Galactic War Stories: The Live Narrative of Helldivers 2
Keynote Stage - Confex Level 0 (Expo)
Talk
~All~Community ManagementGame DesignNarrative Design
Information
The Galactic War of Helldivers 2 is a live, always-on, reactive live service narrative. Over 3 million players participate in the war every week - and its our job to make sure they feel like their actions matter, and they are shaping the story. How do we balance player agency and freedom against a very much rigid and linear production schedule? How do we build flexibility into our narrative while still keeping the game "in-bounds"? How do we capitalize on player-driven viral events like Malevelon Creek, and how do we maintain immersion when things go horribly wrong?
This talk covers how we design orders for 3 million players, the lessons learned 1.5 years into the War, and what we wish we'd known before we started.
Target Audiences
Narrative Designers, Writers, Live Service Game Developers, Game Designers
Experience Level
Intermediate
Key Take Aways
- Immersion is king - everything is forgivable except breaking immersion
- "Content" is not Content - its Story
- The ability to communicate rapidly in-game with players is critical
- Things may go very wrong or very right, but in either case, they will not go how you expect
- Build in as much flexibility as you can, and then be ready to throw out the plan and improvise
Session Type
Talk
