Best way to create a story.

[Daniel47]

As in every good rpg like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Shadow Hearts to name a few, there is a great story behind it. I am new to rpg development and am seeking advice on how to create a story that is interesting, engaging, and not cliche. I am open to any helpful suggestions. Also I am very new to the community forum so hopefully this thread is in the right place.

 

[Raijinn]

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-an-Engaging-Story

 

[Frogboy]

I'd say that the best place to start is with by creating you central story theme. This is typically the big bad evil guy's nefarious plan. Next would be to figure out how the good guys get roped into questing to defeat the bad guy. The last thing would be to create your characters and their personalities. My suggestion, since you're asking this question, base you characters personalities and mannerisms on people you know very well. It'll make it much easier to just know how they would speak and react to different situations.

 

[Daniel47]

I'd say that the best place to start is with by creating you central story theme. This is typically the big bad evil guy's nefarious plan. Next would be to figure out how the good guys get roped into questing to defeat the bad guy. The last thing would be to create your characters and their personalities. My suggestion, since you're asking this question, base you characters personalities and mannerisms on people you know very well. It'll make it much easier to just know how they would speak and react to different situations.

Thanks for the input! In the realm of story creation, character creation is my weak point. I will say that I never would have considered basing characters off of individuals that I know.

Thanks again!

 

[Daniel47]

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-an-Engaging-Story

Thanks for the link!

 

[Raijinn]

 

[Daniel47]

Thanks again !

 

[GoodSelf]

What's the story you've always dreamt of telling? Tell that one. Don't worry if it's cliche, don't worry if it's been done before, make the game you want to make.

However, if you're just starting out with rpgmaker, I'd recommend starting really really small. I would aim for a short game about an hour long. For the sake of this post, let's say that's what you're doing.

Now that we know what kind of game were making, we can flesh out the story. Since our game is only an hour long, we really don't have the time for an epic story, so let's think small. The first thing that popped into my mind while writing this post was a Smuggler. Maybe you're sneaking goods out for a city, and get caught - now you have to fight through the city and make it out with as much gold as possible.

I'm sure if you think about this idea, a bunch of game mechanics will pop into your head as well, and that's how a game story comes to be.

So to summarize: Identify your scope, and stick with it. Find an idea that you love, whether it be a particular character or a world that you created. Take a bite size portion of that character (a moment in their life) or world (a historic event)and write a small story about it.

However, there are far more intricacies when it comes to longer games. Branching stories that intertwine and then end abruptly, choices that affect gameplay, and each character's personality. This doesn't even begin to tackle lore, dialogue, or skill and item descriptions.

If you're trying to write a story for a large game, you'll definitely be undertaking an immense task. Luckily, you're on the right forum!

 

[Daniel47]

What's the story you've always dreamt of telling? Tell that one. Don't worry if it's cliche, don't worry if it's been done before, make the game you want to make.

However, if you're just starting out with rpgmaker, I'd recommend starting really really small. I would aim for a short game about an hour long. For the sake of this post, let's say that's what you're doing.

Now that we know what kind of game were making, we can flesh out the story. Since our game is only an hour long, we really don't have the time for an epic story, so let's think small. The first thing that popped into my mind while writing this post was a Smuggler. Maybe you're sneaking goods out for a city, and get caught - now you have to fight through the city and make it out with as much gold as possible.

I'm sure if you think about this idea, a bunch of game mechanics will pop into your head as well, and that's how a game story comes to be.

So to summarize: Identify your scope, and stick with it. Find an idea that you love, whether it be a particular character or a world that you created. Take a bite size portion of that character (a moment in their life) or world (a historic event)and write a small story about it.

However, there are far more intricacies when it comes to longer games. Branching stories that intertwine and then end abruptly, choices that affect gameplay, and each character's personality. This doesn't even begin to tackle lore, dialogue, or skill and item descriptions.

If you're trying to write a story for a large game, you'll definitely be undertaking an immense task. Luckily, you're on the right forum!

Thanks a bunch mate!! Your response has given me some things to think about.

 

[Tai_MT]

As someone who writes all sorts of stories... You start with a basic idea. Or maybe a couple ideas. If you have no idea what kind of story you really want to tell, then maybe your first project shouldn't be story oriented.

