When characters stop talking in my head for a minute, I love designing systems, frameworks, and algorithms. The project I'm working on is system-based and not narrative-driven, so it makes sense for me to consider the story as another reward the player gets as they progress, along with XP, currencies, awards, etc.
That calls for a system. To make the reward more… rewarding! I also love putting my name on things other people can use, so, hopefully, this idea of mine will help you design the narrative in games with a progression-based structure, where story elements can be unlocked or revealed as players advance through the game.
Intro my 3 Story Tiers:
Free
Affordable
Holy Grail
I separate all the story elements I have in the game into those, so it's easier for me to tie them to player's progression.
The Free tier is the essential information we give to players to help them familiarise themselves and engage with the gameplay, the characters, world, and essential plots, as well as to support the immersion along the way.
Examples: game intro; regular in-battle voicelines and ambient dialogue, briefings, UI copy, season intros, environmental storytelling elements such as graffiti, or background news broadcasts that provide subtle world-building and flavour.
The Affordable tier comprises the story that rewards players for their achievements and engagement, but is secondary to the progression rewards such as XP, RP, currency, etc. Player has to work to get that story bit, but it's not the primary goal.
Examples: rare voicelines that occur based on complex conditions; hero/item unlock cutscenes; quest/challenge completion cutscenes or artefacts; secret story-related locations or items; specific achievements or milestones in the game.
The Holy Grail story bits are coveted prizes: they have their own value; the player has to hunt and fight for them. Players pay for the HGs with their time and/or resources; it's the part of the plot they want to know (a major revelation about a character/the game world/plot twist). Basically, the HGs mark the golden path in any narrative-driven game, because you're here for the story. But if we look at a, say, hero shooter, that tier might not exist at all, or be present in PvE ("story mode") only (think "Broken Ghost" in Apex Legends). The cinematics revealing important story parts are usually given to players for free to lure them into the new season or unlocking a new hero.
However, an "Affordable" story bit could become "Holy Grail" for players who consistently skip or ignore those elements, making it a more coveted reward for them.
Examples: story-related rare items in the season pass; major cutscenes revealing new plotlines; story-driven missions' rewards; unlockable epilogues or alternate endings for players who complete specific challenges or achieve certain milestones.
What do you think of it? would you use it? are videogames the work of Satan? Hit that button and share your opinion!
In other news
When the rich aren’t available, eat your Spotify playlist: