Digital Workshop

Always thought Opus might be good for publishing creative stuff like novels or comics. I don't mean picture books for kids but more adult graphic novel type stuff - I don't mean I am a spammer either!

I've looked at ebooks and Acrobat but they don't have the right feel for what I'm considering. I know there are other authoring tools, but the graphic tools in Opus seem excellent and I'd be designing it myself so I need all the help I can get

Anyone had any experience of that kind of thing or is it all commercial stuff you all do?

Would I get by with Presenter or do I need Pro?

TIA

Nick

Any comments you get following your request are likely to be subjective, so here are mine. My comments are based on 30 years of experience as in academic, legal and technical libraries, and on my experience in writing 4 novels.

I have no doubts that Opus could successfully be used to write novels. It contains many features that make it a good tool for doing this. Add to this the customised ability to have Opus automatically bookmark the last page opened by a user, and Opus becomes an even stronger candidate.

Regardless of the authoring tool, one huge difficulty faces authors of fiction that is to be published as ebooks -- user-acceptance and user-resistence.

While readers seem to be prepared to accept factual-type material in ebooks, there has always been a resistence to reading "leisure-type" materials, such as fiction.

Readers can pick up a "normal" book and sit comfortably in a lounge chair, or take it to bed, or read it while travelling.

Downloading a file or picking up a CD doesn't have quite the same flexibility or cultural acceptance.

Until the means of reading ebooks become more user-friendly and convenient, this reluctance to accept ebooks as vehicles for publishing fiction is likely to remain.

Just my two cents worth.

Hi Envoy,

I think Opus would be a perfect tool for creating a graphic novel, with the added ability to have more than one thread so the the story can branch with more than one outcome ... mix text, video and sound in the story-telling.

It's kindof where interactive fiction meets multimedia - I'm doing one at the moment - just for my own entertainment.

It would also lend itself well to a dowloadable magazine format. The more graphics and sound, the bigger the file. You could also make it web-based using the IO plugin - encourage people to return to your site for the next exciting episode. I think there are lots of options here.

It all depends who your market is and how you're planning to bring it to your audience and if you're expecting to be paid and how.

It's a whole new field of entertainment and I think it's worth exploring. Hope we can read/listen/watch/play it, when you've finished!!!!

Cheers,

Melanie

I agree with Melanie, there is a real opening for someone to "crack" interactive novels.

However, Ray is right - no-one wants to read a novel on screen as the ebook "revolution" discovered but a graphical novel which is like a more a literate, well-written game crossed with a TV drama is something else.

In the early days we had someone who did a huge novel in Illuminatus with hyperlinks for footnotes and annotations (it had an invented language and culture) and details of weaponry etc. Not sure how it did, or even if it was every finished but there was a lot of text which meant (for me) it wasn't engaging enough. Plus the technology of the time was inadequate.

We also did some short story publications which worked very well. Or maybe I'll resurrect my example poetry publication and inflict that on everyone

Paul Harris

Hello,

I'm heartened to see that you think there's an opening for interactive novels.
I've been trying to get a novel I've written published for what seems like ages, but I just can't seem to get any publishers interested.

Maybe electronic publishing and distribution would be the answer, but the problem remains that you have to get to a wide audience to even tell them that the book exists.

If anyone out there has any experience getting a book published online (or even in print) I would love to hear about it.

Paul, what is the example poetry publication - is that interactive? How does it work?
I would be interested to see how you tackled this subject.

T

I'm not convinced - you gotta ask why it hasn't already been cracked? You can be sure that serious minds and money will already have looked at this, and walked away - why? Games and TV drama have massive budgets and big teams producing them, yet are still pretty poor in many cases (TV drama especially) - there might be an opportunity here, but it would take a lot of resources to do it properly.

As Ray said, Opus is certainly able to do this kind of thing - whether it is the right tool depends on other things ...especially how your target audience would prefer to view the finished thing.

