Terry Pratchett’s Discworld_ 9 Steps to Create the Perfect Game

8/21/2019 Terry Pratchetts Discworld_ 9 Steps to Create the Perfect Game

1/11

Terry Pratchetts Discworld: 9

Steps To Create The Perfect Game

http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/terry-pratchetts-discworld-9-steps-to-

create-the-perfect-game

Aflat,roundplanetcarvesthroughtheeternalether,supportedbyfourcolossalelephants,onthe

backof

the

Great

ATuin

space

turtle

extraordinaire.

This

is

the

complex

imaginary

world

which

playshosttooneofthemosthighlyregardedfantasybookserieseverdevised,SirTerryPratchetts

Discworld.PerhapsnotaswidelypopularastheHarryPotternovels(butthenagain,what is?),

Pratchettdevoteestendtoconsiderthemselvesamorediscerningbunch.WeseetheDiscworld

seriesasliteraryart,notRowlingesquepulpfantasy.AndwedevouranythingDiscworldrelated

withrampanthungerbooks,maps,boardgames,figurines,ifitsaysDiscworldonthecover,

wellbuyit.Itsavastempire,theDiscworldmetaverse,andweallwantapieceofit.Onerealm

whichhasntreceivedfairattention,though, isDiscworldsrepresentation inthegamingworld.

Wereonthe40thnovel intheawardwinningseries,but itsbeen14 longyearssincethe last

properattempt

to

capture

the

Discworld

magic

in

game

form

(and

no,

the

delightful

boardgames

dontcount).Inthattimewevebeensubjectedtounpleasantgamesbasedonbrilliantfantasy

books(ie.justaboutanyLordOfTheRingsgame),andsubstantiallymoreunpleasantgamesbased

onforgettablefantasybooks(ie.anygamewithHarryPloppersbespectacledmugplasteredon

thebox).Afterenduringallofthat,thetimeisrightforanamazinggamebasedontheastounding

fantasy scribblings of Mr. Pratchett. WhatCulture put the idea to revered gaming industry

personality Rhianna Pratchett Tomb Raider rebootwriter, unofficial custodian of all things

Discworldian,andofcourseTerrysdaughter.Therehavebeenafewpitchessentmyfathersway

overtheyears,butnonehavebeenuptosnuff,quitefrankly,shetoldus.Somethoughttheygot

it,andwhenaskedtopitchtheirvisionfortheproject,quiteclearlydidnt.Sobasicallywevenot

hadthe

right

pitch

from

the

right

company

yet.

This

tells

us

two

things:

that,

as

it

stands,

there

is

noDiscworldprojectopenly indevelopment,butalso that the idea isverymuchon the table


2/11

shouldtherightconceptstrollin.So,whilefanswaitimpatientlyfortheplanetstoalign,perhaps

itstimetotakean impassioned lookatwhatwouldneedtobedone foragametojustifythe

soughtafterDiscworldlicense.

9. Choosing The Perfect Genre

Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility,right?Right.Gamedevelopersthesedayshavemore

powerattheirdisposalthaneverbeforeeventhenewbatchofhomeconsoles,whichmightnot

bethe

dramatic

upgrade

we

hoped

for,

are

lightyears

ahead

of

the

technology

available

when

the

lastDiscworldtitlewasreleased.So,bythatrationale,thesedevelopersnowhavearesponsibility

todeliveranewDiscworldtitlethatisdrippingwithsyrupyawesomeness.Thisnewtechnology

opensupopportunitiestobringtheDiscworldbrandtoamoreexpansivegenretheopenworld

adventure.Wehavethetechnologytocreatebelievable,immersivegameworldswheretheplayer

canrunrampant.IftheXbox360andPS3couldhandleaworldlikeSkyrim,imaginewhatthenew

consolesandcurrentgenPCscouldpulloff.TheideaspitchedtothePratchettdynastysofarmay

nothavehit themark Some includedVimes on perpetual fetchquests,quippedRhianna,

OtherstalkedaboutthegreatDiskworldbutintherighthandswecouldseeafantasyepic

lacedwith

savage

wit,

draped

over

astunningly

realised

open

world

adventure

setting.

