[ragnar]

Originally Posted by Steve Ince

Thank you Ragnar.

I'd like to be clear on one thing - Revolution did not fire me, I was made redundant. Big difference.

Ok, but they will in any case, they will sorely miss you. :-)

[Steve Ince]

Thanks, that's good of you to say.

[bigjko]

Great articles, Steve. I especially like "Pennies for your thoughts."

Can't wait for more of these!

[Steve Ince]

Thanks, there's be another one this Friday.

[Steve Ince]

...and it's now been published:

http://www.randomville.com./article/8/130.html

[LauraMac]

Well this is a welcome column.

As a reviewer, who has a background in theatre and such. I know full well that no one spends a year or two of their lives thinking "cool, let's make a piece of crap" They may miss the mark or indulged them selves that the game was ready to publish - but they all thought it was good enough to spring on the public.


That being said, there are some very literate reviewers - but really they aren't reviewing the game as much as making a name or trying to for themselves. So I have always taken the other approach - if I have something personal to say - I call it an editorial and have it published as such.

If I am reviewing a game, I look at what the developer tried to do or wanted to convey and judge how well they did. I also look at it in terms of what gamers fear, love want etc. Do I have an empathy with the developer and the time they spent trying to make something out of nothing - yes I do. Do I cut them slack if it is terrible no - butI probably would try to say it in a tone they would actually read and hear for the next game.

Another thing that has surprised me is that I have not once told a developer what my review was, though I have now understood that people do this. I won't even read anyone else's review of a game til I get mine written - I just don;t want anything to influence my opinion or take. But perhaps it is in the telling. As not once bad or good have I had a developer cal into question what I said. I think that you can talk about a game, even one that is an abject mess in a way that isn;t insulting but objective. or as Steve pointed out - "fair minded"

Anyway - I was glad to see this article. Because there is a difference between being a critic trying to make noise and being a reviewer of a game.

Edit: I just noted your comment about being redundant. Literally I would disagree, sacrificial or perhaps missed but thought could make do without.

I will say this publically - why not. Since Lee Sheldon, I havn' t seen a person so clearly identifiable from the content of a game. Once I knew what was your dialogue in the earlier games - I could pick out a Steve Ince bit in a heart beat. And it is what made the games unique.

[Steve Ince]

Laura, intelligent reviewers will always be appreciated. The reason I used the word "critic" in my piece was to take in a much broader group of people that included the users of forums such as these. Some of the best feedback I've received has often been a couple of thoughtful paragraphs posted on a forum.

The kind words in your final paragraph mean a lot to me. Thanks.

[Steve Ince]

The latest column has just been published:

http://www.randomville.com./article/8/136.html

[Jackal]

Two more excellent articles, Steve. I was away and missed the previous one until now. It certainly felt more personal than the others. Very effective.

I remember reading a BS3 gripefest on a forum several months ago, and you of course were in there contributing graciously, as is your wont. At one point, someone chimed in with something to the effect of "Do the developers even CARE what we want?" The timing (and absurdity) of the question just really drove home the point that you really are vulnerable whenever your "soul is on display", as you say.

As for storytelling, an interactive medium really does change the dynamics, doesn't it? All the more reason for skilled writers to be the ones leading the way.

[Steve Ince]

Thanks Jackal.

I think that now, more than ever, people who are making adventures do so purely BECAUSE they care. Certainly they don't do it to get rich.

[Martin Gantefoehr]

Certainly they don't do it to get rich.

Apropos -- anybody got some spare change...?

[Jackal]

I think the bum on the street has some, Martin. You may have to trick him out of it, though.

[Steve Ince]

Originally Posted by Jackal

I think the bum on the street has some, Martin. You may have to trick him out of it, though.

You're not tricking me out of my money!

[Mattsius]

Originally Posted by Martin Gantefoehr

Apropos -- anybody got some spare change...?

Sorry, I'm all out.


Thanks for yet another interesting article, Steve.

[Steve Ince]

Thanks. I'm just about to write the next one...

