An Introduction to Doranath: Free Weekend

To celebrate 6 months since launch, An Introduction to Doranath will be free this weekend (25/26 of July). If you haven't got it yet, now might be a good time!

To those who have bought it, thanks. 

I would also like to take this occasion to thank everyone who has supported me either by buying my book, or reading The Narrative Within.

Change in Operating Practice

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to take the time to update you all on a change in the way the Narrative Within will operate.
Due to a change in my studies there will no longer be weekly instalments of The Narrative Within. Instead, I propose to do the following:
The Creation Myth - There will be one new piece of the Creation Myth released each month - completed as time allows.
Sagrannus Gaming - There will be 1-2 new editions of Sagrannus Gaming released each month, depending on time commitments and availability of material.
Discussions and Interviews - These will not appear on a set timeline, instead coming out when they are ready.
I apologise for these sudden changes, but hopefully this will allow for the delivery of more polished content which will allow The Narrative Within to continue to deliver material of a good quality and quantity.

Thanks,
N N B Clarke

The First Book of Cullus

This week sees the arrival of the second instalment of the Creation Myth of Doranath. In it we see the first fall of the Elves, and the Creation of Cullus - First amongst the Gods. I hope you enjoy.

The First Book of Cullus

The Three having ventured through the Universe that was their realm, did return to the World, which they had left in the care of the Elven kind. The World, to both their pride and dismay, had changed. A natural order had been established with their Custodians, the Elves, at the pinnacle of it.

The Elven longevity, and deep understanding of the magics of their Creators, placed them well above the beasts and plants of the World, which they called Ealdcýðð. They took it upon themselves to shape the World to suit their ends, and to carve the mountains into homes for themselves.

Whilst the initiative shown by the Elves did greatly please the Three, they wished to experience their World in a truer sense. To this end, they took on material forms, and each wandered the World alone, experiencing for the first time the pleasures of the physical, and the limitations that were bound to it. Sanas was drawn to the oceans, and spoke with the fish and corals, learning more of the world. Henas travelled the forests and jungles and did take great pleasure in the abundance of life. Goras, so driven by destruction, lifted a new mountain from the soils of the North, causing the World to spew forth its molten blood, and formed with this blood the greatest of mounts: Drael.

No matter where they went, however, the Three did learn the same things. The Elves had become aloof, and shirked their duties as Custodians, instead isolating themselves and caring only for their own. The beasts brought grievances against the Custodians, and begged for some new protectors that would better serve the World.

Upon leaving the World once more, the Three did hatch a new plan. First, they selected the greatest spirits that had formed throughout the world – those which were purest in their essence - and uplifted them, creating the first Gods. These beings had no identities, being simply forces of nature. With such greatly heightened strengths, and consciousness, they did battle furiously amongst themselves and did lay waste to many parts of the World. Appalled, the Three did quell these disputes, and decided upon an even greater endeavour. To guide these new Gods, the Three did sacrifice a small amount of their essences, fusing them into a new being – unique amongst all their creations.

This Being they gave all the knowledge of their creations, and power over all things living. However, having observed the savageness the Lesser Gods, the Three agreed to give more of Henas’ essence – the Essence of Preservation – to this new Being, in the hope that it would seek to preserve the World and all within it. This Being then wandered the World unbidden, learning of its charges, and watching the first Custodians. Then, the Being returned to the Three and accepted its charge, and gave itself identity. It named itself Cullus – using the tongue of the Elves to choose the name -  and did declare that it would be as a Father to the Gods, and to all the creations of the Three.

For a time, the Three observed Cullus and his actions around the World. First, he spoke with all the beasts of the World, listening to their grievances and resolving disputes. Then, he spoke with trees and plants, and found them calm. Moving on, he consulted even the stones, coming to understand their nature. At last he gathered together the Gods and did give them order. He formed them into Three Orders, and did give them each their duties within the World, bringing order from the chaos.

His first duties done, he did rest awhile, observing the goings on of his new Order, and consulting often with both his charges and the Three. Still, he felt an imbalance in the World, a lack of respect for his Order, and an irreverence towards the Three that made him ill at ease. He sought out the heart of this imbalance, and appeared before it. The Elves, offended by Cullus’ creation, and arrogant beyond compare, had raised a great temple to their leader - praying to him rather than to Cullus, the Gods, or the Three.

In a fury that revealed the nature of Cullus - The Storm – he did tear the temple asunder, shattering every stone and grinding it to dust. The Elves he did strip of many of their gifts, so as to punish them for their irreverence. He banished them from their cities, to return only once they had proven willing to serve their original duties as Custodians. He allowed them to retain their longevity, but did curb their powers, bringing them into closer harmony with the World.

