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CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS - SHORT AND SWEET OR EXPLANATORY?
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Aegix_Drakan
6037
Aegix_Drakan
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CloseFrom experience, long and explanatory is usually not good. And while splash screens can be useful, they can also hurl the player out of the experience.
The best thing to do is to introduce characters by their actions. By allowing them to show their personalities.
As someone else said, "show, don't tell"
Exhibit A:
In the intro that my friend and I added to our game (characters are on a field trip), we originally had the characters introduce themselves to the class (and thus to the player), and the hero did a mental "this character is X. His personality is Y" bit for a few of the other characters.
And while it wasn't BAD...It certainly didn't draw the player in.
When we go back to re-do the intro, we're NOT going to give the player a run down of "who's who". We're going to make events that show how each of these characters actually acts. And already, our rough ideas sound ten times better than the introducing thing.
The best thing to do is to introduce characters by their actions. By allowing them to show their personalities.
As someone else said, "show, don't tell"
Exhibit A:
In the intro that my friend and I added to our game (characters are on a field trip), we originally had the characters introduce themselves to the class (and thus to the player), and the hero did a mental "this character is X. His personality is Y" bit for a few of the other characters.
And while it wasn't BAD...It certainly didn't draw the player in.
When we go back to re-do the intro, we're NOT going to give the player a run down of "who's who". We're going to make events that show how each of these characters actually acts. And already, our rough ideas sound ten times better than the introducing thing.
As someone else also said, "show don't tell doesn't work as well for videogames".
KISS is always good but only within it's own parameters.
Compare it to explanatory and explanatory always wins but you have to consider the "design"
Rpg maker games can't be skipped so movie type dialogues = bad.
What you want is overuse the items.
Example:
One game had it where you woke up. Your parents should be gone but instead of doing it in a text bubble, there's a telephone that says something.
Another example is the exposition of a mysterious cult where there's anime style cutscenes of the villains talking.
Instead of letting the villains talk, let the player be able to control the villain and see it through their eyes. Not only does it add to the narrative but the player can save anywhere.
Another example is notes/letters/contracts/etc.
Instead of a convoluted bubble, players are handed notes which are simple but has a plus side that they can read any time at their own pace. This is especially great for location specific save games.
If you are really ambitious, you can create a create your opening type of intro. This is what made FF7 a classic although they didn't sell this as such and worked this through the narrative.
The puzzle is that the PC knows something that the player doesn't know and the more the player unravels it, the more clarity the introduction is. In terms of RPG Maker type games, this is probably done best through a replay script that expands in detail per each narrative.
If you are really really REALLY ambitious, learn from Unlosing Ranger's intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31F80t0MHHs
...and indeed the epic battle sequence is so huge that the same introduction polymorphs in graphics and becomes show not tell because of the graphics rather than the text bubble. We're talking about making six-eight different maps for the same sequence and making sure it looks better each time.
KISS is always good but only within it's own parameters.
Compare it to explanatory and explanatory always wins but you have to consider the "design"
Rpg maker games can't be skipped so movie type dialogues = bad.
What you want is overuse the items.
Example:
One game had it where you woke up. Your parents should be gone but instead of doing it in a text bubble, there's a telephone that says something.
Another example is the exposition of a mysterious cult where there's anime style cutscenes of the villains talking.
Instead of letting the villains talk, let the player be able to control the villain and see it through their eyes. Not only does it add to the narrative but the player can save anywhere.
Another example is notes/letters/contracts/etc.
Instead of a convoluted bubble, players are handed notes which are simple but has a plus side that they can read any time at their own pace. This is especially great for location specific save games.
If you are really ambitious, you can create a create your opening type of intro. This is what made FF7 a classic although they didn't sell this as such and worked this through the narrative.
The puzzle is that the PC knows something that the player doesn't know and the more the player unravels it, the more clarity the introduction is. In terms of RPG Maker type games, this is probably done best through a replay script that expands in detail per each narrative.
If you are really really REALLY ambitious, learn from Unlosing Ranger's intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31F80t0MHHs
...and indeed the epic battle sequence is so huge that the same introduction polymorphs in graphics and becomes show not tell because of the graphics rather than the text bubble. We're talking about making six-eight different maps for the same sequence and making sure it looks better each time.
