"Elves as a playable race", how does it fit in New Britannia lore?

I know that elves are mentioned several times in Blade of the Avatar, but in Lord British' games your avatar is supposed to be YOU, a human from planet Earth.

Would it be just an aesthetic change or would the elves have their own quests and storyline?

Has anyone heard a word from Richard Garriott or anyone from Portalarium about this topic?

 

My hope, from day 1, was that additional character slots including races like elves, would get unlocked and earned as the game progressed. So that having an elf is sort of like having a Iolo. It's not you, but you can play it. But tbh, I don't know what they're doing. And possibly they won't know unless the goal looks like it's going to fund.

 

I liked, in UO, the Embrace your Elven heritage quest line, where you went to (were drawn to) investigate whatever it was and found you had fae blood or an ancestor or something. When it was over you could make the choice to accept your heritage and become an elf.
You were still the same person, you just physically transformed to reflect your true nature.

This kind of thing would not affect your "one character that is really you" , and is not owned by EA just because it's in UO, as it's a re-occuring theme in fantasy/sci-fi literature and has been since the start of the genre.

 

"A Wizard did it."

 

Yes, he replied to the New Pledge Megapost here, but unfortunately he did not directly answer how it impacts the story or quests or more critically, our "entry" into the game through that lunar rift, especially given what we know about Elves so far from BotA.

 

So will everyone get to play an elf if they want, or will it only be avalable through the store or purchacing upgrades?
What are the conditions involved?

*I try to skim the mega-posts, but I have dyslexia and that huge wall of unbroken uni-color text isn't easy on me.

 

It's my fault, I couldn't hold the time vortex open wide enough so some of your ears got stretched

Another inspiration from the works of Richard Garriott & Robert Garriott's work in Lineage II
South Korea is such a wonderful place
~Time Lord~

 

I hope that elves would get unlocked as the game progresses. But what freaks me out is this quote from Stretch-Goal Store: "Players will be able to choose Elf as a playable race during character creation."

 

Elves as a playable race...that's about as "cookie cutter" as it gets. I hope this goal fails, but if it makes it, let it be known that if I see anyone playing an elf in a PVP zone, I'm going for an ear trophy.

 

We've been friends for a long time now, brother, but if I get that round little nub you call an ear...we can talk to eachother like with walkie-talkys.



*Still, will it be free, of will it cost RL money?

 

Cookie cutter? How so? Personally I see no problem with having elves as a playable race and think it can only make the game better and more diverse. I have read some of the "anti-elves" threads and have seen no valid argument why they would be any form of negative. It can only be a positive thing.

People across the forums have been clamoring for more character creation options, well, here is a big one. Elves are a part of the story too, so what's the reasonable argument against it? Other than personal preference, I see none...

 

The point of SotA is that we're supposed to play ourselves, from Earth. Know many Elves on earth ?

-Sergorn

X

 

I lol'd. I surely wouldn't try for yours. They won't let us have gun powder but Tesla towers, radios, and rail guns are on their way. I'm sure walkie-talkies are a possibility!

I'm a racist.

 

So playing yourself from Earth then becomes an option, and playing an elf becomes a second option. Lets not forget the definition of an avatar btw: "1) Someone who represents a type of person, an ideal, or a quality OR, 2) a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form; an incarnate divine teacher.", according to the Hindu belief system.

I just don't see the issue with it other than personal preference. No ones telling you or anyone they have to play an elf lol

Well, at least you're honest lol

 

It's basically changing the premise of the entire game.

You might not consider this an issue, and that's well within your right - but many of us do.

-Sergorn

 

RG has, this entire time, made me feel that we were supposed to be playing our actual earthly self. One character and that is you. I considered this a cornerstone of the game mechanics. By adding extra character slots and a new race that initial school of thought has been watered down immensely. I wouldn't care if they added some kind of elephant/unicycle hybrid race. Just don't spend a year telling me there will never be elephants in the game first.

 

The answer is here.^^^

 

This bothers me a lot more about the "pay for multiple slots" thing.
Because we all know about the possibility of an "Elven Heritage".

 

I'm a lil confused here. Just because elves might be available (if stretch goal is met) does not force you to create an elf.

UO had 5 character slots. No other races, but still extra slots.

It might change the storyline, especially if someone chooses that race. But all stories evolve.

 

To me, this is a whole other issue. This isn't the only thing we were told, but many others. And there have been game design features that have been modified due to player feedback.

The feedback must've been enough that they added it as a very difficult stretch goal to attain. If you pay attention to how many are purchased, you'll find the numbers are extremely low. Last time I checked (it may have changed by now), no elves were purchased today, for example.

If people really want it enough, they're making people put their money where their mouth is. If it doesn't make the goal, then not enough folks want it. Simple as that. But not before ruffling some feathers.

Now, what happens to that money if the goal isn't met? Anybody's guess at this point.