tutorial Spinning a good yarn: Tips on writing a story for your game.

[YamiKitsune 23]

You've got this big world to play in now, which is great, Tons of monsters and loot and the like. But something's missing. And that something is a story to tie it all together.

 

What's the point?

Stories are (almost always, anyway) essentially the "bread" to your RPG, with battles and world exploration being the sweet butter.  Mmmmm~ A-Anyway, a good story to explain why the world is how it is, will make your game that much better. Sure, going around killin' monsters and taking their stuff for no reason is all well and good. But that just makes you look like a dick. No, we need to know why you're doing it. Why we should care about that mystical crystal or...whatever.

 

Where do I begin?

See, this is one of the cool things about it. You can basically start wherever you want! I mean, why not right? It's your story. This is YOUR world! But there are a few things you need to remember when starting your story. 

• Why are we starting here?
• Why should I care about my protagonist?
• Is this info relevant? 

You always want to make sure the player knows exactly why we're starting where we're starting. Who the main character is, and why they should give a damn, and to always keep the info you give the player at the start, relevant. Otherwise they're likely to say "Screw this." and quit. 

 

Ok, I've goten the basics I think...

I just want to make this clear. No matter how many tutorials you look up, if you don't have the creativity or originality to make a good story. Then it won't happen. Yes, these tips and multiple others around the internet can help. But without the creativity, you're not gonna get far. So let me tell you what you should avoid, now I'm not saying you CAN'T make a story about these topics. I'm just saying that, more often than not, they're just...not good to use as plot points. But, don't let me stop you from proving me wrong.

• The "chosen" one.
• Heroes of Light (That's final fantasy's thing. They called it first.)
• The bad guy is the good guy/The good guy is the bad guy.
• Time Travel.
• Time Loops (Suggested by Maki13)

Let me stress, these CAN be done well. But if not, it's not gonna end well to use these as a plot device. Let's start with the first one, The chosen one, that's the one I've chosen. This has been used more than anything else in games. RPG or not. Now I'm not saying our hero can't be "chosen". But unless there's alot of intricate and interesting stuff all circling back and explaining WHY he's chosen. It won't go over well. Almost NEVER is it a good idea to give the hero a power that everyone else doesn't have. (excluding elemental spells specific to their class.)

 

Heroes of Light. This is obvious. Final Fantasy's been doing it forever. Now, it can be done well. But I'm just letting you know not to just say. "They're heroes of light and that's why they gotta do it." and leaving it at that. That's just not good. ...Bad! ...Bad storywriter!

 

The good guy is the bad guy, vice versa. Now, this one isn't so much something you should avoid, as much as it is something to be careful with. It can be done, spectacularly. But you have to give good reason. Not just say "He was actually the bad guy all along! Dun dun dunnnnn!" No, we need more info, we need backstory, reasoning, etc.

 

Time Travel. This is also, not something to flat out avoid, just something to be CAREFUL with. Time Travel is VERY easy to screw up. You need to pay attention to every single little tiny detail, and make sure to alter it accordingly with the Time Travelling plot. For instance, if there's a part in your game where, in the past, a guy is choppin' down a tree. Make the future version of this area have a tree stump, but no guy there. To show the passage of time. That's basic. Just..keep all your details in check when using this as a plot device.

 

Maki13: Time Loops. It's a really great theme if done right, but is pretty difficult to execute. It's less fragile than Time Travel (You don't need to adjust action-reaction effects much), but can be pretty entwining in the long run. Especially if you make the characters being able to remember the loop. Even the ones that (in my opinion) executed really well, such as the Mekakucity Project, still confuses many audiences.

Also I think it depends on the target audience; if one's aiming for the more curious/theory-crafter/thinker people, then Time Loop is usually more rich and stuffed to write. On the other hand if the audience is more younger and/or "ordinary", then it's probably better to stick with good ol' Time Travel.

 

WHAT A TWIST?!

So, there doesn't HAVE to be a twist in your game. But if there is, and if it's done right. It can make the player that much more interested, and impressed.

 

A good twist is hard to pull of, but when you're attempting to do so, remember these things.

• Why did this happen?
• Does this even make sense?
• HOW is it a twist?

The player needs to know exactly how things came to be this way. And you gotta make sure it makes sense. And it's not a twist if it's just something unexpected. No, it needs to be something that COMPLETELY changes what you thought you knew about the story. Not just a small detail or two.

 

That's all the tips I can think of at the moment, I'm not claiming to be a master story writer myself, but I know a thing or two, and I figured I'd share those things with you. I'm truly hoping this helped at least one person in their story-writing adventures. Thank you for your time!

Edited August 16, 2015 by YamiKitsune

[Jeanne d'Ys 166]

Hmm... That's a neat li'l tutorial you got there!

I've always been an obsessed (although moody) writer in real life, although I've never had the nerve to make writing tutorials.

Glad to see one popped up!

 

Anyway, I have a suggestion about the "Themes to Take Extra Cares", about a new theme that's been quite popular recently: Time Loops.

It's a close relative of the more classic Time Travels, but instead of the characters traveling through time, it's almost like that the time travels by the characters.

It usually revolves around time keep repeating over and over and the characters are trying to do something about it (Usually breaking the loop by getting the "good ending" or literally stop it from happening.)

 

It's a really great theme if done right, but is pretty difficult to execute. It's less fragile than Time Travel (You don't need to adjust action-reaction effects much), but can be pretty entwining in the long run. Especially if you make the characters being able to remember the loop.

 

Even the ones that (in my opinion) executed really well, such as the Mekakucity Project, still confuses many audiences.

 

Also I think it depends on the target audience; if one's aiming for the more curious/theory-crafter/thinker people, then Time Loop is usually more rich and stuffed to write. On the other hand if the audience is more younger and/or "ordinary", then it's probably better to stick with good ol' Time Travel.

 

One can also combine the two, but usually not recommended unless one knows what s/he's doing XD

 

Well, I guess that's what I'll say for now~!

[YamiKitsune 23]

Hmm... That's a neat li'l tutorial you got there!

I've always been an obsessed (although moody) writer in real life, although I've never had the nerve to make writing tutorials.

Glad to see one popped up!

 

Anyway, I have a suggestion about the "Themes to Take Extra Cares", about a new theme that's been quite popular recently: Time Loops.

It's a close relative of the more classic Time Travels, but instead of the characters traveling through time, it's almost like that the time travels by the characters.

It usually revolves around time keep repeating over and over and the characters are trying to do something about it (Usually breaking the loop by getting the "good ending" or literally stop it from happening.)

 

It's a really great theme if done right, but is pretty difficult to execute. It's less fragile than Time Travel (You don't need to adjust action-reaction effects much), but can be pretty entwining in the long run. Especially if you make the characters being able to remember the loop.

 

Even the ones that (in my opinion) executed really well, such as the Mekakucity Project, still confuses many audiences.

 

Also I think it depends on the target audience; if one's aiming for the more curious/theory-crafter/thinker people, then Time Loop is usually more rich and stuffed to write. On the other hand if the audience is more younger and/or "ordinary", then it's probably better to stick with good ol' Time Travel.

 

One can also combine the two, but usually not recommended unless one knows what s/he's doing XD

 

Well, I guess that's what I'll say for now~!

Thanks for bringing this up. I'll be sure to add it to the list of things to be careful with.

 

EDIT: I've added your points about Time Loops to the tutorial. Thanks for your suggestion!

Edited August 16, 2015 by YamiKitsune