Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
throughout Act II, harass and/or try to block the Hero from achieving her
goals and resolving the conflict.
Act II simultaneously serves two setup/payoff relationships:
▪
Payoff
for much of what was set up in Act I
▪
Setup
for the resolution of the final conflict in Act III
Act II is usually about twice the length of either of the other acts—it's
big
! So big, in fact, that it sometimes gets hard to handle when it comes to
structure, planning, and pacing. A writer can start wandering in Act II and
lose momentum quite easily. Because of this, many writing gurus split Act
II into two halves, separated by a
Midpoint
—the halfway point not only of
the act, but also of the overall story—at which time things will often spin in
a new direction.
Act II sees progressively increasing tension, drama, and stakes—what's
often referred to as the
rising action
—and culminates with the Hero finally
understanding and seeing the path to resolving the conflict.
Act III: End/Resolution
This is the big finale, what the audience has been itching to experience
ever since the conflict was first introduced—to find out “what happens?”
The Hero makes his ultimate effort to resolve the conflict and either suc-
ceeds (happy ending) or fails (sad ending).
Sad or “down” endings in mainstream stories are rare because they
break expectations and can leave audience members feeling disappointed,
angry, or even depressed. Of course, it's true that many critically ac-
claimed and financially successful stories conclude sadly or tragically. But
ending one's story on a “down” note is very, very risky business.
Happy or “up” endings tend to evoke a positive reaction, but only if they
are cleverly constructed to give the audience what they wanted—success
for the Hero and resolution of the conflict—but
not
the way they expected
it. (We will delve a bit more into this point later on, when discussing expos-
ition in
chapter 5
.)
With the conflict resolved, the story is now out of fuel and needs to end
before things grind to a complete halt and the audience gets bored. We
