Daniel Hudson's Very Own Story Pitch
My narrative pitch for Aphotic Descent was chosen from seven others in an internal writing contest, earning me the role of Narrative Lead. The story I proposed blended mystery and tension, setting the stage for the game's unique atmosphere.
Pivot ideas
As we moved forward, changes to the story were necessary. These changes came from both teacher feedback and evolving requests from the design, code, and art teams. The story had to adapt, especially after a significant design pivot, but these challenges only made the narrative stronger and more cohesive.
Narrative Guide ver 1.0
I started with a very early draft of a Narrative Guide Doc, packed with a pipeline, quotes, and admittedly, way too many pages. This document was a first step in trying to organize and formalize the narrative elements that would drive the game’s story.
Slumbering Leviathan.
One of my early attempts to craft the story centered around a Man vs. Nature theme, drawing some inspiration from Pathologic. This idea, though it evolved, laid the groundwork for the more complex narrative that came later.
Kelp Maze Notes
These notes included initial drafts of the audio logs, which were key to immersing players in the world we were building. The idea was to create layers of story that players could uncover as they explored the environment.
Storyboards
I had the lead artist Sarah sketch out some very rough storyboards that would eventually guide the cutscenes. These were early visual representations of how key narrative moments might play out in the game.
Game Design Document
The final Game Design Document ended up being a collaborative effort between myself and the Creative Director. Our Lead Designer couldn’t participate in this phase, so I stepped in for the copy writing and editing. This document not only detailed the gameplay mechanics but also incorporated all the narrative design information I’d been developing.