The

other

option would be amodern take on the point & click adventure, perhaps amore grandiose

DiscworldrenditionofthebrilliantTheWalkingDeadepisodicaffair.Butwhocouldweentrustto

makethishappen?

8. The Dream Team


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TakingonafictionaluniversewithapassionatefanbaselikeDiscworldisplayingwithfire.Handthe

reignstoanunworthyteam,anditwillfallflat.InwhichcaseyoucanexpecthordesofPratchetts

followersrattlingthedevelopersgates,pitchforksandflamingtorchesinhand.So,beforeyoufire

offyourideatoPratchettInc.,firstmakesureyourteamisuptothetask.Asaroughguideline,if

yourpreviousexperienceismadeupentirelyofKinectbasedpartygamesorFree2Playtrashwith

nameslikeCandyRushB*stardMegamix,youneednotapply.Ontheotherhand,ifyouhavespent

thelastdecadeorsocreatingandrefiningthemostlovedadventureroleplayinggamesofalltime,

consideryourselfshortlisted.BioWare,BethesdaSoftworks,werelookingatyou.TheElderScrolls

franchisecouldproveaworthyfoundation,whileBioWaresworkonMassEffectandDragonAge

haspositionedthemtopullawoollyDiscworldjumperoveramorefocusedRPGexperience.The

onlyconcerniswhethereitheroftheseteamswouldbeabletoinjectthesenseofhumourwhich

definestheDiscworldbrand,sothewriterswillhavetobeonpoint(moreonthatafterthebreak).

Alternatively,maybeyourcompanysnamehasbeenattachedtoahostofmemorableepisodic

adventuretitles,someriddledwithrazorsharpwit,others ladenwithsuspenseandimpeccable

narrativehijinx.WhowouldDiscworldcaretakerRhiannaPratchettliketoseebehindthewheel?

Imnotsurewhotherightcompanywouldbe,butIdcertainlyliketoseewhatTelltalewoulddo

forexamplealthoughtheyhavealotontheirplateatthemoment.Right,sothatputsTelltale

firmlyontheshortlist.BetweenthosethreeBethesda,BioWareandTelltaleweresuretofind

theperfect

team

to

partner

with

Terry

Pratchetts

esteemed

creation.

7. The Write Stuff


4/11

Onceweveestablishedwhichdevelopmentteamwouldtakeonthedauntingtaskofbringinga

delightfuldigitalDiscworldto thepeople,weneedtoconsiderwhowouldbesteeringthepen

whichcraftsthestorybehindit.Naturally,asDiscworldisSirTerrysprideandjoy,theassumption

wouldbethathewouldbebehindthenarrative,butitsnotassimpleasthat.Fanswillbeaware

thatbynowMrPratchettisafewyearsintohisbattlewithearlyonsetAlzheimers,andwhilehe

stillcontinuestoworkwiththeaidofspeechrecognitionsoftwareandhisassistantRobWilkins,

itshardto imaginehewouldtakethetimetodreamupthewealthofdialogue,backstoryand

morethatsuchaprojectwouldrequire.So,withthehopesthatthefatherofDiscworldmightat

leasthaveahandintheprocesspossiblyanoverseerroleofsorts,ensuringthatthedirection

meetshisapprovalwehave toconsideralternatives for thebruntof thewritingduties.The

chosendeveloperwouldhave theirown staffon thejob,of course,but a gamebasedon an

intellectualpropertywithsuchdirectliteraryrootsmightneedspecialattentionwhenitcomesto

storylineand soon. Itshandy then thatSirTerrysowndaughter isa successfulwriter in the

industryalreadyshesprovenherselftimeandtimeagain,soitsnotacaseofusingherforher

surname.RavenhairedRhiannahasmadeitclearthatshewontbetakingoverfromherfather

whenitcomestothenovels,butthatsnottosayshewouldntbepreparedtostepinforaworthy

gamingproject.But shesabusywoman,withher talented fingers inmany intriguingpies, so

perhapsweneedacontingencyplan.Andiftheresonemanwiththecredentialsforthejob,its

Britishwriter

Stephen

Briggs.

