Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
EXTRA CONTENT (OR HOW TO EXTEND YOUR GAME WITHOUT EXTENDING THE STORY)
A brief description of ways to enhance gameplay and lengthen playtime
SuicideAngel- 08/30/2008 12:00 AM
- 1240 views
What exactly is Extra Content?
For the purposes of this article, “Extra Content†is here defined as “Any form of gameplay beyond the main storylineâ€
The Importance of Extra Content
Extra content is the easiest and most effective way to extend a game’s play time beyond that of the main storyline. Some forms of extra content can even create replay value, a rare element not found in many RPGs with linear storylines. Why do you want to extend game play time? Looking at it from an economical standpoint, a buyer will want the most play time for his money. The longer you can make your game, the more appealing it will be. And for the player, an entertaining sidequest or task is a great way to break up the storyline and give the illusion of non-linearity.
Types of Extra Content
-The Sidequest: The most commonly used of all extra content. Think of this as a Mini-story, with the main character being given a task to complete, with a reward upon that task’s completion. Almost every RPG has at least one of these.
-Hidden Items: I think the last game I’ve played that this was seen in would be Final Fantasy IV for the GBA, but Pokémon would probably be the most well known example. This is simply items or money that can be obtained, but that resides in a non-visible event.
-The Extra Dungeon: Lots of rereleased RPGs lately have been opting for this. This is any area that has no relevance to the storyline. Many are like normal dungeons, with a powerful weapon, skill, or boss waiting at the end. But some are towns with clues to other extra content, or weapons and armor for sale that cannot be purchased anywhere else.
-The Extra Boss: Same as the Extra Dungeon, it’s a powerful monster that has no relation to the story. Emerald and Ruby Weapons from Final Fantasy VII are good examples. The Extra Boss usually falls in with the Extra Dungeon, but not always.
-New Game+: There are many variations on this concept, but the main idea always remains the same. After beating a game, allow the player to go through it again with some sort of bonus or challenge. Some examples are: leaving them all their skills, equipment, money and items from the previous play, but with more powerful monsters; or allowing them special items or equipment to use (sometimes determined by choices made in the previous play). Silent Hill and Chrono Cross are good examples of this.
-Unlockable Content: Anything that requires that a special task be performed, or an amount of something be exchanged. Concept art usually falls under this, as well as notes from the production team, and test areas. Indigo Prophecy implements this well, but offers the bonus points needed for unlocking far too easily, but Condemned: Criminal Origins has a good, balanced system.
-Cheat Menu: It doesn’t need to be a menu, but any form of Cheat can add replay value, especially if you make the cheats Unlockable Content. This is a very flexible option, since it can be used positively by providing powerups; negatively by weakening yourself, strengthening monsters, and no experience; and even cosmetically by altering colors, map layouts and offering alternate graphics for the main characters. The Skulls from Halos 2 and 3 are a good example, as are the “tap the buttons†cheats that seem to have fallen out of style with the new generation of games.
-The Lockdown: This is an original idea of mine, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been used somewhere else before. The basis of the Lockdown is to have a series of locked doors, with clues to find the key or switch that opens them, which are hidden throughout the world. I tend to use this in tandem with the Extra Dungeon. Depending on the clues, this can become a really good opportunity to make the player think.
-The Abandoned Village: A neat variant on the Extra Dungeon I discovered during my days with the PSX RPG Maker. Repopulate an empty village with residents by helping people with tasks and having them move there. This can be used as either extra content or as an interesting addition to the main story.
-Foreign Language: Introduce a language that, at first, no one can understand. Then as the game progresses, give the player items that begin to translate the letters one by one. This is, of course, Final Fantasy X’s Al Bhed Primers, but it was an interesting way to extend playtime, so I’ve added it here.
-Romantic Rivals: Scatter events throughout the story that make you choose between one romantic interest or another, and at some point, have a grand romantic scene with whoever has the highest “interest level†at that point. Final Fantasy X had a smaller version of this, but the most well known would probably be the Final Fantasy VII Gold Saucer Date Scene.
-Character Recruitment: Have the player recruit characters to fight alongside the main character. A lot of games do this, and it’s a good way to expand a game if you like to experiment with different classes and weapons. Radiata Stories and Chrono Cross are the best examples, though Radiata takes it to a bit of an extreme.
-The Casino: While this doesn’t work in every game, adding an interactive casino to a game is a clever way to tie up a player for a few minutes at least. In addition to that, it provides a moneymaking (or losing) opportunity besides fighting or selling things.
-The Mini-Game: Similar to the Casino, it can provide both an interesting pastime, and an opportunity for rewards. Fable’s mini-games for example, or the various mini-games from the Final Fantasies.
-The Arena: Similar again to the Mini-Game and Casino, this provides in addition to a pastime and reward opportunity, a chance for the player to test their skills in battle.
-The Trading Sequence: It’s been done in various ways, but my favorite version of this was in Shadow Hearts: Covenant. You are given a Key Item by an NPC that has no purpose to the story, and as you progress you meet other NPCs that will trade you another item for yours. Eventually you get an item you can actually use but, depending on how you worked your trade branching, it might not have been the best item you could have gotten. The more branches you put in, the more replay value it adds to the game, but otherwise only provides a momentary distraction from the story.
