narrative
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Storyboard: Get them in a tree, throw rocks at them
The past week or so has been pretty terrible for one of my favorite characters in Final Fantasy XIV. Over the course of the last week, she's been drugged, been tied up, had her heart broken twice (more or less her own fault), broken someone else's heart, been scarred, and been screamed at, and she's managed to see one of her dearest friends begin to turn into an enemy. And I'm writing this on Monday, so I can only begin to imagine what's going to happen over the course of this week. Of course, there's a disconnect here because while she was knee-deep in roleplaying misery, I was having an absolute blast -- some of the most fun I've had roleplaying in a long time, actually. Now, there's something to be said there about making your characters miserable for fun and profit, which I intend to discuss next week. But it occurred to me that this is one of the fundamental disconnects between roleplayers and the non-RP part of any game's population. The goal in any MMO is to become more capable... but the goal of roleplaying, at least to start with, involves making things worse and becoming significantly unhappier.
Massively Exclusive: RIFT's Drowning in Snow, part three
Today we've got a special treat for all of you RIFT lore junkies out there. That's right, it's time for Part 3 of the ongoing Drowning in Snow series. This episode sees the deadly Kelari assassin Kira Thanos and her companion Uriel fighting their way through an onslaught of water rifts and Abyssal Cultists. Will they make it out alive, or will they be engulfed by the salty waters of the elemental plane? Follow on past the cut for the next installment of Drowning in Snow and find out for yourself.
Funcom building a bridge between the real and the fantastic in The Secret World
Funcom has released a new dev blog focused on The Secret World, and today's entry is penned by lead content designer Joel Bylos. Much like with yesterday's video teaser, the focus is on the game's environments, and in particular, its localization in the real world. Bylos, who also served as a content designer on Funcom's Age of Conan expansion before moving to The Secret World, says that the game aims to capture the essence of the modern era while adding a supernatural and conspiratorial twist to places you think you know. "Above ground, New York looks just like the New York you have visited in real life. If you really wanted to, you could find the exact same area depicted in the game on Google Maps. But beneath the streets sprawls the corporate-industrial juggernaut of the Illuminati, known only as the Labyrinth," Bylos explains. The dev blog goes on to mention the game's mission system as another tool for grounding the narrative in reality. Whether you're burning zombies, performing an exorcism with a vacuum cleaner, or chasing ghosts with mirrors, The Secret World looks to use the mundane as a window into the fantastic. Check out the game's official website for the full dev blog.
Massively Exclusive: The Secret World's Dag Scheve talks MMO story
MMO story has been getting a lot of press these days, and Funcom has thrown its hat into the ring with a couple of noteworthy developer blogs concerning narrative in The Secret World. The upcoming fantasy-horror MMORPG looks to combine its unique real-world setting and skill-based progression with a compelling narrative populated by memorable NPCs. We recently chatted with lead writer Dag Scheve to follow up on his NPC-focused dev diary with a few burning questions. Scheve also talks about the narrative and design challenges inherent in massively multiplayer storytelling, and you'll find all that and more in our exclusive interview after the cut.
Notch suggests Minecraft achievements, console ports in the future
Minecraft has already cemented its place as one of the best sandbox games of all time, but sometimes you need a little narrative with your creative impulses. Don't worry -- there's a solution for you: achievements. In an interview with Gamasutra, Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson says that achievements are one way he could add a little narrative structure to the title, by rewarding players for doing certain things in the game in a certain order (starting by chopping down a tree, for example, and moving on to "killing a dragon or something"). Notch also says he's still surprised by all the interest in the game, both his own and that of players, who've actually turned up in greater numbers after he recently decided to raise the price. Also, while he does agree that Minecraft could be ported to other platforms at some point and "become a franchise," he warns that, "if we make an Xbox version there should be a point to it being on Xbox." Sounds reasonable enough. Hopefully if he does go with the achievement model, we'll get a nice big reward for "Burning Down the House."
The Daily Grind: What's your most memorable MMO quest?
