Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Signs of the Zodiac




Seeing as how my birthday was a couple days ago, I was inspired to do a astrological prompt.

Pick a random day on the calendar. Look up the astrological characteristics for a person born on that day. Now, create a villain based on those characteristics.

For example: Say you picked today. That would make your villain a Cancer. Cancers are highly emotional, they're very strong-willed, and are usually night owls. This could be fun for a villain. A Cancer villain would have very deep motives, stemming from a past hurt or betrayal. This could either be a villain that the player would sympathize with, or one that would scare the player half to death.

If I were a villain, I think I'd be closer to the second one.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Opening Cutscenes








This might be a little more fun for you poetic and dramatic writers. Cutscenes are a HUGE part of gaming anymore. It started out as impressive, silent graphics and has now turned into short films about the characters and settings. Opening cutscenes can easily suck a player into playing a game.


Your prompt: Create a great opening cutscene. It can either be full of talk or speechless.


Reasons for speechlessness: A video game script doesn't just have dialogue. It has narration. A game script's narration is usually short and to the point, but there is plenty of it. A great opening isn't always full of talk. Sometimes confusion or an adrenaline rush can suck in a player.


Other notes: Even if your opening has no talking, be sure to involve sounds in your description. Sounds add tons of depth to any game.


Examples of great openings:


Final Fantasy 8

This cutscene has absolutely no speaking. The reason this make a great intro is because it shows many elements of the game: relationships, action, and future events. The music gives a nice adrenaline kick as well.









Prototype (CAUTION: This is a M17 game. It contains graphic violence. Like, people getting cut in half violence.)

This is a great opening because not only do you see really wicked action, but you learn the story of the character you're playing. Even with my weak stomach, I'm itching a bit to play this game myself because the story is so facinating. (Even if it is a bit of a I Am Legend steal.)









Uncharted

I like this opening because it makes me laugh. Ok, there are more reasons than that to as why it's a good opening. You learn about the characters you're going to be spending a good week looking at. The story is set up and when that is settled, it goes straight into the action. Perfect!











Kingdom Hearts 2

This is a very complicated opening, which makes it so great. Not only is this the opening to KH2, but it's a synopsis of the events in KH1 and KH: Chain of Memories. So it's like 3 games meshed in one. Not easy. This is another opening with no real talking other than the song lyrics.








Thursday, June 18, 2009

Bully





System: XBox 360/PS2/Wii/Windows
Release: 2006/2008
Developer: Rockstar


PLAY THIS. I don't think I could be clearer about it. Rockstar is a company that has some of the best character and humor writing. Rockstar is famous for their sandbox games, including Grand Theft Auto.

So what do I give it?

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Side Quests: 5/5


Plot
The basis of Bully is that you play as the new kid at a boarding school that seems to be especially made for juvenile delinquents. Trying to survive relentless attacks by jocks and bullies, you try to make your way to the top of the social food chain.

The plot is simple enough, but almost anyone can identify with it. If you've ever been picked on in school, it feels great to walk up to a character in one of these games and just glass jaw him.

The main idea in this game is to earn respect of everyone in your school by doing jobs for people. Starting at the bottom of the totem pole with nerds, you slowly make your way up to the top. Your only accomplices are Pete, a wimpy follower, and Gary, a psychopath that I'm glad I never went to school with.

So Gary convinces you to take over the school, then betrays you and tries to get you to fall to the bottom of the food chain and tries to take over the school himself. So not only do you have to defend yourself against bullies and Fonzie wannabes, but you have to find Gary and destroy him before he destroys you.
In the end, you set Gary up and the principal gets him expelled.
You're the top of the food chain. But only in Video Game Land. Sorry.

Characters

Jimmy
Even though Jim is a type of live-and-let-live type of character, he also helps others---at a price. Jim has a great amount of complexity in him, which is why I like him. He's got an attitude problem (that you can tell is from his lack of decent parents), he doesn't want to deal with anyone, and yet he still manages to become the most popular guy in school by helping everyone. For the goody-two-shoes (Does anyone understand that expression? Do rebels only wear one shoe or something?) that never talked back to teachers or meddled with school property, you will be surprised at Jim's behavior, but the teachers' behaviors kind of balance it out.


Gary
This kid doesn't belong in school, he belongs in a psychiatric ward. This kid makes an excellent teen villain due to the fact that he's absolutely crazy. Almost Kefka crazy in a sense. Finally releasing himself from medication, Gary goes nuts and tries to destroy Jimmy in order to get the school for himself.
(Why is it that crazy people are the first to pursue big dreams?)





Other Characters
There really aren't a lot of major characters. They're evenly distributed throughout the game. The most interesting thing about the characters in this game is that they aren't copies. Each one has a name and personality. That's definitely a rarity in a sandbox game.

Side Missions
The funny thing about missions is that they were so much like the mainstream ones that I couldn't tell the difference. Some of them were a little more disturbing mind you, for example, getting your butt ugly lunch lady a date as she spits in the vat of mystery meat; but all in all they went seamlessly into the gameplay. It really is the best mission writing I've seen thus far.

Final Say:
Play it! Don't ask, just do it!


Other notes:
How about a female sandbox game, Rockstar? Why should guys get all the fun of hitting people, stealing cars, and pissing off authorities?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Prompt: Princesses




Inspired by Fat Princess (Sony), I thought I'd dedicate today's prompt to princesses. These are the types of princesses we usually come across in the world of games:

Sweet and Sincere
These girls are quick to think, slow to anger, and even slower to say anything. If they say anything relevant at ALL, it usually ends up being something timid and philosophical.

