10 Key Quest Design Lessons from 'The Witcher 3' and 'Cyberpunk 2077'

Name: 10 Key Quest Design Lessons from 'The Witcher 3' and 'Cyberpunk 2077'
Uploaded: 2023-05-30T15:10:45.000Z
Duration: 2 h 4 min 43 s

Introduction and Overview

Opening Remarks

The speaker expresses gratitude for the audience's presence early in the morning, acknowledging that many would prefer to be sleeping.

The session is expected to last about 55 minutes with no time for questions during the talk; however, the speaker will remain available afterward in room 305 for discussions.

Speaker Background

The speaker introduces themselves as a Quest Director responsible for directing open world and cinematic departments at their studio.

They emphasize that today's discussion will cover narrative pipeline processes and key lessons learned in quest design over their nearly 19 years in the industry.

Narrative Pipeline

Importance of Story

The speaker highlights that story is central to their games, aiming to engage players through compelling narratives.

Development Process

Initial development begins with a brief story outline created by writers, which evolves through feedback into more detailed quest design documents.

These documents serve as a foundation for collaboration among various teams (cinematic design, level design, etc.) ensuring all departments are aligned on project goals.

Iteration and Collaboration

Game Design Process and Key Lessons

Overview of the Game Design Process

Designers primarily sketch out quests rather than writing them, focusing on gameplay elements to ensure playability.

The draft stage is crucial; once all quests are playable, it indicates that the entire game is ready for further development stages like pre-alpha and beta.

Iteration is a key part of quest design; approved story outlines undergo multiple revisions before final implementation, with potential for disapproval and return to earlier stages.

Continuous updates to documentation occur alongside gameplay iterations until reaching the alpha stage, emphasizing thoroughness in development.

Key Quest Design Lessons

Mastering the Plot

A warning is given about spoilers related to "Cyberpunk 2077" and "Witcher 3," indicating that examples will be drawn from these games.

Engagement in Storytelling

The first lesson focuses on engagement; during "The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine," players encounter intriguing scenarios that spark curiosity about the narrative.

An example from "The Witcher 3" highlights how surprising details in investigations keep players engaged, making them crave more story without being force-fed information.

By strategically withholding key information, designers can enhance player intrigue and curiosity throughout the quest experience.

Investigation Mechanics as a Narrative Tool

"Witcher 3" employs investigation mechanics effectively, framing it as a detective game within a dark fantasy setting which enriches storytelling opportunities.

Example from Cyberpunk 2077

In "Cyberpunk 2077," an opening scene illustrates deliberate information subtraction to create mystery around a break-in incident.

The protagonist's investigation reveals inconsistencies in security reports, enhancing narrative tension through unanswered questions.

Exploring Narrative Design in Cyberpunk 2077

The Role of Investigation Mechanics

Patrick Mills, the quest designer, and Rafael Orkan, the writer, intentionally remove information from players to enhance curiosity and engagement.

This design choice challenges players' expectations of using scanning mechanics to uncover story elements, creating a unique narrative experience.

Emotional Impact in Storytelling

Judy's emotional breakdown serves as a pivotal moment that connects players deeply with her character and storyline.

The heart-wrenching visuals of Judy's makeup running down her face evoke empathy from players, emphasizing the importance of emotional moments in storytelling.

Sarah Grimmer and Magdalena crafted this impactful quest, highlighting how collaborative efforts can lead to powerful narrative experiences.

Crafting Emotional Moments

Designers are encouraged to incorporate gut-punching emotional beats into their stories to elicit strong player reactions.

Controlling player emotions is a key responsibility for narrative designers; impactful storytelling hinges on evoking feelings effectively.

Significant Character Decisions

In "The Witcher 3," the decision to kill Vesemir was made to catalyze Ciri’s transformation from prey to hunter, showcasing how significant events shape character arcs.

Discussions among writers led to this impactful decision, demonstrating the collaborative nature of narrative development.

Building Up Emotional Scenes

Real-life psychological transformations inform game narratives; significant life events can drastically change individuals.

Careful planning is essential when introducing major plot points; characters must be well-developed for their deaths or transformations to resonate with players.

Creating Cool Scenes vs. Emotional Stories

While cool scenes may attract attention, they should not overshadow the need for emotional depth in storytelling.

Crafting Memorable Story Moments in Game Design

Importance of Emotional Impact

The speaker emphasizes the significance of memorable moments in storytelling, using Takamura's confrontation with Dex from Cyberpunk 2077 as an example. This scene serves multiple purposes: it concludes Dex's storyline and introduces Takamura as a key character.