With all the talk about story in MMOs lately, you'd think it was a new concept for the massive genre. While titles like TERA and The Old Republic are hyping their narrative content in the months leading up to release, we're left to wonder whether everyone has forgotten about the humble quest and the fact that it's been steadfastly serving as a story device (if only we'd bother to read it) for the better part of 15 years. Whether it's killing 10 rodents or delivering NPC unmentionables, the storytelling framework has always existed in MMOs both large and small. The quality and variety is certainly lacking at times, but with thousands of games to choose from, surely a couple of them have featured noteworthy quests that put a smile on your face. Whether that was due to the quality of the writing, the asides and in-jokes, or the immersion factor, inquiring Massively minds want to know about your favorite MMORPG quest. What was it, where can we find it, and why was it memorable? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Minecraft to enter Beta phase Dec. 20, modder support coming in future updates
Our little procedurally-generated, co-operative world-building indie gem is growing up so fast -- Minecraft creator Markus Persson has announced on his blog that his super successful title will enter its Beta phase on December 20. The change will be reflected by "a larger focus on polish and content," and will add oft-requested elements like modder support, more late-game goals and "some kind of non-intrusive narrative." Thank goodness -- we've had to create our own narrative up 'til now, and it makes absolutely no sense. (Those pigs -- they have a dark secret.) Look sharp, though -- Persson explained that when the game goes into its Beta phase, he'll be removing the section in the game's license which "promises all future versions of the game for free." Don't worry: If you purchased the game while still in the Alpha phase, you'll still get future updates on the house. In addition, the game's price will be increased to €14.95 once it enters Beta, so it really pays to get in on the ground floor while you still can.
One Shots: A long way from home
We love to hear tales of people's journeys in different MMOs. Sure, you can easily go from one place to another, but when you get involved in the story, it just makes it feel so much more epic, we think. Today's breathtaking Lord of the Rings Online One Shot and narrative comes to us from Skypp Skydarkener, Treasure Hunter. Skypp sends in his tale: Months inside the dark cave that is Moria. Watcher is slain. Dark Delvings conquered. Water Works cleansed. I come out the other side of Moria with many things accomplished; many wondrous things witnessed. Greeting me on the other side is a lake that reflects the stars no matter what time of day. Clouds and sun do not obscure the stars from the waters as you can see in this shot.If you love to write yourself into the larger story - or just tell your own stories - we want to hear from you! One Shots are even sweeter when they've got a great story to go with them. All you need to do is grab a screenshot on your adventures, then jot down a short note to go with it and email it to oneshots AT massively DOT com. We'll post it here for everyone to enjoy and let them know you sent it in! %Gallery-9798%
Indigo Prophecy sequel ain't gonna happen
"After Indigo, I wanted to work on something different because I thought [a sequel] would be a commercial disaster," said David Cage, co-founder of Quantic Dream, on moving forward towards work on Heavy Rain and away from a sequel to his 2005 hit, Indigo Prophecy. "I quickly realized I had nothing more to say on this story and these characters," he said in an interview with 1UP, smashing the hopes of fans for an IP2.Though there was plenty of publisher interest in pushing out a second Indigo Prophecy, Cage said he "had moved on," wanting to write something "more personal, deeper, more adult with no world to save and no supernatural powers." To us, it seems our loss of IP2 is one big gain in Heavy Rain.
BioWare's founders emphasize the importance of storytelling in their games
BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk were the keynote speakers at Game Developers Conference Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia yesterday. Their speech was titled Emotionally Engaging Narrative: Gaming's New Frontier. Given BioWare's huge portfolio of successful story-driven games, it's no surprise they had a lot to talk about.Not all game-types need a good narrative to be successful or fun (e.g., Bejewelled, Tetris, etc.), but MMORPGs could probably benefit from a greater emphasis on compelling and engaging storytelling. Both Ray and Greg talked about various types of narrative, including linear and non-linear, active and passive, and internal and external.We know that story will be the fourth pillar of design in Star Wars: The Old Republic and here's an example of external narrative they say we'll see when it releases: "Manipulation of world server data based on a broad range of user activities can actually change the game world." We're not quite sure what that means, but here are a couple guesses: Online voting to determine the next expansion race or fan fiction making it into the game's narrative.
Andy Serkis: Game narrative is lacking, but has much potential
If Gollum says it, it must be true. Andy Serkis, who played the loathsome creature in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie adaptation, has said that he feels game stories are generally lacking. "There's no heart in them. We put so much into the writing of film scripts and plays, but not into games. And games are where the audience is going to be. I absolutely think that gaming is a massive storytelling arena in the making and now the technology has arrived to do that. It's a fascinating time." We absolutely agree with Serkis that this generation is the launchpad for real cinematic storytelling. Games like Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid 4 are paving the way, but with such a young medium there's still plenty of room for improvement. Serkis' background may be in Hollywood, but he did a lot of motion capture and dialogue work for the under-represented PS3 title Heavenly Sword, stating afterward that he'd love to work in games again. Perhaps if game stories keep improving at the rate they have over the last couple of years, it won't be long until we see him donning the skin-tight motion capture suit again.
