12 replies to this topic

[Bill Fountaine]

I don't know what to write about character wise, story wise, what kind of game I want it to play out as. Is there any tips anyone can give me so I can get myself started?

[TechnoGoth]

um find a new area of interest? Most creative people I know myself included suffer from the problem of too many Ideas and not enough focus. They tend to have too many ideas but struggle to finish things without a lot of effort.

But regardless what i do is start with a seed idea and begin to flesh it out and expand it. Then write various scenes that I want to play out in that story. Once I have the scenes I like written up I start expanding out from there and begin to turn those series of scenes into a fully fledge plot arch and story.

The most important part though is spending a couple of hours every day working it, The more you write the better you'll get like any other skill or talent.

If you haven't got any ideas to start with then begin with inspiration from something you thats already out there you like. Then either write it as a piece of fan fiction or your own take an existing idea.

[sunandshadow]

Well, do you know what creativity is? A lot of people have a misconception that creative ideas just pop magically into some people's heads. It's not like that at all. Creativity is about combining familiar elements in new ways. Creativity also has more analysis involved than many people realize. The groundwork for producing creative ideas is being able to recognize pattern and elements in others' work, because this is the major source of building blocks and blueprints for your mental supply bins and drafting tables that you use to redesign and assemble your own original works. Analysis is also involved in the sense of "know thyself" - figuring out what you like in others' work and why is the main way you figure out what you would like to put in your own work.

[Bill Fountaine]

Every idea I seemingly come up with I scrap because it's either downright stupid, or a carbon copy off so something i like.

[JoeCooper]

Then I'm suspicious that you should be writing for a game at all. Are you actually trying to make a game and you feel you "have to" have a bunch of writing? Game products may be enriched by art, but it is not mandatory. No story is better than bad story.

That said...

First, you need something that moves you. I strongly recommend something real. It can be... The Moon. The Civil War. The Spanish Civil War. Boobs. Whatever.

You might then start trying to make crap up in that context.

Make up a scenario and a blank character. The scenario is a challenge to the character. Make it up as you go.

Then write and we'll see what comes out. If you're too worried about whether it's stupid or derivative... Have a drink. It does not matter whatsoever for the purposes of this exercise.

I'll tell you more when you're done. You may respond with something you've already made. 3000 words maximum. Make some coffee and start typing. Go.

EDIT: If you saw this before I edited it, yes I deleted half the post. Make some crap up and post it and we'll work from there.

[Zethariel]

As the people before me, I too advise -- just starting typing/drawing or whatever other manner you would like to express yourself in. The key is the first step -- want to write, start writing. Want to code, grab a book and create a "Hello World". Want to draw, grab a crayon and smear it over some walls. Some activities will seem more difficult than others, but it's determination what really sets people apart, not the actual skill level.

That said, don't discard any idea, no matter how stupid it might seem. Train and work WITH your subconcious, not against it. If you will keep shunning that little voice in your head -- if ti says "make a chocolate dragon in a marshmallow kingdom, and the dragon will melt it's citizens with hot cocoa", don't be like "this is stupid/childish/other adjective here". Say "okay, we have a draon in a kingdom of marshmallows. And here comes a knight from the Gum Empire. He has to defeat the dragon in order to marry the princess of Marshland, ensuring an alliance against the Legions of Sour-on". See? It still sounds, well, as it does, but it's a story you can expand upon. And your inner voice is satisfied and more motivated to throw fresh ideas at you.

Another thing is writing the whole thing. That is a challenge many are not even aware off or back away from. Let's say you have the above idea. Everything may seem fine and dandy in your head, but can you actually see the faces, places, sounds and smells of the kingdom? Will the dragon be of dark, white or milk chocolate? Wil Sour-on be a despicable gummy-bear that just lost it's flavour? Will the knight have the power to inflate/deflate himself? Many questions will rise, like a giant tidal wave, once you start working on a world. Some will need answering and be presented, others will remain your private knowledge, useable in sequels or secret levels or plot twists. Writing can be as fun as anything if you put your heart into it!

[Tom Sloper]

Great book on creativity:
A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative
by Roger Von Oech, George Willett

[Orsony]

I find a great way to get inspiration is to listen to inspiring music.
Such as: Blurry - Puddle of Mudd
Blurry - Puddle of Mudd - Youtube

It's fairly vague in it's lyrics, and for me it just helps me envision a tragic scenario.
Such as - Soldier going to war, leaving his child and wife behind, doomed to fail

I tend to think of the key moments in a story, like an AMV in my head.

Other than that, general media helps me along. Reading, watching movies, playing other games, or just things that happen in your own life.

[Malexos]

I agree with what Technogoth said about having too many ideas and not enough focus. I'm like that exactly >_>

I have to disagree somewhat with what sunandshadow said about the genesis of creative ideas-- normally, ideas just randomly pop out of thin air, most of them being very good ideas (or so I've been told). Then once I have the idea, all of the details come naturally. For some reason it doesn't take very much at all to get my creative juices working...the only time it feels like I actually have to do work is in the editing stages--- which is going to be a lot of work no matter what your talent is.

[_Zac_]

It's true that most ideas are bad ideas. You just have to filter them out and work with what you think is good.

I've heard from someone that makes EDM as a hobby that he works on around 20 projects at a time, and I'm sure many musicians do the same, and then they cherry-pick the actual good ones to release to the public. The songs you hear from a good band are actually the tip of an iceberg where-in under the water is just a bunch of so-so to downright terrible ideas they've had over time.

Brainstorm and expand on your ideas, and find one you feel you'll actually want to work with. It's not an easy process.

[Joe P]

Creativity isnt learnable. It comes from the world around you. One of the biggest things I tell people who draw or paint and say that their ideas suck, is to get out more and experience new things. Sitting at home at your desk will almost never lead to creativity. Watch moves, go to a museum, go out with friends, etc, etc. You need a well rounded life full of interesting things, the experiences you have and the people you encounter will open up your creative side.

Sometimes something as simple as sitting on the bus will spark awesome ideas... seeing someone in strange clothes, or a homeless person, whatever. You need to experience the world, then go back to your work and feed off of it.

[allen_idaho]

What I usually do is first come up with the synopsis. That is the overall storyline in two or three sentences.

After that, I normally begin a rough draft as an outline. Where the player will start. Where it will go next. I tend to look at them like chapters.

Like Chapter 1 would be the opening level which introduces the main character to the game world and basic controls. Like in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 1 & 2 where you begin by using a firing range and running an obstacle course.

Then all you need is some inspiration to make the story pop. When does it take place? The past, present or future? Who is the main character? What is the primary goal of the main character? etc. etc. etc.

Maybe you should look at the storylines of other games, novels and movies out there and see what comes to you.

[Tom Sloper]

Let's let sleeping threads lie, shall we? It had been dormant for two months. It was happy that way.