We go on in our journey with a concept that is particularly related to genre.
Quest and Plot Archetypes, Genre
Given a medium, it is imminent that its rules for creation of content are – in general – set. There are of course works that push beyond what we thought were the rule-induced bounds of a medium – but the fact remains that these works too are subject to rules given by the medium – only our world view of the medium’s rules have changed.
In opposition to that, genres and plot/quest/scene/.. archetypes are extra rules or conventions a creator laid down for themselves. For example in western, the standoff scene is a classic rule scene archetype you might deploy. These things are interesting, because they allow for pretty solid creating: You usually have a probed and explored structure to follow and usually can’t do as much wrong as if when you invent your own structure.
The downside, of course, is getting into the treadmill of mainstream and uniform content.
Anyway, here is my inspiration for this particular concept: Brandon Sandersons Lectures on Writing. Lecture #2: Plot Part 1
Snaccoon: Quest Archetype
What is Snaccoon? It is a 3D puzzle-platformer in which you’re playing a cute racoon who is determined to collect as much snacks as possible. For this game quests are planned, but before I can start designing single quests, I need to figure out how quests in this game work – a quest archetype is needed.
Here we see that these things can be useful in general: As a guideline for bigger teams or even yourself only, ensuring a consistent experience for the player. It also helps fostering a certain style you want to see in your work – for example in Snaccoon I opted for both a tracking shot and an arrival moment to keep a cinematic feel and dedicate a place for non-avatar-centric exposition, which would allow us to shed some more light on the city, the place, the NPCs, specific art assets … Here is how I noted the structure (in german):
Feedback Suggestions
- What quest/plot archetypes can you think of?
- Do you understand the archetype I wrote?
- Do you know of a better (or more structured) notation?
Conclusion
Once again, Sanderson has served us well. What I like about him in particular is how grounded his ideas are in actual writing. Knowledge from practicing.
Hope you’re having a good time!
Gregor Sönnichsen 