Monday, January 18, 2010
Game Design: Books to Games...
Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series would make some awesome movies. Just sayin'. I don't know who they'd get to play Miles - though if Peter Jackson can pull off ordinary people playing hobbits, I guess they could get someone semi-normal (in real life) to play hyperactive, genius, dwarf Miles Vorkosigan.
I brought three of Bujold's books to read while I'm in Puerto Rico. Two are finished now. I was gratified to learn that a new book in the series is scheduled to be released this year. I'm growing perilously close to the end. That happened last year with the Harry Dresden novels (which would also make great movies).
While Miles Vorkosigan's adventures would make great movies, they really make me wonder how they'd possibly translate to video games. To be honest, I really don't know. Some parts of the novels could be easily adapted to make vapid, straightforward action games (Space fleet maneuvers! Rescue actions with powered battle-armored Dendarii Mercenaries!) An adventure game might (barely) fit, as Miles is constantly solving puzzles. But it wouldn't do justice to the action of the series. Nor the amount of social interaction (and manipulation) in the books.
It's kind of an interesting thing to mentally gnaw at though. We always talk about adapting movies from books, or games from movies - but what about games from books? We don't see many direct adaptations of games from books - I remember the Shannara computer game and I still have the video game based on the Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (both games came from long-gone Legend Entertainment). Never played the first one, but the second was actually pretty cool (I especially liked the trap-creation system). There have been a few others, particularly in the Infocom era (Shogun & Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy come to mind), though not so many in the last decade or so. Comic books, sure, but novels?
So - let's say you had a license to make an (indie) game of your favorite novel or series of books. How'd you do it? What would be the core gameplay? What would be your model?
Labels: Game Design
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 6:07 AM (Permalink)
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"How'd you do it? What would be the core gameplay? What would be your model?"
Don't know but it'll feature LOTS of gore & blood splatter.
Don't know but it'll feature LOTS of gore & blood splatter.
# posted by 
: January 18, 2010 12:39 PM
: January 18, 2010 12:39 PM
Dune has already made a host of strategy games, but few of them have captured the nuance and subtlety of the palace intrigue and political ploys that were present in the book. It might be interesting to create a political simulation game using the setting of Dune as its model, with the ability to make alliances both public and secret, send and receive tributes, manage your faction's resources, and so forth, all while focusing more on big-picture political interactions than micromanaging spice harvesters.
On the other hand, this isn't really an 'video game version' of Dune, inasmuch as it doesn't include the story of the book as its main focus, but instead takes the book's setting as inspiration for a different sort of story altogether. I think in order to do a straightforward book-to-game adaptation, you'd have to create either an adventure game or an action-adventure platformer. The problem is that in order to keep the book's plot intact, you have to do a lot of railroading to make sure the player's character behaves just as the book's protagonist behaves, which means the only sections where the player has freedom - that is, the sections of the game which are actually a game - are the parts that are unimportant to advancing the plot, and all the plot-important sections need to be cutscenes or something cutscene-like with only a single outcome.
Of course, there are exceptions - a book that involves lots of different kinds of action like racing, shooting, or flying could be made into a racing game, an FPS, or a flight sim, but the plot-advancing sections would still have to be pre-scripted in order to be true to the book. Better to adapt the spirit of the book into a more interesting game - Jane Austen books into an adventure-RPG about social maneuvering, J.R.R. Tolkien books into an RPG, H.P. Lovecraft books into a survival horror game - than to try to shoehorn a book's plot into a game where it doesn't fit.
On the other hand, this isn't really an 'video game version' of Dune, inasmuch as it doesn't include the story of the book as its main focus, but instead takes the book's setting as inspiration for a different sort of story altogether. I think in order to do a straightforward book-to-game adaptation, you'd have to create either an adventure game or an action-adventure platformer. The problem is that in order to keep the book's plot intact, you have to do a lot of railroading to make sure the player's character behaves just as the book's protagonist behaves, which means the only sections where the player has freedom - that is, the sections of the game which are actually a game - are the parts that are unimportant to advancing the plot, and all the plot-important sections need to be cutscenes or something cutscene-like with only a single outcome.
Of course, there are exceptions - a book that involves lots of different kinds of action like racing, shooting, or flying could be made into a racing game, an FPS, or a flight sim, but the plot-advancing sections would still have to be pre-scripted in order to be true to the book. Better to adapt the spirit of the book into a more interesting game - Jane Austen books into an adventure-RPG about social maneuvering, J.R.R. Tolkien books into an RPG, H.P. Lovecraft books into a survival horror game - than to try to shoehorn a book's plot into a game where it doesn't fit.
Even if one could design a great game fitting for the Kushiel series, there's this little problem of game rating systems that would make it rather hard to sell... :)
(For those unfamiliar with the series, let's just say espionage and diplomacy via sex would be required)
(For those unfamiliar with the series, let's just say espionage and diplomacy via sex would be required)
"The Blue Sword" could make for some good gaming, sort of a "Mount & Blade meets Final Fantasy"... which also illustrates the likely game type; a party based low fantasy RPG romp with great horse mechanics.
I'd buy a game based on The Blue Sword.
I want a MMORPG based on E. E. Knight's Vampire Earth. Lots of monsters wandering around a post-apocalyptic Earth, reasons for "safe" zones [or at least safer], and for expansions, take the Interworld Tree to other planets, if you're really feeling suicidal.
I want a MMORPG based on E. E. Knight's Vampire Earth. Lots of monsters wandering around a post-apocalyptic Earth, reasons for "safe" zones [or at least safer], and for expansions, take the Interworld Tree to other planets, if you're really feeling suicidal.
