Character Design

Character DesignChapter 6A

CharactersAdd depth to the story and game worldAid in the Suspension of DisbeliefPlayers link to the game world

Want to give the player characters that they will care about and find interesting in addition to creating villains that challenge themSome characters can be very complex, forcing the player to think about what they might do next or how they will react (most famously Final Fantasy)Most games have characters there are still good games out there that do not have a traditional character (eg. Tetris, Cogs)3Player Appeal

Believability

Someone/thing to Identify With

Key features of character designPlayer appeal physical look and design of character, including how well they are drawn and modelledBelievability does the character seem like they could be a real person if their game world existed?Identity the player must want to play as that character and take care of themImportant because of mindshare (branding) much easier to license additional fanfare using characters as opposed to the game world or mechanics4

Player Appeal5

Believeability6

Identity

7AvatarsIndustry term referring to any protagonist under the players controlAvatars need more and better animations, more care and more detail while being designedThe relationship between player and avatar depends on many factors, including control mechanisms, visual and audio clues, self creation, and many more

Sanskrit, Hindu bodily incarnation of godAvatars are the main conduit into the game world that the player will spend the most time with a lot of care must be put into their design so as to not upset the Suspension of Disbelief or immersion in the gameMost Action-Adventure games only give player control for one character, but many other games let you control a party of charactersTrine lets you control three characters, but only one is active at a time (like having three avatars)

8Player Designed AvatarsMost prominent in RPG and online multiplayer gamesPhysical design race, hair, colouring, clothes, attributesPersona acts like the players mask while in the game worldAllow for personal expression, often the best way for players to connect to their avatar

People can spend hours just creating their avatarsAllows players to express their creativity as wellIf you created them, youre more likely to take care of them too10Game Supplied AvatarsConnection is dependant on how well defined the designer makes the avatarCan be specific, non-specific, or somewhere in between

11Non-Specific AvatarsAvatars that are written as if the player themselves inhabit the worldCannot be depicted or described because nothing was specified for them

Often found in older, text based games

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Half Life deliberately has no mirrors so that the player cannot see Gordon Freeman, effectively making him an empty shell for the player to fill14Specific AvatarsUsed when the designers feel limited by having a character that is not specifiedA better sense of belonging, rather than just visitingAllows the character to appear on screenThe player is not the avatar, but still feels emotions related to actions taken by the avatarImportant for story-based gamesSpecified attributes: name, history, appearance, personality, Player is more of a helper than an actual entity in the game worldSpecified avatars may have a mind of their own (eg. Refusing to complete a specified action)Tend to look more realistic15

Somewhere In Between.

Avatars may not be fully specified, but still have some detailsUsually found in games with weak storiesOften appear cartoonish, less photorealisticIf the charater does not look like they would appear in the real world, they probably fall into this category17Male and Female AvatarsMales will play through a game as any avatar, as long as that avatar engages in traditionally male activitiesGenerally, males do not identify with their avatarsWomen appreciate the chance to play female avatars, as long as they look somewhat like a real femaleFemales see the avatar as an extension of the self and a conduit for self expressionImportant for Designing for your target audience18

Designing AvatarsFIRST decide how you want the player to relate to the avatar you are designingDecide on psychological and social details as well as visual detailsHow an avatar speaks says a lot about themGordon Freeman never speaksMario and Lara Croft speak very littleFang and Ezio speak a lotAlso need to determine control mechanismsDeciding on how you want the player to interact with your avatar helps with designing for your target audience and not yourself20Control MechanismsIndirect control: the player is a guide and the avatar follows directions, but is not actually controlled

The avatar is instinctively someone else

Direct control: the player has full control of the avatars movements

The avatar is the playerVisual AppearancesHow a character is drawn has a huge impact on how the player feels about themArt-Driven DesignOften chosen by visual inclined designersGood if your character does not change over the course of the gameOften used when other media is exploited

Other media as in merchandising22Body TypesHumanoidsAlways have two arms, two legs, one headBody parts and facial features are arranged like a humansNon HumanoidsCharacters that look nothing like humansAnimals and slime monsters fall in this categoryHybridsHave a combination of humanoid and alien qualitiesMonster designs are often derived from creatures that many cultures find frightening, including reptiles, insects and bizarre sea creatures23

Cartoonlike QualitiesCoolToughCuteGoofyA character may exhibit one or many of these, and dont necessarily stay in one class for the entire gameWestern classifications only26CoolNever get too upset about thingsDetachment, often with a rebellious attitudeOften wear sunglasses and slouch when not doing anythingClever, witty often use wits over strengthGame actions are often fast and focused

This characteristic made some players quit Final Fantasy VIII since Squall Leonhart first appeared obnoxious and self absorbed27ToughExemplify physical aggressionOften also hyper-sexualizedTypically maleExaggerated height and bulkLarge, expansive gestures, speak with their fistsAnimations are usually big and abrupt, fast moving and aggressiveForward leaning posture

CuteDrawn with large eyes and oversized headsRounded features, dress in light coloursOften personify cheerfulness, with moments of irritation or determinationAnimations often let the characters achieve feats that they would not be able to in real lifeLook innocent and detached

Like human babies and baby animals30GoofySlightly odd proportions, funny lookingBehaviour is largely comedicSeldom upset about anything for longAnimations can be comedic, as long as it does not interrupt the players control

These are not the only categories, but they do cover a wide range of characters that we would encounterIf you are targeting a specific culture, you need to take in cultural tastes in art as wellThese classifications will mean something different to each age group as well31Hyper-Sexualized CharactersExaggerating the sexual attributes of an avatar to make them more sexually appealingUsually aimed at male teenagers and young menOften unrealistic proportions and heightThis also extends to traditional comic book charactersClichd, discouraging older players and femalesOften overshadows the other qualities of the game

Hyper-sexualization in comic books brought the comic book industry to the US Congress in the 1950s32

Expressing PersonalityClothing, weapons, symbolic objects, namesUsed to uniquely identify a characterVery crucial for characters, especially when players are required to make snap decisions, i.e. Who should I shoot next?Jewellery has a long history of magic, meaning and mysticismDistinctive names are also used to set a character apartCan also extend to choice of voice actor

A weapon can say a lot meat cleavers suggest wild and violent behaviour while a bow and arrow suggests strategic and distanced mindsetsCareful when choosing names they may result in the cheapening of a characters personality (Often why it is a good idea to let the players choose)34

Design RuleDont add too much detail! Two or three distinctive features is often enough for one characterColour PaletteThis is especially important for clothingAlso used to visually set characters apart from everything elseColours are chosen to reflect a characters attitudes and emotional temperaments

In early Tomb Raider games, Lara Crofts colour palette was the only one to include teal43

SidekicksHelp explore additional dimensions of the hero character and often used as comic reliefSome allow for additional actions that a single character could not believably do aloneExpand the emotional range of the hero by offering a contrastOffer the player information that they would not otherwise know

Design ToolsConcept ArtDrawings made in early stages of production to give an idea of what it will look likeUsed by all departments art, programming, marketing, audioConcept art is also used to explore alternate designs, and then the one that best fits the game and can be implemented correctly is chosenConcept art should be very fast a matter of minutes to create; only want a rough idea of a concept, not a final piece of workGood concept art should be able to convey a lot about a concept, especially characters (includes features and emotional temperament)Model sheets are traditionally animators tools47

Model SheetsDraws lots of poses for a single character on one pageUsed to represent different emotions and attitudes that may be used in animationsAllows for comparison to get a better idea of what a character is like

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