You got the story but what's the gameplay?
- Thread starter Pogilrup
- Start date
I disagree with LAGG. If you are going to have a game with a story ( somes games can function without it) you should have the gameplay revolve around the story. You should know where you are headed and build around that , not gameplay and then tack on some half coherent story.
In my opinion of course.
In my opinion of course.
I defenitly got that. I got a big, nice story in my head that I really really want to make into a adventure type game. But I really only have the story. It could work with some bare bones rpg gameplay, but... I'm an all-or-nothing type of person. RPG Maker is fun to work with but boy do I wish I could do better...
I have ideas for gameplay and then find interesting scenarios/stories/whatever to work with them.
What makes games unique is their gameplay, so making a story and then attaching it to a generic game type needs a lot of work in the art department if you want it to be any good, and you'd better be sure it is - because if not you've got nothing fun or interesting.
Gameplay is fun so I start with that first. But of course, each to their own.
What makes games unique is their gameplay, so making a story and then attaching it to a generic game type needs a lot of work in the art department if you want it to be any good, and you'd better be sure it is - because if not you've got nothing fun or interesting.
Gameplay is fun so I start with that first. But of course, each to their own.
If I'm imagining a videogame concept, I usually imagine what type of gameplay would fit with it. Granted, I never actually think of an actual plot, more of just a bare-bones concept. Although I wouldn't really want a plot-heavy videogame, so that's probably why.
I'm in the midst of Game Design school and I've been talking a lot with my instructors, all of whom have worked in the industry. They all agree that story is one of the least important aspects of a game concept. One of my instructors is even a writer for games with a BAFTA award no less.
Basically, if your idea could just as easily be a movie, book or tv show, then you have a premise, not a video game. No gameplay, no game.
Basically, if your idea could just as easily be a movie, book or tv show, then you have a premise, not a video game. No gameplay, no game.
Reference KrazyKidd. If you look at how Japan used to do it, look at the subtleties.Pogilrup said:
Parasite Eve gave you a one hit damage pistol. hinted it was important due to Aya's cellular structure (that was a quick to surviving the final boss, but knew most people would discard due to its uselessness)
Resident Evil 1 - 4 good with foreshadowing puzzles, traps, and oncoming danger. You fight bioweapons or run from them at regular intervals, cutscenes are meant to introduce them.
Half-life 2, Portal and Bioshock 1-2 heavy environmental storytelling, where every setup in a level and immediate task is meant to push the adventure forward, and keep you busy.
There's also the Telltale style but that goes without saying.
Final Fantasy 6 - 12 (cuz thats what I'm familar with) you recieved a 1/4th of the plot and could play through up to a 3rd of those jrpgs vanilla without serious upgrade scavenging, till it got harder, and you had to sidequest and grind to match up with bosses and random encounters. You were encouraged to explore
The key to plot (usually in action adventurous games) is that the narrative is just one of many tools to condition the adventure. The setups, level design, pacing, necessities, obstacle variety and bosses (sorely lacking) These are the main course that the plot is supposed to accentuate, instead of sit side by side. Like a lot of games have been doing this past 7th gen.
But yeah one of big hinderances to game plots is writers dont get to have shared consensus about the overall design, and level is the foundation of a game. they're brought into fill the blanks when the levels are already built.
It seems then that the gameplay is a bottleneck in the creative process.Arvitz said:
Either it is hard to develop an appropriate model to fit the story or that the model fails to properly express the themes of the story resulting ludonarrative dissonance.
Ever heard of Yume Nikki? Or even better, .flow?
The gameplay is completely non-existant beyond "walk in direction", but .flow is still in my top five games of all time entirely because A. what little gameplay there is perfectly suits the story, and B. holy crap dat story and imagery.
That said, you need a hell of a good setting, story, atmosphere, and many other things if you want to make a game with barely and game in it, but it can be done.
The gameplay is completely non-existant beyond "walk in direction", but .flow is still in my top five games of all time entirely because A. what little gameplay there is perfectly suits the story, and B. holy crap dat story and imagery.
That said, you need a hell of a good setting, story, atmosphere, and many other things if you want to make a game with barely and game in it, but it can be done.
@ LAGG ( sorry my quotes aren't working for some reason)
Ideally yes. Reallistcally that doesn't happen a whole lot.
Writers and level design are done by two different teams. Sometimes they don't even talk to each other ( not extensively at least). So what wnds up happening os the leveling design is done, and a story is tacked on trying to peice together the gameplay. That ends up with the game feeling disjointed.
At least in the situation where communication is low , if the story is done first, the level designers just have to connect the dots so to speak. Which leads to a better result that doing it the other way around.
But like i said, ideally, we would have both teams working together side by side .
Ideally yes. Reallistcally that doesn't happen a whole lot.
Writers and level design are done by two different teams. Sometimes they don't even talk to each other ( not extensively at least). So what wnds up happening os the leveling design is done, and a story is tacked on trying to peice together the gameplay. That ends up with the game feeling disjointed.
At least in the situation where communication is low , if the story is done first, the level designers just have to connect the dots so to speak. Which leads to a better result that doing it the other way around.
But like i said, ideally, we would have both teams working together side by side .