TopAce: header fixes complete

2008-10-05T15:31:33Z

header fixes complete

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:31, 5 October 2008
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	=YES AND NO=		==YES AND NO==

	This will be the last chapter in this series. I had thought about writing more after this, but the short answer to my big question is both yes and no -- so much so that I don't want to dance around it for more than one chapter. Here I will give you my thoughts, then turn it over to a thread I started a few months ago which makes a lot of points better than I can here.		This will be the last chapter in this series. I had thought about writing more after this, but the short answer to my big question is both yes and no -- so much so that I don't want to dance around it for more than one chapter. Here I will give you my thoughts, then turn it over to a thread I started a few months ago which makes a lot of points better than I can here.
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	=IN THE BEGINNING=		==IN THE BEGINNING==

	There was a time when games did not tell us stories... or at least not in the way that I have been talking about in this series. Of course there are certain story elements in Pac Man and even Pong. As players of those games, we tried to stay alive and build up points. We identified the adversary -- the ghosts, or the other Pong player, or even the bouncy wall in Pong single-player mode -- but these early games were more about prolonging the experience -- staying alive, or piling up points. And that is not much like a complete story at all.		There was a time when games did not tell us stories... or at least not in the way that I have been talking about in this series. Of course there are certain story elements in Pac Man and even Pong. As players of those games, we tried to stay alive and build up points. We identified the adversary -- the ghosts, or the other Pong player, or even the bouncy wall in Pong single-player mode -- but these early games were more about prolonging the experience -- staying alive, or piling up points. And that is not much like a complete story at all.
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	=WHERE WE STAND TODAY=		==WHERE WE STAND TODAY==

	System Shock, Deus Ex, and Thief are probably the closest we have right now to games which are built to be told as much as played. The main characters in these three games all have a problem that they want to solve, and there is something personal about it. The settings are no longer just contrived backdrops for the action. The places themselves speak about the nature of the world they face -- whether it's confined to a creaking space ship, a crumbling set of futuristic cities, or a pseudo-medieval world of magic. And the main characters here are more normal in their abilities. But even these games do not tell us a great story, because the point of all stories in games to date has been to improve the gameplay.		System Shock, Deus Ex, and Thief are probably the closest we have right now to games which are built to be told as much as played. The main characters in these three games all have a problem that they want to solve, and there is something personal about it. The settings are no longer just contrived backdrops for the action. The places themselves speak about the nature of the world they face -- whether it's confined to a creaking space ship, a crumbling set of futuristic cities, or a pseudo-medieval world of magic. And the main characters here are more normal in their abilities. But even these games do not tell us a great story, because the point of all stories in games to date has been to improve the gameplay.
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	=SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO IMPROVE STORY TELLING IN GAMES=		==SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO IMPROVE STORY TELLING IN GAMES==

	1. Instead of telling one linear story, build several multi-threaded storylines that interact. As the player moves through the game, some story will be told no matter what. As the player interacts with more of these threads the overall experience of the story will be deepened.		1. Instead of telling one linear story, build several multi-threaded storylines that interact. As the player moves through the game, some story will be told no matter what. As the player interacts with more of these threads the overall experience of the story will be deepened.

TopAce at 18:55, 24 September 2008

2008-09-24T18:55:37Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:55, 24 September 2008
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	I agree that Thief 1 was far more coherent and engaging than Thief 2 -- and it is interesting to read about the possible reasons for this. At least in the development offices it seems that there needs to be a story -- even if later it will be played out as a game.		I agree that Thief 1 was far more coherent and engaging than Thief 2 -- and it is interesting to read about the possible reasons for this. At least in the development offices it seems that there needs to be a story -- even if later it will be played out as a game.

			[[Category:Plot Development article\|Seven]]

TopAce: Part Seven moved to Plot Development (Part Seven)

2008-09-24T18:55:09Z

Part Seven moved to Plot Development (Part Seven)

← Older revision	Revision as of 18:55, 24 September 2008
(No difference)

81.182.81.212 at 17:24, 7 June 2005

2005-06-07T17:24:01Z

Show changes

Plot Development (Part Seven) - Revision history

TopAce: header fixes complete

TopAce at 18:55, 24 September 2008

TopAce: Part Seven moved to Plot Development (Part Seven)

81.182.81.212 at 17:24, 7 June 2005