GAME DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL
NARRATIVE DESIGN ELEMENT
NARRATIVE ELEMENT:
DIEGESIS
CONCEPT
MECHANIC(S) USE:
For some narrative design elements a single mechanic might be enough (i.e. under diegesis, you
might utilise the single technique of worldbuilding and develop an environment that tells story
through its physical and art design). For others, you might have multiple (say for intertextuality, you might use the narrative technique of micronarrative fragments alongside cutscenes that evoke the conventions of a particular genre). Just remember that you have to develop concept art that illustrates your choices, so keep the scope of your design quite focused.
Physical properties/consequences/what tells me the logic of the world/the micro-narrative, what they interact with and how it tells stuff, describe the levels, jump over stuff
ENVIRONMENT DESIGN– MOOD/ATMOSPHERE (ART DESIGN)
IMAGINATIVE IMMERSION:
In my game I will use the Environment Designs to help tell the story visually.
The Tropical Continent, is full of vibrant colors which gives the player a feeling of awe and an excitement to explore the colorful world. As night turns, all of the colors disappear, leaving the player the only light of the moon, this gives an atmosphere of unsettling loneliness, as it dawns on the player that they haven't found any life yet. Once the player finds the creature, it lights up during night, giving the player a sense of hope. The player ventures into the first temple which is dark, using the creature as their only light source, giving a mysterious atmosphere. The Creature becomes all the more important in the story as it is the only light source, and this communicated through the environment being dark, highlighting the creature.
Once the player finishes the first temple, they continue walking through the Tropical Continent, as they get closer to the Ice Continent, Ice bergs start to appear in the background. Because the ice bergs are sharp, it created a feeling of danger, setting up for a key plot point/climax.
As the player reaches the Ice Continent, it is full or sharp Ice bergs and caves that are dark. But once night dawns, the ice lights up with bright turquoise colors which are bright and colorful. At first the Ice Continent is harsh and plain but at night it becomes colorful. This foreshadows the experience the interaction with Nox, later in the game.
The Tropical Continent has 2 different plants: one aggressive plant (enemy) and a healing plant.
The enemy plant is called: Tutela (which is Latin for defense or protection) and is a common plant, it grows more commonly near water but can be found across the Tropical Continent. The plant lives from eating insects and animals (since no animals are alive, Tutela has become smaller but can still harm Nova or Lux). The player has to navigate through the levels, avoiding the Tutela plant. If they get bitten, their health bar will go down. (Nova's health will be shown through her helmet's design, the circle on the helmet's side will lower the more damage she takes) Once the health bar is empty, the player will re spawn at their last checkpoint.
The healing plant is called: Sanabit (which is Latin for healing) and is found on evaluated land, land that is quite high. (mountains, waterfalls) and can be used for either Nova's health or Lux's. As the player progresses throughout the game, the plant will be harder to reach and will restore less health.
Both plants can be found both in the Tropical Continent and the Ice Continent. Their colors differ but their design looks the same.
As the player progresses through the game, different plants will enable different abilities. The player can collect them and give them to Lux. Some of them can help him gain strength to move certain rocks, or to restore his health. The further the player gets in the game, the more plants they will find which will enable Lux different abilities but will only last for a short amount of time. Some of those plants will come in handy when the player reaches the temples as they will make the puzzles/obstacles easier. If the player decides to not collect any plants, it will be harder for the player to navigate around the puzzles/obstacles.
The machine NOX becomes active at night, it travels the same direction as the player (left to right). The player has to quickly hide from NOX (behind rocks that are scattered throughout the game) or crouch underneath land. Once the player finds Lux and travels with it, they have to make sure that the creature is out of NOX's sight as well as themselves. If NOX catches either Nova or Lux, the player has to restart from the last checkpoint (before night). That is why the environment/level design is important so that the player can hide from NOX, the player has to interact with the environment in order to do so.
Nova will be able to look at a map that shows the planet and will also display certain areas that are worth exploring (where some plants may grow), however there is only a limited amount of times that the player can look at the map before Nova's battery runs low. They have to find batteries scattered around the planet to recharge her.
