Oracle 10g Developer or Character Development and Storytelling for Games

Oracle 10g Developer: PL/SQL Programming

Author: Joan Casteel

Learn how to use the PL/SQL programming language effectively, using one of the most popular and widely-used software programs in large companies today. Oracle 10g Developer: PL/SQL Programming uses Oracle 10g to provide an overview of the PL/SQL programming language, beginning with fundamental PL/SQL concepts and progressing to the writing and testing of PL/SQL code. The book then progresses to more advanced topics, such as Dynamic SQL and code tuning. Updated to the latest release, Oracle 10g, it uses the developer's perspective to focus on the PL/SQL component of the software. With real-world examples and a straightforward writing style, this is a valuable resource for anyone preparing for the new Oracle Certification exam, or simply looking to master the PL/SQL programming language with Oracle.

Book review: Herding Cats or Vindication

Character Development and Storytelling for Games

Author: Lee Sheldon

This is a book of ideas and of choices. Knowing which choices to make is not teachable. It's part of that creative instinct we call talent whose secret voice guides us every time we sit down at the keyboard. All stories are not identical. They are shaped by all those unique facets of the human beings who write them. All any writer can do when he wants to share his knowledge with others is be as open and giving as possible; and hope others can learn from that. You hold in your hands most of what I know about writing for games and much of what I believe and practice no matter what kind of writing I'm doing. It is meant to inform, to instruct, and maybe even inspire. It is as much about game design as it is writing for games. The two are virtually inseparable. The book itself has been designed as a quest. We are all of us on a journey toward a destination for which there is no single road. —Lee Sheldon, Author

Table of Contents:

	Introduction	xi
Part I	Background	1
Chapter 1	Myths and Equations	3
	Why Make Games?	4
	Why Tell Stories in Games?	6
	One Last Equation	11
Chapter 2	The Story Remains the Same	13
	Aristotle and Those Other Greeks	15
	Jung's Collective Unconscious	24
	Campbell's The Hero's Journey	25
	Primary Sources	26
	From The Great Train Robbery to Birth of a Nation	26
	The Language of Drama and Film	28
Part II	Creating Characters	33
Chapter 3	Respecting Characters	37
	Three Dimensions	37
	Character Progression	40
	The Pivotal Character	42
	The Player-Character	43
Chapter 4	Character Roles	61
	The Character's Role in Story	61
	Populating the World	63
	Commentary and Gossip	64
	Living Useful Lives	67
	The Player-Character Revisited (Protagonist)	69
	Death of a Player-Character	70
	Villains (Antagonists)	74
	Mentors	77
	Sidekicks	80
	Servants and Pets	82
	Merchants	84
	Trainers	84
	Quest Givers	85
Chapter 5	Character Traits	87
	Mobility	87
	Physical Skills	94
	Professions	96
	Race	97
	Sex	99
	Character Emotion	102
	Characters in Opposition	103
	Memory	106
	Revealing Character Through Action	108
Chapter 6	Character Encounters	113
	Perception	113
	Perspective (First Person Versus Third Person)	116
	Dialogue	119
	Dialogue Systems	127
	Entrances and Exits	135
	Return Visits	136
	Relationships	138
Part III	Telling the Story	149
Chapter 7	Once Upon a Time	151
	Building a Home for Characters	151
	Story or Game: Which Comes First?	153
	Original Material	155
	Adaptations from Other Media	160
	Sequels	164
	Finding a Style That Fits	165
	Linear Versus Non-Linear	167
	Avoiding Cliches	172
Chapter 8	Respecting Story	175
	Willing Suspension of Disbelief	176
	The Fourth Wall	178
	The Trap of Cut Scenes	183
	The Trap of Too Much Backstory	187
	The Trap of Letting Players "Discover" the Story	188
	Verisimilitude	190
	Expressionism	191
	Symbolism	192
	Consistency of the World	193
	Setting	194
	Weather	195
	Scope and Scale	197
Chapter 9	Bringing the Story to Life	199
	Foreshadowing	199
	Point of Attack	203
	The Obligatory Scene	206
	Reversals	213
	Arcs	214
	Exposition in Action	215
Chapter 10	Games: Charting New Territory	219
	Characters Revisited	219
	Puzzling Developments	222
	Quests	224
	Types of Quests	232
	Rewards	237
	The Story Up Till Now	237
Chapter 11	Story Chiropractics	239
	Heart: Player Emotion	239
	Mind: Sharing the Theme	245
	Funny Bone: ROFLMAO!	249
Chapter 12	Editing	253
	Collaboration	254
	Adapting to the Engine You End Up With	261
	Stopping the Bleeding When You Cut Levels and Areas	263
	Polishing Dialogue	267
	Copy Editing	272
Chapter 13	The Roots of a New Storytelling	275
	The Odyssey	276
	The Canterbury Tales	280
	Don Quixote de la Mancha	281
	Charles Dickens and Publishing in Parts	284
	Saturday Morning at the Movies (Movie Serials)	286
	Dennis Wheatley's Crime Dossiers	289
	Daytime Soap Operas	291
	Episodic Television	292
Chapter 14	Modular Storytelling	295
	The Yoke of Narrative	297
	Nesting Modules	319
	Structuring Chaos	320
	Adventures in a Non-Linear World	321
Part IV	Games People Play	323
Chapter 15	Game Types	325
	Action	325
	Adventure	333
	Role-Playing	338
	Simulations	341
	Strategy	342
	Multiplayer	344
Chapter 16	Game Genres	345
	Fantasy	349
	Science Fiction	351
	War	355
	Espionage	358
	Crime	361
	Mystery	362
	Horror	366
	Romance	367
	Western	369
Chapter 17	Console Games	371
	Demographics	373
	Push the Button, Get the Story	374
	Integration Versus Cut Scenes	375
	How Story Enhances Gameplay	377
	Cooperative Games (Minimally Multiplayer)	379
	The Incredible Shrinking Game	381
Chapter 18	Bringing Virtual Worlds to Life	385
	The Roots of Role-Playing	390
	Scope and Scale	396
	Death of a Player-Character Revisited	401
	The Social World	402
	Footprints in the Sand	407
	The Trap pf Episodic Structure	408
Chapter 19	Enabling Story in Virtual Worlds	413
	Thousands of Heroes	413
	Ongoing Story	415
	Revealing Story	419
	True Multiplayer Quests	421
	Crowd Control	426
	Variety	428
	Hiding the Numbers	429
	Empowering Emergent Storytelling	434
Part V	Reflections	437
Chapter 20	The Responsible Writer	441
Part VI	Appendices	447
Appendix A	Opinionated Bibliography	449
Appendix B	Developer Primer on Building Writing Teams	453
	Introduction	454
	Team Configurations	455
	The Lead Writer	456
	The Staff	458
	Additional Considerations	459
	Conclusion	460
	Index	461