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Arta

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,445
Isn't it annoying to make a character in a creator, look at closeups against a white void or blank grid, maybe spin them around, then go into the gameplay and they look like horrible mannequins and you have to go back to redo them.

With the SSD speeds of modern consoles (minus the Switch), it would be cool if you could actually demo the character in gameplay environments and mock cutscenes before finalizing.
 

Dice

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,229
Canada
This would be cool. ....Or just make it easy to customize your face, i hate when stuff gets locked in.
 

IronFalcon1997

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 11, 2018
1,798
Isn't it annoying to make a character in a creator, look at closeups against a white void or blank grid, maybe spin them around, then go into the gameplay and they look like horrible mannequins and you have to go back to redo them.

With the SSD speeds of modern consoles (minus the Switch), it would be cool if you could actually demo the character in gameplay environments and mock cutscenes before finalizing.
Considering Xenoblade Chronicles X did this on the Wii U, I think it's something that's pretty achievable today lol
 

TissueBox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,989
Urinated States of America
It's always funny how even with all the lighting options, posing options, and expression samples, the minute you chara gets thrown into action in-game, you can hear Frankenstein foaming in the background.

Been askin' for this for a while now from games but yeah, this actually being integrated would be an extreme QOL assist! ;)
 

Gold Arsene

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
30,757
Soooo many times I think I found a character I like just to hate them in cutscenes. I 'd love a feature like this.
 

Viale

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,614
In Ff14, I made a character that I absolutely loved. Booted into the game and only then realized how short they were compared to everyone else. Considering editing a characters appearence costs $10 each time, I was not happy. Would definitely have appreciated more instances to see the character in first.



.... Or just an easier way of editing the dang character. Locked in character appearence suuuucks.
 

s y

Member
Nov 8, 2017
10,430
Off the top of my head, you can change the background/lighting setup during the character creation in Demons Souls, Monster Hunter World and Code Vein.
 
Oct 26, 2017
9,930
Cyberpunk was bad for this, the background and lighting for the creator was really dark so you didn't get a decent impression of how your character would look.
 
Nov 21, 2019
639
The new Demon's Souls remake's character creation looks quite authentic in-game for me although you don't really see your character's face that much in the game (I toggled helmets off though so I see him all the time). I think better-looking character creator is definitely on the card this gen. One possible alternative is to have the character creation happen in-game like in Greedfall (edit: and Fallout 4?) as the game starts with a cutscene of your character being painted by someone. Although the character creator in that game is not extensive at all, what you see is what you'll get if you have the character creation inside the game/cutscene itself instead of a separate blank background instance.
 

Astral

Member
Oct 27, 2017
28,043
In Ff14, I made a character that I absolutely loved. Booted into the game and only then realized how short they were compared to everyone else. Considering editing a characters appearence costs $10 each time, I was not happy. Would definitely have appreciated more instances to see the character in first.



.... Or just an easier way of editing the dang character. Locked in character appearence suuuucks.
My character ended up being taller than every other female Hyur in the game lol. I'm pretty sure I made her like 5'6". I'm kinda cool with it though. Some characters are at least as tall.

I also remember making my Inquisitor in Dragon Age Inquisition and then realizing he had bigass cheekbones in cutscenes.
 
OP
OP
Arta

Arta

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,445
One possible alternative is to have the character creation happen in-game like in Greedfall (edit: and Fallout 4?) as the game starts with a cutscene of your character being painted by someone. Although the character creator in that game is not extensive at all, what you see is what you'll get if you have the character creation inside the game/cutscene itself instead of a separate blank background instance.
It was using the character creation in Greedfall 20 minutes ago that inspired this thread actually. Yes it's cool to see the character in the game world but here it's still in the character creation angle in an enclosed space. My player looked good in CC and then suddenly odd and stiff once we got to cutscenes and gameplay.

Once the game starts, you can't just simply go back and edit anything that looks bad.
 

Rats

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,111
Just let me change anything about my appearance after initial creation is over, don't just limit it to hairstyles or whatever like some games do. I don't understand why facial structure is sacred. Let me worry about the immersion, game.
 
Nov 17, 2017
12,864
Considering Xenoblade Chronicles X did this on the Wii U, I think it's something that's pretty achievable today lol
I did like how that character creator let you change the lighting between a couple of settings that you'd encounter in the game world so you could see what the character looks like in each setting. It was especially helpful when making a character with dark skin because sometimes in character creators, you think you've picked a certain skin tone but the lighting in game makes it look way lighter.

Also the game just straight up lets you change your avatar later on and no one ever questions it.
 

Crushed

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,707
I think I must have walked through the half destroyed Normandy at the start of ME2 at least 5 times trying to tweak my imported Shepard's face to look like they weren't a Neanderthal in game
 
Nov 21, 2019
639
It was using the character creation in Greedfall 20 minutes ago that inspired this thread actually. Yes it's cool to see the character in the game world but here it's still in the character creation angle in an enclosed space. My player looked good in CC and then suddenly odd and stiff once we got to cutscenes and gameplay.

Once the game starts, you can't just simply go back and edit anything that looks bad.
Yep true I think your point should still be the next step in character creation. Hopefully it'll be a thing somehow.
 

Richietto

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,963
North Carolina
At least they should include lighting presets. There are so many games that have the cc in lighting conditions that don't exist at all in game so you never have a clear picture of how they look until it's too late.

I don't understand why developers even insist on only being able to change the way your cc looks at the time of creation. Like who cares if I want to change them 5 minutes or 20 hours into the game? Worst yet is making you pay for it. Still can't believe Monster Hunter world made it a micro transaction. Like what is this an MMO???
I think I must have walked through the half destroyed Normandy at the start of ME2 at least 5 times trying to tweak my imported Shepard's face to look like they weren't a Neanderthal in game
fuckin for real. Was so frustrating.
 