I would have to ask what's wrong with HTML and Flash? If you go for web delivery these are surely the best option? ...all the branching you could need, plus the ability to design/deliver some very nice pages with/without animation, sound, etc.. Bonus is it's easy to update a single page without having to recompile the whole thing. I would also venture to suggest that HTML/Flash remains a good candidate for CD delivery - simply because it remains platform independent, all your viewer needs is a web browser. Opus ties your viewer to a PC ...and if you go for 'Flash' output from Opus you lose much of the functionality which drove your purchase of Opus in the first place.

I suspect that the potential market Paul suggests would be most likely to want to view on TV (or home entertainment computer in the future) - in which case DVD could do interactive menus, and opens up the world of using quality video footage and effects. Downside here is that you would not be able to include much text, as it will not display well on the limited screen resolution.

Maybe you also need to be objective and ask yourself is your project idea or the technical tool driving this? Some great music tracks were recorded on cassette-based multitrackers - not the recording medium of choice, but the music transcends the tool, and ultimately makes the choice of tool irrelevant.

Overall I have to agree with Ray - I don't think the audience is really there to give a financial return for this kind of thing, so think long and hard before spending a lot of money on authoring tools for it. Nothing wrong in producing something for your own enjoyment, of course, and showing to family/friends - though these are often not the most objective critics. If you feel you have a strong idea, forget about the technical side, produce a short demo any way you can and pitch the project to a publisher - let them worry about the technical stuff (and costs!).


I never knew you were one of the Circling Poets of Arium, Paul!

Rob Kirkwood
www.visibleform.co.uk
www.theway2go.org

Ugh.....Ugn.....mmm.... AAARGH! it's no good - I can't resist just putting my pennyworth back into the pot, after all, we are in the lounge, yes?

First of all, I should say, I'm no-one and I know nothing!

But...here's my experience...

I came across Opus (then Illuminatus) when I was searching for a piece of software that would let me produce a point-n-click adventure game. I'd tried a lot of interactive fiction engines, Macromedia products, and general multimedia tools. Opus was quickest and easiest to use (even though the 2D gaming capacity wasn't highlighted in the marketing) that allowed simple interactivity that fitted the bill for a 2D point-n-click. I'm an adventure game junkie. It's a very healthy niche of gaming - just go to

www.justadventure.com

and see how alive and kicking the genre is. Most recently, a game called "Dark Fall: The Journal" achieved critical acclaim and is being sold by The Adventure Company.

I'm highlighting this particular game because it was written and produced by ONE man - Jonathan Boakes. If you want to know more about the author:

http://www.xxvproductions.co.uk/lfw/jbpage1.html

The follow-up is "Dark Fall: Lights Out".

Now, you've noticed, I'm shifting the frame slightly - I'm moving over from linear narrative story-telling (as in a printed book or ebook), beyond graphic novel (printed (e)book with illustrations), to interactive story-telling (where the "reader" has options and can direct their own plot, within boundaries).

Traditionally (sitting round the campfire stuff), story-telling is interactive ("Where did he get the Sword of Light?" etc). For the last 2000 years we've been bound by printed media which is simplex - it's uni-directional and word-based. The last 100 years or so, we've been able to narrate via film. I think it's wonderful that we now have to option to not only use printed or lexical (is that the right word?) methods of story-telling but also have visual formats. Film has been wildly popular, but it's essentially still a passive form, loses depth for the sake of time, and is a "voyeuristic" third-person rather than a first-person.

Games offer an interactive process (duplex) which can take advantage of both text and film, that isn't time-limited - games can take 20 - 40hrs, and can offer a first-person perspective. An opportunity for the "reader" to take part in the story as never before. But... games can have no story, or very little story.

The games market has been focussed towards young males and has become quite saturated. Many games companies have turned their focus to hitherto unexploited markets, such as adult/mature gamers & women gamers who tend to look for character development and story as opposed to action. If you played the original "Unreal" then try "Unreal II" and see how even the traditional 3D shooter genre has started to incorporate a greater emphasis on storyline. The divisions between games, interactive fiction, film and novels are artificial ones created by restriction of media and the gaps are narrowing.

