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Well, thanks for telling me what I already knew...
Sorry if the above list was very obvious, but even savvy game designers forget the basics as their thinking up the plot, or they get too wrapped up in technology to give the plot the time of day. The seven bullet points above cannot be compromised.
Ok, so now you know what to avoid and what to focus on when designing your plot. But you still don't have any ideas! Thanks for nothing, right? Well, now I'll give you some pointers on how to get some good plot ideas:
- Play your genre! Making an RPG? Play tons of RPG's. Making a graphic adventure? Play tons of those. Understand what works and how the designers integrated all of the aspects of our first list. Think of character development, NPC's and backstory. Analyze how the backstory is presented, how the player gets to know the character, why the character is involved, and how he interacts with others.
- But my genre is plotless! Ok, so you're making a FPS? Maybe an RTS? A puzzle game? And every game you've played in that genre has a bad (if any) plot? Well, then make one up. Play through Doom and think how a good plot could be integrated though more than text boxes popping up during loading times. Think if the player would have more fun if the space marine s/he is playing as was more developed. Think if the game would be more intense if there were some NPC's that could be stumbled upon (or possibly killed by monsters...).
- Back to basics. Despite fancy technology there is no computer program that can generate a good, original plot. So always be using your brain and anticipate the best ideas to occur when you least expect it. Countless game designers will tell you their best-selling ideas came to them in the shower, or waiting at an airport terminal.
- Always carry pen and paper! Sure, it's easy enough to hop out of the shower and jot something down, but if a thought hits you when you're hours away from a writing utensil and paper you will not be happy.
- Brainstorm with others! Sometimes geniuses don't work alone. If you get some great plot idea, don't write out a 100-page design doc and tell your artist to start making 3D models...talk to others first! This is EXTREMELY important! What seems like a great idea to you might be rejected by a roomful of others, meaning that either you rethink your game or plan on only having family members purchase it in stores. Make sure that different people of different gaming levels hear what you're planning to make. Also, make sure that your programmer and artist are very clear on what you're after.
- Real life can help game life! So you're a disgruntled game designer spending day after day staring at the blank screen of a word processor. Go outside! Relive real life! Get ideas from what's in the real world and use it in your game's world! Believe it or not, every single player of your game lives in the same real world as you, so if your game has real-world subjects and ideas that you can relate to, they can relate to them also.
- Trash is for coffee grinds and stale bread. Don't throw anything away! What was a dead idea three months ago could be your best source for a good plot today. Get an idea, write it down, and keep it no matter what. When you're stuck for ideas or at a dead-end go back to see the evolution of your ideas and modify and combine until you get a new idea. As long as you never toss anything, you'll always have something to work from.
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Unite 2010
