Mailbag: Macro to Micro Ideas

Today’s question, gathered from Twitter a little while back, is this: How do you go from the macro to the micro, i.e. from a big, broad idea for a game to the concrete instantiation of it? A long time ago I wrote Idea to Implementation, a discussion of how to get from implementation to completed … Continue reading “Mailbag: Macro to Micro Ideas”

Mailbag: Finding Inspiration in Non-Obvious Subject Matter

I used to publish questions that people have asked me either by email or on Twitter. That went on a hiatus for a while; to kick it off again, I asked Twitter folks what they’d be most interested in seeing me write about. Here was one of the questions: Where [do] you look for or … Continue reading “Mailbag: Finding Inspiration in Non-Obvious Subject Matter”

Mailbag: Plot. It’s a Problem.

I used to publish questions that people have asked me either by email or on Twitter. That went on a hiatus for the past year-and-a-bit, as I’d stepped back from blogging for a time. To kick off something similar again, I asked Twitter folks what they’d be most interested in seeing me write about. One … Continue reading “Mailbag: Plot. It’s a Problem.”

Mailbag: Courses of Study

I want to dive into narrative design. [Professors at a game program] say that it’s possible for them to teach graduates on how to be indie developers. That made me laugh, I don’t really believe their tales. Yet I doubt which faculty should I choose in order to gather some useful skills. There are some … Continue reading “Mailbag: Courses of Study”

Mailbag: Development Process for Storylet-based Interactive Fiction

I’ve been a fan of your site and writing since 2009. Two of your older articles have been nagging at me recently — the one about writing prose for IF, and the other about your drafting process (with examples from Metamorphoses and Bronze, respectively). I have been wondering how they would look updated for writing … Continue reading “Mailbag: Development Process for Storylet-based Interactive Fiction”

Mailbag: Breaking into Writing for Voice UI

Dear Emily, [personal information redacted] I have been following your articles for a long time and I decided to write to you because I am stuck: I would like to expand my skills in the game design field but at the same time I started to get interested in voice applications. I have read that … Continue reading “Mailbag: Breaking into Writing for Voice UI”