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RPG Building, Behind the Scenes (part 3)

It’s easy to become enamored with your own rules system so much that you forget the importance of the story and the types of characters that are involved. Although Solar Echoes has a great story and interesting characters, my initial approach to advertising the game was more focused on the innovative game system. It didn’t take me long to realize that people are initially much more interested in the story and the characters—the game system is a bit of an afterthought. Once you’ve captured their attention with the story setting and the characters that are involved, then you can highlight the various ways that your rules system is different from other games out there. Remember, though, that it doesn’t matter how amazing your game system is—if you don’t have a unique, compelling, exciting setting with intriguing characters to play, people aren’t going to give your game a chance. Thankfully, the story of Solar Echoes developed rather easily, emerging from the personalities of the different alien races that were designed. Thinking about how they would affect each other and the universe around them created an interesting dynamic that would ripple across other alien cultures that were making their own particular imprint. In order for a story to have momentum, though, you need tension…

RPG Building, Behind the Scenes (part 2)

I started building Solar Echoes with a very clear idea of some core concepts: I knew exactly what it was that I wanted and didn’t want in my RPG. A few of my ideas were very anti-traditional, so it was very easy to wonder if going against tradition was even going to work. You need to be very tenacious and be willing to go through a long process or trial-and-error to work out the problems. One thing that is extremely important to remember is that you can’t get too attached to anything—be ready to throw something out if it is simply not working. On the other hand, don’t give up on something too quickly, either. It takes the right combination of elements to make something work, so be ready to adjust and try countless permutations until you can get your concept to work. A common mistake in game design is “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” It is very easy to get frustrated when something isn’t working and assume that you need to start everything over entirely, rebooting the entire process. I think this is the biggest reason many good ideas never see completion, because after several complete reboots, people give up entirely. Be ready to sacrifice something and remove it if it just doesn’t fit, but recognize what is working, and try to adapt your ideas to that. It’s best to have a dreamer on your development team and a pragmatic, experienced person in the game genre—they will balance each other out and keep each other in check.

RPG Building, Behind the Scenes (part 1)

This Thursday, October 31st, marks the 7th anniversary of the scifi tabletop RPG, Solar Echoes. The game was released in 2012 on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow (which has since merged with DriveThruRPG) as downloadable pdf files, but physical copies of the books were also printed and sold at several game stores on the East Coast. The game took two entire years to develop, from original concept to extensive internal and external play testing. I look back and realize that I might not have finished the project if I’d had any idea of what I was getting into—designing a tabletop RPG is a very involved, lengthy, and expensive endeavor. I love quoting my wife from when we decided to paint our entire basement together, and I think her words can be directly applied to designing and finishing Solar Echoes: “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have no idea what you’re getting into.” This week, I’ll discuss some of the things that are involved with the process of building your own tabletop RPG, if you’d like to know what you are getting into...

Solar Echoes RPG webpage 

The Gamer Connection (part 4)

One thing I particularly enjoy about discovering another gamer is that we usually aren't interested in discussing much else. This can be quite a relief in a society that has grown extremely polarized in political and ideological views. It is true that there are certain factions of gamers that have become aggressively intolerant of other viewpoints, but for the most part, I have found that the comradery that exists among gamers carries with it almost a tacit agreement that “we're all friends here, regardless of anything else.” That kind of acceptance is a joy and a relief, and instantly allows for strong friendships to be built. I've noted that at many gaming conventions where I've run game demos, players of all ages, races, and backgrounds quickly come together and enjoy the game as friends. If you didn't know better, you'd suspect that every disparate group that forms must somehow know eachother well from many previous encounters. Being a gamer is a great thing, and it's sad that society still attaches negative stigma to this interest. However, that is definitely beginning to change. When it comes to gamers, the usual judgments and comparisons people make when sizing each other up instantly vanish--gamers can simply relate as people with a powerful shared interest.

The Gamer Connection (part 3)

Gamers have been traditionally viewed as people who are introverts that lack social ability. We've been thought of as jobless, nerdy, socially inept dorks that live in our parents' basement, spending insane numbers of hours camped out in front of a monitor playing games. Sometimes we're viewed as malnourished, unwashed, sickly, and pale, clinging to a game controller with an unhealthy obsession that has overtaken our lives so much that we could be a serious risk to ourselves. Other times we're viewed as aimless, lazy losers that mooch off our parents and can't pay our own rent or mortgage. In Japan, there are even very specific terms used to describe people that fit this stereotype: otakus or NEET's (Not in Education, Employment, or Training.) Just watch a few TV shows or movies and you'll find a stereotypical gamer, often the source of comic relief in these productions. It's no wonder that gamers are still a little hesitant to reveal their gaming interest to others, because these stereotypes seem to be openly perpetuated. Discovering another gamer in today's society is almost like meeting someone in an underground resistance that holds to your same core values. Yet when one gamer discovers another, it is a relief to finally let down that guard and talk openly.

