Interactive Storytelling in Mass Effect 2

Get Your Game Out of My Movie: Narrative Design of Mass Effect 2

In this talk, Armando Teresa, the lead cinematic designer for the Mass Effect franchise, discusses the narrative design of Mass Effect 2 and how they merge gameplay and story. He covers topics such as story perspective, interactivity in the cinematic space, and the use of conversation trees.

Story Perspective and Role-playing Games

• Story perspective is a powerful tool in narrative design.

• Adding player choice to role-playing games complicates the use of story perspective.

• Bioware encountered these issues in their role-playing games.

The Agreement: Interactivity in Cinematic Space

• The agreement refers to the rules that govern interactivity in the cinematic space.

• QuickTime events were added to conversations in Mass Effect 2.

• The process of designing QuickTime events involved ensuring they fit into the narrative design structure.

Pillars of Design: Story, Exploration, Progression, Gameplay

• Bioware games are composed of four pillars: story, exploration, progression, and gameplay.

• Activity chaining occurs between these four quadrants.

• This talk focuses on the story quadrant but acknowledges that all quadrants have elements of storytelling.

Interactive Cinematic Space

• The interactive cinematic space refers to Bioware's conversation system.

• Conversations are a primary narrative tool for communicating with players.

• Conversations involve coordination between various disciplines like art, writing, animation, and level design.

Conversation Trees

• Conversation trees are a common feature in Bioware games for interactive dialogue and narrative.

• Bioware has spent years refining this method of communication with players.

Timestamps provided above correspond to approximate timestamps based on the transcript.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of perspective in storytelling and introduces two types of perspectives: subjective and objective.

Perspective in Storytelling

• The story belongs to the players, not just the writers. The focus is on creating a player-centric experience.

• Two types of perspectives in Bioware games: subjective and objective.

• Subjective perspective is a traditional role-playing experience where the player is the avatar and has uninterrupted agency.

• Dialogue responses are verbatim, and there is a high level of choice between the player and their avatar.

• Temporal distortion can occur due to choices being made quickly, resulting in NPCs needing to provide more exposition.

New Section

This section further explores subjective perspective in storytelling and its effects.

Effects of Subjective Perspective

• Temporal distortion occurs when choices are made or when players contemplate their next choice.

• Dialogue becomes more extensive as NPCs need to hold up a lot of the dialogue on their own.

• A clip from "Knight to the Old Republic" demonstrates temporal distortion during dialogue choices.

New Section

This section introduces objective storytelling and its differences from subjective perspective.

Objective Storytelling

• Counter to traditional role-playing models, objective storytelling does not make the player the avatar.

• The character Shepard in Mass Effect has his own motivations and voice, making him an actual character rather than an extension of the player.

• Players have a voyeuristic role in controlling events through their choices, similar to watching an interactive movie.

New Section

This section discusses how objective storytelling allows for real-time narrative environments without temporal distortions.

Real-Time Narrative Environment

• Objective storytelling removes temporal distortions seen in subjective perspective.

• Choices and events happen in real-time, creating a more fluid and cinematic experience.

• A clip from Mass Effect showcases the real-time interaction and the absence of temporal distortions.

New Section

This section highlights an observation about Shepard's actions in objective storytelling.

Observation about Shepard

• Some people may find it odd that Shepard has his own motivations and voice in objective storytelling.

• The player's role is to control Shepard's actions rather than being Shepard themselves.

Timestamps are provided for each section to easily locate the corresponding part of the video.

Role-playing Experience and the Agreement

This section discusses the role-playing experience in games and the importance of having an agreement between the player and the designer to ensure a consistent and satisfying gameplay experience.

The Agreement in Role-Playing Games

• The agreement is a set of rules that binds the player to the role-playing experience.

• It governs choice and expectation, ensuring that the player's actions align with their expectations.

• The agreement allows for a fluid, subjective role-playing experience while maintaining an objective point of view in the story.

Principles of the Covenant

• Interface for choice should be predictable, producing results that players expect.

• Players should be given choices they want when they want to make them.

• The story belongs to the players, allowing them to create their own narrative within the provided framework.

The Conversation Wheel and Dialogue Navigation

This section explores how Mass Effect introduced a new interface called the conversation wheel to replace traditional dialogue systems. It explains how this interface enhances player interaction with the story.

Introduction of the Conversation Wheel

• The conversation wheel is a GUI interface designed to replace traditional list-based dialogue systems.

