Hardspace: Shipbreaker and the impact of visual storytelling

Tags

audio storytelling, blackbird interactive, design, early access, focus interactive, game design, hardspace, hardspace shipbreaker, narrative, single player, steam early access, story, storytelling, visual storytelling

I’ve got a new gaming obsession. It’s Hardspace: Shipbreaker, a game where you play the role of a Cutter that chops up derelict spaceship and repurposes the various components, either by refinement or straight-up salvage. It’s already a brilliant and unique bit of gaming and is only just in early access, meaning that its already impressive gameplay can only grow from here on out.

I could write up plenty of effusive praise on this game as it is, but I’m not really here to write a review on the title as a whole. Instead, I want to focus on one aspect of this one that it absolutely nails: telling a story without outright writing one out.

Death of the Author

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character, narrative, purpose, roleplay, rp, sorry, story, this is probably my woriest post ever, writing

Snow, she decided, was incredibly boring to see already.

The cold wasn’t an issue–Steel Wolf was dressed for that, more or less.  It was the snow.  How it coated everything in her vision.  How it sat on every surface.  How it even floated across the very air.  It was a relentless, oppressive blanket of boring, chilling white.

The immense Roegadyn woman shrugged in to her armor, the fur-lined collar pulling up closer around her neck and ears.  The wind cut across her form like a series of magical blades.  She had elected to keep her chocobo stabled at the fort that was behind her, the idea being that she would be able to more nimbly adjust to whatever danger the lands of Coerthas held.  She was beginning to regret the decision.

Then, she heard a shriek of fright.  Forms in the distance, one trying to pull away from the other two.  Steel unhooked her massive battleaxe from the baldric lashed across her chest and broke in to a full run.  Questions could be asked later.

Cheese Lover

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bad music, bad stories, cheesy, goofy, movies, music, narrative, so bad it's good

I’m going to state an opinion that many will probably find terrible but even more secretly have and won’t admit.

I love Crush 40.

I suppose being a child of the 80’s this shouldn’t come as a surprise–in an era where endlessly upbeat rock songs was a requirement of most soundtracks, this group’s music for the Sonic series of games struck a nerve.  They made what would likely be completely terrible games palatable for me…more or less.

Thing is, I love me a good, cheesy time.  It’s a hard balance to strike, but when it is struck, it makes me so incredibly happy.

A Noble Purpose

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bad guys, factions, final fantasy xiv, good guys, groups, narrative, the secret world, tribes, warring, wildstar, world of warcraft

Today’s Daily Grind question on Massively Overpowered got me considering factions in MMO’ing.  More specifically, how multifaceted factions are the more interesting than the flat black-versus-white sort that you see in some games.  Even World of Warcraft had pretty much foregone its Orcs vs. Humans narrative on…well, pretty much every open opportunity, near as I can tell.

“World of OccasionallyWarCraft” just doesn’t sound as snappy.

One of my favorite aspects of a multifaceted faction is the belief in their noble purpose.  The concept that they are truly right in their cause.  Even those who would be painted with the Evil Brush can have sides that are actually something to look up to.

Blaugust Day 28 – That’s Not Heroism

Tags

chosen one, content, hero, heroism, narrative, pve, quest, side quest

This post idea kind of sprang to mind in addition to the post I was making about sidequests.  Specifically, not only are they useless fluff that don’t feel like a grand quest, but they also don’t make me feel like a great hero.  I mean, I don’t know how many epic poems Homer would have written about someone who killed five bulls and harvested their spleens.

“I can totally string that out to 50 stanzas, easily.”

Granted, I’m the only one bristling with weapons that approaches the “common folk” to help them with dangers that would very likely kill them in the attempt…but that sort of misses the idea.