🎉 Celebrating 25 Years of GameDev.net! 🎉
Not many can claim 25 years on the Internet! Join us in celebrating this milestone. Learn more about our history, and thank you for being a part of our community!
Writing for a Fighting Game
Author
I am working on a fighting game based on a period of history in early China. The problem is that its very hard to write for a fighting game because its hard to incorperate story development. The Chinese civil war or "Romance of the Three Kingdoms period" is the subject matter. Because of the complexity of this story I am not sure as to what i can do to incorperate this. Now I come to you seeking advice as to how I can add such complex plots and twist into a historical mode in a 1 on 1 fighting game. PLEASE HELP!
I recommend just using the regular story. But don''t make the mistake that Chinese RTS made last year. If something interesting''s going on, don''t just discuss it. Put the player in it.
Author
the problem is that the whole story is interesting point after interesting point, thats why it is so well loved. It is so incredibly long and so incredibly hard to do an assasination... maybe I will show small CGs when something important happens.
These are my reccomendations for any historical game:
1: The game will be well liked especially by people who are into the history and culture of your particular setting. You don''t want to be caught incorrectly portraying something in your game that you''re not sure about and came about by assumption. This leads to my next point:
2: If you want your game to seem real and authentic, be sure you STUDY THE TIME! I would reccomend looking into text books about the period for the facts, and if possible, any good literature about the preiod, so you get a personal idea of what the culture was like.
3: Your story doesn''t have to really be centered around the time period. People from different cultures and times behave generally the same way we do, except for cultural influences, which I discuss earlier. However, people all experience love, hate, revenge, happiness, sadness, pain, etc. And these simple emotions can lead to an involving story. Any story that works for our time period would work for then, with a few cultural changes, as well as swords instead of guns, and so on. Kinda reminds me of the Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo what''s his face.
--Vic--
1: The game will be well liked especially by people who are into the history and culture of your particular setting. You don''t want to be caught incorrectly portraying something in your game that you''re not sure about and came about by assumption. This leads to my next point:
2: If you want your game to seem real and authentic, be sure you STUDY THE TIME! I would reccomend looking into text books about the period for the facts, and if possible, any good literature about the preiod, so you get a personal idea of what the culture was like.
3: Your story doesn''t have to really be centered around the time period. People from different cultures and times behave generally the same way we do, except for cultural influences, which I discuss earlier. However, people all experience love, hate, revenge, happiness, sadness, pain, etc. And these simple emotions can lead to an involving story. Any story that works for our time period would work for then, with a few cultural changes, as well as swords instead of guns, and so on. Kinda reminds me of the Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo what''s his face.
--Vic--
heh, well the problem is that the story is already there... my problem is implementing the most immensely powerful story I have ever written and turn it into a game. Its hard enough to do this with an RPG much less a fighting simulator.
You know what I''d like to see? I''d like to see characters in a fighting game actually exchanging dialogue *DURING COMBAT* that has to do with the primary plot of the game. Perhaps you could use banter during combat to help promote your story, rather than just using it for cheap laughs, like in some games I could mention. [cough]Final Fantasy X[/cough]
That last post had a really good idea -- I hate the fact that dialogue in combat games is so utterly stupid.
Is the last Anonymous Poster the same person who started this thread? A little unclear there.
If so, it sounds like you already have a story, and you just need to figure out how to translate it into a fighting game, true?
My biggest problem with fighting games has always been that every single one I''ve ever played had a story that seemed contrived just to get the characters into a position where they would have to face off against each other. Obviously thats because its true; fighting games are not really conducive to powerful storytelling.
But if I were going to come up with a story for a fighting game, I would start with a scenario where all of the characters originally knew each other, and understand each others strengths and weaknesses. I''m certainly no expert on Chinese history, but pertending for a moment that I did, take the following examples:
Perhaps they all trained at the same dojo or monastery, or as soldiers for the same ruler, or are all part of a single extended family. Something happens, something critical enough to destroy any and all friendships they may have once had -- war, the disgrace of the family name, the traiterous overthrowing of the emperor they''ve sworn to protect, or the destruction of the dojo or monastery.. then the problems begin to arise that pit them against one another. Maybe they are led away by flattering, deceitful warlords or other powerful individuals.. maybe their conspiracy to murder the emperor, or the grandfather of the family, is discovered.. maybe brother and brother find themselves on opposite sides of a bitter war, or of a struggle over one woman.. maybe one is adulterous with anothers mate.. the possibilities are endless, but the point is that over time they seperate and become enemies for various reasons, all of which are somehow related to the initial dividing event.
