Notes for Interactive Storytelling panel
Mar. 20th, 2013 02:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrMy initial post
So you want to create an interactive story
I'm focussing on single person games like Interactive Fiction/Text Adventures, puzzle/RPG games with lots of story, visual novels etc.
Linear: The plot and dialogue happen the same way each game. You move the character around and make fairly obvious decisions that either affect nothing or force you to go back and choose the right thing, maybe solve puzzles/fight bosses etc. Helps immerse you in the story, feel invested in the character and get a sense of accomplishment when you "win". Homestuck, Final Fantasy 13, linear visual novels.
Exploration and sidequests: You can wander around exploring, learning as much or as little as you want extra about the world, wandering back and forth between little quests that give extra XP etc but have no real plot effect. Gives a sense of freedom, lets you focus on the stuff you enjoy. Gives a sense of control and lets you do whatever feels most IC/interesting right at the moment. No overall plot or compelling motivation. eg London Underground, though you do gain access to new quests as you level up.
Puzzle pieces: You choose the order bits of plot go in, but they all have to happen, and play almost exactly the same regardless of what order you play them in. Gives a sense of control and lets you do whatever feels most IC/interesting right at the moment.
"qualities": the game is made entirely of little repeated quests/storylets, but which storylets you can access and how they play out is affected by qualities/stats, so an overall narrative develops. Echo Bazaar/Fallen London and other Storynexus games.
Stats: like qualities, but used in a more linear game structure. Affects what choices you can make and what their outcomes are. Relationship points in dating sims etc.
Fuzziness: lots of little decisions that give a sense of control/character without affecting the plot much (appearance, gender, level of friendliness etc). Player decisions cause slight alterations here and there (an extra line of dialogue from your love interest, an ally showing up in the final boss battle) but the overall structure of the game is fairly linear. Suits players who enjoy getting into the head of their characters. Tells you about yourself as you consider moral dilemmas, but doesn't illuminate much extra about the characters/world/plot and has a lot of repetition in replay. Can be frustrating and implausible if you want to actually change how things play out.
Branches: The game splits into genuinely different versions of the story which diverge more and more. Usually pretty linear within each branch. Allows for more realistic exploration of consequences, but requires writing several entirely separate stories that can only be seen on separate playthroughs. eg Dating sims. Any voiced and animated versions, or is it too resource intensive?
Examples:
Exploration+ linearity: Myst and other puzzle games, a lot of Interactive fiction.
Puzzle pieces plus fuzziness, stats, and a little exploration: Bioware games (also a little branching at the end)
Branches plus stats: some dating sims.
What if? See how different choices would play out, view the same characters/world etc from different angles. Don't have to choose the One Right Way the story goes, gives freedom to the writer as well as the player.
Control: It feels nice! You can focus on what you are interested in, change things you don't like.
Wider range of stories: costs little to make a female/POC/same sex etc option, there are no mainstream games with a black lesbian as non optional protagonist. Player can tell something closer to exactly the story they want without having to write the WHOLE story. The player and game writer sort of collaborate to make a new story.
Roleplaying: get in the head of a character, see how different characters react to the same situation.
Exploration in ways you can't in real life: fantasy worlds, running and jumping for the disabled etc.
Easier than other genres of games in terms of hand eye coordination etc.
The more control the player has, the more you have to either twist the plot to force it back to the "right" track or write alternate versions of the story that 99% of people will never see.
Can end up with a vague muddled story that lacks the compelling arcs etc of a story completely under the writer's control. Or 5 mediocre, rushed endings instead of one glorious fleshed out ending.
Once you give a player control and they get invested they can get EXTRA frustrated or upset when their character does things they didn't choose or they can't change/choose things they feel they should be able to. If you ignore or retcon choices it ruins the immersion, but it's very hard to keep track of them all. For example, when puzzle games ignore what seems like an OBVIOUS solution, or the most endearing character is unromanceable. Impossible to predict every player's preferences/abilities/reactions.
Unless you write a true AI, NPCs won't feel like real people.
Player may be so focussed on making the story go the way they want they don't get a chance to sit back and enjoy it (especially bad when trying for a new branch of a branching story) Forming a relationship with a PC feels like an arbitrary minigame.
Thank you to any of my great audience who happen upon these notes, you made the panel much better! People added some great ideas all of which I have of course entirely forgotten.
But I did write down:
Battle of Westnorth: A strategy game creating system that is apparently a lot of fun
The Dark Room: a Youtube based choose your own adventure game by Swancon's own John Robertson
Hell Pizza Zombies: a Youtube based choose your own adventure game, apparently very good!
