Game Planning

[Metallus]

I was wondering if I could get some advice from the experienced game makers out there.

 

I've got a basic premise for a game that I'm involved in making, and I have several characters to work with. What's lacking now is a plot. I was thinking about making up some storyboards to lay out the action in the game, and then developing dialogue trees from them. I'm not so sure that this is the best strategy, however.

 

I'm worried that the story will end up being too boring, watered down, or will end up not paralleling the action as the game progresses. I want to develop a great, rich story to base the game around, so I'm wondering about the strategies that other people use to develop the story within the game structure. Any help is much appreciated.

[rtober]

I've been reading and working on a plot myself. I've decided to come up with a couple paragraphs that define the plot, then divide it into major areas where the character has to accomplish a certain goal. I'll start further breaking down the areas into even more specific locations, and make a map. The puzzles or obstacles will be added to those areas, along with the npc's. I'll probably add the conversations last. One trick that many writers use to add interest is a plot twist. The guy that appeared to be a bad guy is actually a good guy or vice versa. Another thing that makes a story more interesting is if the character learns something as he progresses through the story. Maybe he starts out hating or fearing something but finds out it's not that bad.