Interactive Narrative Design-Weekly
Interactive Narrative Design- Weekly
23/09/2025 - 02/01/2026 (Week1 - Week14)
In the first week of our Interactive Narrative Design course, we explored the foundations of storytelling and how to apply them in interactive media using Unity3D.
Key Things I Learned:
1. Core Narrative Elements
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Every story is built on characters, plot, conflict, setting, and theme.
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Classic story arc: setup → rising action → climax → resolution.
2. Interactive Narrative Structures
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Different formats: linear, branching, hub-based, emergent, and sandbox.
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Unlike traditional stories, interactive ones give players agency and multiple outcomes.
3. Unity3D for Storytelling
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Design explorable 3D environments.
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Create object and character interactions.
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Use programming to track player decisions and states.
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Build branching dialogue and choice systems.
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Enhance immersion with sound, lighting, and effects.
4. Why It Matters
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Interactive stories allow for deeper immersion, emotional connection, and personalized experiences.
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It's a growing field blending storytelling with technology, relevant to games, VR, and digital art.
That’s the core of what I learned in Week 1 — blending narrative design with interactivity to create meaningful player-driven experiences.
Week 2:
Week 2: Exploration & Environmental Storytelling
1. Storytelling in Games
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Traditional vs Interactive: From passive watching to active participation.
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Linear vs Nonlinear: Fixed order vs freedom of discovery.
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Player Agency: Players become co-authors of the story.
2. What is Environmental Storytelling?
Story told through the world, not through words.
Key Elements:
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Objects & Props: letters, posters, broken furniture
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Spaces: blocked passages, empty rooms
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Atmosphere: lighting, sound, weather
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Player Agency: discover and interpret at their own pace
3. Exploration as Narrative Structure
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Story unfolds through discovery, not cutscenes.
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Nonlinear structure — players build their own narrative.
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Each clue found becomes a story reward.
Examples:
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Gone Home — uncover family secrets through objects
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Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture — memories told through light and sound
4. Design Tips
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Clear Clues – objects should suggest meaning.
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Layered Storytelling – surface and hidden details.
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Visual & Audio Cues – guide players with light and sound.
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Guided vs Free Exploration – balance control and agency.
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Emotional Design – use tone, lighting, and ambience to create mood.
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Rewards for Exploration – each discovery should feel meaningful.
5. Key Idea
“A powerful story world doesn’t tell — it lets players discover.”
Week 3:
Five Narrative Elements in Games
1. Character – Who we
follow and why it matters.
Good characters have clear goals, flaws, and growth.
Example: In
The Present, the boy learns
empathy through a disabled puppy.
2. Setting – Where and
when the story happens.
Environments reflect emotion and change with the plot.
Dark room → bright outdoors = inner healing.
3. Conflict – What drives
tension.
Can be
vs self, vs others, vs society,
or vs technology.
he boy’s inner struggle mirrors his
fear and isolation.
4. Plot – How events
unfold.
Usually follows
Exposition → Rising Action → Climax → Resolution.
Gift → Rejection → Awakening →
Connection.
5. Theme – The deeper
message.
Experienced through play, not words.
Acceptance and empathy —
finding joy despite flaws.
Key idea:
All five elements connect —
Character acts in Setting → Conflict fuels Plot → Plot expresses Theme.
When aligned, players don’t just watch the story — they
live it.
Week 4:
Programming Interactivity in Unity3D (Ultra Short Notes)
This week focused on how storytelling becomes interactive through Unity and C#.
Key Ideas
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Interactive narrative = players influence the story, not just watch it.
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Environment can tell stories through objects, lighting, space.
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Difference highlights:
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Traditional vs Interactive → passive vs participatory storytelling
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Linear vs Nonlinear → fixed path vs choices and branches
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Core narrative elements: Character, Setting, Conflict, Plot, Theme
Unity Practice
We built a small interactive scene:
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Turn on a lamp when player gets close and presses a key
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Collect glowing cubes
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Count how many cubes are collected (UI or debug)
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When enough cubes are collected → a big tree appears
Gated Progression
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Story only continues after requirements are met
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Example: collect cubes → unlock tree → next part of the story
C# Naming Rules
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PascalCase → class & method names (
PlayerController) -
camelCase → variables (
cubeCount,playerHealth)
Assignment
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Assignment 1: Interactive Narrative Proposal
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Due Week 4, weight 20%
Week 5:
This week focused on how to build basic interaction systems in Unity using C#, including input detection, feedback, and game state management.
