Okay, so both these projects were already announced but I was too busy writing them to say anything about it.
The Masterplan
I played The Masterplan in early access six months ago, and instantly bought into its world. It's a top-down heist game with real-time pause and a tactical stealth focus, and central to the whole thing is the hostage-taking mechanic which enables you to control rooms and implement on-the-fly tactics like having the bank manager rob his own bank, or having the clerks form a human shield between you and the cops.
I ran into the Sharkpunch team deep in the snow at PAX East, and couldn't resist the chance to offer them some help with the writing. It's such a charming little game, it deserved better than second-language English - plus the entire script is less than 10,000 words, so it's not a great time sink.
Since coming onboard I've tried to make the world feel more consistent. A simulation game like this, where most of what happens is player-driven, turns not on the cinematics or the linear text, but the authenticity of the world you are interacting with. It doesn't need to be real, it just needs to make internal sense.
To that end I've been using flavour texts to build out the sense that you're in a 70s crime caper, recruiting a team, scoping joints and pulling off the impossible. Right now we're working on implementing more dynamic in-game speech. It's silly stuff, but the world comes alive when the characters in it react in unpredictable but logical ways.
Finally, the whole game is bookended with some more traditional linear plotting which was already hinted at in the original teaser. This is not a story-heavy game, but it wouldn't be a crime caper every detail went to plan.
The Masterplan releases on 4th June 2015.
Road to Gehenna
Croteam collared me in January. They'd been working on extra-hard Talos DLC puzzles for who knows how long and contrary to their intentions throughout that development they decided the DLC needed some kinda story.
Not blown away by the thought of churning out more Milton, more Elohim Jonas and I immediately set about generating plot pitches which would expand on the original world without simply following in its footsteps. We wanted a new challenge.
Pitches we discarded included the game being set in the distant past when the system was still being developed, with researchers commenting on and interpreting your every action; a secondary server with all the same rules, but completely different archive information, resulting in very different versions of ELOHIM and Milton; and one where far future beings discover the system and begin to explore it.
Without spoiling anything, the pitch we went with provides us huge flexibility in terms of the sort and tone of material we deliver. It gives us a world that fits within the original game's religious and science fiction mythology, but which resolutely has its own identity. Most importantly for me, it lets us explore completely new ideas about how to interact with the game.
Road to Gehenna is ambitious (overly so: the script is around the same size as that of the original game). I haven't undertaken a follow-up to one of my own games since the Penumbra series eight years ago because I want to keep moving forwards (the same reason, more or less, that I didn't work on Amnesia), and so Gehenna we have consciously designed to be experimental. We wanted to explore new ideas in a safe environment so that when we inevitably come to Talos 2 we will be able to raise our audience's expectations once again.
Story was fully implemented a week or two ago, and we are now in final bug-hunting. Road to Gehenna will arrive for computers and other toys in the next month or two.
If you played Talos 1, which area do you think needed the most work?
ReplyDeleteIf you have any questions about either project let me know.
Dear Tom, first of all, pardon my kind of laughable English; I hope I would be able to express myself...
DeleteI have to say, that although I had some objections to game mechanics and script, I was truly delighted by Talos: it is seriously one of the best games I ever played and my best life-expericence this year so far (which may be little sad, but whatever).
I was little disappointed that i Felt that the story is sort of overlay of game mechanics. I know that you had no other option, but for me this was too obvious and I don't think this is right (I mean when the player notice it, if you understand).
Also the conversation with Milton was enjoyable, but sometimes I was dissapointed with limitations of my possible answers, becouse discussed problem was more complex. Posible answers were most of the time obviously too manipulative, but I presume, this was your intention?
I also expected more moral challenges and more persuasion by Milton and also EL0HIM, may be some intentional eviromental changes by EL0HIM after ascending the tower (aka divine miracles), I don't know, may be be more subtle and not so obvious about the truth of real nature of the simulated world.
I would also like to hear more about story of Samsara and Shephard, I definitely think that this is underused subplot line.
Also - and that maybe not the problem about script, but about it's implementation - I found illogical, that I had to break EL0HIM rules to become his messenger (stars in the higher levels of the tower).
Anyway, the background of the story and it's meaning is what makes it extraordinary and unique. Thank you for make it as it is and don't feel offended by my criticism.
