Mod Cutscenes/Story Writing Tips
Dec 10, 2017 12:48:45 GMT
Seigneur Des Dragons852, Sheepocalypse, and 2 more like this
Post by konisbored on Dec 10, 2017 12:48:45 GMT
Hello there, it's me again!
So, today I'm going to talk about one of the least talked about parts of Luxor modding: cutscenes. For the unaware, cutscenes are static 800x600 BGs with text to give some immersion to the mod. Most major mods usually like to go the extra mile and add 'em in, just because.
To be fair, cutscenes are usually just for fun, definitely the least of your priorities. But I'm going to give some tips and pointers as someone who likes the English language a lot to improve your cutscenes.
- Watch your font size and colour.
I recommend outlining any text with black (and maybe add a drop shadow) to make it stand out. Don't strain your viewer's eyes.
- 2nd person speech.
Most cutscenes are in 2nd person. Tto put it bluntly, the people in the scene refer to the player as though they are part of the scene. Therefore, be prepared to use "You" to refer to the player. A lot.
Example sentence: "Howdy, pal! Great to see that you beat Mooland!" (ie. Keep referring to the player.)
I've yet to see anyone pull a 3rd person one, where everyone is an OC and they don't refer to the player at all, but to me it feels like the player loses investment with this since there is lesser interaction.
Also, the benefit of this style is that you can taunt the player with 2nd person speech, which usually happens towards the endgame. Eg. "MUHHAHAHHAAHHA! YOU CANNOT DEFEAT MY ULTIMATE 500 MIDSPEED MAP. YOU PUNY WEAKLING."
- Proofread it.
Get rid of all typos. They're pretty glaring. I recommend copy pasting your text into a text-to-speech generator and listen for errors. It helps.
- Coherent plot.
Please don't write something that is on acid.
(ie. I AM THE PHARAOH MUHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA. YOU CANNOT WIN I HAVE COMBINED ALL THE POWERS OF THE EGYPTIAN DEITIES AND HAS BECOME THE GREATEST. AWESOMENESS BATTLE INCOMING. PREPARE TO DIE XDDDDDDDDD)
Don't turn your player off by making your script look like a five year old wrote it.
- Add images.
Would you read a wall of text? No? There, add images around to complement the text.
- Just make it fun.
Break the fourth wall. Have crack, cliche, even NARM moments. Why not? You can take it seriously, but remember that most people would skim through it and scan through your text in less than 30 seconds, especially if they aren't interested. Some would instantly match the spheres to complete the stage even before reading, in fact. (especially if they're recording)
In conclusion, just do what you want. Have a blast. Many modders like to do this especially. Previous such crazy moments include:
Basically, I hope ya have fun! Enjoy making your own plot, because in the end, it's fun to write fictional scenarios downeven though in a mod, map design is still #1.
So, today I'm going to talk about one of the least talked about parts of Luxor modding: cutscenes. For the unaware, cutscenes are static 800x600 BGs with text to give some immersion to the mod. Most major mods usually like to go the extra mile and add 'em in, just because.
To be fair, cutscenes are usually just for fun, definitely the least of your priorities. But I'm going to give some tips and pointers as someone who likes the English language a lot to improve your cutscenes.
- Watch your font size and colour.
I recommend outlining any text with black (and maybe add a drop shadow) to make it stand out. Don't strain your viewer's eyes.
- 2nd person speech.
Most cutscenes are in 2nd person. Tto put it bluntly, the people in the scene refer to the player as though they are part of the scene. Therefore, be prepared to use "You" to refer to the player. A lot.
Example sentence: "Howdy, pal! Great to see that you beat Mooland!" (ie. Keep referring to the player.)
I've yet to see anyone pull a 3rd person one, where everyone is an OC and they don't refer to the player at all, but to me it feels like the player loses investment with this since there is lesser interaction.
Also, the benefit of this style is that you can taunt the player with 2nd person speech, which usually happens towards the endgame. Eg. "MUHHAHAHHAAHHA! YOU CANNOT DEFEAT MY ULTIMATE 500 MIDSPEED MAP. YOU PUNY WEAKLING."
- Proofread it.
Get rid of all typos. They're pretty glaring. I recommend copy pasting your text into a text-to-speech generator and listen for errors. It helps.
- Coherent plot.
Please don't write something that is on acid.
(ie. I AM THE PHARAOH MUHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA. YOU CANNOT WIN I HAVE COMBINED ALL THE POWERS OF THE EGYPTIAN DEITIES AND HAS BECOME THE GREATEST. AWESOMENESS BATTLE INCOMING. PREPARE TO DIE XDDDDDDDDD)
Don't turn your player off by making your script look like a five year old wrote it.
- Add images.
Would you read a wall of text? No? There, add images around to complement the text.
- Just make it fun.
Break the fourth wall. Have crack, cliche, even NARM moments. Why not? You can take it seriously, but remember that most people would skim through it and scan through your text in less than 30 seconds, especially if they aren't interested. Some would instantly match the spheres to complete the stage even before reading, in fact. (especially if they're recording)
In conclusion, just do what you want. Have a blast. Many modders like to do this especially. Previous such crazy moments include:
- An island made of pizza. (and who knows what else)
- The age-old ITS A TRAP backstab ploy where a seemingly nice person turns on you.
- Cloning blues.
- Sheepies.
- Crazy ancient artefacts that really should not be Macguffins but are anyway.
- Lots of snark and sarcasm.
- and more.
- The age-old ITS A TRAP backstab ploy where a seemingly nice person turns on you.
- Cloning blues.
- Sheepies.
- Crazy ancient artefacts that really should not be Macguffins but are anyway.
- Lots of snark and sarcasm.
- and more.
Basically, I hope ya have fun! Enjoy making your own plot, because in the end, it's fun to write fictional scenarios down