Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Villain and a less than compelling story experience. This axiom also holds
true for other enemies (or Henchmen).
Now, this doesn't mean that every single one of the countless hordes of
cannon fodder the player might encounter over the course of a twelve-
plus hour game must have his own detailed back story and character arc!
However, the more prominent ones—such as mini-bosses, bosses, and
probably any enemy with a name—most certainly should.
The character histories don't all need to be elaborate, and you can com-
press them to a fairly compact timeframe if necessary. The original
BioShock
does this in a very effective and streamlined way. As you ap-
proach the area in which you'll eventually confront a mini-boss, you begin
to find audio recordings that paint a picture of the character—history, per-
sonality, desires, goals, etc. The environment often offers more
clues—writings, photos, illustrations, graffiti, horrific crime
scenes—perhaps contrasting the present state vs. the past recordings
you're listening to. Finally, by the time you directly encounter the mini-
boss, you have a good notion of who he is, what he wants, and why you're
about to try to kill each other.
Quest-Givers
Any NPC who asks the player to complete a task can be considered a
quest-giver. By definition, these characters will have some sort of arc be-
cause a) they want or need something, b) they require the player's help to
get that something, and c) the player will either resolve their conflict or
not.
Whether it's an herb-seeking alchemist in
World of Warcraft
, a tribal
warrior goddess in
Far Cry 3
, a repeatedly kidnaped journalist in
Red Dead
Redemption
, or an old, violin-playing woman in
Fallout 3
, quest-givers can
inject colorful doses of character and drama to gameplay objectives that
would otherwise boil down to, “Go here, kill this being and/or get this ob-
ject, return.”
Completing each quest-giver's arc is key to providing some satisfaction
to the player, since she's the one who performed the actions necessary to
resolve the NPC's conflict.