So you want to create an interactive story
I'm focussing on single person games like Interactive Fiction/Text Adventures, puzzle/RPG games with lots of story, visual novels etc.
Types of Interactive Fiction
Linear: The plot and dialogue happen the same way each game. You move the character around and make fairly obvious decisions that either affect nothing or force you to go back and choose the right thing, maybe solve puzzles/fight bosses etc. Helps immerse you in the story, feel invested in the character and get a sense of accomplishment when you "win". Homestuck, Final Fantasy 13, linear visual novels.
Exploration and sidequests: You can wander around exploring, learning as much or as little as you want extra about the world, wandering back and forth between little quests that give extra XP etc but have no real plot effect. Gives a sense of freedom, lets you focus on the stuff you enjoy. Gives a sense of control and lets you do whatever feels most IC/interesting right at the moment. No overall plot or compelling motivation. eg London Underground, though you do gain access to new quests as you level up.
Puzzle pieces: You choose the order bits of plot go in, but they all have to happen, and play almost exactly the same regardless of what order you play them in. Gives a sense of control and lets you do whatever feels most IC/interesting right at the moment.
"qualities": the game is made entirely of little repeated quests/storylets, but which storylets you can access and how they play out is affected by qualities/stats, so an overall narrative develops. Echo Bazaar/Fallen London and other Storynexus games.
Stats: like qualities, but used in a more linear game structure. Affects what choices you can make and what their outcomes are. Relationship points in dating sims etc.
Fuzziness: lots of little decisions that give a sense of control/character without affecting the plot much (appearance, gender, level of friendliness etc). Player decisions cause slight alterations here and there (an extra line of dialogue from your love interest, an ally showing up in the final boss battle) but the overall structure of the game is fairly linear. Suits players who enjoy getting into the head of their characters. Tells you about yourself as you consider moral dilemmas, but doesn't illuminate much extra about the characters/world/plot and has a lot of repetition in replay. Can be frustrating and implausible if you want to actually change how things play out.
Branches: The game splits into genuinely different versions of the story which diverge more and more. Usually pretty linear within each branch. Allows for more realistic exploration of consequences, but requires writing several entirely separate stories that can only be seen on separate playthroughs. eg Dating sims. Any voiced and animated versions, or is it too resource intensive?
Examples:
Exploration+ linearity: Myst and other puzzle games, a lot of Interactive fiction.
Puzzle pieces plus fuzziness, stats, and a little exploration: Bioware games (also a little branching at the end)
Branches plus stats: some dating sims.
Appeals of the Genre
What if? See how different choices would play out, view the same characters/world etc from different angles. Don't have to choose the One Right Way the story goes, gives freedom to the writer as well as the player.
Control: It feels nice! You can focus on what you are interested in, change things you don't like.
Wider range of stories: costs little to make a female/POC/same sex etc option, there are no mainstream games with a black lesbian as non optional protagonist. Player can tell something closer to exactly the story they want without having to write the WHOLE story. The player and game writer sort of collaborate to make a new story.
Roleplaying: get in the head of a character, see how different characters react to the same situation.
Exploration in ways you can't in real life: fantasy worlds, running and jumping for the disabled etc.
Easier than other genres of games in terms of hand eye coordination etc.
Dangers:
The more control the player has, the more you have to either twist the plot to force it back to the "right" track or write alternate versions of the story that 99% of people will never see.
Can end up with a vague muddled story that lacks the compelling arcs etc of a story completely under the writer's control. Or 5 mediocre, rushed endings instead of one glorious fleshed out ending.
Once you give a player control and they get invested they can get EXTRA frustrated or upset when their character does things they didn't choose or they can't change/choose things they feel they should be able to. If you ignore or retcon choices it ruins the immersion, but it's very hard to keep track of them all. For example, when puzzle games ignore what seems like an OBVIOUS solution, or the most endearing character is unromanceable. Impossible to predict every player's preferences/abilities/reactions.
Unless you write a true AI, NPCs won't feel like real people.
Player may be so focussed on making the story go the way they want they don't get a chance to sit back and enjoy it (especially bad when trying for a new branch of a branching story) Forming a relationship with a PC feels like an arbitrary minigame.
And now that I am done..
Thank you to any of my great audience who happen upon these notes, you made the panel much better! People added some great ideas all of which I have of course entirely forgotten.
But I did write down:
Battle of Westnorth: A strategy game creating system that is apparently a lot of fun
The Dark Room: a Youtube based choose your own adventure game by Swancon's own John Robertson
Hell Pizza Zombies: a Youtube based choose your own adventure game, apparently very good!