[Henke]

Steve, I would like to ask you about something. When you write a script for a game, exactly how do you present it (if you know what I mean)? I find it a bit tricky since games are never linear in the same way as movies. When you're writing a book or a script for a movie you can just write down the story and the events because you know exactly in what order they are going to occur. But it's different in games. I'm thinking about sketching all the "scenes" and point out all the hotspots (similar to a storyboard for a movie) and maybe write the puzzles and the dialogues on a separate paper. Are there better ways of doing it? Is it better to make a mind map of some sort? I guess there are no real rules about this sort of things but I was just wondering how you do it?

[Steve Ince]

It's not simple and it often works best if you look at the problem with differing degrees of complexity, which can serve different purposes depending on a number of factors. (Bear in mind that this is a suggestion and not a set of rules - adapt to your own needs.)

Write a high level story that may be a couple of pages - ten at the most. This can serve as your guide for the finer detail. It also serves as a good way of selling the idea to others - publishers, other team members, etc. Don't worry about the branching threads or complexities of logic, just tell the story as dramatically as possible.

From this you can pull out detail of where the game is going to take place, the parts of the world that the player is going to move between. Then work out the clues which are going to point him to the new areas. These are your key logic points and allow you then to develop a broad flow chart, if that helps. A flow chart can be really useful if there are sections which could be taken in different orders depending on the player.

Once you have this high level view clear in your mind of how the shape of the game is structured, you can start building the details of the sections and locations, working out how the puzzles and character interaction will fit with the grand scheme. It's often a good idea at this point to write a detailed walkthrough and include all the variations that may arise from talking to characters in different orders. Sometimes the design of puzzles and locations brings up the need for maps and diagrams, too. Do whatever you need to establish a clear document of your detailed design.

At all points, the dialogue is irrelevent to the logic you're trying to establish and creating it too early will be a distraction. In a character interaction, you might know that there will be five subjects to discuss and the outcome and that's the most important point to be aware of. By establishing the logic structure you can test the game so much quicker without the dialogue getting in the way.

If the system you're using is a good one you'll be able to write the dialogue at any point and slip it into the scenes you've established.

Of course, this is an ideal situation and as a writer/designer you always get cool ideas for scenes you know you're going to include. Make notes, write the scene, even, but until the design is complete you're better off keeping it separate and then bringing it in later at the appropriate time.

Also, if you get stuck on the logic for one section of the game, move on and work on another section until you're back in the frame of mind to work on the first one again. If you have a clear story and broad structure that's well established you won't have to worry about creating each section in order.

Did that make sense?

[Henke]

Originally Posted by Steve Ince

At all points, the dialogue is irrelevent to the logic you're trying to establish and creating it too early will be a distraction. In a character interaction, you might know that there will be five subjects to discuss and the outcome and that's the most important point to be aware of. By establishing the logic structure you can test the game so much quicker without the dialogue getting in the way.

If the system you're using is a good one you'll be able to write the dialogue at any point and slip it into the scenes you've established.

Of course, this is an ideal situation and as a writer/designer you always get cool ideas for scenes you know you're going to include. Make notes, write the scene, even, but until the design is complete you're better off keeping it separate and then bringing it in later at the appropriate time.

Also, if you get stuck on the logic for one section of the game, move on and work on another section until you're back in the frame of mind to work on the first one again. If you have a clear story and broad structure that's well established you won't have to worry about creating each section in order.

Did that make sense?

Yes, thank you. Actually I had done more or less exactly as you described except that I was thinking about writing the dialogues before everything else was established to 100%. I will now skip that for later as you pointed out since that would probably get in the way. Thanks again.

[Steve Ince]

You'll probably feel that once you know everything is set up well with no logic holes, you'll be much more confident and feel inspired to write better dialogue.

[oerhört]

Hello Steve, thanks for the insight.

I feel a little uninformed, but could you tell me (us) more specifically what parts of the games you did; mention some of the ideas you came up with that made a big difference to the stories and flow of those games?

Also, I'd like to say that if you are responsible for any of the finer moments of the Broken Sword games' writing, you are my hero from now on.