custom protag yay or nay?

[Scribbles]

Do you prefer a protagonist you can customize (appearance mainly, but if you also like to pick gender/other stuff comment) I'm basically looking for:

yes, I love them
yes, I like them
meh... I don't care either way
no, I dislike them
no, I hate them

but feel free to clarify your answer!

(I'd post a poll, but I'm not sure how, I did post one on my twitter though so you can add your vote there if you really want to My Twitter)

[parttimestorier]

I think it depends on the kind of story you're going for! If it's something like a romantic comedy, in which the protagonist would be kind of self-insert anyway, I love having customization options. Creating a character is just fun in general, and if you give gender options too it allows for some more diversity! But if it's a more serious story, I think it can be better to have a clearly defined protagonist already. It's easier for the writer to make them an interesting and developed character if they don't have to also keep the ways the player could change them in mind, and it also makes it obvious to the player that this isn't the kind of lighthearted game where it's fun to make a silly-looking avatar.

[Caveat Lector]

It depends on the kind of VN you're trying to make. Magical Diary allows you to customize the protagonist's appearance and name at the start, whereas Long Live the Queen starts you off with a protagonist whose outfits you can change with the various skills you unlock, but otherwise basically looks the same.

Both these approaches work in their respective games, and if you were to try to reverse it, it probably wouldn't work as well. I don't need customization to enjoy a VN, but it can be fun if it's put to good use.

[Mammon]

Always be sure that you can actually do it before you add such a massive feature creeper. If your protag is seen in CGs, those CGs will need all possible variables as well. That's already a layer hell for a sprite, depending on the CG it can be even worse. Harliqueen did this with her last nano project so it can be done, but whether you can do it too is the question. (Especially considering that she does her own art and you'll probably outsource it?)

This is, of course, with the assumption that there are CGs. If not, things get a lot easier. Though it then becomes the question of whether you consider a variable MC or CGs more important. And if you'll actually see your MC's sprite. Just like CG, the expressions can be tricky in that case. Look at Dream Daddy, they made a great game with great art assets and a customisable Daddy, but the MC's expression was always the same because making and coding separate expressions for all choices would be a madman's idea of fun.

So, I'm saying, it's possible but always think about whether it's doable for you.

[Donmai]

No wonder you weren't able to post a poll here.

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I believe this thread is okay, as it allows discussion. BTW: nay. Personally, I very dislike games which include customization of protagonists. I rather have a solid, convincing, well-developed character from the start.

[Scribbles]

Always be sure that you can actually do it before you add such a massive feature creeper. If your protag is seen in CGs, those CGs will need all possible variables as well. That's already a layer hell for a sprite, depending on the CG it can be even worse. Harliqueen did this with her last nano project so it can be done, but whether you can do it too is the question. (Especially considering that she does her own art and you'll probably outsource it?)

This is, of course, with the assumption that there are CGs. If not, things get a lot easier. Though it then becomes the question of whether you consider a variable MC or CGs more important. And if you'll actually see your MC's sprite. Just like CG, the expressions can be tricky in that case. Look at Dream Daddy, they made a great game with great art assets and a customisable Daddy, but the MC's expression was always the same because making and coding separate expressions for all choices would be a madman's idea of fun.

So, I'm saying, it's possible but always think about whether it's doable for you.

I've already done it in Pinewood Island > < so no worries there I'm aware of the issues/costs -- that game also has customized CG art, it's a pain but it's actually not too difficult once you get the hang of condition switches

No wonder you weren't able to post a poll here.

11.) Poll-Like Threads
Poll-like threads are open-ended threads that ask a user for their personal opinion, without requiring that they justify that opinion.

The administration asks that you not post poll-like threads on the Lemma Soft Forum. When such a thread is posted, we will change, edit, or lock it as we deem appropriate, to ensure that polls do not take the place of discussion. There may be exceptions for "get to know your fellow forum members" type threads.

I believe this thread is okay, as it allows discussion. BTW: nay. Personally, I very dislike games which include customization of protagonists. I rather have a solid, convincing, well-developed character from the start.

I had no idea! I was just trying to get thoughts on it ^^; if it violates terms I'm sorry!

I was building the framework for another game and was trying to decide if I should do another protag that is customizable in appearance... I wasn't sure how popular the feature was. Maybe I'll get a better idea once Pinewood Islands finally released lol

As for everyone else, I'm still playing with story concepts for this project so I'm not sure what I will do for it. I don't have my heart set either way so I'd just like to offer what people like, I prefer to give the player as many choices as possible vs a more linear narrative

[trooper6]

I suppose my answer is, "meh, I don't care"--though that doesn't really capture the spirit of my answer.

