Continued from the last blog, I had it about how stories should be airtight. Having an excuse for everything. Well, since the gaming business isn't that much of a Movie-like business... I started off creating a story that would lie senstive. Crooked politics. And freedom fighting. The basic motto of the game would be "If a bully takes your lunch, and you've got the power to take it back. The hell are you waitin' for?".

The story leads you through a path that could feel like a conspiracy, while it's the biggest form of selfishness you can imagine. A crooked politician with big-headed-dillusions wants to make an entire state his "personal playground". Nuclear tests, animal testing, disaster testing that would be a real disaster. Everything you can't do on the mainland. His ultimate goal is to keep order at the same time, by eliminating anyone who could set a foot against him in a legal way. And replacing those with his own men, assuring himself to be "always right".

Basicly, the guy's trying to make the state his personal backyard.

Then the counterquestioning. Where's D.C into this?

Awnser: The Geraldo State is the 51st State of America, without being an actual state. It's partially a kingdom, and partially a state. It never recieved the 51st star on the flag. But has it's own rule system, 25% influenced by D.C's politicians. If something happens within the state that affects the entire country's reputation. The state itself makes the final decision, thanks to it being a partial kingdom.

Another counterquestion. What good can it be, being an seperate state that is led by itself?

Lower taxes, private oil supply, private power supply, the stuff you shouldn't have to share. No-one could've thought that some politician would risk taking it for itself.

Then a random question. Why in hells name should you create a story that has so many sidestories?

Because the Gaming Industries has something wonderfull in it. You never need to have a linear story. You can create as many shortcuts, sidepaths and expansions as you want without leaving the main story itself. You can shove up to ten stories into one, and still not making it complicated cause you are the character. Not the actor.

Think of it, if Braveheart was a game. You could've given the lead character so many options... He could've ran, he could've given up or he could've faught, without making it feel any less of a movie as it was. In the movie, it follows one linear path - The full attack. In a game you can create a maze of paths and still not making it complicated. Let alone less interesting. Cause you can connect each and every single story with eachother.

Back to the Q.A with: How can a linear story not be linear?

Okay, all akwardness aside from basicly interviewing myself... When I thought about it, it made sense. Afterall, you're playing the main story. Not a book, or something. There's three types of gamers, one is the "Full" kind. Plays a game 'till death, every single bit of content gets looked at. The "Casual" kind. They just play, and if it's good 'nuff, they do something aside. Then the "Rushing" kind. Like a drug addict they go from game to game.

To cater all three groups, there's only one solution. The main story, is a main story. The background and all the little side-picking is all optional. Even while the game is going to give a more than big insight on how it affects the characters, combining that with their history and all, if you really feel like digging more up. Do some side missions to your favor.

Easy solution. Right?

Another question: How can you alter real time events without screwing it up?

I'll be honest. When I created the storyline, slowly there came points where the character would be confronted with a true event that could lie extremely senstive. 99% of the real time events that I blend into the storyline are ment in a good way. Not trying to hurt those who lost someone/something. Alot of references, ifnot honors(with location and date of occurance/when destroyed/killed/etc.) - The World Trade Center's(New York, 2001), Iraqi Gulf War(Iraq, 1991), Rodney King/Los Angeles Riots(Los Angeles, 1992). These are the most important references into the character history. More on that here.

For instance, one of the characters worked for Jimmy Carter as personal bodyguard. Carter abused women, and the character Frank O'Doyle rushed inside, knocked Jimmy Carter senseless and saved the woman he was abusing. Ofcourse, Jimmy Carter never abused women. He wasn't loved, but it could've been any president I would use for this fiction. Frank O'Doyle's age matches the runtime of Carter's presidentship, Frank was eighteen when he started his so called job, right at the downfall of Carters career.

Hell, I'm born in 1988. I can't judge wether he was a complete ****er or not. He's unlucky enough to fall in my timeline.

And a final one: If you're creating a story for a video game with such a deep past, how does it work out for the game itself then?

The history isn't gonna match exactly with the storyline. Infact, it's closing one chapter for another. All five characters in the game have five unique histories(well, two do seem quite the same but fall different). Chris Lamont, former soldier on the Al Ramadï front. Mitchell Wilson, also a former soldier on the Al Ramadï front. Frank O'Doyle, former P.B of Jimmy Carter then turned National Guard Unit for L.A and N.Y.C. Rodger Anderson, racecar champion-got-crippled-during-crash. Dylan Mahoney, Police Chief's son with a master trigger finger.

They all end up on the same island, different locations. They all get under attack at some point, Chris' brother gets killed, whom was a Defensive Attorney. Mitchell's wife gets killed, whom was a Jury Member in Court. Dylan's father gets killed, who was police chief. Rodger's closest friend gets killed, whom was a Judge of Court. And Frank got shot as a random civillian during a massive killing spree.

Frank calls' em together for vengance. And try to unravel who did it. By going on a revenge path, they get more clues towards domination-by-a-crooked politician. By the time you're about to find out what the hell is going on, the mastermind himself declares war. That's two shifts in pace, from simple vengance to actual war. And then slowly it starts to turn into a freedom fighter's mission.

The politician himself gets more desperate and desperate and starts to give up his own land for his victory. Trying to hit the five characters where it hurts. For instance, Frank was up close at the WTC towers, and ran for his life twice from the falling towers. That crushed his career and sank into a deep depression. So, the villian uses planes to take down his "spots". Just for the sake of naming one.

Controversial. I know. But there's a few things that weaken th thing up a bit, like empty planes and such. The thing is that the story is not super-humans fighting super-humans. The characters aren't stupid, and are supposed to have the same emotions as we do. Depression, fear, trust etc. In Drive or Die, every single emotion is getting it's treatment.

Speaking about the story, how it actually goes from long past to taking down a politician... Next time. I gotta keep 'em a bit short, Y'know. And I still did it for the lulz.

(P.S, should these blogs be editoral because I'm practially saying how a story should work? Or should it still be a writing, cause it's still fiction?)