In terror and despair the Elven arrogance fled, and they did kneel before Cullus. They begged him for reprieve, forgiveness, and guidance. Merciful but stern, he did give them all three. As Reprieve, he did grant them their own Gods, who answered only to him. As Forgiveness, he did grant them pardon for their past crimes, allowing them a new beginning. For Guidance, he granted them the gift to speak with the beasts and trees as he did, so the World might better communicate its needs to the Custodians. Grateful, the Elves departed their cities, and took up new homes across the World.

Pleased, Cullus rested, planning his next move as Father to the World. Relieved by the success of their Scion, the Three returned once more to Aether and Void, to explore and experiment further. It would take a cataclysm beyond the imagining of even Cullus to bring them once more to the World.

That is all for this week. I hope you enjoyed the First Book of Cullus.
Until next week,
N N B Clarke.

Sagrannus Gaming: Sid Meier's Railroads!

Welcome to the inaugural installment of Sagrannus Gaming. The idea behind Sagrannus Gaming is to write up a small article on a game selected with neither rhyme nor reason from my respectable game library. These are not so much reviews, or recommendations, but short discussions on various elements of the game in question, and my thoughts on the game as a whole.
Sagrannus Gaming will make an appearance every months or so.
I am not receiving any financing from anyone involved in the game industry, and my opinions are independent.
So, let's kick this off.

Image sourced from wikipedia.org

Sid Meier's Railroads!

Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Genre: Business Simulation Game
Released: October, 2006

As many gamers know, if it comes with 'Sid Meier' on the box, odds are pretty good that it will be a simulation game of some description. Personally, I encountered Sid Meier's games fairly late in my gaming life, with the first of his games that I bought being Civilization V, despite being a strategy/simulation lover. However, since then I have come to love the themes and gameplay of the games coming out of Firaxis games.

After playing Civilization V to death, I hunted for something new. My love of all things mechanical led me to Train Fever. Into that, I sank many more hours of my life, but the lack of any competitive elements, along with a number of other quibbles, resulted in me being left wanting. Then, dear old Steam recommended Sid Meier's Railroads! and, it being cheap, I snapped it up. 

Immediately the art-style caught my attention, and the simple and intuitive gameplay sucked me in. But enough praise, let us get into the nitty-gritty.

Gameplay

As I said above, the gameplay is quite intuitive. The game introduces concepts in a logical manner, and everything proceeds in a way that makes sense (at least to me), allowing the player to grasp the concepts quite quickly - as you progress through the game however, the difficulty ramps up...to a point...and the player is forced to build on the basics. 

Being real-time (though with a pause function), the player does need to be on the ball. Whenever in menus however, the game does pause, which is a godsend at times.

The player is given (at random) a starting station within the chosen map, and from there can choose to build up their rail empire however they so choose. They may connect to resources and link these raw materials with their related industries, selling the materials upon delivery - the next step is to link these manufactured goods to cities that will purchase them. Or, the play can transport passengers and mail between cities. Or any combination of the above - there is no one 'right way.' Here, with this in depth system, Railroads! trumps Train Fever.
Railroads! also offers competitive elements. While the player can go solo on a map, they can choose to have up to 3 rival railroad owners (who, as is Sid Meier's wont, are based on various famous historical figures, depending on the map you choose). The player competes in several ways - all resources are limited (e.g. a mine can only provide so much ore at any one time) so there is competition for resources/goods/passengers. Railroads can be used offensively to deny areas of the map to others. Various patents come up as the game progresses, offering technologies that may reduce costs, increase profits, or offer operational advantages to trains (better cornering, greater pulling power). Players bid on these patents, and they really can be game changes. The final competitive element is one I personally haven't seen elsewhere - stocks. Players can buy and sell stocks in their company and in the others - the end goal being to buy out their opponents to either merge companies, or liquidate their opponents' assets. This is a great gameplay element that adds that little bit of extra difficulty.

Objective complete! Image taken in-game by author.

All the developer made maps include a series of objectives that anyone can complete. Completion of these objectives are displayed as newspaper articles that help immersion. Random news events are reported in a similar fashion. There is generally some comedic element to these newspaper articles, which often brings a smile.
As time progresses in the game, new trains become available, and the player can upgrade their trains - once again asking them to balance efficiency and costs.

The AI ranges from pathetically simple to dangerously aggressive and I find it enjoyably challenging at the higher levels.

