Quests: Design, Theory, and History in Games and Narratives, 2nd Edition

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