Punk Princess
These princesses usually have armor, a sword, and sometimes less clothes than normal people. They're quick to anger, quick to speak, and usually end up destroying one thing or another in the process.

The –Not So Secret-- Princess
Yes, yes. You're really a princess. We NEVER saw that coming. Come on.


Your prompt: Come up with a princess. Make her original. Make her deep. Make her bigger than a size 2. (Why are all princesses so TINY?)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Technical Writers

Picture from www.freefoto.com

The writing field of video games almost seems top secret when all attention is drawn towards gameplay, level design, and whether or not stuff explodes. Few and far between know about all the work that goes into sending out memos to all departments, throwing together an instruction manual, or the 500 page game design document that is poured over before a game's production.

Thanks to www.igda.org, I was able to talk to Megan Wiseman, the technical writer for Red Storm Entertainment. Although Red Storm may not be as large as its parent company, Ubisoft, there is still a ton of work involved for a technical writer. See for yourself!



1) How did you get on board as a technical writer of Red Storm Entertainment?

Well, this job kind of fell into my lap. I had a friend who worked at Red Storm, and I originally had been thinking I would try to get on in the Design department--I do creative writing as well, but I don't have anything published yet. So I really didn't have the actual stuff on my resume to break in that way. But last summer, my friend contacted me and said "We desperately need a technical writer, and no one we've interviewed has a clue, or is even someone we like. I like you and I know you know your stuff, PLEASE apply." So I did. And I got hired.

2) What is your typical day at work?

Well, my day is about the same as anyone else's. Or about the same as any other technical writer's. I come in to work, I look at my task list, I pick a task and start working. If you are looking for the types of tasks that I do...that is highly variable, but that is addressed in the next question. If you want a walkthrough of my day...I get coffee; I banter with my co-workers; as I said I pick tasks to work on; I do some work; I banter some more; I might go talk to someone else in the company if I need additional input or have questions about something; I might set up a more formal sit-down meeting if I have several things to ask or several people to address at once. I usually have a brief check-in meeting with my supervisor once a week to let him know what I'm working on, what I am having trouble with, what questions I have, etc. We have a company meeting once a week where all departments give updates. Generally my day is pretty fun, though--I get to hear people talking about the different parts of the projects they are working on, brainstorming ideas for new projects, working through storyboards or blocking out scenes, etc. It's all very exciting.

3) What tasks are you in charge of?

I've done a little work on a game manual, but most of my work has to do with the documentation that the engineers produce in the process of creating the game. How to use the game engine, the editor, and the software tools that attach to the engine; tutorials for the art team in how to use the software; tutorials by the art team for other artists on specific techniques to use in creating game objects; information about the networking and multiplayer capabilities of a game. I also work on process and policy documentation--in other words "how do we do things here?" Sometimes these are referred to as "best practices" documents. Eventually I'll also be documenting the documentation processes I create--meta-documents, or "documents about documents". Confused yet? I do a bit of everything. Mostly because I'm the only one. Eventually a lot of this will be delegated. I hope.

4) Which tasks do you find most rewarding?

That's a tough call. I enjoy working on manuals, though it's a small proportion of what I do now. At the moment my boss is asking me to focus more on "big picture" projects, having to do with the overall organization of our documentation, and our infrastructure for creating, storing, and distributing that documentation. What I'm doing now could be seen more as "information management" or even "information architecture". I'm also working on a project to completely re-do our company portal or intranet. So those are the biggest things, and I think once we get them done it will improve overall productivity and efficiency at the company, so I think it will have a big impact. That makes me feel pretty good.

5) Which tasks do you find most challenging?

See above! While it's rewarding to work on something that will impact the entire company and improve things on a big scale, it's also something I've never done before. I've never been in charge of infrastructure, developing standards, creating processes wholecloth, or building a company portal/intranet from the ground up. All of it is new to me. Additionally, I appear to be one of the few (maybe the only) actual "technical writer" who is labeled as such in the video game industry. Thus, it's a very challenging job.

6) Who do you work with for information and tasks?

I work with just about everyone in the company, but that's because my job function is still being worked out to a large degree. Right now, I'm in charge of ALL the documentation, for ALL departments in the company. Even though we're still a fairly small studio we're growing fast, and have more than 100 employees so it's a daunting task. I'm still getting to know what all the parts are, and who everyone is, and I'm still defining what needs to be done. I work with the heads of departments, company management, group leads, and some individuals. It depends on the task I'm working on. If I need a particular piece of information or a question answered, I'll go to an individual I think might have what I need. If I'm trying to get more general information or a bigger vision of what needs to be done on a task, I might choose a group lead, a department head, or even company management as a whole. When I was working on the one manual I have worked on so far, I worked with the testing team a lot, as well as the lead designer and the producer on that project. So it just depends on the task.

7) What skills or education are required to be a technical writer?

In general, technical writers can have a pretty broad skill set and educational background. As for me, I had an English degree and some personal background in various technical areas. I was fascinated by computers so I had a small degree of knowledge about them, and more important I had the curiosity and interest to learn more. I think that is probably the key skill or talent you need--curiosity and a desire to learn more about just about any area of interest. If you can summon up your curiosity about even a topic you never thought to investigate before or didn't think you would be interested in, you can probably do a good job. Because a technical writer usually stands in for a particular audience, you see. The people with the information you need are so close to the subject they know that they have forgotten what it's like for someone who *doesn't* know what they know. So the writer has to represent all those folks who need the information that engineer or programmer or whoever has in their brain.

