Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
More interactive portions of the game are usually presented in a spreadsheet for-
mat. Often, writers aren't familiar with Excel, but when the end product needs to be
put into a database and triggered by code or randomized, that's the best format to
putitin.
And when it comes to planning nonlinear narrative, nothing beats pictures. A
lot of times, the first draft is done in pen on the back of a napkin, but this isn't very
effective when presenting to a development team. The format here is really up in the
air. I've seen whiteboards with color-coded markers, bulletin boards with note cards
and magazine photos, sticky notes on a blank wall, and modified PowerPoint and
Visio org charts.
And these three formats are just scratching the surface. Individual developers
often create proprietary development tools to help streamline the production process.
To get some idea of how these work, take a look at the level-customizing features
some PC games provide. The most famous one is the Neverwinter Nights mod kit.
2.3 What You Need to Know about Screenplay Formats
Many other topics have been written on the subject of screenplay format and will do
a more thorough job of explaining it. Personally, I think the best way to learn the
format is to get a screenplay from a movie or television series you admire and take
your cues from that. Even if you think you'll never write a film, every game writer
should learn how to write their ideas as a screenplay. Most games today include dialog
voice talent, and actors are used to seeing their material in the traditional screenplay
format. Your original material may be in some other format, but you should do
everything you can to provide the actors with a script that looks familiar. They've got
enough to worry about without having to squint at 9-point Arial type in a grid.
The modified screenplay format is essentially the same but with everything aligned
to the left instead of centered. As far as I know, the only reason for this change is
that game developers are in a hurry and most of them don't have Final Draft or an-
other program that does the centering with no fuss. They use Microsoft Word or a
bare-bones text editor and just go straight down the page.
The screenplay formats are best used for cinematic sequences and linear game
narratives. If there aren't very many branches in the plot, the screenplay format can
just chug along with occasional notes for interactive elements such as boss battles and
the like. Don't try to describe the player's fight scenes blow by blow. A simple note
introducing the big bad guy and listing some randomized fight barks is sufficient.
One thing to keep in mind while working in this format is that all your dialog
will eventually be put into a database, and you may or may not be the one to do the
data entry. So group like things together and include many, many notes to clarify
what you were thinking when you wrote this.
And never think you've got this script-format thing licked. There are writers
in other media who have dealt with many of the same problems we face in game
writing. For instance, writers who have penned animated series and movies know a
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