78 réponses à ce sujet

[PsychoBlonde]

 Here's an idea . . .

Let us play a character that people more or less agree is kind of unattractive.  Not necessarily ugly, just not good-looking or noteworthy in appearance.  Could get some really interesting characterization out of that.

[Maria Caliban]

I don't recall anyone swooning over Hawke's beauty. If you're regular looking, most people won't comment on it.

[PsychoBlonde]

Maria Caliban wrote...

I don't recall anyone swooning over Hawke's beauty. If you're regular looking, most people won't comment on it.

No, they seem to have left that out--in favor of not commenting on his/her appearance at all, really.  I don't think it's necessarily wrong to comment on the PC's appearance (even though this can be hilarious when you've futzed the editor until you got Gollum). And I will say it was kind of annoying in previous games when the only thing your LI had to say about you was that you were Hawt.

It's a suggestion, I'm not saying it's right or wrong to go one way or the other, but I think it could potentially be cool to actively pursue this kind of thing.  When they did the racial comparison concept art, they were talking about it being an opportunity to explore different notions of beauty, yes?  So why not take that a step further.  Have a companion that everybody agrees is just gorgeous.  Allow the PC to react to that person in different ways--everything from ZOMG YES! to I don't get it to, ewww, fugly.  Have people react to the PC and that companion differently.  It can put an entirely different spin on, say, a romance, if your would-be partner has previously acknowledged that you're NOT their ideal of sexiness.  Or, maybe that somebody else in the group IS.

There's always new stuff to explore.  Let's esplore it!

[Sabriana]

That's already been done. In NWN your charisma decided that. At least it did in HotU. High/low charisma had the NPC's comment on your appearance.one way or the other.

[PsychoBlonde]

Sabriana wrote...

That's already been done. In NWN your charisma decided that. At least it did in HotU. High/low charisma had the NPC's comment on your appearance.one way or the other.

Apparently all my characters had "high" charisma.  Granted I'd kind of reached the stage where I was giving myself 30's in all stats using the editor by that point.  *Cough*.

In any case, one example does not obviate the need for further esploration!

[Maria Caliban]

PsychoBlonde wrote...

And I will say it was kind of annoying in previous games when the only thing your LI had to say about you was that you were Hawt.

People you're in love with tend to look very attractive.

Heck, I've known women who I considered unattractive when I first met them but beautiful when I got to know them.

[Sabriana]

PsychoBlonde wrote...

Apparently all my characters had "high" charisma.  Granted I'd kind of reached the stage where I was giving myself 30's in all stats using the editor by that point.  *Cough*.

In any case, one example does not obviate the need for further esploration!

I think I like you.

Fine. Let's explore. Let us see if the 'inner' beauty can't win out. And if it doesn't, let's kick their butts instead.

[cJohnOne]

Something wrong with the prefering a Hansome man or woman's esthetics?  What does esthetics mean anyway?

Modifié par cJohnOne, 10 avril 2012 - 09:32 .

[Chiramu]

cJohnOne wrote...

Something wrong with the prefering a Hansome man or woman's esthetics?  What does esthetics mean anyway?

http://dictionary.re...rowse/aesthetic  mispelled :/.


Anyway, it would be nice to play a character where the LIs don't go on about how attractive you are. If you fall in love with someone, it's not about how attractive they are. If you're going for looks, you're probably picking someone up in a bar and that's not a very good way to meet the man/woman of your dreams.

[PsychoBlonde]

cJohnOne wrote...

Something wrong with the prefering a Hansome man or woman's esthetics?  What does esthetics mean anyway?

Esthetics--the qualities that lead something to be appealing or uneappealing.  And it's spelled aesthetics.  If you're a snob.  Which I totally am.

There's nothing wrong with it.  Did I anywhere state that there was something WRONG with giving the PC the informed characteristic of being attractive?  No.  I'm saying it could be interesting if you decide to go a different direction on purpose.  It can also more thoroughly inform statements like "Maker, you're beautiful!" if you've given it more context and greater depth via more esploration along this theme.

[PsychoBlonde]

Chiramu wrote...

http://dictionary.re...rowse/aesthetic  mispelled :/.

Ironic.

Actually it can be spelled properly either way.

[Maria Caliban]

cJohnOne wrote...

What does esthetics mean anyway?

It means about a half-a-dozen things. If I had to take a whack at it, I'd say it's the conceptual underpinnings of art, an artstyle, or a particular work of art.

PsychoBlonde wrote...

Esthetics--the qualities that lead something to be appealing or uneappealing.

It's this as well.

Modifié par Maria Caliban, 10 avril 2012 - 09:54 .

[PsychoBlonde]

Maria Caliban wrote...

PsychoBlonde wrote...

And I will say it was kind of annoying in previous games when the only thing your LI had to say about you was that you were Hawt.

People you're in love with tend to look very attractive.

Heck, I've known women who I considered unattractive when I first met them but beautiful when I got to know them.