• It provides a slick and intuitive way for players to navigate conversations.

• It was developed in response to technological advancements like high-definition displays.

Behind-the-scenes Mechanics

• The conversation wheel is backed by a dialogue tree system where each response has different meanings or emotions attached to it.

• Choices on the wheel are mapped to various points on a radial menu, allowing players to easily select their desired response.

• Despite its simplicity, there are complex mechanics at play that ensure predictability in player choices.

Behavioral Player and Emotional Reactions

This section delves into how different parts of the conversation wheel elicit specific emotional reactions from players, shaping their role-playing experience.

Behavioral Player and Emotional Reactions

• Different edges of the conversation wheel represent different emotional responses.

• For example, the Paragon response represents doing the right thing in the right way, while Renegade allows players to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

• Players can easily switch between these responses without needing to read into the details, enhancing their role-playing experience.

Summary and Conclusion

This section summarizes the key points discussed regarding the role-playing experience, the agreement between player and designer, the conversation wheel interface, and emotional reactions in Mass Effect.

Key Takeaways

• The agreement between player and designer is crucial for a successful role-playing experience.

• The conversation wheel provides a user-friendly interface for navigating dialogue choices.

• Different parts of the conversation wheel elicit specific emotional reactions from players.

• Players have agency in shaping their own story within the narrative framework provided by the game.

[t=0:18:51] The Role of Cognitive Player and Paraphrases

This section discusses the role of the cognitive player and introduces paraphrases as a way to provide condensed versions of upcoming dialogue.

Cognitive Player and Paraphrases

• The cognitive player is the one who carefully analyzes the choices and wants to understand what is happening.

• Paraphrases are small condensed versions of upcoming dialogue, usually limited to 32 characters.

• Paraphrases can represent what the character is thinking before speaking.

• Paraphrases help narrow down the interpretation of choices and add context to the gameplay experience.

[t=0:19:31] Predictability in Role-playing Experience

This section explores how predictability plays a role in the role-playing experience, specifically focusing on different choices and their interpretations.

Predictability through Choices

• Choices can be interpreted differently based on their position on the wheel (e.g., Paragon or Renegade).

• Choices in the Paragon section are seen as positive actions, indicating that Shepard will do the right thing.

• Investigating using suspects is expected to provide more information about potential abusers.

• The cognitive and behavioral layers interact to create predictability in role-playing experiences.

[t=0:20:58] Meeting Player Expectations with Choice Results

This section emphasizes meeting player expectations by ensuring that choices produce expected results.

Choice Results and Player Expectations

• When players make a choice, they expect something to happen as a result.

• If expectations are not met, it can negatively impact the role-playing experience.

• By shifting a choice's position on the wheel, subtext and expectations can be altered.

• Adding predictability through interface design helps meet player expectations.

[t=0:24:24] Giving Players Desired Choices

This section focuses on providing players with the choices they want, emphasizing the importance of timing.

Desired Choices and Timing

• Players should be given choices they desire, but it is crucial to consider when to present them.

• An example is an interrogation sequence where players expect Shepard to get rough with the person being interrogated.

• Failing to include expected interactions can lead to a mismatch between player expectations and the game's narrative design.

The transcript does not provide timestamps for the remaining sections.

New Section

This section discusses the importance of choices and their impact on player experience in a game.

The Power of Choices

• Choices in games can create a sense of agency and immersion for players. They allow players to feel like they have control over the narrative.

• Examples are given where players have the option to make choices that align with their desires, such as hugging a crying character or confronting a shopkeeper about classism.

• When choices align with player expectations, it creates a positive experience and reinforces the feeling of being in control.

• However, there are instances where choices may not work well, such as when there is no setup or context for the choice, leading to a lack of agency for the player.

• It is important to provide proper setup and context for choices to ensure they have meaningful impact on the player's experience.

New Section

This section explores an example where things go wrong with choices in a game and discusses potential ways to fix them.

Example of Choice Gone Wrong

• An example is presented where accusing a shopkeeper of classism leads to an interaction that breaks the rules of player agency.

• In this scenario, the player accuses the shopkeeper without any prior setup or context, resulting in limited options for response from the player character.

• This lack of agency undermines the impact of the choice and breaks immersion for the player.

• Suggestions are made on how this situation could be improved by providing interactions with other characters before making such accusations or adding ambient dialogue to enhance context.

New Section

This section discusses role-playing flow and how it can be achieved while still maintaining unique storytelling experiences.

