The Tattered Notebook: The importance of storytelling

Hey Norrathian travelers! Seccia is off for the week, undoubtedly soaking up the rays on the shores of the Sinking Sands to welcome the warmer months. I, on the other hand, am stuck inside writing her column. Sheesh, I wish I had accumulated as much vacation time as she did...

Anywho, I want to tell you a story about telling stories this week. As many of you may have heard, one of the newest features coming to EverQuest II in the near future is the storyteller system -- a simple window that will visualize your travels from one zone to the next. It's a UI element that will help link quests together, aiding the game in telling a continuous story as you travel around Norrath. Plus, if you wish, you can follow the Storyteller window as it takes you down the game's "Golden Path," a series of quests that will become a "main storyline" of sorts for the game.

Out of all of the new things coming with the next set of updates (New Halas included), it's the storyteller system that I've been looking forward to the most. So why do I choose a simple UI addition over a brand new city? Simply put, I want to be engaged with my gameplay experience.

Storytelling: More addictive than a ding

Sure, leveling up is an addictive property of MMOs. However, the thrill of a level is fleeting. It comes and goes as quickly as it came, and soon enough you'll be looking at that experience bar all over again.

Stories, however, are engaging. They sink their plot hooks into you and keep you gripped to your keyboard, playing the game so you can find out just what happens next. It's like reading a good novel, except you're the one in the driver's seat. You're the one in the adventure. The story comes down to you.

If there's one thing that MMOs really have sucked at doing, it's been telling a coherent story. Sure, every once in a while a quest line comes by that's really engaging and fun to do, but it's always been hard to find those hooks. When only one or two quests lead into a really gripping chain, and those one or two quests are in a sea of "Kill 10 rats for great justice," it becomes a pain to find good content.

Solution: Lead the player to content, like a horse to water

The Storyteller system is something that seems to solve this problem in two very distinct ways. First, the system points out and connects related quests to form coherent story arcs. Even when you're killing those same 10 rats, the system will point out how killing those 10 rats relates to the larger story of an area. It will provide a clear purpose for why you're doing some of these inane tasks.

Second, the system provides a easy-to-follow reference for the Golden Path questline, the newly added quest series that will take you through the bulk of the game. This will give players a plotline to follow no matter where they are in the world, but not force them into taking one direct path through the game. More side-quests and options are still available no matter where you go, especially with floating quests like the Lore and Legend series that focuses on hunting specific types of monsters and not on specific zones.

In both cases, what's being offered is a context for your actions -- something we sorely lack in MMOs. With any luck, this system will keep players engaged with what's going on in the world around them and educate them about the aspects of the lore they may not know while still being an option.

If you don't want this system in your game, then you never have to open the window. But, if you're one of those people (like me) who loves to follow a good plotline, then this system may be just the thing for us.

	Massively's dark elf reporter around town, Seccia Ravenloft, is a committed follower of the Overlord. When not adventuring, Seccia prefers a large ale and the company of kittens. She can be reached in Norrath via the Norrathian Express Mail (Server: Lucan D'Lere), or via her human friend, Seraphina Brennan, at seraphina AT massively DOT com.