Minecraft: Story Mode - Telltale's New Game

[Cridone]

If you were keeping close eye on Mojang's or Telltale Games' websites, or maybe the news or from a small birdy or from wherever else, you may have seen an announcement for Minecraft Story Mode.

I honestly am waiting for its release due to it seeming like a cool idea........ I WAS waiting. Because one thing that killed it for me was this: the game won't be about Steve.

Steve although he's suppose to be the player is a big part of Minecraft, seeing him in his own little adventure and comparing it to how the player play Minecraft would've been a great relationship. Maybe learning how he got there? Maybe what he's thinking? Maybe maybe maybe, Minecraft with it's little pieces that hint to a backstory that while not really there, any writer could turn into a good mystery story about life.

It's probably because the game seems to be focusing more on a younger demographic (like around 9+ maybe), so yeah.
I know there's a TTG forum, but I'd rather also talk about it to other people.

[evilkinggumby]

well even if it's not ABOUT steve, maybe it'll feature Steve? Storytelling allows for all kinds of neat stuff to be done, I don't see why they have to stick to one particular concept for thrgame and anything else is 'bad'. Telltale has some solid talent in their ranks, so I think if they're going to give it a real try (and not just do it cause MONEYS) it could examine all kinds of stuff and still be funny, touching, and help build a sense of lore and backstory. Technically you can build all of that without being about a particular character at the core.

[Cridone]

well even if it's not ABOUT steve, maybe it'll feature Steve? Storytelling allows for all kinds of neat stuff to be done, I don't see why they have to stick to one particular concept for thrgame and anything else is 'bad'. Telltale has some solid talent in their ranks, so I think if they're going to give it a real try (and not just do it cause MONEYS) it could examine all kinds of stuff and still be funny, touching, and help build a sense of lore and backstory. Technically you can build all of that without being about a particular character at the core.

From the Info Quest 2 game, they said the game won't be about Steve. Which to me means he won't be in there at all.

Although I will buy the game when it comes out, Steve is a big part of Minecraft, and if he's not in the game that is based around Minecraft that would be a big disservice to Minecraft.

[matt]

While I'm not a Minecraft player (so my opinion may be worthless on this subject), I think it is a smart idea to do a Steve-less game. The reason for that is because Steve is YOU! He's whatever you want him to be. That is the beauty of the game! You can do whatever you want and build whatever you want. If they gave an official back story to Steve, that would potentially conflict with people's imaginations.

If you look at The Walking Dead, Tales from the Borderlands, and Game of Thrones, they focus on new characters (TWD, TFTB) or really really minor characters (GoT - I read all the books and I don't remember a thing about House Forester). The idea is that then they make up whatever story they want without worrying about preconceived notions. Having worked on licensed games before, I can tell you it can be very challenging working with licensor restrictions and fan expectations, so being able to use the world but make it your own is very empowering to game developers.

[evilkinggumby]

Matt makes a great point, I have to totally agree with him. And again, I still think just because the story is not ABOUT him doesn't mean he won't appear at some point. I think your interpretation is far more narrow than most writers and creative directors have.

I am not a minecraft player but I think there is a lot of new ground they could break that exists within the minecraft world and could expand, laugh at, and examine life in the world they built.

[Cridone]

I knew that Steve is suppose to be the player, and I knew that Telltale has expanded their universe outwards before - I just thought that maybe the player could connect to Steve in this game with their own adventures, and I never said I was a writer at all before, I couldn't write a story at all.

Even then you guys do make some good points, so here's to the new year.

[Grabthehoopka]

I'm more interested in seeing how they intend on telling any sort of story in the minecraft world. Maybe my hopes are up from the Lego Movie, but the prospect of taking something that inherently doesn't have a story and making a story out of it is really tricky. I mean, who's it going to even be about? Are the characters players? Villagers? Wildlife? Something completely new? That's primarily what I'm waiting for.

If I was asked to make a story-oriented minecraft game, I'd make the main character a creeper, so that's what I'm betting on.

[evilkinggumby]

If I was asked to make a story-oriented minecraft game, I'd make the main character a creeper, so that's what I'm betting on.

I think you might be on to something. The history and lore of the creepers would likely be a good starting point to the games. Why are they there? what were they? Or who were they? Is there some long forgotten tale of how the world got the way it is? And is it because of Steve?

I also wonder if they'll just refer to Steve as 'the first settler' and the story takes place a few hundred years later in a more developed world, but people living there slowly begin to uncover a bunch of secret tunnels or structures Steve created and buried. hehehe

[matt]

Maybe my hopes are up from the Lego Movie.

Everything is awesome!!!!!!!!!!! hahaha I loved that movie. I think that is a reasonable comparison and suspect they'd do something along those lines.

I think you might be on to something. The history and lore of the creepers would likely be a good starting point to the games. Why are they there? what were they? Or who were they? Is there some long forgotten tale of how the world got the way it is?

While I think that is a very good idea, I suspect the creepers are also things that people have imagined back stories for that Telltale might not want to invalidate it.

I think Telltale stories are all about the PEOPLE, so I suspect they'll make a new cast of characters that have a comedic conflict. Maybe it'll end up a lot like the Lego Movie. Maybe they can get Will Farrell.

[Cridone]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAnRtMEDrvU

You may or may not have seen it, but Telltale revealed a teaser for the game at Minecon 2015.

I don't have much else to say.