Introduction

A thought that has crossed my mind on occasion, is wondering how an Artist is going to eat, in Chronicles of Elyria. In most games, artistic professions have either been a side-job, or a buff machine. But in CoE, where your skills can take generations to reach their peak, artistry would hardly be a side job, and the only buff-machine compatible art skill is musician.

And yet, we have a pixel-painting system planned and in the works, and they have talked about including Perfume in-game, as was talked about in my Alchemy Proposal. Naturally, RPers will make good use of art and the like...but there are many players with no interest in the acting side of playing out a role.

So, that raises the question. For the painter, the sculptor, the engraver, the perfumer, and the embosser...how do they dedicate themselves to their craft to achieve mastery and produce an output that is useful enough in-game that they don't go broke and starve? I believe I have an answer, and it is rooted in the gossip, reputation, and renown system.

It mostly breaks out into First Impression and Memorability, with a side of what people might expect from someone of your stature.

Artistry you can wear

This section covers the effects of artistically created or modified items that you can wear on your person. Perfumes, engraved armor, fancy clothing, etc are all included here.

First Impressions

This applies to both players and NPCs. The way your character presents themselves is important in CoE, particularly because of the “what you see is what you get” rule. A Champion in finely engraved armor is probably a very successful Champion, as you seldom bother engraving any but the finest armors, and having that sort of detailing done is quite expensive.

A merchant in fine clothing with a beautifully painted wagon and embroidered cloak automatically appears more wealthy and successful to those who see him...and a character (player or NPC) may be more likely to want to trade with them than they are the guy in the rundown wagon dressed in threadbare rags.

Memorability

Wearing artistically created or modified items also makes your character more memorable to those around them. A champion in finely engraved armor is more easily recalled than the one in simple plate. The lady of the court who smells of lavender and is dressed in an ornate gown, is more easily remembered than the one plainly dressed.

This even applies to players. If your character is made memorable by the fine things they wear, a player’s character is more likely to remember your name on subsequent encounters, allowing them to see your nameplate in your UI.

The more memorable your character is, the more likely they are to be talked about through the gossip mechanic, and the longer it will take for things they do to die out of the gossip circles. If you are seeking to build renown...being memorable is a good way to do it.

Perhaps also of note is that being highly memorable is a potential risk. If someone gets a copy of your extremely memorable perfume, commits a crime while wearing it, and people remember the smell of that perfume at the crime scene...there’s a chance you may come under investigation.

Static Art

These benefits apply to art you can’t take with you as easily. Paintings, statues, fine pottery, beautiful dishes, that sort of thing. For the most part, people won’t see these unless they are invited to your home for some reason.

First Impressions

Art on display in and around your home is a declaration of wealth. As with artistic things you can wear, the decor of your home set the starting opinion of you that NPCs have. However, this has more of a bearing on Expectations, as will be detailed below.

Memorability

People are more likely to remember visits to your home if it was awesome. This is particularly useful for nobles who may be holding feasts, balls, and other high-profile social events.

I am of the opinion that there should be social methods to increasing your renown, in addition to feats of heroism or crafting...and attending or hosting such social events should be a way to do it. And the longer people keep talking about it, the more renown you may gain from it.

And if you have excellent music, fine art for people to enjoy, excellent food, and so on...they’ll be talking about it for a while.

Location Fame

This piece is potentially useful to the non-wealthy. If your shop, tavern, inn, or whatever other structure you please is beautifully built, and incorporates artistic elements...whether that be finely crafted furniture, art on the walls, or even having a particularly talented musician on retainer...then knowledge of that location becomes more commonly known as people use the gossip mechanic to talk about it.

This is, naturally, in addition to any fame that your establishment builds up due to the quality of craftsmanship that comes out of it.

As a result, the NPCs are more aware of your establishment and more likely to talk about it. This can lead to word of “that really awesome tavern” spreading beyond the town it resides in, and seeing people in other towns start to hear about it. Or, if nothing else...if a player asks an NPC for directions to a Tavern, they may be more inclined to direct them towards yours, because that was the one that sprung to mind when they were asked.

Expectations

This is where things get a little complicated. As we know, NPCs have personalities based on several traits. A factor of these traits would influence their opinion on artistic works.

You could have NPCs who think fancy armor is ridiculous, and so wearing it around them would make them treat you with disdain. But then others who think that a Noble wearing the plain, utilitarian armor of his soldiers is no noble at all. You could have NPCs who prefer old, ‘classic’ works of art, and others who prefer to see something new whenever possible.

And, in some cases, the state of the lands around where you live may impact this. Some may find living in luxury to be entirely appropriate for a Noble...but frowns on doing so when the land you rule is poverty-stricken...and yet others may laud this behavior because ‘the peasants are just there to serve us, after all.’

But, in general...the higher of a position you occupy and the more renowned you already are...the higher someone’s expectations for what you should have will be. A king serving a banquet off of rough, wooden plates is likely to be frowned upon and may lose renown due to the disapproval of his ‘poor treatment of his guests.’

I add this to the write-up specifically to make sure that you can’t “solve” art. You can’t work out an equation to figure out how much (and what quality) artistic works to keep around, how often to cycle them out, or anything like that. There is no single right answer for how to optimize renown gain. If you are trying to impress someone in particular, then it would be a good idea to hit the rumor mill and figure out what sorts of things appeal to them, and approach them accordingly.

Conclusion

So, ultimately, the TL;DR of my idea is that the output of artists is a tool for managing and improving renown as well as navigating first impressions with both players and NPCs. Hopefully, this builds in enough functional utility into the artistic professions that it gives non-RPers a valid reason to need the services of an artist.

And, I feel it will also result in a more beautiful gameworld, as people actually pay attention to the aesthetic qualities of what they create, rather than just slapping together bare-bones blocks that are all function, and no form.

As always, feedback is welcome.