POLL: Playing the Villain?

[Conviction07]

Hey everyone. Lately I've been thinking about an idea I've had for a new game I'd like to start developing, and was curious how you guys would feel playing as a completely wicked character? I know that it's probably dependent on the story so I'll tell you the basic premise. You play as a vampire (this might sound lame to you, but I'm confident I could make it pretty cool) who comes to a small, seemingly picturesque town, and your goal is to essentially corrupt the townspeople. It sounds simple, and I know a lot of devs do the whole corruption thing, but I wanna do the corruption route on steroids. For instance, by the time we get to the end of the game, I want the town to be reduced to a state of absolute bedlam. Friendships ended, families and marriages torn apart, fear, paranoia, and maybe even a small dose of murder. The main character will achieve all this through seduction, manipulation, and possession (I think this will allow for a lot of interesting incest scenarios). Think of the game as a mixture between Salem's Lot and The Witches of Eastwick.

While I'm aware some people would just simply suggest having a good AND bad path, I think this would compromise the extent of the collateral damage your decisions would have. So is this something you'd be interested in? Are there any concerns you have?

Thanks.

 

[kimoo]

Hey everyone. Lately I've been thinking about an idea I've had for a new game I'd like to start developing, and was curious how you guys would feel playing as a completely wicked character? I know that it's probably dependent on the story so I'll tell you the basic premise. You play as a vampire (this might sound lame to you, but I'm confident I could make it pretty cool) who comes to a small, seemingly picturesque town, and your goal is to essentially corrupt the townspeople. It sounds simple, and I know a lot of devs do the whole corruption thing, but I wanna do the corruption route on steroids. For instance, by the time we get to the end of the game, I want the town to be reduced to a state of absolute bedlam. Friendships ended, families and marriages torn apart, fear, paranoia, and maybe even a small dose of murder. The main character will achieve all this through seduction, manipulation, and possession (I think this will allow for a lot of interesting incest scenarios). Think of the game as a mixture between Salem's Lot and The Witches of Eastwick.

While I'm aware some people would just simply suggest having a good AND bad path, I think this would compromise the extent of the collateral damage your decisions would have. So is this something you'd be interested in? Are there any concerns you have?

Thanks.

the plot seems like perfect (specially this days all the developers doing is sex scenes with some back ground story)
and since i care first about the plot consider me your first supporter (i will just imagine myself a vampire and do whatever i want to do woow)
i am in
but if the game just one path like comics and you have no influence on the story ..it would be hard for some people to just read a story without any decisions (me one of them)

 

[Conviction07]

the plot seems like perfect (specially this days all the developers doing is sex scenes with some back ground story)
and since i care first about the plot consider me your first supporter (i will just imagine myself a vampire and do whatever i want to do woow)
i am in
but if the game just one path like comics and you have no influence on the story ..it would be hard for some people to just read a story without any decisions (me one of them)

Glad you like the idea. Also, don't get me wrong, there'll be choices, but nothing so extreme where you'll play as a good guy. At the end of the day, the town will burn :evilsmile:

 

[GhostPhil]

Well I was searching for some good games, where you can play the villan or be good or bad. So I would apprechiate a game like this. Or as you said, the character is bad, but you can be a bit more good, if you want.
So I really like the idea

 

[kimoo]

Glad you like the idea. Also, don't get me wrong, there'll be choices, but nothing so extreme where you'll play as a good guy. At the end of the day, the town will burn :evilsmile:

yes i know just some decisions to feel that i control the story (specially some scenes like kill her or leave her/rape her or leave her)
that types of decisions doesn't require too much effort ,just to feel like i am free and not forced to do what i don't like

and good luck with this great plot

Well I was searching for some good games, where you can play the villan or be good or bad. So I would apprechiate a game like this. Or as you said, the character is bad, but you can be a bit more good, if you want.
So I really like the idea

yes me too (there is a level i can accept of being a bad guy) and sometimes in different situations you need to choose to be good guy or bad guy
when i want to kill someone it will be better to choose if i want or don't want to :heartcoveredeyes:

 

[GhostPhil]

I certeinly like to have a game, where you can live out your inner bad-guy. The question is, do you start as some kind of Overlord in a town and can do with you town people whatever you want? Or do you start as a small fry and get more powerful over time?

