Learning from webcomics, motion comics & infinite canvas

Mysterious Path will be a hypercomic and therefore must confront two major design challenges. One will be to figure out how a reader will meaningfully interact with the game narrative, the second will be finding an interesting and appropriate way to present it's comic book format on the screen. This post regards the latter challenge.

Reading comics on digital platforms has been approached in various ways, which solutions will provide design insight for Mysterious Path?

The printed comic book format is not a natural fit for the computer screen. Pages are projected on to a medium they were not originally created for. As digital distribution and consumption of comics increases surely creative solutions and adaptations have been necessary to enhance the screen reading experience?

My research is certainly not exhaustive so please excuse omissions and generalisations (Let me know if you found any interesting stuff, like Marvel Infinite or Visual Novels)

Let's begin...

Ogres

An ogre's cranium and mandible accounts for over 50% of its total skeletal mass. At its thickest the skull measures around 75cm, this does not leave much of an interior cavity for housing the brain, which is fortunate considering the size of an ogre's brain.

The incredible weight of the creatures bones make it virtually impossible for it to swim. They are therefore fearful of deep water and, as a result, extremely reluctant to take baths.

Magic: Thought bubbles

Thought Bubbles are the fruit of a magical process that facilitates the transference of information from one mind to another.

Thought Bubbles are knowledge manifest. Extracted from the host brain through the nearest orifice, they are then orally ingested (to absorb the knowledge) or popped (to destroy it). Thoughts can be implanted, secrets distilled, memories eradicated.

Typical uses:
1) To learn arcane knowledge from a rival wizard.
2) To make a loyal retainer out of a powerful foe.
3) To remove the memory of last night liaison with a less than comely bar wench.

Who will play Mysterious Path?

When formulating a product strategy 'Who is your audience?' is one of the key questions you need to ask, but when it's a personal project... it's just not a factor (after all YOU are the audience!) If, however, you have aspirations to gain a large readership you really should consider it carefully. In the case of interactive fiction knowing your audience will influence the stories you tell, the interactions you design and the aesthetic you follow.

Which art style is right? If I understood my target audience it would inform everything from character design to plot & game mechanics.

Death Jelly

Death Jelly is most likely the creation of the last wizards, designed to patrol their tombs and guard their secrets. They also provide the function of dungeon cleaning, keeping flagstones free from dirt and grime whilst emitting an agreeable lemony aroma.

Death Jelly is known to come in two varieties:

Green Jelly 
Green jelly is a highly corrosive substance. If caught inside the jelly, organic matter is slowly digested. Non-organic material is excreted, albeit a with a nice smear-free shine.

Pink Jelly
Pink jelly is mostly harmless and tastes of strawberry, a favourite at goblin birthday parties.

Reader / Character separation in an interactive comic

Fighting Fantasy gamebooks traditionally adopt a second person narrative mode. You are the hero, and you choose what happens next. This has meant that we get information only from the protagonists point of view. What if we played with this established convention? Would we break the magic gamebook formula?

There has of course been exploration of the subject, but most of this examines the scope for text based interactive fiction and does not fully explore the potential for visual storytelling techniques.

The videogames industry has been debating the pros and cons of first person versus third person camera for years, and there are certainly insights we could glean from their discussions, but mostly this centers on game mechanics and playability which is only partially relevant to the Mysterious Path project.

Mysterious Path will employ a comic book format and so already separates the reader's experience of the game world from the characters, as the 'camera' looks in on the action rather than through the eyes of the main character (although possible, a first person only view would be difficult to sustain). Therefore, Mysterious Path should seek to exploit and celebrate this separation in perception of reader and character to create a unique experience.

Well, that's the dream.

Zagor

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is 30 years old.
Thanks for the memories (and the inspiration).

Fan art based on the awesome Russ Nicolson interior illustration.

Trolls

Trolls never stray to far from water. They prefer to remain submerged and snatch their hapless prey from river banks and bridges. At night, and when food is scarce, they have been known to travel inland. When on these excursions they wrap themselves in kelp/seaweed capes to remain cool and moist. Troll capes actually became a trend adopted by fashion conscious goblinoids, but was short lived as it turned out ogres particularly liked the taste of goblin sushi.

When not hunting for food, trolls will sometimes sit and shout provocative and inflammatory messages at passers-by in their ancient and unfathomable tongue. If this happens it's best to ignore them.

Dragon Brew

Originally a dwarvern liquid explosive used in mining operations, Dragon Brew has become a popular refreshment for Dungeoneers. No one really knows who first discovered the concoctions full-bodied flavour, but the cry "Make mine a flagon of Dragon!" is now common in taverns across the kingdom.

This extremely volatile liquid will ignite when agitated.  This property has allowed the drink to be gainfully employed in the construction of incendiary weapons and, of course, for starting the legendary dwarven barbeques.

As any safety-conscious dwarf will tell you, hairy-faces and flaming drinks are not a happy combination. This fact has not gone unnoticed and, traditionally, Dragon Brew is consumed through a 'brew flute'. Often mistaken for some sort of wind instrument, the flute effectively keeps the beverage away from combustible facial hair.

A popular drinking game, involving taking a swig of Brew and jumping up and down on the spot, has resulted in many fatalities and the destruction of several drinking establishments. As a result some publicans have refused to stock the beverage, opting instead for the non-flammable rival brand Dungeon Dew.

The Temple of Chance

In days of yore, before heroes chose their own adventures, life and death was governed by luck. The icosahedron stands as testament to the ancient rule of chance.