TerryPratchettsDiscworld:9

StepsToCreateThePerfectGame
http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/terry-pratchetts-discworld-9-steps-to-
create-the-perfect-game
Aflat,roundplanetcarvesthroughtheeternalether,supportedbyfourcolossalelephants,onthe
backoftheGreatATuinspaceturtleextraordinaire.Thisisthecompleximaginaryworldwhich
playshosttooneofthemosthighlyregardedfantasybookserieseverdevised,SirTerryPratchetts
Discworld. Perhaps not as widely popular as the Harry Potter novels (but then again, what is?),
Pratchettdevoteestendtoconsiderthemselvesamorediscerningbunch.WeseetheDiscworld
seriesasliteraryart,notRowlingesquepulpfantasy.AndwedevouranythingDiscworldrelated
withrampanthungerbooks,maps,boardgames,figurines,ifitsaysDiscworldonthecover,
wellbuyit.Itsavastempire,theDiscworldmetaverse,andweallwantapieceofit.Onerealm
which hasnt received fair attention, though, is Discworlds representation in the gaming world.
Were on the 40th novel in the awardwinning series, but its been 14 long years since the last
properattempttocapturetheDiscworldmagicingameform(andno,thedelightfulboardgames
dont count). In that time weve been subjected to unpleasant games based on brilliant fantasy
books(ie.justaboutanyLordOfTheRingsgame),andsubstantiallymoreunpleasantgamesbased
on forgettable fantasy books (ie. any game with Harry Ploppers bespectacled mug plastered on
thebox).Afterenduringallofthat,thetimeisrightforanamazinggamebasedontheastounding
fantasy scribblings of Mr. Pratchett. WhatCulture put the idea to revered gaming industry
personality Rhianna Pratchett Tomb Raider reboot writer, unofficial custodian of all things
Discworldian,andofcourseTerrysdaughter.Therehavebeenafewpitchessentmyfathersway
overtheyears,butnonehavebeenuptosnuff,quitefrankly,shetoldus.Somethoughttheygot
it,andwhenaskedtopitchtheirvisionfortheproject,quiteclearlydidnt.Sobasicallywevenot
hadtherightpitchfromtherightcompanyyet.Thistellsustwothings:that,asitstands,thereis
no Discworld project openly in development, but also that the idea is very much on the table
shouldtherightconceptstrollin.So,whilefanswaitimpatientlyfortheplanetstoalign,perhaps
its time to take an impassioned look at what would need to be done for a game to justify the
soughtafterDiscworldlicense.
9.ChoosingThePerfectGenre
Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility,right?Right.Gamedevelopersthesedayshavemore
powerattheirdisposalthaneverbeforeeventhenewbatchofhomeconsoles,whichmightnot
bethedramaticupgradewehopedfor,arelightyearsaheadofthetechnologyavailablewhenthe
lastDiscworldtitlewasreleased.So,bythatrationale,thesedevelopersnowhavearesponsibility
to deliver a new Discworld title that is dripping with syrupy awesomeness. This new technology
opensupopportunitiestobringtheDiscworldbrandtoamoreexpansivegenretheopenworld
adventure.Wehavethetechnologytocreatebelievable,immersivegameworldswheretheplayer
canrunrampant.IftheXbox360andPS3couldhandleaworldlikeSkyrim,imaginewhatthenew
consolesandcurrentgenPCscouldpulloff.TheideaspitchedtothePratchettdynastysofarmay
not have hit the mark Some included Vimes on perpetual fetch quests, quipped Rhianna,
OtherstalkedaboutthegreatDiskworldbutintherighthandswecouldseeafantasyepic
lacedwithsavagewit,drapedoverastunninglyrealisedopenworldadventuresetting.Theother
option would be a modern take on the point & click adventure, perhaps a more grandiose
DiscworldrenditionofthebrilliantTheWalkingDeadepisodicaffair.Butwhocouldweentrustto
makethishappen?
