Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
CONSISTENT WORLD
FIGURE 7.7
The structure of
a serial
EPISODES
Plot is continuous, Strands overlap. Episodes end on a cliffhanger.
LIMITED SERIES
A
limited series
includes features of both the unlimited series and the serial. The
limited series often combines single-episode plot lines, begun and resolved within
one episode, with other plot lines that carry over from one episode to another.
Unlike the unlimited series or the serial, however, a limited series also maintains
one overarching plot line that runs throughout all episodes and eventually comes
to a definite end, which is what makes the series limited. The TV show
Babylon 5
was a limited series.
Unlike the serial, the limited series format doesn't rely heavily on cliffhangers to
create interest in the subsequent episodes. Instead, the overall plot line provides the
driving interest, and the cliffhanger becomes only a secondary means of keeping
the viewer's interest (see
Figure 7.8
).
FIGURE 7.8
An example of a
limited series
CONSISTENT WORLD
OVERALL STORYLINE
EPISODES
Plot strands overlap episodes.
POTENTIAL AND LIMITS OF EPISODIC DELIVERY
The industry already makes games in the unlimited series format, but it may start
making games in the limited series format as well to encourage players to buy the
whole set. Developing games as limited series will require more money and planning
but may prove to be worth it for a game that a publisher can be certain will be a hit.
The
Harry Potter
series of games, based on the topics and movies, will probably prove
to be a limited series: When the overarching story ends, the series of games will
end just as the author plans for the series of topics to end. The speed of change of
