Typically, an online version that’s easy to learn and whets the appetite is marketed first.
Then a limited version is available for download that lacks a few of the best features. Finally,
a complete version is offered with unlimited use for paying customers. Test the game on an
average computer to see how it will play for the average online player.
In the future there may be more need for work by writers during the course of the initial
development period. If original characters are more fully developed at that time, then the
characters are less likely to change when they transfer into another medium. A motion
picture company, for instance, wouldn’t be able to develop franchise characters in a way that
changes them forever.
Companies do hire freelance game writers. With interactive stories many alternatives
must be available for the player. The writer must have the ability to look at the story from
multiple perspectives and be able to keep this complex storyline moving and building in a
cohesive way with the main branches eventually leading to the end. Like a maze, some of
the branches may lead somewhere and some may not. What happens after each twist off the
main road? A player might skip around, experiencing the story in a different sequence from
another player, or miss parts of a section entirely. The world and the characters must be flex-
ible enough to respond. The writer must make a list of essential plot points and find a way
to deliver these to the player regardless of the path the player takes.
The story can’t be told without the player’s contribution. It’s a collaboration. Often the
player is a character in the story and sees what happens from that character’s point of view.
Player control varies from game to game. The player may choose a branching path and then
watch what happens there. Or he may be able to control the action or dialogue or both.
Some games allow the player to decide how much control he wants. All of these things affect
the story and the way it’s told.
The narrative needs to enhance gameplay, not make it more difficult. A game must hold
the player’s interest during repeat plays. What is the objective of the game? What does the
player do? For a game to be satisfying, the player must be able to play as he chooses, and
no two players will choose to play in the same way. The story must hold together in spite of
it all. The player should make discoveries and gain a feeling of accomplishment as questions
are answered and the story builds toward a successful resolution of the conflict.
If the player is the main character, then that character can’t be developed in the tradi-
tional way. Is the player male or female? What age? The game writer won’t know who the
player might be, so the character must be very general. This becomes an issue if the player
is the protagonist. Will the player be able to identify with such a general character? In some
games the player has a chance to make some choices about the character instead. Motiva-
tion is very important to make the characters believable and interesting and, most of all,
relatable. What’s the point of this action, and why does the character want to move ahead?
When pace is important to the story, the developer can manipulate time by building in
deadlines and penalties. If a player misses the train, he misses his next contact. If the bomb
goes off, he loses fifteen minutes in his race to save the heroine.
Storytelling is both linear and nonlinear. When you’re writing for interactive games, a
detailed scene breakdown helps with the complexity. Index cards laid out on the floor or
multiple windows open on the computer can also make the job easier. Rewriting can be very
complex and difficult.
Freelance writers typically write the scripted material that’s needed inside the game, not
the entire game. Most writing is done for full motion video (FMV) dispersed throughout a
Types of Animation and Other Animation Media 295