Adventure games have always been heavy on storyline. Try "Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned". Although flawed in it's gameplay (slow and cumbersome 3D), the storyline by Jane Jenson covers the "Da Vinci Code" territory back in 1999.

I believe multimedia is still in its infancy and we shouldn't be held back by concerns like "will a publisher buy it?". We can now publish to the internet direct. Depending how tempting it was I'd be prepared to pay about £5 for an evening's entertainment (like renting a video), and I can't be alone.

Maybe I'm naive beyond belief, but I believe that creators should be allowed the freedom to ignore commercial concerns while they are creating. I realise (only too well) that this is idealistic. But without ideals, we aren't human.

I have a dream that multimedia entertainment can merge into something that scintillates all senses AND gives you, the experiencer, some control of the pace, depth and path.

Software like Opus gives the average individual in the Western world the opportunity to create their own story experience, just like Jonathan Boakes, in an easy intuitive way. I've tried Flash. I think it's dreadfully unintuitive and very costly. HTML, even using DHTML is cumbersome and requires a good HTML editor like Dreamweaver etc. I really don't think either are comparable to Opus.

I hope I'm not treading on anyone's toes by expressing this. I'm no expert. I haven't published anything and I'm in awe of anyone who has passed through the eye of that particular needle. But I have always looked at Opus as a powerful multimedia medium for storytelling

I just have a dream, that in my lifetime I'll buy a "multimedia thing" that's as satisfying as a novel, as visually stimulating as a film that puts me in the driving seat and lets me explore and unfold the story, at MY pace.

If anyone has anything creative in this line to offer, I'd be truly honoured to "read/experience" it. I also believe that the Digital Workshop Forum should support creative efforts in this direction.

Paul, I'd love to read the poetry...please put it up for download...

Cheers

Melanie

Yes it is - and if we all agreed with everything, the world would be very boring!


Nor me:- I make stuff -> people pay me -> I go to Tescos. It still amazes me every time it happens.


Just a few comments...


'Multimedia' means different things to different people.


I didn't explain myself well enough - when I say 'Flash' I mean it as a generic term ...yes Macromedia Flash is expensive and has a steep learning curve, but there are many other packages that are much easier to use and will output 'Flash' files. We have and use Macromedia FlashMX, but we also use Toon Boom Studio, and Swish - Swish is a great and cheap way to produce 'Flash' files in next-to-no-time.

It would be nice to hear back from Nick/Envoy - maybe find out a little bit more about what he has in mind? To answer his original question about Opus Presenter or Pro - fuilly working evaluation versions of both are available on Digital Workshop's website ...why not download Presenter and see if it does what you need?

Rob Kirkwood
www.visibleform.co.uk
www.theway2go.org

Many thanks for that - lots to consider. I'll certainly check out those sites and products - I've already looked at Flash and Swish but couldn't make either do stuff as easily as Opus - I'm more a designer than a techie.

I understand what everyone means though - there's no point in just reproducing a book onscreen. Not that I was going to do that but I'm wondering if I coud take my ideas even further.

I have already looked at the evals of Presenter and Pro. I had almost decided Presenter would do what I needed. But often its not until you're trying something real world that you find a product doesn't quite do what you need - that's why I asked.

The underlying theme of the idea is a voyage of personal discovery and a sort of secular enlightment which I wanted to follow from four different viewpoints in a series of snaphsots. The "action" is moved along by graphic and text panels, dialogue is presented in comic form with speech bubbles but certain sections are like dream sequences of images with music and animation accentuating key moods and specific words of the text (I'd like voiceovers for these parts so people can concentrate on the images rather than reading but it will depend on finding people to voice the four key characters). The idea is that the emotive dream sequences are more realistic than the comic-book "reality".

