Making a story, modeled after fighting games, WITHOUT an excuse plot

Let us get this straight. I am a fan of fighting games. I like to have the character I'm playing as beat the character my friend is playing as mercilessly. I like to have a character punch another character so hard their eye are temporarily displaced from their sockets. I want to see a character kick someone so hard that their stomach comes flying out of their mouth. I want to make a story based on my love of this video game genre, but I don't want it to have an Excuse Plot. I want the help of individuals who can actually help me with this, instead of giving me useless information.

I already know somethings to put in, like why the characters are fighting, what is the purpose of the tournament, among other things, but I need advice on how to avoid it being an Excuse Plot.

That's all I need help with, if you give me some useless info, I will do this:

Not that it matters to anyone, my mocking of useless advice will only be heard around the general vicinity of my room, but I need to help of individuals actually worth my time to help me. If you have USEFUL advice please leave some.

Awwww shit, bump, you gotta help me out here people.

Well you could just rip off Macbeth or something? I don't know.

Ah you know I'll do one better and help you out.

What can you tell me about this game? 

Just copy the Tenka-Ichi Budou Kai in premise...

And destruction of the moon.

edited 5th Sep '11 3:48:23 AM by ekuseruekuseru

So what you're saying is "I need a plot, anybody got any ideas?"

Maybe go browse the Plot Bunnies thread or something? Is there any reason why thinking up a plot for a fighting game is all that much different from thinking up a regular story plot?

So you want to write a story where not only are fight scenes prevalent, they're also the priority.

...yeah. This just isn't going to work.

I've got nothing against fighting games (having enjoyed them very much from time-to-time), but writing a story trying to recapture the violent, visceral pleasure that players get when they play is just a bad idea.

You want useful advice? Don't write a story about how much you love fighting games. Write a story about what it's like to be trapped in a fighting game. How it feels, how it hurts, how it troubles. Then an Excuse Plot will not just be a hindrance, but will enrichen the story.

You love the genre. Do you love it enough to rip it apart?

edited 5th Sep '11 4:20:40 AM by Kraken

Maybe you could make some sort of satire of fighting games and excuse plots in general.

The main character is a protagonist in a video game who is magically transported into the real world and finds there is more to life then just punching people.

EDIT: I guess great minds think alike?

edited 5th Sep '11 5:48:40 AM by joeyjojo

I enjoy the previous two ideas immensely.

If you really do want something serious, you could give it a Battle Royale type of plot.

I'd make it a story where the main characters are gladiators and have no choice but to fight.

Still, from what your OP says, you already have ideas for what the tournament is about, etc., so I'm not sure how much help we can be.

Pardon my lateness

@joeyjojo- It isn't a game, it's a story, I'm not attempting to make a game, I'm just trying to avoid an Excuse Plot

@Loni Jay- No, I'm not asking for plot, I'm asking how to avoid it being an excuse plot

@Kraken- I understand what you're saying about, but fighting isn't the main priority, it's just an integral part of it

@Mecha Jesus- Battle Royale isn't my cup of tea in an idea for a story, sorry

Look people, I'm not saying, I need ideas for a plot, I'm just saying that I need to know how to make a story, based on fighting games without an Excuse Plot, it isn't that hard.

Fighting game excuse plots are there because the entire purpose is to have people wail away at each other, and it's better in general to give some context as to why they are doing it. Most stories are the same way: there's something the author really wants to see done, and the plot is built up around it so that it can be done.

For a fighting game-story, then, what you want to see done precisely is thus: The characters will match up against each other in single combat. The final fight will most likely be more of the same.

This is a problem not because it's not doable, but because it's repetitive, which is a semi-positive for a game but a negative for a linear plot. And so for it to work at all, you will need a reason outside of people getting together to punch each other.

Underdog stories exist for a reason; it's more interesting to see someone who has no chance make it anyway through tenacity or raw willpower or some other such force. Though, the "I must get stronger!" plot's limitations can be seen in Dragonball and Dragonball Z; at some point you run out of real excuses for why the next opponent is actually a challenge.

