I realize that since I said I want to talk something related to the plot, you might have clicked the link in order to tell me that SureAI can't reveal anything about the plot and that we should let them do their own plot and that they should tell the kind of story they want. And you're completely right about that, they should.I don't want to go after the plot here at all, I want to talk about a more specific thing: I want to tell you about a few plot-devices I'd like to see implemented in the game. These devices are such that they can be thrown into many places without interfering with the plot, the idea is that they are such that they can only make it better. Sound like hard to believe? Then read on.
Why is this post called Reversal of Patterns? Because I remember reading an interview of the famed writer Isaac Asimov (who wrote the hugely successful Foundation series), in which he confessed he had no idea what had made his Foundation series so popular. He himself was supposed to be writing what was going to be his last Foundation book but he had no inspiration and was scared he would disappoint. So he scoured all the reviews he could find about his books to find out what people had thought was so good about them. In the interview he said that he then hit on something remarkable: One review mentioned that the best thing about the Foundation books was a “reversal of patterns”. Asimov said in the interview “Well I can give them that” and went on to write the last Foundation book and it sold exceedingly well. You could substitute “reversals of patterns” as plot-twists, but you'd miss on essential parts of what Asimov had realized. The rest of the post will be about what exactly reversal of patterns would mean in the writing of Endreal.
Here's an example from Nehrim about what that means: SureAI, in your plot-design please give us reversals of patterns. Feed us false information and first slowly then suddenly disabuse us of it. It makes for amazing moments. Make us realize things retroactively, in a kind of “Aa, it all makes sense now” kind of way. As an example from Nehrim, As an example of how this ports into Endreal, you could have for example a scene in which the player nonchalantly survives something impossible (but of course have it fade to black and back at the moment so the player later can realize this is the point he died). Then have the player continue on perfectly normally, except now things get all weird / dangerous (because the player is actually dead and partly in some kind of spirit-world). Then have the player realize that he’s dead (but not too quick) and he’ll be thinking “Of course, how could it be any other way?”. Or make some other way of making players have the same kind of reversal of patterns and retroactive realizations.
Realizing things is literally pleasurable. It’s why people like witty references: First they contemplate the immediate meaning and only then realize the reference.
Thank you for reading such a big text as this. Be proud of felling this mammoth of a text and feel free to feel inspired. All questions and comments are appreciated.
Peace,
Hannu