An

instantly

recognisable

name

for

any

Discworld

follower,

Briggs

has

hadahand in relatedprojects fordecades.Almostallofthevariousmaps,diaries,companion

guidesandotheritemswhichmakeuptheexpandedDiscworlduniversehavebeeneitherwritten

byBriggshimselforhaveanassistedbyStephenBriggsaddedtothetitle.Themanhasbecome

synonymouswiththeDiscworldbrand,wovenintothefabricofthiswrittenloreweholdsoclose

toourhearts.HeknowsthecobbledstreetsofAnkhMorporkbetterthananyone.Andevenifhe

isntcalledupasleadwriter,hewouldstillbeanincrediblyvaluableassettoaddtotheteam.

6. Going It Alone


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These daysmost publishers are loathe to throw bigmoney at a gamewithout amultiplayer

component,butyouwillhavenoticedthatmuchofwhatwehavediscussedsofarisbasedonthe

assumptionthatanewDiscworldgameshouldbeasingleplayeraffair.Thisisntanonnegotiable,

butanyconsiderationofamultiplayerDiscworldwillhavetobelookedatwithdeservedcaution.

WeveseenfartoomanyesteemedIPsfalterbecausethedeveloperhasfeltcompelledtotacka

multiplayermodeontotheendofagamewhichdidntneedone.Or,worsestill,developerstrying

todrapeanestablishedfranchiseoveranMMOframeworkjustforthesakeofit,desperatebethe

nextWorldOfWarcraft.There is reason tobelieve thatanMMORPG takeon the this literary

universecouldwork the story isvastenough, inaworldbigenough, to support this sortof

gameplay.ButisitthebestwaytogoaboutbringingDiscworldbacktothegamingworld?Probably

not. Sir Terrys imaginaryworld is huge and complex, filledwith opportunity forMMOstyle

questing and soon,but churningout a largescaleonline roleplayingmechanic could kill the

connectionbetweentheplayerandthenarrative.Pratchettstalesareatoncevastandintimate,

andwouldsurelybecheapenedbythe inclusionofthedodgygrindelementsandtherestthat

comeswithMMOs.AtthefirstsignofaDiscworldcharactergrindinganothermenialtasktogather

somehackneyed ingamecurrencytobeabletoaffordanewshinyhattowearonyetanother

pointlessteamraid,mostofuswouldhitthatuninstallbuttonrightaway.No,takingthesethings

inamultiplayerdirectionjustaddstoomanyvariablesandtakescontrolawayfromthedeveloper,

andthe

player,

when

it

comes

to

pacing

and

structure.

Instead,

all

of

the

programming

power

that

wouldgointoacumbersomemultiplayercomponentshouldbespentonmakingthesingleplayer

world as believable as possible.NPCswho act like they have a life to live regardless of your

involvement,notjustlikeactorswhoturndormantassoonastheplayercharacterisoutofsite;

seamlessdriftingbetweenscriptedeventsandfreeroamingplay;afunctioningworldhingedon

causeandeffect.Weneedaworldtogetlostinonourown.AnditneedstobeaDiscworldvoid

ofonlinegametrollsandtheirendlessgriefing.

5. Location, Location, Location


6/11

Ok,sowevegottheteaminplace.Writershavetheirpensdrawn like long,pointyswords.The

developersarehunchedovertheirworkstations,readytoweartheirkeyboardkeysdowntolittle

stubsinafuriousstormofcodingandanoutpouringofcreativegenius.Nowcomesthefunpart:

creatingthismagicalworldandthecharacterswhoinhabitit,andbringingittolife.Thequestion

here,though,isoneofscaledotheygometa,andcreatetheentireDiscfortheplayertoexplore?

Ordowedothingsregionally,modellingthekeylocalesandcordoningthemofffromthedead

spacenomanslandareas.BeautifulstyliseddepictionsofLancre,Uberwald,theKlatchianEmpire

andobviouslyAnkhMorpork,fleshedoutwithhamlets,randomlygeneratedinnsandfarmscould

allplayhosttoasprawlingadventure.Alternatively,andthiscouldworkouttobethemostfeasible

approach,thenarrativecouldbecleverlyrestrictedtoAnkhMorporkalonecleverly,sinceitsfar

tooeasytothrowinvisiblebordersaroundaplayableareaandruintheimmersivequalityofthe

gameworld.Sothestoryandgameplaywouldhavetobestructuredinawaythattheplayerfeels

satisfiedwitharelativelylimitedareatoexplore.KeyherewouldbetomakethisversionofAnkh

Morporkmoredense,morealive,moredetailedthananygamecityweveexperiencedbefore.

Weretalkingabouta levelof interactionthatmakesSanAndreasfeel likeacardboardfilmset.

UsingStephenBriggsexquisitemap,theDiscsgreatestcitycouldbecomeavirtualworldworth

gettinglostin.Wander(atyourperil)throughtheShades,quaffaflagonoflagerattheMended

Drum,hurlDwarvenbattlebreadatatrollinTreacleStreet,ortuckintoanominoussausageina

bunfrom

old

C.M.O.T

Dibblers

tray.

For

fans

of

the

series,

the

idea

of

an

authentic,

fully

realised

version of AnkhMorpork, bubblingwith life (and, in areas closer to the river, communicable

diseases),wouldbeadreamcometrue.Itwouldtakecountlessmanhourstocreatethecitythe

shops,guilds,infrastructure,economy,housingandofcoursethecitizenswhichgiveitcharacter

andwouldsuckcurrentgaminghardwaredry,butitwouldbeworthit.

4. A Few Good Men Or Women)


7/11

Discworldisacharacterdrivenplace.Thebricksandmortargiveitstructure,butitsthepeople

whogoabouttheirdailylivesonthepagesofthesebookswhichgivetheworlditsheartandsoul.

Terry Pratchetts ability toweave depth and personality into his characters is unprecedented,

especiallyconsideringthesheervolumeofcharactersinvolvedwizards,witches,assassins,civil

servants,royaltyallthewaytotheseamstressesofnegotiableaffectionandthelowlypigfarmer

whoonlygetsasingleparagraph,eachcharacterisanessentialcogintheliterarymachineofthe

Discworld series. Besides the armies of supporting cast, each story arc comeswith its own

ensemblecastofstars,manyofwhichcouldcarryagamenarrativeon theirown.So,shortof

dishingupaCallOfDutyesquemesswhereweretossedfromoneprotagonistsbootstoanother

throughout,wellneedtodeterminetheidealleadingman(orwoman)tobuildthestoryaround.

Theeasywaytogoaboutthiswouldbetoshortlistthevariousstarringroles.SamVimes isan

obvious choice, and hisWatch costars are some of themost loved characters in the books;

Rincewindthewizard(ahemwizzard)hasalreadyshownhehasleadingmanqualitiesinthetwo

earlyDiscworldgames,andwealllovetherestoftheUnseenUniversityfacultywhichwouldcome

alongwithhim;manywouldjumpatthechancetoliveasLordVetinari,alegendoftheseries;and

withtherightstoryitmightbefittingtoputgamersunderthepointyhatofGrannyWeatherwax

oroneoftheotherprominentwitches.MoistvonLipwighasbeengettinglotsofattentionoflate,

buthemightnotcarry theweightofsomeof theothers incontention therearesupporting

memberswho

would

play

more

interesting

lead

parts

instead.

