This is the second in a series of posts that attempt to deconstruct the humble computer RPG journal. Other posts in the series are:
- How To Write an RPG Journal - Part I: The Basics
- How To Write an RPG Journal - Part III: Information
RPGs are about a story, a world and your place within that world. In such a non-linear environment, the entire user experience of the story centres around two things - 1) the journal, and 2) the way people treat your character. This post is about the importance of journal structure.
Categorise Everything
Gamers have jobs. Gamers have kids. A lot of us just don’t have the time or inclination to work through pages of chronologically-ordered diary entries hunting for that elusive clue that we overlooked the first time.
That’s what computers are for.
As I said previously, keep the journal entries for finished quests separately from the unfinished ones. Keep the entries for ongoing quest A away from the entries for quest B. Make it easy for the player to find the entry they’re looking for.
This can all be done in a fairly small and simple interface, thanks to the worldwide familiarity of hypertext. It’s handy, that Internet. Failing that, use tabs. Click on headers. I don’t care. Just keep it simple. Continue Reading
Popularity: 12% [?]
