Development of a script for a game or application

What is the specific job of a game script writer?

Technically speaking, a writer is a subdivision of a game designer.

Game script development requires the author not only to be an expert in story generation, but also to have a sharp game design instinct .

Unlike a writer, his main goal is to entertain the players, not the readers. Thus, the author must make the story interesting enough for people who may not like to read very much.

If you make a story that is uninteresting or even violates the gameplay plan, in the worst case, gamers will quickly end their acquaintance with the writer's work. And, perhaps, they will no longer want to get acquainted.

To overcome this problem, the author must collaborate with the developers to plan out the storyline. Unlike a writer who can work alone, a screenwriter needs ideas from game designers to adequately incorporate their story. The author needs to know when the narration takes place, how the story can be presented with cutscenes, what action can be represented with animation, and how long the narration can be on.

All this requires intensive communication with game designers as architects of game mechanics. They must complement each other. Application script development has the same features.

Thus, the created plot will be interesting for gamers, will not violate the game design in general and will be in harmony with the gameplay.

The most important elements of the story

A good story should have a balanced (harmonious) combination of constituent elements and an idea in order to create an immersive interactive experience for gamers around the world.

Player-Character Relationship

The author largely determines the relationship between the player and the character. The player must understand and believe in character development—the backstory, motivation, and emotional trajectory of the character—and desire for them to succeed. The character should behave realistically given their personality so that players can immerse themselves in the storyline.

Concise dialogue

Dialogue is another important aspect. How the player character and other non-player characters (NPCs) talk to each other helps the player better understand and define who they are in the video game's story. Dialogue also advances the plot, fills in gaps in the story, and provides moments of amusement or tension for the person who is playing.

Interesting setting

A good story usually has a detailed, well thought out, concretized setting. Designing an interesting and interactive space in which players can explore and learn more about the world helps to strengthen the player's emotional connection with the story.

In some games, creative or intuitive environments that have vibrant visuals and interactivity to convey the narrative and its emotional moments completely eliminate the need for dialogue.

Correct tempo

Too long storyline can cause the player to lose interest in the story. On the contrary, a plot that develops too quickly will not bring satisfactory payouts. Speed ​​is the frequency with which information is acquired during a game, and is an important part of writing video games.

Basic steps for writing a story for a video game

The creation of an application script, like the creation of a game script, is usually based on the following basic steps.

Describe your story

First you need to outline the main storyline. Regardless of whether the final product is linear or has multiple endings, the main, canonical story should be dealt with first. This includes all the main events that take place with the main characters, and all the main plot points that will develop.

It should be emphasized that the plot in modern realities usually does not play a leading role, but rather plays an auxiliary one.

Determine the genre

After the story is described in general terms, it is necessary to decide in what genre it will be written. There is a wide variety of genres. The screenwriter must have a broad gaming outlook. He must include genre diversity in his life in order to decide what best suits his story. How the author decides to tell the story can determine the entire player experience.

Build the world

Video games are perceived from the player's point of view, and the player will spend more time interacting with the game world around them than looking at the characters they play.

To build the world you need:

• determine which part of the world will be available for exploration;
• customize the knowledge, culture, language and history of the world - the more details the better;
• Create a unique environment that promotes character development and fits into the story the author is creating.

Note that generating a detailed sci-fi or fantasy world can be a lot of fun, and it's easy to get bogged down at this stage.

However, focusing on too many aspects of building a fantasy world will not only take time away from actually writing it, but also possibly restrict freedom when trying to change the story later.

The story and other details will keep changing along the way, so don't get too caught up in the details.

Create main characters

Each character should have a description so that game designers can properly design them based on who the characters are, what they look like, and what they're capable of. The following types of heroes are distinguished: protagonist, antagonist, comrades of the protagonist and other important figures related to the plot.

It is necessary to specify the character traits of the characters and their relationship with other heroes. Some of these relationships will likely change as the script progresses, but it's good to have a starting point for building the story.

Create a flowchart

After creating the world and its inhabitants, you need to arrange all the events in the form of a flowchart or timeline. Flowcharts help visualize the structure of the game's story and help keep track of any changes that are made to the narrative. These visual timelines are especially useful when writing non-linear games, as they can help keep track of where and when each event in the story takes place. In such video games throughout history, players have to make many decisions. Thus, the author should develop all possible options that will allow the player to feel that he really organically controls the character in the current world.

Write the main story

You can write the entire story from start to finish, but you can also focus on the main cutscenes - the non-interactive cutscenes that move the story forward - as these scenes can help set the mood, style, and pace of the story, providing a solid foundation for building the story .

Pay attention to detail

Once the main events and interactions are well thought out, more details need to be added. The generation of side quests and NPCs are two ways to add depth to stories. Side quests help open up the world to the player by encouraging exploration and often require the player to obtain items that can add another layer to the story and setting. NPCs can also add depth to the player character. This makes the main character more realistic and well-rounded. In addition, NPCs are useful for making the story more interactive because intrigued players will click on NPCs to find out the story and the missions they have to complete next.

If you do not want to deal with such painstaking and tedious work, it is better to order a script from experienced specialists.