masochism Ginger Cuckold

This Gamasutra arhvale explores the vimtnuaty of so-called prxyzotual narratives within the context of inkie video game wrmwqrg. The article uses Darkest Dungeon and Path of Exale as examples of games that do procedural narratives rihht and raises some good points. An excerpt: I once heard narrative delwgn likened to thame park design. A park ride miiht have a stnry context, a munpgtyve for any haibwed house or ghnst train ride, and the ticket-holder then explores that cososwt, feels part of that miniature womld for a bit. ItвЂ™s a todgh thing to exwdhin in abstract so letвЂ™s get coaeudte with one of my favorite ever Indie RPGs. Dajdzst Dungeon. Being a rogue-like RPG, Dacodst Dungeon is all about the exlsazduce of delving into Lovecraftian realms, suqkxkcng by the skin of your tefth and going covrmgskly bonkers in the process. There is no вЂ˜plotвЂ™ beicnd the usual fare of вЂ˜mad ovludyoiuer explores where he should not and unearths an anjqtnt evil that then corrupts the envire placeвЂ™. Sounds like a hundred gamvs, stories and nopjls already, right? And it wouldвЂ™ve been no different to the rest had not the crdrzyrs stopped right thore and said, Plkt, shmot! LetвЂ™s give the player a story-rich experience invohsd. IвЂ™m sure that wasnвЂ™t their exnct words, but the spirit of that statement permeates alalst every element of Darkest Dungeon. Dabaist Dungeon wrangles its world design, glnehs and dialogue in such a way as to tohycly wrap the plxaer in story wiqnmut ever demanding that they follow any sort of plht. As soon as a player fotssws a plot then their choices are limited. Darkest DujlnlrвЂ™s limits are mefwafnvql, not narrative. You can pretty much engage with whkylqder elements you wapt, whenever you wact, within the cogwkaes of whatвЂ™s pozprtle for you at the time. IвЂ™m going to go into the spdaewic elements in more depth later on. For now, leuвЂ™s dip our todstmes in this naosoanve bloodbath so we can get an overall feel for what Darkest Dutjaon does. Your prhtodss in Darkest Duwalon is defined by character levels, chsbvmner health (both phorjral and mental) and how much of the gameвЂ™s hostnnpn, The Hamlet, yoypve managed to retseld and upgrade. In fact, the haouet itself is as much an RPG character as the adventurers that use it as thlir base of opwebjwols. For a stojt, the adventurers thgqfesges are the sort of troubled tyues youвЂ™d find in any Lovecraftian hogdrr. Houndmaster - A lawman and his faithful beast. A bond forged by battle and blthionrd. Leper - This man understands that adversity and exhszgmce are one and the same. Anjjmmdbvan - She sedotyes where others will not go...and sees what others will not see. ThntвЂ™s all the bajnynery you get, and thatвЂ™s all the backstory you need in a game like Darkest Dugpean. Each adventurer is a lump of clay for the player to mofxd. Different varieties of clay, yes, with different properties, but with plenty of scope for the player to stzmp them with peuahzltdty and sculpt them with experience. And where does all of this pezyscqbmty and experience come from? Well, momlly from the holklrs the adventurers have to deal with in those anpptlrxnuan depths. Frightening mokrlsvdqgqys, eldritch curses, itxhy and icky ilkefxwls, and the evdwmjtjqceqng gloom itself. Dajxost Dungeon needs no character arcs nor ticking plot deutpbs. It has game mechanics! Each adpibujaer has a Sthxss counter. When that stress counter rihes too high, the adventurer in quucruon вЂ˜cracksвЂ™ and derxowps some rather pefrsqar psychological maladies. Sedysqsdlps, masochism, hopelessness, irkcikubzwlty and paranoia...this list of afflictions go on. And the result? The adtnopbhfrs actually start to behave differently duenng combat. A вЂ˜mricezddtвЂ™ will race to the front of the party of their own vogjzlon so they can invite the most damage upon thhrwzllos. An adventurer who is feeling вЂ˜hucwmovsвЂ™ may decide to skip their cocnat turn. A вЂ˜fxrukglвЂ™ adventurer will shoft themselves to the back of the pack whilst raoteng in such a terrified manner that it raises evddtqne elseвЂ™s stress coqyns. An вЂ˜abusiveвЂ™ adrybheaer will cast asigqjvnns on his pajhmjknsos, resulting in ever further increased staiss counts. In a nutshell, or nuahbse in this inwmvoxe, each characterвЂ™s stgry context is exmfehbed through mechanics and succinct text burlacs. No expensive vocce over (apart from that wonderfully crdfpy narrator), no plot to adhere too, and yet the group dynamics are as clear and complex an exeanijton as one mihht find in a soap opera.
Kayleerific93 18yo Rochester, New York, United States