world news I never read. I don't understand Why we fight on the field of justice and I seem to do just fine.

Now I see lot of people asking about the lore. When there are SO many problems people are asking about story. Was it awesome before? They didn't seem to think so. When I saw the news that they would be rebooting it I thought it was to streamline it into something workable and interesting.

Wouldn't you rather have ALL HANDS ON the tribunal?

69 Comments

Tesla EffectApr 26, 20156 votes

Honest question, are you a person who likes lore in general or are you more of a gameplay person?

Deep Terror NamiApr 26, 20154 votes

Pretty sure we already know the answer to that.

Tesla EffectApr 26, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Valkyrie Witch,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2015-04-26T08:16:16.376+0000)

Pretty sure we already know the answer to that.

Actually no. League of Legends, the game, does not have a story nor does you continuous playing of it make any narrative difference. Besides the things that were uploaded on the net, the game itself has 0 lore development. You do not have cutscenes, character growth, world changes or anything that revolves around a story. You are the one who makes your own gameplay stories, but thats all you can do.

I want to know if he likes lore and if this game is just one instant where he doesnt care about lore because the game itself doesnt present properly for the fans or at all during gameplay.

This was a problem that the game had long before the retcon, which is why after the retcon the game in general did not change at all. Visually, yes, but overall experience and gameplay is the same MOBA style. I dont understand people that still want the game to have connections to the lore, when it barely even expanded anything story related. Internet lore updates did the expanding, but not as much as it could have if it didnt tried to cling to the MOBA gameplay.

Just think of the game as the "All - star" representation of what their future world has to offer. The small amount of important figures (champions), the worlds many powerful artifacts (items) and the worlds locations miniturised for the need of the MOBA gameplay (maps), the worlds creatures (monsters) and the many constructs and structures are all just windows to a world that expands outside of the game. This was done to not make the lore revolve around the MOBA gameplay, and to make it accessable for many future types of games that are able to expand the lore in better ways.

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20152 votes

It is just one instance. Because this game doesn't progress. If they released different maps that showed them getting closer to something maybe....

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20152 votes

In TF2 I read all the supplemental material. The game modes made sense to the story they were telling and the add-ons they implemented over time. The animation they did gave you insight into the characters motivation. I love the world of TF2 cause it had personality. But this...

Just pretend I said the opposite of everything I said earlier.

Ebonmaw DragonApr 26, 20155 votes

Because in this game we use champions, they talk, they have names, even their skills have names... they are "someone"... if the lore didn't mattered we would play with circles and squares with different sizes and colors instead... like chess pieces.

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20151 votes

They might as well. If they were geo shapes it wouldn't change the game one bit. I bet while they are testing creation there place holders are just arrows

Ebonmaw DragonApr 27, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Occams Raiser,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=00080000,timestamp=2015-04-26T16:45:13.424+0000)

They might as well. If they were geo shapes it wouldn't change the game one bit. I bet while they are testing creation there place holders are just arrows

Im sure that less than the quarter of the people that plays LoL would play the game if it had geometrical shapes instead of characters

Occams RaiserApr 27, 20151 votes

I wasn't making an argument for a lack of flare.

TerraRisingApr 26, 20155 votes

[{quoted}](name=Occams Raiser,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=,timestamp=2015-04-26T08:04:11.260+0000)

Explain to be why people give a shit about the lore in a game like this.

There are people who want experience more than just clicking sprites. For some, great lore adds to the experience.

I'm not being snotty. I really want to know.

Yes, you are being snotty. But, we'll let that slide.

I doesn't seem to play a part in anything. I have been playing since S3. I would rarely read the character bios. That button that took out that looked like in-world news I never read. I don't understand Why we fight on the field of justice and I seem to do just fine.

