Storytelling in Action By Bob Bates bbateslegendent'com - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Storytelling in Action By Bob Bates bbateslegendent'com
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Goal of action game. to create a sense of urgency for the player ... Level ; the primary unit of storytelling in action game. cf) Movie : Scene , Book : Chapter ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: Storytelling in Action By Bob Bates bbateslegendent'com
1
Storytelling in ActionBy Bob Bates
(bbates_at_legendent.com)
- ???
- 20015845
- ? ? ?
- (shinhs_at_bulsai.kaist.ac.kr)
2
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- Prologue
- Storytelling Fundamentals
- The Three-Act Structure
- Developing characters
- Interactivity
- Tools of the Trade
- Cut-scenes
- Scripted Events
- Dialogue
- Wrapping Up
3
Prologue
- Goal of action game
- to create a sense of urgency for the player
- Providing a context for the action greatly
enhances gameplay - Good story provides
- Just such a context
Is it possible for an action game to tell a
deep story?
YES !!!
4
Storytelling Fundamentals
- The basics of storytelling do not change
- No matter the medium in which the story is told
- Traditional author and game designer should
consider - Character interesting people
- Setting in interesting places
- Plot doing interesting things
5
The three-act structure
- Aristotle
- Poetics
- Story must have
- Beginning
- Your main character has a problem
- Where you should begin your game
- Introducing your main character and getting him
up tree - Middle
- Making your heros problem worse
- Throw rocks at him
- End
- Hero has solved it
- Get him down
- Gives a foundation for developing plot
6
Developing characters -I
- Most fascinating part of stories
- Event
- Interesting only they are meaningful to the
character in the game or to player himself - Plot without character
- as interesting as a shopping list
- It is just one thing happening after another
- What people are interested in is people
- Many designer dont want to create a strong
central character - Because the players own personality should take
center stage - This may not be wise
- Successful games frequently feature heroes with
well-defined personalities.
7
Developing characters -II
- Creating one of these memorable characters is
hard - BUT, rewards are great
- As a starting point,
- consider the story you want to tell
- think about the talent and personality traits
your hero must have in order to carry out the
actions that move the story along - Should character be changed?
- Growth
- Not changed at all
- NPC(Non-Player-Character) can also fill an
important role - They can reveal emotions and reactions that the
hero can not show
8
Interactivity
- The demands of interactivity present a special
challenge to the game designer who would be a
storyteller. - Conflict
- freedom player
- linearity to any well-constricted story
- Solution
- Level the primary unit of storytelling in
action game. - cf) Movie Scene , Book Chapter
- With a linear series of levels, the player
interacts with the game in meaningful way, yet
the author retains control of the story.
9
Tools of the trade
- Model for storytelling
- In the past
- Book
- These days
- Screenwriting
- Filmmakers tools are needed to master
10
Cut-scenes
- Mini-movies
- Each cut-scene should have specific goals
- When you design the scene, you should do so in
collaboration with professionals (writer
artist) - Player appreciate your professionalism in moving
the story along - Help your budget
11
Scripted events
- Brief sequences within levels that are usually
triggered by something the player does.
12
dialog
- Every line of dialogue must do double-duty
- Advance the story
- Develop character
- Do not give the information which is already known
13
Wrapping Up
- Your game should be your heros story
- Player carries the action forward , author must
decide what it all means. - Be more interesting if you told the story of his
reactions - Author job
- to have Vision, Purpose, Greater truth
- Artist
- What you acquire is heros prize
- Nugget of wisdom will become imbedded in your
story - It will subtly inform all the design decisions
you make along the way - It will become what your story is about
- Story worth telling
