Setting Creation: 5 Tips from the Developers of The Life and Suffering

Contents:

• The Birth of "Life" — the Path to Success
• From Live Games to Digital
• Crowdfunding as a Method of Support
• Life as Work: Analysis and Creation of an Interactive Story
• Tools for Tracking the Plot and Choices
• A Detailed Approach to Game Design
• Player Feedback and Perception of the Game
• International Success and Reviews
• Problems of Perception of Text-Based Games
• Conclusions and the Future of Text Games
• Life as a Struggle: Variability in Games

On March 4, 2021, the text adventure "The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante", developed by the Tomsk studio Sever, was released on Steam. Despite its niche nature, the game has received numerous positive reviews both in Russia and abroad. We spoke with Sergey Aksyonov, lead game designer, and Yuri Bagriy, narrative designer, about variability in games, their experience with crowdfunding, and the advantages of working in an office versus remote work. They shared their views on how a variety of choices impacts gameplay and how crowdfunding can be a great tool for independent developers. We also discussed how teamwork in the office fosters more effective idea sharing and creativity.

The Origin of "Life" - The Path to Success

Sergey Aksyonov discusses the world of The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante, which emerged from the context of the Talisman live action role-playing games, which originated in Krasnoyarsk. Every year, participants gathered in this city to conduct roleplaying games free of a rigid plot or specific setting. Over time, the traditions strengthened, and the setting developed its own unique identity. Initially, "Talisman" was a typical example of the fantasy genre, incorporating familiar races and tropes. However, over time, the plot deepened, exploring complex social and philosophical issues. The development of "Talisman" reflected the changes in the game universe, where various peoples faced oppression at the hands of the Blessed Arknian Empire. These plot transformations have enriched the game world, introducing new conflicts and intrigues, making Talisman more multi-layered and engaging for players.

Sergey notes that not all aspects of the Talisman setting were implemented in the game, as the team focused on creating a product with a clear direction. For a deeper understanding of the world of Talisman, he recommends contacting Fyodor Slyusarchik, the author of the universe, who actively shares information through his VKontakte group. This will allow you to get a full understanding of the setting and its features.

From Live Games to Digital

Yuri Bagriy recalls the moment when Fyodor Slyusarchuk came to their Sever studio with an offer to finance the development of a computer game. This offer opened new horizons for the studio, allowing them to expand their team and focus on creating artistic games. Until then, they had been working exclusively on applied projects, and the opportunity to transition to art direction was a significant step in their development. Collaboration with Fyodor Slyusarchuk marked a significant milestone in the studio's history, enabling them to realize ambitious creative ideas and improve the quality of their games. The Sever team, formed from a group of friends, soon realized that working in an office was more enjoyable and productive than working remotely. Sergey Aksyonov emphasizes that their office is a space for communication, exchanging ideas, and mutual support. This creates an atmosphere conducive to creativity and effective collaboration, which in turn has a positive impact on the team's performance.

During the pandemic, the team was faced with the need to switch to remote work, which posed a serious challenge for everyone. However, their experience demonstrates that office work can be more productive and inspiring, especially when the team is co-located. Collaborating in the office improves communication, exchanges ideas, and strengthens team spirit, which ultimately impacts task performance.

Crowdfunding as a Method of Support

Discussing crowdfunding on the Planeta.ru platform, Yuri Bagriy notes that this decision was a consequence of financial difficulties during the development process. The team sought not only to raise funds but also to receive valuable feedback from players. The success of their campaign not only inspired the developers but also confirmed the high interest in their game. Crowdfunding has become an important tool for engaging with audiences and strengthening the community around a project.

Sergey Aksyonov notes that crowdfunding played a key role in the team's success, allowing them to gain visibility and recognition in the gaming community. After the campaign's completion, the team's name became a household name, and the resulting community became an important factor in the game's development. Community participation not only increased interest in the project but also provided valuable feedback, which contributed to improving the quality of the game.

The team chose the Planeta platform due to its convenience and deep understanding of the target audience. This decision made crowdfunding more effective and feasible. As a result, Brante managed to attract the attention of the publisher 101XP, which opened up new prospects for the international release of the project.

Life as Work: Analysis and Creation of an Interactive Story

The text length in "The Life and Sufferings of Sir Brant" represents a significant word count, indicating the scale of the development team's work. The word count in this work can be compared with other major literary works to better understand its depth and complexity. Analyzing the length of the text helps to assess not only the labor intensity of the writing but also the level of development of the plot and characters. Thus, the word count in this work becomes an important indicator to consider when studying its content and significance in literature.

