WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? (GAME DEVELOPMENT EDITION)

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Just some things I've been thinking about recently concerning narrative in games.

In some games the story begins with a very dull explanation of events. I can think of a few triple A video games that make this mistake: which is often why people don't remember what happens in the text that opens a game. You know what happens: the screen darkens, white text appears in a black background and scrolls up as random facts begin to spread across the screen.


In 202X, King Example becomes ruler of Nation A.
In 202X, Nation A goes to war with Nation B.
In 202X, Nation B defeats Nation A.
In 202X, King Soandso becomes ruler of Nation B.



It's not interesting because it's more or less locked into modern day thinking of history: just the facts, the numbers, the raw data, the detail. But years ago, history was told through narrative, because narrative is interesting. Once you stop reading this page, you won't remember anything I typed in the above example (unless right now you're thinking, "I'm gonna' be a smart alek and make a conscious effort to remember it!"). But if I tell you information in a narrative, you'll remember it.

The mind is in many ways meant to understand and think in narratives. Even abstract things such as arithmetic, stem from narratives. If you remember back to your first years of school, your teacher first taught you about math using a story! "If I have three apples in my hands, and I give you one apple, how many apples do I now have?" In another example, for those who have lost loved ones, it often becomes difficult to think of what a loved one's face looks like. I have noticed this since losing my father. What helps me think of him, is to put him into a narrative in a memory that I have. Put the person into a narrative in your mind and let your imagination create the story. Imagine a love one you lost: imagine they're standing at the front door of your house checking their pockets for their car keys. Suddenly you can see them in detail: I can see their face, their expression as their hand rummages through their pockets looking for their keys. I put the person into a story, and now I can picture them!

Years ago writers understood that history and messages can be conveyed through story telling. A sage would be sitting at his desk in a dim room. The sun was waning, and a candle illuminated their desk as they pondered what new narrative to craft. Then they would put pen to paper and carve out a story with which to convey information.

Now sometimes this can be overused, because not everything needs to be filled with detail. Sometimes sparsity can be a good thing, especially if it's not that important. Sometimes we don't need to go into detail. We can, using narrative, create gaps where the reader is asked to fill in the detail with their imagination. I can tell you that someone is sad: I can go into example of how their thoughts shifted into darkness and sadness; I can tell you of how their eyes watered and their lips quivered. But sometimes, I can just say, "Sue was sad", and the reader can fill in the blanks on their own.

Other times, I may mention something in passing that isn't significant. "The King of Normand gathered his men, and they journeyed into the woods." But then, the narrative slows down! I begin to explain what the woods were like, how they looked, how they smelt. I begin adding detail to the narrative, because now I want you to focus on the message I'm trying to tell! This is part of how I can tell a story that I want the reader and video game player to remember.

Say that there is a kingdom called Normand, and their national animal is the deer. There are two ways I can tell you this. Here is example 1:


The national animal of the kingdom of Normand is a deer.


That's rather dull, isn't it? Once you exit this page, you won't remember it. But if I were to put it in a story, you'll remember what I was trying to tell you. Here is example 2:


One day the king of Normand was hunting in the woods. The king has split up from his guard and was stalking the woods for prey. Suddenly, he was pulled down into the ground in thick mud! His hands clawed for the sides of the mud, but he couldn't get out! The ground was wet and his armor was making him sink into ground. The king could do nothing but yell for help, but no one heard him. Nearby, a deer that was grazing came into the view and saw the king. The deer turned away and darted off into the trees. The king fought and struggled, slowly slipping into the mud inch by inch.

It looked like all hope was lost when, all of a sudden, the deer came charging back into view, bringing the king's guard along with him! The guardsmen grabbed the king and pulled him free from the clutches of the mud. The king was saved. From that day forward, the Deer became the national animal of the Kingdom of Normand.



And now, once you navigate away from this page, you won't forget that story. You won't remember every detail of it, but you'll remember the message that I was trying to tell. You'll remember that the national animal of Normand is a deer. Why? Because I put it into a story. It's these little tidbits of narrative that help convey a message. What I wanted to tell you, is that the kingdom of Normand's national animal was a deer. What I did, is I gave you a story that you would remember and, because minds think in narratives, you will now recall that the kingdom of Normand's national animal was a deer.

