Wireframe - #33 - 2020

wfmag.cc \ 35

Designing great single-player missions

Toolbox

This process is never clear cut: sometimes
you’ll simply need to get characters from A to B or
reveal a specific piece of information to keep the
plot moving forward, and the mission will simply
have to bend to those constraints. At other times,
though, you may have the freedom to allow
the narrative to be inflected by your desired
gameplay content: this is why it’s never a good
idea to set things in
stone at an early point.
You should get
creative with the way
in which story beats relate to mission content:
if a friendly character needs to be killed off
at a specific point, for example, it could feel
unsatisfying to have this happen during a mission
where the player is escorting them. Instead, think
about how that character might be useful to the
player and help them accomplish their goals,
perhaps sacrificing themselves in the process.
Players are frequently in a highly pragmatic
mindset when trying to complete a mission:
it’s best to keep that in mind when working
on narrative design. Waiting, feeling overly
constrained by story elements, or being forced
into a choice removes the perception of agency
and can be highly frustrating.

SETTING THE SCENE
The overall theme or setting for a level can be a
jumping-off point for mission design: castles or

military bases might suit infiltration-style gameplay,

for example. Once again, however, the desired

outcome is to aim for synergy, so try to think about

deploying the setting in service to the gameplay,

rather than the other way around. Players

remember levels like Halo’s Silent Cartographer

and Dishonored 2’s Clockwork Mansion not only for

their bold, iconic architecture, but also for the way

in which they facilitate a

variety of playstyles.

It’s not just grandeur

that can provide an

elegant mission setting: mundanity can be

compelling, too. SWAT 4 (Figure 2) was praised for

its effective realisation of bland locations like gas

stations and houses – these helped to ground the

player’s actions in the world.

TRICKS AND TRAPS

While your game will likely need a host of bread-

and-butter missions to make sure that players get

a healthy serving of standard gameplay, it’s vital

to consider adding a dash of variety.

Twists can be a brilliant way to keep the player

on their toes: a vigorous firefight can turn into a

tense hunt for survivors, or a chase could result

in a standoff. You can take any of the

components we’ve discussed so far and switch

them up: introduce a new game mode or change

setting mid-level; throw in a new obstacle or

change gear with the player’s objectives.

 Figure 2: ‘Boring’ locations

(like this one in SWAT 4)

can make excellent mission

settings – it’s all about how

you use them.

DO, DON’T

TELL

Wherever possible,

significant story beats should

take place within missions

rather than in cutscenes:

ideally, the player should be

‘physically’ performing an

action which has a defined

narrative consequence.

While there are inevitable

exceptions to this, allowing

the player to feel like they

are driving the story (even if

that’s not the case in reality)

can pay dividends.

“Get creative in how story

relates to mission content”