To what extent can you be bad/evil? Rape, torture, killing, forced prostitution, forced "basicially everything" and whatever bad things you can think of?

 

[DarthSeduction]

Now, a part of me wants to say, stay the fuck away from vampires, so that when I make my game we aren't compared, but your premise is different enough from mine that I'm not worried.

That said, your MC sounds OP. A game doing what you're planning on, making a villainous MC with the kind of power you're talking about, and the end game you're suggesting, needs an antagonist to match. Maybe the town is home to some Holy Order of some sort who acts to stop you, interferes with your plans or simply forces you to act very carefully, so as not to get noticed (really all of the above). Or maybe there's some rival vampire or sorcerer or something of the sort who has similar plans to yours who finds you to be in the way. Maybe the town is host to a coven of witches or necromancers who pose a major threat to you and your plans. Regardless, this group should be there to give the player an obstacle and something to fight against.

As long as you do a good job of making us hate this group of antagonists, we should be able to accept and even revel in the scum and villainy of our MC. I think Waifu Academy does this pretty well. You're molesting and getting innocent girls raped all to get vengeance on the people who ruined your dad's reputation and by proxy your life. You despise the people you're working against enough that you're able to overlook the darker things you're doing to get that revenge. The game does a pretty good job of setting obstacles in your path as well. First it's the disciplinary committee, now it's the rich kid and his lackey's who are planning to openly oppose your appointment to said committee. And of course, you're working in secret, meaning overt moves could cause everything to come crashing down.

I think Corruption is a good model for what not to do with your game. I feel like the only enemy in that game is the game developer, making you bad, sure, but just giving you boring grind, unless you use the mods or cheats available. Though I would suggest you use a similar life sim model. What you would need to do is find a way to balance your corruption elements with a series of obstacles. Maybe create a system where if you corrupt too many people too fast, or singular people too far too fast, you alert the people who stand in your way, maybe they're able to purify that person, maybe they're able to set a trap for you, something to where the thing working against you is a viable threat. I'd also suggest you start the player out with one completely corrupted slave. Maybe it's a familiar, maybe it's a fledgling vampire, but the point is, you have someone to act as both a relief girl and who can act as the fish out of water, asking your MC to explain his plans or abilities. This person will kind act as the player, asking questions when something new happens.

 

[Conviction07]

Now, a part of me wants to say, stay the fuck away from vampires, so that when I make my game we aren't compared, but your premise is different enough from mine that I'm not worried.

That said, your MC sounds OP. A game doing what you're planning on, making a villainous MC with the kind of power you're talking about, and the end game you're suggesting, needs an antagonist to match. Maybe the town is home to some Holy Order of some sort who acts to stop you, interferes with your plans or simply forces you to act very carefully, so as not to get noticed (really all of the above). Or maybe there's some rival vampire or sorcerer or something of the sort who has similar plans to yours who finds you to be in the way. Maybe the town is host to a coven of witches or necromancers who pose a major threat to you and your plans. Regardless, this group should be there to give the player an obstacle and something to fight against.

Don't worry, he won't be OP at all. The possession power for example isn't something he can just do to anyone. I obviously haven't nailed down the mechanics yet, but I was thinking it would only be possible once he's learned the characters deepest, darkest secret or desire. Which means he'll have to take the time to get to know them, and earn their trust first. As far as antagonists go, of course there'll be one or many. I'd already thought about an idea for a rival vampire which I'd definitely prefer over something like sorcerers or witches. Even though he's a vampire, I don't wanna lean on the supernatural element too much.

As long as you do a good job of making us hate this group of antagonists, we should be able to accept and even revel in the scum and villainy of our MC. I think Waifu Academy does this pretty well. You're molesting and getting innocent girls raped all to get vengeance on the people who ruined your dad's reputation and by proxy your life..

Unless possession counts, there won't be any kind of rape, forced sex or torture. I want it to be fun to be bad. And as Dr. Evil would say, he's evil, not a monster (although he's a vampire, so I guess technically he is.)