Sergey Aksyonov, one of the project's developers, shared his thoughts on the word count in the text. He noted that during discussions with Dima and editor Valya, the emphasis was placed on 330,000 words. At the same time, a translator from the Levsha studio claimed that this number reaches 500,000. Therefore, it is possible that the actual word count lies somewhere in the middle. This highlights the importance of accurately estimating content volumes, which is especially relevant for the development and promotion of the project.

Yuri Bagriy noted that this can be compared to three volumes of "War and Peace", emphasizing the significance and scale of this story. Comparison with Leo Tolstoy's classic work helps better understand the depth and complexity of the plot, as well as its impact on the reader.

Plot and Choice Tracking Tools

During the game's development, the team used flowcharts to visualize the relationships between events. Yuri Bagriy noted that, despite the lack of specialized tools, such diagrams became an important guide for plot tracking. "We started by writing three chapters, which remained virtually unchanged, but subsequent sections underwent multiple revisions."

Sergey Aksyonov noted that Excel was used during the game's development to document all scenes and choice options in detail. This allowed us not only to evaluate the balance of the gameplay but also to identify logical inconsistencies. Using Excel in game development promotes a more structured approach and simplifies the analysis of game mechanics.

A Detailed Approach to Game Design

The project faced a number of challenges during the development process. We initially aimed to ensure complete transparency of game conditions, but encountered architectural limitations. As a result, we had to implement protective conditions to prevent logical errors, which affected the overall implementation of the game, noted Sergey.

Yuri noted that significant logical inconsistencies were discovered during testing. We actively collaborated with publishers and the community to address them.

Player Feedback and Perception

Many players expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the game becomes a "calculator" towards the end. Yuri explained that this was the result of a conscious design choice: "We created a game about life with its tragedies and limitations." If a player pays more attention to mechanics than to the story, they encounter certain difficulties. This highlights the importance of immersiveness and the emotional component in gameplay, which can be missed when focusing on numerical indicators.

Sergey emphasized that in the West, games are predominantly focused on possibilities, while in our culture the emphasis is on limitations. This creates a unique gaming experience that challenges the player to take responsibility for their decisions. This approach not only develops decision-making skills, but also promotes deep engagement with the gameplay.

International Success and Reviews

The game has received positive reviews outside the country, particularly in the United States, where sales accounted for almost 50% of the total circulation. Yuri noted that success is also observed in Spanish-speaking countries and France.

Foreign players, along with Russian ones, often share their impressions of the serious storytelling style and deep character development in the games. However, according to Yuri, "negative reviews are often related to difficulties in completing the game, caused by the deterministic nature of the gameplay." This characteristic can hinder the game's accessibility to a wide audience, which developers should consider when creating content.

Challenges of Text-Based Game Perception

Sergey Aksyonov emphasizes that attracting players to text-based games is difficult, especially if they have no interest in the genre. However, interest in text-based games continues to grow. We see that even those who don't typically play such games remark on how engaging our story is. This demonstrates that a high-quality plot and deep character development can attract a wide audience and expand the circle of text-based game enthusiasts.

Yuri noted that the availability of a demo version was a decisive factor in the game's success. "Many players have tried the game because it's free to play, allowing them to evaluate its quality without financial risk."

Conclusions and the Future of Text Games

Developers should actively seek innovative methods for presenting text games. "In the Brant project, we strived to be fair to players, but in the future, we intend to significantly improve the game's visual elements to create a more immersive experience for users," Sergey noted.

Life as a Struggle: Variability in Games

On March 4, an interesting conflict took place on the gaming market: two indie games, "Brante" and "Loop Hero," were released simultaneously. "Loop Hero" has captured the attention of players thanks to its unique gameplay mechanics, as evidenced by numerous positive reviews on Steam. This raises an important question: can narrative games compete in popularity with games focused on gameplay? In the increasingly competitive indie scene, more and more players are seeking engaging stories and innovative mechanics, making this question especially relevant. Yuri Bagriy expresses a clear position on narrative and gameplay-based games. He believes that narrative games cannot compete with games based on gameplay mechanics. In his view, such games represent an authorial statement that often clashes with player expectations and preferences. In contrast, games that emphasize gameplay offer players the opportunity to relax and enjoy the gameplay without the need for deep emotional engagement. A good example is Disco Elysium, which was recognized as one of the best text-based games of the last ten years and sold over a million copies. For gameplay projects, this number may seem small, highlighting the difference in perception between narrative-driven and traditional games.