Internal discussions debated whether players should actively pursue Dex, but ultimately, it was decided that Takamura would handle this to maintain narrative flow.

Building Soulful Narratives

The speaker stresses that impactful stories must go beyond cool scenes; they need emotional depth. A story constructed solely on exciting visuals lacks soul.

The "Fire and Embers" theory is introduced: fire represents the soul of the story while embers symbolize visual effects and action. Effective storytelling requires maintaining the 'fire' throughout.

Creating Believable Character Interactions

The discussion shifts to believability in gameplay, highlighting moments where players are not given objectives but instead experience intimate interactions, such as with Judy in a quiet moment together.

Emphasizing human connection, the speaker notes that real-life relationships involve simply being present with loved ones rather than rushing to complete tasks.

Cinematic Design and Timing

The importance of allowing characters space to express themselves is highlighted. Few games successfully create these powerful moments due to rushed pacing or lack of empathy in design.

Cyberpunk’s cinematic design team plays a crucial role in ensuring believable animations and timing during intimate scenes, enhancing player immersion through realistic character interactions.

Human-Like Moments Enhance Connection

An example involving PanAm illustrates how unexpected physical gestures can deepen character connections. Such moments break conventional gaming norms by showcasing genuine human behavior.

Understanding Character Development in Storytelling

Importance of Character Depth

Emphasizes the need to develop characters beyond their plot roles, encouraging storytelling that reflects their personal significance and dialogue.

Highlights the budget constraints in AAA game development, stressing the importance of allocating resources for character depth and narrative richness.

Structuring Narrative Effectively

Introduces three key elements of narrative structure: brevity, choices, and consequences, noting that these could be topics on their own.

Discusses the common issue of repetitive information in storytelling, urging designers to eliminate unnecessary dialogue to enhance story impact.

Example from Game Design

Shares an example from "Battle of Karmoren," where a scene was streamlined by cutting redundant discussions about defense strategies to maintain pacing during action sequences.

Exposition Techniques

Explains how "Cyberpunk 2077" manages exposition through continuous player engagement without cutscenes, requiring strategic information delivery.

Introduces Signal and Noise Theory: signal represents important messages for players while noise encompasses distractions that can obscure these signals.

Balancing Information Delivery

Describes a scenario where high noise levels allow for less critical information sharing while ensuring crucial details are conveyed when player focus is heightened.

Encourages designers to differentiate between essential narrative elements and those driven by ego or desire for excessive backstory.

Challenges in Exposition

Understanding the World of Cyberpunk

The Role of Skin in Cyberpunk Culture

The narrative presents skin as an integral part of attire, reflecting societal norms without explicitly stating it.

Players can infer the world's construction through subtle exposition found in commercials and media within the game.

Values underlying the narrative are conveyed indirectly, allowing players to immerse themselves in the world organically.

Choices and Consequences in Gameplay

The discussion transitions to choices and consequences, emphasizing their complexity and significance in gameplay design.

An example is given where a character faces a choice with unpredictable outcomes, illustrating that bad results can occur regardless of player decisions.

Designers intentionally create scenarios where players must confront difficult dilemmas, enhancing emotional engagement.

Moral Dilemmas vs. Obvious Choices

The speaker contrasts mundane choices (like quest selection or romantic interactions) with more profound moral dilemmas that provoke thought.

Real-world complexities are mirrored in-game, encouraging players to grapple with challenging ethical questions.

Player Agency and Emotional Engagement

A specific instance involving a character named Placid highlights how player emotions influence decision-making; players feel justified in their reactions.

Designers aim to provide choices that resonate with player sentiments, reinforcing immersion and role-playing authenticity.

Challenges in Character Design and Player Preference

A case study from "The Witcher 3" illustrates difficulties in balancing character appeal; one character was favored over another due to better writing and screen time.

Keanu Reeves and Johnny Silverhand's Character Arc in Cyberpunk 2077

The Impact of Star Power on Character Development

Keanu Reeves portrays Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077, with Idris Elba featured in the upcoming Phantom Liberty. The star power of Reeves influences player perceptions, making them more inclined to connect with his character.

The design team aimed for a significant character arc for Johnny Silverhand, transitioning from a "horrible person" to someone players genuinely like and understand by the end of the game.

Player Choices and Consequences

An example quest involves returning to Totentanz Club after previous encounters with Maelstrom. Players' earlier choices impact how they interact with characters later in the game.

Designers use "telegraphing" techniques to show players the consequences of their choices. This includes having characters appear based on past decisions, enhancing narrative depth.

Clear communication of consequences is crucial; subtlety can lead players to overlook important story elements. Effective telegraphing ensures that players recognize their choices' impacts.