So the skills you need are:
--> Good writing skills (grammar, spelling, punctuation, ability to communicate clearly and accurately, ability to write for a particular audience);
--> Curiosity;
--> Ability to get along with and talk to many kinds of people;
good interviewing skills (ask open-ended questions, create more questions based on answers you get, etc.);
--> Ability to think logically as well as creatively;
--> Good editing skills (sometimes you'll have an editing department but more often you'll do your own or you'll have peer edits only)


8) Are you a permanent employee or is it a project-by-project type of job?

I'm a permanent employee.

9) How much demand is there for the tech writer field? How much do small companies rely on a tech writer? What about larger companies, such as your parent company, Ubisoft?

You know, I really don't know the answer to this question. On the one hand, I seem to be one of the few (or only, as I said) technical writers who actually hold that title within the industry. I think that's because so many studios are general small, and even larger companies are usually made up of several smaller divisions or studios. So in general I think people in the industry tend to multi-task and have variable skills sets. Given that, I would say a lot of technical writing gets done, but probably by people who aren't labeled as technical writers as such.

I really don't know what the state of the industry in general is or will be for a technical writer. I think there is definitely room for technical writers within the industry if you can find a company who is willing to hire you. The key, as in all areas of the game industry, is to diversify your skill set; make sure you know video games and love them; and network, network, network! If you are capable of doing something besides just technical writing (game design, programming, 3D graphics, game writing, etc.) you'll probably be a better sell just because most studios, even big ones, are looking for the most bang for their buck. A lot of the technical documentation created at most studios is likely created either by the engineers (meaning it's likely not very well organized, or very clearly written, unless that engineer also happens to have training in technical writing) or its done by the design writers (which could mean anything; most of them at least will have fairly strong writing skills but may not have experience or training specifically in technical writing).


10) Is there any extra information or advice you’d like to give people interested in this field?

First and foremost, don't give up. I first met my friend and became interested in working for his company in 2004-2005. It therefore took me four years at least to get this job! Granted, I wasn't working actively to get in that entire time. I imagine I would have gotten in sooner if I had. But my point is, it can take time to gather the skills and experience you need, or to meet people who can help you position yourself correctly to break in. So perseverance is important. KNOW VIDEO GAMES. KNOW YOUR WRITING CHOPS. Those are the two most important things, I think, besides perseverance and patience. It's not vital to know and play all genres of games, but the wider your knowledge base the more likely you are to impress whomever you try to get a job with.



Thanks goes to Megan for her time!




Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Game Design Document


I'll be honest: I've only written about 5 or 6 college GDD's and they were pretty lame by anyone's standards. So me telling you how design a GDD would be hilarious to the professionals, who have websites dedicated to the stuff.

Instead of telling you how to make one, I'm going to go into what a GDD actually is and what it accomplishes. I will also add in some links to websites if you'd like further help in creating the documents themselves.


What is a game design document?

A GDD is a humongous stack of papers that tells everyone on a gaming staff what the game is, how it works, and every single small and large detail incorporated within the game. It's an exhausting document that makes Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace seem like a children's book. Grant you, the less complicated the game, the shorter the GDD. But for large game worlds like Grand Theft Auto or Kingdom Hearts, these documents can be anywhere from 200-1000 pages.


Who is in Charge of Writing it?
This usually depends on the company. The most common way of doing it is to have everyone fill out their own pieces and then the lead designer puts it together and makes it shiny. If there is a technical writer on the staff (which isn't as common as you may think) they usually have a hand in it.



Why do games need such a big friggin document?
If you're a studio of 3 or 4 working in someone's mother's basement making an arcade game, maybe you only need a few pages of memos. But if you are Ubisoft, Square-Enix, or EA Games and employ 100s of people, you're going to need one.

A GDD tells everyone what's going on at any time. If something changes, it's in the GDD. It may not seem like it, but this document saves buttloads of time down the road.

Not only is it important for the developers, but for the publishers as well. They look at the GDD to see if they want to fund the developer or not.

So make sure it doesn't suck.


What does a GDD Cover?
Everything. Seriously. Here's a list of some of the things a GDD covers:

  • Why you should play this game
  • What sets this game apart from others
  • Characters and Controls
  • AI and Enemies
  • How the World is Set Up
  • Storyline
  • Graphics and Engines
  • Scales and Objects
  • Camera and Lighting
  • Interface and Sounds
  • Weapons, Health, and Special Abilities
  • Single Player vs Multiplayer
  • Etc

How does the template work?
Depends on the company. There really is no set way of making a GDD except for a few things: First, the beginning pages are the ones that make the readers (AKA publishers) excited about making the game. Second, there is always a well written table of contents. And third, everything about your game is easy to find and well written.

Other Notes
GDDs aren't really meant to be particularly exciting nor creative. They're just a reference for publishers and developers. So if you're a college student and you find writings up GDDs boring, just be grateful yours will only be 5-20 pages instead of 500.

Conclusion
All game companies have GDDs. If you want to be a game designer, you're going to have to learn how to write them well. If you want to become a game writer, it wouldn't hurt to know the strings.

Great Links
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/19970912/design_doc.htm

http://www.sloperama.com/advice/specs.htm

http://www.thecorpament.com/the_importance_of_design_docs_in_game_development.html

Templates
www.runawaystudios.com/articles/ctaylordesigntemplate.doc

http://www.cowgodgames.com/articles/designdoctemplate.htm

Examples
https://www.digipen.edu/fileadmin/website_data/gallery/game_websites/Claustrosphere/GDD.pdf

http://gamasutra.com/features/20070220/bateman_01.shtml

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Poll: Best Narrative

Which genre do you think has the best narrative?

RPG
These games are usually the ones with the deepest, most complex storylines. They are also prone to really annoying plot twists and lame characters. These types of games are usually best for people that play games mainly for storyline and rarely for gameplay. Examples of this genre are the Final Fantasy Series and Kingdom Hearts.


