How Important is Lore in Multiplayer-only Games?

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

Seems pretty unnecessary to me, since no matter how much backstory a particular character has, ultimately it's just some guy half a world away trying to shoot me in the face. I guess it's cool if you have a comic or some cutscenes or something, but in the game itself, none of that matters.

I dunno. The only one I have is Team Fortress 2, and I haven't even read the lore.

...TF2 has a lore? I mean, other than those silly "meet the..." videos

 

[Bilious Green_v1legacy]

Not really. Two paragraphs explaining why everyone is fighting each other is enough for a multiplayer (PvP) game. I love Overwatch, but I couldn't care less about the backstory.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Depends on what kind of multiplayer. I'd imagine some people would be pissed if they fucked around with Overwatch's lore.

In games like CoD and Battlefield its obviously irrelevant.

 

[Worgen]

It can actually be a determent in a multi only game. You will have some players who care about it and some that don't. Like its one of the reasons I didn't like playing borderlands with other people. I wanted to listen to the banter and enjoy the dialog and such, others want to just rush through it. I think its actually one of the big reasons I didn't get into the borderlands games, or never really really enjoyed them as much as I probably should have.

I had the exact same issue- though borderlands isn't a multiplayer only. Everyone that wants to play it with me has already been through the adventure so its difficult to do a proper play-through multiplayer.

I do like lore but I think it is secondary to gameplay with multiplayer only. Except for mmos. Lore is crucial then.

Ehh, I disagree about the lore being important in an mmo. Back when I used to play wow I didn't pay attention to almost any of it since it was rather bad. There was a lot of it, but it was boring and expected. Really paying attention to it just made it take forever to quest... Although, Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 really did the plot well. Well, the living story in GW2 did, the original story got boring after the guild part.

 

[Hawki]

Thats basicly it and the game isnt worse for it. Counter Strike even has less lore.

Back when I played it, I wouldn't have minded more lore for Counter-strike. It wasn't a major detriment, but some explanation as to why CT's of various units were cooperating against terrorists of various organizations (which likely wouldn't have the same goals) on various locations would have been nice.

Now the problem with Quake Champions is how much shit it looks like it will be right now, Doom multiplayer was shit too so to have Quake trying to be something that it isnt (and is already controlled by other game) is a pointless effort and a waste of an IP. Do we really need another game to try to be/out-do Overwatch?

Based on what I've seen, QC is hardly trying to outdo Overwatch. Overwatch is a hero shooter through and through, with each hero having set weapons and multiple abilities. In contrast, QC has a single active and passive ability for each hero, is based on an arena rather than objectives, and has multiple weapons that can be picked up. QC seems to be far closer to an arena shooter than a hero shooter, even if it incorporates hero abilities.

 

[Maphysto]

For me, very little. If we're talking pure co-op or PvP games, I don't really care about the lore except as a vague excuse to explain "this am why you all is shooting the mans." If we're talking MMO's, I prefer player-driven, so any lore beyond "this am why you all is here now" is superfluous.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy lore. I just find it really unnecessary outside of single-player campaigns.

 

[iwinatlife]

To me absolutely. I have read all the League Lore, have watched all kinds of lore videos on Overwatch (dont own the game and dont plan to but I like the characters), and when I played it knew about as much as there was to know about WoW lore. Makes me connect with the characters and the world a little more even if it doesn't mean anything and is subject to change without warning or reason.
I would not play a big multiplayer game like that without some sort of lore because its less fun. I also like story, backstory, and plot of Soul caliber, Tekken and Mortal Kombat so take this as you will.

 

[hermes]

It is perfectly acceptable for a multiplayer game to have no lore, but if it has some, it should be decent. At least, it should reflect on the game somehow.

For example, if Titanfall insists on his lore including asymmetrical factions, called "the Militia" and "the Interstellar Corporation", then they should have asymmetrical gameplay or, at least, asymmetrical characters differentiated more than by the color of the nametag. If they can't/won't do that, don't even bother.

 

[Silvanus]

I'm a sucker for lore. I tend to look into it as much as I can, even in multiplayer-only games. I'm just wired that way.

 

[GrumbleGrump]

Very important. If lore weren't important, how would you know in Planetside 2, for example, that the Terran Republic is the best and everyone else is shit?

 

[American Tanker]

Very important. If lore weren't important, how would you know in Planetside 2, for example, that the New Conglomerate is the best and everyone else is shit?

Sorry, but the Terrans are the shits.

 

[GrumbleGrump]

Very important. If lore weren't important, how would you know in Planetside 2, for example, that the New Conglomerate is the best and everyone else is shit?

Sorry, but the Terrans are the shits.

That sounds like traitor talk.

 

[American Tanker]

That sounds like traitor talk.

It sounds like wisdom to me.

 

[GrumbleGrump]

That sounds like traitor talk.

It sounds like anarchism and chaos to me.

Damn right.

 

[American Tanker]

Damn right.

As if.

I'd rather fight for my freedom and die a liberated man than slave away as a Republic citizen.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Important is the wrong word. But it does definitely make the whole spiel a lot more fun for me, adds that extra level of investment and characterisation. Overwatch and TF2 made using certain classes a lot more fun for me.

Also, as you can see in the posts directly above me; the riffing between players of different factions. Gives multiplayer just that bit more oompf.

 

[darkcalling]

It helps but I need an actual story to keep me interested. I doubt quake would jold my interest very long at all. Overwatch barely held it through the open beta weekend.

 

[American Tanker]

Also, as you can see in the posts directly above me; the riffing between players of different factions. Gives multiplayer just that bit more oompf.

And to be quite honest about it, I only ever played Planetside 2 for maybe ten minutes, tops.

I did read through the faction descriptions at character creation, though. And the Conglomerate are the ones I'd side with, any day of the week.

 

[GrumbleGrump]

Damn right.

As if.

I'd rather fight for my freedom and die a liberated man than slave away as a Republic citizen.

Because being dominated by corporations is the epitome of freedom.