How to make a story work in RPG format?

[shieldings]

Okay, so I have a pretty fleshed-out idea for a story, with multiple routes and endings. I'm a moderately-experienced writer (I've written short and novel-length stories, and a short comic book), but this is my first time working with games. Writing narration and dialogue right into the message box feels very unnatural, and since games have a totally different style from what I'm used to, I'm a little bit flummoxed.  With traditional writing, my style is pretty blunt and to-the-point.  When I apply that same style to a video game narration, it feels obnoxiously wordy!


I wanted my project's main narrative to have an 80s comic feel (think Marv Wolfman), but that kind of on-the-nose description feels kind of weird in an RPG-style game.  The story-oriented games I know best are the Ace Attorney series, but since they're visual novels, they're much more text-based than most RPGs.


Basically, how should I do this?  How much text narration should I use, in proportion to CGs and in-game cutscenes?  How do I keep it natural?  Should I write it as a screenplay and then transfer the text over to the message boxes?


Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Bonkers]

Writing narration and dialogue right into the message box feels very unnatural, and since games have a totally different style from what I'm used to, I'm a little bit flummoxed.  With traditional writing, my style is pretty blunt and to-the-point.  When I apply that same style to a video game narration, it feels obnoxiously wordy!

Yes, and it should feel wrong.  This is a different type of media because you have moving objects who can act out what you want them too.  The actors can emote, and even travel real time around the room and display human qualities without the use of narration.  No one narrates what they do, when they do it.


How much text narration: NONE.  Look at examples like Gabriel Knight : Sins of the Father.


When an important cut scene with lots of emotion came up, the game shifted and went to a comic style.  I'm not saying you have to do that, but it is good to think visual.  Don't think from the mind of the character- think to experience the game from the eyes of the player.


Here you will need to have a different perspective than what you are use to when writing.  You need to see yourself on the other side of the screen as though you are actively playing the game you are making, and how you want the player experience it.  Again looking at GK that meant splitting the case into days and giving objectives.  The player doesn't necessarily know what they are doing at first, but you leave items and clues that help them discern it.  You also have the character's motivation and objective revealed by dialogue.  When Gabriel talks to Grace we discover he is a writer, owner of the book shop, a womanizer, and a horrible morning person.  All in one conversation and scene. 


I write as a screen play, but you need to realize SFX and Behaviors need to be added into the mix for actions.  This is a big issue because of timing, and setting up events.  Basically write the screen play as you would be telling it to a computer or entering it into the engine line by line.  You'll loose a bit of your writing style, but it won't matter if the character's actions and words deliver that impact.


I have my workshop at the bottom of my sig if you need further assistance.  

 

[Andar]

This isn't about RPG specifics, it's more about a general distinction between books and games (or comics) on the other side.


There are basically two rules that you can use to decide what to write:


1) Show, don't Tell


If you can have something shown on the screen, then do that instead of writing a description of it. Computer games (or comics) are a graphical format, where too much text not only distracts, but is not neccessary. So instead of describing someone, make sure that the face/bust follows that description. Instead of describing how someone goes along a corridor, make an extra map showing that.


The show text commands should be mostly for speach and special narration - exactly like the speech bulbs of comics.


2) Don't force every player to read everything


Yes, sometimes (especially with world lore of the settings background) you need to tell them by text. But then those parts should be optional and not required for completing the game.


I plan to use a lot of lore in my games, but I will also keep that optional. Basically the info that is needed would be placed in "open" books that the player can go to and read. If something is background material, it would be in a "closed" book that the player can go to and read. And I will explain that distinction early in the game, so that players who are interested in the lore can go to these events and read them, while other players know not to approach a closed book event.

 

[Valryia]

This isn't about RPG specifics, it's more about a general distinction between books and games (or comics) on the other side.


There are basically two rules that you can use to decide what to write:


1) Show, don't Tell


If you can have something shown on the screen, then do that instead of writing a description of it. Computer games (or comics) are a graphical format, where too much text not only distracts, but is not neccessary. So instead of describing someone, make sure that the face/bust follows that description. Instead of describing how someone goes along a corridor, make an extra map showing that.


The show text commands should be mostly for speach and special narration - exactly like the speech bulbs of comics.


2) Don't force every player to read everything


Yes, sometimes (especially with world lore of the settings background) you need to tell them by text. But then those parts should be optional and not required for completing the game.


I plan to use a lot of lore in my games, but I will also keep that optional. Basically the info that is needed would be placed in "open" books that the player can go to and read. If something is background material, it would be in a "closed" book that the player can go to and read. And I will explain that distinction early in the game, so that players who are interested in the lore can go to these events and read them, while other players know not to approach a closed book event.

A few examples for @shieldings:


1) A angry looking Kratos says more then a Textbox saying "I'M ANGRY, GRAHH." Someone standing in front of an Gravestone. Heck, even only stopping and then standing for some time in front something seemingly irrelevant can speak volumes. (The character in question remembers an important part of his past)


2) Some more detailed examples are the books in Skyrim, or the lore tab in the main menu of FFXIII (which can be made with Yanflys plugins, btw.).