Writing an Adventure Game

[ezra]

Does anyone have any good sites of how to write an adventure game, or maybe a great book that I could purchase?

[DGMacphee]

There are tutorials around the place.

IMO The best thing to do is just make a game based upon the knowledge and theory you've aquired from playing other adventure games.

[ezra]

Basically what I mean was how to write out the playscript of the game. Like how to set it out with puzzles and that. Should I just write out like...

NARRATOR: Bla bla bla blee blee blo...

Ezra picks up the key and can unlock the door, but he needs to put his oil on the door so it can unjam and open.

NARRATOR: And the door has been opened to a new world of magic and mystery.

[DGMacphee]

Bascially, yes. There's no real "right" way of setting things up. I remember someone releasing a set of game design templates that you can print out and fill-in to help your creation process. However, you can pretty much do a similar thing in Word.

In fact, as an example, Chrille once showed me the design docs for the first chapter of Pleurghberg 2. They were written in Notepad. 

[TerranRich]

What i did was write a complete walkthrough for my game, beginninig to end, complete with alternate options, paths, and even outcomes. In Word.

[ScottDoom]

What i did was write a complete walkthrough for my game, beginninig to end, complete with alternate options, paths, and even outcomes. In Word.

That's basically what I do. My most complete script for a game is my script for a game titled A Party In Room 26, which I'll never make. If someone wants the script, I'll be pleased to give it to them.

[Sutebi]

I seem to recall that Rode had a very nice essay about making an adventure game, but his site seems to be down right now. I'm sure you could find similar essays in other locales.

[Pet Terry]

I seem to recall that Rode had a very nice essay about making an adventure game, but his site seems to be down right now. I'm sure you could find similar essays in other locales.

Boink.

[m0ds]

Pay Rodekill $1000 and he'll tell you all about design...

[Pumamam]

The best thing you could to is to take other peoples advices and combine them, and then do it by trial and error through more scenarios.

btw hi

[Mr Flibble]

Call me crazy, but I'm a great fan of 'muddling through'.
I have a beggining, an ending, and a vague collection of things that I want to happen in the course of gameplay.
I'm sort of putting it together as it comes to me, because if I sat down and wrote it all down in the outset, I would have no ideas at all.

[Pumamam]

He he, thats what i used to do when i was building stuff with my LEGO.
But the only bad thing is that after it is done, a lot of bricks would stay by the side un used. 8)

[Blackthorne]

Basically what I mean was how to write out the playscript of the game. Like how to set it out with puzzles and that. Should I just write out like...

I basically write mine out like a film script, with minor additons.  Kinda like


                                        NARRATOR
                     You approach Ed, and he begins to speak.

                                         ED
                     Howdy?  What can I do you for?

DIALOGUE CHOICES

1 - "Where am I?"
                                        ED
                    You're in Brushfeld Country, son!
                   
     1a -"What's that?"

2 - "How's Buisness?"
3 - "Goodbye"

ETC.  Something like that.  Whatever works for you, or your team.....

Bt

[Toefur]

This is the way I do it:

I write up the entire thing in story format. I plan all that out, very basically, and write it from opening to closing. That helps me to develop story and characters, and also gives the chance for them to develop themselves. Once I have done that, I go over the story and fix it all up.

From that, I do an adaption of the written story to a logical design for implementing into a game.

So I will convert it to a screenplay of sorts. Ie:

[Intro Scene]
Protagonist walks into house [Image 01], locks the door, and looks from side to side.
Protagonist: Here is me talking.
CharacterX comes running into room.
Etc.
Etc.
[/Intro Scene]

Then, I will have a corresponding image [Image 01] where I mark down things like where the Protagonist stands when he enters, where he picks up certain things, so everything that happens in the script will also be mapped out into the image.

I also add a list of things, next to the image, of all the puzzles that occur in that screen, as well as items and what is or isn't done to them, and same for characters.

[chapter11studios]

I start off with a story outline, and then turn it into a "shortest path" walkthrough so that I know what the most linear gameplay possible is. Then I begin to flesh it out, add options and side quests, and adjust the document accordingly. For dialogue, I've been setting it up in a tree format, although I'm still trying to perfect it. But in general, Word or Notepad is fine, I think.

[LGM]

instead of putting it all in just one document, I use this program called KeyNote. It's very nice and keeps you organized!

Just follow the others advice, and make your own method by trying out the others listed. Do whatever works for YOU. We all work differently.

Good Luck