95 réponses à ce sujet

[Beerfish]

Here is what I would like.

Ala Baldurs Gate 1 leave some areas of the map blank, perhaps a name or type of location (Saltmarsh swamp) but no official quest entry or reason to go there.

In the codex however stick in bit of information, rumors, suggestions of reagents, what have you to get the person interested in exploring the area. If there was something to be gained from the codex rather than general info people would read all entries.

Codex Entry: Gaulmogs - Gaulmogs are part dark spawn and part golem bringing the nastiest parts of each creature into being. Rumors persist to this day of a hidden laboratory of the insane mage who created these abominations. Reliable information as to it's location has been lost over the ages but it was once thought to be in a marsh south and east of Orlais.

Modifié par Beerfish, 28 septembre 2012 - 04:46 .

[Teddie Sage]

I wonder if we could have the Codex entries read by Varric. Just a silly suggestion. *hides*

[Gorskijesih]

Codex would be awesome with additional art in entries.

[nightscrawl]

hobbit_of_the_shire wrote...

What could make it more interesting is if they were voiced as if by the writer (e.g., Brother Genetivii recounts his travels).

This is done in Diablo III, and I like it quite a bit. All of the lore is read by someone, whether if be a journal entry read by its writer, a collection of demonic lore written/read by a scholar, or comments on local wildlife and locations written/read by a traveler. It comes across really well.

To me, the only downside of that method is that, because I like to listen to them, I often have to stop what I'm doing to listen until the reading is done. In a grindy game like D3 it helps to break up the monotony, but in a goal-driven, story-centric game like Dragon Age, it might seem like a needless interruption. However, D3 also provides you with a journal so you can go back and listen to any entry you want, at your leisure.

Finally, not everyone is interested in extensive lore (beyond that which is relevant to their character), so at least the current system allows people to completely ignore it if they want.

[R2s Muse]

Interesting idea! I also love the codexes, and yet find that I really end up reading them the most on the wiki, after the fact. How sad is that, and yet, like others, I find that I don't really want to read most of them as I go unless they're really necessary to what I'm currently doing. Like, the ones in the Circle tower in DA:O that led you to the little summoning recipes and such.

Some good ideas here...

[BubbleDncr]

I thought DA2 was definitely a step up from Origins with the codexes, where the popped up when you first picked them up.

If they were short, I would read them. If they were long, I did not.

[Wozearly]

Wentletrap wrote...

DAO codex was amazing. Whoever did the dwarves stuff was truly inspired. And the revenant entries still give me the shivers.

What DAO had (don't remember seeing it in DA2) was codex entries that were letters / journals / fragments written by random folk, and not just encyclopedia type entries. Love that kind of variety.

Completely agree. The codex, as with so many other game elements, was simply better thought out and executed in DA:O.

*sighs*

[cindercatz]

QueenPurpleScrap wrote...

Overall I preferred the codex design of DAO. I found it visually more appealing. I also though DAO had a greater variety of information which I enjoyed. I liked that as more information about a character or item or history was gathered it was added to the entry. There are some entries I read almost every time I play.

That said, I like the idea of simple graphics accompanying the text or being displayed as an icon on the box. I would also like to add that one thing I find frustrating is when I get a message that there's a new Codex entry and I can't immediately identify it because it's not highlighted or I have to scroll down to see.
In DAO I could tell which section(s) had new or updated codices. That is a good thing. The bad thing is that the new/updated entries are not immediately at the top of their section. Maybe, if an entry is updated, the new information is highlighted the first time it is opened after the update.

Total agreement.  'specially the bolded part.
Also, somebody mentioned the text size. That's a big deal to me. I play on a 32' HD screen from maybe five or six feet away, and I still had to put on my glasses to read it pretty frequently, which I normally never do while playing.

[placentiatao]

Teddie Sage wrote...

I wonder if we could have the Codex entries read by Varric. Just a silly suggestion. *hides*

*I would have no problem with him reading anything in the game-he's so cool! lol :::hides too:::

[hobbit of the shire]

placentiatao wrote...

Teddie Sage wrote...

I wonder if we could have the Codex entries read by Varric. Just a silly suggestion. *hides*

*I would have no problem with him reading anything in the game-he's so cool! lol :::hides too:::

I could listen to Varric all day.

