Storytelling Applied - The Game Maker's Companion: Game Development - page 218

comes to making money? He hopes not. The skeletons tie up the ship and, except for a grumpy-
looking crew member left as guard, the ship is quickly deserted. Flynn sneaks past with ease.
Archie says: “Let's go find out if Mary has been here and whether the King is here himself. We
better avoid the skeleton crews, but some of the other bandits must know something.”
Game Play
This level is a slight change of pace from the previous frantic one. There are still skeletons to
avoid and push over the side of platforms, but there is also a lot of talking. Flynn can talk to
unfriendly bandits who won't attack him but who won't give him any information, either.
The best shot Flynn has got is to ask the prisoners that are locked up in the hanging cages.
They all want one thing in exchange for information; to be set free. Flynn must explore the level
to find keys for the cages (all keys fit all cages). Some can be found just by exploring, some by
knocking over particularly grumpy bandits so they drop a key.
Several cages have to be opened and Flynn gradually learns that Mary has indeed been
through Rogues' Rendezvous. She was being dragged by the Pirate King's skeletons. Where to, the
prisoner doesn't know. Another has overheard rumors that the town sheriff, as he calls himself, is
famous for selling information. He even looks a bit like a rat.
The sheriff imposes a kind of order on the town, but only as it suits him and he is not afraid to
break the rules if it lines his pockets. He has two henchmen that keep him safe and it won't be easy
to get information out of him. But if anyone knows where the Pirate King is hiding out, he's the one.
Flynn makes his way to the very top of the town, where the sheriff is said to have his “mansion.”
Cut Scene: Introduction to the Town Sheriff
Outside the door of the shanty mansion, the parrot stops Flynn. “Hide behind those barrels a
minute and I'll take care of the henchmen. As soon as I am gone, go through the door and bolt it
from the other side. Then you only have to deal with the sheriff himself.”
“Only...” mutters Flynn. “Well, it's better than having to fight three men, right? Right. Wait here.”
Archie lands by the door and starts yelling in a booming voice that doesn't sound at all like
his normal voice: “Raffi, you great big lout, come out here and show what you're made of. I've a
score to settle with you!”
There's some shuffling inside and a scared voice answers. “Why, Tony, I didn't know you were
in town, how nice, how nice. Unfortunately I'm really rather busy just now. Can you come back
later?” The parrot roars, “Come out here you great yellow belly or I'll tear your house down.”
More shuffling inside. Flynn is wondering how on earth Archie knew that the Sheriff was
scared of someone called Tony?
Finally the door opens and two rather uncomfortable-looking bulky guys are pushed outside.
“I said deal with him, NOW! That's what I pay you for.”
Archie takes off and lands on a platform further down. He shouts again. “Are you coming,
Raffi?” The two henchmen reluctantly follow the voice and Flynn quickly grabs the door before it
shuts. He slips inside.
Conclusion
We'll leave the storytelling here. You get the idea, no doubt. We hope you find it as much fun as
we do, and that you'll try to write some of the cut scenes we missed out.
So, we have a story. A fast-paced tale that suits our little platformer well and some interesting
characters to fill our game world with. Using the Hero's Journey as a general guide, we've mapped
out the whole game and know which tools we'd like to use. That's enough planning, don't you
think? It's time to start building the game, and that begins with the art resources.