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Thanks some great advice on this forum I was a little concerned I'd get "flamed" before I posted lol.

Would you suggest I write all the information about my main characters before I start to write the 'script'?

Thanks RickJ I appreciate the advice.

I'm starting to write now, I'm writing it like a walkthrough as mods suggested. But my question is shall I write the puzzles paralell with the story as I go through? And should I include the speech after e.g. Enter the room and speak with John, then put the actual dialog afterward?

Thanks mods really appreciate the positive advice. So should I describe it from start to finish, e.g. Describe what happens in the first cutscene then describe how it goes into game play etc?

Oh yeah of course lol sorry little tired.

Well I'm going to start drafting out my story today if anyone would want to take a look and help me constructivly give me a message and I'll show you what I've got.

Hey, while I have yet to complete a game, writing is something that I do know pretty well.  I would have to agree with Snarky that you might need to add some more compelling elements to your basic plot.  Even doing a considerable amount of work with your main  character alone can set a fixed genre game like this one apart from others.  The Space Quest series comes to mind. Ultimately, somewhat cliche elements of the setting and plot are transformed into a unique parody, largely by the decision to present the game world from the perspective of a dumb but lucky custodian rather than the typical hero.  I'm not saying to copy these games, just providing an example of how a well placed main character can do a world of good.

Anyway, if you are looking for a sort of outline form to put all of your story and puzzle ideas together before starting the project, Al Lowe has posted his design file for Leisure Suit Larry 5  at http://www.allowe.com/gamedesign/Larry5%20Design.pdf  While this format is extensive, it is a product of one of the greats (in my opinion).  And, if you are hoping to commission artists and such it gives them a very specific outline to follow.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your first game.

Thanks for that Shea I'll keep that in mind for my character maybe you could help me a bit more as I get deeper into writing for my game?

I sadly haven't got photoshop to open that file at work.

[about the game itself]

You can buy my brilliant ideas now, Vince, or get ready to settle my plagiarism lawsuits when the game comes out. (My going price is $0.0083/idea.)

PureSkeng, that blurb is fine* as a PR notice, but when you're working on the design of the game, addressing no one but yourself and your team, you have to actually write about the game itself: What is going to happen in the game? What is the gameplay like? The setting and backstory is not your game. The game is those things you give to the player to do. In three paragraphs, the only real description of the game itself is "run, walk, fight, sneak and converse." You need to be... more specific.


_____

* Actually, I don't think it's all that compelling as publicity, either. The world and premise sound awfully generic (you might almost be describing the setup for The Moment of Silence, or Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals, just off the top of my head), and my only impression of what the game is actually like is that it features running, fighting, and stealth, so it's probably an action game, maybe action/RPG. Based on this description, I would not be interested in playing the game (though others might). I think you should ask yourself what makes this game compelling, what sets it apart from the hundreds of other games set in futuristic states ruled with iron fists. When the time comes to promote it, those things are what you should emphasize.

As I said what I posted is an extremely basic introduction to the idea of a blurb there's a lot more to it than just that lol. I just thought I'd put something out rather than just ask for help on a game that no one knows nothing about. And it will be a point and click adventure with a difference I'll post more details on the game when I get home form work.

Oh yeah sorry I forgot to say that isn't my artwork lol.

Thanks Snarky that's a big help I'll have to start drafting my game more seriously this coming week and try to sort out the basics.

This is a very basic blurb type introduction I wrote when I first thought of the basic storyline.

"The year is 3012, the planet is in turmoil. In an age of hi-tech poverty stricken countries most cities resemble a futuristic urban megalopolis. The rich get richer and the poor do what they can to get by living in habitats similar to a futuristic Walled City of Kowloon.
A majority of the world is in depression as the government rule with an iron fist of control that leaves the public stuck in the hi-tech ‘ghettos’ know as ‘The Pits’. Many people have fled the cities to live underground in caverns just below the surface. Rouge groups have developed, many are involved with organized crime on the surface but some are mysterious and are said to be political vigilantes attempting to fight the government to little avail.

You play as Nikolai O’Hara, a down and out [undecided occupation] angry at society striving for a better life. One day as he makes his way home through the South Tower Pits he hears about a vigilante militant group known as ‘Tiger Wolf’. They are storming cities in full force attempting to take over in a bid to gain power and money in such deep times of poverty. That night Tiger Wolf raid South Tower kicking off the doors to peoples homes and taking them all captive. Nikolai is woken to the sound of militant troops tearing through his home, in the struggle he knocks one of their helmets off and is faced with a true horror that he couldn’t comprehend.

Help Nikolai escape capture and avoid certain death as his life takes a turn for the worse. Run, walk, fight, sneak and converse your way through a futuristic world faced with propaganda, mystery and corruption at every corner."

Ok thanks for the advice guys. I really have my heart set on this and as I can put decent amounts of money into it I would really like to start my project. But how about I start the story etc and make a basic demo of the game I intend to make for my smaller game?

Thanks for the advice. Yes I was planning to make a demo type version at first and this will hopefully lead on to greater things, this is a big vision I know and I've thought about it a lot I'm not going to rush straight into it and would rely on a team quite a lot (this is why I would offer payment). Perhaps I should stick to drafting out the story first?

accidental double post

Hi I hope this hasn't been asked before I did have a brief search and couldn't really find what I was looking for.

I'm currently at the beginning of a very large project, I'm willing to back it financially and will also consider selling it at the end to pay the contributors (which I have a huge lack of at the moment lol).
I'm going to make (well not just me lol) a 2D point and click adventure game with rich artwork and a compelling story line.

Here's a few examples of the kind of artwork I have in mind for my project
http://i40.tinypic.com/n56mj6.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2eq5qmo.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/104rtqf.jpg


I know this is a very ambitious project and a lot of people will doubt it but I'm very motivated and will ensure that it happens eventually.
I have read quite a few threads on this forum and the community seem extremely helpful and talented and I will certainly be asking for people to join my team (I could even pay a few people for their work) on here when I have more to show about my game.


Anyway the reason I made this thread was to ask for advice on how to write the story, script and also incorporate the puzzles etc.
I started to write a brief of the story and wrote around a page of a basic outline, setting the scene, objective and main theme. But as I started to write the story in full depth I basically ended up writing a few pages of what seemed to read like a novel. This is not my aim, it will be very time consuming to write the whole storyline in this way and I'm at a loss how to write it without it reading like a book. Any advice guys?

Also I'm unsure how to write the puzzles etc into it, I'm quite new to this as you can probably tell lol.
I have played many adventure games and always wanted to make one but now I'm in a stable position to realistically produce one I'm a little confused where to start lol.

I could go on for days but I won't. If someone would be as kind as to help me out with some advice and examples I'd be very grateful.

Thanks for your time.

Hi all
I've recently got back into frequently playing adventure games after a very long time of little game playing (around 9 years).
I was doing that whole living life thing lol but now I have slowed down a bit and have really got back into gaming. Sadly I discovered there's not many new 2D point and click adventures but stumbled across Rise of The Hidden Sun when searching. This reminded me how I always wanted to make my own 2D point and click (as I loved the first two Broken Swords and also Monkey Island 3) so I decided to start a large project to make my own.

This is not a rough looking thing I'm trying to make it as professional as I can possibly even to sell for a small price and pay anyone that helped make it. But I'll post more on that when I have some screenshots etc...

Hope to post fairly frequently here it looks good.