I think Corruption is a good model for what not to do with your game. I feel like the only enemy in that game is the game developer, making you bad, sure, but just giving you boring grind, unless you use the mods or cheats available. Though I would suggest you use a similar life sim model. What you would need to do is find a way to balance your corruption elements with a series of obstacles. Maybe create a system where if you corrupt too many people too fast, or singular people too far too fast, you alert the people who stand in your way, maybe they're able to purify that person, maybe they're able to set a trap for you, something to where the thing working against you is a viable threat. I'd also suggest you start the player out with one completely corrupted slave. Maybe it's a familiar, maybe it's a fledgling vampire, but the point is, you have someone to act as both a relief girl and who can act as the fish out of water, asking your MC to explain his plans or abilities. This person will kind act as the player, asking questions when something new happens.

By corruption I mean in terms of plot, not as a gameplay mechanic. I want to avoid using something as archaic as a point system that like you said, people will just use cheats for anyway. And I hate grinding, so there won't be any of that either. Your idea about a slave is also similar to an idea I had. However, I wanted him to enter the town solo but very early into the game, he "turns" a very vulnerable girl who'll give him information on the town and kind of act as his sidekick/guide. Perhaps like a less over the top Harley Quinn.

 

[DarthSeduction]

By corruption I mean in terms of plot, not as a gameplay mechanic. I want to avoid using something as archaic as a point system that like you said, people will just use cheats for anyway. And I hate grinding, so there won't be any of that either. Your idea about a slave is also similar to an idea I had. However, I wanted him to enter the town solo but very early into the game, he "turns" a very vulnerable girl who'll give him information on the town and kind of act as his sidekick/guide. Perhaps like a less over the top Harley Quinn.

By Corruption I meant the game of the name Corruption, which features an MC who is granted access to potions by the devil in order to corrupt all those he wishes to, essentially meaning the entire town. But there's no real plot to the game, no antagonist besides the games mechanics. The game itself is what I was referring to as what not to do.

What you describe actually sounds a lot like what I was considering suggesting, but chose not to, in a way, having you go the same route as Long Live the Princess. It's one of very few life sims that has a plot, and it happens to have a somewhat similar theme. The one issue I'd give it is that its antagonists are too subversive for something like what you're suggesting. I would suggest an overt antagonist, as in your game it should be your MC that is hiding.

Unless possession counts, there won't be any kind of rape, forced sex or torture. I want it to be fun to be bad. And as Dr. Evil would say, he's evil, not a monster (although he's a vampire, so I guess technically he is.)

Technically, any sort of mind control based sexual encounter/corruption is rape. But that wasn't the point I was making. I was simply giving you an example of a game in which there's no doubt as to the negative morality of the MC, but because there's an antagonist that we hate, we are able to sympathize with and follow the MC through their darkness.

 

[Ataios]

Cheat! Blackmail! Sexually exploit your mother! And every woman you meet! Generally I think, porn games often explore the darkest fantasies, people may have and thus their protagonists are usually not quite the shining beacons of virtue found in regular games - even if they are not undead overlords. However, if I had the choice, wether to play as a vampire using his mind control powers or a creepy teenage virgin ordering some obscure drugs from the dark net for the same effect, I'd prefer playing as a vampire overlord any day.

 

[Abîme]

Playing a vilain,that's sound good, it's more the vamire thing I don't find appealing. I understand, that can be a way to explain his power, but TBH I found the idea of a regular guy who mastered hypnosis or something close more interesting. He don't see himself as evil, he just want to use all way to fullfill his purpose, slowly leading him to an inner corruption and more bad deeds and taking to his dark path all the people close to him.

 

[Volta]

Hey everyone. Lately I've been thinking about an idea I've had for a new game I'd like to start developing, and was curious how you guys would feel playing as a completely wicked character? I know that it's probably dependent on the story so I'll tell you the basic premise. You play as a vampire (this might sound lame to you, but I'm confident I could make it pretty cool) who comes to a small, seemingly picturesque town, and your goal is to essentially corrupt the townspeople. It sounds simple, and I know a lot of devs do the whole corruption thing, but I wanna do the corruption route on steroids. For instance, by the time we get to the end of the game, I want the town to be reduced to a state of absolute bedlam. Friendships ended, families and marriages torn apart, fear, paranoia, and maybe even a small dose of murder. The main character will achieve all this through seduction, manipulation, and possession (I think this will allow for a lot of interesting incest scenarios). Think of the game as a mixture between Salem's Lot and The Witches of Eastwick.

While I'm aware some people would just simply suggest having a good AND bad path, I think this would compromise the extent of the collateral damage your decisions would have. So is this something you'd be interested in? Are there any concerns you have?

