The DXCTYPIAN Way of Making Good Lore!

Making Lore

by @DXCTYPE

Alright, let’s be honest, at least one of you guys reading this has trouble coming up with lore. (And I did, once.) So this topic will destroy that wall between you and good lore.

I know there are two other topics on this, but I think:
Dishonest Opinion: They’re alright, but missed a few facts.
Honest Opinion: They’re short, undetailed, and one of them is unfinished. (Very sorry if I’m rude)

Okay, enough talking, let’s get to the good part.

Coming up with ideas:

This might be one of the most challenging parts of making good lore, but this is easier than you think.

  1. A.I.
    I know, very unethical, but it can be useful. A.I. is very good at making anything (except art), even lore! On a school Chromebook and ChatGPT is blocked? Use Grammarly’s A.I.! It’s not the best A.I. in the world, but it’s good enough for me. Usually, A.I. likes to use fancy & big words, so I recommend you rewrite what the A.I. gives you.

  2. Inspiration
    You can get inspiration from other GKC maps, and even other real games! Ex. Brawl Stars, FNAF, LOZ (Legend of Zelda), Genshin Impact, etc.
    You can also get lore from real-life incidents! Ex. Titanic, Ocean Gate implosion, etc.
    Another place is books! Ex. Harry Potter, Fahrenheit 451, etc.

Drafting

This part might be the easiest part… Just write down your lore! But remember, make it look clean! This will make it much easier to implement the lore in the future.

Draft editing

First, ask yourself “How do I want my lore to sound? Scary? Happy? Sad?”
Note: I am a good story-writer, so you can trust me on this part.

Scary

If you want a scary tone, cut off sentences and add statics (if possible). Also, use a lot of imagery. Constantly describe your setting and use negative connotations. Ex. The dark and gloomy house.

Howl  
Crypts  
Cackle
Levitation 
Cobweb 
Tombstone 
Grave 
Chill 
Graveyard 
Chill 
Zombies 
Monster 
Coffin 
Bloodsucker 
Dreadulness 
Tomb 
Corpse 
Skeleton 
Cemetery 
Cadaver
Spine-chilling 
Wolf
Pumpkin 
Disguise 
Goblin 
Fangs 
Burial 
Dreadfulness 
Specter
Poltergeist
Scream
Nightmare
Ghoul
Darkness
Creep
Shadow
Possession
Wraith
Fear
Phantom
Omen
Supernatural
Eerie
Harrow
Fright
Apparition
Murder
Horrify
Petrify
Shriek
Sinister
Abomination
Panic
Mist
Cursed
Menace
Chains
Gore
Catacomb
Gruesome
Moonlight
Chase
Changeling

Words by @CringeKarlScott

Happy

Use passive voice and simple words, and try to use positive connotations.
Words:
Laughter, happiness, love, happy, laughed, laugh, laughing, excellent, laughs, joy, successful, win, rainbow, smile, won, pleasure, smiled, rainbows, winning, celebration, enjoyed, healthy, music, celebrating, congratulations, weekend, celebrate, comedy, jokes, rich, victory, Christmas, free, friendship, fun, holidays, loved, loves, loving, beach, kissing, sunshine, delicious, friends, funny, outstanding, paradise, sweetest, vacation, butterflies, freedom, flower, great, sunlight, sweetheart, sweetness, award, chocolate, hahahaha, heaven, peace, splendid, success, enjoying, kissed, attraction, celebrated, hero, hugs, positive, sun, birthday, blessed, fantastic, winner, delight, beauty, butterfly,entertainment, funniest, honesty, sky, smiles, succeed, wonderful, glorious, kisses, promotion, family, gift, humor, romantic, cupcakes, festival, hahahahaha, honour, relax, weekends, angel, b-day, bonus, brilliant, diamonds, holiday, lucky, mother, super, amazing, angels, enjoy, friend, friendly, mother’s, profit, finest, bday, champion, grandmother, haha, kiss, kitten, miracle, sweet, blessings, bright, cutest, entertaining, excited, excitement, joke, millionaire, prize, succeeded, successfully, winners, shines, awesome, genius, achievement, cake, cheers, exciting, goodness, hug, income, party, puppy, smiling, song, succeeding, tasty, victories, achieved, billion, cakes, easier, flowers, gifts, gold, merry, families, handsome, lovers, affection, candy, cute, diamond, earnings, interesting, peacefully, praise, relaxing, roses, Saturdays, faithful, heavens, cherish, comfort, congrats, cupcake, earn, extraordinary, glory, hilarious, moonlight, optimistic, peaceful, romance, feast, attractive, glad, grandma, internet, pleasant, profits, smart.
Words by @THEHACKER120

Sad

Very sorry, but I’m can’t write good with a sad tone, but I can give some tips:
Sad Imagery
Negative Connotations
Words:

unhappy
heartbroken
depressed
miserable
sorry
bad
melancholy
upset
worried
sorrowful
disappointed
mournful
uneasy
hopeless
saddened
troubled
dejected
gloomy
heartsick
doleful
melancholic
forlorn
crestfallen
depressing
glum
disconsolate
inconsolable
woebegone
joyless
despondent
downcast
wretched
woeful
brokenhearted
distressed
blue
suicidal
droopy
hangdog
downhearted
discouraged
heavyhearted
down
low-spirited
heartsore
down in the mouth
low
tearful
grieving
despairing
aggrieved
cast down
somber
bleak
regretful
sunk
dispirited
disheartened
weeping
morbid
desolate
unquiet
anguished
lugubrious
plaintive
sombre
dolorous
morose
lachrymose
rueful
dark
grey
cheerless
dismal
agonized
wailing
sullen
dreary
gray
elegiac
comfortless
funereal
drear
black
murky
darkening
saturnine
elegiacal

