How do branching plots make game scripts different from novels?Utsudo thinks it’s multiple endings and branching plots. A novel has only one ending, while in a game the player’s choices affect characters’ affection and the direction of the story. When writing scripts you also have to consider development costs, team communication and length control, which makes “settings” especially important. The game she worked on, Bodieduo Forest, was also a finalist in the Bahamut ACG Creation Contest.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Multiple endings and branching plots

　　Beyond the basic differences in form and presentation, I personally think the biggest difference between game scripts and novels lies inmultiple endingsandbranching plots.

　　With a novel, readers basically only receive information; however many twists and turns there are along the way, there’s only one ending. One way game scripts differ is branching — the dialogue or actions the player chooses affect how much a character likes the protagonist, or the direction of the plot, which in turn affects the ending.

　　So when writing game scripts, you have to consider all kinds of possible endings — like it turning into a tragedy, whether to arrange something that lets players make up for missed plot points, or letting the story develop in a different direction.

　　As the story develops, sometimes possibilities I hadn’t even thought of pop up — it’s really fun.

Development costs and team communication

　　Of course, you also have to consider development costs and technical issues, and find a balance with the plot. That part isn’t actually too hard, butyou need to understand the features being developed and your teammates’ strengths, so you can create more variety.

　　Sometimes there are communication gaps too — the same thing looks different in different people’s heads, and each person’s expertise shapes how they see the same object, which affects how the plot is presented and expressed. So you need to communicate well, or you’ll send people down wrong paths, and resentment will build up over time (scared

　　That said, sometimes communication gaps lead to unexpected delights — brainstorming among several people can open up more vistas. But that’s limited to when teammates happen to think in a similar direction to you; otherwise, it’s basically better to avoid communication gaps.

　　Next, while considering all the plot possibilities, you also need to be careful not to let the length balloon too much, so you don’t blow up everyone else’s workload(you’d get strangled for that too)。

　　Because you need to present the plot’s many possibilities, consider how characters react to different plots, and factor in budget (time) and other variables — to minimize bugs and rework,“settings”become especially important.

　　Making a game takes far more time and effort than publishing an (ordinary) book, and requires more production and operating costs, so evaluations need to be even more careful — otherwise I’d be letting my teammates down QQ

　　But I’m still learning everything. I hope one day I can keep updating with old material so we can happily rake in the cash—Ahem ahem ahem!

　　How did that naughty cat Lubi get on the keyboard and type nonsense? Honestly, bad kitty!

Cross-disciplinary collaboration and the ACG shortlist

　　Since stepping into the game industry, I feel even more that every field is a world of its own. Code is the realm of gods — even the floor tiles leave me full of question marks. For now I can only do scripts, and I feel I can still hone that skill further.

　　Once I’m more skilled, I think I’ll be able to create more fun stories and ideas — I’m really looking forward to it!

　　Completing a work together with partners from different fields is a really wonderful feeling.

　　And our workBodieduo Forestlaunched on Google Play on May 14, and I was thrilled to learn it was alsoa finaliston this year’s BahamutACGCreation Contest game category list>////<

　　I’m so happy the very first game I helped make got this chance QQ

(Congratulatory art I snagged from my teammate)

But the height is a bit off —

I’m not that short ˋ皿ˊ!!!!!

P.S. This post is from last year, so voting is over XD

FAQ

Further reading (in Chinese)

• Previous: #55 (in Chinese)
• Next: #57 (in Chinese)
• Start from the beginning: #01 — Utsudo’s debut
• Column introduction
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.

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