PUZZLE DESIGN
In the temple on the ice continent, Nova has to prove human abilities by showing, generosity, power, patience, helpfulness, growth, pride and fairness in a maze level. The player will be presented with a maze, and Nova will have a map of the top view, however there is only a limited amount of times the player is allowed to look at it, as it drains Nova's power. The player has to find batteries scattered inside the level to use the map again. There will be choices throughout the level where the player has to decide the "right" thing to do. Depending on which answer the player gives, they will have to prove it by being put in the same situation as the question. Example: You find a valuable item on the floor. A. keep it. B. return it. If the player chooses to return it, a item will appear in the level and the player has to return it to its original place, proving their choice was righteous. If the player chooses to keep it, a trap will be activated, causing the player to run away from it and starting all over again.
In the first temple on the Tropical Continent, Nova will have to prove physical human abilities (tools,strength, speed) by climbing, crouching and making tools by collecting/creating certain parts in the level to create parts that will fit in missing blocks to unlock doors.
INTERTEXTUALITY
I used Latin names/meanings in my game, because the story is about beginning again. Novas Vos means "new you" which refers to Nova, finding herself and discovering who/what she really is and defying her orders. NOX means Night in Latin, referring to how it only functions at night. Lux means light in Latin, this refers to how Lux gives Nova hope and is her light in darkness, literally and figuratively. The name of the planet is "Mortem" which means death in Latin, referring to how the planet is dead. When Nova calls it Vita at the end of the game, it means life in Latin, this shows that Nova has restored Life on the planet.
The enemy plant is called: Tutela (which is Latin for defense or protection) and is a common plant, it grows more commonly near water but can be found across the Tropical Continent. The plant lives from eating insects and animals (since no animals are alive, Tutela has become smaller but can still harm Nova or Lux). The player has to navigate through the levels, avoiding the Tutela plant. If they get bitten, their health bar will go down. (Nova's health will be shown through her helmet's design, the circle on the helmet's side will lower the more damage she takes) Once the health bar is empty, the player will re spawn at their last checkpoint.
The healing plant is called: Sanabit (which is Latin for healing) and is found on evaluated land, land that is quite high. (mountains, waterfalls) and can be used for either Nova's health or Lux's. As the player progresses throughout the game, the plant will be harder to reach and will restore less health.
Both plants can be found both in the Tropical Continent and the Ice Continent. Their colors differ but their design looks the same.
As the player progresses through the game, different plants will enable different abilities. The player can collect them and give them to Lux. Some of them can help him gain strength to move certain rocks, or to restore his health. The further the player gets in the game, the more plants they will find which will enable Lux different abilities but will only last for a short amount of time. Some of those plants will come in handy when the player reaches the temples as they will make the puzzles/obstacles easier. If the player decides to not collect any plants, it will be harder for the player to navigate around the puzzles/obstacles.
The machine NOX becomes active at night, it travels the same direction as the player (left to right). The player has to quickly hide from NOX (behind rocks that are scattered throughout the game) or crouch underneath land. Once the player finds Lux and travels with it, they have to make sure that the creature is out of NOX's sight as well as themselves. If NOX catches either Nova or Lux, the player has to restart from the last checkpoint (before night). That is why the environment/level design is important so that the player can hide from NOX, the player has to interact with the environment in order to do so.
Nova will be able to look at a map that shows the planet and will also display certain areas that are worth exploring (where some plants may grow), however there is only a limited amount of times that the player can look at the map before Nova's battery runs low. They have to find batteries scattered around the planet to recharge her.
PUZZLE DESIGN
In the temple on the ice continent, Nova has to prove human abilities by showing, generosity, power, patience, helpfulness, growth, pride and fairness in a maze level. The player will be presented with a maze, and Nova will have a map of the top view, however there is only a limited amount of times the player is allowed to look at it, as it drains Nova's power. The player has to find batteries scattered inside the level to use the map again. There will be choices throughout the level where the player has to decide the "right" thing to do. Depending on which answer the player gives, they will have to prove it by being put in the same situation as the question. Example: You find a valuable item on the floor. A. keep it. B. return it. If the player chooses to return it, a item will appear in the level and the player has to return it to its original place, proving their choice was righteous. If the player chooses to keep it, a trap will be activated, causing the player to run away from it and starting all over again.
