Will there be Secrets & Puzzles?

Dec 1, 2018
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#1
Good Evening,

So, just recently having found learned about Em8er and Mark's history working at Blizzard via twitter (and as someone who grew up playing D2 and StarCraft), I knew I had to support this project. Having read the art demo pdf, and watching a few chief chat videos, I really like the vision for this game.

Recently, I was involved in hunting the secrets of Destiny (1), and was a huge lore nerd. What I really enjoyed about that game was that there seemed to be a game within a game, in regards to exploring and piecing together the broken puzzle/spider web that was Destiny's (Vanilla and The Taken King) lore, encrypted messages, the references to various ancient astronomers or the classical model of the cosmos, the Music of the Spheres, and hunting the secrets of the Vault of Glass.

Anyways, I just wanted to ask if there are any plans to incorporate that kind of game within a game elements into Em8er? If not, I am still definitely going to play! However, if there is, I have a Slack channel full of brilliant mad men ready to crack anything you can throw at us!
 

Maven

Kaiju Slayer
Max Kahuna
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Jul 26, 2016
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#2
The lore hunt was one of the things I loved so much about Firefall. While there was indeed a lot of background info and an overarching storyline, so much of the story had a mystery to it. The characters were well thought out, and several seemed to have so much more to tell about what happened before and in the aftermath of the Arclight crash (I still want to know what happened to Mitra Bathsheba, her original story, not the abomination that was after launch). Speculating about what was and what might be in the FireFall universe was something I enjoyed. Even the small bits of random chatter from enemies threw up more questions about what was truly happening.

As for Em8er, based off the info drops from Grummz on Discord and otherwise, there likely wont be much of lore based stuff incorporated into the game for launch. He did, however, confirm that there will be scattered lore recordings across the planet for players to find (again, unsure if these will be in for launch). See snippet below from his conversations on Discord:

Grummz 11/22/2018
Its not going to be promised to be woven into a story, because we aren't promising a huge story arc or such at launch
We do plan to do scattered lore recorddings, etc
But there is a novel I'm writing
so there is a story "out of game" but we're not sure we will have the budget until KS to do more with story "in game
Also, the team is working on developing a Tsi-hu language (Nojah is the dev working on it). The language will be available for players to learn and can be used to decipher information from various sources within the game. How it will be tied into the lore and how in-depth it will be, is all up to the team and should be detailed further in the future.

Again, do remember that a lot depends on the success of the Kickstarter and the game.
 
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Pandagnome

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#3
Also, the team is working on developing a Tsi-hu language (Nojah is the dev working on it). The language will be available for players to learn and can be used to decipher information from various sources within the game.
Then will be able to talk like this in conventions :D just like they do in those startrek conventions for the klingons!

Not really into puzzles but when it comes to exploring and finding secrets that interests me. Also collecting stuff can be rewarding with achievements especially collecting valuable items that can be traded in for items of use or even gifts to a friend/clan member.
 
Dec 1, 2018
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#5
Great to hear! Interwoven puzzles through the game, the lore, and ARGs are incredibly cool. I love how they add a sense of mystery to things. Also, they make use of the players own imagination.

Hopefully, people won’t mind if I bang the drum a bit for the eventual inclusion of out of game puzzles that are in the vein of something similar to an ARG, like Destiny’s Aplha Lupi ARG (sorry for all the Destiny references). I think these are not only fun and really help drive community engagement but are also are a great marketing/business move as it creates a sense of mystery/discovery and thereby attachment to the IP. Also, I would have to assume the costs for something like that are fairly minimal.
 

Sy

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2018
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sya.li
#7
...Mark's history working at Blizzard via twitter (and as someone who grew up playing D2 and StarCraft), I knew I had to support this project.
There are also other capable people working (part-time) on the project, some of whom cannot be named until after launch.

Having read the art demo pdf, and watching a few chief chat videos, I really like the vision for this game.
Though Ember will be its own thing, you could also check out old Firefall let's play videos, since it's the spiritual predecessor.

...I have a Slack channel full of brilliant mad men ready to crack anything you can throw at us!
Oh good. I'm terrible at lore, and I ought to know things about stuff so I can write more good.
 
Dec 1, 2018
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#8
There are also other capable people working (part-time) on the project, some of whom cannot be named until after launch.

I am excited to find out who they are. Although I grew up playing a lot of games (in my late 20s) many of which were by Blizzard, unfortunately my knowledge of developers, writers, and composers/audio design people is pretty limited right now (mainly olderish Bungie (Halo C.E. - Taken King), David Brevik, and a few other notables). However, I try to watch/listen to as many interesting interviews as I can.

Though Ember will be its own thing, you could also check out old Firefall let's play videos, since it's the spiritual predecessor.

That is a solid idea!

Oh good. I'm terrible at lore, and I ought to know things about stuff so I can write more good.
I love story-telling. I work in finance right now, but if I could do college again, I would have taken more creative writing classes.

It seems to me that in order to write intriguing stories, intellectual curiosity and an understanding of what forges strong emotional connections (for lack of a better term) is a prerequisite. Any subject matters or themes you find particularly drawn to?

BTW, I listened to a small portion (like 30 seconds - I’m at work) of the video you posted of your work/narration on another thread. You have a very soothing voice, sir!
 
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Sy

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2018
363
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sya.li
#9
I love story-telling. I work in finance right now, but if I could do college again, I would have taken more creative writing classes.
By not taking those classes, you dodged a bullet. I'm sure there are people who are paid to say they are valuable, but everything you need is either out there to be learned, or already in you waiting for your confidence. It is guaranteed that you will suck (link), but "version 2" of you will be better suited to actual book-learning.


It seems to me that in order to write intriguing stories, intellectual curiosity and an understanding of what forges strong emotional connections (for lack of a better term) is a prerequisite.
You do intuit correctly that there is an emotional connection to the reader, but not that it requires training. It's already something within you; you know it when you hear or read a story (fiction or not). All you need to do is craft your own which pull at you. A lot of artists talk about creating just for themselves. Though I like that idea, I think that when we entertain ourselves, there's something universal to be found which will also draw others in. Just remember: We're not so different from one another, and what applies to you applies to many others.

If there's a thing to keep in mind, it is that being a good creative writer is about metaphor. Meditate on the following: Reading is staring at marked slices of tree for hours on end, hallucinating. (credit to @KatieOldham (link)).


Any subject matters or themes you find particularly drawn to?
My staple is science fiction, but I've since dabbled in romance, horror and fantasy. My ongoing theme can be summarized as archivism; the immortality of information.


BTW, I listened to a small portion (like 30 seconds - I’m at work) of the video you posted of your work/narration on another thread. You have a very soothing voice, sir!
I'm glad you liked what you heard, though I still can't understand why people can stand my voice. :p Once I get my new computer running (fingers crossed for the end of the year) I'll have a special announcement.
 
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