I'm very impatiently waiting for Gehenna and very, very happy that you have mentioned Talos 2, becouse Talos 1 left me with many thoughts in my head - is there some other EL facilities which may in the end produce such as unique and conscous lifeform? What will the "new man" do in real world? Will it replicate - if yes, how, i.e. run another simulation? Is it going to feel lonely? Is it going to revive somehow our kind?
There are so many questions... I'm looking forward that you give me some answers. Thanks again and the best of luck :-)
Thanks for all the kind words! I agree with you on the critical points. In fact, I almost turned the original job down because of the lack of potential for direct and meaningful interplay between the narrative and the gameplay mechanics. Glad I didn't. Few jobs are perfect, but Talos provided me a lot more freedom to explore what I wanted to how I wanted to than any other contract job I've done.
DeleteDear Tom, I'm just informing you that I have finished the Road to Gehenna DLC and I was delighted again. Maybe the story lacks a feel of mystery and mysticism and the ending wasn't so much epic (which is understanable), but I found these new topics about freedom and freewill and Jerusalem analogies also very attractive and deep.
DeleteThe interplay between the narrative and the game core was much stronger than in Talos 1 and very atmospheric. Ingenious writing, really. I laughed, I starred, I was touched - I feel the differencies of various characters (esp. Sam was charming to me, since my job deals with binary algorithms). I was surprised how strong feelings may deliver narrative presented "just" by terminals billboard systems. And this time was the reading anticipated after finishing a puzzle and sometimes it was very helpfull as a relax and change of mental focus, esp. between extremely hard puzzles (I also had a lots of fun with text adventures, which was sort of touch of nostalgy for me, becouse I've played these games in 80s on my former ZX Spectrum).
To cut my nonsenses rolled in ridiculously "engrish" grammar - you've done excellent job again and made my days for the second time. Thank you and also Jonas and I hope so much, guys, that you're going to amaze me in Talos 2. Have a great days and the best of luck with your future projects. I'll be definitely watching them.
I enjoyed Talos1. The thing that needed the most work was Milton. I found it highly irritating, not always logical, and I quickly realised I could just stop interacting with the terminals, which I did. It left the storyline a bit one-dimensional, but didn't interfere with progress. Ask yourself why would a player want to interact with Milton - there was no upside to it, just being talked down to.
ReplyDeleteThere might be one weak reason why. The Talos Principle is set in a lonely environment and your interactions with the other robots are one-way. Even if in-story, Milton's conversations are all preplanned anyway.
DeleteEspecially with the QR codes you could paint being limited and self-deprecating without much awareness that they were self-deprecating.
OK, so I've mentioned what I didn't like about Milton, but I guess it would be better to make suggestions how to improve it. Someone called it a lonely environment, so I'm thinking making Milton really friendly (not to be too derivative, but thinking friendly then reminded me of Wheatley). And I'd like to see lots of humour in there, and once you have Milton as a positive experience for the player then you could also make the Milton interactions essential to game progress.
DeleteFeedback appreciated. My hope was that by directly challenging (and even insulting) the player, Milton might encourage them to form new philosophical positions. I grant this stick not carrot approach is not to everyone's taste.
DeleteWhen it comes to discourse between two sides, there is no guarantee both sides will be rational. Even challenging their opinion is enough to send them into a fit.
DeleteMilton starts off as a slight "positive experience" - the deceptive act at the first half of the conversations. I sadly don't feel like that was the experience it could have been - it could have been used to quietly undo those traits and /then/ flush happy-friendly-land down.
Thanks for the comments! I have this theory with Milton that the more you already know about philosophy the less you will appreciate him. Can I ask what's your background?
ReplyDeleteYes I am well read and practised in a very wide range of philosophy.
DeleteWell, in my experience Milton is too good for a conversation partner.
DeleteIt makes me feel more constricted by dialogue options, because there's SO MUCH we can discuss - we can have an actual conversation resembling an academic one, and I have only three phrases to choose from. It doesn't really matter if you're skilled in philosophy because, well, everybody has an opinion, right? And if someone questions your opinion... Some people can jump over their head just to prove themselves right, you know.
Milton is a strong character idea that cannot be implemented correctly. As I understand him, he has to question the actual player's moral beliefs.
This is a serious idea, it's not about trolling or deception, the player has to be honest about his mind for it to work. By the way, that's another small implementation flaw: you have to persuade the player to be honest before asking anything, show him that sarcasm is not an option.