For you, League of Legends is just a game that you just play. You could have started playing a week ago or started playing in Beta, the time you have into the game really doesn't matter one iota. You, as an individual, don't care about the lore, the champ bios, League Judgments or the Journals of Justice. For you, League is entirely about the game and that's fine for you

Some of us, however, want a bit more of an experience than that. Good lore brings insight into how a champion is supposed to be played. Sion, for instance, is an undead juggernaut who can turn the tide of a battle single-handedly. Knowing that, I would never play Sion like I would Ahri, an assassin who lures victims in with her charms. For me, knowing Sion's story helps me play the champion appropriately without waiting for a tier list or some streaming pro player to make the champion into a solo queue FotM.

Now I see lot of people asking about the lore. When there are SO many problems people are asking about story. Was it awesome before? They didn't seem to think so. When I saw the news that they would be rebooting it I thought it was to streamline it into something workable and interesting.

Wouldn't you rather have ALL HANDS ON the tribunal?

This question is complete bullshit. Why should it be an either/or thing? Why can't Riot, a company who is so "community focused" not want to fix all of their major problems, including lore? Why do they have to sacrifice something, like lore, to get the tribunal released? Besides, what insight could a narrative writer provide for the Tribunal, a system for punishing players?

And no, as a lore fan, I'd rather have a solid and cohesive lore that's consistently updated than some player driven punishment system.

Stars ShaperApr 26, 20154 votes

Since this generation thinks CoD is the best game franchise ever I don't get surprised by ppl ignoring the Lore.

To ppl who actually played good games (Warcraft, Diablo, Diablo 2, FF, Devil May Cry 1-3-4, Legend of Zelda etc.) actually care about the immersion a game gives and also the affinity with certain characters making it the main reason ppl play them.

OnegarionApr 27, 20151 votes

Just about any Final Fantasy game and especially the better ones do the same. WHen you think about the biggest games in history they are either innovative through gameplay or they have a story that brings you back. There is a reason Bethesda can keep releasing Elder Scrolls games. They fall into both these categories. The Walking Dead Video game is a GREAT story telling game.

The games with a great story tend to last. WHy do people think Mass Effects ending had such a TERRIBLE back lash. Because the story matters to a ton of people and the immersion matters. I just wish more people would understand this and get out of the crappy games that are just another knock off or typical genre game (COD)

Tesla EffectApr 27, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Just about any Final Fantasy game and especially the better ones do the same. WHen you think about the biggest games in history they are either innovative through gameplay or they have a story that brings you back. There is a reason Bethesda can keep releasing Elder Scrolls games. They fall into both these categories. The Walking Dead Video game is a GREAT story telling game.

The games with a great story tend to last. WHy do people think Mass Effects ending had such a TERRIBLE back lash. Because the story matters to a ton of people and the immersion matters. I just wish more people would understand this and get out of the crappy games that are just another knock off or typical genre game (COD)

You are talking about games that focus on very different aspects. While Mass Effect had its type of gameplay, its driving force was the story of that game, not the gameplay itself. League of Legends the game, its driving force is the stratigic gameplay, not the lore itself.

MOBAs are the knock off games, they were created from other games as mods of those games. They original purpose was the make a different gameplay from the vanilla (primarily foxus is gameplay, not story).

Stars ShaperApr 27, 20153 votes

Actually MOBAs where a mod from Warcraft in order to recreate other fantasy enviroments (See Lord of the Rings, there was an EPIC "Helm's Deep" map which really felt it deserved a game all for itself). Having a "lack" of backstory was fine because it either was used to replicate other stories enviroment or just because the Lore backing it was the Wacìrcraft one.

When you create a whole new game, with new characters and so on you NEED to give them a background and one spicy enough to involve players to make them want to play that. "we are some cool guys hitting eachothers because reasons" is one of the things that made me leave DotA 2 for LoL because the onlya ctual character I liked there int erms of background was Zeus.