Philosony: Will the real Alex Sheperd please stand up?
One thing that I think we all love about our chosen hobby is that the experience of a single game can be drastically different for each person. I don't mean this in the way we mean about other "static" media where we might each interpret what we read/see/hear in unique ways. I mean that though two people may play the exact same game, the cut scenes they view and the boss battles they fight may be completely different. This might be most evident in sandbox games or titles that have a prodigious amount of side quests, but sometimes even the main story can take wildly different paths depending on player input.Heavy Rain director David Cage has expressed his desire to create a game that allows you to really suffer consequences that affect the story and continue playing, always conscious of your input in the overall plot. We may be entering an era in which we gamers may not only see different stories but have to actually reflect on what the path we choose says about us as well as the story. When my recent play through of Silent Hill: Homecoming was rewarded with a less than satisfying ending I immediately cursed the game's writers for their ineptitude. But looking back I've begun to wonder: am I partially to blame? Are bad endings increasingly becoming the consequence of bad or even inconsistent decisions by players? Don't worry, the spoilers don't begin for another 300 words.
WoW Moviewatch: Redshift: Pursuit
Redshift: Pursuit, by Slashdance, is a direct sequal to the piece "Redshift: Ty'zamar and Aislynn," and pretty much cements Redshift as an episodic series. A "diviner" has a foreseen the death of a Night Elf, and the conflict ensues from there. We brought you the trailer for this piece back in October, and are happy to be able to see the final product. I was impressed with "Redshift: Pursuit", mostly for story and narrative purposes. I felt like the causal action from scene to scene was fairly meaningful, though the opening sequence was a little slow for my tastes. (It's probably just my personal preferences, but I like openings to get banging to action right away.) Of course, the shout out to the Amani trolls really brings the story "home" to Azeroth, for me. Inclusiveness with the game's lore helps us identify characters and motivations, and provides a more solid base for the action to take place. I will definitely be interested to see what Redshift brings us next. If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Life is a side quest -- I wanna ride it all night long!
Kylie Prymus is the first columnist for PS Fanboy. A Ph.D candidate in philosophy, Kylie specializes in the sociology of technology. Through this new weekly column, Kylie will explore the impact of PlayStation on thought and culture. I have returned, noble fanboys and fangirls! Yes returned to the land of milk and honey - if by milk you mean PixelJunk Eden and by honey you mean Soulcalibur IV. As I sat in my car staring at long stretches of side quest highway for hours, drooling at the though of returning home to days upon days of new games and DLC (not to mention resolving the heart-wrenching gamus interruptus of a few key titles ), I couldn't help but wonder if my extended absence from the PS3 had taught be anything. Besides the hard lesson that I most definitely need to invest in an HDMI capable monitor - or even better, a PS3 laptop - what did I learn from 6 weeks of quality time with naught save my PSP?
LittleBigInsideJoke
Kylie Prymus is the first columnist for PS Fanboy. A Ph.D candidate in philosophy, Kylie specializes in the sociology of technology. Through this new weekly column, Kylie will explore the impact of PlayStation on thought and culture. I believe I owe it to you, Inconstant Reader, to let you in on a little secret. I haven't booted up my PS3 in nearly 3 weeks. There's no opportunity that I foresee which will allow me to press that glorious PS button for at least another month. Most summers I spend 6 weeks away from home teaching existentialism to high school students (don't be ashamed CTYers, I know at least a few of you reading this were once one). This summer a series of logistical difficulties forced me to leave my beloved system behind, though I shouldn't complain as this may have prevented an inadvertent bricking. Aside from a few softly stolen moments with a dozen warmongering eyeballs, my sole interaction with the Kingdom of Sony consists of several hundred RSS feeds per day and the occasionally glimpsed television commercial on the dining hall's plasma screens. While thoroughly enjoying my undercooked homefries one morning I happened to hear the snippet of a rousing pre-battle morale speech the likes of which long preceded the Mel Gibsons and Viggo Mortensons of the world. Lifting my head to peer through the digital window I caught the tail end of Sony's most recent commercial for the PS3. You know the one - I call it Acronymial 2008 - with the MGS4 and the GT5:P and the LBP and the spiritually affected voice of KB. It certainly showcases a good lineup of exclusive titles, two of which I own and one which I assuredly will, and it brought a tear to my eye to see them, ever so briefly, in all their high definition glory. But then it got me thinking (because I certainly didn't want to think about planning that morning's class): What does that particular trio of games say about our beloved product?
