Poll: RPGs: Who reads all that text anyways?

[Alandoril]

I read them...but apparently the writers don't. I've lost count of the number of text errors I've submitted in bug reports on various games.

Do they actually hire dedicated people for that kind of thing or do they just let the programmers rush it at the last minute?

Seems to be the latter.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I read the important text, but I don't bother with the optional stuff.

 

[scw55]

only if it's read out to me.
The codex system in Dragon Age and Mass Effect for example.
Mass Effect reads things to you so... I don't know. It's less boring?

 

[Danzaivar]

I read EVERYTHING. Only series where I didn't read/watch everything was Metal Gear, if only because they like to give you movies in the middle of gameplay.

 

[Zhukov]

All.

Unless the game is bad.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

In terms of the ones that I own, Mass Effect, KoToR, Dragon Age, I read all the text provided in game, and go out of my way to find all the text they provide you in game (all the codex entries in ME1 and 2 for example)

I like to immerse myself in games, and when the game offers you even more chances for immersion I go straight for them. Plus I just like to read. If there was a book that contained all that information as a matter of course I'd read it and I don't see why a game should be any different. I also do things like watching director's commentary and reading production notes for movies I watch.

 

[Jandau]

Depends, really.

Most of the time I read it all. I read all the Codex entries in both Mass Effect games, most of them in Dragon Age, everything in Witcher, everything in KotOR, everything in both Baldur's Gate games, everything in Icewind Dale games, etc.

However, I can't stand the Oblivion books. They are just bad, pointless, overinflated and terribly written. Yeah, there's a lot of them. But I'd rather take a sigle ME Codex than all the Elder Scrolls in-game books combined.

Reading is great. Reading crap is not.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

I read all of it, unless it's spoken, then I just listen.

 

[Nmil-ek]

To this date I have completed planescape torment 20 something times every npc, every item description, every dossier every damned scrap of it. And I still feel like booting it up again sometime.

 

[Dogstile]

I try to read everything

I have read Mass Effect's Codex SEVERAL times.

I've read the entire Mass Effect Codex.

All of it.

As have I.

Twice.

As for me, I generally read 95% or more of the dialogue. I get sucked into most of the games I play, so making sure I catch every bit of dialogue or information is important.

Okay,
1) what built material do FTL drives use to reduce their mass?

2) What planet are the Hanar from?

haha if you can answer those off the top of your head, you deserve a pickup truck of internet cookies...those are only a couple things i remember from it..

All I know there is the Hanar come from a water planet. FTL drives used obscuritanium to reduce mass

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

I enjoy reading them. It fascinates me how detailed a game's world can actually be. I tend to read them as I find them, which doesn't make things too overwhelming, but i'm not going to get a brain hemmorhage trying to find them all... I like a game that has a living world complete with legends and different cultures; learning about the world i'm playing in gives me satisfaction as well as getting deeper into the Role of my character.

books like the Lord of The Rings and The Wheel Of Time have extensive glossaries and "useless" myths and date information in the back...suppose all the extra text in an RPG is basically the videogame equivalent of that.

 

[David Bray]

On-off favourite game: morrowind, has shite loads of text. Have i read any? I think i read Barbarian ABC. That's it.
I find text in games really jaring, the only time it's worked has been Braid

 

[Talshere]

First run through I explore everything I can think of at the time and read all the related dialogue.

Second run through I skip what I can remember and pick up all the things that became clear after the first run. (Things like Sten's sword or the sword Ageless in Dragon age)

3rd run though I continue to skip what I can remember and pick up anything very abscure as well as plot choices that would not originally be what I would aim for for moral reasons and whatnot. Possibly with the use of a stratagy wiki if I have noticed something odd but cant make it word (Statue combination in the mage tower in dragon age, this may be done in 2nd play through)

 

[Something Amyss]

I'd read all of it, but sometimes I have ADHD fits and skip some. So probably 75%.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

I read most to all of it if i find it interesting and/or it's well written.

Slightly OT
I dunno if it's been mentioned here before but currently i'm playing Lost Odyssey and the dreams that Kime has are frankly, on the most part, really well written. Also the way they are displayed impress me too. The game does give you the option to skip them and you really never need to read them to beat the game but it does add a lot to the story. very nice touch IMO

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I barely read any of that extra stuff. If reading it is not essential for finishing the game, I probably won't read it.

 

[Womplord]

I read EVERYTHING. Almost to OCD point in fact... I will redo parts of the game to see only a few altered lines in dialogue.

 

[Amerikhan]

Around half. Some of the books in DAO and Oblivion jumped out at me and I read them, but usually never unless it's Quest related.

 

[McMarbles]

I LOVE that kinda thing. Really brings the world to life.

 

[superbatranger]

If it interests me, I'll read it. If it makes me go meh, I'll pass.