The Gamer Connection (part 2)

What is it exactly about relating to gamers that is different from other shared interests? My theory is that being a gamer—whether that entails tabletop gaming or videogaming—is something that has long been stigmatized in society. It was considered a childish, time-wasting addiction back in the 1980's and 90's, but in recent years, gaming has become more accepted as an adult activity. Some of this acceptance has been attributed to mobile gaming, which has enabled an accessibility to games through smartphones that has likely popularized the hobby. Another reason for the growing acceptance is that all of those 80's and 90's gaming children are now adults, many of them maintaining their interest in gaming into adulthood. Perhaps yet another reason for the diminishing stigmatization is the incredible success of the videogaming industry, which has exceeded the movie industry in annual revenue since 2005. As a result of all these factors, gamers are starting to gain confidence in sharing their hobby openly with others, yet we still navigate conversations carefully and are selective about who we reveal our interest to. Why?

The Gamer Connection (part 1)

This last weekend I met someone at a party, and initially I thought I had nothing in common with him. He was a single, twenty-something, put-together guy who I learned was a lawyer in Seattle. I live on the East Coast, I'm involved in the arts, and I'm married with a teenage daughter. The small talk spun along the usual routes and began to traverse the familiar, awkward path where we both realized we couldn't relate to each other and were struggling to keep the conversation going. Yet unexpectedly, he mentioned that he was interested in the video game industry, and was a gamer himself. Suddenly, we were talking like we were old college buddies, mentioning our favorite video games and gaming consoles, talking about the trials of building our own gaming PC rigs, and discussing our longings to find work in the video game industry at big companies such as Bethesda Softworks and even Nintendo. All of this could have happened over a shared interest in football instead of video games, but I've experienced it before with a wide range of people. There's just something different about connecting with someone over an interest in gaming...

Video Game Completionism (part 5)

You may not have thought that finishing a game matters to anyone, but it does. Developers are looking at time spent on their game and at completion statistics, easily seen through achievements and other online tracking methods. As a developer, if your team spent 4 years designing your game and then noticed nobody was playing more than 50% of it, you would question your design decisions. People might wonder why developers would care--they made their sale, after all, so who cares if the buyer plays it at all? Other than the more obvious repercussions of receiving bad reviews from players that chose not to finish the game, developers are also concerned because they wasted years and money making that other 50% that nobody is playing. An obvious decision from the producers of such a game would be to not invest and waste so many resources on the next game. Adjustments will follow to game design over the coming years, and I suspect that if fewer and fewer of us are accesssing all the content included in a game, developers will be forced to include less of it.

Video Game Completionism (part 4)

Considering the current state of the video gaming industry, it's easy to understand the concerns game developers are having. They have much more sophisticated ways of tracking the use of their products now than they ever have before. For instance, game achievements are unlocked by players at certain milestones in a game, which are then automatically posted online. Developers have a clear view of how many people bought their game, how often it's being played, and how far people are progressing in the game. When they see that their game was bought but then only played for a week--abandoned for something new the next week--the years of time and financial investment may not have paid off as gamers stop talking about it. After the first week, a particular game's sales drop sharply, so developers put their hope in that first week the most. Some even try to secure more sales through pre-orders before the game releases, offering bonus material to gamers that commit to a purchase early. It's a tough battle in the industry, but there are ripples that are beginning to affect how games are designed...

Video Game Completionism (part 3)

A lot had changed in gaming demographics. Unlike the 1980's, when gamers were primarily kids, those same kids have now grown to adults that are still gaming. A significant portion of the gaming audience is now comprised of middle aged gamers who have full time jobs and can easily afford to purchase several games a month. However, these same people have much less time to spend gaming because of their jobs, family, and other adult responsibilities. Another factor that has significantly changed the industry landscape is the internet. No longer do gamers need to travel to a video game store to purchase a new game release, or worry that it might be sold out. Now, at the push of a button, we can download a game within minutes and start playing right away. With large numbers of new games releasing every week, it's a lot easier to get tempted and distracted away from a current game with a new arrival. How is all this affecting game developers and the future of the industry?

