Plot Superfluity

[I_smell]

I googled it, it's a word.

Chris mentioned this on the "Idle Thumbs podcast" (a type of weekly audio programme available for download at www.idleThumbs.net) and it hit me as one of those flaws that's been staring me in the face the whole time.

When I played Assassin's Creed 2, I forgot cutscenes instantly after they finished. I was KIND OF interested in Desmond, but not any more. If you take all that stuff out though, would I have still bought the game?

If you presented a Metal Gear Solid game to me, which is a series I really love, and said "This is JUST stealth missions", my mind would paint that as like a half-price game. I LIKE the stealth play, but I'd be really hesitant to pay full price for that. Command & Conquer would feel disjointed and have a strange infinite game-loop pace. Which- don't get me wrong- I think sounds really stupid coming out of my mouth.

I also squeeze a plot into every game I make even when it doesn't need one. I guess I just want some space for fun characters to express things, and gameplay doesn't have much room for that.

A lot of people said the ending of XCOM was pretty silly, so should they take that out?

Games with second-priority story arcs are Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause 2, I DID NOT care that my buddies all got shot halfway through Far Cry 2. Nobody's ever gonna remember the plot points of Soul Calibur, so could those guys save their time and design without it?

Examples of no cinematic story arc: Burnout Paradise, Kerbal Space Program, Dance Central, Day Z, Binding of Isaac. Dance Central actually did add a plot to the third one. Minecraft also added an end-game quest where you fight a dragon, which is a kind of relevant topic.

Also let's not get into an argument on what counts as just a thematic setup and what counts as a 3-act story arc. That's not a very interesting conversation, so let's just assume we all understand each other with that.

[filk]

There's a strong case to be made that narrative is superfluous in many of these games, especially those in which the narrative is unsuccessful in generating tone. Probably more important in the games you mentioned (Command and Conquer, Assassin's Creed) is establishing enough of a fiction to loosely justify the actions required of you, which could be very simple and straightforward. Then the touches of characterization in the game here and there can reinforce that without an explicit narrative.

Basically, a lot of the time having an explicit narrative is bring a sledgehammer to put in a nail. It can get the job done, but it's overkill and people are more likely to notice if it's an ugly sledgehammer analogy falling apart.

[youmeyou]

See Left 4 Dead on how to create an unobtrusive framing narrative that loosely justifies the actions required of you.