Writing Quality Inconsistency

[Rutsah]

Anyone else feel like the side quests are well written and interesting, while the main quest is plain garbage? Even ignoing that Bioware could probably sue someone with how much Mass Effect is being ripped off, I feel like completely different people worked on the side and main quests (regarding storywriting).

Anyone can confirm this? What do you think?

[MikeBob2013]

Originally posted by Lord Rutsah:

(...)

What do you think?

I've never played Mass Effect so I wouldn't know whether there's grounds for a lawsuit or not, but I do think the quests I've done in Enderal (and that's most of them at this point, aside from Acts III & IV of the MQ and the tail end of the Rhalâta quest line) are really very well-written. They're certainly more imaginative than the quests in many (if not most) of the other RPGs I've played.

I get your point about the variation in writing styles between some of the quests. In my mind's eye, I can see several different individuals assuming responsibility for writing and editing them. I think this is a good thing because it helped to keep some of them from becoming predictable, and that in turn helps to hold my interest in the game.

Along with this, I think NPC dialog is also very well done, especially considering the fact that the original lines were all in German. (Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this, but that is my understanding.)

And yeah, I do get a little weary of being told to 'Move along' by every Tom, Richard, & Harriet that crosses my path, but I believe that's an exception that proves the rest of it is really much better than just 'okay.'

All in all, I'd say that the writers of Enderal's quests and NPC dialog did a pretty stellar job of it.
And for cheap, to boot.

And that's what I think.

[ppaladin123]

The writing and voice acting are overall pretty decent I think. But then there are some exceptions. And the random NPCs littering the world sometimes have some truly atrocious voice acting. And then there are little annoying things like Jespar saying, "At least something happens!" instead of "At least something is happening." The former is maybe what a German native speaker would say but the latter is more natural in English.

[Sidian]

Originally posted by Lord Rutsah:

Anyone else feel like the side quests are really well written and interesting, while the main quest is plain garbage?

No, but that might be a translation issue. The german writing is top notch for the most part, and the only issues i've seen mostly occur in side quests and unimportant dialogue.

Originally posted by Lord Rutsah:

Even ignoing that Bioware could probably sue someone with how much Mass Effect is being ripped off

You should read a few stories written by H. P. Lovecraft. :P

[Yoinkyz]

eh cant realy say bad things about it cause like its free

[The Girl From Jizz Fizz]

I know this is VERY late but I agree with you and it won't let me go. People praise the writing universally everywhere you go but the inconsistencies that you have experienced are present and they are very prevalent not only in the writing but also in its adjacent game design.

Many of the side quests are beautifully written. The one where you help the woman find out what happened to her partner after she left and came to Enderal made me WEEP. It was beautifully executed.
The same goes for quests like the one involving the cult in the undercity. The themes and how it ended up submersing your expectations was challenging and heartbreaking even.

But then there is the main quest... god the main quest. While the side quests challenge you in interesting ways the main story grabs you by the back of the head equivalent to a mobile game tutorial and makes the decisions for you. What feels like even more of a bigger issue is you, your character. There is a larger general issue where most of the lines that you are able to choose feel like they are coming from a complete idiot. The village oaf in shining armor. There is one correct decision but then the other choices are so incredibly grating that they are insulting to the player's basic intelligence in how comically evil they are.

A good example of that is when you go explore the interactions with Calia. She tells you her tragic backstory, trusts you enough to finally let you know how she feels about herself and what you learn about her only for you to have the verbal equivalent of spitting in her face, punching her in the gut and asking if it hurt or being a decent human being and supporting her. The former two choices are written so poorly that it can't do anything but leave you offended at how stupid the writers must have thought that you are that instead of having branching options of caring for her and further exploring her character at that moment, instead of short bursts before major quests, you would prefer to bramble on about her being a monster as if your role in this is the Village Fool.

This again is different in the side quests. You can engage with the characters within them on an emotional basis and philosophize with them about topics that honestly feel like they are challenging the biases you might have built up while getting up to that point.

People say this game is gothic for skyrim but even gothic had better written ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ with reasons to dislike you. Here at times in the main quest a lot of the options are outright stupid or you being a ♥♥♥♥ for no reason other than being evil for the sake of Fallout 3 levels of "tee hee I am so bad" evil

[Cybersquirt]

Originally posted by Rutsah:

Anyone else feel like the side quests are well written and interesting, while the main quest is plain garbage? Even ignoing that Bioware could probably sue someone with how much Mass Effect is being ripped off, I feel like completely different people worked on the side and main quests (regarding storywriting).

Anyone can confirm this? What do you think?

I think this is a free game and you are trolling. *WTF did you even mention Biowaste?
At least the jizz girl backs "her" opinion up with verbose explanation and examples.
Unlike you. Classic troll move.

[MikeBob2013]

This is a very old thread (which I was the first respondent to), but it doesn't matter what the trolls have to say or how long they've waited to say it: this was one of the top three 'gaming' experiences of my lifetime (and I've been gaming since all we had to do it with was sticks and acorns in the back yard).

SureAI did an AMAZING job with this whole-game mod, and anyone who doesn't agree with this assessment is certainly entitled to their own opinion on the matter, but I submit to you that they're full of 💩.

That is all.

Thank you.