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What’s Lara’s Story? Advanced Storytelling Techniques in Tomb Raider: Underworld Eric Lindstrom TRU Creative Director Crystal Dynamics. Three Storytelling Challenges of the Tomb Raider Franchise One obvious, one subtle, and one inflammatory General Strategies

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SESSION OUTLINE

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  1. What’s Lara’s Story?Advanced Storytelling Techniques in Tomb Raider: UnderworldEric Lindstrom TRU Creative DirectorCrystal Dynamics

  2. Three Storytelling Challenges of the Tomb Raider Franchise One obvious, one subtle, and one inflammatory General Strategies And some people aren’t going to like them Advanced Storytelling Techniques Easy to understand but not so easy to implement Parting Shots Plus Q&A if there’s time SESSION OUTLINE This session will cover the following But first some disclaimers…

  3. Disclaimers

  4. Limited Franchise Definition The original characterizations of Lara Croft and Tomb Raiding were not deep enough to sustain many games without change THE FIRST STORYTELLING CHALLENGE The Obvious Early Original Tomb Raider Design Document cover Additional backstory and stronger motivations were needed to sustain continued interest in Lara’s adventures

  5. To motivate Lara’s pursuits, we gave her a life-shaping event While still a child, Lara accidentally activated an ancient device in a Nepalese monastery resulting in the death of her mother Lara’s father’s life changed, because he believed his wife had been taken to Avalon, and he spent his remaining years trying to find her Lara’s life changed because guilt gave her an unquenchable thirst to understand the powerful and deadly artifacts the Ancients left behind FRANCHISE EVOLUTION Alter the past to change the future These changes gave personal meaning and context to Lara’s lifestyle and quests, but they had other consequences as well

  6. Conflicting Character Perceptions People disagree on whether Lara is a hero or an anti-hero, and each side is antagonistic toward the opposing view THE SECOND STORYTELLING CHALLENGE The Subtle Wallpapers from the original Tomb Raider This is important because it affects fantasy fulfillment and attachment, which are vital to storytelling success

  7. What’s the Truth? See for yourself The End of Tomb Raider III http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/cgi-bin/dl02/dl.pl?mv_tombraider3_fmv_end

  8. What’s the Truth? See for yourself “Lara Cruz is a modern day adventurer and procurer of rare artifacts, which she relieves from Johnny Foreigner with the gay abandon of a five-year-old stealing Mars Bars from the local cornershop.” – Tomb Raider Design Doc v1.3, March 3rd, 1995 Early concept art for the original Tomb Raider by Toby Gard But the truth is largely irrelevant

  9. Why not let people think what they want? Fans who see Lara as a traditional action hero react negatively to instances of Lara doing anything that isn’t heroic Fans who see Lara as a self-serving pirate react negatively to seeing Lara act nobly or altruistically because this dulls the edge about her that they love CONFLICTING CHARACTER PERCEPTIONS Hero or Anti-hero? These two audiences needed to be reconciled

  10. Help people think what they want Depict Lara doing harsh things to satisfy the Anti-hero Faction Use storytelling language to justify these actions to satisfy the Hero Faction AUDIENCE RECONCILIATION Accommodate both sides Wallpaper from Classic Tomb Raider People see what they want to see – with a little help

  11. Tomb Raider: Legend storyline appealed more to the Hero Faction Tomb Raider: Underworld gets edgier to satisfy the Anti-hero Faction TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD The other consequences Wallpaper from Tomb Raider III But appealing to both audiences remains a risk

  12. Storytelling Techniques Storytelling methods and quality in most videogames still have a long way to go to achieve full potential THE THIRD STORYTELLING CHALLENGE The Inflammatory This challenge for Tomb Raider: Underworld is for all videogames

  13. STOP saying that storytelling is less important than game mechanics That’s like saying a car’s body is less important than its transmission START putting storytelling on par with playability, art, and audio design This is tragically long overdue STOP hiding behind the word “Interactive” Games and movies are not as different as many claim START training and employing storytelling experts And yes, some of them will come from Hollywood GENERAL STRATEGIES And some people aren’t going to like them Remember when programmers did all the art and audio?