8.TheDreamTeam
TakingonafictionaluniversewithapassionatefanbaselikeDiscworldisplayingwithfire.Handthe
reignstoanunworthyteam,anditwillfallflat.InwhichcaseyoucanexpecthordesofPratchetts
followersrattlingthedevelopersgates,pitchforksandflamingtorchesinhand.So,beforeyoufire
offyourideatoPratchettInc.,firstmakesureyourteamisuptothetask.Asaroughguideline,if
yourpreviousexperienceismadeupentirelyofKinectbasedpartygamesorFree2Playtrashwith
nameslikeCandyRushB*stardMegamix,youneednotapply.Ontheotherhand,ifyouhavespent
thelastdecadeorsocreatingandrefiningthemostlovedadventureroleplayinggamesofalltime,
consideryourselfshortlisted.BioWare,BethesdaSoftworks,werelookingatyou.TheElderScrolls
franchisecouldproveaworthyfoundation,whileBioWaresworkonMassEffectandDragonAge
haspositionedthemtopullawoollyDiscworldjumperoveramorefocusedRPGexperience.The
onlyconcerniswhethereitheroftheseteamswouldbeabletoinjectthesenseofhumourwhich
definestheDiscworldbrand,sothewriterswillhavetobeonpoint(moreonthatafterthebreak).
Alternatively, maybe your companys name has been attached to a host of memorable episodic
adventure titles, some riddled with razor sharp wit, others laden with suspense and impeccable
narrativehijinx.WhowouldDiscworldcaretakerRhiannaPratchettliketoseebehindthewheel?
Imnotsurewhotherightcompanywouldbe,butIdcertainlyliketoseewhatTelltalewoulddo
forexamplealthoughtheyhavealotontheirplateatthemoment.Right,sothatputsTelltale
firmlyontheshortlist.BetweenthosethreeBethesda,BioWareandTelltaleweresuretofind
theperfectteamtopartnerwithTerryPratchettsesteemedcreation.
7.TheWriteStuff
Onceweveestablishedwhichdevelopmentteamwouldtakeonthedauntingtaskofbringinga
delightful digital Discworld to the people, we need to consider who would be steering the pen
whichcraftsthestorybehindit.Naturally,asDiscworldisSirTerrysprideandjoy,theassumption
wouldbethathewouldbebehindthenarrative,butitsnotassimpleasthat.Fanswillbeaware
thatbynowMrPratchettisafewyearsintohisbattlewithearlyonsetAlzheimers,andwhilehe
stillcontinuestoworkwiththeaidofspeechrecognitionsoftwareandhisassistantRobWilkins,
its hard to imagine he would take the time to dream up the wealth of dialogue, backstory and
morethatsuchaprojectwouldrequire.So,withthehopesthatthefatherofDiscworldmightat
leasthaveahandintheprocesspossiblyanoverseerroleofsorts,ensuringthatthedirection
meets his approval we have to consider alternatives for the brunt of the writing duties. The
chosen developer would have their own staff on the job, of course, but a game based on an
intellectualpropertywithsuchdirectliteraryrootsmightneedspecialattentionwhenitcomesto
storyline and so on. Its handy then that Sir Terrys own daughter is a successful writer in the
industryalreadyshesprovenherselftimeandtimeagain,soitsnotacaseofusingherforher
surname.RavenhairedRhiannahasmadeitclearthatshewontbetakingoverfromherfather
whenitcomestothenovels,butthatsnottosayshewouldntbepreparedtostepinforaworthy
gaming project. But shes a busy woman, with her talented fingers in many intriguing pies, so
perhapsweneedacontingencyplan.Andiftheresonemanwiththecredentialsforthejob,its
BritishwriterStephenBriggs.AninstantlyrecognisablenameforanyDiscworldfollower,Briggshas
had a hand in related projects for decades. Almost all of the various maps, diaries, companion
guidesandotheritemswhichmakeuptheexpandedDiscworlduniversehavebeeneitherwritten
byBriggshimselforhaveanassistedbyStephenBriggsaddedtothetitle.Themanhasbecome
synonymouswiththeDiscworldbrand,wovenintothefabricofthiswrittenloreweholdsoclose
toourhearts.HeknowsthecobbledstreetsofAnkhMorporkbetterthananyone.Andevenifhe
isntcalledupasleadwriter,hewouldstillbeanincrediblyvaluableassettoaddtotheteam.
6.GoingItAlone
These days most publishers are loathe to throw big money at a game without a multiplayer
component,butyouwillhavenoticedthatmuchofwhatwehavediscussedsofarisbasedonthe
assumptionthatanewDiscworldgameshouldbeasingleplayeraffair.Thisisntanonnegotiable,
butanyconsiderationofamultiplayerDiscworldwillhavetobelookedatwithdeservedcaution.
