Post by jerico on May 28, 2005 15:00:01 GMT -5
As per Eyesore’s request, this post has been copy/pasted from the help boards. The original message was in reference to suggestions for plots and storylines for your games.
Alright, so let’s get started.
First, look at the very basics:
Your audience is going to be a hero in your game. What is his motivation? Why would someone want to play that character?
In many cases, RPG's like to strike a personal chord with the player, sometimes this is kidnapping, or even killing a character that is very likable and close to the player's character. Think of one of the first RPGs: Super Mario Bros. A big bad guy, Koopa, kidnaps your one love. You, the hero, fight your way through Koopa's baddies to get the girl back.
Though this example is simple, this basic plot is used time and time again, and can still be effective if used with care.
Another common theme, as I said, is to have specific characters die, or be killed, that are close to the main hero. The reason this is done is to get the player to stir up some emotions, and if played well, can be a powerful technique for the story developer to use. Look at Tales of Phantasia: off with your buddy, you hear the town alarm, and race back only to find it's too late. You're parent's are dead, and the village is destroyed. Wow, what a bastard that did this eh? Though it's not really an RPG, the game Homeworld used this same idea, by having the Tidan fleet destroy your homeworld. In both games the player is on a quest for vengeance, and peace of mind.
Finally, the last method I would deem commonplace is the "oops, look I stepped into another world--COOL!" Chrono Trigger comes to mind here, as does a few others. One of the reasons the Harry Potter books were so popular, I believe, was because of this idea. In the Potter books, this was Hogwarts, in Chrono Trigger, it was a portal, in games like Myst, it was the linking books. Sure, two of these examples were not from an RPG—who cares!—so don't limit yourself to that. The Potter phenomenon was fueled by the promise of a vast world where the ordinary could easily become the extraordinary, and the same could be said for all the others out there. Other popular books like Lord of the Rings, The Never Ending Story, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, are all examples of this same strategy.
When you look at it from a big perspective, every story out there is based off of something else, so don't kill yourself trying to make up something all by your lonesome. Start with the basics, and your own personality will make it your own.
The details of the plot you show during the game are important, however, and will depend on your own unique style. Sure, you want a big bad guy to make the world simply crap, and your hero goes to fight him to make things better. Great. But I'll tell you, even that will become horribly boring if there is nothing deeper to interest the player.
Most of all, don’t get frustrated. Remember: keep it personal. In all honesty it's folly to assume even a thick book about this stuff could tell you how to make an excellent story; remember, this is an art, and will only get better with practice.
So, as you watch movies, read books, or play RPGs keep an eye out for things that really chime for you, and jot them down to use in your own creation, under your own personal spin.
Cheers
Alright, so let’s get started.
First, look at the very basics:
Your audience is going to be a hero in your game. What is his motivation? Why would someone want to play that character?
In many cases, RPG's like to strike a personal chord with the player, sometimes this is kidnapping, or even killing a character that is very likable and close to the player's character. Think of one of the first RPGs: Super Mario Bros. A big bad guy, Koopa, kidnaps your one love. You, the hero, fight your way through Koopa's baddies to get the girl back.
Though this example is simple, this basic plot is used time and time again, and can still be effective if used with care.
Another common theme, as I said, is to have specific characters die, or be killed, that are close to the main hero. The reason this is done is to get the player to stir up some emotions, and if played well, can be a powerful technique for the story developer to use. Look at Tales of Phantasia: off with your buddy, you hear the town alarm, and race back only to find it's too late. You're parent's are dead, and the village is destroyed. Wow, what a bastard that did this eh? Though it's not really an RPG, the game Homeworld used this same idea, by having the Tidan fleet destroy your homeworld. In both games the player is on a quest for vengeance, and peace of mind.
Finally, the last method I would deem commonplace is the "oops, look I stepped into another world--COOL!" Chrono Trigger comes to mind here, as does a few others. One of the reasons the Harry Potter books were so popular, I believe, was because of this idea. In the Potter books, this was Hogwarts, in Chrono Trigger, it was a portal, in games like Myst, it was the linking books. Sure, two of these examples were not from an RPG—who cares!—so don't limit yourself to that. The Potter phenomenon was fueled by the promise of a vast world where the ordinary could easily become the extraordinary, and the same could be said for all the others out there. Other popular books like Lord of the Rings, The Never Ending Story, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, are all examples of this same strategy.
When you look at it from a big perspective, every story out there is based off of something else, so don't kill yourself trying to make up something all by your lonesome. Start with the basics, and your own personality will make it your own.
The details of the plot you show during the game are important, however, and will depend on your own unique style. Sure, you want a big bad guy to make the world simply crap, and your hero goes to fight him to make things better. Great. But I'll tell you, even that will become horribly boring if there is nothing deeper to interest the player.
Most of all, don’t get frustrated. Remember: keep it personal. In all honesty it's folly to assume even a thick book about this stuff could tell you how to make an excellent story; remember, this is an art, and will only get better with practice.
So, as you watch movies, read books, or play RPGs keep an eye out for things that really chime for you, and jot them down to use in your own creation, under your own personal spin.
Cheers