Task 1 - Understand the Elements of Storytelling for Games
Storytelling Essentials
Stories have been told in many ways throughout the ages, originating from Cave Paintings and word of mouth, as times change, new methods of storytelling are created such as books, films, radio, television and now video games. Video games are a unique storytelling method as you get to be the main character, rather than watching them or reading about them.
Storytelling is a vital part of any good game. A good storyline can make a game great, even if the gameplay isn’t the best. Many games stories are based on myths, legends or lores. These types of stories usually apply to role-playing games such as Elder Scrolls and World of Warcraft but they’re becoming more popular with modern games such as Destiny and Halo. Having a good back-story to your game makes the game world more immersive and believable. The story can be very interesting and intriguing, especially when more information can be gathered about the world and back-story throughout the game.
There are many different genres and subgenres of games, from first-person shooters to turn-based strategy games. There’s a wide spectrum of genres for developers to choose from, this can give the developers more freedom with their games, as they don’t have to fit into one genre or subgenre. Many games mix genres. For example, Skyrim. Skyrim is a role-playing game but has a first-person feature. This is unusual for a role-playing game, but it works well in Skyrim and is a good example of how mixing elements from different genres can be a good thing. Sunset Overdrive is another good example of mixing genres together. It’s an open-world comedy/horror game and it works very well.
Our game is a unique sci-fi adventure set in space. Our game’s set in a near-future dystopian world where an evil dictator is in control of the world’s largest superpower. The entire world is under threat. You play the hero of the game, sent to space with a small crew to stop the inevitable end of the world. The game is a third-person shooter; it’s unique in the way that there is no heads up display. We feel that the game becomes far more immersive this way. Basic elements of the game such as health and ammunition can only be checked by looking at your character and his weapon. When your character is injured you can tell by the way he moves and the expression on his face. When you’re low on ammunition you can only tell by physically looking at your supplies.
The game’s set in the year 2040, in space. The majority of the time the player will be on spaceships and space stations orbiting Earth and Mars. The game will have fantastic visual elements; players will be able to observe the stars, distant galaxies, spaceships/stations and planets curvatures in the game. When the player is inside they can still appreciate the realistic lighting, interactive environment and subtle features of the main character.
The game is a third-person sci-fi shooter. The game being set in space with no HUD may remind the players of the Dead Space series, except there’s no horror elements and there’s a more in-depth story, plus ammo is not as scarce and moving is much easier. The game is very realistic; getting injured will seriously affect the way Morris acts. For example, if Morris gets injured his aim will be far less accurate and he cannot move as fast. The type of injury also plays a big part in the game, a punch or burn will have far less of an impact on Morris than a gunshot or explosion. Medical packs can be found throughout the game but they can only be used on one injury (one medpack is treatment for one injury), for example, if Morris has sustained a gunshot wound, a bruise and a burn, the medpack can only be used on one of those three injuries. The medpack should be used on the most serious injury to be used to full effect, so in this instance, the player should use the medpack on the gunshot wound. The bruise and burn will heal automatically as they are minor injuries, but serious injuries will get slightly worse until healed. The maximum damage Morris can take is three gunshot wounds, any more and he is dead, so the game is very realistic in terms of health. If the health were to be measured to 100%, gunshots would take around 30% off each time, whereas a minor injury such as a punch would only take around 5% off.
The player starts the game with a squad of five people. The character you play, Captain Morris (simply referred to as Morris in the game) is a British army captain and the leader of the squad. During the first part of the game, Morris’ squad assists him, but the squad gets separated early on in the game, leaving Morris (and the player) alone. Your squad will reappear in certain parts of the game but for the majority the player will be alone.
Our game’s story not only tells the main story that you play through, it also tells a story of the main character. The player may notice Morris’ small changes as the story goes on. The main story is unique in the fact that it is very film-like; it constantly has a cinematic feel. The game will use full music tracks unlike any other game every made. Cutscenes will be long, informative and interesting – the player will want to watch them, rather than feeling forced. Certain scenes in the game will feel like works of art, planets, spaceships and other items of massive proportion will be loud and intense, the player will really get a feel of just how ridiculously massive these things are. The story also gets quite emotional, the player can connect to the characters in the story, and when something happens to them it will get emotional. Overall our game will be an intense, gripping, emotional rollercoaster with amazing gameplay that will have you hooked from the beginning.