1. Interaction Pattern
This pattern is used for lamps, doors, and collectible items.
2. Feedback Loop
This tells the player their action was successful.
3. GameManager Pattern
This prevents data from being scattered across different objects.
4. Conditional Logicif (cubeCounter >= targetNumber)magicalTree.SetActive(true);
5. Key Syntax to Remember
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Check if the player is close to an object using trigger colliders.
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Use a bool like
playerInRangeto track if the player is inside the interaction area. -
In
Update(), if the player is in range and presses E, the interaction happens.
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After interaction, the game should respond through:
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Visual feedback (change light, material, object appearance)
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Sound feedback (play audio at object position)
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A central script stores shared data (e.g., number of cubes collected).
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When a cube is picked up, other scripts call
GameManager.AddCube(). -
If the counter reaches the target, new content (like a magical tree) is activated.
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Use
ifstatements to control when events happen, e.g.: -
Helps manage story progression and gameplay states.
==, !=,
&&, ||,
public, private,
void, Debug.Log(), and the
dot (.) for accessing components.
Week 6:
No Lecture，Actual operation of Unity and VS Code
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10 focused on reviewing our interactive narrative prototypes and refining the direction of the final project. This lecture emphasized the transition from experimentation to polish, highlighting that effective interactive storytelling relies on clarity and emotional impact rather than complexity.
At this stage, we completed an interactive narrative proposal and a basic prototype. The proposal outlined key narrative elements such as characters, setting, and theme, while the prototype explored simple interactions including object interaction, state tracking, and a basic branching choice. These elements were designed to allow player actions to influence the environment and narrative progression.
Through prototype review, several issues became apparent, including unclear environmental storytelling, inconsistent visual style, limited interaction feedback, and confusing spatial layout. The absence of audio feedback further weakened the immersive experience. The lecture clarified that encountering these problems is a natural part of the prototyping process, especially when learning both Unity and narrative design simultaneously.
The final project scope was clearly defined: a short 3–5 minute atmospheric experience set in a focused story space. Rather than expanding content or adding complex mechanics, the emphasis is on three meaningful interactions, one clear choice, two emotional endings, and a strong sense of visual and audio polish. The key takeaway from this lecture is that the success of the final project depends on refinement and coherence — not scale.
One of my favourite narrative works is the Chinese sci-fi animation Ling Cage. It combines a post-apocalyptic setting, complex characters, intense moral conflict, and stunning visuals. More than just a survival story, it explores deeper ideas about humanity, power, and technological control.
Did you identify with the character(s)?
Yes. I especially identified with Mark, the main character. He starts out as a follower of the system but gradually begins to question it. His transformation—from obedience to resistance—mirrors the inner struggle many people face when confronted with injustice or blind authority.
Do you resonate with the message / theme?
Absolutely. Ling Cage deals with themes like:
Survival vs. morality
Control vs. freedom
The impact of technology on human values
These are universal concerns that also reflect issues in our real world. The story challenges viewers to think critically about authority, sacrifice, and the price of progress.
Did you enjoy the interactivity?
While Ling Cage is a linear narrative, it still feels deeply engaging. The decisions characters face made me constantly wonder, “What would I do in their place?”
It would work really well as an interactive narrative, with key decision points like:
Should Mark escape the Tower, or stay and fight from within?
Should Chen Yao sacrifice a few for the many?
Branching choices like these could lead to multiple endings and deepen the player’s emotional involvement.
Do you like the worldbuilding?
Definitely. The world of Ling Cage is immersive and well thought out:
A rigid class system inside the “Lighthouse”
Dangerous wastelands outside, filled with mutants and forgotten tech
Soul energy, memory control, and other sci-fi elements that support the narrative
The setting isn’t just a backdrop—it reflects and reinforces the social and moral themes of the story.