In the first temple on the Tropical Continent, Nova will have to prove physical human abilities (tools,strength, speed) by climbing, crouching and making tools by collecting/creating certain parts in the level to create parts that will fit in missing blocks to unlock doors.
INTERTEXTUALITY
I used Latin names/meanings in my game, because the story is about beginning again. Novas Vos means "new you" which refers to Nova, finding herself and discovering who/what she really is and defying her orders. NOX means Night in Latin, referring to how it only functions at night. Lux means light in Latin, this refers to how Lux gives Nova hope and is her light in darkness, literally and figuratively. The name of the planet is "Mortem" which means death in Latin, referring to how the planet is dead. When Nova calls it Vita at the end of the game, it means life in Latin, this shows that Nova has restored Life on the planet.
JUSTIFICATION
Why have you chosen these mechanics? Tell us what about them makes the kind of interactive
storytelling you have planned effective. Why are these best way to translate your linear source
narrative into a video game?
Why is the technique you picked the most important?
ENVIRONMENT DESIGN– MOOD/ATMOSPHERE (ART DESIGN)
I like the idea of “showing but not telling” which works well for my story. The story is simple but I want the player to experience it through its art and physical design. The environmental designs reflect how Nova feels throughout the game, it also makes the player feel a similar way. The Tropical Continent is full of vibrant colors, this shows that Nova feels excited to explore the planet. The colors also contrast with Nova, as she is more pale, showing that she is an "outsider". As night dawns, all the colors fade, this shows that Nova is starting to feel upset as she hasn't found any life yet. When Nova finds Lux, it lights up at night displaying her sense of hope in the dark. When she reaches the end of the temple and is outside again, the icebergs start to appear in the distance, this shows that Nova has started to adjust to the planet and is being accepted. When Nova reaches the Ice Continent, she blends in more with the background (but not too much so the player can still tell her apart from the environment) this shows that she has been accepted on the new planet and has adjusted to it.
The theme of “looks are deceiving” works the best through the art design. The player sees it more clearly, which is shown through the environmental designs: the day time of the Tropical Continent is full of colors but at night the colors vanish and Nox appears. NOX is the "enemy" in the game, but when Nova finds out that she is a robot, she emphasizes with it, this reflects the main theme of the game: looks are deceiving.
IMAGINATIVE IMMERSION
Most games nowadays are about shooting/fighting, I want the physical design to show how you can avoid all the fighting/conflicts and still have fun playing a game through its interesting level design.The Environments are important as the character has to interact with them a lot throughout the game (picking up plants, hiding from NOX). The player has to avoid the enemy plant (Tutela) and to hide from NOX at night. This displays how the player can go throughout the game without having to fight back. "Game Designers should not play at being the next Spielberg or Coppola because game authorship is not about crafting sequences of events but about modelling worlds with rules." - Gonzola Frasca
The narrative can be told through the game world, by the player interacting with it. Exploring the planet and finding clues (micro-narrative) as to what happened to the planet.
PUZZLE DESIGN
The puzzle designs are about how Nova can prove she is human even though she is a robot, by completing puzzles that are about human attributes. This is shown through the diegesis: the hologram will appear and the player has to choose what they will do.
INTERTEXTUALITY
I chose Latin names/meanings as Latin was the first language and I think it relates well with humanity wanting to "start from the beginning" on the planet Mortem. Latin refers back to when the Earth was healthy but as humanity evolved and created new languages, the Earth had developed into a bad state. Humanity thinks that if they go inhabit a new planet they would begin again but the same fate will happen to that planet as it happened to Earth.