Video Game Completionism (part 2)

It's not the 1980's anymore, where kids alone were the primary audience for gaming and home consoles. Yet today, kids still fuel a large portion of the gaming industry. I remember my early teenage days when I used to save up for months to be able to afford a new game, and once I bought it, I'd play it for months before I could afford a new one again. I would play that game all the way through, unlock everything possible, and still play it even after I'd done everything that could be done with it. Today, however, my gaming habits have changed a lot. I buy a new game several times a month, I'll play it for a few hours a week, but often move on to something new after a few weeks unless it's something really special. It's rare that I stick with a game to the end, but once in a while I will finish it. Still, though, even if that happens, I usually don't bother with unlocking every other possible detail in the game. I'm not alone in this, and there are many contributing factors. Before examining the repercussions upon the gaming industry for this trend among gamers, let's first examine why it's happening with gamers like me...

Video Game Completionism (part 1)

Do you complete all the games that you buy? If not, have you ever thought about what that means about you, and about the game itself? Perhaps you remember a time when you were younger and ravenously played a game over and over until you had not only solved it, but unlocked every possible route and detail available, fully experiencing everything the developers had programmed. But if that's not you anymore today, what changed? Is it just you that's changed, or is there more to it? And honestly, why should you care, it's just a game for your entertainment, why does it matter? This week, I'm going to examine these questions from the perspective of both a gamer and a game developer. The industry is adjusting and changing, and these questions are playing a role in the future of one of our favorite forms of entertainment.

Visual Novel Update:

This last week I have been busy preparing the character art (called sprites) for the visual novel. During the game, when each character speaks, they will have some kind of facial animation that corresponds with what they are saying. Although it's not as good as live animation, this is how the majority of visual novels are presented, and it adds a more immersive quality to the dialogue in the game. Typically, most developers have around 6 to 12 expressions possible for each character, and they pay an artist for each separate expression. I worked with my artist, John Fell, to go far beyond that for the characters in the Star Legation. If you're interested in some insider details about how I did this, as well as some more detailed updates on the game, please subscribe to my monthly mailing list here:

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The importance of canon (part 4)

Personally, I understand the difficulties associated with maintaining IP and keeping all related material within the established canon. Others have written additional material--such as missions--for the Solar Echoes game that, in some cases, I felt violated the original lore. Thankfully, because I own the Solar Echoes IP through Corefun Studios, I've been able to oversee and advise changes to keep with the original material. Some may consider this controlling or overreach, but to preserve a vision, sometimes changes must be made when things begin to step outside of or move in a direction that seems counter to the original themes. Though I've not encountered this particular situation, imagine if someone wanted to write for Solar Echoes and presented something with a particular social agenda behind it. I've designed Solar Echoes to be neutral or silent in those areas so people of all ages and views might be able to enjoy it. Allowing a specific social agenda to manifest in Solar Echoes would tacitly suggest that I support that agenda, and it would alienate a group of people that might disagree, preventing them from being able to enjoy the Solar Echoes universe. One reason we play games and read stories is as an escape from the conflicts in the real world, and unless something is clearly advertised as having a particular social agenda, I think it is dishonest and subversive to try to covertly insert that agenda in the writing. Protecting IP requires a partnership in vision and enough oversight to preserve it.

The importance of canon (part 3)

If you've ever brainstormed in a group and played the game where you write a sentence or paragraph, then hand it to someone else in the group to continue before they pass it on again, you've seen how good concepts quickly disintegrate as each person asserts their own influence on the direction of story. Although teams of writers are often involved with TV and movie productions, they try to operate together to adhere to the themes that have been established. Usually a leader presides over the writing team, just as a conductor over an orchestra, because that leader will exert control over the development of the story to preserve continuity. But when writers are writing material related to an already established IP, such as a sequel, the team leader needs to help preserve the original vision and ensure that the writers don't contradict or otherwise violate the material fans are already familiar with. What if someone wanted to take a kid-friendly series and inject an unrelated social agenda into it? Fans of the series would be upset, possibly even offended, feeling like they've been hijacked. If you visited a McDonald's expecting to eat burgers but instead arrived to find only a variety of asian soups on the menu, you might be be upset that your burger cravings were denied. Controlling IP is important towards maintaining a vision, and total rewrites should be carefully considered and discouraged if the IP already has a strong, dedicated fanbase.