Were the visuals / audio immersive?
Very much so. The animation is high-quality, with fluid fight scenes and cinematic framing. Every frame feels purposeful.
The audio—especially the music and sound effects—amplifies the emotional tension and action. Together, they create a highly immersive experience.
Summary：
Ling Cage is a powerful narrative work with rich worldbuilding, complex characters, and thought-provoking themes. Even though it’s a linear story, it has great potential for interactive adaptation. With meaningful decision points and moral dilemmas, it could easily become a branching narrative experience that challenges players to shape their own story.
The protagonist discovers that the black hole can be “placed” on any photo or image, allowing them to travel through time and space. With this power, they can revisit the past to change key events or glimpse into the future to prevent disasters.
Key Decision Points
- First Attempt: The protagonist places the black hole on an old photograph and suddenly travels back to a specific moment in time.
- Moral Choices:
Should they save lost loved ones?
Or intervene in smaller personal events that could change individual destinies?
- Power Growth: They gradually discover the limits and risks of changing timelines, such as causing butterfly effects or paradoxes.
- External Threat: Others discover the secret of the black hole and try to seize its power. Possible Endings
- Saving the Future: Successfully prevents a large-scale war, bringing peace to the world, becoming a hidden hero.
- High Cost: Repeated time interventions cause timeline fractures, plunging the world into chaos.
- Self-Sacrifice: To fix the damaged timeline, the protagonist chooses to disappear forever into the timestream.
- New Era: The black hole’s power becomes public, triggering a technological revolution and ushering humanity into a new age.
- Themes & Meaning：
Reflects on how individual actions can affect the larger world.
Highlights the balance of power and responsibility.
Invites players to ponder the dilemma between changing the past and accepting reality.
Exploration & Environmental Storytelling：
This week, we continued learning in Unity and started exploring how to tell stories through environmental design. Under our lecturer’s guidance, we reviewed the differences between traditional and interactive storytelling, and learned how players can actively shape a story through exploration and meaningful choices.
In Unity, I built a small 3D environment with trees, lighting, and a treasure chest, and experimented with atmosphere and object placement to make the scene feel more alive. I found it fascinating how small visual or sound details can hint at a story — even without dialogue or narration.
Our lecturer also reminded us to start preparing for Project 1, which focuses on creating a story-driven 3D game. This means I need to think not only about the visuals, but also how every scene, object, and piece of lighting can help communicate the narrative. I’m really excited to develop my own story world and apply environmental storytelling techniques in my project.
Narrative Breakdown
The Present
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Characters: The boy and the dog
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Setting: Indoor (dark room) → Outdoor (bright, open space)
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Conflict: Person vs Self — rejection, fear, acceptance
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Plot Structure:
Exposition – receives gift → Rising action – observes and struggles → Climax – faces the truth → Resolution – emotional connection -
Theme: Acceptance and empathy
Wire Cutters
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Characters: Two mechanical workers / opposing robots
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Setting: Futuristic, industrial, desolate space
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Conflict: Person vs Technology / Person vs Power
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Plot Structure:
Exposition – setup → Rising action – tension builds → Climax – confrontation → Resolution – open or reflective ending -
Theme: Reflection on control, survival, and freedom
Key Takeaways
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The setting isn’t just a backdrop — it amplifies emotion and mirrors the characters’ inner states.
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Freytag’s Pyramid helps map the emotional rhythm — identifying turning points and climaxes more clearly.
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Even simple conflicts like Person vs Self can become powerful when supported by small visual details.
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Themes are often felt rather than told — expressed through behavior, environment, and resolution.
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This method gave me clearer ideas on how to make the five narrative elements come alive in my own interactive story design.
Through the discussion, I learned how a story’s emotional rhythm depends on the balance between conflict and resolution, and how the setting can reflect a character’s inner change. The class showed how every narrative element connects to form a unified storytelling system — from motivation and space to emotional climax.
Later, the lecturer reviewed our narrative game stories one by one and gave suggestions for improvement. This helped me see how to make my own story more coherent, strengthen emotional depth, and connect gameplay with theme more effectively.
