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[Gagege]

I am having trouble writing an outline for a heavily story-driven adventure game.

Like any decent story it has twists and surprises at times. The down side of having these twists is that you risk twisting your story in to a corner. I need to do something to get the story back out of this corner and get it to a believable ending (retaining and peaking the emotional level of the story, ie. without using a huge deus ex machina).

In other words, writing a twist is easy; explaining a twist though, that is something I've never been good at.

I would love to post my story outline so far but it would spoil the twist, I'm sure you understand.

So, if anyone else has run into this problem I'd love hear how you solved it!

[Crimsontide]

If you're blizzard you have your main characters randomly go insane, then have the players kill them off for no particular reason other than 'MOAR PURPLES!!!'.

[PoV]

How do you end a story?

http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/snes/a/marstarmario2-25.gif



Works every time.  

[Inanimate]

Awesomely.

[Aik]

Appropriately? You haven't even given us a genre that you're working in, so I really don't see how we can give any worthwhile answer. If it's an investigative murder mystery, that's going to be a big difference in how the story ends than for a (say) horror story.

If your twist is the problem - consider whether or not you actually need the twist for the story to work. Twists are good and all, but they're hardly the be-all-and-end-all of having a good story, and they're annoying when they're tacked on or don't make sense.

[KennEH!]

Gratuitous sex scenes, then kill off/remove one important charcter involved in the aforementioned scene.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

you should write the end first, then work your way back. that's the best way i've found to do it. i believe that in immortal defense, for instance, the writer came up with the ending idea first, and then we worked our way back and filled in all the details necessary to make the ending work.

[KennEH!]

That works for some, but definitely not for all. I found that I start smack dab in the middle or near climax and write out from there.

[Rob Lach]

Have a character  go to a writing coach early on the game where he is given a quick lesson and is instructed to never use a deus ex machina because it is a poor storytelling device, then have a random character be introduced at the end who saves everything.

People will see you as a genius writer who masterfully used a deus ex machina ironically.

It'd also help if you game was about a struggling writer and the story was told completely first person.

[Gagege]

Have a character  go to a writing coach early on the game where he is given a quick lesson and is instructed to never use a deus ex machina because it is a poor storytelling device, then have a random character be introduced at the end who saves everything.

People will see you as a genius writer who masterfully used a deus ex machina ironically.

It'd also help if you game was about a struggling writer and the story was told completely first person.

Wow, thanks! My laziness CAN pay off!

Thanks to everyone actually.

It's a sci-fi story with a "Little House on the Prairie" feel(The prairie being an uninhabited planet).

Anyway, today at work I came up with a possible ending. The only problem is, it's very sad. The beginning and middle are already sad and I kinda wanted a happy ending. I know sad endings have made some of the best stories but, yeah, you get the picture.

[Inanimate]

That works for some, but definitely not for all. I found that I start smack dab in the middle or near climax and write out from there.

Coincidentally, I did both for my recent idea. I started from the end, which is also the climax.

[Skofo]

THE ANTAGONIST WAS THE PROTAGONIST'S SECOND PERSONALITY ALL ALONG! 

[Sos]

I say:
- write an edible story with no chokable features, just a story.
- introduce a character to that story somewhere in the middle (after you have done writing it) Try to put this into some kind of epic feature in your story
- submerge the character (protagonist) into the story gradually up to the end, where he gets a major role
- narrate the story in your game from protagonist's view, where he unveils not only hwat actually happens, but what happened before ho got introduced.

There you go a Final Fantasy style story (after a quick thought i can say this scheme applies to every single one i played (6,7,8,9,10)

[shrimp]

...AND IT WAS ALL A DREAM.  ...OR WAS IT!?!

Sorry, don't have any serious suggestions.
They are probably not much use other than prompting some ideas, but you could check old the old 36 Dramatic Situations list if you haven't already.

[Mipe]

Or, you know, you could briefly describe lives of protagonists after the story, what became of them, especially if you won't be reusing the characters in another story. A closure Princess Maker style.

[I_smell]

Or, you know, you could briefly describe lives of protagonists after the story, what became of them, especially if you won't be reusing the characters in another story. A closure Princess Maker style.

More like Animal House style.

Anyway, you don't have to totally explain everything. I made a game once where like the protagonist decides to sacrifice himself, and just before he does I faded to black. So there wasn't any exposition of why, or any aftermath, or any reactions or whatever; I just left it open.

One idea, depending what it is, might be just to kill your main guy. I remember the twist in Bioshock 1, it kind of reveals that you were a pawn from the start, then security busts in and shoots up the place and it blacks out really suddenly.
Then it fades back in n you carry on, but I like the idea that it knocks you off your messiah-like video game protagonist high horse by ambushing you dead at the end.
So there's a couple ideas.

[gimymblert]

Make your dues ex machina when needed, finish the story once, back propagate the cause which explain the deus to the beginning and back stories. Enjoy new emergent twist and new subtleties in your story. Bonus point leave black boxed hole in your plot which are far from the main story path (at least one degree far), it will leave audience with something to fill with imagination or let you expend the universe later.

That or use the dramatica framework  http://www.dramatica.com/theory/theory_book/dtb.html

[Melly]

You could also just let your characters drive the story. Just think what they would do in that situation. At least it works for me.

[Demon Lizardman]

Everyone dies, the end. But seriously, I like the ending to be satisfying with the hero winning and such.

[Zachary Lewis]

To end my stories, I stop writing them.