gdc2008_portalpostmortem
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Integrating Narrative and Design: A Portal Post-Mortem
KIM SWIFT and ERIK WOLPAW, VALVE
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SPOILER ALERT!!
Leave the room now if you hate spoilers
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Topics
Why Should You Care?
Our Narrative Philosophy
Our Development Process
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Why Should You Care?
Why should you care about Portal?
• We had a small team.
• Portal has been both a critical and commercial success for
Valve.
• After all is said and done and we don't have any regrets.
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Why Should You Care?
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Why Should You Care?
Why should you care about how we integratednarrative and design?• By itself, the story wouldn’t make much of a novel.
• The gameplay on its own would be dry.• The tight integration of our story and gameplay resonated
with people.
• Team size imposed constraints on our design choices.
• Our design methods:
• Low impact on both our time and energy budgets.
• Helped creatively sidestep our constraints.
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Our Narrative Philosophy
Delta Theory• Two Stories
• Story-story
• Gameplay story• Lowering the delta will make your story more
satisfying.
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Our Narrative Philosophy
Games with a high story delta:• Clive Barker’s Undying
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Our Narrative Philosophy
Games with a high story delta:• Clive Barker’s Undying
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Our Narrative Philosophy
Portal Narrative Design Goals• “Story” story must never intrude on “Gameplay” story
• Less is more
• Be ruthless about trimming narrative fat
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Our Process
Playtesting
Reflecting Story in Your Environment
Evolve Narrative Out of Gameplay
Evolve Gameplay Out of Narrative
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Playtesting
Playtest Early & Often
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Playtesting
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Playtesting
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Playtesting
The Advice• Trust your instincts
• Remember initial reactions
• Don’t despair• Playtest!
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Reflecting Story in Your Environment
Embed exposition in the environment• Unless it’s in emails or voice recorders
• Be creative!
• Easy to say• Apply a rule set
• Be ruthless about the rules
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Reflecting Story in Your Environment
What we did• Wall scribblings in the behind-the-scenes areas
• Quick, easy, and effective
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Reflecting Story in Your Environment
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Reflecting Story in Your Environment
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Evolve Narrative Out of Gameplay
Write to enhance what playtesters are feelingKeep the story wet
Don’t get too attached to anything
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Example -- Weighted Companion Cube
The Plan• Box Marathon Level
• Long level with the box, in the end put the box on a button.
Take One• Moving lift obstacle course over a goo-pit.
• Players would destroy the box, and had to go back.
• Frustrating and annoying.• Back to the drawing board.
Take Two• Remove the lifts and the goo pit!
• Gameplay events where having the box is necessary.
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Example -- Weighted Companion Cube
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Example -- Weighted Companion Cube
Take Two• Gameplay events
• Always see the button.
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Example -- Weighted Companion Cube
Take Two• Gameplay
• Always see the button.
• Still needed something else...
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Example -- Weighted Companion Cube
Erik to the Rescue!!• Try to hint using the environment.
• When all else fails great dialogue is an excellent hint.
• It worked!!
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Example -- Weighted Companion Cube
A Whole Lotta Love• And the afterthought.
• Sometimes goofy ideas tend out to be really good ones.
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Piece D’Resistance
Incineration Station – Boss Battle Training• Why it worked!
• Perfect Training Location.
• More Satisfying Level Ending.• Players Learn Better When Not Stressed.
• Revenge!
• Example of gameplay influencing story, which then
influenced the gameplay.
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Evolve Gameplay Out of Narrative
Sometimes, gameplay isn’t enough• For instance, the original ending of Portal
• We were surprised, too
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GLaDOS Battle
What does a Portal boss battle look like?• Obvious conclusion: A complex puzzle
• Results: Pain
• Other attempts:
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt One
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt One
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt One
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt One
Conclusion• Lasers = Bad
• Boring to dodge
• Difficult to aim• Hard to tell if you’re hit
• Abandoned in favor of rockets.
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Two
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Two
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Two
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Two
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Two
Conclusion:• High Intensity = Bad
• No one paid attention to GLaDOS
• Alienated people who liked the slower-paced, cerebral natureof Portal
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Three
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Three
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Three
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GLaDOS Battle – Attempt Three
Conclusion:• Chase Scene = Bad
• Bad pacing
• Poor communication with player• Too many art assets
• Badly balanced gameplay
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GLaDOS Battle
Complex Boss Battle• Nope.
• The more complex, the longer players would take, resulting
in bad pacing.
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GLaDOS Battle – Final Attempt
Complex Boss Battle• Nope.
• The more complex, the longer players would take, resulting
in bad pacing.What now?
• We’re screwed.
• Playtesting to the rescue!
• The Fire Pit
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GLaDOS Battle – Final Attempt
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GLaDOS Battle – Final Attempt
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GLaDOS Battle – Final Attempt
What made the Fire Pit climactic?• Time Pressure
• Visual Impact
• High Drama• Easy Puzzle
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GLaDOS Battle – Final Attempt
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GLaDOS Battle – Time Pressure
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GLaDOS Battle – Visual Impact
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GLaDOS Battle – High Drama
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GLaDOS Battle – Easy Puzzle
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Take Away Slide
Embrace your constraints as fuel for creativity.Have Faith!
• In your writing
• In the skills of your team• Playtest, playtest, playtest
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