(There is a PDF attachment to this post. Please download and read it!)
Hello Insane Children,
Alex here with a little bit of news to share from behind the curtain of pre-production.
Over the time we’ve been working on the Alice Project you might have seen my concept artwork pop-up from time to time on here.
Recently, I’ve shifted my focus within the team to project managing the design bible tasks, and co-writing the overall Alice: Asylum narrative with American.
When it came to the narrative structure, we needed to ask ourselves a few questions on how best to display this information in the design bible.
Were we writing a novel?
Were we only displaying key story beats and allowing the audience to fill in the blanks?
How did the gameplay fit in?
Or the dialogue?
What tone would we use?
How much scenic detail would be established in the text written?
After some back and forth and establishing some goals to hit, American and I completed a little experiment.
The PDF attached is a mix of screenplay, then switching to game specifics and mechanics when they arise in the narrative.
This is the format for how we’d like the narrative to appear in the design bible.
There are two or three key points where gameplay could be introduced, which are unmarked in the document.
Can you spot them?
IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
From our conversations this morning, American and I established that this story PDF definitely breaks away from some previously long-standing established points, artwork and opening scenes in the narrative.
Nothing is cement in this PDF.
It’s only a proof of concept that displays story in a format that is easy to digest, and is hopefully, an enjoyable slice of story telling.
We’re sharing it here to let you know American and I are happy with this FORMAT of story telling.
The question is, are you?
Is this format of story telling presented in a way YOU would be happy to read in the design bible? Alongside gorgeously rendered key artwork scenes, storyboards, game mechanics and concept art?
We want to communicate as much of the possible gameplay, narrative and mechanics as possible, so you can get a real feel for what we’re trying to achieve with Asylum in a cohesive video game format.
Also, did you enjoy reading it?
Does this piece of story hit the targets you’d expect from an Alice game?
Could this piece hold weight as a part of the Asylum story?
Let us know in the comments.
Cheers everyone, more to share as it rolls out.
– Alex