Thanks.

This sounds pretty innovative to be honest, having a character where you aren't choosing to be bad but simply are naturally evil or at least antagonistic is a nice idea, the idea of corrupting a whole town in a destructive way could be fun too, it appeals to my inner sheogorath, totally screwing with lives in a game because Yolo, shits and giggles ect.

Possession is what really sold me on this, it opens up a huge number of possibilities and assuming you make the most of it as a concept then it could easily make for an amazing mechanic.

As for routes i think it would be quite neat to see either a destructive or "ruling" path, for example the destructive route would contain far more chaotic and self serving elements while the "ruling" path would involve more imperious, entitled and oppressive elements, effectivly the aim of the character could be to either wreck the town or subdue and conquer it . Either way the idea has legs, i'd like to see how it pans out.

 

[The Witcher]

Sounds Good . I like the idea especially the villain and vampire part.

 

[hameleona]

I voted "Don't care" mostly because there are degrees of being a a bad guy.
Making the MC "evil" is nothing new to porn games. In almost any incest game the MC is at best morally ambiguous and in not one or two we have the option to be really bad people. Actually some of the most popular games here have an MC that's at best a dick and at worst a complete monster. It's rarely stated and some of the games do a good job of pointing out the quite realistic process of rationalizing away shitty behaviour that people on the road down engage in. But I doubt the fact, that you can be a bad guy would off put people. Depending on how it's done.
Keep in mind, that depending on the nature of the MC and his bad habits and sides people may ignore the evil side at all. Currently by your pitch, the MC won't be much worse than the MC in A Spell for All, for example. Broken families and ruined friendships don't really need a vampire. Or even any mystical in them. Sadism on the other hand invokes much stronger reactions in people.

@DarthSeduction pointed some of the biggest problems such games face - mainly the lack of good antagonist(s) and the constant grind one has to endure. I would like to add a few more things to that, tho. Mainly questions I ask myself before pitching a story for anything:

"X for Xs sake" is something frowned upon in the creative circles in my country. Ok, MC is a vampire. Why? Mind Control - the way you pitched it, that's so end game, that you may not even need it. Super powers? Why? OP characters are kind of boring. What does the MC being a vampire add to the story? Will it be integrated in to the story in any way? Vampire hunters, Inquisition, other monsters...

Why does the MC do that? The biggest problem with many games where you play as a bad character is that you do it for the evilz and nothing more. Even monsters usually rationalize their behaviour. Socially demolishing a town achieves what? Bad dictators tend to get killed quickly.

What is the flavor of the game? What is the tone? Will it be a comedy? A drama? An action-thriller? Adult game describes a game with explicit sex. What combination of the above will it be? The answers to those questions can make or break a game, imo. A comedy that turns drama in the middle for no apparent reason will have problems, mainly by limiting or outright stealing character agency. The opposite is also true - a drama turning comedy would alienate the initial core base, while having troubles inviting new people. And an evil MC is pretty different between those genres.

I personally would love to see a "recovering bad guy" story with a vampire. Opens much more possibilities for fun and challenge and possible endings. But that's just me.

 

[おい！]

I would say a shape shifting demon rather than a vampire, that way they can be male or female, depending on who they want to corrupt at any given time. The problem with vampires they can only do things at night, a demon can do things 24-7.

 

[Nekura]

You could have a Vampire that could walk in the day. Just have it so any powers are severely reduced or even unaccessible durring the day. Maybe even limit the amount of time he could remain in the sunlight, be able to preform X number of actions before having to retreat indoors. My only worry about this type of game really is making sure the player has the ability to choose just how evil they are.

 

[desmosome]

It sounds like A spell for all. Which is a good thing.

As far as villain MC goes, the vast majority of protagonists in these games are sexual predators anyways lol.

 

[Conviction07]

I voted "Don't care" mostly because there are degrees of being a a bad guy.
Making the MC "evil" is nothing new to porn games. In almost any incest game the MC is at best morally ambiguous and in not one or two we have the option to be really bad people. Actually some of the most popular games here have an MC that's at best a dick and at worst a complete monster. It's rarely stated and some of the games do a good job of pointing out the quite realistic process of rationalizing away shitty behaviour that people on the road down engage in. But I doubt the fact, that you can be a bad guy would off put people. Depending on how it's done.
Keep in mind, that depending on the nature of the MC and his bad habits and sides people may ignore the evil side at all. Currently by your pitch, the MC won't be much worse than the MC in A Spell for All, for example. Broken families and ruined friendships don't really need a vampire. Or even any mystical in them. Sadism on the other hand invokes much stronger reactions in people.