Sergey Aksyonov believes that well-designed gameplay promotes full player engagement. In contrast, mobile and free-to-play games with in-app purchases focus less on gameplay depth and more on player retention, which ultimately leads to increased revenue. This highlights the importance of balancing gameplay fun with commercial considerations in game development.

Narrative games occupy an important place in the entertainment industry. They require players to be emotionally engaged and focused on the story. While I prefer gameplay-based games that help me relax, in the rare moments when there's an opportunity for deep immersion, I choose narrative-driven projects. These games offer a unique experience, allowing players to explore complex stories and characters, making them appealing to those seeking not only entertainment but also an emotional connection with the game world. Bagriy emphasizes that interactive films like Life is Strange and Detroit: Become Human can attract a wider audience than traditional text games. Nevertheless, text games continue to have a devoted audience and sometimes demonstrate higher sales than traditional novels. Interactive elements and emotional engagement make them engaging for players, but text games retain their uniqueness through deep plot and character development, which is bound to appeal to literature lovers.

The lack of variability in narrative games like TellTale Games and the Mass Effect series has sparked interest in creating non-textual yet variability-based games. The question is how to realize this idea and achieve a high degree of interactivity. One approach is to use modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and procedural content generation. These methods can allow players to make more meaningful decisions that influence the development of the plot and the game world. It's also important to consider that variability doesn't always mean complex choices—sometimes, introducing different scenarios and endings is enough to create a unique experience for each player. Developing such games requires a creative approach and a deep understanding of the interaction between the player and the game world.

Aksyonov emphasizes that variability can be implemented at various levels of complexity, from text content to animation. The more complex and expensive content creation process requires greater effort to ensure variability. In the Brant project, certain player choices can close entire storylines, requiring significant resources and development time. This demonstrates the importance of thoughtful content structure for creating an interactive experience that keeps users engaged.

Inkle Studio uses a unique approach that allows players to influence the text at a more granular level. In their games, player choices can only change specific sections of the text, simplifying the process of creating variable narratives. This method makes the interaction more engaging and personalized, allowing each player to feel important in the development of the story.

The issue of variability in games with gameplay concerns more than just text manipulation. There are various methods for combining variability in plot and gameplay. One approach is the use of non-linear storylines, where player choices influence the development of events and the ending of the game. This creates a unique experience for each playthrough.

Furthermore, interactive elements, such as NPC responses and changes in the game world depending on the player's decisions, contribute to creating deep variability. This allows players not only to make decisions but also to observe their consequences, which makes the gameplay more engaging.

Dynamic content generation, which automatically generates new quests, locations, or enemies based on the player's actions, is also worth considering. This method significantly increases replayability and diversity of the gaming experience.

In conclusion, the combination of story and gameplay variability requires a comprehensive approach that includes non-linear narratives, interactive elements, and dynamic content generation, which enriches the gaming experience and maintains player interest.

Aksyonov identifies two main approaches to variability in games. The first approach is associated with variability of consequences, when the player's choices lead to different outcomes. The second approach is that the player always receives the same final content, but the methods for achieving it may differ. This creates the illusion of variability and active player participation in the gameplay, which increases their engagement and interest in the game.

Bagriy emphasizes that today there is no perfect game in which narrative and gameplay are perfectly combined. However, Baldur's Gate 3 could be an important step in this direction. However, the developers face challenges related to budget constraints and the difficulty of implementing diversity. This project demonstrates a desire to create a deeper and more engaging gaming experience that could inspire future developments in interactive storytelling in video games.

Aksyonov notes that the developers at Larian encountered an issue with players not being able to select characters of different races. This raises questions about the wisdom of investing in character diversity. Developers must take into account player preferences to optimize their resources and improve gameplay.

Inkle Studio uses innovative methods to account for Variability in game content. During a single playthrough, players can only discover a limited amount of available material, while the total amount of content is available to all participants. This approach ensures the uniqueness and unrepeatable nature of each story, creating a personalized experience for each player. This makes inkle studio's games not only engaging but also diverse, allowing each player to experience their own adventures, exploring different aspects of the narrative.

To achieve true variety in games, it is important to reduce the cost of content creation. This will allow developers to expand their creative horizons and introduce more unique elements into their games. Simplifying the content development process fosters innovation and diversity, making games more appealing to a wider audience.