The simplicity of the overall gameplay means once you are good, you are nigh unbeatable.

Graphics

Despite being 9 years old now, it is a good looking game. Using a 3D cartoon aesthetic that was clearly well developed and implemented, the game has an appealing art-style (in my opinion), that is bright and charming. It can get a bit muddled late in the game as the chunkiness of the art means copious railroads begin to obstruct the view. Thanks to this neat art-style, the game doesn't look particular dated.

Charming and not too dated. Image taken in-game by author.

Those familiar with Sid Meier/Firaxis games will find the disproportionate art-style very familiar. Cities grow into massive sprawls, and the trains and railroads are larger-than-life against the backdrop.
An element I find really great is the animations of resources, and their interaction with trains. You can watch trees being felled and being drawn into the sawmill, or animals grazing in their fields. All raw materials have animations showing them being loaded onto the trains (see screenshot), which adds to the charm.
Best of all, because of the age, it isn't going to be a burden on your rig, whether it is a study laptop, gaming beast, or something in between.
Soundtrack
There isn't a whole lot to say about the soundtrack. It suits the game, and does not intrude, but isn't outstanding. It never becomes annoying, which is always good.

(Re)Playability

As with most Firaxis games, there is a lot of replayability. The open-ended nature of the game, and the variety of approaches available makes it worth many replays. The developer has provided a good number of maps with scenarios, and some custom maps. There is also a relatively active modding community that provides new maps (and I believe, trains) which extends the playable life of the game as well. Add the range of difficulties and the charming aesthetic. into the mix and you get a game that offers a long playing life. I play 5-10 hours every few weeks, and enjoy myself every time.

Overall, I think Sid Meier's Railroads! is a highly enjoyable game, and one of those rare few that despite its age, still doesn't feel dated or in need of a sequel. Hardcore sim/strategy players may find it a bit over-simplistic, but for a more casual simulation experience, this one fits the bill. If you are craving something to fill the business/railroad simulation shaped hole in you life, this might just be what you need.

Sagrannus Rating – 8.0/10 (Good Game)

I hope you have enjoyed the first installment of Sagrannus Gaming - as always comments and shares are welcomed. Next week, The Narrative Within will be back with the next Creation Myth installment.

Thanks for reading!

Sagrannus (aka N N B Clarke)

The Narrative Within Interactive Media (Part 2)

I have spent the past week or so buried in the wonderful world of The Witcher 3. It is the best written, best polished, and most immersive game I have played in a very long time. So, before I kick off today's discussion, I would like to say that (in my opinion) CD Projekt Red have shown the world of game development how it should be done. They did not rush their launch, taking the time to make sure the launch was stable, and the game playable on launch. This is fantastic, and the way that all developers should do it!
Now, moving on, we shall look at another element of the narrative within video games: Character Writing. I will focus the dicussion into Player Characters, and Non-Player Characters (with a focus of RPGs - though you might find some comments applicable to other genres). Some terms I use below are common parlance, others I have made myself.

Player Characters

The Player Character is, as the name suggests, the character(s) that the player controls throughout the narrative of the video game.  These characters take various forms, depending on the intent of the developer - how they want the player to interact with the character's narrative.
Empty Trousers - This type of character has little real personality, and at times little real impact upon the narrative of the game. This type of character allow the player to interact with the narrative by giving the a 'vehicle' through which they can observe the world. Often, in this case, the dominant NPCs of the game carry the story of the game - the Player character actually serving as a tool to help them complete their goals. This type of Player Character is not particularly common in RPGs - more often appearing in FPS (First Person Shooters) and other action-based games.
The Unalterable - A type of Player Character that is becoming less common in RPGs as writing becomes more common, this type is similar to the Empty Trousers but carries the story themselves. As mentioned last week, this results in the player at times feel like they are acting out the role of a character in a film. The actions of the player have no impact upon the narrative, the player simply performing the actions they are instructed to, much as the Empty Trousers type does. The most notable game of recent years that features this character type is the Uncharted series.
The Alterable - This type of PC is particularly effective in recent games. The Alterable PC is a character who has been initially created by the developer - their name, appearance, and past decided upon before the Player begins the game. However, once the Player takes control, the Player is given the power to make choices on behalf of the Character - how they respond to problems, how they resolve conflicts, how they interact with their world. At present, in my opinion, this is the most effective way for video games to achieve proper immersion. By giving the player a starting 'stance' within the game, with a clear backstory and appearance, the player is encouraged to engage deeply with the character. Surprise surprise, in my opinion the best example of this type is Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series.
The True Player Character - This, potentially, is the direction in which future RPGs will take. Technology (particularly the AI, and world building sides of things) hasn't yet got the power to truly realise this character type, but video games such as Fallout, Wasteland, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and The Elder Scrolls have demonstrated the potential of this character type. Player's are permitted to define the appearance of their 'avatar', name them, sometimes even write their backstory. However, at present, they are still given a specific role to fulfill in the world, even if this role is relatively broad and unguided (Fallout and The Elder Scrolls are probably the best example of this).
Ultimately, I think, we will reach the point where a virtual world can be created, and the player can create any character they like, and have no overarching plot governing their way through the narrative, instead allowing the player to travel through a truly dynamic world - much like the best run Dungeons & Dragons table top games.
As you can imagine, all of these Player Character types can be effective in allowing the Player to experience the world of a video game. Each offers different levels of immersion, and allows the player to interact in different ways with the Narrative. Most people have a personal preference for a particular type of character and no way is the one 'right way'.
Each type would obviously come with its own particular complexities in writing, though some require fewer scripted elements, other would require more.

