Moonrise

In which Ian and Andy discuss how to keep gamers coming back for more delicious story nuggets over the course of hours or years.

This week we’re discussing how to give a voice to the character you play in Moonrise.

In our recent article on building our Quest system, we intentionally left out a big, complicated chunk: pacing. We did this for two reasons. First, it’s really big, messy subject, and second, because we wanted to save it for the folks over here on MMORPG.com, so that you know you are forever precious in our hearts.

Today Andy is joined by Moonrise designer Brian Giaime, and together they’ll discuss the process used to name the many unusual creatures (collectively known as Solari) inhabiting the game world.

I find that most folks assume that writing is a solitary task. They picture a lonely person toiling away in a quiet room, locked away from everyone and everything. While that may describe some writers, it’s definitely not how we’re approaching Moonrise.

Today we’re discussing the tone of our game’s story. Tone is one of the hardest things to define for a game, especially before you start writing. Everyone can sit down, talk about touchstones, and agree on a target, but at the end of the day, tone is something that develops during the creation process, not something you just decide to do in advance.

In Moonrise, your character is a member of the Wardens Guild. In fact, you’re a brand-new graduate of the Warden Academy as the game begins. After a decade of diligent study, you’re finally qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of a Warden. But what does that mean?

Last week, I shared some details of my process of world-building for this new Undead Labs/Kabam game. This week, Ian leads a discussion about the inspirations that we drew on for building the story of Moonrise, as well as some key themes that our story explores.

Some might ask, “Why bother with story? I just want to fight monsters.” I’ve always believed that good story can only help a game, even for players who don’t consciously pay attention to it. A cohesive, compelling world seeps into your unconscious mind, making the game more immersive, more intriguing, and ultimately more fun to hang out in for hours and hours.