XCOM 2 offers a linear story for the player to experience, but the most memorable moments come from narratives created by the players themselves, who watch as their soldiers journey through their campaign, mission to mission. 

With this in mind, how did environment artists at Firaxis set up the levels to include small, micro-stories that would enhance the player's fantasy as they progressed through the game? 

In this 2018 GDC session, Firaxis Games' Justin Rodriguez dives into the different components of environmental storytelling he scattered, hid, and placed in plain view in XCOM 2, illustrating the details behind his creative process.

Developers interested in how Rodriguez approached environmental storytelling techniques can now watch the talk for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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