Week 4:
Programming Interactivity
Learning Summary
This week, we continued working with Unity and Visual Studio Code, building on the forest scene we created before. Instead of just designing a space, we began turning the environment into something interactive and alive.
1. Unity – Scene and Interactivity
We expanded our scene with more details such as trees and pathways, and then started learning how to script interactions.
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I created a row of street lamps along the path.
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Under one lamp, I placed a glowing cube that moves up and down, making it stand out and feel mysterious.
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Using C# in VS Code, I wrote simple interaction scripts:
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When the player walks close to a lamp and presses E, the light switches on or off.
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When the player approaches the glowing cube and presses E, the object can be collected and disappears from the scene.
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Through this, I learned how to:
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Use OnTriggerEnter, OnTriggerExit, and Input.GetKeyDown()
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Control light components, object activation, and movement
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Connect visual design with gameplay logic
This was my first time making the player truly “interact” with the world instead of just walking through it.
2. Story Development & Research
Besides coding, I kept working on my narrative concept for the project. To make my story more immersive and believable, I researched the tomb-robbing and adventure genre.
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I read and watched parts of works like “The Lost Tomb”, which helped me understand mystery, tension, and underground world-building.
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I also played Tomb Raider, studying how games use environment, lighting, ruins, and puzzles to tell a story without words.
This research helped me improve my own story structure, atmosphere design, and character motivation.
Week 5:
Programming Interactivity II
Fig 5.1 unity exercise
Learning Summary:Unity Interaction Development Summary
This week, we submitted the Project 1 interactive story writing task. Based on the previous lecture and last week’s forest scene (with the interactive lamp and collectible boxes), we continued expanding the interaction system.
We created more collectible boxes. Besides pressing E to pick them up, we added new feedback elements such as colour changes and sound effects when collecting. After understanding these core interaction patterns, we moved on to the Mini Unity3D Challenge – Reinforcing Core Patterns, which focuses on practising logic rather than learning new code.
The challenge includes four parts:
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Create Another Interactable Object
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Use the same logic: playerInRange + Input.GetKeyDown(KeyCode.E).
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Examples: another lamp with a different colour, doors opening, or objects changing materials.
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Add a New Type of Feedback
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Reinforce the cause → effect concept by adding extra feedback like sound, colour, light or motion.
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Add a Second Collectible Type
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Create a new item (e.g. gem) and let GameManager count it using a new method such as AddGem().
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Change the Environment When the Tree Appears
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Use GameManager’s condition to trigger multiple changes, such as activating a tree and changing light colour or playing a sound.
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During class, I completed
Task 1 of the
challenge:
I created a
double-door system.
When the player walks close and presses
E, the
two doors open at the same time, using the same interaction logic as before (OnTriggerEnter,
OnTriggerExit, Update).
The remaining parts of the challenge are left as after-class practice.
Week 6:
Planning Your Interactive Narrative
Our lecturer, Mr. Max, first provided us with the sample scene file, which we then imported into Unity. After that, we used Visual Studio Code to write the dialogue and interaction scripts. However, because of the limitations of online learning and unstable connection, we faced several technical issues that we couldn’t fully solve during the class. Mr. Max mentioned that he would go through this topic again in more detail next week.
After the Unity practice, we continued working on our Project 2 scriptwriting, developing the story concept and structure based on the ideas we discussed earlier.
Week 7:
Simple Dialogue System & Branching Logic
This week, we returned to on-campus classes and continued developing our NPC interactions and dialogue systems. Mr. Max first reviewed last week’s lesson and carefully went through the process again, adding more detail. In addition to the left/right choice we practiced before, we now incorporated color selection as part of the branching logic.
Following Mr. Max’s guidance, we implemented the left choice first and added NPC dialogue, for example: “Thank you for choosing left. Next, you can select a color: Red or Blue.” Each color selection gradually changed the scene’s color, creating a smooth transition effect that enhanced the visual experience.
After completing the left side, we were encouraged to explore the right side independently. I implemented it successfully, adding Yellow or Green as the color options for the right branch. Mr. Max reviewed my work and praised my understanding of branching logic, commenting that my workflow was clear and well-organized.