But when you've persuaded the player to be serious about conversations with Milton, the table turns on you because you have to summarize a serious conversation in a simple dialogue tree. It looks even more jarring because you emulate (at least, in looks) the parser interface, with actual phrases typed by the protagonist.
I think Milton had to have an input malfuction. Something like Analogue: A Hate Story, where the characters can't understand you and have to use the "Yes-No" questions to communicate.
So you see, the philosophy background has nothing to do with it.
The game actually sways you /out/ of being honest. Since Milton is possibly the least reliable and least honest character possible, the player has no obligation to be honest. Why would you? It's ridiculous.
DeleteThis bit I am actually comfortable with. I like that there is no external pressure on you to be honest with Milton. I like that should you choose to you can screw with him.
DeleteYou have no EXTERNAL obligation to be honest with Milton - but arguably as a rational person you will find much more value in the experience if you nonetheless treat Milton with more respect than he treats you.
The game didn't choose to act on that fact, though. None of the snarky responses Milton hands you contributes to anything (for me, I would have been so satisfied if my "denial" gave off the Press the Serpent response).
DeleteI disagree about Milton. I found my interactions with him very enjoyable, always looking forward to our next rendezvous with him. I'm also able to disprove your theory: I took a course in philosophy in university and also read it for fun, anything from Schopenhauer and Nietzsche to Lock, Kant and Ancient Greeks, and that did nothing to make my chats with Milton less enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteAs for Talos 1: I can safely say that Ancient Egypt felt less exciting than the other two worlds. It could have been my disdain for sand, but I believe there's more to it than that. Don't get me wrong, though, trying to find faults with Talos is a task only a perfectionist would even consider undertaking. The game is nothing short of ecstatic.
I found a lot of fault with The Talos Principle, actually. You know who I am, right? :P
DeleteAnyway, those issues are unrelated - they have to do with stuff like design and pacing. The topic here I assume would be about writing, so the most relevant complaint would be the Floor 6 "accidental completionist" path.
Silence The Serpent was very weak as well, along with the FAITH part. If you don't know, Silence the Serpent is a dialogue tree you can end up in by saying that none of your arguments had any faults. The game was not self-aware in distinguishing between a "troll" and someone with those actual beliefs, which left me very confused at the end.
ReplyDeleteThe FAITH portion implied it was a kind of password - after all, if the supposed "other character" Milton was trying to sell off "didn't know how to use the password", it would hardly be so easy as to type it in.
Yes, these bits were somewhat late in development, and the paths were not ideal.
DeleteI know this is a big ask but would it ever be possible to do a Talos Co-Op?
ReplyDeleteIn principle it is possible. The multiplayer code is already bundled into the Serious Engine. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if it was moddable into the original game. This being said, there are currently no plans for official co-op in the DLC, and a potential full sequel is some way off yet.
DeleteI do not think that the original game lacked any work, on the contrary. Let me try to formulate what I appreciated the most. In the story part, it is the feeling of being outwitted and, for a good part of the game, the doubt and uncertainty. What is going on, whose good side should I stay on? I think it is very stimulating for the exact kind of player that Talos focuses on. Just when I was thinking "oh, it's that robot vs. human conundrum again," MLA comes around with these difficult questions about morality, and completely throws me off my game. From that moment, my biggest motivation to get those red sigils was to get to the next dialogue with MLA. Philosophical dialogues spiced with humour that leave you with one finger raised "but...!" - just perfect.
ReplyDeleteI see that people are dissatisfied with the limited range of responses. I believe it is a good thing. I think that if the disputations with MLA became more complex and extensive, it would be very hard to manage all possibilities and keep the game experience as it was intended. Although I too was trying to outwit MLA and I could think of more appropriate answers outside the scope of the dialogue, I think I would be actually let down if that happened. I just enjoyed fitting my views into one of the answers, often choosing the funny ones, and then saw my words being twisted and used against me. I loved it :-)
Another element that is used in games to unsettle the player is guilt. Guide the player to think they achieved something, but actually did something terrible, then point a finger and say: "now look what you've done!" Just a suggestion :-)
Sorry that I didn't offer any improvements, but hopefully this feedback illustrated the kind of game experience I really appreciated.
Looking forward to Gehenna. Hoping for a more positive Milton experience, although the blog seems to suggest it will be similar.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying Gehenna. Terminal interactions so far are much more interesting and positive than in the original TP and the whole storyline is really the centre of the game now. Maybe gameplay is now the bitch of plot : )
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