Give a sense of the big picture and where it all fits in (eg character, is it the most important bit?) the edges of the story, cinematics etc platforming, interface Immersion or Intertextuality – talk about inspired sci fi movies/games how these element relate to the diegesis
I like the idea of “showing but not telling” which works well for my story. The story is simple but I want the player to experience it through its art and physical design. The environmental designs reflect how Nova feels throughout the game, it also makes the player feel a similar way. The Tropical Continent is full of vibrant colors, this shows that Nova feels excited to explore the planet. The colors also contrast with Nova, as she is more pale, showing that she is an "outsider". As night dawns, all the colors fade, this shows that Nova is starting to feel upset as she hasn't found any life yet. When Nova finds Lux, it lights up at night displaying her sense of hope in the dark. When she reaches the end of the temple and is outside again, the icebergs start to appear in the distance, this shows that Nova has started to adjust to the planet and is being accepted. When Nova reaches the Ice Continent, she blends in more with the background (but not too much so the player can still tell her apart from the environment) this shows that she has been accepted on the new planet and has adjusted to it.
The theme of “looks are deceiving” works the best through the art design. The player sees it more clearly, which is shown through the environmental designs: the day time of the Tropical Continent is full of colors but at night the colors vanish and Nox appears. NOX is the "enemy" in the game, but when Nova finds out that she is a robot, she emphasizes with it, this reflects the main theme of the game: looks are deceiving.
IMAGINATIVE IMMERSION
Most games nowadays are about shooting/fighting, I want the physical design to show how you can avoid all the fighting/conflicts and still have fun playing a game through its interesting level design.The Environments are important as the character has to interact with them a lot throughout the game (picking up plants, hiding from NOX). The player has to avoid the enemy plant (Tutela) and to hide from NOX at night. This displays how the player can go throughout the game without having to fight back. "Game Designers should not play at being the next Spielberg or Coppola because game authorship is not about crafting sequences of events but about modelling worlds with rules." - Gonzola Frasca
The narrative can be told through the game world, by the player interacting with it. Exploring the planet and finding clues (micro-narrative) as to what happened to the planet.
PUZZLE DESIGN
The puzzle designs are about how Nova can prove she is human even though she is a robot, by completing puzzles that are about human attributes. This is shown through the diegesis: the hologram will appear and the player has to choose what they will do.
INTERTEXTUALITY
I chose Latin names/meanings as Latin was the first language and I think it relates well with humanity wanting to "start from the beginning" on the planet Mortem. Latin refers back to when the Earth was healthy but as humanity evolved and created new languages, the Earth had developed into a bad state. Humanity thinks that if they go inhabit a new planet they would begin again but the same fate will happen to that planet as it happened to Earth.
RELATIONSHIP TO WHOLE NARRATIVE
How will your narrative element and its mechanics and techniques relate to the rest of the video game and its overall narrative? Are you developing a small, but important cog, or does your element stretch across the whole text?Give a sense of the big picture and where it all fits in (eg character, is it the most important bit?) the edges of the story, cinematics etc platforming, interface Immersion or Intertextuality – talk about inspired sci fi movies/games how these element relate to the diegesis
The diegesis is the most important element in the game, as most of the narrative is told through it, by using the colors/designs to set a mood.
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ELEMENTS YET TO DEVELOP:
Brief bullet points – select 3 other narrative techniques that you think will also be important in the development of this game’s story (but that, in this fictional development scenario, will be designed later on). How does your narrative element overlap with these other 3? What implications will this have for your narrative design right now?
LINEARITY
I will use animated cut-scenes that will progress the narrative of the game, at the end of certain missions. The
LINEARITY
I will use animated cut-scenes that will progress the narrative of the game, at the end of certain missions. The
cut-scenes will be told by using diegesis, by having the character interact with the environment and
characters.
I will use interactive cut-scenes at certain parts throughout the game where the player has to push
a certain button to active the switch in both temples.
CHARACTERS:
NOVA
Nova's colors are a combination of light blue, dark blue and white. The white shows that Nova is
"clean" while the light blue gives a friendly feeling of the character but the dark blue suggests some
rebellious nature in her.
Nova's colors are a combination of light blue, dark blue and white. The white shows that Nova is
"clean" while the light blue gives a friendly feeling of the character but the dark blue suggests some
rebellious nature in her.
LUX
Lux has similar proportions of a crocodile, corgi and shark. Its skin is similar to a Chameleon, its color will slowly go red, the less health it has. Its natural color is pink, green and blue (?). It lights up at night, its colors become more saturated and lighter.