  14. STOP saying that storytelling is less important than game mechanics That’s like saying a car’s body is less important than its transmission START putting storytelling on par with playability, art, and audio design This is tragically long overdue STOP hiding behind the word “Interactive” Games and movies are not as different as many claim START training and employing storytelling experts And yes, some of them will come from Hollywood GENERAL STRATEGIES And some people aren’t going to like them Remember when programmers did all the art and audio?

  15. STOP saying that storytelling is less important than game mechanics That’s like saying a car’s body is less important than its transmission START putting storytelling on par with playability, art, and audio design This is tragically long overdue STOP hiding behind the word “Interactive” Games and movies are not as different as many claim START training and employing storytelling experts And yes, some of them will come from Hollywood GENERAL STRATEGIES And some people aren’t going to like them Remember when programmers did all the art and audio?

  16. STOP saying that storytelling is less important than game mechanics That’s like saying a car’s body is less important than its transmission START putting storytelling on par with playability, art, and audio design This is tragically long overdue STOP hiding behind the word “Interactive” Games and movies are not as different as many claim START training and employing storytelling experts And yes, some of them will come from Hollywood GENERAL STRATEGIES And some people aren’t going to like them Remember when programmers did all the art and audio?

  17. STOP saying that storytelling is less important than game mechanics That’s like saying a car’s body is less important than its transmission START putting storytelling on par with playability, art, and audio design This is tragically long overdue STOP hiding behind the word “Interactive” Games and movies are not as different as many claim START training and employing storytelling experts And yes, some of them will come from Hollywood GENERAL STRATEGIES And some people aren’t going to like them Remember when programmers did all the art and audio?

  18. What follows are techniques we used in Tomb Raider: Underworld Most of them are not new, but they are woefully underutilized in videogames They fall under many different disciplines but have common goals They require skill and care from content creators and those who oversee them Yes, some of them come from film, a proven medium and our closest cousin As with everything, it comes down to a matter of details ADVANCED STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES How we are doing it And you can do it, too

  19. DETAILS MATTER Just ask the devil Work from the inside out

  20. Compelling Characters Agents of action and emotion Memorable Settings The “other” character Unusual Circumstances Story & Drama Content Matters (or, What it’s all about) Emphasize drama, avoid stereotypes Don’t think of stories as screenplays

  21. The sum of their parts ELEMENT LARA CROFT STEREOTYPE Role Wealthy tomb raider Smuggler Look Attractive but not overtly sexual Sex kitten Personality Classy, polite, but hard edged Vixen tough girl Dialog Witty, smart, meaningful Innuendo Voice British accent, well acted Generic Hollywood Behavior Unusual anti-hero Tough but sensual Credible Yes No Compelling Characters Be specific and unique And most importantly, be objective

  22. Settings need to fit in a number of ways: ELEMENT Tomb Raider: UnderworldAngel of Darkness Type Large scale ancient tombs Paris Relevance Archeological sites City Interest Exotic parts of the world Streets and sewers Fidelity Lush jungles and stone ruins Unpopulated city Credible Yes No Memorable Settings Be appropriate and relevant And don’t fool yourself about what you are making

  23. The concept of a story is the Log Line In Tomb Raider: Underworld, artifact hunter Lara Croft discovers and explores dangerous ruins around the world in her search for Thor’s hammer despite the possibility of triggering the world-ending battle of Ragnarök. Here’s another Log Line A soldier finishes basic training and fights a series of pitched battles to turn the tide of the war against invading aliens. Unusual Circumstances Not the same old same old If the Log Line doesn’t sound interesting or unique, the story probably isn’t either

  24. The concept of a story is the Log Line In Tomb Raider: Underworld, artifact hunter Lara Croft discovers and explores dangerous ruins around the world in her search for Thor’s hammer despite the possibility of triggering the world-ending battle of Ragnarök. Here’s another Log Line A soldier finishes basic training and fights a series of pitched battles to turn the tide of the war against invading aliens. Unusual Circumstances Not the same old same old If the Log Line doesn’t sound interesting or unique, the story probably isn’t either

