I’ve heard that describing five minutes of gameplay can often help to crystallize the tone and core mechanic of the game. 5 minutes of gameplay: The player character, Eliza, runs along a crenellated castle battlement and executes a succession of graceful jumps and flips across a massive chasm in the stone, where a glowing red […]
Programming: first steps
I’ve been working in Torquescript, using The Game Programmer’s Guide to Torque by Edward Maurina (which is published by A.K. Peters, the same company that publishes Quests). Specifically, I’ve been working on setting up a GUI or Graphical User Interface for an inventory system, using some resources and tutorials on the GarageGames site. The process […]
Interface Design
One of the issues not discussed in Quests is the design of a game interface, both for basic functions like saving games and for gameplay interactions like casting spells or equipping items. The reason for the deliberate omission of interface considerations is that the book primarily discusses modding toolsets, which typically do not allow for […]
Joan of Arc armor, part I
As I continue to work through the Joan of Arc tutorial, I’d like to document my progress. For the past couple of days, I’ve been modeling Joan’s armor, including her gloves and leg plate (which I think so far includes boots, greaves, thigh armor, and a knee guard).
A hand
Today I modeled Joan of Arc’s glove and hand–one of the armored gauntlets that constitutes her accessories, midway between quest item and character design, I suppose. This particular object had many complex cuts and folds, and while the end result is stiffer than I would like, it does look like a metal gauntlet. I’m leaving […]
Joan of Arc model
Here is a screenshot of a model that I’ve been making in XSI. This is the XSI version of the famous “Joan of Arc” tutorial. I had to do the body portion of the tutorial twice, but the second time produced smoother results. If I finish the entire tutorial, which is excellent but very long […]
Color Symbolism, Magic Systems, and other Arcana Manor thoughts
Some rough conceptual notes on Arcana Manor: I’ll illustrate them and provide screenshots, links, and notes later. For now, here are the ideas that have been percolating while I’ve been working in Torque and XSI (more screenshots soon). The magic system of Arcana Manor will be deeply tied up with symbolic color. The system at […]
Modeling Quest Items for Arcana Manor
For the last few weeks, I’ve been using a 3d modeling program called XSI to model quest items for Arcana Manor. I started with a famous 3d modeling tutorial for building Joan of Arc (who for this game’s purposes I will adapt as the Queen of Swords), and more recently I’ve been making 3d models […]
Quests at ITU Copenhagen, a podcast, and other news
I was excited to see that Quests is listed as part of the required reading in a class called “Storytelling and Games: Challenges, Theories, Techniques,” which will be supervised by Espen Aarseth at ITU Copenhagen in this coming spring semester. In fact, Quests is the first book on the required readings, followed by the Cambridge […]
Arcana Manor Concept Sketches (these from Trent Troop)
Trent Troop, a founder along with the aforementioned Ron Smith of the tabletop RPG and transmedia art company Octavirate, as made some excellent concept sketches of tarot-based NPC’s. I really appreciate the work that Trent and Ron are doing.
More Concept Sketches
Here are seven more excellent concept sketches for Arcana Manor from Ron Smith, who is illustrating the surreal visual spaces of this particular quest game as well as defining the visual look of its central NPC (and indirect quest-giver), the architect Knossos.
Concept Sketch # 1
Here is a first concept sketch for Arcana Manor by my friend and collaborator Ron Smith. This sketch effectively conveys both the surreal, de Chirico-inspired spaces of the game as well as the creepiness of its starkly minimalistic inhabitants, who look like skeletal mannequins made of wax. Thanks to Ron for this.
Small Arcana Manor prototype
Below is a video of a small, rough prototype of one area Arcana Manor. I prototyped this section in the Unreal2 Editor a week or two ago and have since been working in Torque X. This video represents an extremely early stage of the process, intended only as a reference to illustrate the visual and […]
Arcana Manor Team and Puzzle Ideas from Kris
The Arcana Manor team is beginning to shape up, thanks to friends and colleagues who have generously agreed to contribute concept sketches, models, and possibly music. Kris Maxwell: audio and some 3d models Trent Troop: some 3d models and concept sketches Ron Smith: concept sketches Thomas Falk: some music I am moving ahead with Torque […]
Quest syllabus
Please click here to download a syllabus for a college-level class based on my book Quests. I wrote Quests with many audiences in mind, and two key audiences are students and teachers within a college-level class about new media and literature, with an emphasis on game design and interactive writing. In fact, I wrote Quests […]
Design Document: Arcana Manor
Design Document Arcana Manor 3D, first-person action-adventure/platforming game about leaping, swinging, and crawling through a surreal funhouse while battling demons Genre and core mechanic: Action-adventure game from a first-person perspective Environmental obstacles and platforming elements: swaying bridges, tilting rooms, staying alive while negotiating perilous environments Spell-casting in combat and to solve puzzles by altering the […]
Questing in Hyboria
As readers of Quests know, I am not the biggest fan of MMO’s for a variety of reasons, and yet they are the genre of games in which quests feature most prominently. Lately, I’ve enjoyed playing Lord of the Rings Online with Roger Travis, the director of the Video Games and Human Values Initiative, and […]
Game Idea: The Funhouse
After the publication of Quests¸ I’ve been thinking for a while about a game project that would put into practice the various designs skillsets that I am trying to develop. The Aurora Toolset is one useful design tool, but it is only one of many options technologically. At the same time, acquiring skillsets without a […]
Magic Systems and Meaningful Scripting
One of my next projects will be an article comparing the magic systems of various games, both conceptually and in terms of their underlying quantitative mechanics, as one example of how interactive symbolism can be programmed. As readers of Quests know, I regard programming as a form of procedural, interactive writing, which unfolds according to […]
Castlevania, Legacy of Kain, and the Gothic in Gaming
My mainstream Nintendo game franchise is Castlevania. Some people love The Legend of Zelda, others Metroid, but I’m a Castlevania fan. Which is not to say that I have played a lot of Castlevania: only half of Symphony of the Night and Curse of Darkness, although I have watched a friend play through most of […]
Quest Spaces Video
My friend and collaborator Kris Maxwell just finished editing a video on quest spaces in which I summarize and expand on the content of Quests, chapter one. I’m very grateful to Kris, whose work can be seen at evilcyborg.com, for his help with this video and hope that it is useful to the readers of […]
Reviews and Mentions of Quests
Below is a list of reviews and mentions of Quests: Design, Theory, and History in Games and Narratives. They were graciously collected and excerpted in this format by my publisher, AK Peters. Reviews Slashdot (External Link) September 2008 Jeff Howard’s Quests: Design, Theory, and History in Games and Narrative is an exploration of … quests […]
Purchasing Quests
You can purchase the book Quests on Amazon here. Quests can also be purchased on the AK Peters website here, and at Barnes and Noble here.
Introduction
Hi. I’m Jeff Howard, author of Quests: Design, Theory, and History in Games and Narratives. I received my Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. My dissertation was about Gnosticism, postmodern fiction, and computer-assisted teaching. Then, I wrote Quests, a book about strategies for designing meaningful quests in games.
Quests
This unique take on quests, incorporating literary and digital theory, provides an excellent resource for game developers. Focused on both the theory and practice of the four main aspects of quests (spaces, objects, actors, and challenges) each theoretical section is followed by a practical section that contains exercises using the Neverwinter Nights Aurora Toolset.