Designing for Visibility

Players appreciate clear consequences that are well-defined within the game's narrative structure. Delayed consequences can be impactful if designed thoughtfully.

Given the vastness of Cyberpunk 2077, reminders about past actions are necessary as players may forget details over time due to extensive gameplay or breaks between sessions.

A negative example highlights that despite efforts put into television and radio content within the game, many players did not notice these features, emphasizing the need for visibility in design choices.

Designing for Impact: Balancing Creativity and Purpose

The Importance of Design Visibility

Emphasizes the need for visibility in design, especially when significant budgets are allocated to media content like radio and TV.

Discusses the challenge designers face with ego, wanting to create the best possible life simulation without losing sight of purpose.

Questioning Design Choices

Highlights the necessity of questioning the relevance of details added to a game; asks "What is the point?" behind each design choice.

Warns against over-designing by ensuring that every detail serves a meaningful purpose within the game's narrative.

Examples from Cyberpunk 2077

Shares an example from Cyberpunk 2077 where a decision was made to skip unnecessary dialogue during a pivotal moment involving character Johnny Silverhand.

Explains how brevity can enhance storytelling by avoiding repetitive information that does not add value.

Exploring Bravery in Game Design

Introduces a quest featuring Joshua Stevenson, who seeks to die as a symbol for others, showcasing themes of purpose and sacrifice.

Describes how brain dances allow players to experience another's emotions and thoughts, emphasizing context in storytelling.

Artistic Bravery and Contextual Depth

Reflects on initial ideas for Joshua's quest and how it evolved into an interactive experience that places players in morally complex situations.

The Artistic Bravery in Game Storytelling

Exploring Sensitive Themes in Game Design

The speaker discusses the creation of the Bloody Baron storyline in The Witcher 3, highlighting the introduction of a botchling, a miscarriage child, which raised concerns among young fathers at the company regarding its appropriateness.

The narrative focuses on domestic violence and a broken father trying to reconcile with his past. The act of carrying the botchling symbolizes an attempt to undo past wrongs, emphasizing emotional depth rather than shock value.

The speaker reflects on the rarity of addressing such heavy themes in AAA games during 2012, advocating for artistic bravery and responsibility as game directors to explore uncharted territories in storytelling.

Emphasizing that players should experience something unique and sometimes uncomfortable, the speaker notes that their goal is to create impactful narratives that resonate deeply with players.

Bold Choices in Cyberpunk 2077

A notable moment from Cyberpunk 2077 is discussed where players can choose a one-to-one suicide mission with Johnny, showcasing bold narrative choices that challenge player expectations.

This decision was driven by a quest designer's belief that it added necessary weight to the story. Players are given agency over their endings, reinforcing player involvement in narrative outcomes.

The speaker mentions how many players successfully navigated this challenging sequence, indicating engagement and investment in character relationships within the game.

Innovations in Interactive Scene Systems

An interactive scene system used in Cyberpunk 2077 is introduced as an innovative element aimed at enhancing first-person perspective storytelling.

The Maya principle is explained as guiding design decisions: providing novelty while maintaining familiarity for players so they do not feel lost within new mechanics or environments.

Players initially struggled with understanding movement within scenes but eventually adapted, demonstrating how player learning curves can enhance immersion when designed thoughtfully.

Conclusion: Establishing Rules Before Breaking Them

Designing with Purpose: The Importance of Team Dynamics

Understanding the Rules Before Breaking Them

Emphasizes the importance of understanding established design rules before attempting to break them, particularly among young designers who often challenge conventions.

Designing Effective Stories

Highlights that designers have the power to craft their narratives and experiences, drawing on personal connections with team members to enhance creativity and effectiveness.

Building Human Bonds in Design Teams

Stresses the necessity for designers to form strong relationships with teammates, as this knowledge allows for better collaboration and leveraging individual strengths.

Awareness of Team Capabilities

Points out that knowing each team member's strengths and weaknesses is crucial for effective project execution, enabling tailored contributions from everyone involved.

Learning from Others' Work

Advises designers to pay attention to what others are creating; being aware of existing designs helps avoid redundancy and fosters innovation within a collaborative environment.

Collaboration Leads to Unique Ideas

Discusses how effective communication within a creative team can prevent idea overlap, ensuring that unique solutions emerge rather than rehashing similar concepts.

Case Study: Pyramid Song Quest

Uses "Pyramid Song," a quest by Sarah Grimmer in Cyberpunk 2077, as an example where cohesive teamwork resulted in one of the game's most beloved quests due to well-understood roles and capabilities among team members.

Key Takeaways from the Presentation