Words by @CringeKarlScott
Tips:
Add lots of ellipses (…) But don’t overdo it!
Add things like “If only…” “But I can’t…” “I’m not good at …” for a more hopeless sort of feel
Use sad words like the ones in the replies above
Add a lot of crying/sniffling/lying in bed/feeling like they have no purpose/hopelessness
End with a “Will I be able to…” or “I’ll probably fail…” To add some doubt (also can be used throughout the story, not just at the end)
If at the end your character goes out and does something, lead into it with “I’ll probably fail, but I have to try” or “It’s not going to work, but I need to do this for ___”
If your character decides to do nothing at the end, lead into it with “I know for a fact I’ll fail, so there’s no point in doing this.” or “It’s never going to happen. I’m not doing this.”
Lots of lying in bed
Isolation from other people in their life
More time on screens/alone
Deterioration of health/cleanliness (if it’s that bad)
Nothing much happening for a bit
Hard to do their job/go to school
Hard to do daily activities
(Also negative connotations and sad imagery)
I’ve got a lot of experience writing/living sad stories…
Plus I read 2-3 levels above my grade level
(probably more but I don’t know the actual number)
Tips by @I_Like_Props

Heroic

Add lots of adventures and surprises
Add plot twists and unexpected turns
Add a starting point (character is at a low point, family member died, breakup, etc.)
Add quotes like “This is my destiny…” or “I’m the only one that can…”
Add someone the main character needs to save/rescue/help
An alternative to that is to add a part where the Main character has to rescue themselves
Include a backstory (something that made them need to go on this journey)
Make sure the objective of the quest is set and clear
Add an actual reason to go on the quest
Add a quest
Add challenges along the way (Fighting, traps, villains, etc.)
Add a wise mentor to guide the hero
Add supporting sub-main characters to accompany the hero
(Maybe) Add some magical elements
Use books like Percy Jackson, Wings of Fire, and Harry Potter as inspiration
Use words like:

bold
courageous
daring
epic
fearless
gallant
grand
gutsy
noble
valiant
destiny
quest
journey
prophecy
reincarnation
awaken
awakened
selfless
protagonist
villain
hero
champion
fighter
fighting
fight

By @I_Like_Props

Design

Sometimes, it’s not just about text, it’s about visuals! Use props to add some lore, too!


Common mistakes/reminders

  1. Directly writing the lore in the game:
    It would be best if you didn’t start implementing the lore instantly. I recommend drafting it in a Google Document or something like that.

  2. Too complex or too simple:
    If you want to stump your fellow Gimkitters, go ahead and make it as complex as you want, but never, ever, make your lore too simple. Your Gimkitters will expect a bit more lore, so they will overthink everything.

  3. I know this is very tempting, but don’t include links to other websites, QR codes, etc. in your game. :frowning: I wish you could do this. You will be permanently banned for this.


Good ideas to hide/use your lore

  1. Use a morse code translater
    Translate text to morse to stump your lore-diggers!

  2. Challenges/Side-Quests
    Make challenges or side-quests for your player to complete to find lore!

  3. Child’s Paper (Taken from Garten of BanBan)
    Scatter paper around the map and have a note on them. Use a font that’s similar to a child’s handwriting.


And that’s about it! You can now implement your lore! Sorry, but I can’t help you implement it. If you need any help writing lore, you can ask me!


Read the links below. Not knowing what connotation, imagery, and tone is could cause your lore to be vague or un-interesting


Links:

Connotation

Imagery

Tone (In writing)

18 Likes

Maybe inclue examples of good lore?

3 Likes

Uhh, sure, but it’ll take a while… How much editing time do I have? Im basic.

1 Like

adding on too @gimmaster12345 bad lore too
@DXCTYPE 1 day

2 Likes

One day, I think


2 Likes

Maybe instead of calling it how to make good lore, you can call it, " DXCTYPE’s guide on how to make good lore " so they know it’s by you, and they know which one to look for, if they want to just an original one, or they want your type.

1 Like

Or go to a morse code website, type your lore, hide it in maps. Make a few websites with dark backrounds and a few qr codes. Just a suggestion. I am a master at scary lore. I’ve watched a lot of MatPat.

2 Likes

My lore’s kind of dark…

1 Like

we can’t have external links in maps

@THEHACKER120 mine too…

1 Like

Not yet anyway, and I have a dark lore but it’s strewn across a few websites.

I mean it’s not allowed

Why? Can I not just hide the name every once or other and expect people to nose around?

no external links is a rule for publishing
qr codes and promoting other websites count

MMm. Dagnabbit. Oh, well.

I will find a way. I am strong.

I would also say it’s not great if the game requires you to do that kind of stuff

Literally like every good horror game has that. Ever heard of ARG’s?

Well, lore is important if you want your game to have context or a storyline.

1 Like

I meant going to other sites for the lore there is a limit to how dedicated players are

1 Like

I am dedicated.