Thanks again for the feedback. I'll keep you posted.

Nick

Thanks Melanie, you just saved me hours of typing and expressed my thoughts better than I could have myself

Melanie has highlighted the main reason why Illuminatus got developed from a simple commission for a multimedia brochure from Olivetti into the beautiful beast it is today. One day I will be able to stop managing the product and the company and actually write my interactive novel with it.

I have found the original publication of poetry but it's looking very dated and doesn't add anything to this discussion. If I get time I'll revisit it... but its probably more Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz than the Circling Poets of Atrium

Paul Harris

Aw shucks...!

Hope we don't have to wait too long - the world NEEDS it!


BAD poetry, IMHO, is a joy for everyone and should be shared freely! Also perfect for collaboration - you could post up your unrevised version and let someone else revise it (poetry and/or publication)... in a collaborative manner... You often get multiple authorship on books, academic papers, films - why not poetry and publications?

Just an idea. Online collaboration... What does everyone think? Could be a new board category thingy.

Cheers

Melanie

There once was a Ms Melanie...

...who had extensive intimate surgery, a frontal lobotomy and immediately got a name change by deed poll to Mr. Rob...

Yes, what happened to him?

I mean after the painful but reassuringly expensive psychotherapy in the safe hands of well-trained professionals with large mortgages to support... In particular (music changes) - Dr. Strangeglove and his curiously sinister niece Carla (with the spectacular cleavage and no opinions)?

Sounds like a blockbuster to me! Quick, somebody write it!

On a slightly less frivolous note - what about Voice Recognition? That's one of my other pet wishes - a game that's voice activated. Surely a limited vocab would be possible?

Which leads nicely to the full VR bodysuit with Smellorama. I bet the replacement fragrance cartridges will cost a bomb.



Melanie

OK here's my 2 cents worth... I tend to share everyone's view points on interactive novels, as everyone has a valid point. (how's that for a diplomatic response)

So, here's another idea to toss in and see what people think?

Firstly, I don't even own a DVD recorder, so excuse my ignorance if my vision is not much of an idea. (or can already be done, and like ebooks, would not take off in popularity)

The idea I speak off is the likes of Opus "expanding" in interactive Multimedia entertainment to a new level in the DVD market. This could well apply to Melanie's elaborate vision of interactive novels which she has discussed in detail.

We all see DVD's with various menu options on TV, selectable by the DVD remote control. Some DVD's come with supplemented programme material allowing the home user to "interact" with various scenes. Some allow you to create your own character or sequence via the remote buttons.

If this process could be expanded upon, like an Opus Pro XE Publication, exported to AVI (which it already does), then have this converted to the appropriate DVD MPEG format, then one indeed could create a quite impressive interactive multimedia novel. The atmosphere would be different....by not sitting in front of a PC clicking a mouse, but by relaxing in your lounge room watching your DVD on your widescreen TV. The interactive novel would not be simply text, but more of a hybrid movie/ebook/game (if you get my meaning), and like most DVD players, the DVD remembers where you last stopped the programme/movie, so you can resume at your leisure.

Now if this idea is feasible, a newer innovative version of Opus could be created. The author could write various endings/sequences, with interactive responses to characters (like what's done in adventure games), that takes the end-user to different plots and scenarios. Similar to an adventure game, the DVD could be played more than once and with different endings, plus you can even have your own subtitle languages.

Moreover, if this could be an avenue DW could take, then even an enhanced DVD remote controller could be made, specifically for these "interactive DVD's". Hmmm... now DW could also be a hardware company.

Anyway, if this idea is possibly old hat, then ignore this view. As said, I know little about DVD, let alone ever recording my own DVD.

Good idea Steve - something for a future version of Opus? (retain interactivity in DVD output)

"Tender Loving Care" (erotic thriller - interactive DVD) won awards in 1998:

http://www.aftermathmedia.com/tlc/

There's a downloadable trailer at the site

Their followup is "POV" (Point Of View)

Melanie