The importance of canon (part 2)

IP, or intellectual property, can include artistic concepts such as George Lucas's Star Wars. Until he sold the rights to Disney, Lucas exercised creative control over the Star Wars universe, making sure all movies, games, and other iterations of the IP all maintained a consistency within his established lore. Fans stayed true to the series and have consumed related products and movies with a dedication that has lasted for several decades. However, with Disney's acquisition of the Star Wars IP, things have begun to change. Disney has taken many liberties with the IP and has made so many changes with the story that George Lucas himself has indicated he was displeased with the recent Last Jedi film. Regardless of whether you are a Star Wars fan or not, drastic changes to an established IP are often a losing move. User reviews of the movie were incredibly negative, and though critics praised the film, some have concocted the story that the outpouring of negative user reviews was orchestrated through hardcore fans using “bots” to post so many bad reviews, rather than considering the possibility that Star Wars was heading down the wrong path and that fans really were upset.

The importance of canon (part 1)

How do you feel when an established story is given a sequel but the thematic material is entirely reimagined, producing a story that does not follow your expectations? You have probably seen reports about how fans have become angry when one of their favorite shows or movies is given a sequel that drastically and uncharacteristically changes the details and direction of the original story line. Many Star Wars fans, for example, have been very upset with "The Last Jedi," because director Rian Johnson did little to work within the established lore of the universe. As an example, Rian rewrote the iconic, heroic character of Luke Skywalker as what some would describe as a brooding, ineffectual loser. The recent Joker movie is another example of writing that many have said totally ignores the established background of a character that has been known by fans for decades. Though creative license can sometimes improve upon a cultural legacy like Star Wars, it can also have a result reflecting the "too many cooks in the kitchen" idiom as the overall quality begins to suffer.

VN Architecture (part 4)

In addition to possible endings related to your mission in the Star Legation, the ending will also reflect the relationship choices you have made with two of the female characters in the game. Throughout the story you will interact with them at different, predetermined points and as you do, the way they feel about you will be affected. You can be strictly professional with your dialogue choices, or you can try to get to know them better, sharing more personal details or even choose to flirt romantically. Although the Star Legation is not a dating sim and is not focused on romance, the context of the story and the protagonist's character do both allow for relationships developing with two of the female characters. If you choose to pursue a deeper relationship with someone, new background and story information will be uncovered. If you manage to develop a romantic, emotional bond, the ending art of the game will change to reflect that.

VN Architecture (part 3)

Personally, I prefer immersion in a game, especially when the story is engaging and the characters are believable. I don’t like seeing some kind of graphical status indication appear during conversations or events, and I don’t even like having a way to check on that through a menu or sub-screen of some type. In my opinion, it is important to maintain the “suspension of disbelief” just like it is done when watching a movie or TV show. If you are reminded that you are playing a game with fiddly menus and onscreen options, I think it pulls you out of the immersion to a degree and can distract from your full emotional involvement in the story. As a result, the Star Legation does not have a fancy onscreen message bar—it is merely a shadowed area so that you can more easily read the dialogue text. I have also chosen to reduce all onscreen graphical user interface down to a single icon in the lower right of the screen. When you click that icon, a menu screen will appear so you can save, familiarize yourself with other key commands (such as a quick save key, skip text key, etc.) My main goal is for you to lose yourself in the story like you would in a book.

VN Architecture (part 2)

In a number of instances throughout the Star Legation visual novel, there will be opportunities to fail, and some of those failures will result in a “Game Over” because you can no longer achieve the main objective of the game, or because your choice actually resulted in death. Of course, you can always reload from previous saves and try again with different choices. However, sometimes your previous choices even earlier than that might have farther-reaching effects than you realized. Near the last third of the game, many of the choices you have made earlier will be put to the test, as the type of relationships you have built will determine how characters will behave at a rather crucial moment in the story. I have not included any way for the player to track this during the game, nor have I indicated when such a choice might affect a relationship—it’s all very organic and I don’t want to disrupt the natural flow of character interaction…

VN Architecture (part 1)

I officially finished writing the story for the Star Legation visual novel! Last week, late Monday night, I finished the epilogues for each of the final endings you can earn, if you survive to the end of the game. For a while, I’ve been mistakenly referring to the best ending possible as the “True Ending,” a term I’ve heard used for VN’s a lot. However, when I looked into it, I realized that True Ending means something entirely different. The True Ending is reserved for a type of VN that requires you to go through each route of the game, unlocking new information with each route, and you can only achieve the True Ending once you’ve gone through all the other routes. This is also considered to be the platonic, no-romance ending of a VN. There is a best ending in the Star Legation visual novel, but it won't require multiple playthroughs to earn—you can achieve it the first time through, if you make the right choices. There isn't one single path to the best ending, but there are a lot of divergent paths that will prevent you from earning it if you aren't careful...