The mystery of the Linearity immerses the player as they want to find out what happened, which the player can by paying attention to their surroundings
The character's feelings are displayed through the environments, which makes the diegesis immersive, the player can sense exactly what Nova is feeling
"But also, it feeds into that desire to leave it open-ended. I think we really try and shy away from being too specific about the who, what, when, and where, so that players can put themselves inside the story." - Kellee Santiago, co-founder and president of Thatgamecompany (Journey)
The what/when/why/how in Novas Vos is up to the player to find out, if they find all the micro-narratives throughout the game, they can piece together what happened to the planet.
Lux has similar proportions of a crocodile, corgi and shark. Its skin is similar to a Chameleon, its color will slowly go red, the less health it has. Its natural color is pink, green and blue (?). It lights up at night, its colors become more saturated and lighter.
IMMERSION
Immersion through character/environmentsThe mystery of the Linearity immerses the player as they want to find out what happened, which the player can by paying attention to their surroundings
The character's feelings are displayed through the environments, which makes the diegesis immersive, the player can sense exactly what Nova is feeling
"But also, it feeds into that desire to leave it open-ended. I think we really try and shy away from being too specific about the who, what, when, and where, so that players can put themselves inside the story." - Kellee Santiago, co-founder and president of Thatgamecompany (Journey)
The what/when/why/how in Novas Vos is up to the player to find out, if they find all the micro-narratives throughout the game, they can piece together what happened to the planet.
The Micro-narrative immerses the player through showing but not telling, eg. the scribbles inside the maze/cave hints at people having lived on the planet, claw scratches hint at Lux living there. There will be files scattered around in the Lab with experiments/construction of Nox on them. This immerses the player through diegesis.
SOURCE NARRATIVE
STRENGTHS AND ASPECTS OR ASSETS TO RETAIN:
What about the source narrative suits your chosen narrative element and mechanics?
What works – about the story – what is good
A strong part in the source narrative is the planet Mortem which is desolate but has rich nature of vibrant colors, which gives a feeling of loneliness. I think this translates well into a game, as the player will be able to explore (jumping over obstacles, avoiding certain plants, crouching, hiding) the planet and feel alone through it. Nova is small compared to the environment, making it seem larger than it is, making the player feel "small" and alone.
When Nova finds Lux, she finds a companion, this can be done well in a game because we inhabit an avatar (Nova) and interact with Lux by giving it power-ups, making sure its health doesn't go down too low which gives the player direct emotional access to not feeling lonely.
WEAKNESS AND ASPECTS OR ASSETS TO DEVELOP:
When Nova finds Lux, she finds a companion, this can be done well in a game because we inhabit an avatar (Nova) and interact with Lux by giving it power-ups, making sure its health doesn't go down too low which gives the player direct emotional access to not feeling lonely.
WEAKNESS AND ASPECTS OR ASSETS TO DEVELOP:
What about the source narrative doesn’t suit your chosen element and mechanics, or will need to be given closer attention as part of your story’s conversion into interactivity?
What doesn't work – what's shit about it
When Nova finds out she is a robot in my source narrative, it's difficult to reveal/show in the game,
as it is a 2D side scroller. The view of Nova will be side on in order to not break immersion, but can make the player feel less connected to the character because the view can make them feel like they
are spectating. Maybe the reveal would have worked better in a 3D game, because the point of
view would have been first person, this would have allowed the player to feel more connected to
the character as they would see it through their eyes.
The backstory of the source narrative is quite complex, it's difficult to show the backstory by micro-
narrative, as the players might not notice. If the player has no knowledge of the backstory, it would
be hard to understand why Lux is the last creature, the game appears to have several plot holes, but
these holes are filled by micro-narrative. I could develop the micro-narrative so that when the player
plays the game, the micro-narrative will be more obvious and intriguing, making the player
understand the narrative more.
narrative, as the players might not notice. If the player has no knowledge of the backstory, it would
be hard to understand why Lux is the last creature, the game appears to have several plot holes, but
these holes are filled by micro-narrative. I could develop the micro-narrative so that when the player
plays the game, the micro-narrative will be more obvious and intriguing, making the player
understand the narrative more.
LINEARITY
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