After finishing these exercises, we moved on to story development for our own projects. I prepared a rough plan for my interactive narrative prototype and presented it to Mr. Max. He noted that my process was complete and logical, giving me positive feedback on how well-structured the prototype plan was. This step helped me clearly visualize the main idea of my project and the narrative snippet I wanted to showcase, making the assignment much more manageable by breaking it down into logical parts.
Week 8:
Visual Polish & Completing Our Prototypes
After mastering these tools, Mr. Max encouraged us to experiment with lighting to create a horror-like atmosphere. I chose green lighting, which gave the scene an eerie feel while achieving the intended effect.
Following this, we began developing the prototype for our project based on the story plan from last week. I imported my scene into Unity, but encountered several issues that needed adjustment. Mr. Max reminded us that the environment details were not the priority at this stage. The focus should be on the gameflow and actions, using simple geometric shapes to represent NPCs and objects. For example, tables, chairs, and other props could be represented with basic shapes. This approach was designed to test our independent problem-solving and design skills, while the more refined environment and visuals would be reserved for the final project.
This week marked the start of Project 2: Interactive Narrative Prototype. Following the project brief, I began translating my script into a 2–3 minute playable scene in Unity, focusing on the four core requirements: interaction, state tracking, branching choice, and environmental storytelling.
I started by setting up the core scene. The player can interact with objects such as a light switch and a door using the “E” key, with visual feedback confirming each action. A simple state-tracking system was implemented—for example, the player must find a key before unlocking a certain door.
To introduce a branching decision, I added a moment where the player encounters an NPC or a prompt, offering two choices: leave the area or continue exploring. This aligns with Mr. Max’s emphasis on player choice visibly affecting the environment, and I blocked out the basic UI and outcome triggers during this session.
This week’s work established a logical interaction loop and laid the groundwork for narrative branching. Moving forward, I will expand the interactable objects, fully implement the environmental consequences of the player’s choice, and add more atmospheric storytelling elements.
This week marked the completion and submission of Project 2: Interactive Narrative Prototype. Following the foundation laid in Week 9, my focus shifted to final refinements, bug fixes, and ensuring a polished player experience.
I conducted thorough testing and polished key interactions—such as the light switch, key-based door unlocking, and the branching choice sequence. A brief consultation with Mr. Max confirmed that the prototype successfully met all four core requirements outlined in the brief: meaningful interaction, state tracking, a clear branching decision, and environmental storytelling. His positive feedback gave me confidence in the prototype’s readiness for submission.
After final adjustments, Mr. Max walked us through the steps to properly export and submit the Unity project. This included generating a standalone Windows build and packaging the complete project folder for assessment—an essential workflow for any game development pipeline.
With Project 2 now completed, we also began outlining the roadmap for the Final Project. This provides a clear direction for the remaining weeks, ensuring our work stays focused and structured as we move toward the final deliverable.
This week marked the beginning of the final project cycle, following the detailed requirements outlined in Assignment 3 Brief. Our task is to expand and polish the Assignment 2 prototype into a cohesive, 3–5 minute interactive narrative experience. Mr. Max began the session by carefully comparing our original story concept from Assignment 1 with the key narrative moment adapted for Assignment 2. This allowed him to assess narrative coherence and identify potential areas for further development.
Based on this review, Mr. Max provided specific feedback for my project. He pointed out that while the imported environment in my prototype was functional, it limited the narrative's unique identity and environmental storytelling potential. He strongly encouraged me to reduce reliance on pre-made assets and instead create more original scenes that can better reflect the intended mood, pacing, and symbolic elements of the story. This shift will allow for stronger visual coherence and deeper narrative integration.
Moving forward, my focus will be on rethinking and redesigning the game environment to align with this feedback. The immediate next steps include sketching layout concepts, planning how the expanded space can support the required narrative beats, and beginning to block out key scenes using a mix of modular assets and custom adjustments. This foundational work is crucial for meeting the project's emphasis on environmental storytelling, visual polish, and a unified aesthetic.
