Status: In Development
Mouseburg: Pursuit of Power
- Team Size: 11
- Developers: Notable Games
- Genre: Turn-based Strategy, Resource management
- Platform: PC and Consoles
- Engine & Tools: In-house engine, Docmost, Miro
- Contribution: Narrative design, Dialogue, Worldbuilding
Dialogue - Chapter Intros
The main challenge in writing dialogue for Mouseburg was to find the right tone for the characters. It had to match the fantasy of a city run by adorable mice, but also feel snarky and stingy, like power-hungry Victorian era aristocrats.
To achieve it, I came up with the following format:
- Since game sessions include 4 characters (player + 3 AIs), every tycoon gets to speak at least 1 line.
- Each character replies to the previous tycoon.
- Each line is meant to insult the previous speaker, to deliver the aristocratic 19th-century snarkiness.
Dialogue - Tutorials
When it came to Tutorials, instead of having the main character, Oliver, give instructions to the player, I went with something more immersive – wrote the tutorial dialogue from the tycoon’s perspective.
Whenever a new mechanic is introduced, Oliver “gives himself instructions” on what to do and how it can help his business grow. This also reflects on Oliver’s personality as someone who likes to think out loud.
Dialogue - Reactions
I wrote up reactionary one-liners for each tycoon. They react to the player’s actions or major events in the scenario. For example, a player buys a specific piece of real estate or acquires a large company’s stock. My considerations were:
- The lines only react to events and do not require special conditions.
- The events the lines react TO generally depend on the theme of the scenario.
- If a tycoon reacts to an event, it’s because it affects them in some way.
Dialogue - Mid-game Triggers
Mid-game triggers are major shifts within the scenario, such as all real estate is bought, or all company stocks are acquired. I strengthened these shifts with narrative progression, aka “mid-point” dialogue, split into 2 types:
- Conditional – only one tycoon can match a certain criterion (e.g., owns the most stock of a company). And if they do, they speak their line.
- Absolute – the dialogue plays regardless of the state of each tycoon. It’s no different than a Reaction dialogue, but can be longer.
Dialogue - Victory/Defeat
To win a scenario, a tycoon must gain the strongest influence in the city. If the player wins, the game plays the victory dialogue. When any non-player wins, the winner gets to speak their one line. My considerations were:
- In the victory dialogue, each tycoon replies to the previous speaker in an attempt to insult them.
- The losing tycoons downplay their defeat to maintain class. Their replies shed light on their personalities.
- The winning Tycoons sometimes shamelessly celebrate their wins.
Chapter Descriptions
I wrote descriptions for each of the scenarios, which worked, but didn’t feel immersive enough. So I had the idea of rewriting them like newspaper headlines. When writing them in that style, my considerations were:
- Clickbait – it has to sound like something an average Mouseburg citizen (and players) would click on.
- Narrative and Lore Context – briefly introduce the scenario story theme (e.g., Mayoral Elections).
- Immersion – must reflect the spirit of the Victorian Era.
Character Designs
When I joined the Mouseburg project, I already had visual character designs, but no narrative behind them. So I worked in reverse to discern the character from their designs. My process involved:
- Get the Vibe – figured out what vibes the character gave from the first glance, and worked from there.
- Visual Elements – broke down what key elements each character had, and what they represented.
- Personality – wrote up what kind of personality would manifest itself in these vibes and visual elements.
- Backstory – based on their personality, vibes, and elements, I wrote their backstory and current goals.
Family/House Designs
Tycoons in Mouseburg belong to large, influential houses. I wrote up the lore for each house, making the world feel bigger and delving deeper into each tycoon’s motivations. For each house, I answered the following questions:
- What is the house’s main business venue?
- What elements make them recognizable?
- What is the house’s dark side?
- What would they gain by becoming a city mayor?
Genre and Content Research
Researched popular video games, TV shows, and movies to:
- Find creations to draw inspiration from and broaden my creativity horizons.
- Figure out what people like about these creations and what makes them so popular.
- Get a better idea of what works in the genre, what doesn’t, and what my audience’s expectations are.
- Get a practical understanding of the genre strengths, limitations, and conventions.
- See what already exists and what I can do to stand out.
