Best in-game story telling method and questions!

[joe_rogers_11155]

thats an interesting point. you are right, of course.

back to OP, i think a lot of the reason that story is left behind is in the difficulty in simply releasing a map at all, much less in fitting custom story in. its just easier to make a simple HL2 run and gun story.

i guess my point above has been to point out the great deal of research I've been doing to present a good story. for the same reason i think most people will skip my mod's story elements to get to the fighting parts, they will skip the researching and writing required to make a good story in their own mods.

[Ashfall_2008]

My thoughts on the above are...

People don't know what they want until it is given to them!

Create your mod, your way. Never try to change your mod to fit with what others want. Other people are stupid!

It's like the stupid screen testing of endings of Hollywood movies they do. Screen test audiences must be the dumbest f***ers on the planet and have clearly ruined thousands of potentially fantastic film endings.

I think it's great you've done the research you have and you clearly enjoy doing that or you wouldn't have done so much of it. Good for you...

I don't think it's necessary to go to the lengths you have just to establish a good story but each to their own and if it adds a shed load of realism to an environment then great.

[BillyDa59]

Why don't more mappers make an effort with story in their maps?
I think this is mostly a case of right-brained vs left-brained/creativity vs logic. Writing and story telling is more of an artsy skill where as level-design is more logical and analytical. A good game/mod/level/map is a perfect marriage of those two different worlds. In other words, the story aspect may just not be that person's forte. I think it'd be kind of interesting to have some sort of study that profiles mappers and their maps...

Do players even expect a decent story these days?
I think a vast majority of game enthusiasts are mindless little kids screaming at other kids on Xbox Live. I don't think such people pay attention to a game's story, if it has any. So no, I don't think 'most' gamers expect a story.

What's the best story you've ever seen told in a custom map?
I'm not sure. Just off the top of my head, I would have to say that Dear Esther mod. It mostly told its story by voice overs and attention grabbing and unusual visual scenes.

What stories would you like to see told?
I don't have any particular desire for a particular story. Games are more about being fun, in my opinion. I guess this answer kinda doubles as an answer for question 2 also...

[InterValve]

if you look back at games like Theif or System Shock 2, the environments were crap compared to todays standards. It was the story that made them excellent games not the visuals.

You must be joking.Thief has one of the most elaborate level designs in history.

the mod currently entails a lot of wandering around in the wasteland with occasional NPC's to come across,

i was hoping to convey lots of the story through exploring the devastation

Sounds awesome.I always wanted to explore detailed virtual worlds without bots shooting at me.

People don't know what they want until it is given to them!

Create your mod, your way. Never try to change your mod to fit with what others want. Other people are stupid!

So true!