Just some food for thought regarding narratives and storytelling in games. It doesn't mean you need to write a book for everything; everything in moderation. But this is a tool that video game makers can use when crafting a story. If something is interesting that you want your players to remember, then put it in a mini-story! A good use of this are books in your game world: no one wants to open a book that says "magic was discovered in 202X. In 202X, magic was outlawed." But if you give them a short story of magic was discovered and abused, they will remember it.

Hope this helps as an additional tool in your game making!



Games which makes a great example of this:
  • Pillars of Eternity
  • Baldur's Gate 2
A bard so terrible he turns to necromancy to guarantee an audience. And then realises skeletons don't have ears. A tragic villain is born.
Gretgor
Having gotten my first 4/5, I must now work hard to obtain... my second 4/5.
3420
author=kentona
A bard so terrible he turns to necromancy to guarantee an audience. And then realises skeletons don't have ears. A tragic villain is born.

Have you been writing my most recent dreams, by any chance? I dreamed some fucked up shit that sounds a lot like this.

Also, been thinking about whom I am really making my game for... and it turns out it's a weird hybrid between puzzle fans, Zelda fans and Myst fans. The target audience is probably going to consist of exactly one person.
One thing I have been concerned with is how lore is handled in some RPGs, which is generally heavily front-loaded. The game's introduction provides a ton of info on the setting and major events and you're immediately dropped into a wide cast of characters. Having trouble to memorize this much plot in such a short time, I tend to be unable to follow the narrative on the whole (or just miss a lot of things as they come up).

Another thing a frontloaded narrative does is making me unable to enjoy the characters, particularly in dark/gritty settings. Because I have trouble remembering faces, the lack of unique quirks in character and/or appearance makes it impossible for me to relate to any of them, or even distinguish them for that matter.
Gretgor
Having gotten my first 4/5, I must now work hard to obtain... my second 4/5.
3420
I sometimes wish I could stop working on my master's thesis so I could spend more time working on my game.

As for front-loaded stories, I couldn't agree more. I much prefer those "mystery" games where the story is revealed to us step by step.
I don't want to test anymore!
I can't see my own game anymore! ;___;

I love the concept of telling the player only as much Lore as he really needs.
This way it feels more natural and additional lore can be hidden in books and such.
author=Lucy_Fox
I love the concept of telling the player only as much Lore as he really needs.
This way it feels more natural and additional lore can be hidden in books and such.

I like this idea. I tend to mention only the important parts of the story interspersed, and then I'll leave the rest up to the player's imagination. I let them fill in the gaps.
author=Gredge109
I like this idea. I tend to mention only the important parts of the story interspersed, and then I'll leave the rest up to the player's imagination. I let them fill in the gaps.

I mean... when the plot is something about a war - and this war only happens because 2 guys battled each other a hundred years ago.... then I would tell player exactly this. And nothing more.
Something like: "Just because of these 2 idiots back then we have this war now! Damnit! Hero! Go and defeat them!" And the game starts... or something like this xD
IF he wants to know more, he'll be able to read about it or ask some special NPCs or so. Or I would scatter some additional infos across the storyline. Some bites here and there.

It also feels weird everytime you get told something your character, who is living in this world since his birth, should actually know. o.O
"Hey, old soldier. Shall I teach you how to use a sword?"
"Did you, 60 year old guy, know that there are 3 kinds of magic in our world?"
And so on -.-
Gretgor
Having gotten my first 4/5, I must now work hard to obtain... my second 4/5.
3420
Is there a recipe to remain consistently motivated throughout game making?
author=Gretgor
Is there a recipe to remain consistently motivated throughout game making?

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

More seriously, no, there's really not. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to work. I find that posting screenshots and receiving feedback motivates me though, especially when new people become interested in my game.

Also, find something that inspires you. I've recently been reading the Conan the Cimmerian stories by Robert E. Howard and his style of storytelling and world building and inspired me in many ways. They have helped me become even more motivated and work harder.After reading a scene that is especially fantastic, suspenseful, horrific or mysterious in one of his stories, I become eager to work on my game and try to create something as memorable.

What are you working on right now? I believe I've seen some of your screenshots, but otherwise I don't know about your project.
Gretgor
Having gotten my first 4/5, I must now work hard to obtain... my second 4/5.
3420
I want to have a working demo before I make a page for it. Thanks though.
I'm thinking about how daunting it is to try and get some custom artwork into my game. Trying to make some battlers.