NPCs

Non-Player Characters are any characters within a game who are not controlled by the player. As such, their interactions with the Player Character and the narrative are predetermined. However, as you can imagine, the different types of PC impact upon how the NPCs actions are determined. In something as heavily scripted as Empty Trousers or The Unalterable, the NPCs are not required to react to anything, instead acting out their roles within the narrative. In games where the player has choices and is able to impact upon the world and its residents, the NPCs must be more complex, as they must have the capacity to interact with the actions of the player. If, in these games, the NPCs lack this necessary complexity, the immersive quality of the game is reduced, and can potentially ruin the gaming experience.

As such, the writing of NPCs is inextricably tied to the writing of the PCs.

Conlcusion

In conclusion, it can be seen that character creation is a a deeply involved process, and corner cutting would inevitably be detrimental to the game's narrative. Both PCs and NPCs must be written with their interaction kept in mind - neither type will be effective, or add to the narrative's immersiveness, if they fail to interact properly with each other. Without carefully written NPCs, even the best designed PC will fall flat, and vice versa.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's installment of The Narrative Within.

Until next week, 

N N B Clarke

The Narrative Within Interactive Media (Part 1)

So yes, it is a little late, and yes, it is a slightly obscure title, but here it is!
I am a huge proponent of Video Games as art. No, let's not have the debate here. I will however, justify my position as follows:
Video Games are for kids - No, some video games are for kids. Just as there are books, films, television programs, etc., for children, teenagers, and adults so there are video games for all demographics. It's just the way it is.
Video Games do not further societal causes - They do. They really do. In video games, the characters can say things that many people would be afraid to say - they can oppose problems in a way that few other mediums can (I'll get to why later). Video Games/series such as The Witcher, Fallout, Wasteland, This War of Mine, StarCraft are all able offer powerful social commentaries, making them valid theatres for discussion. Unfortunately, as some of you may be aware, video games can also be used to attack certain groups with society - with great power comes...well, you know the rest.
The Video Game industry offers gainful, rewarding employment to many individuals of varying skills, serving to grow the creative arts industries worldwide. Talented writers, composers, artists, musicians, coders, and historians all find employment in the Video Game industry.
As with many new fields (though interactive media isn't so new anymore), there is opposition, particularly from those who are besotted with the Status Quo. Today's discussion may touch on that, but the main thrust of today will begin to look at the narratives within Video Games (aka Interactive Media). Please note that I do not, and have not, worked in the Video Game industry, and am viewing things from the point of view of a writer.

How do Video Games tell Stories?

In myriad ways. As with other mediums, video games are able to express their narratives in various ways, depending on the intention of the creator. However, there are many complications to presenting a story in a video game.

