Do you like reading notes in games?

[ZedClampet]

Notes are really popular in horror games, but they can be found in just about every type of first/third person game. Control was chock full of them, and even Far Cry games have you finding notes. Do you read them all? Do you read any?

I tend to read the notes that are essential to completing a task, but get irritated when there are just a bunch of random lore drops placed all over the place. Indie horror games are famous for putting nonsensically located notes that don't help you at all, all over the place. I once found a note in a modern kitchen complaining about noises coming from the garage. The note was dated 1912. Never mind this note predated garages, apparently it had sat on this modern kitchen counter for over 100 years. There was also a note hidden in a houseplant that explained that someone presumably long dead was an archaeologist. Fascinating.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on notes? Love them or can't be bothered?

 

[Nasrulloh088]

I also agree with you sometimes notes irritate me because I have to read too much😅

 

[Brian Boru]

I tend to read the notes that are essential to completing a task, but get irritated when there are just a bunch of random lore drops placed all over the place

This is me too. Far Cry 5 notes seem to be generally ok, but FC4 had a load of rubbish ones which I stopped reading quickly.

My overall inclination is to read stuff in games, if it's useful or interesting I'll keep reading them.

 

[ZedClampet]

This is me too. Far Cry 5 notes seem to be generally ok, but FC4 had a load of rubbish ones which I stopped reading quickly.

My overall inclination is to read stuff in games, if it's useful or interesting I'll keep reading them.

I mostly just read the notes related to prepper stashes in FC5. The thing that I didn't mention above is that I play the FC games in co-op with a teenager, which changes how long you are willing to devote to reading stuff. I'd probably have an entirely different view of it in SP.

 

[Yggdrasill]

It really depends on how many notes there are and how interesting/important the contained information is. If it's just something here and there and/or important, then I'll definitely read it. If it's too much / too long / not really critical, I tend to quickly skim over (is that the correct phrase? sorry) and forget about it.

I collected books in Skyrim "to read them later" (which never really happened...), so in Witcher I try to read everything first and then collect them to sell them on.

In Dragon Age I've read everything as well, because I loved the lore, atmosphere and world buildung.

 

[mainer]

Notes, books, emails; I read 'em all. My gaming experience is mostly in the RPGish category, so games I play tend to have a lot of those things scattered around. Some are quest related and essential, others may give you clues to quests or items you never heard about. Many also give you background or lore of the world you're currently exploring which helps with that "suspension of belief" quality that helps immerse a player in the game's world.

 

[mainer]

I collected books in Skyrim "to read them later"

As many times as I've played Skyrim, I still do this: I just can't help myself with collecting complete sets of books. Once I get a complete set I'll often read through the book series when I'm back at my house (I usually have one house dedicated to being a lore library). I also take the time to put them on shelves in alphabetical and/or numerical order. I'm just really compulsive about things like that.

 

[ZedClampet]

Notes, books, emails; I read 'em all. My gaming experience is mostly in the RPGish category, so games I play tend to have a lot of those things scattered around. Some are quest related and essential, others may give you clues to quests or items you never heard about. Many also give you background or lore of the world you're currently exploring which helps with that "suspension of belief" quality that helps immerse a player in the game's world.

Usually in cRPG's I'll read everything. In games like Skyrim, I'll at least collect everything even if I never take the time to read it. But I have to really be enjoying myself to start reading everything, or maybe there's an interesting story and I just want all the info.

But I play a lot of hobbyist horror games and that kind of colors my perspective on notes. No one should have to read those.

 

[Nasrulloh088]

By the way, what's your favorite horror game?😁

 

[ZedClampet]

By the way, what's your favorite horror game?😁

Alien Isolation. Of course, that's a huge AAA game, but I've enjoyed tons of horror games, everything from freebies on up.

 

[Zloth]

I read notes pretty often, but not always. Elder Scrolls games get a bit too much sometimes. One game recently (Mutant: Year 0?) had notes that didn't add to the game at all, so I just stopped reading them. I read everything I could get my hands on in Control, though! (It's even nicer when the notes get voice actors to read them so you can continue searching through the location while you listen.)

 

[Brian Boru]

I play the FC games in co-op with a teenager

Oh dear, that's like having to fight a 5th Seed—which it is I guess, since presumably teen is your seed…

Apart from notes, I also interact with the phone messages—they're handy, as you can listen while poking around the room—which help a little to build the threatening atmosphere.

complete sets of books … I also take the time to put them on shelves

Hey, looks better than your real-life collections

 

[Pifanjr]

In most games I'll read every note available. I read every codex entry in the Mass Effect series. I usually read every entry and note in the Assassin's Creed series. I searched through every computer in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and I will read every note I come across in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games.

I don't read the books in TES games though, there's just too many of them and that's not how I want to spent my gaming time. I've also skipped pretty much every piece of quest fluff in World of Warcraft and there have definitely been games where I've skipped through dialogues and cutscenes because the story was **** and I just wanted to get back to the gameplay.

 

[igmaby]

By the way, what's your favorite horror game?😁

It would be Phasmophobia. This game is a multiplayer online co-op psychological horror game with "no guns" as problem solving. Got some heart attack when playing this game

 

[mainer]

Hey, looks better than your real-life collections

Ha! I just noticed that when going through the postings; I have much nicer book shelves in my Skyrim life. It's weird, that in some games where I have so much freedom to do what I want or be who I want, that some of my real life tendencies tend to bleed over into the game. I guess that's immersion.

 

[ZedClampet]

Ha! I just noticed that when going through the postings; I have much nicer book shelves in my Skyrim life. It's weird, that in some games where I have so much freedom to do what I want or be who I want, that some of my real life tendencies tend to bleed over into the game. I guess that's immersion.

I used to have a great looking set-up until we moved into our current house (my old place had some great, built-in shelving). Now I have a bunch of boxes with books in them stacked in a storage room. I mostly read ebooks now because of convenience. Not sure my real books will ever make it out of storage.

 

[Nasrulloh088]

Alien Isolation. Of course, that's a huge AAA game, but I've enjoyed tons of horror games, everything from freebies on up.

Wow, that's a really mind-blowing game, especially since some people say alien isolation is a flawed game.

but I don't know the details myself, because I've never played it myself, I've only seen it from several sources such as YouTube

 

[Zloth]

Hey, looks better than your real-life collections

Hey now, let's not get into bookshelf shaming!

 

[DXCHASE]

As someone whos been playing Destiny 2 virtually since its release, i barely read the lore associated with anything. I understand the story well enough, but i am not at all concerned with the stories in the books i collect lol

 

[Frag Maniac]

I tend to read the notes that are essential to completing a task, but get irritated when there are just a bunch of random lore drops placed all over the place.

This is how I am, I'm OK with ones that have vital info you need to know, but telling a story via a bunch of lore notes is lazy developing IMO.