RoMzApr 26, 20154 votes

I remember playing Warcraft 3 (both RoC & TFT) as a kid and a huge reason why I loved the game besides the Ladder and Custom Games was the Lore in the campaign. I absolutely loved the story of Thrall building Orgrimmar, Arthas seeking out the power of Frostmoure, etc. They way it was told and being played out really made me feel connected to those characters. It may be too late for this but I feel like if they added a campaign to each champion release. Not something too big or anything but something that can connect you to the champion. I would like lore to return so the champions actually feel like people rather then just characters we are playing adds a whole lot to the game.

StarlighteApr 26, 20153 votes

I'd echo what Tesla Effect has pointed out but it is unnecessary.

Some people like good books. Some people like good movies. Some people like their books/movies to be representative of the media that they are pulling inspiration from.

You seem to be a movie person. I am a book person. What book people are asking of Riot, is that their books/movies are representative of the media that they are pulling representation from.

There was a BBC version of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and it was fucking AWFUL. That is not to say the Disney version was good, but it was better. Currently, lore is in the reverse situation, where the historical precedent was good, and it is currently worse.

Ergo, "community outrage"

People who read the books/watch the movies want both to be as close to the original as possible, and that is where lore is.

Inobvious metaphor is super obvious.

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20152 votes

HMM. I didn't know it was good to start off with. What is the big difference? AND WHY are we fighting on SR?

AshenFoxApr 26, 20155 votes

It used to be that SR was a cultivated battleground. An 'Arena' maintained by the Summoners of the Institute of War, for the purpose of settling disputes between the various Nations and Factions of Runeterra. All to prevent the outbreak of War between these groups, because past wars had led the whole of Runeterra to the brink of utter ruin and destruction.

So, basically, everyone has lots of magic and was using it to fight wars. This was, in turn, destroying the world. So the 3 most powerful Summoners in the world got together, founded the IoW and the League of Legends to prevent any more wars, and thereby save the world from itself. The map for Dominion (for example) was a disputed territory between Noxus and Demacia where fighting broke out. IoW said, "Stop. Now." No one listened. "Stop or we will stop you." No one listened.... and then the froze the whole town in time... which unfortunately caused it to become 'time locked' (it doesn't move forward in time). So, the IoW turned it into another battleground in honor and memory of the incident, and as a reminder that you don't fuck with the IoW or the Summoners.

Now? Now SR is just some mountain, somewhere in Runeterra. That's it. There hasn't actually BEEN any developments or anything to explain.... well... basically ANYTHING. There are whole champions that had big pasts, stories and motivations, many of them revolving around the League. For example, Jax fights with a lamp post because when he was allowed to fight with actual weapons, he murderized EVERYONE, and most of the summoners in the IoW started to question him even being allowed to be a champion. Now? Now we have no freaking clue how Jax fits into.... well... anything. :/

Tesla EffectApr 26, 20151 votes

Yes thats all well and good, but did you all have that told to you in the game or did you have to look it all up online. There is a difference between what lore is presented in LoL the game and what is outside of it. We dont learn anything about the world other than the essential gameplay needed elements. So in honesty, the retcon did nothing to the game. Its an outside thing that only effects the fans that care about it, but the game was fine before and after it. The champion bios are very very loosly connected to what you do in the game, they just basically extracts from the main site which is honestly getting more accessable with each patch trought the PVP.net interface, but the interface itself is not the game. The game is what you get after the loading screen and non of that has expanded on the lore sufficiently enought to be warranted any connection to the lore. Champions say their lines, yes, but they are as I said only a window to the world not the door that opens to it.

AshenFoxApr 26, 20152 votes

Tesla.... where did I say ANYTHING about any of what you just said. He asked for clarification. I clarified the direct point. I'm not here to debate you, or to debate the merits of Riot's lack of action on Lore, or anything else like that. So please, stop being confrontational every time people who are dissatisfied with the current state of the Lore say so, or even imply so.

Want to know why I find you especially annoying in this regard? Because I couldn't give 2 shits about the Lore. I stopped paying attention to anything Lore related a LONG LONG time ago, so I'm not a 'dissatisfied' person wining about Lore issue. I'm a player who posted to clarify a point.

