Ascenders’ Log #9
Nerf darts are flying through the air, and the transmitter started to make some noise again… This can only mean one thing; a new Ascenders’ Log! Fittingly, today’s Log is by the Nerf master himself, our Narrative Designer Boyd.
Who is this?
Hey Folks! Boyd here, the Narrative Designer of Ascenders and a part of the Writing Team. Writing to you from the janitor’s closet before the Dev Herder catches me writing puns again.
What got you into games?
Back when I was still a wee lad, my father was already an avid gamer. He brought games into our household and the wonderous worlds painted before me ignited my imagination like no other media before. It never really ceased to do this, and I love escaping into rich worlds and listening to all the stories being told so much that I decided to make it my job.
What is your role within the Ascenders team?
Effectively, I am the one running back and forth between Artists and Designers going “Can we do this?”, “Can I talk about that?”, or “Can I get a corner to shred these ideas my lead shut down?” It’s my job to be the gatekeeper and bridge between the lore of the writing team, the concepts of the Art team, and the implementation of the Design team, while producing the very best product in unison. At least, that’s the romanticized way of looking at it ;).
What about your usual day-to-day work?
In short; Justifying why the content the writing team and I come up with makes sense. Also finding names for things that do not exist that feel real enough that the made up thing sounds real enough.
Most enjoyable thing within the job?
Watching the puzzle pieces fall into place! Talking with Artists and creating something even greater than I could have ever imagined, bringing that to the Writing Team, who take it another step further, etc.
What are you looking forward to most with Ascenders?
How the community handles some of the riddles and mysteries we have hid in the lore. I am a massive fan of seeing communities tackle developer challenges and ciphers. My highest hope is to see such a connection and community forming around the lore the writing team is creating.
Is there something you can’t wait to share with the community?
The stories told in Ascension, the history that led us to this point, and the experience of exploring an open-world alien planet together. I can’t share anything Story wise at this stage, but here is a cool concept piece I’d love to share with you!
Any final words of wisdom to share with the community?
Hoard as many Nerf Gun bullets as you can. When an office shoot-out erupts, you can bribe a lot of friends to stay on your side.