Give me a reason to fight!
Kylie Prymus is the first columnist for PS Fanboy. A Ph.D candidate in philosophy, Kylie specializes in the sociology of technology. Through this new weekly column, Kylie will explore the impact of PlayStation on thought and culture. This may not sound like a paradigm shattering piece of news, but I'm excited about Soulcalibur IV. Virtua Fighter may hold my heart for technical fighting games, but that tale of souls and swords, eternally retold still manages to bring out the button-mashing kid in me. You remember transcending history and the world, don't you? You don't?I remember that tale. I remember long nights debating the merits and flaws of the Soul Edge and Soul Blade and trying to understand the metaphysics behind good and evil swords transforming to fit their wielder. It was a mighty fine fighting game too, but it was the story that kept me coming back to complete the game with each and every character. Back then I could tell you the motivations of just about every character in every fighting game I played. Nowadays you're lucky if you even get endings.
Player vs. Everything: Online Games and Sex
As humans, sex is something that plays a very important role in our lives and personal experiences. It's a pretty universal and emotionally charged topic that can dramatically influence how we think of ourselves and how we view our relationships with other people. Even outside of the act itself, ideas about sex and human relationships shape the way we act, the way we dress, the way we live, and the people we associate with. Dealing with the complicated issues surrounding sex is part of the human condition. It's not at all surprising that sex is frequently portrayed in all forms of media which attempt to explore that human experience. However, are video games (and specifically online games) really ready to examine this topic? There was a really interesting lecture posted by the videogame news blog Rock, Paper, Shotgun a few days ago in which Daniel Floyd discussed the topic of sex in video games. His key point is that if video games are going to attempt to explore the topic of sex effectively, they need to portray it in a way that ties it to relationships and intimacy. Watching the video made me start thinking about how sex is portrayed in MMOGs, especially with the recent launch of Age of Conan, a game that sold itself as a "mature title" with strong violence and sexuality. After a lot of reflection on the topic, I really don't think that mainstream online games are ready to explore sexuality, nor are they even capable of portraying it tastefully with their current limitations.
Blackstar exclusive interview
We've spoken previously about the unique-looking space-combat MMO Blackstar, being developed by Spacetime Studios -- how previous publisher NCsoft had chosen to cancel their connection with the title, and how Spacetime recently regained the IP, to continue development on their own. From the look and sound of everything that's been shown to the public so far, this game has the potential to be NCsoft's "one that got away".Intrigued by the goings-on with the studio, we contacted Spacetime's President and Executive Producer Gary Gattis to see if he could give us a peek behind the curtains -- or photon displacement cascade, as the case may be -- at how development on Blackstar is progressing. Mr. Gattis not only graciously consented to the interview request, but also gave us 4 pieces of concept art to share with our readers; art that has only made us long even more for the game's eventual release. Read the full interview after the jump!%Gallery-23010%
The Daily Grind: Is narrative important?
A lot of industry people talk about the importance of narrative in games, and how it's going to be a driving force in revolutionizing the state of games in the near future. Certainly, MMOs with rich histories and lore can benefit from well-written quest descriptions, but there is a cookie-cutter feel to many of them that is slightly off-putting; they're written broadly enough so that any player, any class can fulfill the requirement. Regardless, even if the quest can be boiled down to 'Go kill 10 things', it can make a world of difference to read an engaging lead up, explaining who's involved, and how it affects the world -- but is this the type of narrative people are talking about? Is it possible to craft a true storyline, with a beginning, middle, and end, in an MMO, which for all intents and purposes, is meant to run forever? Do you feel like your favorite MMO could use more active lore? Is narrative as important as gameplay?
Bioware devs debate whether Wii is part of gaming
CEO Ray Muzyka and President Greg Zeschuk of Bioware, a company founded on narrative-centric RPGs, can't seem to decide if the Wii is a game (as opposed to, from what we gather, a toy). In an interview with GameDaily, Zeschuk said, "If gaming is defined by story, then generally Wii may not be," though he immediately expands on that, "The game [4 to 5 people together are] playing is actually very different than the rest of us. What they're doing as a company is like a different flavor."Providing a counterpoint, Muzyaka noted that the Wii experience is "more toy-like" but also said, "there's also a narrative between the players outside the game and kind of fulfills the same things games do. Games are 'toys' in the sense that they're fun." Warren Spector had made a similar designation in an Escapist piece last year, categorizing games like Tetris and Madden akin as "retold" narratives. The above is a rather bare-bones highlight of their discussion, so check out the full interview for more.
