23 réponses à ce sujet

[Abraham_uk]

I look at so many trailers and think, "can you play as a woman"?

 

In the marketing for Mass Effect 1 and 2 it was not clear if you could play as a woman. Heck it wasn't clear that you could customise the face of Commander Shepard. In Mass Effect 3 it was evident that you could play as either, thought that there are only two face options.

 

You watch the trailer for Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. Can you blame anyone for thinking that you can only play as a human man (as opposed to both genders and 10 races)?

You watch the trailer for Fallout 4.

 

 

 

Is it any wonder that there was a rumour about not being able to play as a female?

 

Especially after the success of The Witcher series where you can only play as Geralt, wouldn't the default assumption be "you can only play as a white male"?

 

The only genre where people would assume a character creator is in MMO RPG's. Single player RPG's quite often have a set in stone player character. So the default assumption is whoever appears in the marketing is the unchangeable player character.

 

This is not a gender or race issue. This is an issue of a key feature of a video game being undersold. I hope marketing addresses this in future games.

[Abraham_uk]

What do you think?

[AlanC9]

Depends on the nature of the trailer. It might work in a gameplay-based trailer. I think it would stop a narrative-based trailer in its tracks. Thing is, does Bio often try to sell gameplay?

[BraveVesperia]

The teaser trailer didn't feature the protagonist, we don't know who he is yet (though admittedly, people who are just watching trailers wouldn't know that).

 

When they get around to showing the protag though, I really hope they do show off the character creator. Perhaps montage through a handful of custom faces? It's strange that games with a character creator rarely ever seem to advertise the fact in their trailers. You'd think that would help pull more people in. I do have hope on the 'advertising male and female' protags front, since they've shown the male and female alongside each other in the promotional art.

[OhNoWhyHow]

I think something that is the equivalent of "iconic Shepard" probably won't happen this time around.  Bioware has become too socially aware for this, plus the marketing character used in DAI was completely androgynous: wearing full body armor with helmet and only ever seen from the back (at least from the stuff I saw).

 

Plus if this N7 *isn't* the main character, I expect them to minimize him fairly quickly lest people get the mistaken impression you are playing as Shepard or another N7.  He is there at first because as soon as you see him everybody knows it's Mass Effect.  Once that has been established, they can move on to new and unexpected imagery/sounds: hence the Johnny Cash song everybody is losing their mind about.

[Otter-under-the-mountain]

 

Especially after the success of The Witcher series where you can only play as Geralt, wouldn't the default assumption be "you can only play as a white male"?

 

The only genre where people would assume a character creator is in MMO RPG's. Single player RPG's quite often have a set in stone player character. So the default assumption is whoever appears in the marketing is the unchangeable player character.

Really? I'm not being facetious here, but other than Witcher*, I'm having difficulty thinking of a recent western RPG that doesn't have a character creator that lets you play as non-white non-males. Dark Souls does it. Bloodborne does it. Elder Scrolls and Fallout have always done it. All the Bioware RPGs do it. The good Deus Ex games do it. Hell, Saints Row can barely be considered an RPG, and it has one of the most in-depth CCs outside of the Sims.

 

Unless I've somehow missed out on a massive chunk of the genre, it looks to me like character creation is pretty common component of single player RPGs.

 

*Edit: After further thought and Wiki-ing, I've also thought of Fable, but the point still stands.

[Valkyrja]

Depends on the nature of the trailer. It might work in a gameplay-based trailer. I think it would stop a narrative-based trailer in its tracks. Thing is, does Bio often try to sell gameplay?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they did with this game, it is a TPS after all.

[Lady Artifice]

I think, when it comes to Bioware rpgs at the very least, it's the safer assumption that you can play as a woman. I don't necessarily think that it needs to be made explicit in every trailer. 

[GnusmasTHX]

Marketing has always addressed the character creator in probably every game that features one... Marketing is more than the cinematic trailers they release to give you a feel of the game world. Gameplay trailers can mention it. Interviews usually mention it. Demos often mention it. Magazine articles do. Never mind the the CC is the focus of waves of YouTube videos in pre-release, just like at DA:I. When you make a 1-3 minute trailer, you want to sell the game/world, not what you'll look like in it.

 

A person whose pre-purchase research amounts to commericals he's seen on TV probably won't know there's a CC, but that information is readily available to anyone with enough of an interest to google the game in general. The CC doesn't sell the game.

[Steelcan]

There are reasons that marketing campaigns use predefined characters, like the "default" Dovahkiin or Sheploo, its easier to build a campaign around a recognizable individual.  That doesn't make it inherently right mind you, but its not something that I'm overly concerned about.

 

If people think that Bethesda and BioWare are suddenly going to stop offering widely customizable characters because of a single trailer then they need to slow down and rethink.

[Deebo305]

I think people should wait until next year before expecting any real advertisement about the game. Honestly, I didn't even know could play as female in Fallout 4 or that the CC would be so detailed (though NPCs need somecwork)

In any case I expect nothing until maybe E3 2016, as for the ME of old. The focus on MaleShep was done solely because the series was good before but it popularity spiked only after ME2. From that point on and FemShep flood of YT vids, the love was spread for both genders

[In Exile]

Depends on the nature of the trailer. It might work in a gameplay-based trailer. I think it would stop a narrative-based trailer in its tracks. Thing is, does Bio often try to sell gameplay?

They sold the roleplaying aspect for KoTOR. It's what got me to buy it. But that's the only game I can think of that did that part.

