Relative Game Narrative Terms

Embedded Narrative is to put clearly, a story within a story. This is common in computer games as usually their isn't just one character to focus on and there are multiple characters we can choose from and see a back-story about. This adds depth to games and creates another side story within the primary one.Windsorian Battle uses embedded narrative quite a lot as the overall storyline is about defiance against families which are feuding, but within it contains another which is a curse unknown to the couple who are wanting to wed. We are also faced with the fact that the couple need to achieve 3 different things within the game to overcome the tragedy; overcoming the curse/learning to deal with what they have been placed with, saving their Kingdom before its downfall and defeating the evil threatening the Kingdom (The Dark Forces). Unsuccessful and successful events within the embedded narratives can trigger a different direction the game takes which could change how it runs completely, giving the game the diversity to be able to be completed in many different ways instead of just one.

Emergent Narrative is a narrative which does not have a specifically known ending. An example of a game which uses emergent narrative is The Sims 3, as a story emerges from whatever the player controls the Sim to do and has no structure. As it has no storyline, getting the player emotionally involved with the game is harder as it is down to them to do most of the work - as they are in-control of most of game. My game would use emergent narrative in the sense that taking a different route or involving the character in different situations would take them to a different stage in the game, whether they got there faster or slower, or they just made it more difficult for themselves to unlock. As my game has a set storyline, the resolution of the story would be the same whatever outcome, so emergent narrative does not apply in that sense.

Triggering Events are events which happen whatever you do in a game. It is basically anything your character does within the game, so there are multiple outcomes for the subject story. An example of a triggered event is one such as a character dying; which may lead another character to take revenge and/or begin a new quest and story within the game. Another way of looking at is if the player doesn't complete the mission or level in the time given which can lead to the level being skipped, which triggers the game to last longer and make the player take a lengthy fore-fit for passing an important stage of the game. In Windsorian Battle, many triggered events can cause different outcomes. As my game has 2 main protagonists, if one loses their life, the game doesn't have to be over. It does mean that the remaining character will have to work twice as hard toward defeating the force which threatens them but gives the player a chance to challenge themselves.

Player Control can be two things; how you control the character you are playing and which character you are controlling. As different characters have different movements, actions and abilities, controls can vary. Certain buttons have to be pressed together or repetitively to inflict pain on the opponent and cause them to fail against your skills or even just move your character around from place to place. An example of controls are the X, A, B, Y, LB, LT, RB, RT buttons on the Xbox 360 controller. As my game would be played best on the Xbox, an example of one of the basic controls for my game would be the A button + the moving the gear stick as it is generally used to make your character walk in which ever direction you desire, which I will adapt into my game so my players are familiar with how a character can move in this game. Player control could also mean there are multiple characters for the player to choose and switch from in the game, which gives them freedom of choice if they prefer how a certain character moves and interacts than another. Giving my players an option to play either a male or female in Windsorian Battle (the Prince or Princess) will increase the amount of people who would play my game as both male and females would feel encouraged to play the game without it being stereotypically made for a male audience.

Character Customization is available to players in certain games, one game being incredible detail is The Sims 3 as you can adjust pretty much anything physically about your character, from what it wears to how their face, body and health is structured. This allows the players to feel as though they are inside the game, immersing themselves into the storyline. In my game, character customization can be used but only slightly. As my two characters available to play are already pre-set, the only things the players can change are what they wear and hair & eye colour. I didn't want to lose touch with how I want the characters to look so I limited how much the players can change their looks. I feel this won't effect how much my players will get into the game as the stability of having an already made character makes them feel as though they know less about what is to come, as they don't feel as close knit to the character as they would if they designed them completely by themselves.