Stories have been told in many ways throughout the ages, originating from Cave Paintings and word of mouth, as times change, new methods of storytelling are created such as books, films, radio, television and now video games. Video games are a unique storytelling method as you get to be the main character, rather than watching them or reading about them.
Storytelling is a vital part of any good game. A good storyline can make a game great, even if the gameplay isn’t the best. Many games stories are based on myths, legends or lores. These types of stories usually apply to role-playing games such as Elder Scrolls and World of Warcraft but they’re becoming more popular with modern games such as Destiny and Halo. Having a good back-story to your game makes the game world more immersive and believable. The story can be very interesting and intriguing, especially when more information can be gathered about the world and back-story throughout the game.
There are many different genres and subgenres of games, from first-person shooters to turn-based strategy games. There’s a wide spectrum of genres for developers to choose from, this can give the developers more freedom with their games, as they don’t have to fit into one genre or subgenre. Many games mix genres. For example, Skyrim. Skyrim is a role-playing game but has a first-person feature. This is unusual for a role-playing game, but it works well in Skyrim and is a good example of how mixing elements from different genres can be a good thing. Sunset Overdrive is another good example of mixing genres together. It’s an open-world comedy/horror game and it works very well.
Our game is a unique sci-fi adventure set in space. Our game’s set in a near-future dystopian world where an evil dictator is in control of the world’s largest superpower. The entire world is under threat. You play the hero of the game, sent to space with a small crew to stop the inevitable end of the world. The game is a third-person shooter; it’s unique in the way that there is no heads up display. We feel that the game becomes far more immersive this way. Basic elements of the game such as health and ammunition can only be checked by looking at your character and his weapon. When your character is injured you can tell by the way he moves and the expression on his face. When you’re low on ammunition you can only tell by physically looking at your supplies.
The game’s set in the year 2040, in space. The majority of the time the player will be on spaceships and space stations orbiting Earth and Mars. The game will have fantastic visual elements; players will be able to observe the stars, distant galaxies, spaceships/stations and planets curvatures in the game. When the player is inside they can still appreciate the realistic lighting, interactive environment and subtle features of the main character.
The game is a third-person sci-fi shooter. The game being set in space with no HUD may remind the players of the Dead Space series, except there’s no horror elements and there’s a more in-depth story, plus ammo is not as scarce and moving is much easier. The game is very realistic; getting injured will seriously affect the way Morris acts. For example, if Morris gets injured his aim will be far less accurate and he cannot move as fast. The type of injury also plays a big part in the game, a punch or burn will have far less of an impact on Morris than a gunshot or explosion. Medical packs can be found throughout the game but they can only be used on one injury (one medpack is treatment for one injury), for example, if Morris has sustained a gunshot wound, a bruise and a burn, the medpack can only be used on one of those three injuries. The medpack should be used on the most serious injury to be used to full effect, so in this instance, the player should use the medpack on the gunshot wound. The bruise and burn will heal automatically as they are minor injuries, but serious injuries will get slightly worse until healed. The maximum damage Morris can take is three gunshot wounds, any more and he is dead, so the game is very realistic in terms of health. If the health were to be measured to 100%, gunshots would take around 30% off each time, whereas a minor injury such as a punch would only take around 5% off.
The player starts the game with a squad of five people. The character you play, Captain Morris (simply referred to as Morris in the game) is a British army captain and the leader of the squad. During the first part of the game, Morris’ squad assists him, but the squad gets separated early on in the game, leaving Morris (and the player) alone. Your squad will reappear in certain parts of the game but for the majority the player will be alone.
Our game’s story not only tells the main story that you play through, it also tells a story of the main character. The player may notice Morris’ small changes as the story goes on. The main story is unique in the fact that it is very film-like; it constantly has a cinematic feel. The game will use full music tracks unlike any other game every made. Cutscenes will be long, informative and interesting – the player will want to watch them, rather than feeling forced. Certain scenes in the game will feel like works of art, planets, spaceships and other items of massive proportion will be loud and intense, the player will really get a feel of just how ridiculously massive these things are. The story also gets quite emotional, the player can connect to the characters in the story, and when something happens to them it will get emotional. Overall our game will be an intense, gripping, emotional rollercoaster with amazing gameplay that will have you hooked from the beginning.