Role Playing Games: Video Games ranging from Wasteland and Baldur's Gate all the way to Mass Effect and The Witcher are considered Role Playing Games (of various types). RPGs, as their name suggests, place the player in the driver's seat, so to speak. The player takes on a role, often that of the narrative's protagonist, and 'acts' in the throughout the game. A common hallmark of RPGs is allowing the player to customise their character, whether their appearance, their abilities, and/or their equipment. RPGs are nearly always heavily story driven. Some RPGs offer little to no choice to the player, simply guiding them by the hand through the narrative. Others, especially in recent years, offer greater freedom to the player, allowing them to explore the game's world, and permitting them to guide the narrative through their own decisions and actions. It is important to note that many modern video games not of the RPG genre are incorporating elements of RPGs into them to enhance the experience.
Strategy Games (Real Time and Turn Based) - Strategy games are able to have rich narratives, or have an absence of narrative. However, the narrative is presented differently, with the player simply observing the story from the stands, and completing objectives as instructed. The StarCraft series is a good example of this. The player is in command during missions, but for the rest of the time simply watches the story pan out, taking little to no active role in the narrative.
Adventure Games - Whilst adventure games (and action-adventure games) are often heavily story driven, and the player often takes on the role of protagonist, the level of involvement is very different to that in RPGs. A good example is the Uncharted series. Feeling more like a DIY movie experience, the player observes the story of Nathan Drake, and 'acts' out his 'scenes' but the story is linear, with little to no choice given to the player.
I am sure you can use these three example to extrapolate the issues of other genres.
I talked about choice a fair amount. Please do not think that the absence of choice is a bad thing in a video game - it isn't. What is important is the quality of the story, and how it is told. Some stories lend themselves well to choice (The Witcher, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age series' for example) whilst others would probably gain little by adding choice (Uncharted, Tomb Raider). It is also dependant on the experience a particular person is seeking. Some people will enjoy choice, others would prefer to be guided by the narrative, enjoying it as they would a film or book.
Some video games feature narrators, some have the player and non-player characters (PCs and NPCs) acting out the narrative, others tell the story through pieces of information picked up along the way. Some (especially RPGs) use a combination of the three. There is no one 'right way'.

The Big Challenge

Video game writers face a challenge that I, as a writer, never face. I write a story, and people read it. no complication there. As the medium of video games has evolved, however, it has demonstrated its greatest strength, and greatest weakness - its interactivity. Short of some board games, and Choose Your Own Adventure books, there is no other medium that offers choice in the way that video games do.

Early video games had a set narrative, and while the player could do various other things in the game world, the narrative was a set thing, to be experienced in a specified order. However, as technology (and talent) has advanced, video games have changed. Now, players can choose not only how quickly or slowly a story advances, but can also choose which characters take part in it, who lives or dies, and even the order of the scenes to some extent. As I writer, I can imagine how challenging that makes creating the video game's narrative. The story must be robust, yet versatile, to remain coherent while still granting such freedoms to the 'reader'. Further, the story must be able to maintain its narrative drive, even though the reader may see scenes 'out of order' or take much longer to progress the plot than the writer might intend. All of things make it more complicated, and I tip my hat to those writers who can plan for these challenges, and overcome them.

The Illusion of Choice.

Ultimately, many of the choices made by a player are superficial - what armour their character wears, or what weapons they wield affect the gameplay, but not the narrative. While the player might choose to take part in various elements of the story in a particular order, they are still ultimately taking part in the same story. I won't deny that recently video games have been able to present choice and consequence in a powerful way  - such as certain choices having unforeseen consequences in the narrative. However, these consequences were still planned. So, what does the narrative seek to do?

I would argue that the game's narrative seeks to create the opportunity for choices to be made, and to have consequences that are meaningful enough to immerse the player in the experience.

For example, BioWare's Mass Effect games have a fairly thinly veiled choice system. In Mass Effect 2, if the player chose not to complete all the side missions for a given companion, that companion would die in the endgame suicide mission. On the other hand, if the chose to complete all side missions, the companion in question would survive. While this might be immersive the first time, it loses its power in consequent playthroughs, and at a meta level, is quite basic. One of the strengths of the The Witcher Franchise (which are based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski) is that the choices made by the player may not have readily apparent consequences. The player might opt to spare someone early in the plot, only to have them reappear many acts later to aid the player (or oppose them). Often, and to the game's credit, the player has no way of foreseeing the possible outcomes, which makes the game especially immersive. Impressively, some games (The Witcher included) do not make these choices obvious, and the player might make them with little serious thought (much like the real world). Some players, however, might find this extremely frustrating.

As you can imagine, having to write in such detail, and with such robustness, must be extremely talented, and video game writing teams the world over, I feel, deserve a round of applause, and infinite respect.

Wrapping up Part 1

As you would have guessed, this will be a multi-part discussion. Today I intended to lay down the groundwork, and impress upon you just how had the writer's of video game narrative have to work to succeed. The next instalment (or two) will roll out in the coming weeks. I intend to look at character writing in video games, and the complexities there, as well as look at the social impact that video game narratives can have.

Until then,

Thanks for reading...

N N B Clarke

Delayed Works

Just a brief note this evening.  I am currently working on a discussion on interactive media, but it is taking a little longer than I anticipated.  As such,  part one of this discussion will come later this week.
Apologies for the delay,
N N B Clarke