Zaied

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,552
As long as I can customize my character after starting the game (Fallout 4, Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma, Andromeda, etc.) it's not a dealbreaker for me. But when that option doesn't exist like in Cyberpunk 2077 recently, it really does become an annoyance, so this would definitely be a helpful addition to games like that.
 

Cerulean_skylark

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account.
Banned
Oct 31, 2017
6,408
ffxiv benchmarks let you create a character which is then inserted into the benchmarking cutscene. It can be a bit tough to get the best picture but it certainly helps.
 

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,622
Also letting you preview how helmets and face coverings will look on your created character. Really annoying to make a character with beards or long hair and the hair is clipping through your armor and masks
 

SunKing

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,544
Agreed.

I can't tell you how many times I replayed the prologue of Dragon Age: Inquisition because I finally saw my character in cutscenes and everything was off.
 

hwalker84

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,785
Pittsburgh
I hate my character in Cyberpunk but I thought (Oh well I'll change the character later because a game like this you'll definitely be able to later)..... sigh
 

Richietto

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,963
North Carolina
I hate my character in Cyberpunk but I thought (Oh well I'll change the character later because a game like this you'll definitely be able to later)..... sigh
I still can't believe the game doesn't have a plastic surgery vendor. Like I thought we would be able to fully cyberize our characters but nope. Can't change your face and all you get is some mantis blades or gorilla arms. Laaame.
 

Urishizu

Dead Drop Studios Founder
Verified
Nov 5, 2017
885
My Mass Effect 1 character with a somehow incredibly long neck that only shows in cutscenes agrees with you.
 
Oct 27, 2017
12,055
Absolutely. Just recently I made a character in Cyberpunk and started over after about 15 minutes because I just didn't like how my character looked in Photo Mode.
 

batfax

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,395
PSO2's character creation demo did exactly this back in 2012. Also served as a benchmark test.

No idea why it's not more common.
 

Phellps

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,800
Yeah, at least have a few different background and lighting options during creation to allow you to test the character in various environments.

Or, the bare minimum, allow us to edit the character mid-game. At least that way we can try to fix it.
 

Magog

Banned
Jan 9, 2021
561
I'm sure it is. But dragon's dogma and saints row managed it. I'm sure most other Devs could too.

Two great games. Allowing you to create not only your main character but also your sidekicks was a great part of Dragon's Dogma along with the rather epic battle system. Saint's Row for me was great because it emphasized fun while GTA was going for Eastern European cousin simulator and midlife crisis misery simulator.
 

JumbiePrime

Member
Feb 16, 2019
1,877
Bklyn
Nothing like spending a ridiculous amount of time making a character just for them to start speaking and it's like

PXYIIsF.gif
 
Oct 27, 2017
776
The amount of times I've started over immediately upon entering the game is ridiculous at this point. I hate spending hours making the perfect character only to find the nose suddenly looks massive due to in-game lighting.

I think a little demo area with proper lighting/shadows and basic enemies to attack would be perfect. It would also be beneficial for those of us who spend hours obsessively tweaking options like brightness, controller sensitivity, etc. Typically the first few hours of every game I'm constantly going into settings to change things as I enter new areas with different lighting or come across new enemies. If I could do that in a little tutorial area, boy that would be lovely!
 

Jiraiya

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,279
Not gonna lie...i rarely make bad looking characters even on the first try. I'll still take the options to do them anytime after or use in game environments.
 
Jan 10, 2018
6,927
To take this a step even further I would like to look at combat animations in the creation menu also. My dream feature would be a button press that got rid of the menu and then gave you direct control over the character, kind of like the loading screens in Bayonetta.
 

IronFalcon1997

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 11, 2018
1,798
I did like how that character creator let you change the lighting between a couple of settings that you'd encounter in the game world so you could see what the character looks like in each setting. It was especially helpful when making a character with dark skin because sometimes in character creators, you think you've picked a certain skin tone but the lighting in game makes it look way lighter.

Also the game just straight up lets you change your avatar later on and no one ever questions it.
They even have a lore reason for why you can do this and it makes perfect sense! I love the amount of thought that Monolithsoft puts into their games
 

AndyD

Mambo Number PS5
Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,602
Nashville
I wonder if it's because cut scenes and live action sometimes uses different resolutions or mesh maps.
 
Oct 29, 2017
7,500
I can't tell you how many times I replayed the prologue of Dragon Age: Inquisition because I finally saw my character in cutscenes and everything was off.

Dragon Age Inquisition is the all time worst offender because character creation takes place in the Fade which is dim and tinted green.

All games should let you re-customize your appearance at any time. No excuse.
 

Deleted member 864

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,544
I love when games (like Code Vein and Xenoblade Chronicles X) give you different lighting samples to test what your character will look like in them during the CC process.

Any other options like this would be great.
 

hwalker84

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,785
Pittsburgh
I still can't believe the game doesn't have a plastic surgery vendor. Like I thought we would be able to fully cyberize our characters but nope. Can't change your face and all you get is some mantis blades or gorilla arms. Laaame.
I couldn't even fathom that this type of game wouldn't have a plastic surgery vendor. The thought never crossed my mind or i would've spent another hour.
 

Flandy

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,445
Would be nice if games just let you change character appearance at any time
I think I must have walked through the half destroyed Normandy at the start of ME2 at least 5 times trying to tweak my imported Shepard's face to look like they weren't a Neanderthal in game
This is why I just settled on default Shepard. My original shepard was horrific. Honestly tempted to dig out my PS3 to see how bad he looks