WeveseenfartoomanyesteemedIPsfalterbecausethedeveloperhasfeltcompelledtotacka
multiplayermodeontotheendofagamewhichdidntneedone.Or,worsestill,developerstrying
todrapeanestablishedfranchiseoveranMMOframeworkjustforthesakeofit,desperatebethe
next World Of Warcraft. There is reason to believe that an MMORPG take on the this literary
universe could work the story is vast enough, in a world big enough, to support this sort of
gameplay.ButisitthebestwaytogoaboutbringingDiscworldbacktothegamingworld?Probably
not. Sir Terrys imaginary world is huge and complex, filled with opportunity for MMOstyle
questing and so on, but churning out a largescale online roleplaying mechanic could kill the
connectionbetweentheplayerandthenarrative.Pratchettstalesareatoncevastandintimate,
and would surely be cheapened by the inclusion of the dodgy grind elements and the rest that
comeswithMMOs.AtthefirstsignofaDiscworldcharactergrindinganothermenialtasktogather
some hackneyed ingame currency to be able to afford a new shiny hat to wear on yet another
pointlessteamraid,mostofuswouldhitthatuninstallbuttonrightaway.No,takingthesethings
inamultiplayerdirectionjustaddstoomanyvariablesandtakescontrolawayfromthedeveloper,
andtheplayer,whenitcomestopacingandstructure.Instead,alloftheprogrammingpowerthat
wouldgointoacumbersomemultiplayercomponentshouldbespentonmakingthesingleplayer
world as believable as possible. NPCs who act like they have a life to live regardless of your
involvement,notjustlikeactorswhoturndormantassoonastheplayercharacterisoutofsite;
seamlessdriftingbetweenscriptedeventsandfreeroamingplay;afunctioningworldhingedon
causeandeffect.Weneedaworldtogetlostinonourown.AnditneedstobeaDiscworldvoid
ofonlinegametrollsandtheirendlessgriefing.
5.Location,Location,Location
Ok, so wevegot the teamin place.Writers have their pens drawn like long, pointy swords. The
developersarehunchedovertheirworkstations,readytoweartheirkeyboardkeysdowntolittle
stubsinafuriousstormofcodingandanoutpouringofcreativegenius.Nowcomesthefunpart:
creatingthismagicalworldandthecharacterswhoinhabitit,andbringingittolife.Thequestion
here,though,isoneofscaledotheygometa,andcreatetheentireDiscfortheplayertoexplore?
Ordowedothingsregionally,modellingthekeylocalesandcordoningthemofffromthedead
spacenomanslandareas.BeautifulstyliseddepictionsofLancre,Uberwald,theKlatchianEmpire
andobviouslyAnkhMorpork,fleshedoutwithhamlets,randomlygeneratedinnsandfarmscould
allplayhosttoasprawlingadventure.Alternatively,andthiscouldworkouttobethemostfeasible
approach,thenarrativecouldbecleverlyrestrictedtoAnkhMorporkalonecleverly,sinceitsfar
tooeasytothrowinvisiblebordersaroundaplayableareaandruintheimmersivequalityofthe
gameworld.Sothestoryandgameplaywouldhavetobestructuredinawaythattheplayerfeels
satisfiedwitharelativelylimitedareatoexplore.KeyherewouldbetomakethisversionofAnkh
Morpork more dense, more alive, more detailed than any game city weve experienced before.
Were talking about a level of interaction that makes San Andreas feel like a cardboard film set.
UsingStephenBriggsexquisitemap,theDiscsgreatestcitycouldbecomeavirtualworldworth
gettinglostin.Wander(atyourperil)throughtheShades,quaffaflagonoflagerattheMended
Drum,hurlDwarvenbattlebreadatatrollinTreacleStreet,ortuckintoanominoussausageina
bunfromoldC.M.O.TDibblerstray.Forfansoftheseries,theideaofanauthentic,fullyrealised
version of Ankh Morpork, bubbling with life (and, in areas closer to the river, communicable
diseases),wouldbeadreamcometrue.Itwouldtakecountlessmanhourstocreatethecitythe
shops,guilds,infrastructure,economy,housingandofcoursethecitizenswhichgiveitcharacter
andwouldsuckcurrentgaminghardwaredry,butitwouldbeworthit.
