How to tell a story with no story mode!

Hi again! It's me Ashlyn again! Last time I posted I talked about Meta  Sounds, but today I am doing something different. I am talking about the story that I as the narrative designer have had to put throughout the game. 

Xenex has no story mode, it has no full story guiding the player from place to place. The player has a job to do and has to get it done. Well, the most important thing is adding a story to a storiless world.  Why should this be important? Story is a way to drive a player into the world and help with immersion!

right here is a vending machine modeled by Jake Smith our environment artist, this model in the textures, was made to show that there is some form of brand based vending machine that repurposes bugs after extermination runs.  The vending machine is based on Japanese idol vending machines, which are placed around the headquarters and in the main menu. 

Another part of adding story this world, is the main menu itself. The exterminators are faceless and giving them a face in main menu would allow for them have their own personalities. Another thing added into this menu was the coffee machine model which has many Xenex approved drinks, Xenpresso, Xenblack, Xen Mysterium, and Xenacchito. This was important to show that this company creates their own brand to give to their own employees. 

Another part of this world building, is making the headquarters feel full of life and people, an important part of this was reusing character models to hang around to make this a full space, along with showing off that all these characters are clones to hit home how many of these characters there are, but this not where building upon story stops.

Story is crucial for this world. Without some form of story this world will just be some bland space game. It is necessary to show off the world and how the most important character in the game the company itself will interact with the player and how it can shape the world around it. It is my job to ensure that everything feels like there is some form of synergy with this world. It is crafting this world that makes me fall even more in love with this world, this world has grown and shaped into a nice clay pot towards the end of development.