[Teddie Sage]

hobbit_of_the_shire wrote...

placentiatao wrote...

Teddie Sage wrote...

I wonder if we could have the Codex entries read by Varric. Just a silly suggestion. *hides*

*I would have no problem with him reading anything in the game-he's so cool! lol :::hides too:::

I could listen to Varric all day.

Varric narrating the codex would be so ... magical.

[septembervirgin]

Like Cameron Lee, I'm all Jiffy Lube about these ideas! Coo!

[Palipride47]

*double post*

Modifié par Palipride47, 29 septembre 2012 - 03:48 .

[Palipride47]

Wozearly wrote...

Wentletrap wrote...

DAO codex was amazing. Whoever did the dwarves stuff was truly inspired. And the revenant entries still give me the shivers.

What DAO had (don't remember seeing it in DA2) was codex entries that were letters / journals / fragments written by random folk, and not just encyclopedia type entries. Love that kind of variety.

Completely agree. The codex, as with so many other game elements, was simply better thought out and executed in DA:O.

*sighs*

*raise hand* SECOND!!!

They had it once in DA2, Kalah (Dwarf Commoner's mom) writing the codex for Jarvia's Shank. That was neat, and a great way to relate back. It was WAY more prevalent in DAO though. What I'd LOVE to see it for are historical characters, like Hero of Fereldan, Champion of Kirkwall, etc. based on the bias of the writer

i.e. Codex for Anders:

Templar supporter - People ask how I support the templars. I support them because of what apostates like Anders have done.....

Mage supporter- People call him a demon, traitor, etc....we had fought for years to end our oppression, he was the one brave enough to take the first step, to sacrifice himself....did anyone really think change would come peacefully, that no one died when Andraste swept the Imperium?....

Modifié par Palipride47, 29 septembre 2012 - 04:11 .

[deuce985]

I like this suggestion. It kinda reminds me of roaming around an Elder Scrolls game. I like picking books up in that game and reading them. It's like you're actually reading books and flipping pages. The writing styles change too. IMO, it immerses me in their world and lore more like this. It's a nice touch but if it cost a lot of resources, the current codex is fine in my eyes too.

Modifié par deuce985, 29 septembre 2012 - 06:32 .

[Dean_the_Young]

Codicies being turned into side-quests in their own right would strike me as a good combination of resources: you can tie in the exploration/discovery aspects of the game with a side-quest, without resorting to 'your garbage, ser.'

I mean, in a way, wasn't that the idea of Pokemon? To get all the Codex entries possible by catching them all? Same idea here. Brother Genitavi is looking for records of X/Y/Z, and the player gets the experience reward by delivering the him the lore For Future Generations. Casual collectors get the casual XP rewards, but the completionists could get something unique and special: Brother Genitavi's Robes or some such.

If you divied up the codecies into sub-categories and added more people asking for them, you could even insert some moral dilemma quests. For Example...

Scribe Historian from the Templar Faction wants to collect any/all Templar records for future study. NPC's rational is that by studying the past/present, future Templar generations can avoid the mistakes that led to this conflict. At the same time, Mage Advocate of the Mage Faction also wants any/all Templar records... to search for incriminating abuses/atrocities/whatever that could be used for anti-Templar Propaganda. For the main part of the quest, you could give the codecies to both collectors.

For this 'Templar Evidence' codex-line, the codecies range from mundane to incredibly suspicious: an apparent Templar Atrocities is recorded. Templar Scribe is alarmed and wants them collected and put in 'safe' storage and out of sight, while the Mage Advocate is jumping at the vindication. However, one final document remains... a lead both collectors give that could seal the case.

The final document isn't what's expected: it subverts what the Mage Advocate wanted, and gives a measure of redemption and context to the Templars in the earlier codecies. Not enough to totally pardon them, but enough to mitigate the value of the propoganda.


Here's where the moral decision comes in: when Mage Advocate asks you to destroy the final codex. By destroying the truth and denying it to history, the remaining codecies can become a propoganda weapon against the Templars, furthering support for the Mages, etc. etc. etc.

Obviously this scenario could be flipped for either faction. It's just representative of the concept. Factionalism is pitted against truth is pitted against an appeal for an accurate historical record. Propoganda for the cause, versus truth for history.