This may sound sort of weird, but without that spark of an idea about a story you want to tell, you've really got nothing to say that isn't going to be woefully cliché in almost every single way... while also being fairly dull and uninteresting for you to create (thus, the work itself suffers. No passion in creating it means it has no passion when you present it).

Every time I write a story, either for video games, or written format, or D&D, or whatever else... I start with a story I'd like to tell. During game design, you'll be doing this a great many times. Every time you create a new Quest, in fact. Well, if you're good at creating Quests, you'll be doing this each time you create one, anyway. Once I have the idea of a story I want to tell, I build the world it takes place in. After that, I decide what the people might be like in that world and what might make them heroes or villains. What makes them "the protagonist" and "the antagonist". Once I'm that far, the story itself can begin. It is then a series of actions and events that lead from the beginning all the way to the end.

Not everyone's writing style is the same either. Not everyone builds a functioning world for their stories to take place in. Stories don't really need that, necessarily. But, some writers like to do it as a means to ground their narratives in something concrete, with rules and cultures and people, to make it feel more real, more lived in. Games like, "The Witcher" series do this "world building" for its narratives and characters. Other games like "Half Life" simply don't need to build the world in this fashion to tell their stories. Heck, even Final Fantasy 15 doesn't have this grand "world building" in it. It doesn't need to.

But, you always need to start at the place of a story you want to tell. What story you want to tell will determine whether or not it's a good format for a video game... or something else. Some stories don't translate to certain mediums well. That's just how it is.

So, find a story you want to tell first. Once you get that down, basic outline of how you want it to work. Build it up from the raw materials and the scaffolding.

 

[Daniel47]

As someone who writes all sorts of stories... You start with a basic idea. Or maybe a couple ideas. If you have no idea what kind of story you really want to tell, then maybe your first project shouldn't be story oriented.

This may sound sort of weird, but without that spark of an idea about a story you want to tell, you've really got nothing to say that isn't going to be woefully cliché in almost every single way... while also being fairly dull and uninteresting for you to create (thus, the work itself suffers. No passion in creating it means it has no passion when you present it).

Every time I write a story, either for video games, or written format, or D&D, or whatever else... I start with a story I'd like to tell. During game design, you'll be doing this a great many times. Every time you create a new Quest, in fact. Well, if you're good at creating Quests, you'll be doing this each time you create one, anyway. Once I have the idea of a story I want to tell, I build the world it takes place in. After that, I decide what the people might be like in that world and what might make them heroes or villains. What makes them "the protagonist" and "the antagonist". Once I'm that far, the story itself can begin. It is then a series of actions and events that lead from the beginning all the way to the end.

Not everyone's writing style is the same either. Not everyone builds a functioning world for their stories to take place in. Stories don't really need that, necessarily. But, some writers like to do it as a means to ground their narratives in something concrete, with rules and cultures and people, to make it feel more real, more lived in. Games like, "The Witcher" series do this "world building" for its narratives and characters. Other games like "Half Life" simply don't need to build the world in this fashion to tell their stories. Heck, even Final Fantasy 15 doesn't have this grand "world building" in it. It doesn't need to.

But, you always need to start at the place of a story you want to tell. What story you want to tell will determine whether or not it's a good format for a video game... or something else. Some stories don't translate to certain mediums well. That's just how it is.

So, find a story you want to tell first. Once you get that down, basic outline of how you want it to work. Build it up from the raw materials and the scaffolding.

Thank you for the detailed response. I do have an idea for a short story based rpg. However the end goal is to have a universe where all the rpg I plan to create are connected. That's the plan for now though.

 

[Rayhaku808]

I was debating whether or not to mention my simple-minded story developing but what the heck. I love CAC(Create-a-Character) games because I get into my character that I develop their own story beyond what the game gives me. I'm sure most people do this though.

In Soul Calibur III's Chronicle Mode, you were a new cadet in "the good guy's" army.

Spoiler

In between the cutscenes and narratives, I had made 2 characters and had their whole story going on in my mind. The leader tries to unify her army under her command but the other guy don't want none o' dat. So I purposefully send him out to almost get rekt by a large group of enemies and send my character after him and they become best friends and tear up enemy ranks with her strategies and his executions.

