Get Your Game Out Of My Movie!

Narrative Design in Mass Effect 2

Armando Troisi – Lead Cinematic Designer

Introduction• Armando Troisi, Lead Cinematic Designer

• What is Cinematic Design?

– Narrative designers first– Cinematic artists second– The ‘how’ of interactive narrative– Work with writers to create conversations

Agenda

I. Story Perspective

II. The Agreement

III. Quick time events

IV. Q&A

Story Exploration

Progression Game Play

BioWare Design Pillars

The Conversation

• A narrative tool– Primary method of narrative delivery

• A game system– Coordinates content from every discipline

• A design philosophy– Always evolving

A Change in Perspective…

What is perspective?• Point of view from which the player interacts with the

story

• BioWare’s stories fall into two categories:

– Subjective– Objective

Subjective Story

Traditional computer role playing model

You are the avatar

Dialog responses are verbatim

Uninterrupted agency

Quickly empathize with avatar Side effects

Temporal distortion Lots of dialog

Subjective Story

Video: Subjective story

C

Objective story

Counter to the traditional role-playing model

You are not the avatar

Avatar has own voice and motivations

Player is voyeuristic

Removes temporal distortion

Real-time narrative environment

This was our breakthrough in interactive storytelling

Objective story

Video: Objective story

Did you notice something odd?

Let’s roll that clip again…

Auto - Reply

• Hey, I didn’t want to say that!

• Interrupted agency

• Lack of choice?

• Anti-role playing design?

With so many traditional rules broken, how is Mass Effect a successful RPG?

The Agreement

What is it?

• Covenant the designer makes with the player

• Set of rules that govern choice and expectation

• Binds the player to the role playing experience

• Allows for the player to access the avatar

The Agreement

• Interface for choice is predictable

• Choice produces results the player expects

• Give the player the choices they want

• It’s the player’s story

The Agreement

• Interface for choice is predictable

Choice 1

Choice 2

Choice 3Choice 4

Choice 5

Choice 6

• Dialog navigation interface

• Choices mapped to GUI positions

• Move the indicator to make a choice

Conversation Wheel

Paragon

Neutral

Renegade

Friendly

Hostile

Investigate

• What are these categories?

• First layer of predictability

• Mapped emotional reaction

• Choice acquires subtext

Behavioral

I’ll look into this.

Goodbye.

No time. Doesn’t matter.

Abusing suspects?

Let me help.

• Provides a clue through a ‘paraphrase’

• Second layer of predictability

• Combined with behavioral wheel position, predictability is achieved

Cognitive

InvestigateParagon

The Agreement

• Interface for choice is predictable• Choice produces results the player expects

[ Tip ]

Paragon

Video: Omega Dancer

[ Tip ] Paragon position

[ Tip ]

InvestigateParagon

Video: Omega Dancer

[ Tip ] Investigate position

[ Tip ]

InvestigateRenegade

The Agreement

• Interface for choice is predictable• Choice produces results the player expects

• Give the player the choices they want

Video: Choices you want

Interrogation clip

Video: Choices you want

Citadel shopkeeper

Results you expect

Choices you want

Role-playing flow

The Agreement

• Interface for choice is predictable• Choice produces results the player expects• Give the player the choices they want

• It’s the player’s story

Save Game Import

• It’s your continuing Mass Effect story

• 700 plot hooks from ME1 to ME2

• It’s the small things that matter…

Video: Council is Dead

Video: Council is Alive (female)

Video: Problem we’re solving…

Interrupts

• Quick Time Events in conversations

• Visceral action

• ‘Take Control’ moments

• Interface for choice is predictable?

The Agreement applied

• Interface for choice is predictable

• Give the player the choices they want

• It’s the player’s story

• Choice produces results the player expects– A big problem– Cognitive players frustrated– Broken role playing– Players accidentally shooting people in the face!

The Agreement applied

Telegraphing

• Visual paraphrasing

• Helps predict the specific action

• Lets the cognitive player make a

meaningful choice

Video: Missing telegraph

Video: Telegraphed

[Example of correctly telegraphing an interrupt]

• Interactivity is a potent narrative device

• Perspective is powerful - choose wisely

• Discover your agreement - and stick with it!

Conclusion

Questions?

Armando Troisi – armando@bioware.com