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Story telling and_narrative
The document discusses various topics related to storytelling and narrative in game design, including how to weave a story into a game without overwhelming gameplay. It examines linear and non-linear storytelling, scripted conversations, and episodic storytelling. Key concepts covered include interactive stories, narrative, branching stories, and balancing narrative with gameplay.
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Story telling and_narrative
- 1. Fundamentals of GameDesign Story Telling & Narrative Sayed Ahmed BSc. Eng. in CSc. & Eng. (BUET) MSc. in CSc. (U of Manitoba) http://sayed.justetc.net http://www.justETC.net Just E.T.C for Business, Education, and Technology Solutions
- 2. Topics Focus onstory oriented games How to weave a story into a game Examine what makes a good story How to keep the story from overwhelming the game play Define interactive story and narrative Discuss linear and non-linear storytelling and mechanism Scripted conversations To participate in dialog with non-player characters Discuss episodic story telling
- 3. Why stories inGames? Some players want stories along with the game play Some games require one Adventure Games Action Adventure Role-Playing Games Will story improve a game? Depends on the genre of the game How good is the story How you tell the story Four reasons to have stories in Games Add significantly to the entertainment that a game offers Stories attract a wider audience
- 4. Why stories inGames? Stories help keep players interested in long games Bejeweled, Checkers, Tic-tac-toe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAOA7TYtXTs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVlm2tuf_kg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbLFPl4A4fE Stories offer novelty A long game need variety Compelling story provides the variety Stories help to sell the game Marketing What is good storytelling? Read creative writing books
- 5. Why stories inGames? How stories can be incorporated into games How interactive stories differ from traditional ones What kind of entertainment experience you want to provide to the players What kind of players you want to serve Space invader – one line of story Dreamfall and Discworld Noir – incorporates stories like a novel Storytelling offers half the entertainment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XrkGztFr-0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGDHlRalQFE Game play comes first than story In some games, the story overwhelmed the game play The initial games derived from movie or book franchise Build player centric game If it helps include, otherwise do not include..
- 6. how much storya game should include Factors that affect Length Characters Degree of realism Ms. Pac-Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOMa8i9w7-Q http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man Emotional richness Want to inspire greater variety of emotions – include a story Single player gameplay seldom inspire any rich emotion Other than Pleasure in success, frustration at failure Deeper emotions come only when the player identifies himself With characters and problems – happens in well written story Half-Life
- 7. Key Concepts Story Is an account of a series of events either historical or fictitious Credible Coherent Dramatically Meaningful Credible People can believe the story Coherent Story must not be irrelevant Must harmonize to create a pleasing whole Dramatically Meaningful Must involve something or someone the listener/reader cares about
- 8. Key Concepts InteractiveStories Stories are usually written in the past Interactive stories are written in present Game story are in present Includes three kinds of events Player events Game events Narrative Events Player Events Actions taken by the player as part of the Game Play Actions involved to overcome the challenges If the players’ actions can affect the plot and change it’s future – they are called dramatic actions Game Events Initiated by the core mechanics Can be response to the players’ actions The user may be able to affect how these occur
- 9. Key Concepts NarrativeEvents Events whose content the player cannot change May be able to control whether such events occur or not Narrates some actions or story to the player Players may not interact with this Interactive Story A story may be interactive even the players’ actions do not change the game plot Agency The power to change the direction of the plot – future events
- 10. Key Concepts Narrative The text or the discourse produced by the act of Narration In an interactive story Narrative is the part of the story that as a designer you narrate to the players Not the actions that the players take Nor the events created by core mechanics The Role of Narrative Present events over which the player has no control Usually – events that happen to the avatar that the player cannot control/prevent Events that happen when the avatar is not present But we still want the player to know about the events Scenes depicting success or failure are usually narrative events
- 11. Key Concepts Roleof Narrative Show the prolog to the game or the current level Introduces the player to the situation in the game Create a background Players who don’t like stories in Games can ignore them But many players enjoy them a lot
- 12. Commonly Used NarrativeBlocks As an opening sequence to introduce the story at the beginning As an ending sequence To wrap up the story when the player completes the game As an inter-level sequence A briefing about the next level events In the form of cut scenes – short non – interactive sequences Presented during play that interrupt the game momentarily
- 13. Examples Half-life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x3wQ7Opltg The player’s avatar takes a tram ride through the research complex… A voice explains why he is there This opening sequence introduces the game world Sets the stage for the experience to follow Narrative blocks presented between levels usually Last for 30 seconds to 4-5 minutes Beginning and ending blocks can be longer Provide important narrative bookends to the entire experience Halo-2 the introductory scene is more than 5 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P3Sry-SvGA
- 14. Narrative Blocks Cut-scenesduring play – should be shorter As they interrupt the flow and rhythm of the player’s actions Fast-moving game players are annoyed (real time strategy games, action adventure games) Slower moving game players may like them Adventure games Role playing games
- 15. Forms of Narratives A pre-rendered movie A cut scene displayed by the graphics engine Scrolling text that introduces a mission Voice over commentary that explains the back story of the game Long monolog by a character Individual lines of dialog are not narratives Long interactive dialog between NPCs qualifies as narrative
- 16. Balancing Narrative andGameplay Remember The more narrative you include, the more the player has to sit doing nothing Games must find appropriate balance Designer’s need to narrate and players need to act Too much narrative = bad value of money for the players Players pay to act in a fantasy Computer game is about interactivity Provide enough narrative to enrich the game world
- 17. Dramatic Tension andGame Play Tension Dramatic tension What will happen next Game Play tension Desire to overcome a challenge False analogy
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- 19. Story Telling Engine Game with story Interrupt the story to introduce narratives/stories Narrative events must be interspersed among the game play events Storytelling engine does the weaving Weaves narrative events to Gameplay Core Mechanics Oversee the players’ progress through the challenges Storytelling Engine Oversees progress through the story They must work together to create a single seamless experience Core Mechanics Manages Player Events In Game Events Storytelling Engine Manages the narrative events Keeps track of the progress of the story Determines what part of the plot should come next Determine the story has reached a critical point and trigger the core mechanics to cause change to the internal economy of the game
- 20. Storytelling Engine Leveldesigners are also involved Triggering the cut scene And the transfer of the Avatar’s property
- 21. Linear Story Agency Let the player change the game plot and also change the outcome Stories that player cannot change – linear Stories that player can change – non-linear Linear Interactive but interactions are limited to contributing actions Half Life Star Craft http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ipBCEZwbM0
- 22. Linear Story Requireless content Storytelling engine is simpler Less prone to bugs and absurdities Deny the player agency Are capable of greater emotional power
- 23. Nonlinear Stories BranchingStories Fold Back Stories Emergent Narrative
- 24. Nonlinear Story Branching Player have a different experience each time he plays the game Offers many plots – that split from each other at different points Responsibility of designers What are the plots How do they relate to each other Storytelling engine keeps track what is the current plot Core mechanics will send triggers to inform the next possible plots Immediate, Deferred, and Cumulative Influence Immediate: The event cause a branching immediately Deferred: Early decision influences later events – deferred Cumulative: Some decisions together defines the branching at a later point
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- 26. Disadvantages of Branching Extremely expensive to implement Player must play the game repeatedly to see all the content Every critical event has to branch to it’s own unique section of the tree Plan out the structure in the concept stage Resource requirements expand very rapidly
- 27. Fold back Stories Compromise between Branching and linear stories
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- 29. Emergent Narrative Researchproblem Does not contain narrative blocks created by the writer The story emerges from the act of playing games Sims can create emergent narrative The core-mechanics should be able to generate coherent credible dramatic story AI Research Field: Automated Storytelling
- 30. Game Story Endings The ending of a story is one of the most critical emotional moments in a game Craft the endings to evoke specific feelings How many endings should your story have?