We

could

debate

all

day,

but

there

mightbeanotherwaytogoaboutthis:thenamelessoneapproach.Weneedthemaincharacters

yourCaptainCarrot,MustrumRidcully,FoulOleRon,LadySybilandsoonbutthatdoesnt

meanweneedtobeoneofthem.Maybethemoreintriguingroutewouldbetoplacetheplayer

intheroleofanewcomersettingouttocarvehisorherplaceintheworld.Thisoptionmeansthat

thecentralcharacterisntsetinstone,withoutabackstorytodefinehim,andcanbemouldedby

theplayerbychoicesmadethroughthegame.Asarelativenobody,youcouldjoinaguild,earna

living as a petty thief, become a guard in the Patricians castle the options are endless. An

overarching storylinewould exist tomove things forward, canned interactions with key cast

members,scriptedeventsandsoon,buttherecouldbehugescopeforfreedomwithinthegame

world.


8/11

3. And The Nominees Are

Youve all heard the voices in your head. The voices that you subconsciously attach to the

charactersasyoureadtheirdialogues.Butthoseimaginaryaccentsandtonesthatyouassociate

withthesepeopleexistonlyinyourownversionofDiscworldyourNobbyNobbsisexclusiveto

you,andsurelysoundsentirelydifferenttoeveryoneelses.Andthatsfine, itsallpartofusing

yourimaginationandsoon.Butforagameweneedthingstobesomewhatlessimaginary.Which

meansthatwellneedtopullinsuitablevoicetalenttoinjectbelievable,relatablepersonalityinto

thesedearlylovedcharacters.Shoddyvoiceworkcankillagamelikethis,sothedevelopercant

justpullinalltheirmatesofftheirlunchbreaktodribbletheirwaythroughthetomesofrequired

dialogue.Eventheambientchatterthatfloatsinthebackgroundasourcharacterexploresthecity

needstosuittheoveralltone.Voiceoversforthecentralcharactersareofutmostimportancewe

cantrelyonscriptandcharactermodellingalonetomakethese interactionsfeelreal.SinceSir

TerryisEnglish,manyofuswillhaveimaginedanEnglishaccentforthevariouscharacters,butthat

doesnthave tobea rule.BruceWillis inhisgrizzled JohnMcClane/DieHardguisecouldbea

perfectSamVimes, forexample,whilea chapwith silky tones likeUncharteredsNolanNorth

wouldsliprightintotheMoistvonLipwigrole.PopoldJohnCleeseinthereasUUArchchancellor

Ridcully

in

fact,

there

would

be

place

for

all

the

surviving

Monty

Python

gents

and

afranchise

returnforthebrilliantTonyRobinsonshouldbeagiven.ObviouslyitcantallbeAlistcelebrities

acrosstheboard,butthisisthekindofprojectwhichwouldneedtocallinthebiggunswhereit

makessensetodoso.

2. Bring Out Yer Dead


9/11

Weveplayedaroundwithhypotheticalcharacterchoicesandsoon,butthere isoneDiscworld

characterwhichhasntbeentouchedon,purelybecausehispresenceinthegameissoessential

thathedeserveshisownentry.Werespeaking,ofcourse,ofDeath.Thereaperman.Figure in

black,slicingthenightonhissnowwhitesteed,Binky.Whilethevariouskeycharactersslotinto

their own interlinking sections ofDiscworld canon,Death is (fittingly) the only constant. This

scythewieldingantiheroplaysamajorroleinanumberofthebooks(likeMortandReaperMan),

othertimeshemakesonlyabriefcameo,butheistheonecharacterwhoisuniversallylovedby

theDiscworldreadership.Whenhistrademarksmallcapsstyliseddialoguemakesanappearance

onthepage,itslikeanoldfriendcominghome.Thismeansthatthedeveloperswillneedtocome

up with the perfect way to incorporate this ethereal horseman of the apocalypse into the

