Here's a frame of a pro-no quest log argument on aesthetic grounds: automated quest logs (and map markers, clearly stated objectives, etc.) can encourage mindless disengagement from the game's world and story -- people rush through dialogues without listening, they look for bright blinking icons rather than relying on described informati…
Here's a frame of a pro-no quest log argument on aesthetic grounds: automated quest logs (and map markers, clearly stated objectives, etc.) can encourage mindless disengagement from the game's world and story -- people rush through dialogues without listening, they look for bright blinking icons rather than relying on described information, and they either miss entirely or can't enjoy rich details that are mechanistically unnecessary to getting the simple dopamine hit of a completed task. forcing players to rely on the raw experience of the game's world and one-time interactions that can't be replicated demands a radical change in how someone thinks about and approaches something that has otherwise, for many people, become rote and sometimes joyless.
if done well, a truly open, unmediated game-world has the potential to heighten the genuine feelings of discovery, exploration, and immersion that great RPGs can evoke. it could create a sense of mystery around the limits of the game (not everything is discovered and documented) and also deepen your connection to your particular role-play (when did my character write that down? i have no memory of a person with this description, why does my character know who they are?). i don't know if this game does any of that, but these seem like legitimate aesthetic possibilities.
i like games with game logs. but i also want people to try new things that change how people experience and conceptualize video games, and i love that From does that, even if it's sometimes unsuccessful.
What he said. I'm not arguing that NO games should have quest logs, but it's much, much better that the Soulsborne games don't. It makes it far more immersive, and gives the player much more agency.
I am very on-board with this comment. Disclosure - I'm 40 hours into Elden Ring and consider it a masterpiece, I'm about 1,000 hours into From Software games and consider them my favourite dev. I don't particularly like the git gud mentality taken to a denigrating extreme, but I also don't want From to compromise what makes their games so good - which is the sense of mystery and discovery that Brian talks about above.
Here's a frame of a pro-no quest log argument on aesthetic grounds: automated quest logs (and map markers, clearly stated objectives, etc.) can encourage mindless disengagement from the game's world and story -- people rush through dialogues without listening, they look for bright blinking icons rather than relying on described information, and they either miss entirely or can't enjoy rich details that are mechanistically unnecessary to getting the simple dopamine hit of a completed task. forcing players to rely on the raw experience of the game's world and one-time interactions that can't be replicated demands a radical change in how someone thinks about and approaches something that has otherwise, for many people, become rote and sometimes joyless.
if done well, a truly open, unmediated game-world has the potential to heighten the genuine feelings of discovery, exploration, and immersion that great RPGs can evoke. it could create a sense of mystery around the limits of the game (not everything is discovered and documented) and also deepen your connection to your particular role-play (when did my character write that down? i have no memory of a person with this description, why does my character know who they are?). i don't know if this game does any of that, but these seem like legitimate aesthetic possibilities.
i like games with game logs. but i also want people to try new things that change how people experience and conceptualize video games, and i love that From does that, even if it's sometimes unsuccessful.
What he said. I'm not arguing that NO games should have quest logs, but it's much, much better that the Soulsborne games don't. It makes it far more immersive, and gives the player much more agency.
I am very on-board with this comment. Disclosure - I'm 40 hours into Elden Ring and consider it a masterpiece, I'm about 1,000 hours into From Software games and consider them my favourite dev. I don't particularly like the git gud mentality taken to a denigrating extreme, but I also don't want From to compromise what makes their games so good - which is the sense of mystery and discovery that Brian talks about above.