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Interactive storytelling
First, let's break down the narrative structure behind the scenes. Players engage through actions like puzzles, dialogue, combat, and exploration, which prompt reactions from the game world, such as NPC behavior changes or environmental shifts. These reactions evoke emotions (pride, guilt, fear, or joy) shaping the player’s experience. These emotions then influence the player’s next interaction, creating a dynamic cycle of meaningful choices and evolving consequences
We are an accumulation of our actions, but it's challenging to represent this complexity in a game without creating a sprawling, unsustainable narrative tree. So, how can we provide variety in the story while keeping it manageable? The answer: let’s keep score! By focusing on a few larger choice models, we can track how players interact with the game world without letting the narrative spiral out of scope.
For example, we can break choices into three categories:
"What you say" aligns with dialogue choices, shaping interactions and relationships.
"What you do" captures a broad range of player actions, such as completing quests or succeeding in romancing a specific NPC.
"What you did" reflects major outcomes, like whether a key character lived or died, or if the player used lethal force when a non-lethal option was available.
Examples in Popular Games:
Mass Effect 2:
What you say: Dialogue choices affect Paragon/Renegade alignment and relationships with squad members.
What you do: Completing loyalty missions ensures crew readiness for the Suicide Mission.
What you did: Decisions during the Suicide Mission, such as assigning roles or choosing to explore side objectives, determine which characters live or die
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt:
What you say: Dialogue options impact relationships with major characters (Yennefer, Triss, or Ciri) and influence quest outcomes.
What you do: Choices in side quests, such as sparing or killing a villain, can alter future encounters or even regional politics.
What you did: Major story decisions, like whether you guide Ciri as a mentor or treat her as a peer, determine her ultimate fate and the game's ending.
Questline Example
Quest Name: "The Whispering Hillock."
Choice: Decide whether to kill or spare the spirit of the tree known as the "Crones' Mother" (also referred to as the Whispering Hillock) during the quest.
Quest Name: "Return to Crookback Bog"
Impact:
If you spared the spirit, the villagers are killed by the freed spirit, and the Crones take revenge on the Baron and his family, drastically altering the region’s fate.
If you killed the spirit, the villagers are spared, but the Baron’s family remains in turmoil, with the Baron possibly meeting a tragic end depending on other choices.
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