[dgcatanisiri]

See, I know several people who only became interested in Mass Effect BECAUSE of the character creator - because advertising made no mention of it, of how Shepard didn't have to be a dark haired white guy with stubble, that Shepard could be a black woman, they weren't interested in the game. Once they were told about this, though, they snatched it up.

 

Regardless of BioWare's tendency for narrative trailers, I think that they really need to start banking on the character creator, at least in a mechanics/informational trailer. Even just a bit with the words 'create your character' and a montage of various changes to the PC which includes gender and skintone... I think it'd go a long way for people who might be interested by the game but aren't interested in playing YET ANOTHER dark haired stubbled white guy.

[Abraham_uk]

Marketing has always addressed the character creator in probably every game that features one... Marketing is more than the cinematic trailers they release to give you a feel of the game world. Gameplay trailers can mention it. Interviews usually mention it. Demos often mention it. Magazine articles do. Never mind the the CC is the focus of waves of YouTube videos in pre-release, just like at DA:I. When you make a 1-3 minute trailer, you want to sell the game/world, not what you'll look like in it.

 

A person whose pre-purchase research amounts to commericals he's seen on TV probably won't know there's a CC, but that information is readily available to anyone with enough of an interest to google the game in general. The CC doesn't sell the game.

 

All very true.

However the trailer is the part of the "marketing" that people are more likely to see. (I'm putting it in inverted commas because technically the marketing is the price, product, place, promotion etc of the business not just advertising).

 

In the Skyrim example the "marketing" team did indeed present ample evidence of character creation.

There is an image somewhere of all 10 races with both genders to display the diversity of characters you can create.

 

Hardly anyone saw that image. A lot more people saw the trailer with the Scandinavian guy shouting at a dragon.

As an iconic image this actually makes since given that the game is set in Skyrim (which is obviously inspired by Scandinavian culture).

 

However of all of the promotion that takes place before the game is released the trailer is the part that more people see.

Not the press conferences.

Not the game play footage.

Not the playable demo.

Not the official announcements.

Just the trailer.

 

All of this is readily available to people if they "google it", however if someone sees a trailer and thinks "huh. I'm playing another generic white guy" would they bother to "google it"?

[Golden_Persona]

It's so obvious that I wonder why people have to worry about it. I'm pretty darn sure that if ME1 had a female protagonist, you would get to have one in ME2. Really, was that a concern for people? Everyday I come on here and I'm literally stunned at the conclusions people reach about stuff.

 

It was obvious from the getgo that Fallout 4 would have a female protagonist too. It's a precedent for the series, and they weren't the ones who revolutionized voiced customizable RPG characters. People need to stop freaking out. The N7 in the trailer isn't even the main character, so they can make him whatever they want.

[MarchWaltz]

The great majority of Bioware games have come with a CC...so...we know that MEA will have one.

 

Same thing for Beth...they always do CCs...so yeah.

[dgcatanisiri]

Yeah, those of us who've played BioWare games before know there's character creation. But every BioWare game is someone's first. If anything, Mass Effect Andromeda is going to be a great stepping on point, because the events of the last three games aren't going to matter. So for those people who are joining the Mass Effect universe with Andromeda, being explicit with the character creation element can draw in even more people.

[N7Jamaican]

Mass Effect always made it clear you could play as a male or female.  Every bioware game I've played -- Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, SWTOR, allowed you custom create your character (not in JE) and play as whatever gender you choose.

 

They make not have marketed "HEY! PLAY AS A MALE OR FEMALE!"  But they've always made it known it is an available option

[Golden_Persona]

They probably don't market it because they assume most people know that aspect about Bioware games. It's better for them to advertize the stuff that changes between their titles. I hope they learn not to advertize things too early though, like the keep capture thing being a big part of Inquisition.

[Jester]

 The good Deus Ex games do it. Hell, Saints Row can barely be considered an RPG, and it has one of the most in-depth CCs outside of the Sims.

Seriously? Invisible War is a "good Deus Ex" and Human Revolution isn't?

 

The great majority of Bioware games have come with a CC...so...we know that MEA will have one.

 

Same thing for Beth...they always do CCs...so yeah.

I cannot recall a single BioWare game without character creation.

 

In general, I doubt it has to be made obvious in marketing. If someone is interested in whether you can create your own character, they will check it on google in 5 seconds. 

[Sweawm]

The only recent Bioware game that actually showcased the character creation mechanic in the trailers was Dragon Age: Origins and that was only to hype the Origin mechanic. 

[Panda]

Not everyone who looks new games and decides what to buy has time to look through all marketing material. They will most likely watch trailers and if there is generic looking character who they don't want to play as they won't choose that game. And it's not always easy to find if you can create your character and if you can, can you play as both sexes.

 

Like when I was watching E3 based on first trailers I thought Fallout 4 was game with set male character, I think Bethesda's own conference was only one that gave the information that you can make your character and you can make male or female character. Then there was one game, I don't remember name, where you can play as viking, knight or samurai, but I didn't see any female characters during representation so my impression at the moment is that although you can choose your character you can't play as female character. I don't think gaming companies should rely on people looking info everywhere for their game and asking other players if you can do your own character and play as female character. They should give this info to the players.

[Jester]

I love all those people with zero education or knowledge about marketing who like to advise major corporations on how to advertise their games.

[saladinbob]

I don't think the character creator has any place in a trailer. That sort of stuff needs to go on any feature show casing on Twitch like they did with Inquisition prior to launch. Trailers are there to show big explosions and 'bad ass' enemies which is what's likely to make the game sell more than the fact it has a character creator. Yes, that's important but once your character is created, it's soon forgotten.