ACTION/ADVENTURE
If you like a simple storyline along with blowing up or slashing stuff, this is the genre for you. In these types of games, storylines and dialogue are used only in medium strength for background information. This genre, however, is becoming more in depth and may turn out to be as highly developed as RPGs in the future. Examples of these types of games are Call of Duty or Fable.

SANDBOX
Sandboxes are big worlds in which a player can do whatever s/he wants. Rockstar is a great example of sandbox game writing, with such titles as Bully and Grand Theft Auto. Writing is mainly for entertainment purposes, seeing as how most sandbox games are mission based. The writing in these games are to enrich a game world, not so much to make you see what happens next.

STRATEGY
Go here. Destroy these guys. Blow up this base. To me, this is about the extent of strategy writing. The story depends on the game. Turn based and tactical strategy games usually have the strongest of storylines, while games that lean onto the simulation side will have a fainter one. Examples of these games are Ceasar III, Phantom Brave, and Warcraft.

Which do you choose?

Writing Prompt: Synopsis

At the beginning of a Game Design Document, you have to describe what a game is and what makes it different from other games. It's an important part of pitching an idea to a publisher.

Here is your assignment:

Look at 2 or 3 games and write a synopsis of the game's storyline and gameplay. Tell us what makes it different from other games. After that, come up with your own game concept and tell us why it rocks.

Tips: Game Design Documents are usually not meant to be highly entertaining, they are used as a reference for all the staff working on a game. However, a synopsis should be interesting in order for a publishing company to be enticed by it. Be interesting, but highly professional. Don't write, "This game rox cause when you blow someone up his eyes bust out of his face and land in two different places!"

Yeah, don't do that.



(Psst... Want to know more about Game Design Documents? Come back on April 2nd.)

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Kingdom Hearts





System: PS2
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Buena Vista Games

This game is rather famous to Final Fantasy and Disney fans alike. It's just too bad you don't get to play as any cool characters. Instead, you play as a sweet, after-school-special boy named Sora, and you are accompanied by the two biggest doofs in Disney history: Donald and Goofy.

So you get this big dorky key as your weapon. I can't stand to look at that stupid weapon until I get a cooler version of it, like Lionheart or even the Crabclaw. At least these blades look more like a weapon and not like a big foam finger.

So let's get to the ratings, shall we?

Story: 5/5
Characters: 4/5

There are major spoilers ahead, but if you haven't played it yet, you're a loser.



Story

Ok, so there's lots of doors. I get that.

You play as Sora, a kid chosen by the Keyblade. (Of course weapons can choose their masters based on the strength of their hearts. It's the same idea as being chosen by a heart attack.) After your worlds are torn apart, you land in Traverse Town and meet up with a whole bunch of Final Fantasy characters that are trying to put the worlds back together as well as finding out about Ansem's reports and the heartless.

You get to travel to plenty of worlds: Agrabah, Halloween Town, Tarzan's Jungle, Atlantica, Monstro, and Wonderland. It appears that the Heartless are after the princesses of heart... which aren't in half of these worlds, so I'm not really sure why I'm bothering. If the princesses of heart are in danger, why am I wasting my time in Winnie the Pooh's world? And why is Alice a princess of heart?

Strengths:
-- Even though the story has a cartoon atmosphere, the basis of the story is medium weight philosophical. It looks at the components of a human heart.
-- Interesting bad guy: Ansem is lost to the darkness, so when Riku gets lost himself, Ansem possesses his body to attack Sora.


Weaknesses
-- The fact that I'm off wasting time in worlds that have no princesses in them is irritating. I understand I'm trying to find Ansem's reports and destroy the Heartless,
but if the bad guys are going after the princesses, shouldn't I be saving them?
--Not exactly what I'd call plot twists. It's rather obvious that Riku works against you most of the game and then Kairi is a princess of heart.



Characters

Sora
This character gets a lot of crap and after you play this game, you'll know why. He may be 14 years old in the game, but he acts more like 11 or 12. Although, I have to say, I am glad to be playing as an optimistic character, not like in Final Fantasy where every main character hopes for the worst and doesn't really care either way.

Improvements: Sora pops out with insights like trash magazines come out with creatures from the swamp. Can we find out why how he came to these conclusions? He just busts out saying “Kingdom Hearts is light!” and hey, what do you know, it is. Huh?


Donald and Goofy
All I have to say is this: Thank God for subtitles. Even though I loved Donald Duck and understood everything he said when I was kid, I don't understand a dang word he says now.

These characters are almost useless. They knock me off stuff, they don't contribute too much to the story, and they talk to Sora like he's 6 years old even though he could take both of them out in one shot.

Improvements: It would be nice if they actually helped Sora figure out stuff. They're kind of just there for the ride, which is almost pointless. Why don't either of them come up with some insight?


Riku
So Riku is your best buddy in the whole wide universe before he steps into a dark pit and then spends the rest of the game trying to be better than you. Kudos to Square for setting up the fact that Sora and Riku are competitive by nature, and that Riku trying to be better than Sora isn't really that unpredictable. Riku is a complex character, for the fact that even though he works for the dark, he's still keeping an eye on his friends from his childhood. He reminds me of an older brother figure, other than the fact that I'd totally love to make out with him.

Improvements: Why is Riku not afraid of the darkness? He just jumps into a black pit and tells Sora to join him. I know Riku doesn't think it's a jacuzzi. What is he thinking?

Ansem
You only hear rumors about this character until at the end where he just kind of pops out and goes “Ta-da!” He's your typical bad guy: long hair, defies gravity, wants power, yada yada yada. I do, however, like the insane researcher angle. He's consumed by his research to the point that he will kill his oppositions. Not the type of person I'd like to be up against at a science fair.