And all from just asking who you are collecting codex entries for.

[cindercatz]

I'd like some things along that line if it makes sense for the story. I also liked how in the Deep Roads, you'd basically just run across codex entries and then when you'd completed them all, there was a reward in DA:O. There's a sort of collection side quest, but finding them and reading them actually improves the player's immersion and understanding of that part of the lore, and is rewarded for taking the time to learn with one of the most powerful rings in the game.

[Pedrak]

I, for one, hate it when the codex is voiced (ME-style). People read faster than the narrator... well, narrates... so it becomes an annoyance more than anything. That's why I turn subtitles off for the dialogues.

More artworks in the codex entries would be pretty cool, though.

Modifié par Pedrak, 29 septembre 2012 - 12:39 .

[Tokion]

Voiced codex would be awesome! If only Varric could voice some of the entries with a chortle or 2.

[Momiji.mii]

When I first played ME1 and DAO, the idea of the Codex both interested me and confused me. It was the first time I really came across this concept, so as a semi-new RPG fan and as an xbox player, here's my thoughts :

I actually find it a bit frustrating when some information is only made available in the Codex, since I'm of the opinion that if I'm supposed to know it, it should be told through conversations or similar. But I also understand that it's a smart way of expanding the game universe and making it richer without draining resources, so I'm willing to accept its use and function. The problem that remains is the presentation.

- I found the ME1 Codex easy to read (good font, clear and easily accessed information), but the voiced part of the Codex drove me crazy (I simply can't read and process information when someone sloooooowwwwlllyyyy reads what I read 3 sentences ago). I actually skipped pretty much all of the Codex in ME2 and ME3 because I felt that it didn't add anything to my experience.

- I loved the story element and the writing style in the DAO Codex, but the font type and size made it impossible to read on the TV-screen (I play on the Xbox). I would happily read it all if it was released in an app for iOS/Android/etc, like the ME3 app.

DAO and DA2 both had problems with the interface and design of the Codex. I'd find something in the game, but when I tried to locate it in the Codex it was impossible to see where the note/lore thingy had ended up. And when I scrolled through the different chapters of the Codex, everything was marked as having been read, even though I hadn't even paused on them as I scrolled. Possibly this works better on PC when you can click on the specific note you want to read?

For Xbox, I'd like to see all notes etc pop up, like in DA2 but more frequently (I may be misremembering but I think that not all entries had pop-ups). Some players may dislike this, so the function would have to be able to toggle on/off in the options.

Also, a font designed for easy reading on a TV-screen (which is generally placed on a farther distance from the console gamer than the PC gamer) should be considered.

And PLEASE no more light text on dark backgrounds. Actually, that goes for the forum as well. It makes everybody's eyes tired. Light, but not completely white, background with darker, not completely black, text makes it easier to read for all kinds of eyesight problems.

Anyways, I'd love to be able to use the Codex more and I hope my suggestions/thoughts can help somewhat to push in a more accessable direction. ^^;;

Modifié par Momiji.mii, 29 septembre 2012 - 12:36 .

[mousestalker]

When I first saw the title, I read it as "Could the codpieces be made more interesting" and I thought, 'I really rather they weren't emphasized any more'.

Then I realized there are no codpieces in game.

So, never mind.

[QueenPurpleScrap]

I don't want pop up codices either. I know some people like them, but I find them quite distracting. Especially if I have played before. Maybe instead a little inbox, whenever there's a new or updated entry you can click on it when you're ready to read and that entry will unscroll. Click it when you're ready and the next unread one will appear until you have finished them or clicked a 'mark all as read' button.

You would still retain the ability to reread entries.

Modifié par QueenPurpleScrap, 30 septembre 2012 - 11:21 .

[LPPrince]

Anything to make the codex more interesting would be nice.

[ChaosMorning]

I actually think the Codex is plenty interesting as is.

However, if we want a voiced codex, maybe Varric?

[Dhiro]

I'm not crazy about a voiced codex, to be honest. In the Mass Effect games I usually finish to read before the voice actor does and open the next one. As far as my opinion goes, I think that the lore and background info in the codex should be its own incentive... if I'm not interested in X subject having to wait for someone to finish reading it for me won't help much.

I'd like interactive codices, though. Flipping the pages, cleaning the dust and such!