  25. Games are about progressive growth and success Stories are about sudden changes and failure Reconcile by leveraging distinction between gameplay and plot And both already have a Beginning, a Middle, and an End Structure Matters (or, How to Structure the Content) Stories are not just a framework for action Players can succeed (gameplay) while the characters fail (plot)

  26. ACT I Ordinary World Player wakes up Call to Adventure GLaDOS instructs Player Meeting with the Mentor GLaDOS advises Player Crossing First Threshold First potentially fatal encounter ACT II Tests, Allies & Enemies Gameplay, GLaDOS, WCC Approach to Inmost Cave Final Room (cake!) The Ordeal Incineration Reward (Seize the Sword) Survival (backstage access and truth) ACT III Road Back Backstage gameplay Resurrection GLaDOS explodes Return with Elixir Parking lot with a neat gun Case Study: Portal Hero’s Journey for Chell The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers, by Chris Vogler

  27. ACT I Ordinary World Player on airplane Call to Adventure Crashes into the sea Meeting with the Mentor Called by Atlas Crossing First Threshold Atlas’s family killed ACT II Tests, Allies & Enemies Ryan, Tennenbaum, Sisters, Big Daddys Approach to Inmost Cave Reaching Ryan The Ordeal Fight Reward (Seize the Sword) Truth ACT III Road Back Working with Tennenbaum Resurrection Fighting Fontaine Return with Elixir Escape Case Study: Bioshock Hero’s Journey for Jack Goals, motivations, relationships, and knowledge change throughout

  28. Quality is more important than Quantity Because of gameplay, a game is not a twenty hour movie There is only so much players will remember anyway Even long movies or trilogies focus on memorable groups and elements Gameplay is not an Unbroken Experience Players rarely play through in one session Build in reminders Journals, data files, summaries, and dialog refreshers Size Matters (or, How to Scale the Content) How soon they forget Assume players have short memories

  29. We sympathize with characters we see; we associate with characters we control Movie heroes can behave in ways that player characters should not be forced to Don’t injure game progression for the sake of story progression Know your focus at every moment – people think about one thing at a time Interactivity Matters (or, How to Role Play the Content) Doing isn’t the same as watching All games that contain characters are role playing games

  30. Every moment has tone, mood, and emotion goals You need to know what they are at all times Leverage all elements to support these goals Score Audio Design Lighting Camera Angle Color Correction and other Full Screen FX Weather and other conceits Mood Matters (or, How to Support the Content) Keep everyone marching to the same drumbeat If it’s not working for you, it’s working against you

  31. Tomb Raider: Underworld starts sunny and calm Score: light, casual, wonderment Audio Design: emphasizes vacation sounds Lighting: bright and safe Camera Angle: level and ordinary Color Correction and other Full Screen FX: a bit over bright Weather and other conceits: sunny and nice, but a touch of clouds In the Beginning… A nice day for exploring Things have to be good before they can get worse

  32. In the Beginning…

  33. The plot takes a serious turn Score: more thoughtful and mysterious Audio Design: more on edge, unsettling Lighting: more contrast to bring in dark corners and shadows Camera Angle: less safe Color Correction and Full Screen FX: more saturated and starker Weather and other conceits: fair weather but less so Later… No more fun and games The calm before the storm

  34. Later…

  35. Bad things have happened Score: creepy and dangerous Audio Design: harsher and somber Lighting: drab Camera Angle: claustrophobic Color Correction and other Full Screen FX: washed out Weather and other conceits: raining and heavy atmosphere Even Later… The situation is grave And it’s going to get worse

  36. Even Later…

  37. All of these effects are: Important contributors to how the gameplay feels Need to be tuned to the storytelling goals Created by different contributors on the team The Power of Contrast Little forces add up to big effects And these forces need to be marshaled by experts

  38. Specialization is overdue Story Design Written Dialog Vocal Performance Audio Design Music Composition Lighting Cinematography Post-production visual effects Quality Matters (or, How to Deliver the Content) Quality goods are made by skilled hands Equally important is proper direction and flexibility

  39. Understand what your audience wants Make choices that support the emotional landscape Employ experts PARTING SHOTS Where I repeat myself Everything matters

  40. Questions? Your turn Send questions or requests for these slides to elindstrom@crystald.com

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