Improvements: Why is he stealing all these hearts? The guy is far from Don Juan and I doubt he works for the American Heart Association. I hear that he seeks great power and wisdom, but honestly, that's kind of weak.

Final Say
I'm trying to suppress the part of me that is screaming “Play this! It's the best game everz!” because it's the same part of me that loves the gameplay and characters. The writing critic side of me, however, says that even though the plot is deep and complex, some characters lack depth and the writing resembles Saturday morning cartoons. But if that's the kind of writing your interested in, I recommend taking a look at it.


Other notes: Aeris got stabbed. Why is she in Kingdom Hearts? And where's Rinoa?!

Writing Prompt: Complicated Relationships

I have found that no matter what soap opera or Warner Brothers drama show you watch, there is always complicated relationships between characters. Two people are in love with the same person. Someone is the son or daughter of someone evil. Two rivals are cousins.

It’s fantastic.

Not only do these relationships drive the plot even further almost effortlessly, but it also makes it far more intriguing for the viewers. Will Bobby kill his half brother, Angelo in order to take over the hitman business, or will he give it all up for the love of his life, Rita, who just happens to be the daughter of the police captain?

People get addicted to these things for this reason. I should know. I’m a huge fan of Korean and Chinese soap operas.

I’ll wait till you stop laughing.

So here is your prompt: Take 4 people. Make them all related to each other somehow. Make it complicated. Make it exciting. Make it ridiculous.





Here’s an example from the Taiwanese soap opera, A Prince that Turned Into a Frog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yExtCHJHCqk&feature=channel_page

Shan Jun Hao: Hotel owner that is trying to tear down Tainyu’s home in order to build a hotel, but ends up getting amnesia and falls in love with her instead. He has a rivalry with Ziqian, who also works at the hotel and who is in love with Junhao’s fiancee, Yunxi.

Xu Zi Qian: Another hotel worker that in love with Junhao’s fiancee, but becomes Tianyu’s boyfriend after Junhao remembers his old life and returns to Yunxi. When he learns that Junhao’s parents were behind the death of his own parents, he gets revenge by taking the hotel business away from Junhao.

Ye Tian Yu: Lives and works in a small fishing village that Junhao is trying to tear down to make profits. After finding out that he’s the one that planned to tear down her home, she is torn between her love for him and her hometown. She finds comfort in Ziqian’s company, both who have the misfortune of the ones they love giving them the cold shoulder.

Fan Yun Xi: Fiancee of Junhao who feels greatly threatened by Tainyu. She is obsessed with marrying Junhao due to happy memories of her childhood with him, despite the fact that he is cold to her. She always goes to Ziqian when she is hurt and doesn’t realize that she has feelings for him.

Delicious, isn’t it?

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Poll: Annoying Game Beginnings

What Game Beginning Are You Most Sick Of?

#1: The hero's town burns down, killing his/her parents. The hero swears for revenge.

This is a popular one. In almost every RPG, something catches fire. It's usually a town and then lots of people die. So whether or not our hero knows who did it, s/he seeks revenge.

If you really want to kill off a character close to the hero, I'm pretty sure you can be a little more creative with it. Poison. Arrows. War. Toxic gas. Shove them off a cliff. A fire is just a way to escape the process of coming up with something original.


#2: Someone wakes the hero up, tells them he or she is lazy and to get to the daily chores...And something goes wrong.

There are a couple reasons why this sucks.
#1-- If we wanted to do chores, we would stick to reality, not a game.
#2-- It's usually an in-game tutorial that most people don't want to play

If you want to throw in an in-game tutorial, at least give the player an opportunity to blow the guy off. If you want chores to be done, make it one chore that has some critical meaning. Have the player go into a tiny opening in a cave because s/he is the only one that can fit. Don't have us go feed the sheep or ask around town for someone we don't care anything about.


#3: Someone needs the hero's help for something and you have to run around for an hour trying to figure out who the heck the person is and where s/he is at.

This one doesn't bother me too much until I realize I have no idea who I'm looking for or where and it takes me an hour to accidently find them. If the town is small, no real problem. If the place requires a map or a "You Are Here" marker, forget it.


#4:You're fighting someone and you don't know who they are and why they are trying to kill you.

This one is a little more exciting, in my opinion, but I would still like to know why I have to beat up all these people. If you're showing off your totally awesome battle system, then whatever. But if you just have no idea how to start a game and your battle system is incredibly weak, don't do it. Just make sure it actually GOES with the story... Don't have me get my butt kicked and then "Oh, you're pardoned. It's cool." What?


Note: I'm not against any of these openings if they're done right. It's all about angles.


What do you guys think?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Crisis Core






Platform: PSP
Developer/Publisher: Square-Enix

I'm disappointed. I was all prepared to tear into Crisis Core's lack of substantial plot and dialogue; Ready to use my distaste with Final Fantasy 7 as a base for a lot of ranting and poking fun... And now I can't.

Thanks a lot.

If I wanted to review the game in general, I could tell you that the game is insanely easy, it has no replay value whatsoever, and the DMW is really irritating, but that's not what my blog is for. It's about game writing.

And the writing is actually good.

Well, at least plot-wise. There's still the mission writing and Aerith that I can have a rant-fest about, so it's all good.

Let's get to it, shall we?

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Mission Writing: 2/5

If you've played Final Fantasy 7, I doubt there's really any spoilers here.


Plot

All right, so you play as Zack Fair, Cloud's old war buddy. You know, the guy Cloud spent half of FF7 thinking he WAS. So you get to watch as Zack flirts with Aerith, watches Shinra go to crap, and gets shot in the face at the end of the game.