Well, yeah, attractive and beautiful are both evaluations, and no evaluation of a *person* exists in a vacuum completely separate from all your other evaluations of them.  Unless you don't know them, of course.  And even then, a lot of people manufacture qualities for other people based on the slimmest of nuances, and then evaluate THOSE.

This is also why sometimes figuring out WHAT you don't like about somebody, exactly, (or do like about them), can be so difficult it's not worth the effort.  And why people motivated to give compliments often come off sounding kinda lame, and complimenting you for traits that a.) you actually dislike, b.) don't exist, or c.) are not actually unusual.

Modifié par PsychoBlonde, 10 avril 2012 - 09:48 .

[berelinde]

As long as there is a character creator, you can make your character look any way you want. Also keep in mind that standards of beauty are by no means universal. Browse any collection of character morph mods and you'll see what I mean. You'll see morphs named "Attractive Morrigan" or "Gorgeous Leliana" or whatever and maybe they'll wow you... or maybe they'll make you wonder if the artist has ever seen a human being before.

[PsychoBlonde]

berelinde wrote...

As long as there is a character creator, you can make your character look any way you want. Also keep in mind that standards of beauty are by no means universal. Browse any collection of character morph mods and you'll see what I mean. You'll see morphs named "Attractive Morrigan" or "Gorgeous Leliana" or whatever and maybe they'll wow you... or maybe they'll make you wonder if the artist has ever seen a human being before.

I am not talking about the character creator.  I am talking about how the people in the game REACT to your character, and saying that there could be some interesting options there.  It can be completely independent of the character creator.  Maybe in Orlais it's considered really, really, amazingly attractive to have dark circles under your eyes and a grayish shrunken skull with a few strands of hair sticking out of it.  I don't know.   But having different people react to you in (and other people) in different ways can open up lots of intriguing characterization and story options.

[berelinde]

Ah. Sorry, misunderstood.

Not sure how that would work in practice - it might get depressing after a while - but it's definitely better than having the Love Interest ™ swooning over your fair protagonist when you deliberately made an ugly character.

It might be more practical to have everybody remark on how foreign-looking (and therefore undesirable) your character is... assuming that the game is set in Orlais and we aren't running an Orlesian. Or maybe they can say that s/he smells funny.

[LolaLei]

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

[the_one_54321]

I have never played a pretty character...

[LolaLei]

berelinde wrote...

Ah. Sorry, misunderstood.

Not sure how that would work in practice - it might get depressing after a while - but it's definitely better than having the Love Interest ™ swooning over your fair protagonist when you deliberately made an ugly character.

It might be more practical to have everybody remark on how foreign-looking (and therefore undesirable) your character is... assuming that the game is set in Orlais and we aren't running an Orlesian. Or maybe they can say that s/he smells funny.

Or they could refer to your character as a turnip the whole time, like they do in MotA LOL!

[PsychoBlonde]

berelinde wrote...

Ah. Sorry, misunderstood.

Not sure how that would work in practice - it might get depressing after a while - but it's definitely better than having the Love Interest ™ swooning over your fair protagonist when you deliberately made an ugly character.

It might be more practical to have everybody remark on how foreign-looking (and therefore undesirable) your character is... assuming that the game is set in Orlais and we aren't running an Orlesian. Or maybe they can say that s/he smells funny.

Yeah, things like that!  Or it might be cool to have members of different races say stuff like "he's so pudgy and hawt" just to make you go, um, whut . . .

[SavesTheDay]

I would prefer if no one really commented on your characters appearance. It might get old really quickly and then to avoid it, you'd have make a certain type of character and maybe it won't be quite what you wanted.

[PsychoBlonde]

SavesTheDay wrote...

I would prefer if no one really commented on your characters appearance. It might get old really quickly and then to avoid it, you'd have make a certain type of character and maybe it won't be quite what you wanted.

This would be called "realism".  Except in RL you can't make another character if you're stuck with one most people think is fugly.

I'm not saying it's the best option evarr omg DO IT!, I'm saying it has potential to be interesting.  If they left things out of games because it might get old and somebody won't get what they want, they'd have to leave out THE ENTIRE GAME.

And even then, they'd be disappointing the people who WANTED A GAME.

Modifié par PsychoBlonde, 10 avril 2012 - 10:06 .

[berelinde]

Or, for habitual users of the Mirror of Transformation or whatever the DA3 version will be (that thing was awesome): Have non-joinable characters you interact with regularly, e.g. Seneschal Bran in DA2, remark "You look different. Is it your hair?" Have them do this even if nothing has been changed. Maybe especially if nothing has been changed.

Modifié par berelinde, 10 avril 2012 - 10:08 .

[PsychoBlonde]

the_one_54321 wrote...

I have never played a pretty character...

You should try it some time, if only for the lulz.

[PsychoBlonde]

berelinde wrote...

Or, for habitual users of the Mirror of Transformation or whatever the DA3 version will be (that thing was awesome): Have non-joinable characters you interact with regularly, e.g. Seneschal Bran in DA2, remark "You look different. Is it your hair?"

They should make it so that if you change your appearance enough times, eventually you change sexes and NOBODY NOTICES.

Cmon, wouldn't that be the greatest easter egg ever?