Writing Strategy Guides - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 136

• Map. Clearly label all items, weapons, enemies, and quest-giving NPCs on the

map.

• Enemy rundown. For each level, list what opponents the player will face and

to what attacks or weaponry they are most vulnerable. You can also add any
treasures or XP the player will receive from dispatching them.

• Hints. Throughout the guide, provide callouts for trouble spots. For example,

“If you shinny up the left set of vines, you won't drop into the vat of acid as
easily.�

•

Warnings. Warn the player of any areas where they could be killed or suffer
loss to their inventory. For example, “Watch out for the sniper on the ceiling
beam to the left.� Or, “Don't enter the cave, as a thief there will seize all your
healing potions.�

• Step-by-step instructions. And of course, you'll need to provide very detailed

instructions on how to not only make it through each level but come out with
a high success rate. Let players know where crucial spots are to get the most
XP or loot.

•

Strategies. As you play through the game and develop the best strategies for
winning each level, talk to the testers, as well. They will have added insight
to levels and might have some interesting strategies that come from playing a
game for months and months.

• Sidebars. As you play, you may encounter interesting cultures, places, or char-

acters in the game. Likely other players will feel the same way. Including
interesting sidebars (preferably with some concept art or screenshots) will jazz
up your walkthrough. Providing backstory for a strange alien outpost, for ex-
ample, will add dimensions to the game that players without the strategy guide
might never know.

13.7 Appendices
The appendix section of your guide is a great place for all the stats and charts for game
characters, items, weapons, enemies, and spells. The type of game will determine
what you need to include in the appendices. An RPG should have a spell appendix,
for example, but this likely won't be applicable for a first-person shooter.
Sometimes these stats will be available in-game, and other times they'll function
more behind the scenes. If your game is an RPG, there will likely be screens listing
the strengths and weaknesses of characters, items, weapons, and armor. Usually,
though, this information will not be so readily evident. The easiest and most efficient
way to obtain these stats is to ask the game designers. Usually they'll have an Excel
document that lists these numbers. Another reason to get these numbers straight