Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Planning the setting
Adventure games are about mysteries, secrets, and revelations because they need
special type of stories to be based on. Events must be incredible and outstanding,
denying everyday routine. If the plot is taking part in reality, in most cases, it would
be a detective, horror, or survival story. The mystery is always hidden inside some-
body's intentions or a dangerous environment. In most cases, the mood of such stor-
ies is dark and gloomy.
Alternatively, you may not think about one unique situation but a whole new fictional
world based on its original rules. You only have to choose a type of universe you
are more attached to: fantasy, cosmic sci-fi, cyberpunk, dystopia, steampunk, dies-
elpunk, retro-futurism, post-apocalyptic, and so on. All of them can be ideally adap-
ted for interactive adventure games, having a rich stylistic background and a large
arsenal of already-invented plot elements. It is worth mentioning that some of the
most popular types are fantasy and steampunk settings: the first one lets you intro-
duce magic, spells, and various incredible creatures; however, the second one has
passion for various mechanical devices, something that is suitable for the creation of
puzzles.
Establishing the game idea
If you're starting with your very first adventure game, it is reasonable to choose the
Escape the room concept; it is much easier to develop. All the events take part only
in one screen; there are no complex labyrinths, and the sequence of levels can be
linear. You only need to think of an idea for the story that would link all the levels
together. Where can a bunch of isolated rooms be placed together? In a building?
Good! Do you have another idea? A hotel? Sounds good as well, but let's change
the point of view a little bit. Rooms should not be necessarily made of bricks or con-
crete, so think of other materials. Metallic walls? Oh! A train car. Rooms collected
together form a train because we want the player to travel from one place to an-
other. Great! What about settings? Steampunk looks like a cliché; it is much better
to choose something more original. For example, dieselpunk. Let's give the game a
code name: Trans-Terra Express.
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