Really what I want to say is: you do whatever it is matches your artistic vision and then do it well. Dragon Age: Origins allowed for a full range of customizations and I loved it. Dragon Age 2 specified that you were a predetermined character (Hawke) and I loved that, too.

So just do your thing and do it well and I'll probably like it.

[morinoir]

@trooper6 OH YES ANOTHER DRAGON AGE PLAYER! /highfive!

The thing with customized protagonist, at least for me, is that I tend to match their appearance with their personality. I will cringe if I pick certain appearance for the protagonist, but their response/how they speak didn't reflect their appearance. Okay, I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but what I meant to say is what you're inside will show outside in one way or another, especially when we're talking about a character in a story.

Rather than customized appearance, I personally prefer customized response. A character can wear only t-shirt and jeans, but we can grasp their personality based on how they talk to other character and I think it's more precious than just customized the skin. I think good examples of it are Dragon Age series and Cinders.

So I guess my choice for the poll is: "I don't really care" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Scribbles]

everyone makes really good points lol I guess I should just do what feels best in the story

[bluebirdplays]

Customizable main protags is a neat feature but to me it's more of an extra that isn't exactly necessary for me to enjoy a game. I will say that I've enjoyed games that add a sort of 'wardrobe' at the beginning of the game, and you earn new outfits for your protag based on the choices you make or simply just playing the game. Then, if you have a choice-heavy game that rewards replays, there's a variation of outfit for you to play through on the 2nd and 3rd time through.

[trooper6]

Oh, I should say one thing about customizable protagonists. Very often video game protagonists are straight, white men. Which is cool and all, but that means a bunch of people don't get to play people who might look like them. VNs, as a genre, are way more likely to have female protagonists, so that's cool. But VNs (like the rest of the video game world) aren't all that great with racial or body diversity (or sexuality from an insider's perspective). So whenever I have character customization it usually makes me happy that I can craft a protagonist that looks different that what I'm normally given. So it is a nice bonus.

That said, again, if it isn't there that is fine too.

[abscission]

I would say it depends heavily on the intent of the VN itself.

say, if the story is meant to be wish-fulfillment DIY storyline, then yes, I'd prefer a highly customizable protag, because I'm meant to identify with this person on a personal I-am-the-protag level. I'd want the protag to look the way I want to look, hence high customizing.

but if the story of the VN is something that's got a story to tell, and the player is only here for the ride, or to step into the shoes of the protag for this period of their lives, then I'd like a set, pre-determined protagonist that has their own backstory, preferences, looks, personality, and goals. a fully fleshed out character whose brain I've just happened to hijack for this period of their lives.

so if a character like the latter is suddenly completely customizable, I'd raise an eyebrow.

then again, if in the latter case, even the backstory is customizable, or the looks doesn't matter, or there is some other in-universe disregard for the MC i'm playing, I can see a customizable protag happen. this does mean a lot of specifically varying content in the VN proper, however, so from a writer's standpoint, it's be such a chore.

so yeah, i'm gonna look at the story of the VN before deciding if I want to make my protag highly customizable.

[quilleth]

In visual novel games for me, it's kind of like a neat extra feature for most of the ones I play because most of the ones I play have a fairly set protagonist where the player's choices only effect a few things of their personality and they have the same starting background regardless. So in those cases I'm usually like whoah character customization? Cool beans! But not having it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the game at all.

If you're working on a game with unique backgrounds (and therefore unique starting personalities or stats), then I prefer to be able to customise the MC. This could complicate if you had planned on using sprites or CG's for the MC because you'd have to work around the customized aspect somehow, by either not having a visual representation of the MC or limiting the appearance choices for the MC.

I do tend to prefer games that leave at least the age of the protagonist open to player interpretation, but that's probably because I wonder why the character has to specifically be that age- does it affect the story to the point where the story would be drastically altered if the character's age wasn't set (a lot of the time, the answer is no), or I have a hard time turning off my 30 year old self to play much younger characters

[ShirouFujimura]

DELETED

[Hazel]

Some games have great, really extensive character customization and I love that, because to me it adds to the replayability of the game. I'm thinking of games like the Choice of Games text adventures, or one of my very favorite games, Seven Kingdoms. I like that. I also like when I start playing a game and it has a really strong protagonist with a set personality and backstory. What I don't like is if a game has some light, cosmetic customization at the start, and then for most of the game only has narrow player choices, or choices that get derailed back into the main plot. So, I would say whether or not to have a customizable MC depends on the kind of plot you have.

Bottom line: I like it when it goes hard one way or the other, don't like it so much when it's in the middle and messy.