- 31. Challenges and Choices Games that include a lot of decision making esp. moral choices, which feel dramatically important Should be non-linear Offer multiple endings Choice and actions should reflect the endings Good acts should result to positive endings
- 32. When to UseMultiple Endings Each one should be dramatically meaningful and Emotionally consistent If not much dramatic freedom – multiple endings not required
- 33. Granularity Frequency withwhich the game presents elements of the narrative Star craft Tells a long story Presents narratives only between missions Coarse Granularity Coarse Fine Infinitesimal granularity is the target Avatar and his actions (half life) No sitting and watch – but play where stories also evolve consistently Granularity is Relative
- 34. Mechanisms for Advancingthe Plot The story as a series of challenges and choices The story as a Journey The Story as a Drama Challenges and choices Advance only when the player meet challenges or make decisions Plot change and Game story movement Wing Commander - leads to different story Story as a journey Avatar’s movement trigger the storytelling engine to advance the plot
- 35. Story as aJourney Benefits Provides novelty Continuously sees new things Experience fresh and interesting Allows the player to control the pace But can be time limited One way door concept Role playing games Stories as journeys But highly non-linear stories
- 36. Story as aDrama Advances with the passage of time itself Story takes place in real time No trigger from the core mechanics to the storytelling engine Night Trap operates as a drama Protecting teenagers from monsters Facade
- 37. Emotional Limits ofInteractive Stories Story less Games Don’t try to arouse complex emotions Thrill of victory Agony of defeat Frustration of repeated failure With story, you can create Create characters that the players care about Subtle relationships among these characters Betrayal by a lover Satisfaction at justice done Protective instinct for a child
- 38. Emotional Limits ofNonlinear Stories May not always lead to most powerful emotional experience Non-linear stories sometimes restrict the ending to a single or multiple emotionally meaningful endings
- 39. Emotional Limits ofAvatar Based Games The Avatar must be alive until the end of the game But player can reload the game if the avatar dies No emotional experience at the death of the Avatar – the story ends If you want to affect the player’s feelings with the death of a character your game can kill a side character Avatar’s friend Planet Fall: Sidekick Final Fantasy Vii: The player’s allay Party based games Provide more freedom to kill off members Other characters can take the story forward
- 40. Character Archetypes Allies Those that help the hero Shadow The main enemy that must be defeated The ultimate evil Does not have to be a character Sometimes more important than the hero Can be very present or hidden until the end
- 41. Scripted Conversations andDialog Trees A scripted conversation Allows the player to engage in conversations with non-player characters – storytelling games Special mode All other activities are unavailable Chooses a line of dialog Never winter Nights 2
- 42. Structure of aDialog Tree The Dialog Tree Data Structure Same sentences with different emotions As a designer you should provide the dialog tree as well
- 43. Design Issues forDialog Trees Conditional branches and exchanges Another approach Flexible list of options
- 44. Benefits of ScriptedConversations It produces a sequence of plausible remarks and replies Illustrate the personality of the Avatar and the NPCs Wise guy – Phrase Monkey Island Games Guybrush It’s a real part of the story The player’s choices can have effect on the story as well
- 45. When to Writethe Story Story should be written in the elaboration stage Not in the concept stage Concept stage Define the player’s role The kind of game play he will experience A list of levels or episodes that you may want to include in the game
- 46. Other Considerations FrustratedAuthor Syndrome Giving the player no freedom Episodic Delivery Selling Player’s entertainment a few hours at a time rather than a long story Unlimited Series A set of episodes Each consisting of a self-contained story The plot is introduced and solved A single theme or context runs through the entire series Stories exist so independently that you can play each episode in any order and still makes a sense A through introduction…
- 47. Serials Infinite sequenceof episodes Episodes are not self contained Ends at a critical event to create a strong desire to see/play the next episode Get players hooked in a story and pay episode after episode
- 48. Limited Series Featuresfrom both unlimited and serial Single episode introduces and solves one plot But with other plot lines it can be carried over to the next episode
- 49. Potential and Limitsof Episodic Delivery Industry already makes games in the unlimited series It may start to make games in the limited series And encourage to buy the whole set Harry Potter series of games May work well with the internet models PC or console games Do not leave the story unfinished
- 50. Summary Most videogames will benefit from a coherent and dramatic story Designer should remember the interactivity Do not write novels Linear, no-linear, multiple ending Will depend on the genre And Game play For more engaging, deeper emotional response, greater satisfaction Designer should maintain Good story that maintains player interests, shows character growth, balances narrative elements, remains enjoyable to play
- 51. References Fundamentals ofGame Design, 2nd Edition, Ernest Adams, Prentice Hall, 2006, ISBN-10: 0131687476. ISBN-13: 978-0131687479 http://computer.justetc.net
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