The best writer in RPGs is...

[Lurker King]

AoD is a reflection of the total of VD's KGB career before he had taken refuge from Canada's embassy. That is why it is so dry and grim all the time. Now just try to imagine the kinds of things he must have gone through and the horrors he has seen on a daily basis for 10+ years. If it weren't for his passion for CRPGs, he would long have gunned down the entire company.

Fixed.

 

[Lurker King]

If you want awesome world building I recommend Geneforge.

Because it was not made by VD, obviously.

 

[Johannes]

If you want awesome world building I recommend Geneforge.

Because it was not made by VD, obviously.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I remember reading the story/copy protection paragraphs in Interplay's Dragon Wars and finding them so vivid that I ended up getting hooked on RPGs forever (it was my first RPG, btw). There was a description of a bedraggled old dragon with cataracts that Burger Bill wrote that was remarkably different from any other monster I had seen described in a D&D-type game. I felt genuine pity for the beast and left it alone though it must have contained awesome loot (was it possible to kill it?). I want to say that Michael Stackpole wrote the rest of the text for DW but I don't see his name listed on Moby as being involved in the project. BTIII, yes, DW, no. But to this day, it remains the best writing I personally experienced in an RPG.

 

[DosBuster]

The best writer in RPGs shouldn't be someone who has the best prose, rather, I argue it should be the writer who managed to create a unique experience that could only be found within video games. Someone who took advantage of the medium's benefits and shortfalls to deliver a powerful story or experience and not just someone who wrote a bunch of really good prose.

 

[Rhuantavan]

Neal Hallford

 

[Raziel]

The best writer in RPGs shouldn't be someone who has the best prose, rather, I argue it should be the writer who managed to create a unique experience that could only be found within video games. Someone who took advantage of the medium's benefits and shortfalls to deliver a powerful story or experience and not just someone who wrote a bunch of really good prose.

That could be a reason why MCA likes environmental storytelling so much, the thing is he hasn't really been given a good chance to demonstrate it...NV failed in this regard, notwithstanding.

Personally, I think you need to change the definition of writing--or at least expand on it to fit the idea you're purposing. Video games by themselves really aren't all that different to books[CYOA]/movies when it comes to writing.

 

[Tito Anic]

1. Sheldon Pacotti - "Deus Ex"
2. Man behind "Gothic" series writing
3. Strugatsky - "Hard to be God" (rpg game)

 

[DosBuster]

The best writer in RPGs shouldn't be someone who has the best prose, rather, I argue it should be the writer who managed to create a unique experience that could only be found within video games. Someone who took advantage of the medium's benefits and shortfalls to deliver a powerful story or experience and not just someone who wrote a bunch of really good prose.

That could be a reason why MCA likes environmental storytelling so much, the thing is he hasn't really been given a good chance to demonstrate it...NV failed in this regard, notwithstanding.

Personally, I think you need to change the definition of writing--or at least expand on it to fit the idea you're purposing. Video games by themselves really aren't all that different to books[CYOA]/movies when it comes to writing.

Video game writing is very different than those other mediums, a book, movie or CYOA has control over their audience, video games don't, or at least it is much more challenging to control them without them realizing.

 

[Raziel]

If you look at player's in-game actions as the actual story, sure. Gameplay can be a vehicle for writing, but I don't think we've really seen a game that would push it far. In the best case scenario, the narrative that you're presented with is moldable in much the same fashion as more advanced CYOA.

Video games do have much more potential than other mediums, but it obviously comes through gameplay. And agency usually comes at the expense of the writer distancing himself away from the player, in that case any 'emergent' stories are usually more a product of the player's imagination than the designer's work. Is this still writing? I don't know.

 

[Beastro]

Oh, you are all so wrong.

TES is very odd with so many good bits arising from a very generic setting that was then sunk into mediocre shit gameplay thanks to Hines and Howard.

I think that's why, the longer the series goes on, the more I come to loath it more and more. It could be so much more than what it is and actually be something that breaks the Tolkien mold that dominates fantasy, and yet it's in the hands of such idiots that would be better off making CoD knock offs.

There is a lot of crazy elder scrolls stuff in every game, including Oblivion and Skyrim, most of it is kept in the background. (Fun fact: The Nordic rituals & their tomb paintings were entirely designed by Kirkbride for Skyrim, he still designs the lore behind the games.)

I'm not surprised hearing this. Both Skyrim and Oblivion have schizophrenic moments where the quality of the lore being presented suddenly skyrockets before you get shoved back into generic power fantasy hiking.

Another tidbit, you will never see a main Elder Scrolls game in a beast land, The Elder Scrolls is purely the tale of the fall of man at the hands of the Thalmor, if you look through every game and look into the concept of the Towers this will become very obvious.

I think you're giving it far too much credit and not factoring in how much is gone ad hoc. People like Kirkbride have their own ideas of what the series is about that have little to do with what those who hold the reins intend.

It could very well be that Kirkbride is somewhat obsessed with TES somehow being his adoptive magnum opus and keeps doing side work from them desperately trying to maintain influence and steer the series in the way he wants.

