The writer for the side-story DLC for Bioshock 2, Steve Gaynor, has discussed details of how the the story and world for the game's side adventure came together, and provides an interesting insight into the construction of Minerva's Den.
In the discussion Gaynor explains how the team that worked on Minerva's Den, a downloadable side-story for the main game, consisted of only 10 people full-time which allowed for ideas to flow back and forth and really define an individual story in the Bioshock world. Gaynor added that "It gave our small team a chance to work in a very autonomous, agile way under the umbrella of a larger studio, so we had a lot of support."
Gaynor also talks of how the central location for Minerva's Den, McClendon Electronics came about, how being an experienced writer can aid in game and level design and how individual contributions are essential to strengthening the bond between story and gameplay:
"You have to be really collaborative, and be able to step back in the places where you can -- and also recognize when people would rather have somebody else handle the story stuff or the visuals or any given element. It's all about balance."
He also talks about how changing up the equipment and plasmids you are equipped with in Minerva's Den allowed players to avoid feeling a sense of repetition with the DLC chapter due to their prior experiences playing through the main game's story. Gaynor wanted to generate a more "survival horror feel" with the DLC and explains the perks of additional content by explaining that:
"DLC is a great way to have that indie feeling of a small team that is sitting in the pit together, and kicking ideas around -- but with AAA production values and all,"
"The more [the industry sees] DLC become a fact of life, I hope more studios will look at them as core development projects."
Do you agree with Gaynor's comments about DLC becoming a fact of life? Are we bound to the type of game content know more commonly by its acronym from here on out or do you see it fading away in years to come? Any thoughts, please post them in the comments below.
Source: Gamasutra
In the discussion Gaynor explains how the team that worked on Minerva's Den, a downloadable side-story for the main game, consisted of only 10 people full-time which allowed for ideas to flow back and forth and really define an individual story in the Bioshock world. Gaynor added that "It gave our small team a chance to work in a very autonomous, agile way under the umbrella of a larger studio, so we had a lot of support."
Gaynor also talks of how the central location for Minerva's Den, McClendon Electronics came about, how being an experienced writer can aid in game and level design and how individual contributions are essential to strengthening the bond between story and gameplay:
"You have to be really collaborative, and be able to step back in the places where you can -- and also recognize when people would rather have somebody else handle the story stuff or the visuals or any given element. It's all about balance."
He also talks about how changing up the equipment and plasmids you are equipped with in Minerva's Den allowed players to avoid feeling a sense of repetition with the DLC chapter due to their prior experiences playing through the main game's story. Gaynor wanted to generate a more "survival horror feel" with the DLC and explains the perks of additional content by explaining that:
"DLC is a great way to have that indie feeling of a small team that is sitting in the pit together, and kicking ideas around -- but with AAA production values and all,"
"The more [the industry sees] DLC become a fact of life, I hope more studios will look at them as core development projects."
Do you agree with Gaynor's comments about DLC becoming a fact of life? Are we bound to the type of game content know more commonly by its acronym from here on out or do you see it fading away in years to come? Any thoughts, please post them in the comments below.
Source: Gamasutra
Games:
Bioshock 2
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