Hi there,
I'm currently in the process of developing/designing/writing a 2D beat em up. Its a rated M dark fantasy game about monster hunters taking on legendary creatures. I wanted to make a beat em up because I remember my favorite games growing up were games like Double Dragons and Final Fight. Unfortunately back then story was non existent except inside the manual. These days we take game development more serious. So I was wondering if anyone here has developed a beat em up game and if so if they had any tips of how they added storytelling elements to it? Thank You in advance.

Storytelling in Action
o Maintain the flow of the action. Dispense the story in a way that does not hinder the player's desire to act.
o Use the pyramid model for dispensing information. Expect the flow of information to be interrupted by action.
o Let the characters talk, run, and fight at the same time. Make it possible for them to attack and get attacked while they are talking.

Example:

Mission Briefing within Action Sequence:
o Player controls main character leaping over roof tops while the details of the mission is being transmitted.
o .. The player could choose to stop and just listen to the whole thing first, but that is the player's choice.

Hey thanks

Yea thanks

So with keeping with the flow of the action, should i start the story from the beginning or just drop the player right in and catch them up as the game goes along?

The Typical Sequence

Entry:
[T] When the player starts the game, the game goes to the Backstory screen

Backstory Screen:
[C] Shows the backstory / teaser story. Tell / show the the player the conflict, the situation, or the goal of the PC.
[T] Idle: Go to the gameplay Demo Screen
[T] Key Press: When the player pushes any button, the game returns to the Title Screen

Demo Screen:
[C] Where the game plays itself with no dialog
[T] Key Press: Go to the Title Screen

Title Screen:
[C] Shows menu items, such as [Start], [Load], [Options]
[T] Idle: When the player remains idle for X seconds, the games goes to Demo Screen
[T] [Start]: Go to the Start screen

Start Screen: (Character selection)
[C] May contain character selection.
[C] For each character that the player can select, there may be a short description about the character
[C] For each character, there may be a short description / rating about the character's abilities
[T] [Select]: When the player selects a character, the game starts (compare Option 1 and Option 2 below)

Option 1: Non-interactive Storytelling
[C] A narration sequence is show to tell the player the situation (i.e. to tell the story)
[C] The narration may be skippable or unskippable
[T] Key Press: Game transits to the Game Screen

Option 2: Storytelling in Action
[T] Go to the Game Screen

Game Screen:
[C] Shows the gaming environment where the characters can move and fight
[C] Option 2: A contact character gives a one-liner non-modal dialog to the PC. The player can either choose to get more information or continue with the gameplay.
[T] Option 2: When the player does not response to the one-liner, the contact character assumes that the PC understands the situation and fades out the communication.


Variations of the Contact Character (The story dispensing agent for the game story)
o Sidekick, Faerie
o Dr. X (The character that creates the gadgets that the PC uses)
o Chief, Commander, Master
o Radio operator, support staff, helicopter operator
o The villain
o Bystander, victim
o ...

Example of storytelling in action using the villain as the story dispensing agent
o In the Game Screen, the villain had just busted himself out of jail, and taunts the PC who appears a second later.
o Villain disappears off the screen (This prompts the player to pursue the villain).


Comment:
I think the main factor that determines whether you use Option 1 or Option 2 is how often the player would replay the beginning.
The more the player would replay the beginning, the more annoying Option 1 would be. In some games, Option 2 is done in
a way that interrupts the flow of the action. To me that is even more annoying. Therefore to do Option 2 right, it is done without
interrupting the flow.

Thanks for the detailed response Wai. That really helps. This is my first game and I want to get it right.