I purchased many assets, and can make some gameplay. Then I found I need some stories. Is there a store for game story selling?
reddit /r/gameideas
Thanks.
One way to come-up with a story is to use the Blake Snyder beat sheet. It’s a series of common plot events that happen in films. Once you read it, you realize that tons of movies have the same structure and it works really well.
I’ve also read a seperate article somewhere where the author was a level designer and he planned each of the levels in the game he was working on according to the same three-act structure, so that each level the user experienced something like a mini-story in itself.
So your game’s story can have a three-act structure over all, and there can also be broken down into smaller stories within that.
Edit: Oh yeah, also the “Hero’s Journey” is another way to think about the three-act structure. You can actually use both at the same time.
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Thanks. I already read “Save the cat” and other screen writing books. But I find out they are different thing for a game design.
For instance, when I am watching the video of “fallout 3”, sometimes I feel boring and slow paced, but the player feel another thing.
Maybe. The way that you present the story is certainly different then in a film, but all of the same elements are still there.
opinion from far left field here, but for me, number one thing that ruins so many games is bad story. I’m totally fine with no story or quick text backstory just to give some context, but if there is a poor story it (usually) ruins the game for me. Angry Birds has all the story I ever need, Horizon Zero Dawn killed me with cringe. I couldn’t stomach it, despite decent gameplay and awesome visuals.
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Why even put a story in your game at all if you’re just going to buy one wholesale?
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Contact me if you need a professional story for your game.
The worst for me is when characters make choices or assumptions which don’t make sense in the moment, in order to force the story in a certain direction. When it happens it takes me straight out of the story. Games are guilty of it just as much as movies or TV. When I think of the story later, all I really remember are those bad moments.
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yeah, absolutely. My number one pet peeve though is just plain unlikeable characters, or dry archetypes. Most games are tremendously bad about this.
But, just to clarify for OP, my point here is, don’t insert story because “games should have story.” Do it right (meaning, make your best stinking effort and make it an expression of some truth you think needs to be told – you know, art), otherwise just leave it out.
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@hongwaixuexi Writing a story is not that hard. To make it easy on yourself, try to make, a super short simple story.
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Its a dark and stormy night.
You wake up but dont remember who you are.
A few minutes later you are told you are supposed to save the world by killing an evil wizard.
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Story is like deodorant - if you’re going to use it, make sure it’s damn good, or otherwise leave it at home. It cannot fix what is already bad, and it can easily ruin everything that was already good.
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OP is trying to make a conversation heavy, Fallout 3 inspired game. Buying a story off the shelf is an awful idea for that.
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You and @BIGTIMEMASTER have a good point. If someone is creating a game because they have this great story they want to tell, that’s one thing. On the other hand, if you are trying to write a story just because “Hey, I don’t care about story, but other games have a story so maybe I need one too.” That’s just going to be a waste of time.
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There’s a spectrum between those two points, though. Story can provide a function within a game. It could be that you’re not interested in telling a story for its own sake, but that having one provided context, motivation, stakes, or explanation to help bolster the player’s activities.
In these cases I suggest making the story as light as it can be, for reasons already mentioned.
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I don’t think so. I read a lot of writing books, none of them said beginning with a great idea. Writing story is like making animation, and you should make the pose and change it time to time.
“Just write something, and keep writing”, that’s the suggestion from wrting books.
How to make a heavy story as light as it can be?
Why story can’t be modular?
For instance, I have 100 modular mini stories. Then I can combine them different way, then insert the combination into the game. It’s an efficient way to create game.
For instance, I have 10 fighting stories, and 10 high school romantic stories, and 10 leaving home stories. Then I can choose one from each category, then I have 3 stories, and I combine them into a bigger story, Teen was troubled by his friend in school, then fight and then leave home.