(08-04-2015, 03:31 AM)Graeham Wrote: I've noticed that many role-players are prone to messaging someone with an apology in response to the slightest hint of potential conflict. It's a shame that people feel obligated to do that since I would have thought it obvious that what a character says and does is generally separate from what a role-player says and does.
Obviously there's exceptions to this - such as people using their character as a vehicle to harass people - but that is far from being the norm. Could people be shying away from controversial characters simply because of the expectation to explain themselves at every turn, I wonder?
(08-04-2015, 09:10 PM)Kellach Woods Wrote:(08-04-2015, 06:30 AM)Graeham Wrote: Though when a prominent developer states that something is a particular way then that's how it is. It's their setting and even if people don't like it stuff doesn't suddenly cease being canon. Shy away from it by all means, but those who seek to embrace it aren't in the wrong for doing so. If anything, they should be applauded for going that much further to remain as true to the setting as possible.
When a prominent developer states something like that and continuously refuses to do storylines that involve what he just says, that says more about the developer than the world he created.
And I'm contesting the frequency and intensity that this happens, not that it happens at all. If it was important, it would be shown and it would be prominent. We barely have mention of a very specific racial conflict (in this case I was citing Hyur/Elezen specifically).
We have more examples of Hyur/Elezen collaboration and tolerance than of outright hatred/racism. Gridania would be fucked without the Hyur and the Elezen who live there know it.
Ishgard is a whole other story.
These two posts go hand in hand.Â
First, I'd like to thank Kellach for clarifying on this subject. I don't know for sure who brought up disbelief in Eorzea's suffering but I am fairly certain it was me. Since then, my point seems to have played an important point of discussion in this thread. I thought I was done but these two posts create a great combination for me to explain further.
FFXIV is a story driven MMO. The developers have said this, the players know this, and it's even justified for barring HW content for players who have not completed the 2.0+ storylines. Regardless of this, when looking of the story of FFXIV, I look at it as a whole--just as I do a movie.
In a movie, it is not just writing that tells the story, like in a book. (Same with video games) We have actors or voice actors, the musical score, sets, costumes, etc. etc. Movies and video games are a team effort to create and every little aspect comes together to make something unique. (Not always good, but definitely unique) I believe fans do not give the these lesser known aspects of story-telling enough credit. They have huge impact. And one of those things is:
Mood. This is an element of storytelling that goes hand in hand with Tone. The emphasis of FFXIV is not on the suffering, at least not in ARR. The focus is on heroism and adventure, positivity and idealism. Note the contrast of ARR and HW. HW features darker colors and even defaults you to turning off character glow that had previously been enabled in ARR. Clearly, SE was trying to shift the mood of FFXIV from a positive, heroic adventure to a struggle of classism and war.Â
I know there are plenty of darker aspects to narrow in on ARR. The point I am making is to piggyback off of what Kellach has said: They are out of focus. It's not convincing. (Convincing here from an emotional standpoint, mind you, not from a logical standpoint. It can logically be explained that children are dying of starvation but unless it's emphasized somewhere in the main story, we aren't feeling that emotional impact)
If these themes were important, they could include them. But they don't. Instead of making me gather a banquet feast to prove myself able to fight Titan, which we all know is ridiculous, focus on us overcoming the Costa's citizens crappy lives. Instead of giving us quests about delivering love notes or dispersing meals: show us in extreme, horrifying detail romance falling apart or show us NPCs fighting over the meals we disperse. Instead of having us cull a wild population of animals, FF's fall back story for side quests it seems, give an actual story to the side quests. Give them backstory other than "whoa! This animal population is way out of control! Kill them!" How about something like: "Some big bad evil people kidnapped my friend because she's a Duskwight! They're those three in the back of the alley. Go beat them up!"Â
So...why don't we see more side quests like that? Instead we have side quests that focus on the mundane. If XIV is so story heavy, why not add more essential world-building elements to active parts of the gameplay the same way the main story is an active part of the gameplay? How about some side side quests like Hildibrand and moogle mail except as a serious drama?Â
When you choose to focus on the mundane (kill 5 boars) and the silly (Hildibrand) it really takes away from the serious, dark world building.
Some of it is reader apathy too. When you've seen X amount of horrible things in other stories, it becomes difficult to top them. 'My wife and children are dead' is not the pinnacle for absolute character suffering anymore. It's sad, it's awful and it's entirely normal for fiction. The amount of suffering presented in Eorzea is fantasy status quo that doesn't make it any darker than your standard JRPG or an entertaining D&D romp. It's just enough conflict to justify having adventures and super powers.
We have seen a shift in mood with HW taking FFXIV onto a darker road. Right now I'm level 57 and I'm still not seeing this 'Game of Thrones' like quality that has been used as a comparison from the creators.Â
What does this huge ass post have anything to do with Graeham's post though? Well, just as we have seen a boost in characters who are Elezen or hail from Ishgard, if racist elements were to become more of a focus in story and world building, we would see them more in RP too.Â
Additionally, surely I'm not the only one who changes the type of characters she roleplays as depending on the setting? A character I would RP in World of Darkness is going to be vastly different from a character in Final Fantasy. In other words, the mood of the setting and game can help affect what people RP as. It made sense to RP a racist in WoW, for example, because racial tensions are pretty much the center of conflict in that universe. If Mr. Koji Fox were to show more details on just how the current races are 'working together but just tolerating each other' then we might see more people RPing these elements.
Now with a wiki! Flickering Ember's wiki
