Just to recap, from the previous iterations we have a narration which had:
Character backstory with defined purpose
Introduction to game world
but the narration also lacked:
Adding more player choices
Allow more conflicts to arise
Let the players personalize their story
Game needs to produce stories with good interesting curves
Keeping the above points in mind, I created a final narration that captured the essense of the game:
3rd Iteration (Final Narration):
"The game begins with the character, NOVA, who’s having a bad dream about her past and remembers the time when she was spending time with her family on a regular day. There has been a restless situation in her city which led to scarcity of the electricity. The government are trying to find alternate ways to generate electricity and the price for electricity going up resulting in many families shifting and others either suffering or dying consequently.
After some time, there were reports of people missing and it was rumored that people were taken to a science lab to conduct “experiments”. One day, the coup visit NOVA’s house and after talking with the family pick NOVA as the chosen one for conducting experiments. The family was reluctant, but they were helpless against the coup. NOVA reaches the science lab, where she gets to see constant electricity being supplied to power a big generator and she also watches a few friendly faces who now look like humanoids. She’s taken to a room where she’s attached to a modern medical incubation cell.
NOVA wakes up and finds herself to be a humanoid and that the time has passed 5 years from when she could last remember. She has a faint memory of what happened to her after the incubation cell as she was injected with electric wires passing through pads attached to her body and she remembers the scientists working for the government. She also starts to notice that there is an electric charge flowing through her body which produces balls of energy and decides to breakout of this science lab. She learns about the prison cell door opening, when an active block (active post) is activated and in a fit of rage and anger of what unknowingly happened to her, what she has become and not knowing about her family and friends, NOVA blasts the ball of energy towards this post that she could see through a large crack in the wall and opens the cell. As the door opens, NOVA sets on a mission to find out her humanoid origin, the plan of the government, figure out the whereabouts of her family and friends and learn to deal with her newfound abilities as she goes ahead in the journey."
Along with the story, I created the storyboard for the first few scenes of the first level which reflects the character's backstory and her presence in this current game world.
Characteristics
Some of NOVA's most important traits are as follows:
Empathy: NOVA has a strong sense of empathy that motivates her to help people and improve the world for the better. Intelligent and observant, NOVA is able to comprehend and absorb complex information and is adamant about learning the truth about her past.
Resilience: NOVA underwent a painful incident that resulted in her being turned into a humanoid, yet she is resilient and able to adjust to her new situation.
Power: NOVA has the capacity to both absorb and emit energy, which increases her strength, speed, and toughness. She can transform energy from one form to another, opening new energy sources and enabling the development of new technologies.
Strategic: NOVA can use her talents intelligently and effectively by thinking strategically.
Rage: As a result of her erased memories and the unknowable aspects of her past, NOVA experiences rage and anger directed towards the government for what it did to her.
Guts: NOVA has the courage to put herself in harm's way to save others and accomplish her objectives also while being able to use her skills to go beyond hurdles and problems in the world with her strong drive to live.
Overall, NOVA is a complicated character who is motivated by her quest for knowledge, her urge for retribution against the government that separated her from her loved ones, as well as her empathy and will to live.
Character Motivations
As NOVA's trip progresses, she learns more about her background and how the government was involved in her creation.
She learns that the government had been using human subjects in experiments to try to develop a creature that could use energy in ways that were previously thought to be impossible.
The more NOVA learns about the world and her place in it, the more determined she becomes to bring about change.
As she uses her abilities to hinder government operations and support rebel organisations battling against injustice, she becomes more and more involved in the rebellion against the government.
As the plot of the game develops, NOVA begins to learn new abilities that enable communities to utilise alternate energy sources and increase their level of independence.
Role of the character
NOVA wants to improve the lives of people on this planet.
She will use her abilities and her willpower to bring about change and overthrow the government.
The themes of self-discovery, empathy, and the effects of human greed and carelessness will cause the player to ponder on both the world and their own behaviour.
NOVA encounters difficulties on her quest, including aggressive raiders, mutant monsters, and severe weather.
As she fights with her own identity, the reality of her ancestry, and her position in this world, she also has internal conflicts.
To accomplish her purpose of building a brighter future for humanity, NOVA will need the player's assistance in overcoming these challenges and completing assignments.
Look of the Character
NOVA is characterised as having a post-apocalyptic appearance that resembles a humanoid with electric current running through her body.
Her left hand can be used to absorb energy or electricity, and her right hand can be used to discharge or expel energy.
She has an athletic physique, a tall and thin figure, and a sleek appearance. She appears cybernetic because of the current covering her body. She is connected to the energy source constantly and there is a slight glimmer in her eyes.
A blue light is coming from her palm of her left hand, a particular system that allows her to absorb energy. Her body then stores this energy, which can be used to fuel a variety of skills like increased strength, speed, and durability.
A particular device in her right hand also enables her to discharge energy, which is symbolised by a red light coming from the pads on her palm. With the use of this energy, she may attack and repel her foes.
The energy levels in her body are also visualised and will be represented by a bar or gauge on the screen. Players will be able to keep tabs on her energy levels and strategically employ her skills thanks to this.
Game World
The game's setting is gloomy and desolate, with rubble and disintegrating structures strewn over the landscape. The player will observe how environmental catastrophes and armed conflict affect the environment. The effects of the government's control over energy will also be seen by the player, with people living in poverty and struggling from a lack of resources.
The game's setting is also full of difficulties, like aggressive raiders, deformed wildlife, and bad weather. To overcome challenges and finish objectives, the player will need to employ NOVA's powers. Additionally, she will need to make choices that will impact her interactions with the communities she comes across.
Hero’s Journey
Act I: The environment for the protagonist's quest is established, along with a call to adventure.
Act II: The main character starts off on their journey, encountering difficulties and hurdles while also picking up new knowledge and skills.
Act III: The protagonist returns home with fresh insight and information, which they may utilise to either rescue their house or get through a last-minute obstacle.
Overall it was fun to get involved with narratology, exploring different genres and no matter how much of a good writer we think of ourselves, the story always has room for improvements in terms of design and structuring.