In early 2017, Telltale was attempting to resolve a design downside it had been trying to determine for years: how do you inform Telltale-style tales, however with extra flexibility and player-controlled moments?
To discover the reply to this query, the corporate was experimenting with procedural storytelling. If you could have ever performed This War of Mine, you in all probability have an thought of what Telltale was going for, trying to string selection and consequence into gameplay, to inform tales that actually did change each time you play.
We spoke to Alexis Kennedy – creator of Cultist Simulator and freelance author for Dragon Age four and different games – to seek out out precisely what this challenge was all about.
“While I was at BioWare, this was early 2017 I think, Telltale approached me because they wanted some consultancy on a specific narrative, procedurally generated thing,” Kennedy says.
The factor in query was a brand new zombie game, primarily based on a well-liked video game collection that isn’t something to do with The Walking Dead.
“It was a project that had been ongoing for years, with a variety of different people coming and going, to try to find a way to do something different to the usual Telltale approach,” Kennedy explains. “Above all, it was one thing that didn’t require hand-tuned content material however allowed room for stuff that emerged naturally from procedural technology.
“It’s a tough downside and my sturdy impression is that there was a big, long run effort by Telltale to strive discover one other strategy to do issues. But given their brutal dev cycle, they may by no means focus consideration on it. It’s actually laborious to do two sorts of issues.”
The game, deliberate for cellular however presumably additionally thought of for different platforms, can be constructed round base administration and useful resource gathering. Mobile game Reigns and the narrative-focused Fallen London had been quoted as influences.
It would preserve the enduring Telltale artwork type, however its tales would kind from its methods. For instance, one of many assets you handle can be individuals, however every individual would have their very own traits, strengths, and weaknesses. The drama that unfolded can be derived from these.
“The project was going to have more gameplay, and wouldn’t require a narrative designer and a writer to fine-tune every single scene,” Kennedy says. “It can be handcrafted bits, suspended in a gel or ocean of procedural bits.
“Plenty of the issue for this sort of method is looking for writing that works – it may be too particular, it may be repetitive, and it is advisable write a variety of it. Too generic and it seems to be prefer it’s been assembled on a manufacturing line by a language engine.”
Unfortunately, the complete staff bar one individual was laid off with the Telltale redundancies earlier this yr. Little did anybody know that might be an omen for the tragic studio closure that would see 250 people lose their jobs with none discover or severance simply six months later.
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