I structured my plan to align with the Assignment 3 requirements, ensuring it includes:
- A clear three-act narrative (beginning, middle, ending) spanning 3–5 minutes
- Environmental storytelling cues integrated into the level design
- A progression system based on state-tracking and key interactions
- Two emotionally distinct endings stemming from one meaningful branching choice
- Expanded playable areas that support pacing and narrative depth
- Reduce complexity: He advised removing a few non-essential interactions to avoid over-scoping and ensure the project remains feasible within the timeframe.
- Positive validation: He affirmed that the overall structure and narrative logic are clear and well-aligned with the project objectives.
This week marked the official start of building my final interactive narrative project. Working strictly from the narrative and level design plan developed last week, I made steady progress in implementation. Drawing from previous project experience, the workflow felt considerably smoother this time, especially as my familiarity with the Unity software continues to grow.
My primary focus was on constructing the core environment. Moving away from pre-made assets, I began building a custom desert scene from scratch, carefully considering the logic and pacing of each gameplay segment. The foundational layout and key interactions have been established, forming the basis of the expanded 3–5 minute experience.
Unfortunately, due to falling ill with a fever, I was unable to attend class this week. I have informed Mr. Max of my absence and assured him that I would not fall behind in my work. Proceeding without immediate feedback, I adopted a more cautious and meticulous approach. I focused on ensuring each implemented section ran smoothly without major bugs, while also starting to refine environmental details to enhance atmosphere and storytelling.
I am committed to maintaining this progress and look forward to re-joining class next week to present my current build for feedback and further guidance.
1. Weekly Objectives
Master the cross-platform publishing process for Unity projects, conduct final quality review and fine-tuning of the project, and generate executable files that meet distribution standards.
2. Learning & Execution
Technical Learning: Systematically studied Unity 6's build system. Through official tutorials, mastered key steps such as build settings for Windows, scene integration, resolution, and icon configuration.
Final Review: Under the guidance of instructor Mr. Max, conducted a final review of the project's functional completeness, performance, and user experience. The review concluded that the project had no major flaws, requiring only minor optimizations in interface details and resource loading.
Implementation of Revisions: Based on feedback, efficiently completed multiple refinements, including: optimizing UI element interaction feedback, streamlining scene transition logic, and ensuring all resource references were correct. The revised version has been reviewed and approved by the instructor.
3. Deliverables
Successfully generated and prepared two key deliverables:
Distributable Build: A ZIP archive containing the game executable and related runtime data, ready for end-users to run directly.
Complete Project Archive: Another ZIP package containing the Assets, Packages, and ProjectSettings folders, intended for version archiving and code auditing.
4. Summary
This week marks the transition of the project from the development phase to the delivery phase. Through systematic build learning and a rigorous final review process, the project's quality has been effectively ensured, and it is now fully prepared for final submission and presentation.
I successfully shifted from building scenes to creating interaction.
My confidence in Unity scripting continued to improve.
Mr. Max encouraged me to redesign the environment to better support storytelling. This made me reflect on how space and narrative should work together.
Through hands-on tasks—such as creating environmental scenes, scripting interactions, designing branching dialogue, and implementing state-tracking systems—I learned how narrative ideas must be translated into playable logic. Projects 1 and 2 allowed me to test these skills step by step, while the Final Project challenged me to integrate story structure, environmental storytelling, and player choice into a coherent 3–5 minute experience. This process helped me gain confidence in both narrative design and technical execution.
During the development process, I observed that interactive narratives rely heavily on how players experience the story rather than how much story content is presented. Simple interactions—such as turning on a light, unlocking a door, or choosing a dialogue option—can carry strong narrative meaning when placed in the right context.
I also noticed that environmental storytelling is most effective when it supports the player’s emotional journey. For example, changes in lighting, color, or space can reflect narrative tension or decision outcomes without explicit explanation. Additionally, feedback from Mr. Max made me realize that reducing complexity often improves clarity. Over-designing interactions or environments can distract from the core narrative moment rather than strengthen it.
Most importantly, I discovered that interactive storytelling requires a shift in mindset: instead of telling players what the story is, designers must create systems and spaces that allow players to discover the story themselves. This realization has significantly influenced how I approach game and narrative design, and it will continue to guide my future creative projects.
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