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| Storyline in Games (was Re: C&C) | |
| Posted By: Anton P. Nym (aka Steve) <sumpca@yahoo.com> | Date: 5/16/04 7:03 p.m. |
In Response To: C&C (Celegur) : Then, just a few days ago, I realized what it was with Bungie and their games
Bingo. In my biased opinion, it's the biggest competitive advantage Bungie has in the market. There's an annoying trend in the game industry to call storyline and background "fluff". (I don't know if they're talking about navel lint or probably the suckiest job in the pornography industry, but neither are terribly flattering, are they?) Back when I wrote for Global Games, they (we?) called it "chrome". Yes, it's flashy and shiny and it draws attention. Yes, it's not essential to the game's immediate function. But it also serves a very practical function as well... corrosion resistance. A really good story line will draw players back, even if the graphics aren't top-notch anymore and the music rendering is a generation behind. Why are there still die-hard Marathon fans? Good game play is one (important) factor, but probably equally important is the truly awesome story line behind it. Fan loyalty doesn't rust out as quickly with a good application of chrome. When Jason Jones gave his interview on the making of Halo2 he said, "[W]e certainly worry about [the story] a lot more than you might think we'd have to, for a game that's mostly about action and not thinking." And that warmed the cockles of my heart... someone else on the planet CARES ABOUT THE STORY! Games are designed to please the mind. There's no physical "rush" like that which comes from sports or athletics, no "wind in the hair" buzz like driving with the top down. Yet people play sports and racing games on their video consoles. The enjoyment is a purely mental construct. Story is the oldest and most reliable method of conveying a mental construct from one person to another. Game companies, hear my prayer... [Exceedingly flattering comparison between me and JRRT snipped for brevity, but thanks and good thinking... lots of good points in there.] : Did you purposefully only sign three of the terminals with 'E', as a
Did I? : And, on 'Oh, Manny, Pad me, Hunh?' (http://enkidu.bungie.org/enkidu_u.html)
Yes. :) ['nother snip for brevity]
My original plan was two per week, on average. Louis pointed out (correctly) that the audience would have tapered off with that slow a pace... the Cortana letters were targeted at a much smaller and (with apologies to the group) more fanatical following. The project would have stalled out in the middle. The Cortana Letters also benefited from knowledge of the Halo marketing plan, and a heck of a lot more lead time. My biggest fear was that, if I extended it too long, I'd start stepping on Bungie's toes. Timing was my biggest bugaboo, and yes the last week was a bit rushed. I wanted to clear the decks before E3 ended (didn't plan for it at the start... I need a better calendar) so that Bungie folks wouldn't have to endure rabid inquiries for the *whole* show. Looks like I missed that deadline, doesn't it? (Sorry.) : Ah well, I couldn't have done better :) : Congratulations on a job well done.
Thank you very much. It's Bungie fans like you that made the whole project worth doing. -- Steve | |
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