Writing and Interactive Storytelling (lecture 6 Game Development)

Writing and Interactive Storytelling (lecture 6 Game Development)

1. Game Writing and Interactive
Storytelling

2. Overview
3 ways a story can be experienced
–Tell
–Show
–Do
–Games can use all 3, but 3
rd
is best
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3. Know Your Audience
Dev team needs to share vision
Appropriate storytelling for genre
Even shooters seem to benefit from a real
back-story...for some
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4. Budget Storytelling?
Famous games with ground-breaking
stories ...can flop
Easy to write plot points that can't be (or
exceed budget) conveyed in game...or even
in a cutscene
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5. Basic Storytelling
Inciting(encourage) Incident
–Usually, before game “starts”
–Maybe an immediate conflict
Rising Action
–Discover identity and capabilities
Climax(Exciting)
Resolution
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6. Plot Types
Linear –player is along for the ride
Branching –player sees 1/2
k
Modified branching, parallel paths
Modular storytelling-”sitcom” model
Nonlinear Plots-”sandbox” model
Quasilinear Plots
–Linear within a sandbox
Forest –many little stories
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7. Interactive Fiction
Player's decisions write the story
–Used in a niche(suitabale) of print books
–By default, implies Branching
Agency
–The more the player's decisions affect
subsequent gameplay, the more real and
immersive it feels
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8. Narrative Devices
The Spine
–Those elements that are required in order
to complete/finish/win
The Golden Path
–Optimum path to experience the game as
intended
–Maximum rewards
–Motivation to return to the spine
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9. Algorithmic Storytelling
Generate new stories/questlines as a
result/consequence of player actions
“narrative intelligence”
Easy to generate “valid”, hard to generate
“interesting” or “fun”
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10. Story Mechanisms
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Cut Scene
Scripted Event
Artifact
NPC (Non –player Character)
Internal Monologue(Self talk or inner
Speech)
Triggered Event

11. Character Development
Three-dimensional characters
Backstory, motivation, goals
Flaws
NPCs that have “a life” other than their quest dialogue
Attributes of player will project onto main character
–Less development needed for them
–Player actions should affect character
personality/capabilities
Hero often ends up more memorable than story line!
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12. Dialogue
Usually, a weakness in games
Spoken vs. Written
Brief and conversational
Avoid empty thread syndrome
Menus vs. chats
Dialogue Trees vs. AIML scripts
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