FFXIV / A Game of Thrones (Dialogue discussion)

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05-02-2011, 12:32 PM
Ashra

FFXIV / A Game of Thrones (Dialogue discussion)

First of all, I'm a new XIV player. I'm really enjoying the game, and greatly appreciate the amount of work and detail that has been put into it.
The first thing that really stood out to me about XIV was the dialogue. Hands down the most well written dialogue in any MMORPG I have ever played. Of all of the countless negative reviews and comments I'd read about XIV, none of them mentioned how well written this game was. Be it the story quests, or just the conversations you have with random townsfolk, the dialogue is superb.

If you've read A Game of Thrones, you will be familiar with the writing style.
Thus far, I've come across many references and similarities to A Game of Thrones, including:
Names: Sansa, an NPC found in Gridania
Terms: Hedge Knights, sellswords, the Twelve (the Seven in GoT), wildlings, rangings, sweetling
Phrases: "Twelve be good!" (Gods be good) / "You have the right of it" / "We have meat and mead" / "It is known"

And this is all just within the first few story quests found in Gridania.
What are some other references to George R R Martin's work, if you've noted any?

And if not, what do you think of the dialogue in general? I think its an area where XIV really excels, yet is rarely praised.
05-02-2011, 12:37 PM
Cairdeas

I've never read GoT but I've encountered a lot of the content you are referring to in lots of old fantasy stuff.
05-02-2011, 12:37 PM
Akumu

Run Ashra Run and never look back at this forsaken place. Things get so disgusting around here after awhile you get too used to it... >.>

On topic: I enjoy the story of XIV personally. While i'm not one to actually take pieces of literature and dissect it down to the last punctuation I think it is rather good.
05-02-2011, 12:43 PM
Ashra

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cairdeas

I've never read GoT but I've encountered a lot of the content you are referring to in lots of old fantasy stuff.

True, I figured a lot of those terms have appeared in other fantasy novels, but the fact that they all appear together (along with the NPC Sansa) all within the first few quests in Gridania made me strongly suspect a George R R Martin influence. There are many others that have slipped my mind, but I'll add to the list as I see other things.
05-02-2011, 12:49 PM
Cairdeas

As far as lore goes. I'm really enjoying XIV's. It hasn't gotten to a tearjerking moment for me in game (I did jerk a few tears during the release of the official trailer.) But then again the first tear jerking I got from XI was Fickblix which was rank6ish. So I was atleast level 50 when that happened.

I hope the SE storytellers continue to weave their webs.
05-02-2011, 12:53 PM
Ashra

The thing I really appreciate about the dialogue, with respect to the lore, is that I can literally spend an hour just walking through Ul'dah talking to the city folk and not get tired of it. Every single NPC has something interesting to say, and well written besides.
05-02-2011, 01:03 PM
Kilta_Firelotus

I love it. I still gotta watch game of thrones. it was filmed in ireland. My fave lore is Gridania. It is a mix of monty python and zelda ocarina of time and majoras mask. Like the time magic, the wildings, and strong lore on masks.
05-02-2011, 01:08 PM
gifthorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashra

First of all, I'm a new XIV player. I'm really enjoying the game, and greatly appreciate the amount of work and detail that has been put into it.
The first thing that really stood out to me about XIV was the dialogue. Hands down the most well written dialogue in any MMORPG I have ever played. Of all of the countless negative reviews and comments I'd read about XIV, none of them mentioned how well written this game was. Be it the story quests, or just the conversations you have with random townsfolk, the dialogue is superb.

If you've read A Game of Thrones, you will be familiar with the writing style.
Thus far, I've come across many references and similarities to A Game of Thrones, including:
Names: Sansa, an NPC found in Gridania
Terms: Hedge Knights, sellswords, the Twelve (the Seven in GoT), wildlings, rangings, sweetling
Phrases: "Twelve be good!" (Gods be good) / "You have the right of it" / "We have meat and mead" / "It is known"

And this is all just within the first few story quests found in Gridania.
What are some other references to George R R Martin's work, if you've noted any?

And if not, what do you think of the dialogue in general? I think its an area where XIV really excels, yet is rarely praised.