FF7 seems to have a large amount of mad scientists. In this game, mad scientists are busy cloning people's genes and sticking them into random people to make some sort of ugly army.

For FF7 fans, you get to watch YET AGAIN Sephiroth find out that he's a human experiment, go nuts, burn down the town, and stab a couple people.

After you kill some random character named Genesis, your friends die, and Cloud is out of harm's way, you get rewarded by getting shot numerous times by the army and then dying.

Good times.

Strengths:
--> Follows the plot of FF7 with no hiccups
--> Easily mixes two genres together seamlessly: fantasy and sci-fi. People who enjoy one but not the other, will still appreciate the plot
--> Emotional dialogue and strong character connections
Weaknesses:
--> Individuals not familiar with sci-fi plot complexity (or Final Fantasy 7 for that matter) might get slightly confused at what's going on. There's a whole lot of clones floating about which makes things complicated.
--> I have the army and all of Shinra after me and I don't even know why...
--> You mean to tell me that the entire army riddled Zack with bullets, but he still had enough time to talk to Cloud in a dramatic scene before dying? Unlikely.

Characters

Zack

Square Enix is actually doing a good job in keeping to the story of FF7. The character in those blocky FF7 flashbacks is the same character portrayed in Crisis Core: fun, loyal, hard-core, and squat-happy. Zack is a strong character, chasing after all the people who have betrayed him in order to help them.

I like this character for a couple reasons. 1, he shows his loyalty to his friends in a non-after-school-special sort of way (*cough*Sora*cough*) and 2, he's a little naïve and has normal weaknesses. I like a bad-ass character as much as the next person, but I am so BORED with characters that have no weaknesses, flaws, and have a plan for everything. You know, the guy that comes out of an explosion with a cleanly pressed suit and perfectly cut hair.

The great thing about this game is you get to see why Zack meant so much to Cloud. Other than an annoying giggle-fest about the names of their hometowns, Zack and Cloud have a pretty honorable relationship. Zack carries Cloud through half of this game (Tifa carrying him for ¼ of the game and Cloud amazingly walking for himself—or leaning against a wall or laying flat on his face-- for another ¼.) and takes on numerous amounts of enemies in order to protect him.

Improvements: I know FF7 is against emotions of any kind, but Zack lost all his war buddies. Can he show a little anger or resentment? Some agony? 13 hours of this game and I get 2 scenes of him upset? Can I at least get some inner thoughts?


Cloud
I know this comment is on the borderline of blasphemy, but I have found a new respect for Cloud. Probably because I got to see him try to hold down his lunch after a helicopter ride. He's human now! I got to see his wimpy little butt get kicked over and over again, with Zack coming to his rescue.

My only question: He gets car sick, but if Sephiroth stabs him he can unrealistically use the blade as a see-saw to throw Sephiroth into machinery? Huh?







I have to say, I'm glad the story cleared up the whole clone mess. I was confused on if Sephiroth was a clone of the original Sephiroth, or Cloud was a clone of Sephiroth, or if Cloud was a clone of Steve Burton's character on General Hospital...






I mean, come on. There's even a girl with two kids that Burton's character is in love with, but can never seem to get together with. (If you didn't know, Steve Burton IS the English voice actor of Cloud.)

So as it turns out, Sephiroth is the “perfect monster” and once Cloud gets stabbed, some mad scientist injects him with Sephiroth's cells in order to create another monster like him. It's just too bad that Cloud is too weak towards the Mako and spends half the game as a zombie. Until his friend is shot, in which he magically snaps out of it for the dramatic end of the game. The dude can't walk for half the game and then all of a sudden he can pick up the Buster Sword and head towards Midgar. Yeah. That's how that works.

I have to say, watching Cloud go from motion-sick-dork to what he is in Advent Children is an interesting transition. I actually found him more interesting in Crisis Core, due to the fact that it shows his depth. When he complains about not being able to save anyone in Advent Children, you realize that by playing Crisis Core, he's sort of right. He gets in a couple good shots and that's about it. Which I like better. It's more realistic.

Improvements: Cloud is anti-emotion as well. His best friend dies, he does the usual “noooo!” that everyone in every game does, and then he thanks his dead friend? Confusion. Maybe he's not emotionless...just bipolar.


Aerith
Anyone who knows me, knows that I hate Aerith. But after playing Crisis Core and getting to know her character better, I have realized that I had good reason. She's irritating. Not to say that she's a badly developed character. In this game. In FF7, she still sucks.

The sweet and shy princess-like character is more annoying to me than the bad-ass emo characters Square Enix likes to recycle, and Aerith takes the cake when it comes to that genre.

Here's what bothers me about her: my friend dies and she talks about flowers, I make her a flower wagon that is perfectly suitable and she wants a do over, she writes Zack about the flowers... GET OVER THE STUPID FLOWERS.

Improvements: She lives in slums and she's watched constantly by Turks. Can't she have a bit of an attitude? Some spunk? Something OTHER than an obsession with flowers?!



Sephiroth

Sephiroth is actually one of my favorite villains because the dude is insane. In this game, he's perfectly honorable and loyal, until he finds out that he was a scientific experiment and then everything hits the fan and he goes berserk.

However, I do hate the whole “the universe is MINE!” crap, and it seriously needs to stop. He was betrayed by his father and a bunch of scientists, not the universe.

Improvements: The rule the world thing. I'm done with that.


Other Characters

Genesis: I love the whole poetic sort of character, mainly because they're so rare. Genesis has this crazed obsession with the Gift of the Goddess, like a seriously disturbed religious person. I'd like to know why he's so interested though.

