[arg_discuss] Tools for ARG developers

[Michael Monello]

It's actually not so difficult, because at the end of the day, and ARG  
is actually very linear in that it happens over time.

I always start with a written narrative document, a "script" if you  
will, that basically tells the story. It details the characters, the  
relationships, and all the events. That 6-20 page document is then  
distilled into a chart that is organized by time and media. For example:

MEDIA		Week 1		Week 2		Week 3

Site 1		action		action		action
Site 2		action		action		action
Twitter		action		action		action
TV						action		
Radio					action		action
etc.

Then, everything gets put into calendar program like Google's. This  
way, you can see things by narrative, by media, and by date.

I don't try to script every possible outcome and scenario in advance  
-- you'd go crazy. We discuss those scenarios extensively, but  
ultimately we make those branching decisions as they come. I believe  
this makes for a game/narrative that allows for the most audience  
interaction and makes the whole experience more electric.

It also makes your life a living hell. Enjoy!

;)

Best,

Michael Monello
Partner, Campfire
---
http://www.campfirenyc.com


On Nov 28, 2007, at 1:05 PM, Tony Walsh wrote:


> I've used a spreadsheet the size of a meeting-room wall for past  

> games.  On one axis, you have all the actors (characters and other  

> forces).  On the other axis, you have all the major events:  This  

> could be episodes, scenes, plot-points, etc.  You then know what  

> every actor in your game is supposed to be doing during your  

> storyline.  With the entire thing printed out, you can mark it up,  

> add sticky notes, etc.  Probably a giant whiteboard would be ideal  

> for this.

>

> --

> Tony Walsh

> email tony at secretlair.com

> mobile/sms +1 416 894 0894

> home http://www.secretlair.com

> blog http://www.clickableculture.com

>

>

>

> marc at thedigitaldemons.com wrote:

>> Hi guys,

>>

>> I'm in the process of outlining a grassroots game, and I want to do  

>> it in quite a bit of detail. I was thinking of both spider diagrams  

>> and flow charts, but I'm unsure how to best document the  

>> interactions in a game. I'm finding it's incredibly hard to  

>> document such a non-linear game in a linear form.

>>

>> Any tips on how to do this, what level of abstraction to go into  

>> when documenting a game. What sort of tools do you guys use? (Mac/Pc)

>>

>> Thanks,

>>

>> Marc

>>

>>

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