IF Title Design 101

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13 December 2006

by Mike Rozak

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This article is a follow-up to my Quest design 101 writeup, and attempts to describe how to design an interactive-fiction title. The same guidelines apply to CRPGs, MMORPGs, FPSs, and other avatar games.

The player can change the world in meaningful ways...

By the time the player "completes" the IF title, they should have changed the world in a "meaningful" way:

• Change may not be as grand as saving the world from the evil overlord. It could be as "simple" as reinvigorating a run-down neighbourhood, or helping two NPCs to marry and live happily ever after.
  
  
  • NPCs personality arcs might be part of the "change". See Neverwinter Nights 2 Analysis.
    
    
  • The player's character might also change. Because world-change is impossible in most MMORPGs, player-character change is the dominant type of change, followed by changes in player-to-player relationships.
    
    
• "Meaningful change" depends upon the player. Some players find meaning in saving the world from the evil overlord, while others are happy to act as matchmaker and don't give a damn about the evil overlord.
  
  
• Choices are important:
  
  
  • Ideally, players should have a choice of what type of meaningful change they wish to cause. Some may wish to overthrow the evil overlord, while others might wish to become his right-hand man.
    
    
    • Sympathetic goals can encourage the player to want to change the world in ways that the world can actually be changed; after all, a virtual world is limited.
      
      
    • Meaningful choices produce an exponential explosion of alternate realities that an author needs to design and implement. If every meaningful choice has just two outcomes, then a series of eight meaningful choices results in 256 (2 ^ 8) alternative realities! Consequently, shorter games (2-6 hours long) can include a higher density of hand-coded meaningful choices than long games before they are overwhelmed. Long games typically put meaningful choices in sub-quests (which makes the choices less meaningful because their effects are then limited to the quest's NPCs) or emphasise procedural content (which makes every choice meaningful, but creates a shallower world).
      
      
  • Ideally, players should have a choice about how they wish to cause the change. Some may prefer overthrowing the evil overlord with political subterfuge, while others might take the classic "kill masses of evil minions" approach.
    
    
    • Of course, such change should be possible using the game's mechanics. Fighting games allow players to change the world through combat, platformers allow change by jumping, dating games via romance, etc.
      
      
• Feedback should be provided about how well the player is progressing in their change.

The world changes the player in meaningful ways...

The world should change the player, not just the player's character:

• Much of the player's "change" takes the form of learning knowledge (stickybeaking):
  
  
  • To repeat a writer's maxim, "Show, don't tell." The player should see that the overlord is evil, not just hear that he is.
    
    
  • The knowledge should be interesting to the player. (Everyone has their own definition of what's interesting, though.)
    
    
    • Ideally, the knowledge can help the player during gameplay. For example: Backstory that doesn't improve gameplay won't interest many players.
      
      
  • Knowledge should be doled out gradually throughout the game.
    
    
• Emotions
  
  
• Memories and memes
  
  
  • The world should include some memorable game moments/events.
    
    
  • The world should include some memorable characters.
    
    
  • The world should include some memorable places.

Players can change and be changed by other players...

If the interactive fiction title is multiplayer, then:

• Players should be able to interact with one another.
  
  
• Players should be able to work with one another.
  
  
• Players should be able to work against one another; this should not be limited to just PvP combat.

Change, in general

Not all players are interested in the same amount and type of change. Using a distortion of Richard Bartle's player models:

• Achievers want to change the world (or at least their character's rank within the world).
  
  
• Explorers want the world to change them (or at least increase their understanding of the world).
  
  
• Griefers want to change other players (or at least dominate them).
  
  
• Socialisers want to be changed by other players (to an extent).

Immersion

The world should be immersive:

• The world should be dynamic, interesting, and believable, not one that is sitting around waiting for the player catch all its rats.
  
  
• It should have interesting and believable NPCs with fleshed out personalities and lives.
  
  
• The world should include an interesting and believable backstory delivered to the player in an entertaining manner.
  
  
• Mentally challenging sub-games (flow) or puzzles.
  
  
  • Fun is also important, requiring variation in sub-games.
    
    
• Sympathetic goals.
  
  
• Eye candy helps.
  
  
• Each player's definition of immersion is different.