{"id":49685,"date":"2020-04-04T14:18:09","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T18:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=49685"},"modified":"2020-04-04T15:57:29","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T19:57:29","slug":"hypothetical-me4-five-act-structure-and-character-creation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=49685","title":{"rendered":"Hypothetical ME4: Five-act Structure and Character Creation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last entry covered the overall shape of a hypothetical Mass Effect 4<\/em>, and how to use stalling and retconning to mitigate some of the difficulties of the ending. Now it’s time to consider what the new game will actually look like.<\/p>\n

In the past I’ve warned against the dangers of sticking to a formula too closely. That doesn’t mean that formulas are useless, just that sequel developers should aim for a balance between the familiar and the new. One particular part of the Bioware formula still works relatively well: their typical five-act structure. In it, RPGs are divided roughly into the following parts:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ostagar, tutorial\/kiddie pool area from Dragon Age.<\/div>
Ostagar, tutorial\/kiddie pool area from Dragon Age.<\/div><\/p>\n

1. Character Creation\/Tutorial\/Kiddie Pool Area<\/strong><\/p>\n

Examples: Eden Prime and the Citadel (Mass Effect)<\/em>, the Ostagar\/Lothering sequence (Dragon Age: Origins)<\/em>, Endar Spire\/Taris (KOTOR)<\/em><\/p>\n

This is where the player is introduced to the game. They create their character, get introduced to the setting, and face some challenges that are – mechanically, at least – fairly easy. By the end of the kiddie pool area, the player should have an clue as to what the main quest is about. The goal of this section is to ease the player into the game and get them interested without overwhelming them.<\/p>\n

2. Go Three-Four Places<\/strong><\/p>\n

Examples: Liara\/Feros\/Noveria (Mass Effect)<\/em>, Redcliffe\/Circle Tower\/Dalish Camp\/Orzammar (Dragon Age: Origins)<\/em>, finding the star maps (KOTOR)<\/em><\/p>\n

After the kiddie pool section is completed, typically the game opens up and the player is told to visit several locations and resolve their storylines before the main quest can continue. This is in some ways the start of the “real” game. In the Mass Effect series, this is often where the character quests are introduced (more on those later). The requirement that the player go to a certain number of places is not a strict one, and not required in the new game. But it can be a useful check to prevent them from motoring through the main quest too quickly. The goal of this section is let the player get settled into the world and invested in it, while advancing the main story and reinforcing the player’s emotional connection to its outcome.<\/p>\n

Noveria from Mass Effect 1. What I imagine the lobby of an evil space corporation would actually look like.<\/div>
Noveria from Mass Effect 1. What I imagine the lobby of an evil space corporation would actually look like.<\/div><\/p>\n

3. Someone Dies Or Something<\/strong><\/p>\n

Examples: Virmire (Mass Effect)<\/em>, The Landsmeet (Dragon Age: Origins)<\/em>, Leviathan (KOTOR)<\/em><\/p>\n

After completing whatever number of sidequests is necessary, the player finally advances the main story, and there’s some sort of dramatic turning point. This is, in some ways, what would normally be called the “rising action,” even though it typically occurs later in a playthrough than it would in a book or movie. It’s not a requirement for someone to actually die, just that something dramatically significant happens. The goal of this section is to give the player a memorable sequence that sets up the endgame.<\/p>\n

4. Last Chance For Sidequests<\/strong><\/p>\n

Examples: Anytime a game tells you “you won’t be able to go back after this”<\/p>\n

After the story’s third-act turn, there’s an opportunity for the player to wrap up any unfinished business. This is the final breath before the plunge: polish off your build and equipment, finish any outstanding sidequests, and get ready for the final sequence. The goal of this section is to mechanically prepare the player for the final battle and hype them for the climax of the story.<\/p>\n

5. Endgame<\/strong><\/p>\n

Examples: Ilos\/The Citadel (Mass Effect)<\/em>, The Battle of Denerim (Dragon Age: Origins)<\/em>, Star Forge (KOTOR)<\/em><\/p>\n

Eventually, the player passes the point of no return, and commits to completing the main story. Ideally, all remaining plot threads are gathered up and brought to some kind of conclusion here, and our heroes fight one or more bosses that are just challenging enough to be fun. The goal of this section is to give the game a satisfying conclusion, and to tease the next entry in the series, if there is one.<\/p>\n

The plan for the series is to go through these five acts in order, describing what they might look like. The goal is not to describe a hypothetical Mass Effect 4<\/em> down to the last pixel, but to provide a template that allows for flexibility. Bioware’s five-act structure is a formula that shows some wear around the edges, true, but for the sake of simplicity and familiarity I’m going to follow it here.<\/p>\n

Character Creation<\/h3>\n

We start with character creation. This is important enough that it’s common for RPG developers to release their character creation tools early, so players can get a head start on wrestling the facial sliders into someone who looks like Keanu Reeves. In fact, it’s important enough that I have a pretty big ask pretty early: let us play as a nonhuman.<\/p>\n