@DarthSeduction pointed some of the biggest problems such games face - mainly the lack of good antagonist(s) and the constant grind one has to endure. I would like to add a few more things to that, tho. Mainly questions I ask myself before pitching a story for anything:

"X for Xs sake" is something frowned upon in the creative circles in my country. Ok, MC is a vampire. Why? Mind Control - the way you pitched it, that's so end game, that you may not even need it. Super powers? Why? OP characters are kind of boring. What does the MC being a vampire add to the story? Will it be integrated in to the story in any way? Vampire hunters, Inquisition, other monsters...

Why does the MC do that? The biggest problem with many games where you play as a bad character is that you do it for the evilz and nothing more. Even monsters usually rationalize their behaviour. Socially demolishing a town achieves what? Bad dictators tend to get killed quickly.

What is the flavor of the game? What is the tone? Will it be a comedy? A drama? An action-thriller? Adult game describes a game with explicit sex. What combination of the above will it be? The answers to those questions can make or break a game, imo. A comedy that turns drama in the middle for no apparent reason will have problems, mainly by limiting or outright stealing character agency. The opposite is also true - a drama turning comedy would alienate the initial core base, while having troubles inviting new people. And an evil MC is pretty different between those genres.

I personally would love to see a "recovering bad guy" story with a vampire. Opens much more possibilities for fun and challenge and possible endings. But that's just me.

You give me a lot to think about. And perhaps a rehabilitating bad guy would be a better idea. I'm just concerned that I lack the manpower to sufficiently develop two drastically different routes. Because I definitely want one of them to be purely evil. As far as why I chose it to be a vampire, I want body possession to be a big part of the game, not mind control. Which although this ability will have it's limitations, it will be utilized several times throughout the game. Also, I'd like to give the game a little bit of a gothic horror flavour and vampires fit the bill perfectly. So to answer one of your questions, no, it will definitely not be a comedy. I want it to be tonally much more of a suspense drama with a little action sprinkled in.

 

[DarthSeduction]

You give me a lot to think about. And perhaps a rehabilitating bad guy would be a better idea. I'm just concerned that I lack the manpower to sufficiently develop two drastically different routes. Because I definitely want one of them to be purely evil. As far as why I chose it to be a vampire, I want body possession to be a big part of the game, not mind control. Which although this ability will have it's limitations, it will be utilized several times throughout the game. Also, I'd like to give the game a little bit of a gothic horror flavour and vampires fit the bill perfectly. So to answer one of your questions, no, it will definitely not be a comedy. I want it to be tonally much more of a suspense drama with a little action sprinkled in.

I do have to wonder with why you're choosing a vampire if you want body posession to be a huge thing. That's not a typically vampiric power. Honestly, you could accomplish the same thing with a dude who stumbles on some shamanic texts or has some psychic abilities. Sorcery, voodoo, psychics, and other forms of supernatural power all lend themselves well to Gothic horror. If you're going to use vampires, I'd think blood would be much more important to your story.

For instance, in my first post I mentioned I have a vampire plot on the backburner. In particular, I'm combining the vampire and incubus myths, with incubus and succubus acting as living, pureblooded vampires, capable of siring pureblooded children, and regular vampires being made through the typical feeding ritual. Blood and blood magic, as well as the powers of an Incubus are the reasons I settled on them as characters for my story.

One concern @hameleona brought up that you could use to address all of his other concerns is who your antagonist is. You could make this town the home of a religeous order responsible for murdering your wife. You could make it the home of a group of powerful necromancers who once enslaved you or someone you cared about. You could make it the home of a group of gypsies who once gave you a soul as punishment for your sins (lol don't do this), you could make it the home of some hunter clan responsible for any of the same atrocities I've given before. Regardless, the point is, you now have a reason to make your MC a vampire, a reason for your MC to come to this town and corrupt it, and an enemy that makes us sympathize with your MC.

If you truly want him to be evil, I think it's important that you do have some semblance of a morality system. The, "light" path doesn't have to be distinct or good, it would just have to be more merciful. That way for those who revel in the evil there's something to bounce it off of.

