Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
technology may prove a problem, in that the later games may not be able to rely on
the earlier games' code without appearing dated. Rewriting the software in the mid-
dle of the series would cancel out the cost savings generated by planning the whole
series at the beginning. If the industry can find a way to make content quickly and
cheaply on a continuing basis, you may eventually see interactive serials, with no
fixed episode count and a constantly evolving story. Running such games in web
browsers over the Internet makes the most sense because the web offers cheaper
development and delivery compared to standalone games. If the prediction proves
true and publishers develop limited serial games for the web, then to be profitable,
those games may need to use an advertising-based business model; few players will
pay for web-based games because there are so many free ones available.
Currently, most efforts to develop content on a continuing basis involve mainte-
nance and expansion of persistent worlds —massively multiplayer online games (MMOG)
rather than episodically delivered serials. The MMOGs use a subscription business
model, and once proprietors recoup the extremely high level of investment required
to set up such a game, they can be extremely profitable.
If you're working on a PC or console game, we don't recommend that you inten-
tionally leave its story unfinished. It's too much of a disappointment to play for
hours only to find that you must buy another game to find out how the story ends;
critics roasted the few games that took that approach. A long game should end with
its major problem resolved, either for good or ill. If you want to leave room for a
sequel, the sequel should be about a different problem that arose during the course
of the first story. Star Wars IV: A New Hope serves as a perfect example: The story
ended with the heroes destroying the Death Star (the movie's major problem), but
with Darth Vader (a character introduced during the story) escaping to cause trou-
ble later on. The story in StarCraft ended with the destruction of the Overmind (its
major problem), but with Sarah Kerrigan, a key character, having apparently turned
traitor and gone on to lead a renegade faction against the heroes of the first story.
Unless your story is quite explicitly part of a multipart story and you can guarantee
that all parts will eventually be told, players deserve some resolution at the end of a
game—especially a long game.
Summary
Most video games will benefit from the addition of a good story, one that is credi-
ble, coherent, and dramatically meaningful. A designer should not attempt to write
a movie or a novel when making the video game story, however; he should remem-
ber that interactivity is the reason people play games. Whether you decide to make
a linear, nonlinear, or a foldback, multiple-ending story for your game will depend
on the gameplay and genre you've designed in the concept phase. For more engag-
ing gameplay, deeper emotional response from the player, and greater satisfaction
upon completing the game, designers should work on a good story that maintains
player interest, that shows character growth, that balances narrative elements with
gameplay, and that, above all else, remains enjoyable to play.
 
 
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