Now, kindly unplug your keyboard, and stop talking for a few hours. Thanks. :)

StarlighteApr 26, 20158 votes

[{quoted}](name=Occams Raiser,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=00010000,timestamp=2015-04-26T08:27:22.234+0000)

HMM. I didn't know it was good to start off with. What is the big difference? AND WHY are we fighting on SR?

The big difference is the answer to your second question. Currently, as Riot's narrative team has envisioned it, LoL=Super Smash Bros. There is no lore-based reason why all of them are fighting in the way they are, they simply are for the game's sake. And THAT is why there is a huge difference. Before, Summoners (us) controlled champions, to decide the fates of conflicts (undisclosed) so as to avoid future Rune Wars where magic was used that could level the world of Runeterra.

Now, we're left with a moba, with lore that are fully encapsulated, where characters are insulated and non-progressing, because, as Riot would say, "It is easier to develop lore and characters this way." which is bullshit, and the community has spoken out against it time, and time again.

Lore was good because it tied the game, to the world, to the characters, back to the game and thus the loop. The world was able to evolve through the JoJ, even if characters didn't change much, they changed a little. There was mystery and intrigue (like A Song of Ice and Fire) where Jarvan IV might be LeBlanc, but in the current iteration where everything is insulated, this sort of intrigue is impossible. Every champion, every faction, is now a one-of spinoff. Look at the lore that has been released over the past 2 years. The stories are in stasis, there is no progression even if there could be. Yasuo will never find out it is Riven, Nami will never save her people, Bard will continue to be the IoW 2.0 because (it makes more sense than an IoW, really Rito?) and Gnar will be..... well yeah... you see where I'm going with this right? Lore currently sucks. Read Lux's Lore, and read the story of where she is mentally probed by the League, testing the very nature of her character and finding the flaws, finding her raison d'etre. Shit released today, PALES in comparison to what was released at the start of LoL. This is why fans are mad. This is why the retcon is a slap in the face. This is why those who have been avid lore-fans, are leaving the game. Nothing is sacred. Riot made that clear with Trundle. If your champion, that you love and have time and emotion invested in, doesn't fit their ideal, they WILL rewrite the lore, and they will gut whatever you loved from that character.

There is no longer a reason for fighting on SR. There is no longer a canon. There is no longer anything worth pointing to and saying "This is what we gave up the IoW, and 3 years worth of lore for."

And THAT is why the lore sucks. THAT is why the fans are mad. THAT is why Riot needs to step up, or admit that they don't give a shit about the lore anymore.

GenoXxApr 26, 20153 votes

You know, this is probably the exact same attitude riot has about lore. No wonder we can't get anything we ask for as a community because it's people like this who constantly remind Riot why they shouldn't treat lore as a priority anymore.

Definitely was in the seasons I did not play League in, now they have more players nd just shrug it off. Even though lore is what attracted players like me. I'm not interested in that e-sports shit or LCS. Or any of those national team tournaments they host. Leave that to the players who want it. But for Riot to ignore a very small part of the LoL community thats only asking for some measly stories is already sad enough.

We don't need someone like you to come and try to justify why no one would even care about this matter. If you don't like reading stories( or reading at all)** don't come and post stupid threads like this because you feel like it's pointless for any one to be addressing the matter.** Stick to going to gameplay balance or General discussion. It's really no reason at all to be ignorant at all.

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20151 votes

For someone who says they like reading stuff, you sure don't do it.

GenoXxApr 26, 20153 votes

I did read it. I read everything u had said above. You just sound ignorant.

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20151 votes

Maybe I should have mentioned something about comprehension. I am clearly asking questions as though I am an outsider to the subject that doesn't understand the appeal. Of course I am ignorant to it. I started off by saying that.

Me: "What's with all the people that like Tom Sizemore? Is he a good actor or something? I have never seen one of his movies." You: "You just sound ignorant!"

