🎉 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!
What makes an games plot good?
Author
Id have to throw it somewhere at never having to ask the question "why?". Any game that leaves you wondering exactly what huge important detail that caused Situation A to occur usually has a huge plot hole.
That''s not entirely true, a large part of plot interest is the feeling that you just can''t understand why something happened. Eventually, if you probe the right channels, you may actually find out why Janus killed his six-year-old brother, and then you have a greater insight into the twists and turns of the world you''re playing in. Making it more fun.
Of course, you''re right if the player never finds out why something happens, because "everything happens for a reason."
George D. Filiotis
Are you in support of the ban of Dihydrogen Monoxide? You should be!
Of course, you''re right if the player never finds out why something happens, because "everything happens for a reason."
George D. FiliotisAre you in support of the ban of Dihydrogen Monoxide? You should be!
Its hard trying to determine what makes a story good. I''ve argued on other threads that its all in the charaters and dialouge, but what exactly that entails is a bit rough. GameDev''s reading and stuff board has a list of Dramatic situations that can be used to aid in the writing of the story. A few pointers I can offer for between the dramatic situations is stop and question your work at each level. Why does this character do that? Why did this event happen? You don''t neccessarily have to give the player these answers directly after, but it helps you tightly knit the story. A murderer, for example, tormented by something traumatic that happened to him, would do more then just murder based on that trauma. Knowing what that trauma was, you could then write your story to drop clues to the player as to what he''s up against and how to beat it.
:: Inmate2993
:: William C. Bubel
"Please refrain from bothering Booster."
:: Inmate2993
:: William C. Bubel
"Please refrain from bothering Booster."
This question swims into deeply subjective waters, so I''ll just try to move it one step towards objectivity: whatever your plot aims to do, make sure you know what it is, and do it well. Now, this is almost as vague as the original problem, but not quite. Decide what it''s about:- intrigue? murder? fear? morality? romance? action? Any, some, or none of the above? Then try and imagine what distinguishes that concept from the others: that gives you a more tangible asset to work with. Example: if you''re making a plot that should be scary, think about what scares you, or other people. Think about why it scares you. Can that be distilled to an abstract concept which can be amplified somehow? Can you embody or present it in a new way? Or in an old-and-tested way?
Apart from that, I think it just comes down to technique (to be able to write decent sentences that are interesting) and experience (knowing what worked well before and what didn''t). Standard creative writing knowledge.
Apart from that, I think it just comes down to technique (to be able to write decent sentences that are interesting) and experience (knowing what worked well before and what didn''t). Standard creative writing knowledge.
Do what you know and know what you do. I suggest going out and reading successful novels that have elements that you want to incorperate into your own story. I''m speaking in the abstract here, so don''t write a fanfic to an already existing story.
:: Inmate2993
:: William C. Bubel
"Please refrain from bothering Booster."
:: Inmate2993
:: William C. Bubel
"Please refrain from bothering Booster."
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement