Story Writing help

This is a really good source of information written by Seifer Tim on the major building of a games story from telling you the relevancy of PCs ( player controlled characters ) and the whole flow of your story keeping the user interested from start to finish.

Story Developing

Game Play Driven

Gameplay Driven

On the other hand there is the gameplay driven design which will be probably a light engaging game.  This means that the game will motivate the player to play the game for the fun itself.  If the player ever gets tired (which will probably happen) then the game will be over. 

The design of a gameplay driven game is somehow faster than a story driven game: the designer must only think about the main game mechanic (the initial idea) and develop it in order to adjust it to some difficulty management along the game experience.  Some designers prefer not leaving everything to just some difficulty tweaks and create a simple story ocurring along with the evolution of the main game mechanics.

Assuming the gameplay idea is very good (and is more probable for this to happen than in a story driven game) then there is a great advantage that can be taken into account for games developed with a game mechanic in mind from the start: it is easier to create a story that matches a game mechanic than creating a game mechanic which matches a story.  It is also easier to adding the fun factor to a game when the gameplay is being thought from the start.

Story Driven

Story Driven

So depending on the starting idea for a game there are differences in the outcome according to the features each paradigm adds to the game.  If the game is story driven then it will probably have a strong initiative factor for the player to start playing the game (if the story has a good start) and also a strong motivational factor to keep the player playing until the end (if the plot is interesting).  At the end of the story, the game may also have a strong publicity because the player will be recommending the game to his friends for its really great ending. 

On the disadvantages of making a story driven game you will find that there are some problems if the designer can't match the story to an original game mechanic.  Story driven games are characterized for its dynamic change in its game mechanics so they can add to the story plot. 

Examples of this are games where you find items, unlock special skills and abilities, find special enemies, meet special allies (and maybe they can join you).  If you limit the game to a game mechanic with few or no evolution at all then it would be probably better to just make a movie or write a book about it. 

Another disadvantage of story driven games is that there are some players that just like to play for the sake of doing something fun (casual gamers).  Some of these players are very religious about making the game experience casual and prefer not to get involved in the long term intentions of the game itself (the story). 

A game designer must therefore be careful about choosing the pace of the story to match the target player, it is better not to leave the player waiting for special events in story to happen in order to motivate him to play more.

Story basics

Storyworks

The mechanics of storycraft for Designer's and GM's are fashioned from various "storytelling devices" to communicate their story. Mechanics may be enacted both in-game and out-of-game before, between and after gameplay sessions. Any method that conveys information about the game has the potential to be a part of storyworks.

In-game
• Visual, Text
  • Instructions or story
  • Hints or notes
• Visual, Graphic
  • Images, still
  • Images, dynamic
• Audial
  • Narration
  • Dialogue
  • SFX and BGM
• Combinations and Hybrids
  • Gameworld Setting
  • Cut-Scenes (Cinematic)
  • Overlays (Map-Text, Map-Narration)
  • Complex Objects Signboards, Books, Graffiti (Image-Text)
  • NPC behavior
• Technical
  • Difficulty or Level settings

Out-of-Game
• Visual, Text
  • Articles, stories
  • Manual, strategy book
• Visual, Graphic
  • Cut Scenes
  • Images
• Audial
  • Narration
  • Dialogue
• Combinations and Hybrids
  • Advertisments (still or cut-scenes)
  • Info-sites
  • Testimonials
  • Events
• Physical
  • Paraphernalia (regalia, trinkets, swank)
  A Player's Stories could arguably have both in-game and out-of-game facets, particularly if one includes participating in game-related events or conventions as an extension of the player experience. A case could even be made for costume-play to represent a fusion of the Player and Avatar type stories. A less dramatic example could be daydreaming of gameplay, recalling memorable gameplay moments or planning new ones, while involved with activities away from the game.
For consideration:
• What does a story determine for the game being designed?
• Are player actions and choices able to influence the direction or outcome of the game?
• If play can effect the game, to what degree?
• What scope (in-game, out-of-game) will benefit the game design?

Ref > http://www.gamegrene.com/node/820

Activity one

Activity 1 - Research different ways in which game designers use story to enhance a player's gameplay experience

In this task you will document your ongoing research in a new blog for this unit on how game designers use story to enhance a player's gameplay experience. You should complete this research throughout the project and develop it as your knowledge grows each week. We will discuss the elements that make up this research below. The details are added in each section as a guide to help your research.

• Forms of storytelling, i.e. cave painting; oral traditions (fable, myth, legend); theatre; text; film; television
• Game genres, i.e. platforms, first-person shooter (FPS), third-person shooter (TPS), racing, fighting; adventure; puzzle; role-play; simulation and sports eg turn-based strategy (TBS), real time strategy (RTS)
• Approaches, i.e. location; conditions; actions; symbolism; three-act structure (beginning, middle, end); hero's journey (12 steps); episodic
• Representation, i.e. emotions; characterisation; stereotypes e.g. gender, ethnicity
• Emotional themes, i.e. vengeance; happiness; fear; anger; perseverance; heroism; valour; hope; competitiveness
• Interactive story, i.e. embedded; emergent; cinematics; cut-scenes; triggered events; player control; character customisation
• Writing strategies - : pre-writing phase eg brainstorm, research, storyboard, list, sketch, outlining, freewriting; drafting (working title, write content); revision eg add, rearrange, remove, replace, evaluate

What you must submit

A blog entry in a new blog for this unit on how game designers use
story to enhance a player's gameplay experience

Assessment Criteria for this activity

P1. summarise accurately the elements of storytelling for games using
 some subject terminology appropriately

M1. explain the elements of storytelling for games with reference to
detailed illustrative examples and with generally correct use of subject terminology

D1. comprehensively explain the elements of storytelling for games with elucidated
examples and consistently using subject terminology correctly