Whatever you decide to do, though, a key factor in any such plot is growth. If there is no growth, there is no reason to follow the plot to the next stepping stone, as it will be the same as the last stepping stone. (Stagnation can also be a plot, though that tends to hinge on the failure-to-grow; it might be a good side plot for a different, disillusioned character)

There's other plots available that do not depend on character growth, such as goal-oriented plots. But like I said, if the only thing standing between the protagonist and the macguffin is a series of similar fights, then it's repetitive. James Bond stories are goal-oriented and feature little character growth, but the variety comes from the different situations he's in (though, in the case of the old franchise, the methods to get out of them were tacky.) This CAN be done too, but even if you try to vary the conditions of the matches a lot, it will probably look like the Mortal Kombat movies.

edited 5th Sep '11 9:36:07 AM by RickGriffin

Look, dude, a story isn't a game. A game has an Excuse Plot because it is not all about the story - it is about gameplay, graphics, fancy effects, etc.

A story is different. The story is literally all there is to it. If it is a written story that has a beginning, an end and a chain of event that has a purpose and that makes sense, it is not an Excuse Plot by definition. In other words, the term does not exist in the medium. What else do you want?

@Argeus the Paladin- I'm not making a game, I said I'm making a story BASED on fighting games

In other words:

Which is the point I am trying to make.

You literally cannot write a story with an excuse plot. That does not make sense. If you write a story, it is not an excuse plot. Period.

@Argeus the Paladin- Very well, you have a point, but it is supposed to be modelled after fighting games, the problem being that most fighting games have an Excuse Plot, and I am trying to avoid it in a story.

Yeah, unless it's... well, I think you can have an Excuse Plot in a non-video game. It's called a parody. However, unless it's done really well...

I don't know. I'm not sure how you'd translate a fighting video game out of the medium. I guess it would end up like Dragon Ball Z, stylistically-speaking. Hopefully with less talking, though...

PWP doesn't just apply to porn. So I'm assuming what you want is something more complex and involving than a vehicle for characters to punch each other.

edited 5th Sep '11 10:12:33 AM by RickGriffin

@Rick Griffin- Yes, something like that

Have you tried checking out fighting games with a heavy emphasis on story like Blaz Blue or Melty Blood? Those games could give you ideas on how to write your story. Guilty Gear and Soul Calibur are also lesser examples of having a unique plot in a fighting game.

If you want examples of titles in other media that have a fighting game feel to it, then Shounen will be your bread and butter. S-Cry-Ed and Yu Yu Hakusho would be my top references.

That one actually helps, thank you

I would also recommend taking a heavy look at BlazBlue if you want some inspiration. Or the new Mortal Kombat; the tone and style are different, but there are probably some characteristics you can apply.

In my opinion, maybe there's another way to think about this — that is, not necessarily how to model a story after fighting games, but how to improve upon a fighting game's story. Right off the bat, the biggest issue that regularly pops up in games is whose ending(s) is canon, and whose isn't. If there's a huge tournament, there can be only one winner; yet the endings of games usually have endings that suggest that the chosen character won. Unless you pull off a few fancy tricks, that's probably not going to fly in a story.

Still, it gives you an advantage — and from there, you can use the knowledge gained from the games to help you. Have one character be our hero, of sorts, and give the others varying levels of relation to him/her — someone who learns to believe in the hero, or maybe a friend from the past, or even the ever-popular rival relationship. (The latter is something that pops up VERY often in fighting games, as I'm sure you're aware.) Basically, use characters to form and guide the plot.

Alternatively, a bit of world-building can help flesh out the story, as well as mold its events and the reasons behind the characters' actions. What do other people think about what's going on (if applicable)? What's the story behind their world or (again, if applicable) abilities? Who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys" and why? It doesn't have to be complex, but some form of reasoning behind the world and fleshing-out can go a long way.

I hope that helps you out. It would be a dishonor upon my avatar if I wasn't of use...

I still think that writing a story about how it feels to be in a fighting game is better.

That was incredibly good advice, I thank you very much for it

edited 5th Sep '11 4:15:51 PM by draconiansuperior

Very true. I may be a dabbler in fighting games, but this is an aspect/perspective I wouldn't mind reading about, OP.

And I'm glad to be of service to you. We're tropers — digital brothers in arms!

edited 5th Sep '11 4:16:50 PM by Voltech44