Most series that I like involve so many elements that the only way I could see to faithfully incorporate them all would be a la Space Rangers 2.
# posted by : January 19, 2010 7:13 AM
: January 19, 2010 7:13 AM
I agree about the Kushiel's comment, it would make for some really interesting stealth/espionage gameplay with good puzzles, but the ESRB would go postal and try to destroy the games industry over it.
Personally, I would love to see a battle room/strategy game made out of Ender's Game. But that's just me...
Personally, I would love to see a battle room/strategy game made out of Ender's Game. But that's just me...
I'd love to do something based on Iain M. Bank's Culture novels. It is a pretty neat sci-fi setting - sure I've not read a ton of sci-fi but it has parts that would make an excellent videogame.
Well, how would it be done? Taking the books focus, there is the espionage and "dirty tricks" in both war and peace time "Special Circumstances". Being an agent of it would be a sci-fi Bond, although with less cheesy one liners I'd hope. The Culture novels all have points to make, or stories which are not quite normal (and certainly usually not typically heroic or trope filled).
It could do well as an RPG story plot (as if following a books linear story) or a more free roaming thing like how the it operates in the books - doing whatever it takes to achieve the objective (usually advised by AI's who basically run the show).
I'd be interested in seeing a splinter-cell, totally high tech (or possibly same-tech as your opponents or allies, depending) RPG game. Solo, with cohorts, running through planned story or free roaming (Mount & Blade world style?).
Anyway, Mass Effect filled a tiny bit of that hole for me but I wish there was more. High technology opens up tons of possibilities (complex, sure, but whatever!).
Books to Games - not totally unknown, but less known the films. I wish the setting (as I chose, not a specific book! that'd be pretty hard, many are full of anti-heroes or pretty dislikeable or distant protagonists) was used more then the plot. Knights of the Old Republic took the Star Wars setting, removing any relation to the films. Could well be done well with some books.
Thinking about it, the setting would be certainly an inspiration if I could nail down making a full game myself. I should try writing down some more ideas :)
Well, how would it be done? Taking the books focus, there is the espionage and "dirty tricks" in both war and peace time "Special Circumstances". Being an agent of it would be a sci-fi Bond, although with less cheesy one liners I'd hope. The Culture novels all have points to make, or stories which are not quite normal (and certainly usually not typically heroic or trope filled).
It could do well as an RPG story plot (as if following a books linear story) or a more free roaming thing like how the it operates in the books - doing whatever it takes to achieve the objective (usually advised by AI's who basically run the show).
I'd be interested in seeing a splinter-cell, totally high tech (or possibly same-tech as your opponents or allies, depending) RPG game. Solo, with cohorts, running through planned story or free roaming (Mount & Blade world style?).
Anyway, Mass Effect filled a tiny bit of that hole for me but I wish there was more. High technology opens up tons of possibilities (complex, sure, but whatever!).
Books to Games - not totally unknown, but less known the films. I wish the setting (as I chose, not a specific book! that'd be pretty hard, many are full of anti-heroes or pretty dislikeable or distant protagonists) was used more then the plot. Knights of the Old Republic took the Star Wars setting, removing any relation to the films. Could well be done well with some books.
Thinking about it, the setting would be certainly an inspiration if I could nail down making a full game myself. I should try writing down some more ideas :)
Brisco County Jr. MMORPG.
Song of Ice and Fire series spin off w/ linear narrative chapters a la krondor, but with tactical rpg/strategy elements a la hereos of might and magic.
Song of Ice and Fire series spin off w/ linear narrative chapters a la krondor, but with tactical rpg/strategy elements a la hereos of might and magic.
I'd definitely create a Mistborn game (Brandon Sanderson's fantasy trilogy). I'm a game designer myself from Hungary, so I think it would be hard to get the rights, but anyway.
It could be a very exciting action-packed RPG, since it's magic system, Allomancy requires resources and it is limited.
Allomancy means that the "Misborn" starts ingesting certain types of metals, and by "burning" it, he gains powers (strenght, enhanced senses, pushing / pulling nearby metals, thus flying and jumping like a crazy wuxia-hero, emotional powers like soothing and rioting emotions of a person, seeing some seconds in the future to avoid attacks, etc.) Some metals are rare, some are common, so it would indeed require strategy, tactics of using money and exploration would be rewarded!
I can imagine this as putting metal resource hotkeys on numbers 0-9, as in quickbar for quick access, and you could see if a metal resource needs replenishing. As a Mistborn the won fights wouldn't be miracles, but if not using powers, one could easily die. In RPG-situations (like conversations, shopping) the hero could use emotional allomancy. And so on.
That would be awesome.
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It could be a very exciting action-packed RPG, since it's magic system, Allomancy requires resources and it is limited.
Allomancy means that the "Misborn" starts ingesting certain types of metals, and by "burning" it, he gains powers (strenght, enhanced senses, pushing / pulling nearby metals, thus flying and jumping like a crazy wuxia-hero, emotional powers like soothing and rioting emotions of a person, seeing some seconds in the future to avoid attacks, etc.) Some metals are rare, some are common, so it would indeed require strategy, tactics of using money and exploration would be rewarded!
I can imagine this as putting metal resource hotkeys on numbers 0-9, as in quickbar for quick access, and you could see if a metal resource needs replenishing. As a Mistborn the won fights wouldn't be miracles, but if not using powers, one could easily die. In RPG-situations (like conversations, shopping) the hero could use emotional allomancy. And so on.
That would be awesome.
# posted by : January 22, 2010 2:27 AM
: January 22, 2010 2:27 AMLinks to this post:
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