Anyone have any tips on how not to lose my mind? This is a painful process and I am no digital artist. I usually draw something on a tablet, then push it over to paint.net to start coloring it in, which takes forever and a day, and then eventually push it into the project just to be disappointing with the results.

Maybe I should skip the tablet-drawing part and just make the draft in paint.net. This ain't easy.
author=Gredge109
I'm thinking about how daunting it is to try and get some custom artwork into my game. Trying to make some battlers.

Anyone have any tips on how not to lose my mind? This is a painful process and I am no digital artist. I usually draw something on a tablet, then push it over to paint.net to start coloring it in, which takes forever and a day, and then eventually push it into the project just to be disappointing with the results.

Maybe I should skip the tablet-drawing part and just make the draft in paint.net. This ain't easy.


Which drawing program are you using? I use paint.net for pixel artwork (sometimes SAI, though) and SAI for everything else.
author=Schwer-von-Begriff
Which drawing program are you using? I use paint.net for pixel artwork (sometimes SAI, though) and SAI for everything else.


For the sketches and outlines I'm using an app on my tablet (usually Sketchbook or notability), then I email it to myself, then pull it up on my computer and use Paint.net to add color. The results, so far, have been underwhelming when it comes to battlers. Which is probably because I'm just not very good at it.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I keep forgetting that there's an update to Konae's Investigations and Myriad Cypher to upload. If I was really good, I could possibly have used the Release Something event for this year.

Oh well!

*shrugs*
author=Gredge109
For the sketches and outlines I'm using an app on my tablet (usually Sketchbook or notability), then I email it to myself, then pull it up on my computer and use Paint.net to add color. The results, so far, have been underwhelming when it comes to battlers. Which is probably because I'm just not very good at it.


I'd suggest to buy a drawing tablet. Those are used to draw directly with the drawing programs on PC. If you want a decent one for amateur artists (like I am) I can only wholeheartedly recommend Wacom tablets. I own a Wacom Intuos myself. Most Wacom tablets cost at least 100 bucks, though, so it is a small investment for sure. It helps a ton in the long run, though.
author=Schwer-von-Begriff
I'd suggest to buy a drawing tablet. Those are used to draw directly with the drawing programs on PC. If you want a decent one for amateur artists (like I am) I can only wholeheartedly recommend Wacom tablets. I own a Wacom Intuos myself. Most Wacom tablets cost at least 100 bucks, though, so it is a small investment for sure. It helps a ton in the long run, though.


I'll have to look into that. Sounds like what I need to do. Appreciate the advice!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Peliminary testing of Nakaishi Wars has begun! Sure, I'm using GTBS, but, I'm figuring on having lots of ranged combat. Or, rather, having the game favor it by melee attacks requiring TP. Not that the ranged attacks won't cost Energy depending on the weapon equipped (Hi, Myriad Cypher!), but Energy would be a more easily replenished resource than TP.

Well, it's all very theoretical at this point! I'm just happy to see the test-weapon I whipped up able to attack at range! Not sure how to make enemies do it yet, but, small steps!

Also, at some point, I have to re-disable the regular attack option (maybe the item option too?) from the GTBS menu, and re-focus attack attributes solely on skills.
Gretgor
Having gotten my first 4/5, I must now work hard to obtain... my second 4/5.
3420
I just solved a ridiculous problem in one of my event-based RM2K3 systems that remained unsolved for weeks, and I've been laughing my arse out for about fifteen minutes.

The problem is that I was being an idiot: there are some events that need to know their own ID, and I was checking said ID by getting the Event ID from their map position. The problem: those events would occasionally run into one another, and the highest event ID ended up being read by all of them, and they'd all act as though they had that ID.

When I realized that, I felt really stupid. I can't believe I tried everything else before I found this out.

I hope this little tidbit of knowledge can help someone in the future. Unlikely, but still, there it is.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
There's still a few things this system is doing that I'm not sure why it's doing it. Such as there being a space between the TP bar and HP/MP bar, not to mention that sad bar isn't even displayed properly until I cursor over an enemy.

Otherwise, I... think I might be able to work with this?