Story is core

[Chacal]

For those who emphasize on story, the meaning of "story" is not limited to just a linear progression of events that is made clear through some means.
If also refers to "backstory", "history", "setting", and "continuity".
In short, "story" in the broadest sense of the word.

I agree with that. Story, as a linear progression of events, such as in a weekly TV show, (or, to be blunt, such as what Cyan tried to do in MOUL season 1), is totally devoid of interest for me. Actually, I'm against it because it stifles creativity.

Now, "backstory", "history", "setting", and "continuity", this sound more like some people here are doing, such as Pappou, Luetwo, Zander, Katreeny et al. It gives substance to an Age. No element in an Age should be totally random, there should be a reason for it, even if it is not written in so many words. The difference can be felt, the explorer can feel there is a reason hidden behing what he sees.

[Zander]

Yes. When I used the word "story" in the original post I did mean it in the broadest sense, as Trylon says. I'm not dead set against an actual progression of events happening while we explore, but in many ways that's the least important of all the forms of "story" that we could use, and the only one that could quite easily be tacked on afterwards, though it would be better if it emerged from the nature of whatever central Age we end up basing ourselves in.

When I talk about an Age without story being nothing, I'm not trying to be insulting. I'm pointing out a potential trap into which I think Cyan themselves fell. If you manage to design and code an Age like Minkata, with two "sub-Ages," a complex terrain with precisely placed holes in it, blowing sand effects, moving star patterns and all the rest, it's easy to look at it and think "what more does it want?" There's a tremendous sense of achievement involved here, and I can imagine the same kind of sense of achievement if one of us manages to make two hills with a river flowing between them and a bridge across the river. Especially if the water actually flows.

I'm also not saying that everyone should have to write a three-hundred-page novel before they start to build. "Start from story" is perhaps a misleading phrase. Some people's imaginations are more visual than mine, and may be sparked off by a piece of concept art, or music, or looking at a drainpipe reflected in a car bumper or something. But what I do say is that once your imagination is going, firing on all cylinders, and the idea is in front of you, the first question you ask it should be "what's the story?"

[ABguy]

Many moons ago I helped create a guild solely devoted to storytelling. I don't really consider myself a member of the writers, though I have some experiance actually working with ages and have plans to build my own expansion for URU.

Storyline is everything. What I find is great is basing alot of the story on something that people feel strongly about. With Uru thats kind easy as you have ages that people have fond memories of or you have characters that people can relate to. Now most folks in our position don't really want to mess with the developers story for several reasons. One is that we don't really know where or what the developer wants to do with their story, secondly (and I think more personally for me) I don't feel that it is very original to use characters in a way that might undermine a bigger storyline held by others. I could spend alot of time talking about how to balance a storyline so that it fits, but its almost something that can't really be taught. I think people who are good at it probably feel their way around the story naturally.

Creativity is key just as anything else. Most of the people envolved with me are very artistic and I suspect that the same is true here. So using words that are broad and nondescript makes sense to me. However, you need to have good communication skills and be specific when working as a project leader.

BTW for those interested in visiting the GOS just type in http://www.guildofstorytellers.net and you should be good to go.

[J'Kla]

I don't have a 300 page story but I do have a Beta test run on UU pre-D'mala that currently stands at 288 pages of text circa 114k words.

This was written during the time that Cyan was down to two guys.

The first six chapters circa 4000 words per chapter (this is now 20 chapters and a closing outline) of the story were embedded into UU as Python code released in game one chapter at a time in response to puzzles set and embedded into each chapters closing pages. Each chapter appeared in an in game journal and duplicated to the Yeesha book in Relto.

BAD can vouch for the Beta test he was there.

This whole project could be revived in about 7 days given permission and tools.

As you may gather I agree that Story is CORE.

[Inanna]

The old theatre adage goes "if it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage." Being an old theatre major with an additional degree in history, I have weigh in on the side of there being a story. The tricky bit here is that unlike your favorite novel, this story is non-linear. It has to hold together no matter which piece you reach first.

What I have loved most about all the Myst worlds is that there was a sense of purpose that drove me to get past all those maddening puzzles. I actually cared about my choice between Sirus and Achenar and was relieved that in the end there was a third possibility. I developed a loyalty to Yeesha, which I retain to this day.

I have played other games where the puzzles were just as clever, but when I got to the end I said "So what?" The big revelation was a total let-down. Cyan has never done that and if we are going to present the future stories we have to uphold that standard. Not easy.

My writing skills are conceptual -- plot, characters, dialog -- and presenting them in a non-linear, multi-choice environment. If you get a chance to visit my web-based age of La Casa you can see how my team has tackled the problem. No, it is not as beautiful or dynamic as URU, but we found a story, planted characters within it and let it grow from there.

As I posted elsewhere on GoW, there are many different kinds of puzzles used by Cyan. The best are those that are organic to the age -- turning on the power for instance, and then directing it to do what you need it to do. Another form of organic puzzle are the protective locks that Kadish installed to keep us away from his wealth and other secrets. Those puzzles were rooted in Kadish's character -- his skills and the wealth he had to implement those skills. As we went crazy trying to get to the vault we could at least appreciate Kadish's care in keeping us out.

As much fun as Jalak was for some, I never much cared for it as an age because there was nothing to discover there other than a duck feather. It was an old arena, but there was not much to explore on one's own. The pod ages were the same story over and over, except when the animals began disappearing from Negilahn. With the added plot entered, I got more interested in that pod.

I am hoping that those who have age ideas, but are missing the story elements will take advantage of the many fine writers in the guild. The point of an age can always be crafted to fit the circumstances as long as all the creators remain flexible and communicative.