Angeal: He's like the sweet uncle you adore. He pokes fun at you and tells you stories about life. And then he manipulates you into killing him and then after he dies, his clone protects you. Just like in real life.



Missions

All right the missions in this game were lame and I'm going to tell you why: They were all the same.

No, no. Seriously. I get a mysterious letter or someone wants to challenge me, I go to the middle of a field that has 2 boxes, and I find one lone monster by itself, kill it, and I'm done.

Square Enix seems to have put missions in this game to make it longer. (And maybe to show off Yuffie a little bit more.) That really seems to be it. They went to great lengths to describe what I'm doing, but they don't give me any info into why I should care or what happens after I'm done.



FINAL SAY
If you're a FF7 fan, you won't be learning more than you all ready know, but it's a good look into character development over time and relationship chemistry. If you're not a FF7 fan, I don't think you'll get much out of it. The characters won't have any real depth to you. I'd take a look into this game if you're either a sci-fi nut or a FF7 fan, but that's really about it.



Other notes: What is with Cloud's relationship commitment issues? How long do the fans have to wait before Cloud FINALLY gets together with Tifa? I mean, really.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Hello and a Prompt

For the 3 people that follow my blog, you probably haven't really noticed that I haven't posted in forever. Sorry about that. I'm sure one out of the 3 of you missed me. The other two forgot this page existed.

I'm working on finishing up Crisis Core--the prequel to Final Fantasy 7-- as we speak. I know there are a ton of FF7 fans out there so it should be fun to ward the bunch of you off with a stick. But I'm never going to be able to review this game if I don't finish the 500 random missions I have to do, which I'm sure Square Enix just threw in so the game would be longer. But at least it goes with the plot fairly well. And I mean fairly. More on that later. (But beofre you all get defensive, know that I'm actually enjoying the game. And also know that getting defensive over a game is a waste of energy.)

So I thought I'd give you a nice easy prompt to warm up the old blog.

I forgot how I even start these things...

Your assignment for this week is to take two characters from games (or if you would like, you can use movies), stick them in a room with no windows or doors, and watch how they react with each other as well as towards the fact that there's no escape.

This could be really fun, if you try. Sephiroth and Mario. Nina Williams and Rocket, the slime from Dragon Quest. The Terminator and SpongeBob Squarepants.

The point of this exercise is to watch characters interact, without forcing chemestry between them. You simply observe and record. When you think about it, that's the basic block of writing. A writer is not meant to control circumstance. S/he is meant to record what is happening in his/her imagination.

This is an exercise I'd really love to get replies for, so leave me your prompt!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Poll

I'm a little sad that there's only 2 votes on my poll at the moment. There's only 5 more days to vote, guys!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Dead or Alive XTreme 2





Console: XBox 360
Developer: Team Ninja

This game has the deepest, more emotionally impacting storyline and characters that I have seen in the history of gaming.

Yeah. Right.

Let’s be honest: half of you don’t know what this game is, and the other half are surprised I’m writing about this game at all. The basis of the game is you choose to be one of 9 bikini-wearing Dead or Alive girls, then take an island vacation choosing between water and beach sports, such as volleyball or water skiing.

So why AM I making a review on this game?

All games have writing. Even for games in which the writing may seem like it has no purpose, there should still be an effort to bring across the characters and plot as strongly as possible. Even casual games need story.

That, and this game is really addicting.

So, to the fact that there are no spoilers or deep plot twists, feel free to read the entire post.

Characters: 2/5
Storyline: 2/5
Interaction: Great!


Zack
Zack scares me. This can be a plus or minus to an audience depending on your angle. But as a character, he stands out quite well. He is the comic relief, and he has the personality type that makes me believe that he would, in fact, pull up a desert island from the bottom of the ocean and trick a whole bunch of girls to escape on it so he can make cash.

Improvements: It’s his island, but there’s no interaction with him during the game. He gives you a present every night (creepy) but he never talks to you. If he’s in charge of the island, don’t you think he would check up on you?


Niki
Niki is meant to be the girl that is head over heals for her boyfriend. She plays it well. The problem with this is she almost lacks personality of her own. She’s sweet and seems to make a good partner with Zack, but I think she could use a little individuality.

Improvements: She can be her own person. Make her more than just “Zack’s girlfriend.”


Kasumi
According to the insert, Kasumi is a runaway ninja. For a ninja, is sure is sensitive. She’s more like a Disney princess than a trained assassin.


Improvements: Make the background match the character’s personality.


Hitomi
This girl is quite childlike. She reminds me of a 10 year old girl, not an 18 year old tournament fighter. I found this character a little bland. She seemed like a rather generic character, with nothing that really stood out.

Improvements: Have something about her that stands out!


Leifang
Leifang has the least amount of character depth out of any of the characters in this game. She’s far too generic, with nothing that stands out.

Improvements: Personality! Make her an individual.


Christie
Since there are so few girls with spunk in this game, thank God for Christie. She’s cold and rude, which fits her background as an assassin very well.

Improvements: Christie doesn’t seem to play well with others. This makes it hard for me to believe that she would try to play volleyball and tug of war with other girls.


Kokoro
While Hitomi reminds me of a 10 year old, Kokoro reminds me of a 5 year old. She’s constantly whining and worrying about her mother coming and taking her off the island. Other than that, she almost has the same traits as Kasumi, in the fact that she seems like a Disney princess.

Improvements: Add a little more maturity to this character. And why are both the Japanese girls these dainty and sweet little things?


Helena
Contrary to American stereotypes that make the French seem rude and selfish, Helena is a sweet girl that looks at the finer things in life. She is almost never rude and is very in touch with her surroundings. Way to go on going against stereotypes!