GenoXxApr 26, 20153 votes

[{quoted}](name=Occams Raiser,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=0009000000000000,timestamp=2015-04-26T18:18:28.178+0000)

Maybe I should have mentioned something about comprehension. I am clearly asking questions as though I am an outsider to the subject that doesn't understand the appeal. Of course I am ignorant to it. I started off by saying that.

Me: "What's with all the people that like Tom Sizemore? Is he a good actor or something? I have never seen one of his movies." You: "You just sound ignorant!"

Don't try to play innocent. You came in this section of the boards bashing lore fans with an ignorant thread like this. This is how I respond.

Sneak DogApr 26, 20151 votes

"WHY DO YOU LOVE TOM SIZEMORE SO MUCH, WOULDN'T YOU RATHER HAVE AN OTHER ACTOR."

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20151 votes

Help me out with this one. There is no context that I can find where this was witty or funny. I just assume that is what you were going for.

Sneak DogApr 27, 20151 votes

I was comparing your example with how you made your post. You put the title in all-caps and decided to end with "Wouldn't you rather have ALL HANDS ON the tribunal?", a rather silly sentence as it conveys the notion that lore writers would be able to help on the Tribunal.

Overall, the OP seemed polite nor respectful.

Occams RaiserApr 27, 20151 votes

Eh..... I don't know who does what. Never gave it a thought that the guys writing the lore only had one job. If that is all they do, they are contractors for sure. No one would put them on the payroll for lore alone.

Dies to WolvesApr 26, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Occams Raiser,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=,timestamp=2015-04-26T08:04:11.260+0000)

Explain to be why people give a shit about the lore in a game like this. I'm not being snotty. I really want to know. I doesn't seem to play a part in anything. I have been playing since S3. I would rarely read the character bios. That button that took out that looked like in-world news I never read. I don't understand Why we fight on the field of justice and I seem to do just fine.

Now I see lot of people asking about the lore. When there are SO many problems people are asking about story. Was it awesome before? They didn't seem to think so. When I saw the news that they would be rebooting it I thought it was to streamline it into something workable and interesting.

Wouldn't you rather have ALL HANDS ON the tribunal?

people give a shit about the lore because they like lore. Some people, like you, don't, and that's ok. Some people play games without ever reading any of the dialogues or even watching cut scenes at all. Other people like it.
it wasn't particularly awesome (IMO) but it was a LOT better than what we have now
the lore team has nothing to do with tribunal and can't really contribute anything to it at all. It'd be like hiring a photographer to do the plumbing work for your house, as an analogy

Sneak DogApr 26, 20152 votes

Because it makes me enjoy the game more. I like knowing why I'm playing the game, who this champion is, why things are as they are. They make the game more engaging and interesting.

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20151 votes

I would like it to be more engaging as well.

KhyberApr 27, 20152 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBNpS8QqD_I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAgzWCXEPT4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLKTkC6TpF4

Without lore we wouldn't have fun shit like this, stories and whatnot give the community something to discuss and have fun with. It's what differentiates this game from glorified chess. Depth.

Occams RaiserApr 27, 20151 votes

I cannot combat this argument.

Luner HunterApr 26, 20151 votes

lore allows you to gain attachment to a character or a game... if you don't want any lore then why are you playing an online game?

LegendaryLemurApr 26, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Luner Hunter,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=0004,timestamp=2015-04-26T09:09:35.599+0000)

lore allows you to gain attachment to a character or a game... if you don't want any lore then why are you playing an online game?

seriously, i write fanfics for my bishop and knight every time b4 i start an online chess match

Tesla EffectApr 26, 20153 votes

{quoted}

seriously, i write fanfics for my bishop and knight every time b4 i start an online chess match

Thats roleplaying you personally chosen to do, the game itself did not do any story telling nor is its main purpose to do that. Its there for strategic gameplay that revolves more on thinking what your opponent will do and counter that. it is not there to tell you the story of that King or the pawns. Same with LoL but on a teammates level.

People asked for lore from a game that can not and isnt designed for such things.