In Dynasty Warriors: Empires(4 through 8), you forge your own path following the story of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel. In the warring ages of ancient China, three kingdoms vie for dominance of the land with each their own goals. One kingdom fights to simply dominate with overwhelming and talented warriors. Another fights to honor their family's conquest from generation to generation. The last sees the suffering of the people and attempts to unite the land under a selfless rule. I make tons of characters for each kingdom. Just wedging my characters in the ranks of famous officers, imagining personable stories between each other. You can also create custom scenarios and fill it with your own kingdoms, mercenary bands and armies. Make some babies, execute people who piss you off, make a pact with a close friend, become respected rivals with someone you clash on the battlefield often with, come up with successful strategies and get appointed as a strategist.

Don't just follow a game's linear storyline if it has one. From the journey from A to B, what's happening between everybody? Read their profiles. Jasmine hates forests but we have to go through a forest to get to B. We don't necessarily see how she'll react to the forest. What do you think she'd do if you were to go into a forest with her? Picture all that and add it to what you do.

Convert what you experience into your own stories. I feel like games with customizable characters that also give you freedom to play how you want, help formulate ideas on how you can make stories. The tools are all right there, just different engines. I know this is a different way of explaining how to create a story and it's not the best, but it's what works for me. Hope this helps some how.

 

[Daniel47]

I was debating whether or not to mention my simple-minded story developing but what the heck. I love CAC(Create-a-Character) games because I get into my character that I develop their own story beyond what the game gives me. I'm sure most people do this though.

In Soul Calibur III's Chronicle Mode, you were a new cadet in "the good guy's" army.

Spoiler

In between the cutscenes and narratives, I had made 2 characters and had their whole story going on in my mind. The leader tries to unify her army under her command but the other guy don't want none o' dat. So I purposefully send him out to almost get rekt by a large group of enemies and send my character after him and they become best friends and tear up enemy ranks with her strategies and his executions.

In Dynasty Warriors: Empires(4 through 8), you forge your own path following the story of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel. In the warring ages of ancient China, three kingdoms vie for dominance of the land with each their own goals. One kingdom fights to simply dominate with overwhelming and talented warriors. Another fights to honor their family's conquest from generation to generation. The last sees the suffering of the people and attempts to unite the land under a selfless rule. I make tons of characters for each kingdom. Just wedging my characters in the ranks of famous officers, imagining personable stories between each other. You can also create custom scenarios and fill it with your own kingdoms, mercenary bands and armies. Make some babies, execute people who piss you off, make a pact with a close friend, become respected rivals with someone you clash on the battlefield often with, come up with successful strategies and get appointed as a strategist.

Don't just follow a game's linear storyline if it has one. From the journey from A to B, what's happening between everybody? Read their profiles. Jasmine hates forests but we have to go through a forest to get to B. We don't necessarily see how she'll react to the forest. What do you think she'd do if you were to go into a forest with her? Picture all that and add it to what you do.

Convert what you experience into your own stories. I feel like games with customizable characters that also give you freedom to play how you want, help formulate ideas on how you can make stories. The tools are all right there, just different engines. I know this is a different way of explaining how to create a story and it's not the best, but it's what works for me. Hope this helps some how.

Thanks Rayhaku808!

 

[Vassago]

I'll tell you what I do when I try to write a story out of nowhere. Start from a mental picture. It may be a paintint, a scene from a movie, a dream that you had, a memory. The, put your main character. Who is he? And what is he doing there? What did he do before? Give him a purpose...and the rest follows.

 

[bgillisp]

The best way to write a story is to practice writing stories. Then, once you are down writing the story, read through it and see what seems to have worked well and what went horribly wrong. Then, using that knowledge, try again and again and again and...

You'll get some duds along the way...in fact, one of my practice RPG stories ends with "And then Aliens invaded". It was just so bad I decided to go all out and just nuke the story in a ridiculous way. But really, nothing will beat the experience gained just from the practice.

I think in November there's a writing contest held world wide. Maybe enter that, and use the time between now and then to practice?

 

[Daniel47]

The best way to write a story is to practice writing stories. Then, once you are down writing the story, read through it and see what seems to have worked well and what went horribly wrong. Then, using that knowledge, try again and again and again and...

You'll get some duds along the way...in fact, one of my practice RPG stories ends with "And then Aliens invaded". It was just so bad I decided to go all out and just nuke the story in a ridiculous way. But really, nothing will beat the experience gained just from the practice.

I think in November there's a writing contest held world wide. Maybe enter that, and use the time between now and then to practice?

Thanks for the advice. I will consider enter the event. Also @Vassago thank you for your advice as well.