Role-playing Flow

• Role-playing flow refers to being fully immersed in a game's narrative and feeling a sense of agency and satisfaction from making choices.

• While the game provides a unique character to play as, it still aims to deliver a traditional role-playing experience through fantasy fulfillment and keeping players in the zone.

• The player's story is emphasized, allowing them to build their own narrative and have unique experiences that they can share with others.

• Importing savegames from previous titles is highlighted as a way to continue the player's story and maintain plot threads across games.

• Bioware is committed to creating story-driven games that prioritize player agency and meaningful choices.

New Section

This section addresses concerns about the lack of choice in games and highlights the importance of small details in shaping the player's story.

Addressing Concerns

• Despite criticisms about limited choice, there are actually 700 different hooks that carry over from one game to another, changing the narrative based on previous choices made by players.

• It is emphasized that small details matter in shaping the player's story and creating a unique experience for each individual.

• The ability to compare notes with friends about different experiences further emphasizes the personal nature of each player's story.

• Bioware remains committed to delivering compelling stories in their games while providing opportunities for player agency.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of choices and consequences in the game Mass Effect. They show examples of how player choices in Mass Effect 1 can impact the storyline and carry over to Mass Effect 2.

Choices and Consequences

• The speaker shows a screenshot of a choice in Mass Effect 1 where players had to decide whether to save or let the council die.

• They explain that this choice is carried forward to Mass Effect 2, where it affects various aspects of the game.

• An example is shown where advertising kiosks on the Citadel display different content based on whether the council was saved or not.

• A movie showcasing different versions of Shepard's actions on the Citadel is shown, highlighting how player choices impact the narrative.

• Different permutations are demonstrated, including variations with male/female Shepard and dead/alive council.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses QuickTime events and their integration into gameplay design philosophy in Mass Effect.

QuickTime Events and Interrupts

• The speaker addresses the negative reputation of QuickTime events but explains how they integrated them into their design philosophy.

• They mention that interrupts were introduced as a way for players to take control of situations and steer the narrative in real-time.

• Renegade interrupts and Paragon interrupts are mentioned as two types of interrupt options available to players.

• The design philosophy was to keep interrupt choices binary (renegade or Paragon) rather than overwhelming players with too many options.

• Not making an interrupt choice can also be powerful, as it adds depth to decision-making.

• The interface for interrupt choices is designed to be predictable, with renegade on one side and Paragon on the other.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the challenges and considerations in implementing interrupts and player choices in real-time interactions.

Implementing Interrupts

• The speaker mentions that implementing interrupts was challenging due to the real-time nature of interactions.

• They explain that cognitive paraphrasing couldn't be incorporated into interrupt moments.

• The initial implementation resulted in broken role-playing, with players accidentally shooting instead of making intentional choices.

• It was important to iterate with writers to ensure meaningful choices were provided to players.

• The power of not making an interrupt choice is highlighted, emphasizing that it's the player's story and their choices should produce expected results.

This summary covers only a portion of the transcript.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of visual paraphrases and telegraphs in creating meaningful choices for players in video games.

Visual Paraphrase and Predictability

• Visual paraphrases are used to convey different actions or choices available to players during interactions.

• Without visual cues, it becomes difficult for players to predict the outcome of their choices.

• The speaker gives an example where a character, Shepard, talks to a suspect and suddenly attacks them without any warning.

• This lack of telegraphing or visual indication hampers the role-playing experience and makes it hard for players to make informed decisions.

Telegraphing Actions

• To address the issue of predictability, the speaker introduces the concept of telegraphing actions through visual cues.

• A specific example is given where Shepard starts cracking his knuckles before attacking the suspect.

• This small animation serves as a telegraph that indicates an upcoming aggressive action.

• By adding these telegraphs, players can better anticipate the consequences of their choices and engage more deeply with the game's narrative.

Interactivity and Perspective

• The speaker emphasizes that interactivity is a powerful narrative device in video games.

• Cinematics should incorporate interactive elements to enhance player engagement.

• The traditional linear cinematic format has not evolved much over time, despite advancements in technology like facial mocap.

• Game systems excel at interactivity, so incorporating it into cinematics can greatly enhance the overall experience.

• Choosing perspective wisely when designing games is crucial for creating impactful narratives.

Conclusion

• Interactivity and perspective are key elements in creating engaging narratives in video games.

• Visual paraphrases and telegraphs help players make meaningful choices by providing clear indications of potential outcomes.