Improvements: Add a little more flavor to her. She’s got the sweet, now where’s the spicy?


Tina
Tina is a southern girl, showing off the American way of being sugar and spice at the same time. She’s spunky, but kind. The story behind Tina is that she has ran away from her father for a good time. Tina is one of the better characters for the fact that she has a distinct personality and a background that matches.

Improvements: Sometimes she’s randomly rude to you if you ask her to be your partner, but if you play as her she’s normally semi-sweet. It’s a little inconsistent.


Lisa
I take it back. Lisa is the most bland out of the characters. She has 2 alternating lines that are completely generic and boring. Try again.

Improvements: Everything.


Ayane
Ayane is hot and cold. If you play as her, she’s nice and frisky; if you play as someone else and ask her to be your partner, she’s a jerk. Bipolar?

Improvements: Not only does she not have that much character depth, but she can’t decide who she is. Pick a personality (or lack there of) and stick to it.


Interaction
The interaction in this game is the best part regarding the writing field. Each character is programmed to respond to the other whether or not it’s in volleyball games, casino playing, or jet ski racing. When someone is with a group of people, there is usually more interaction than someone talking to themselves. It’s important to remember those types of things when making casual games.


Final Say:
If you’re looking for a game that’s mentally stimulating, you’ve picked up the wrong game. This game can’t even give you an assortment of female personalities. The interaction between the characters, however, is good and more games should have that sort of interaction.


Other notes: I don’t care if you have 18 different songs. They all suck.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Character Development #2: Interview

Your character should be as real to you as possible. If he or she is not real to you, why would he or she be real to anyone else?

If you’re a writer, you’re part crazy. And that’s ok. You should be crazy enough to be able to see and talk to your characters as if they were real people. In that case, interview your characters. If you want to roleplay as both an interviewer and the character... well, you’re crazier than I am.

There are many questions you should ask your character, whether or not it comes into light within your story, plot, or gameplay. These questions that you ask your characters will shape who your character is, regardless of whether you tell your audience or not.

Here are some questions you should have the answers to for your characters:


Background
-->What were your parents like? Did you have a good relationship with them? Who did you like better? What was their relationship with each other like?
--> What about other family members? Do you have aunts, uncles, nieces or nephews? Cousins? Pets?
--> Did you like your childhood? What would have changed?
--> Where were you born? What was the neighborhood like that you grew up in?
--> Were you traumatized by anything as a child?



Personal
--> What ethnicity(s) are you? Where do you get those from?
--> What is your religion? Why are you that religion? What do you practice?
--> What is your philosophy towards life? Are you optimistic, pessimistic, or a realist?
--> What social class are you? What is your annual salary?
--> Which of the 7 Deadly Sins do you suffer the most from?
--> What is your highest education? Do you have any awards or degrees?
--> Do you have any illnesses? Physical or mental.



General
-->What do you do in your free time? What hobbies do you have?
--> What subjects interest you? History, Art, Literature, Music, Math, Technology, Philosophy, Medicine, Zoology, Dance, Language, Cuisine, etc...
--> What are you afraid of? Heights, spiders, enclosed spaces, dogs, UFOs, work, sex, being buried alive, germs, the world spinning backwards, dust, everything...
--> What is your biggest strength? What are some other strengths you have?
--> What is your biggest weakness? What are some other weaknesses you have?
--> What are your dreams?
--> What would you like see in the world? What changes would you make if you could?
--> What clothes style do you like? What clothes style do you think is really stupid?
--> What form of exercise do you like? What type do you hate?
--> What are foods you can’t live without? What are foods you wish never existed?
--> What are your pet peeves?
--> What turns you on? What turns you off? What do you think is romantic? Are you old fashioned or modern?
--> What are your best traits? What are your worst habits?
--> What skills do you have?



Personality Traits
--> How do you handle problems? Slow to anger? Quick to anger?
--> Shy or loud?
--> Quick witted or slow to process?
--> Sarcastic or sincere?
--> Show off, goof, or angel?
--> Rebellious or obedient?


The list can go on and on if you let it. And you should! The more you know about your character, the better! Characters have to be living, breathing people to you or else your story will be weak.

Remember: Stories are character driven, not plot driven. I can’t emphasize that enough. Your characters tell the story, you’re just there to put it on paper.

Helpful Tip: Look at my blog on character development with astrology here: http://thickorthingamewriting.blogspot.com/2008/12/character-development-type-1-astrology.html

Use it with the questions to create an awesome character!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Writing Assignment #3-- Character With a Handicap

Most of us are regular people. Even if you are a politician who claims to have godly powers, truth be known, we still all have our strength and weaknesses. Some of us have physical or mental handicaps.

The assignment for this week is to write out a character with a physical handicap. What is s/he physically incapable of doing? What elements in a plot would challenge this?

Now, you don't have to go all Touched By An Angel and make it so the character becomes cured of their ailment, but at least think about a plot in which this character would have difficulty. Plot is based on struggles, right?

In a book series, Keys to the Kingdom: Mister Monday by Garth Nix, the main character has asthma. His violent attacks are softened by a magical key that he has to grasp in his hand. I know this isn’t a video game reference, but the idea of a handicap is still behind it.

Why have a character with a handicap in the game? Isn’t the point of game characters to have someone to identify to? The point isn’t to have gamers shed a tear when the main character realizes he can do amazing things even as a handicapped person, the point is to make stories rich with characters we can identify to.

If you want to go so far in this exercise to figure out gameplay, have at it. I'm sure there are a few game designers as well as writers out there, so feel free to put in whatever aspects necessary.

Post what you come up with!