A s h r a...

Are you by any chance related to that kid from Pokeman... or the egyptian sun god?

What other similarities between your name and anime/egyptian mythology have you all noticed?
05-02-2011, 01:10 PM
Ashra

If your point was that I'm reaching, well... you're reaching :)
05-02-2011, 01:16 PM
Joe_Cool

I really like the story-telling and lore in FFXIV too. Theres a small village in the Limsa region I believe that hint at some back story along with other things
05-02-2011, 01:18 PM
gifthorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashra

If your point was that I'm reaching, well... you're reaching :)

Well it is a stretch to say there is a heavy GoT influence just because of a few scattered phrases and nouns of which are frequently used in basically any fantasy novel (sellswords, hedge wizards, hedge knights, wildlings).

But wait until you encounter a Dire Wolf, then you'll really start seeing plagiarisms.
05-02-2011, 01:25 PM
Ashra

Quote:

Originally Posted by gifthorse

Well it is a stretch to say there is a heavy GoT influence just because of a few scattered phrases and nouns of which are frequently used in basically any fantasy novel (sellswords, hedge wizards, hedge knights, wildlings).

But wait until you encounter a Dire Wolf, then you'll really start seeing plagiarisms.

You encounter virtually every phrase and noun I listed within the first few quests in Gridania.
If I hadn't seen them all in rapid succession, I wouldn't have thought so much of it.

Though, as I already said to another poster, you may have a point about them simply being general fantasy terms.
05-02-2011, 02:55 PM
Neptune

I've never heard of GoT until now but i'll have to check it out. Dialogue quality is incredible. Maybe our English translator is partial to it.
05-02-2011, 07:53 PM
h2o

GoT <3
I love dark fantasy (quality) and w8 for GoT TV serial. FF have smthing similar.
05-02-2011, 08:10 PM
gifthorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by h2o

GoT <3
I love dark fantasy (quality) and w8 for GoT TV serial. FF have smthing similar.

Just download it http://www.icefilms.info/tv/series/3/2908
05-03-2011, 07:33 AM
h2o

Quote:

Just download it http://www.icefilms.info/tv/series/3/2908

Oh.. i mean new series )
05-03-2011, 07:43 AM
gifthorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by h2o

Oh.. i mean new series )

Theres another new one?
05-03-2011, 07:45 AM
BelgianRofl

It is well written. Probably not praised because in 2011, voice acting is commonplace.
05-03-2011, 07:49 AM
gifthorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelgianRofl

It is well written. Probably not praised because in 2011, voice acting is commonplace.

I think this game would easily be a 9/10 if that Lalafell from the opening cutscenes in Gridania had a larger speaking part.
05-03-2011, 09:47 AM
Ashra

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelgianRofl

It is well written. Probably not praised because in 2011, voice acting is commonplace.

Which MMORPGs have large scale voice acting? I'm not being sarcastic, I'm curious if there are any.

I've played Everquest, FFXI, Vanguard, WoW, Rift, Lineage 2 and LotRO... and none of them have consistent voice acting (beyond maybe a line or two when you speak to an NPC or the standard grunts and yells during combat). Nothing that I would really say goes above and beyond what XIV has, at any rate.
05-03-2011, 09:57 AM
h2o

Get 200mln$, "put it" in FFXIV: The Old Republic voice-fication, say about it, earn some dollars =P
Ppl can find ~243.011 things which they "want to see" in FFXIV (let's make Role-Playing game without your character name <- cz only for texts? bs).
05-03-2011, 10:08 AM
gifthorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashra

Which MMORPGs have large scale voice acting? I'm not being sarcastic, I'm curious if there are any.

I've played Everquest, FFXI, Vanguard, WoW, Rift, Lineage 2 and LotRO... and none of them have consistent voice acting (beyond maybe a line or two when you speak to an NPC or the standard grunts and yells during combat). Nothing that I would really say goes above and beyond what XIV has, at any rate.

Aion has voice acting (it's really cheesy though). But GW2, SWTOR, and TERA allegedly have voice acting too. Most new games seem to be going that way, at least for main story quests.