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Author Topic: CCP and differing fictional applications of Gallente/Caldari versus Amarr/Minnie  (Read 1803 times)

Seriphyn

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I have noticed a trend in how CCP writes and creates fiction depending on which "half" of the primary EVE storyline and plot areas...for example...

Amarr and Minmatar pieces of fiction (mainly chronicles) tend to be orientated to infodumps, items of lore and/or stories that explore the original settings of these universes. There are little to no chrons about the "behind the scenes" of an ongoing event

Gallente and Caldari pieces of fiction are, for the most past, mostly centered around an ongoing plot arc related to the war and subterfuge. There are very little Gallente infodump chrons, instead quite the few stories are related to ongoing news items.

Ie. basically CCP uses Gallente/Caldari as a setting for an ongoing, Cold War style, Tom Clancy esque conflict. A massive empire of diverse and often conflicting interests that struggles to maintain a united front versus a smaller, fortress state that despite its size, poses a severe threat nonetheless. Meanwhile, Amarr/Minmatar are less about the war, but more about exploring these original universes...the tribes of Matar and the vast, almost ancient history of the Amarr. There have been little news items regardings Amarr/Minnie FW for example (most likely because, canonically, the Amarr could stump the Minnies with their small toe, while the Gallente and Caldari have separate force multipliers that make them equally matched).

I'll use some examples of chrons from the start of FW, following the set of four chrons that outline the intentions of each leader (All These Wayward Children, The Paths They Chose etc.). 

-   Her Painted Selves
-   Cities of Refuge
-   To Live in Peace
-   A World Where No Such Road Will Run
-   All Tommorow’s Bodies
-   Wild Earth
-   Under the Sea, The City
-   Two Deaths
-   Taught Thoughts
-   The Vitrauze Project
-   The Ever-Turning Wheels
-   The Human Painting
-   Blind Auction
-   For the State
-   Slow Disease
-   Chasing Shadows
-   Ante
-   Black Eagles
-   Anoikis

These are all chronicles related, mostly, to the Gallente counteracting the threat of the Caldari, or the Gallente dealing with the implications of the wormholes and whatnot, or just generally the Gallente/Caldari conflict.

Compare the Minnie/Amarr chrons in the same period of time…

-   The Part Where I Play the Devil
-   Beasts of the Field
-   Kameiras
-   Chained to the Sky
-   Scars
-   Houses of the Holy
-   A Man of Values and Faith
-   Signs of Faith
-   Merely Disassembled
-   Valklears
-   Innocent Faces
-   Tattooooooo

These are all chrons that have little to do with the ongoing storyline, but instead are simply exploring the history of the Minmatar and Amarr…even if they are about the history, they don't even make any sort of mention that "We're at war", probably likely because the war isn't really believable in terms of it being sustainable from the Republic end.

It’s something interesting I noticed. For example, for those who have issues with the Gallente Federation having the least amount of lore, it’s simply because the Gallente are being used differently. They are being treated as the protagonists in a story, while Amarr and Minmatar, to a lesser extent Caldari as well, are being used to create original settings and culture. After all, if there was any infodump about the Gallente, it really wouldn’t be that interesting at all, given that Gallente is very close to a future Western society.

Anyway, thought it was cool to spot, and seeing if people can agree with this viewpoint.

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Graelyn

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Huh....

I can  find no fault in this logic (yet!).
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Saede Riordan

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yes you seem to be correct.
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Graanvlokkie

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* Graanvlokkie points to the thread about IC stuff making people feel bad OOC.

Perhaps CCP doesnt want to amplify the salvery topic. Just give the facts, without the need to tell stories and perhaps romantisise  it.
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Alain Colcer

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Perhaps the writers who associate themselves with each side of the story have entirely different views or writing styles?

I personally would like more info-dumps on the Gallente, they are perhaps the only empire that need a good and defined birds-eye view through their socio-political foundations. Not just the intro text and stuff like that, i mean like a real and broad opinion article of current situation.
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Senn Typhos

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The connection between the Fed/State and the cold war is actually something that drew me to the latter race initially, although I didn't fully realize the strength of the connection until you brought it up in this thread.

Here's hoping it doesn't peter out like the real one did.
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orange

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The Fed/State conflict can be interpreted in a very modern western way and the conflicts between them have numerous parallels in the modern world and recent history (and not the "big conflicts").  It can be as simple as conservative vs liberal or more complicated nationalism vs internationalism or corporate rights vs individual rights, etc.  It is a conflict for which the western world provides readily available background.  These are conflicts we as players are familiar with.


The Matari/Amarr (+ Friends) conflict is much more primal in my view.  A conflict of nationalism and direct servitude,  of subjugation and assimilation.
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Silver Night

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Do you think that to a degree CCP elaborates more on the current happenings in the Caldari/Gallente side of things because at some level it needs more context - or at least they feel that providing information that is current, as opposed to background and past, will better help people understand it?

Is the Amarr/Minmatar conflict, maybe not simple, but given the outline of the situation, and the (for the most part) greater extremes, there is a sort of built in understanding in a lot of areas? While it takes place against a backdrop of religion and cultures clashing, I think there is, to most player's mindsets, something immediately recognizable in the shape of a conflict where an empire is trying to subjugate another civilization?

Gottii

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What Silver said.  The Minmatar and the Amarrians are a bit more alien cultures compared to the average EVE player, and thus they seem to get a bit more info dump on the details of those cultures and lifestyles.  However, their conflict, at its base, is pretty simple, the Amarrians want to enslave the Minmatar, the Minmatar dont want to be enslaved.

For the Caldari and the Gallente, its rather the opposite.  Their cultures are fairly recognizable, but the actual reasons for their conflict are a bit more nuanced.  So, CCP seems to focus on their conflict, rather than their culture.     
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