Within my game I wanted the player to unlock certain pieces of text, art and audio pieces in order for them to feel more involved with the games world. I don't just want to give them this information because as I have already learnt from this forum most people wouldn't read it with it a) aiding the game play or b) being worth their time but I think if I made it into some sort of mini game with increasing hardness then people might just learn about the world I'm trying to create without realizing it.

I want to go with something smart like Assassins Creed 2's The Truth with all the various locating and number based clues unlocking information. I also like Mass Effect 2's system of hacking and circuit breaking solutions though I didn't really feel they were particularly hard but would allow the player to slip up with cockiness.

I was probing a few ideas but was wondering if anybody here had any innovative solutions? I may warn though, I'm on a tight art budget.

Thank you.

I think you're approaching it the wrong way. You want to force more information down the players throat than they want to know. Giving them this information in a manner in which they can read it if they wish is the best way. If you feel that is wasting your time, then the player probably doesn't need this information, so don't put it in.

Your world should always be much larger in your head than you actually show to the player. Think about the information you want them to know, then try and provide it in a meaningful way, such as part of a quest. Give it out in small portions, like a single statement or sentence so the player doesn't have to spend long taking it in. Make the quest in multiple parts so you can give them all the info spread out. Finally, consider if the player really actually needs to know this information and if learning it is going to be fun for the player.

HTH.

Don't know if it's the direction you want but I think Myst did it fairly well. Player collects a page belonging to a book, player probably doesn't read. Player collects another page with a picture or diagram, gives it a moment of consideration, and then goes on. Player comes accross a puzzle that reminds him of the diagram. He turns to that page of the book and checks +/- 1 page in either direction for more info that might be helpful. Sometimes the required page is still missing so you keep an eye out for it.