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I recently had a chance to talk with Anne Toole from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. Anne is the Head Writer for Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's MMORPG Stargate Worlds. Stargate Worlds is currently in pre-production.
SGG: Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you come from; what is your background?
Anne: I’ve been working in hour-long television and freelancing in games for the past several years, but I came to writing by a circuitous route. Because I was an army brat, I have seen my fair share of the world and wanted to take my experience to the next step. So, in college, I pursued a degree in archaeology and even studied abroad in Egypt. After I graduated, I participated in two digs in the north of France. Naturally, I then moved to Hollywood! The first TV show I worked on was TOTAL RECALL 2070, which, in its first and only season, accompanied SG1 on Showtime. Most recently I was writing scripts for DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Now I am thrilled beyond measure to be working on Stargate Worlds, which feels like coming home to the kind of writing I love to do.
SGG: What appeals to you about writing for a MMO game?
Anne: I love playing them! There’s the obvious answer. I also relish the opportunity to pioneer fun new ways of storytelling. I intend to put Stargate Worlds at the forefront of great story-based games.
SGG: Are you a fan of Stargate? Will you be writing in the style of the shows or offering a unique variant on it?
Anne: I’m a huge fan of the show, and I love that it’s now my “job” to watch episodes. It’s no accident that Stargate is the longest-running Sci Fi series in the US, and I definitely want to make sure the game features everything that makes the show great!
SGG: What are you passionate about in terms of writing for games?
Anne: I think I spoke a little bit about this before, but obviously I am excited about telling great story. I want to entice the player to care about the story, the characters, and enjoy the game on many levels. I also feel strongly about not insulting the player with bland dialog or with quests that force you to do something you may not want to do.
SGG: Do you have creative license or are you following a pre-determined track for the story line?
Anne: We are currently generating the storyline for the game, and everyone involved with the show has been supportive and encouraging of what we’re doing. Once the game goes live, we will also have episodic content that ties in with the show. In that case, we will take our lead from what the show is doing.
SGG: What are you looking forward to most from Stargate Worlds?
Anne: Going live! Okay, going to beta. I’m looking forward to people playing in our world and to having the chance to make it even better and more enjoyable for them. Also, I think the episodic content which ties into the show will be an amazing experience for everyone.
SGG: TV shows to Games often get bagged for being too weird or too far removed from the original. As writer, what methods will you put in place to ensure the game doesn’t seem too far removed from the show?
Anne: First of all, I’m making sure I have writers who can write in the tone of the show, can capture the voice of the characters, and can create great missions that feel like an episode. Second of all, we sit in all our meetings with a giant tome of show history, making sure we keep our continuity tight with the show. Last, but not least, the episodic content will tie the game to the show in a way no one has ever seen before.
SGG: What character would you most like to write for?
Anne: The player character! But I assume you’re asking about characters from the show. I love writing for all characters, because the fun lies in the interaction between them. Just to be clear, having an archaeology degree absolutely does not, in any way, make me biased toward any one character in particular. Really. Seriously.
SGG: What is better, writing the background story and arc or writing for individual characters and dialogue? Why?
Anne: You can’t really separate the two. Characters talking without a story behind them is not all that interesting. A story without characters is like a beautiful house with no one home. It might be more fun to write the dialog, but that’s mostly because all the work is done and you’re near a finished product!
SGG: Care to give us a hint of what we're in store for?
Anne: We’re currently examining a number of historic episodes to use as a springboard to identify the grand villain of the game. As for what you might see in episodic content, all I can say is stay tuned!
Thank you for your time.
©2004-2006 Stargate Game. All rights reserved. This material may not be reprinted without written consent from Stargate Game. You may quote from the article and link to it, but always reference Stargate Game (www.stargate-game.com) as the source (with a link). You may not reproduce any article, story or interviews published by Stargate Game on your own site, or directly translate an article, story or interview into another language and publish it without written consent from Stargate Game.
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