For now, this is the end, but if new forms of Extra content occur to me, I will add them in. ^_^
For the purposes of this article, “Extra Content†is here defined as “Any form of gameplay beyond the main storylineâ€
The Importance of Extra Content
Extra content is the easiest and most effective way to extend a game’s play time beyond that of the main storyline. Some forms of extra content can even create replay value, a rare element not found in many RPGs with linear storylines. Why do you want to extend game play time? Looking at it from an economical standpoint, a buyer will want the most play time for his money. The longer you can make your game, the more appealing it will be. And for the player, an entertaining sidequest or task is a great way to break up the storyline and give the illusion of non-linearity.
Types of Extra Content
-The Sidequest: The most commonly used of all extra content. Think of this as a Mini-story, with the main character being given a task to complete, with a reward upon that task’s completion. Almost every RPG has at least one of these.
-Hidden Items: I think the last game I’ve played that this was seen in would be Final Fantasy IV for the GBA, but Pokémon would probably be the most well known example. This is simply items or money that can be obtained, but that resides in a non-visible event.
-The Extra Dungeon: Lots of rereleased RPGs lately have been opting for this. This is any area that has no relevance to the storyline. Many are like normal dungeons, with a powerful weapon, skill, or boss waiting at the end. But some are towns with clues to other extra content, or weapons and armor for sale that cannot be purchased anywhere else.
-The Extra Boss: Same as the Extra Dungeon, it’s a powerful monster that has no relation to the story. Emerald and Ruby Weapons from Final Fantasy VII are good examples. The Extra Boss usually falls in with the Extra Dungeon, but not always.
-New Game+: There are many variations on this concept, but the main idea always remains the same. After beating a game, allow the player to go through it again with some sort of bonus or challenge. Some examples are: leaving them all their skills, equipment, money and items from the previous play, but with more powerful monsters; or allowing them special items or equipment to use (sometimes determined by choices made in the previous play). Silent Hill and Chrono Cross are good examples of this.
-Unlockable Content: Anything that requires that a special task be performed, or an amount of something be exchanged. Concept art usually falls under this, as well as notes from the production team, and test areas. Indigo Prophecy implements this well, but offers the bonus points needed for unlocking far too easily, but Condemned: Criminal Origins has a good, balanced system.
-Cheat Menu: It doesn’t need to be a menu, but any form of Cheat can add replay value, especially if you make the cheats Unlockable Content. This is a very flexible option, since it can be used positively by providing powerups; negatively by weakening yourself, strengthening monsters, and no experience; and even cosmetically by altering colors, map layouts and offering alternate graphics for the main characters. The Skulls from Halos 2 and 3 are a good example, as are the “tap the buttons†cheats that seem to have fallen out of style with the new generation of games.
-The Lockdown: This is an original idea of mine, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been used somewhere else before. The basis of the Lockdown is to have a series of locked doors, with clues to find the key or switch that opens them, which are hidden throughout the world. I tend to use this in tandem with the Extra Dungeon. Depending on the clues, this can become a really good opportunity to make the player think.
-The Abandoned Village: A neat variant on the Extra Dungeon I discovered during my days with the PSX RPG Maker. Repopulate an empty village with residents by helping people with tasks and having them move there. This can be used as either extra content or as an interesting addition to the main story.
-Foreign Language: Introduce a language that, at first, no one can understand. Then as the game progresses, give the player items that begin to translate the letters one by one. This is, of course, Final Fantasy X’s Al Bhed Primers, but it was an interesting way to extend playtime, so I’ve added it here.
-Romantic Rivals: Scatter events throughout the story that make you choose between one romantic interest or another, and at some point, have a grand romantic scene with whoever has the highest “interest level†at that point. Final Fantasy X had a smaller version of this, but the most well known would probably be the Final Fantasy VII Gold Saucer Date Scene.
-Character Recruitment: Have the player recruit characters to fight alongside the main character. A lot of games do this, and it’s a good way to expand a game if you like to experiment with different classes and weapons. Radiata Stories and Chrono Cross are the best examples, though Radiata takes it to a bit of an extreme.
-The Casino: While this doesn’t work in every game, adding an interactive casino to a game is a clever way to tie up a player for a few minutes at least. In addition to that, it provides a moneymaking (or losing) opportunity besides fighting or selling things.
-The Mini-Game: Similar to the Casino, it can provide both an interesting pastime, and an opportunity for rewards. Fable’s mini-games for example, or the various mini-games from the Final Fantasies.
-The Arena: Similar again to the Mini-Game and Casino, this provides in addition to a pastime and reward opportunity, a chance for the player to test their skills in battle.
-The Trading Sequence: It’s been done in various ways, but my favorite version of this was in Shadow Hearts: Covenant. You are given a Key Item by an NPC that has no purpose to the story, and as you progress you meet other NPCs that will trade you another item for yours. Eventually you get an item you can actually use but, depending on how you worked your trade branching, it might not have been the best item you could have gotten. The more branches you put in, the more replay value it adds to the game, but otherwise only provides a momentary distraction from the story.
For now, this is the end, but if new forms of Extra content occur to me, I will add them in. ^_^