LegendaryLemurApr 26, 20154 votes

[{quoted}](name=Tesla Effect,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=o5bGcvYG,comment-id=000400000001,timestamp=2015-04-26T09:28:55.624+0000)

Thats roleplaying you personally chosen to do, the game itself did not do any story telling nor is its main purpose to do that. Its there for strategic gameplay that revolves more on thinking what your opponent will do and counter that. it is not there to tell you the story of that King or the pawns. Same with LoL but on a teammates level.

People asked for lore from a game that can not and isnt designed for such things.

Ikr, i'm so sick of lore getting in the way of game balance. Brand should not be immune to ignite or Lee Sin to Teemo's Q. Its like they put the writers in charge of a tv show instead of the actors its plain dumb.

Occams RaiserApr 26, 20153 votes

I think they are right to not give a shit personally. I think the only thing you could do effective in a game like this is tell the story of how they arrived at SR. Besides that their outside lives don't matter. There is only the now.

In TF2 It looks like those guys punch a clock. They have off time. They are not just who they are while fighting. And the story goes on. In LOL it doesn't look like those guys go home. They don't have adventures outside of SR. They were plucked from their existence to be the tools of stronger entities. I did like that idea at least. But I don't need to know what Darius does in his off time. He isn't interesting like the TF2 Spy.

OnegarionApr 27, 20151 votes

He could be if you knew his back story tho or his tales of what he does. WHat if he was secrectly a Drag Queen of league and its why he is so into himself?

Occams RaiserApr 27, 20151 votes

Maybe. He-she is more my thing. Drag queens lack conviction.

OnegarionApr 27, 20152 votes

Actually at one point the in game actions mattered. Look up the Ionion/Noxus Match. Its why we have item 3158 now because of that game that actually had real things attached to it. The lore drove the events that lead to the real game. So tell me that lore has no in game relevance.

Tesla EffectApr 27, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Actually at one point the in game actions mattered. Look up the Ionion/Noxus Match. Its why we have now because of that game that actually had real things attached to it. The lore drove the events that lead to the real game. So tell me that lore has no in game relevance.

It does not actually, lore is referenced in the game is is not the driving force of the game.

XulsigaeApr 27, 20151 votes

At one point we did is what he said. The Ionia versus Noxus match was heavily lore based and affected gameplay.

Tesla EffectApr 27, 20151 votes

{quoted}

At one point we did is what he said. The Ionia versus Noxus match was heavily lore based and affected gameplay.

Did it affect the gameplay, did that match alter the way we play the game. No. If there was in-game changes to your matches reflecting the event, visual and narrative changes that altered the very way you played the game, cutscenes, character growth that lasted long after the matches ended... none of those things happened, because MOBA game is a terrible place to have a narrative story next to what the game was primarily build for, the gameplay.

XulsigaeApr 27, 20151 votes

Yes it did. The players of that match affected gameplay by who won and the choice they made for the item.

Also it accelerated the removal of Innervating Locket but that's a whole other issue. Guardsman Bob on Udyr...terrifying.

Tesla EffectApr 27, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Yes it did. The players of that match affected gameplay by who won and the choice they made for the item.

But did that change the story of League of Legends the game not Leageu of Legends the lore? The game story has been the same from its creation, better to say there is no story. The game is storyless, there are no "campains" of any kind, no story quests described in the game. It is just the gameplay. The real world is what we give to it, our own mark to it, it is not something that is part of the game, hardwired in it and so forth.

XulsigaeApr 27, 20151 votes

What? Could you rephrase that please?

Kuro BansheeApr 27, 20152 votes

First let me respond by saying that is the most convoluted piece of Anti-Lore garbage I've seen to date, so kudos to you for that.

Now as for the story of LoL the game, the fact that item 3158 references Ionia winning the freedom of their nation from Noxus means that the story did in fact change. Also before the retcon LoL the Game and LoL the Lore were for all intents and purposes the same thing!!!

Finally, what do you mean with that last sentence?