frameworkofthegame.WellcopewithacontrivedguestappearancefromHarryKing,Detritus,

Mr.Slantandtherestofthesecondarycast,butDeathdeservesspecialattention.Perhapsnotas

aspecificnarrativeconstructassuch,butsomethinguniqueandmeaningful.Picturethis:each

timeyourcharacterdies,orpossiblyattimeswhendeathseemsimminent,thegameworldcould

slowdown,turncloudyanddark.FromtheshadowsDeathwouldmaterialiseinasombreposeto

presentourcharacterwithkarmicproseperhapsgivingsomehiddenadviceorphilosophical

introspectionaboutthemeaningoflifesomethingprofoundbutrelevanttoourcurrentsituation

withinthegameandprogrammedinsuchawaythatweneverhearthesamespeechtwice.New

conversationswith

Death

could

be

worked

into

automatic

game

updates,

something

like

that.

It

shouldfeellikeyourtimespentinhispresenceismeaningfulandtailormadeforyou,notjusta

respawngimmick.

1. Learning From The Past


10/11

WevehadDiscworldgamesinthepast,andnoneofthemscorchedaflamingstreakacrossthe

gamingsalescharts.ThethreeprimarysuspectsDiscworld,DiscworldII:Missing,Presumed!?

andDiscworldNoirwereacceptablepointandclickaffairs,buttheyallmissedthemarkinquite

specificways.IfanupcomingDiscworldprojectistomakeanimpact,ifitstojustifytheuseofthe

license,theteambehinditwillhavetotreadcarefullytosidestepthesesameissuesorbedoomed

toasimilarfateofrelativeobscurity.Atfirstglance,theoriginalgameslookedliketheycheckedall

theboxestomakeatopnotchDiscworldinteractiveexperience.Point&clickadventureswerestill

aviableproposition,sothegenrewasnttheproblem.Rincewindwasanimportantcharacterin

theseries,importantenoughtocarryagame,intheory,whichshouldhavehadthefirsttwotitles

covered, but what works on paper doesnt always translate into reality. The problem with

DiscworldI&IIwasthattheyfeltlikelesserimpersonationsofthesourcematerial.TerryPratchetts

involvementwas limitedatbest,and itshowed. Itseemedthewriterswereovercompensating,

strugglingtoimitatePratchettssublimesenseofhumourandtiming.Thegameplayalsofeltlikeit

was trying hard puzzles were often obscure for obscuritys sake. Discworld Noir was an

improvement,buthad itsown issues. Ithadmoreemphasison thegame itselfasapposedto

relyingheavilyonitsDiscworldassociationstograbattention.Unfortunatelyittookthatabittoo

fartheresultwasagamewhich feltdisconnected fromthe imaginaryworldonwhich itwas

based.Playingasanoriginalcharacterwasafineidea,buttherewasntnearenoughinteraction

withexisting

Discworld

characters.

And

then,

of

the

few

classic

personalities

which

did

appear,

some seemed hugelymisdirected, completely out of character. This tells us that bringing the

perfectteamofwritersintothefoldisessentialforkeepingtheDiscworldflavourintact.Keeping

allofthatinmind,andknowingwhattoavoid,theteamtakingchargeofDiscworldgoingforward

willhaveasolidfoundationtobuildupon.Again, its importanttonotethatallofthis ispurely

hypothetical,butforthemillionsofTerryPratchettacolyteswhohavebeenexploringthemany

realmsoftheDiscintheirmindsfordecades,itreallydoesfeelthatthetimeisrightwedeserve

anewDiscworldtitle.Wedontjustdeserveitweneedit.

PC Game CD Keys:


11/11

EAGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/publisher/ea.html

RPGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rpggame.html

ACTGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/actgame.html

FPSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/fpsgame.html

AdventureGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/avggame.html

RacingGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/racgame.html

SportGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/sptgame.html

FTGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/ftggame.html

RTSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rtsgame.html

SLGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/slggame.html

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld_ 9 Steps to Create the Perfect Game

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