 

[Shaewaroz]

The people who wrote BGII.

 

[DosBuster]

If you look at player's in-game actions as the actual story, sure. Gameplay can be a vehicle for writing, but I don't think we've really seen a game that would push it far. In the best case scenario, the narrative that you're presented with is moldable in much the same fashion as more advanced CYOA.

Video games do have much more potential than other mediums, but it obviously comes through gameplay. And agency usually comes at the expense of the writer distancing himself away from the player, in that case any 'emergent' stories are usually more a product of the player's imagination than the designer's work. Is this still writing? I don't know.

I'd consider it writing.. well, not writing perhaps, I mean the job of a writer is to present a story to their audience in the best way possible, so you could consider emergent gameplay to be a product of that since the game world has been set up to allow that.

 

[Coma White]

The best writer in RPGs is the player. Have some imagination.

 

[oscar]

I found Pathologic some of the most enjoyable due to the thick alien and disturbed Russian steppe atmosphere and 'bad' translation that ultimately only made you feel more a stranger in a very unusual land

The history of mankind knows such catastrophes that demonstrate the whole insignificance of our achievements and the victory of undefeatable Evil. Such are, of course, the epidemics of various contagious diseases that have destroyed whole cities in the past. The best and wisest of the participants of such events have all come to the same conclusion that it isn’t worth fighting in such circumstances, but is best to simply clench one’s teeth and take the losses.

This is the story of a man who performed a miracle and defeated an opponent when victory seemed impossible

 

[Owlish]

That's the game they play in mental aslyums

 

[Mangoose]

Hamburgerhelper

 

[Kontra]

Who wrote Arcanum? There are some names in the manual but i cant discern who did what exactly. After some googling i found out the manual itself was writen by certain Arinn Dembo (she also wrote Homeworld) The manual is pretty cool but im wondering who wrote the main plot, who wrote Virgil and the rest and stuff like the old gods pantheon and all those books? Its a mystery...

Im not saying Arcanum is the best written game EVER but one thing that separates it from(above?) the rest is its distincitive lack of any kind of edgines... Theres no "kewl" characters or *khm khm* tormented characters... Instead everyone is just, well, FUN! So refreshing! And that whole Victorian-speak just never gets old... Example



Hahahaha!!! I could listen to this shit the whole day. Brrrrrriliant!!!

I cant belive i used to think how Kreia was the coolest ever... What a fool i was.

Spoiler

Chriss Avelone sucks

 

[Akratus]

Kirkbride is not the best writer in rpgs because his best stuff never makes it into the rpgs themselves.

 

[Metal Hurlant]

I found Pathologic some of the most enjoyable due to the thick alien and disturbed Russian steppe atmosphere and 'bad' translation that ultimately only made you feel more a stranger in a very unusual land

I can imagine a screen like this but with photos of different writers. Imagine a game screen with the faces of Sawyer, MCA and Gaider. You select the writer and the game starts with the writing from that person. I would photoshop this with their faces and put something witty in the comments.. but I'm too lazy.

 

[Popiel]

Kirkbride is not the best writer in rpgs because his best stuff never makes it into the rpgs themselves.

Except that it does. Still, Kirkbride is not very good of a writer, he's much better a worldbuilder.

 

[Kontra]

So, nobody knows who wrote Arcanum? Well i guess it doesnt matter. Its *just* number five on RPG Codex top RPG list, right after BG2 Didnt it used to be third?


Anyway other games with good writing

Who wrote the first Two Worlds game? Yeah, whoever is responsible for "that" should be voted number 1 here. Forsooth, verily!

Thats what i wanna know too...

A case of so bad its good.
It HAd me in stiches for days. The funniest plot and main character ever- the biggest asshole in the kingdom, a sort of a grand grand father of JC Denton. He goes around and laughs at poor peasants but now hes supposed to save the world. Its all very hazy but i remember a point in the story right after the Hero finds his kidnapped twin sister and she tells him how when they were kids their parents told em about some special prophecy or sword or something... Shit i dont remember what it was but the bad guys were looking for it and therefore it was IMPORTANT.

So she asks him: Brother dont you remember when our parents told us this?

And he says: Yes but i wasnt listening... I thought they were stupid.

Wow thats his explanation for not registering a major plot point. Nice... Instead of using amnesia, the writers came up with this novel idea where the hero actually does remember but he thinks hes parents are stupid assholes, just like his sister. Whata a guy.

Other thing that was *funny* were all the NPCs names... They basically did the opposite of Gothic where theres hundreds of people but everyone has a simple easy to remember name like Diego, Gorn, Buford etc. Well in TwoWorlds theres also hundreds of NPCs but everyone has some fucked up Chesz name and an even more fucked up surname... The only name i still remember was the bad guy - REIST cause it sounded kinda cool and he didnt have a lastname.

There was some big twist with him in the eend but i cant remember what it was. Play it to find out.

Highly recommended if you want "bad" good writing.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

AoD had writing? Sorry, I was just skipping until I saw a skill check.