Quests: Design, Theory, and History in Games and Narratives

Cover
Half Title
Title
Copyright
Contents
A Note on the Second Edition of Quests
Preface
The Audiences of This Book
This Book’s Structure
Four Techniques for Making Better Quests
Part I: Introduction
	Chapter 1 Definitions, Theories, and Histories of Quests
		Quests as a Bridge between Games and Narratives
			Literary Definitions of Quests
		Moving Past the Ludology and Narratology Debate
			Quests, Games, and Interpretation
		The History and Theory of Quest Narratives
			Campbell, the Hero’s Journey, and Quests
			Northrop Frye
			W. H. Auden
			Vladimir Propp
			Narrative Structures Become Activities in Games
		The History of Quest Games
			Tabletop Role-Playing Games: Dungeons and Dragons
			Text-Based Interactive Fictions: Adventure and Zork
			Graphical Adventure Games: King’s Quest
			Action-Adventure Games: Adventure (Atari 2600) and The Legend of Zelda
			Computer Role-Playing Games
			Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games
			Indie Quests
		Enacted Meaning, Meaningful Action
			A Spectrum of Quests
		Three Types of Meaning in Quests
			Meaning as Initiation
			Meaning as Narrative
			Thematic Meaning
		Designing Meaningful Action
			The Virtue System in Ultima IV
			Correspondences in Morrowind and Eternal Darkness
			Allegory and Avatars
	Chapter 2 Beginning Quest Design
		A Sample Exercise and Design Document: Sir Gawain’s Quest
		Sir Gawain Design Document
			A. Constructing the Spaces of the Quest through Level Design
			B. Setting the Stages of the Quest through Journal Updates
			C. Making the Objects through Quest Items
			D. Designing the Challenges of the Quest through Scripting
			Introduction to Quest Design Exercises
		Game Engines, Middleware, Construction Sets, and Level Editors
		Tutorial 1.1: Install Unity, Install Fungus, and Build a Flowchart
Part II: Quest Spaces
	Chapter 3 The Spaces of the Quest
		Technique One for Making Better Quests: Design Labyrinthine, Dream-Like, and Surreal Spaces
			Goal-Oriented Spaces
			Tiered and Leveled Spaces
		Outward Movement
			Quest Hubs, Strands, and Initiatory Space
			Dungeons and Labyrinths
			Allegorical Spaces
		Dream Spaces
		Spaces and Avatars
	Chapter 4 Level Design
		Tutorial 2.1: (Spaces of the Quest/Level Design): Building a Quest Space with a Modular Kit
		Tutorial 2.2: Mini-Map and Compass
		Exercise 2.1: Building the Green Knight’s Castle
		Exercise 2.2: Designing an Allegorical Core
		Exercise 2.3: Constructing Quest Hubs
		Exercise 2.4: Building the Quest Spaces for a Dragon Battle
Part III: Quest Actors
	Chapter 5 The Characters of the Quest
		Technique Two for Making Better Quests: Develop Iconic Characters Who Motivate Quests and Offer Choices for Their Outcome
			Quest Characters and Archetypes
			(Jungian and Post-Jungian)
			Propp’s Dramatis Personae
			Quest Characters and Tarot
			Encounters and Dialogue
	Chapter 6 NPC Creation and Dialogue Trees
		Tutorial 3.1: Creating a Custom Character
		Exercise 3.2: Writing Quest Dialogue
Part IV: Quest Objects
	Chapter 7 The Objects of the Quest
		Technique Three for Making Better Quests: Construct Symbolic Objects that Reveal Portions of a Fragmented Story
			Symbolic Quest Items
			Objects in the Souls Games
			The Tattoos in Planescape: Torment
			Quest Objects in Invisible Sun
			Propp and the Absent Object
			Hitchcock and the McGuffin
			Object-Oriented Programming and the Lore of Quest Items
			The Rod of Many Parts
			Conclusion
	Chapter 8 Designing Quest Items
		Tutorial 4.1: Object Creation Tutorial
			Approach One: Reskinning a Pickup Object
			Approach Two: Creating an Object in the Inventory System
		Exercise 4.1: Lady Bertilak’s Girdle
		Exercise 4.2: Multiple Quest Objects
		Exercise 4.3: The Bed of Marvels
		Importing Custom Items
		Modeling Custom Items
		Exercise 4.4: Designing Your Own Objects
Part V: Quest Challenges
	Chapter 9 The Challenges of the Quest and Quest Systems
		Technique Four for Making Better Quests: Script Challenges that Allow Players to Enact Meaning within the Framework of the Game’s Rules
			Quest Flow, Quest Systems, and Scripting
		Fetch Quests
		Combat and Kill Quests
		Escort Quests and Dungeon Crawls
		Quest Systems
		Main Quests and Side Quests
		Quest UI and Quest Journal Systems
		Quest Systems, Interlacing, and the Grail Saga
		Scripting Ambiguity and Individual Interpretations
	Chapter 10 Scripting
		Outlining Sir Gawain’s Quests to Prepare for Scripting Them as Gameplay
		Quest Challenges
		Scripting and Quest Systems
		Functions
		Scripting Quests
		Tutorial 5.1: (Challenges of the Quest/Scripting) Creating a Quest Flowchart
		Scripting Kill Quests
		Tutorial 5.2: Scripting a Kill Quest
		Tutorial 5.3: Creating and Calling Additional Flowcharts to Build Quest Chains
		Scripts Attached to Spaces
			Scripting Triggers
		Scripting Portals
		Tutorial 5.4: Creating a Portal in Unity
		Scripts Attached to NPCs
			Scripting Alignment and Faction
		Scripts Attached to Objects
			Puzzles and Interpretation in Quests
			Scripting a Puzzle
		Exercise 5.1: Scripting Gawain’s Pentagram Puzzles
		Exercise 5.2: Scripting Five Kill Quests for Sir Gawain
		Exercise 5.3: Scripting Sir Gawain’s Trials with Lady Bertilak
Part VI: Quests and Pedagogy
	Chapter 11 Changes in Quest Pedagogy
		Quest Design Workshop
			Step One: Framing
			Step Two: Overall Quest Flow
			Step Three: Quest Spaces
			Step Four: Quest Characters
			Step Five: Quest Objects
			Step Six: Consolidation
			2004 Comparison Exercise: Adapting The Crying of Lot 49 as a Quest
				Prototypes
Strategies for Creative Quest Design
	Conclusion: The Future(s) of Quest Design
Appendix One: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Books I and II
Appendix Two: The Faerie Queen, Book One, Cantos XI and XII
Canto XI
Works Cited
Index