4.AFewGoodMen(OrWomen)
Discworldisacharacterdrivenplace.Thebricksandmortargiveitstructure,butitsthepeople
whogoabouttheirdailylivesonthepagesofthesebookswhichgivetheworlditsheartandsoul.
Terry Pratchetts ability to weave depth and personality into his characters is unprecedented,
especiallyconsideringthesheervolumeofcharactersinvolvedwizards,witches,assassins,civil
servants,royaltyallthewaytotheseamstressesofnegotiableaffectionandthelowlypigfarmer
whoonlygetsasingleparagraph,eachcharacterisanessentialcogintheliterarymachineofthe
Discworld series. Besides the armies of supporting cast, each story arc comes with its own
ensemble cast of stars, many of which could carry a game narrative on their own. So, short of
dishingupaCallOfDutyesquemesswhereweretossedfromoneprotagonistsbootstoanother
throughout,wellneedtodeterminetheidealleadingman(orwoman)tobuildthestoryaround.
The easy way to go about this would be to shortlist the various starring roles. Sam Vimes is an
obvious choice, and his Watch costars are some of the most loved characters in the books;
Rincewindthewizard(ahemwizzard)hasalreadyshownhehasleadingmanqualitiesinthetwo
earlyDiscworldgames,andwealllovetherestoftheUnseenUniversityfacultywhichwouldcome
alongwithhim;manywouldjumpatthechancetoliveasLordVetinari,alegendoftheseries;and
withtherightstoryitmightbefittingtoputgamersunderthepointyhatofGrannyWeatherwax
oroneoftheotherprominentwitches.MoistvonLipwighasbeengettinglotsofattentionoflate,
but he might not carry the weight of some of the others in contention there are supporting
memberswhowouldplaymoreinterestingleadpartsinstead.Wecoulddebateallday,butthere
mightbeanotherwaytogoaboutthis:thenamelessoneapproach.Weneedthemaincharacters
your Captain Carrot, Mustrum Ridcully, Foul Ole Ron, Lady Sybil and so on but that doesnt
meanweneedtobeoneofthem.Maybethemoreintriguingroutewouldbetoplacetheplayer
intheroleofanewcomersettingouttocarvehisorherplaceintheworld.Thisoptionmeansthat
thecentralcharacterisntsetinstone,withoutabackstorytodefinehim,andcanbemouldedby
theplayerbychoicesmadethroughthegame.Asarelativenobody,youcouldjoinaguild,earna
living as a petty thief, become a guard in the Patricians castle the options are endless. An
overarching storyline would exist to move things forward, canned interactions with key cast
members,scriptedeventsandsoon,buttherecouldbehugescopeforfreedomwithinthegame
world.
3.AndTheNomineesAre
Youve all heard the voices in your head. The voices that you subconsciously attach to the
charactersasyoureadtheirdialogues.Butthoseimaginaryaccentsandtonesthatyouassociate
withthesepeopleexistonlyinyourownversionofDiscworldyourNobbyNobbsisexclusiveto
you, and surely sounds entirely different to everyone elses. And thats fine, its all part of using
yourimaginationandsoon.Butforagameweneedthingstobesomewhatlessimaginary.Which
meansthatwellneedtopullinsuitablevoicetalenttoinjectbelievable,relatablepersonalityinto
thesedearlylovedcharacters.Shoddyvoiceworkcankillagamelikethis,sothedevelopercant
justpullinalltheirmatesofftheirlunchbreaktodribbletheirwaythroughthetomesofrequired
dialogue.Eventheambientchatterthatfloatsinthebackgroundasourcharacterexploresthecity
needstosuittheoveralltone.Voiceoversforthecentralcharactersareofutmostimportancewe
cant rely on script and character modelling alone to make these interactions feel real. Since Sir
TerryisEnglish,manyofuswillhaveimaginedanEnglishaccentforthevariouscharacters,butthat
doesnt have to be a rule. Bruce Willis in his grizzled John McClane/Die Hard guise could be a
perfect Sam Vimes, for example, while a chap with silky tones like Unchartereds Nolan North
wouldsliprightintotheMoistvonLipwigrole.PopoldJohnCleeseinthereasUUArchchancellor
Ridcullyinfact,therewouldbeplaceforallthesurvivingMontyPythongentsandafranchise
returnforthebrilliantTonyRobinsonshouldbeagiven.ObviouslyitcantallbeAlistcelebrities
acrosstheboard,butthisisthekindofprojectwhichwouldneedtocallinthebiggunswhereit
makessensetodoso.
