Being based in Los Angeles, P.B. Winterbottom developer The Odd Gentlemen has had plenty of opportunities to collaborate with some very big names. Before novelist Neil Gaiman, however, the studio tended to turn all those people away. "If we don't like who we're working with, it's just miserable for everybody," said Matt Korba. "Neil got games. He understood what made them different."

Red flags

Speaking at GDC Next this morning, the creative director for Odd Gentlemen underscored the importance of seeking out creative partners who understood the unique design challenges games posed. "There are a few red flags to watch out for," Korba advised, particularly when dealing with members of other entertainment industries. "[For example, if they] think games are cheap and easy to make, or see themselves as 'the guy who knows story.' [Or] show a lack of real understanding about games." And be wary of prospective partners, Korba warned, who believed their name alone would be enough to sell your game. Then there are the issues more specific to the development process, Korba continued, such as an inordinate interest in telling a game's story through cutscenes. "Neil didn't want those," he added. "That's when I knew we had a match made in heaven." There are upsides to watch for in creative partnerships as well, Korba noted. In working with Gaiman on Wayward Manor, The Odd Gentlemen brought the author in on the design process early, walking him through physical prototypes of levels they had built in Lego bricks to impart a sense of how the game would move and feel. "It's oftentimes easier for testers to see the entire game... rather than the barebones digital prototype."

Medium specificity

Because Gaiman was brought in early and often during the design process, his input was used to shape not just Wayward Manor's narrative setting but the character designs, their motivations, and interactions. "We want to tell the story through the puzzles," Korba explained. With each of the game's characters themselves a sort of puzzle with defined rules and behaviors, he said, the story and gameplay intermingle, with character conflicts creating short scenes told through actions. "We're trying to tell the story with as little dialogue as possible." This may sound counter-intuitive for those tending to think of Neil Gaiman as a man of words. As a novelist, comics writer and screenwriter, Gaiman's prose might seem like his most defining contribution to the project. But neither Gaiman nor The Odd Gentlemen wanted to rely on barrages of text -- while Gaiman is providing a bit of unobtrusive flavor text, his larger role within the development process has been overall narrative and character design. "We wanted someone who wanted to work with us, not just toss stuff over the fence," said Korba. "Don't be afraid to use designers as dungeon masters." Not only did Korba believe Gaiman respected and understood games, he believed Gaiman understands the unique limitations and advantages of storytelling through an interactive framework. Though much of the game's storytelling exists on a granular level -- namely, provoking and scaring the manor's houseguests -- the means of doing this are intended as open-ended, providing multiple solutions. "We chose to keep the story simple, so the execution could shine," said Korba. "The way that we execute can really tell all these little stories that we want to tell." You can follow Wayward Manor's development through its website and on Twitter.