 

[hameleona]

You give me a lot to think about. And perhaps a rehabilitating bad guy would be a better idea. I'm just concerned that I lack the manpower to sufficiently develop two drastically different routes. Because I definitely want one of them to be purely evil. As far as why I chose it to be a vampire, I want body possession to be a big part of the game, not mind control. Which although this ability will have it's limitations, it will be utilized several times throughout the game. Also, I'd like to give the game a little bit of a gothic horror flavour and vampires fit the bill perfectly. So to answer one of your questions, no, it will definitely not be a comedy. I want it to be tonally much more of a suspense drama with a little action sprinkled in.

You really need at least a basic story pitch to achieve anything coherent. Currently you have gameplay concepts and have picked a flavor. But you need something like this:

Context story:
(MC is Wolfgang, since I have a thing for calling them all Wolfgang, and using "MC" doesn't feel right.)
Wolfgang is a vampire. He was part of a very prominent vampire clan. He was somewhat of an outsider, tho. Something with his turning went wrong. He kept some semblance of empathy, unlike his brethren. but the beast inside him was still awaken. The beast feeds on domination and control of others. The emphatic part - on bringing happiness and helping. You can imagine how that problem, combined with the mystical powers vampires have made Wolfgang a full-blown schizophreniac. He sometimes has arguments whit both the beast and the human in him. The clan kind of kept him at the periphery, since he was useful - even if only by the fact, that he could walk around at day, but didn't like him much.
Well, the clan is gone now. The Hunters came and the clan lost. Gladly it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Hunters, so Wolfgang managed to escape. He was actually what teared trough the Hunters lines with ease, since his inner human made him immune to most of the weapons the Hunters used. But now he is hunted. By the Hunters who see him as a real threat to their order if he ever decides to take revenge. By the other clans, who blame his existence for the spike in Hunter activity. And by the Company - a shady organization that wants to capture him. For some reason.

So Wolfgang moved. Bought a mansion in a small town on the Northern East Coast. Tried to sort it out. Have you ever heard of a vampire suffering from nightmares? Yeah, he is the firs one. But one day he gets word - the Hunters are actively searching for him. Now, his clan got duped by the Hunters infiltrating the part of the city they lived in. Not happening again. Both sides are in agreement - the locals must like him and or serve him if he is to survive. But where to start? How about that sweet little girl, that walks dogs every morning next to the house.


Now one can go on about making a game with a story. And can attach several mechanics to the game, based on the story.
Obviously there will be domination and affection path for NPCs. Affection leads to loyal followers (well, with some encouragement... you are a vampire after all, but it's for their own good). Domination leads to thralls. Who doesn't love keeping slaves to command and abuse? Oh, well, vampires do!
Wolfgang will have to do some bad shit now and than to satisfy the inner beast. And some good shit to satisfy the inner human. Or try and keep them under control, but that would waste resources of some kind (probably blood, since having enough blood to drink is kind of important, and blood can be a stamina-type resource).
He will have to try and not stir way too much shit, or one of the organizations will find him. He can fight them if they do, but that will take a lot of resources. So let's say there is a stat "Activity" - 0-30 no problem. 30-60 - Company attack. 60-90 vampire attack. Drops slowly with time.
At day X the Order will start infiltrating the town. A new cashier here. A new cop. A new family moving in. A new business wanting to open doors. Did you control the important marks? The mayor, the police chief, the bank CEO, the priest, the neighborhood watch chick? Did you go for dominant path? Good, they stop the hunters. But a lot of them die. Not that you care - at this point your inner human is just an echo in some of your dreams. Did you help and protect them? Cool, they will stop the hunters and you can spend resources to save them. You inner Beast is tamed now. You control him and keep him in check.
Oh, and by the way if you ignore your beast too much it will overtake you if you don't have the power (i.e. blood) to stop it. Fuck someone. Dominate somebody. Kill shit. You are a vampire. Even friendly vampires aren't nice. And loosing it in the middle of the day and slaughtering a bunch of people is not the best way to hide.

I'm not saying "you should do it like that"! I'm just pointing out how even a concept I spent less than 30 minutes on can guide the game from the start to the finish and help you figure out the macro picture. Than you can keep that in mind working on the micro stuff. Characters, specific mechanics.