2.BringOutYerDead
Weve played around with hypothetical character choices and so on, but there is one Discworld
characterwhichhasntbeentouchedon,purelybecausehispresenceinthegameissoessential
that he deserves his own entry. Were speaking, of course, of Death. The reaper man. Figure in
black,slicingthenightonhissnowwhitesteed,Binky.Whilethevariouskeycharactersslotinto
their own interlinking sections of Discworld canon, Death is (fittingly) the only constant. This
scythewieldingantiheroplaysamajorroleinanumberofthebooks(likeMortandReaperMan),
othertimeshemakesonlyabriefcameo,butheistheonecharacterwhoisuniversallylovedby
theDiscworldreadership.Whenhistrademarksmallcapsstyliseddialoguemakesanappearance
onthepage,itslikeanoldfriendcominghome.Thismeansthatthedeveloperswillneedtocome
up with the perfect way to incorporate this ethereal horseman of the apocalypse into the
frameworkofthegame.WellcopewithacontrivedguestappearancefromHarryKing,Detritus,
Mr.Slantandtherestofthesecondarycast,butDeathdeservesspecialattention.Perhapsnotas
a specific narrative construct as such, but something unique and meaningful. Picture this: each
timeyourcharacterdies,orpossiblyattimeswhendeathseemsimminent,thegameworldcould
slowdown,turncloudyanddark.FromtheshadowsDeathwouldmaterialiseinasombreposeto
present our character with karmic prose perhaps giving some hidden advice or philosophical
introspectionaboutthemeaningoflifesomethingprofoundbutrelevanttoourcurrentsituation
withinthegameandprogrammedinsuchawaythatweneverhearthesamespeechtwice.New
conversations withDeath could be worked into automatic game updates, something like that. It
shouldfeellikeyourtimespentinhispresenceismeaningfulandtailormadeforyou,notjusta
respawngimmick.
1.LearningFromThePast
WevehadDiscworldgamesinthepast,andnoneofthemscorchedaflamingstreakacrossthe
gamingsalescharts.ThethreeprimarysuspectsDiscworld,DiscworldII:Missing,Presumed!?
andDiscworldNoirwereacceptablepointandclickaffairs,buttheyallmissedthemarkinquite
specificways.IfanupcomingDiscworldprojectistomakeanimpact,ifitstojustifytheuseofthe
license,theteambehinditwillhavetotreadcarefullytosidestepthesesameissuesorbedoomed
toasimilarfateofrelativeobscurity.Atfirstglance,theoriginalgameslookedliketheycheckedall
theboxestomakeatopnotchDiscworldinteractiveexperience.Point&clickadventureswerestill
aviableproposition,sothegenrewasnttheproblem.Rincewindwasanimportantcharacterin
theseries,importantenoughtocarryagame,intheory,whichshouldhavehadthefirsttwotitles
covered, but what works on paper doesnt always translate into reality. The problem with
DiscworldI&IIwasthattheyfeltlikelesserimpersonationsofthesourcematerial.TerryPratchetts
involvement was limited at best, and it showed. It seemed the writers wereovercompensating,
strugglingtoimitatePratchettssublimesenseofhumourandtiming.Thegameplayalsofeltlikeit
was trying hard puzzles were often obscure for obscuritys sake. Discworld Noir was an
improvement, but had its own issues. It had more emphasis on the game itself as apposed to
relyingheavilyonitsDiscworldassociationstograbattention.Unfortunatelyittookthatabittoo
far the result was a game which felt disconnected from the imaginary world on which it was
based.Playingasanoriginalcharacterwasafineidea,buttherewasntnearenoughinteraction
with existing Discworld characters. And then, of the few classic personalities which did appear,
some seemed hugely misdirected, completely out of character. This tells us that bringing the
perfectteamofwritersintothefoldisessentialforkeepingtheDiscworldflavourintact.Keeping
allofthatinmind,andknowingwhattoavoid,theteamtakingchargeofDiscworldgoingforward
will have a solid foundation to build upon. Again, its important to note that all of this is purely
hypothetical,but for the millions of Terry Pratchett acolytes who have been exploring the many
realmsoftheDiscintheirmindsfordecades,itreallydoesfeelthatthetimeisrightwedeserve
anewDiscworldtitle.Wedontjustdeserveitweneedit.
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