Co-op storylines
A quick look at some possible improvements in storytelling for cooperative games: "It might not be that apparent, but storytelling used to be a very interactive phenomenon. Dig a bit into its roots, and you’ll find plenty of examples/evidence.
Interactive storytelling in videogames, though, is a bit different. Aside from Neverwinter Nights attempting to simulate a Game Master’s campaign, the typical arrangement is to have the player(s) progress through a predefined arc. If no arc exists, then the game is usually devoid of any real plot. Many simulation games take this approach with few pre-determined goals and no real characters, drama, or concrete story-structure. The player has little to empathize with, and the game is excused as being tool for the story itself, i.e., the player creates whatever story he desires in his own head. This might work very well for gameplay, but it tends to force the player into becoming the sole storyteller and audience, which isn’t as universally appealing."