The story then chronicles the vengeance, the anger, the various situations that pit them against each other -- and not only that but explain how they came to be in the situation they are in.
Ultimately, its contrived -- a list of excuses for any combination of two characters to square off against each other. But what can you do.. its a fighting game.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
Is the last Anonymous Poster the same person who started this thread? A little unclear there.
If so, it sounds like you already have a story, and you just need to figure out how to translate it into a fighting game, true?
My biggest problem with fighting games has always been that every single one I''ve ever played had a story that seemed contrived just to get the characters into a position where they would have to face off against each other. Obviously thats because its true; fighting games are not really conducive to powerful storytelling.
But if I were going to come up with a story for a fighting game, I would start with a scenario where all of the characters originally knew each other, and understand each others strengths and weaknesses. I''m certainly no expert on Chinese history, but pertending for a moment that I did, take the following examples:
Perhaps they all trained at the same dojo or monastery, or as soldiers for the same ruler, or are all part of a single extended family. Something happens, something critical enough to destroy any and all friendships they may have once had -- war, the disgrace of the family name, the traiterous overthrowing of the emperor they''ve sworn to protect, or the destruction of the dojo or monastery.. then the problems begin to arise that pit them against one another. Maybe they are led away by flattering, deceitful warlords or other powerful individuals.. maybe their conspiracy to murder the emperor, or the grandfather of the family, is discovered.. maybe brother and brother find themselves on opposite sides of a bitter war, or of a struggle over one woman.. maybe one is adulterous with anothers mate.. the possibilities are endless, but the point is that over time they seperate and become enemies for various reasons, all of which are somehow related to the initial dividing event.
The story then chronicles the vengeance, the anger, the various situations that pit them against each other -- and not only that but explain how they came to be in the situation they are in.
Ultimately, its contrived -- a list of excuses for any combination of two characters to square off against each other. But what can you do.. its a fighting game.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
That''s not the same historical period covered by Dragon Throne, is it? If so, and if your game is an RTS, you may reconsider, or at least look to see what that game did wrong (and there were many things)...
_________________________
The Idea Foundry
_________________________
The Idea Foundry
I am just thiking about ALL the series I have seen as a kid were fights would go on and on and on ... but yet would be kept interesting by the use of dialogues *during* the action.
Saint Seyia and Dragonball are most notable for that (although I dont like Dragonball past its first story arc...)
The real problem, and this becomes a GAme Design problem, not Game Writing, is how to keep the fast paced action that is usually the characteristic of fighting games, while having interesting story elements in it ?
I mean, it''s one thing to have characters have a gimmick at the beginning of a fight or when they win or lose, but how would you actually go at having dialogue during the fight and not get the player distracted ?
I have a feeling you could bind a sort of observer system that would look at downtime, when fighters get away from each other after an assault, or when one player has been knocked out and is dizzy, the other could taunt him/give a line ?
It''s a very interesting idea though
Sancte Isidore ora pro nobis !
Saint Seyia and Dragonball are most notable for that (although I dont like Dragonball past its first story arc...)
The real problem, and this becomes a GAme Design problem, not Game Writing, is how to keep the fast paced action that is usually the characteristic of fighting games, while having interesting story elements in it ?
I mean, it''s one thing to have characters have a gimmick at the beginning of a fight or when they win or lose, but how would you actually go at having dialogue during the fight and not get the player distracted ?
I have a feeling you could bind a sort of observer system that would look at downtime, when fighters get away from each other after an assault, or when one player has been knocked out and is dizzy, the other could taunt him/give a line ?
It''s a very interesting idea though
Sancte Isidore ora pro nobis !
Speaking of taunting, I am reminded of the wonderful combat system in the Monkey Island adventure games -- I think it would be really interesting to play a fighting game where a successful attack against your opponent occasionally results in a well-aimed (and never-repeated) taunt -- even in a serious game it could have its place.
"Its no wonder you lost the throne to your brother, Min.* You are a coward even when you fight your own daughter."
Occasionally the losing opponent could respond. "I remember when you were a babe in my arms, Seika.* Will you destroy your own father?"
*Names are made up on the spot. I don''t know anything about Chinese language or names.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
"Its no wonder you lost the throne to your brother, Min.* You are a coward even when you fight your own daughter."
Occasionally the losing opponent could respond. "I remember when you were a babe in my arms, Seika.* Will you destroy your own father?"
*Names are made up on the spot. I don''t know anything about Chinese language or names.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
