It is very interesting, taking that leap from the "unfinished game" of infinite narrative possibilities to something specific happening and considering which might be "better." I certainly don't find it enviable to be in a position to compete with the imagination of literally every player, but here's hoping the work paid off. I'm very much looking forward to it, despite the nerves.
Lore is a word that'll differ dramatically based on the context, I think. If I'm talking about say the first Mass Effect game or perhaps The Elder Scrolls series prior to Oblivion, then the word "lore" becomes somewhat of a curse as I cling to the few precious shards of narrative that weren't abandoned or desecrated in some form as the franchise continued. I agree that the word can become an issue when separated too far from its original work, if one observes others talking very delicately around something, it implies that something went wrong: "Oh. They're only talking about specific parts of the lore, not the game. There must have been an accident."
But I think people can generally pick up on that context, and it doesn't subtract from using the word when talking about media you're still excited for.
And while this topic of writing is fresh, I'll just type out some thoughts that have been swimming around in my head for awhile. Of all the writing presently in the game, my two favorite pieces are just tiny little descriptions, but I'd still like to praise them.
First, the description of the Gremlin-class frigate. And secondly, the short little bit of text describing the experience of flying through an inert ring.
I enjoy the setting of the game very much, but I feel as though I engage on a grander scale than just as an individual. I've played many characters but never really felt any difference in the narrative of my experience, until I read the Gremlin's description. It interested me enough to wonder what exactly it would feel like to actually be a crew member on a piece of trash constantly offending reality with its phase ability. I then started a game with only a Gremlin(this is a terrible gameplay experience, for reference) and even though I quickly moved on, the narrative of my character actually being changed by the experience of flying around in a Gremlin just kept rolling through my head. Even with it long behind me, I imagined that the character might suffer physical ticks or other small indications of derangement from the experience. That they might be paranoid as a consequence of captaining a ship whose only defense is to hide, and isn't very good at it at all. All evoked by a simple description of a ship.
The text describing a pointless flight through a dead ring didn't lead to any character story in my head, but it helped me imagine the people of the sector. It's very easy for the rings to be graphically displayed and nothing more, and I might not have felt anything about them. But the described experience of flying through one and nothing happening really does a great job of capturing the relationship between the rings and the people of the sector. The awe people feel about something they know of, but do not understand.
I'm not sure who is credited with writing those two little tidbits of text, but regardless of that they're both really great and I haven't said so anywhere before now. I felt like I should.
Thanks for the blog post and for the excuse to ramble.
The Human Hive is the best faction, by the way.