Friday Dev Update: Everything has Meaning

7:14 AM willsterling23 2 Comments

There's nothing I love more than being 50 hours into a game and suddenly making a connection in the lore that I hadn't seen before. When this happens, it makes you realize just how much depth and meaning there is behind the story of the game you are playing. One game that always pops into my mind when I think about this mechanic is Dark Souls. Dark Souls is shrouded in a feeling of mystery and intrigue all the while having you chug your axe through undead after undead.

This sort of mystery and intrigue is something we want imbued in the story of Salt. As we develop the lore, main story, and backstory, we are keeping this in mind and ensuring that different aspects of the game connect and have meaning. Today I want to talk about some of our main goals in implementing this mechanic and how we are going to achieve it.

Lore Books

First and foremost, lore books. I love lore books. They provide a great way to give insight into the world that the player would never have known otherwise. I also like them because they act as a sort of "payoff" for taking the time to read through the book. In Salt, we really wanted lore books to not only be fun little stories for you to read, but to also give you some insight into the backstory of the game. As you read certain books, you will begin to make connections between what you are reading on the page and what is taking place in your world. 

Past Insight or Future Revelation

When you discover a piece of backstory, one of two things will happen. You will either realize you are reading about something that's already happened to you (past insight) or you will be reading about something that could happen to you (future revelation). Both of these aspects add an element of intrigue to the world. If you read about something that you've already experienced, it gives you some insight into the meaning and purpose behind that event. This adds a tremendous amount of depth to your experience that you did not have beforehand. However, if you read about something that hasn't happened to you, it gives you something to look for, encouraging you to explore and delve deeper into the lore. 

Everything has Meaning

Though Salt is full of weapons, armor, and various items, we want to ensure that these things have meaning behind them. This is particularly important when it comes to rare items and weapons. For example, have you come across the skeleton key yet? There is a reason that key exists. It has a story in and of itself, but it will be up to you to discover the true meaning of its existence. In addition to this, we also want things to connect. As you read lore books, talk to npc's, and discover the story behind the world, we want you to make connections between these things. In the end, you will be able to tie together a large portion of the lore and have a nice cohesive picture of what the backstory looks like. 


All that said, lore is not something we want to force upon you. You will be able to enjoy Salt completely ignoring the lore if you please. We are working hard to make the gameplay fun and give you plenty to do. However, for those who want to delve deeper, leave no rock unturned. 


- Will Sterling (Game Audio and Design)



2 comments:

  1. TajlundApril 3, 2015 at 9:54 AM

    Just found an interesting book. Spent a long time searching the island for the ring described in it, before I realized it was lore and not something that was actually nearby. Of course I've been on the same huge pirate island for the quite a few game sessions right now so it wasn't like I was going anywhere anyways.

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  2. UnknownApril 3, 2015 at 1:52 PM

    I found one of the books, made me curious about what I will be running into next! I also found a skeleton key, I though that there must be more to it than just opening chests, so definitely going to hang on to it! THANK YOU LAVABOOTS for making such a wonderful, diverse, and actually FUN game!!!!!

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