- Jul 31, 2018
- 562
- 894
I want to make a game where the player is the MC, and while it seemed obvious at first, there are a lot of nuances involved, not just in terms of story building and the Omniscient Narrator, but also just practical concerns (rendering scenes)
1) Do you see the MC in 3rd person or all First Person POV?
a) FPPOV: Just his hands and uh...body parts in 3rd person (DmD, DoD, Babysitter) Just noticed in Acting Lessons we get the MC's chin in a close hug shot.
b) Mostly FPOV, but sex is 3rd person model (Man of the House)
c) Mostly 3rd person (Babysitter-although a lot of dialogue is in FPPOV)
Guessing a lot of this is driven by the artist's skill with staging/framing scenes. I can't relate personally to being the kid 3D model in MoTH, but do love how the rest of the game is framed as a FPPOV otherwise.
2) Do you read the MC's internal thoughts?
Almost every game has this I think? I like how Depraved Awakenings uses the weary detective talking to himself approach. I don't like games that put tons of "wow I can see her nipples through that dress!" thoughts into the game-isn't that what the Daz3D show nipple render is for? I just relate much less to MCs who have internal thoughts that comment on every scene, as they aren't *my* thoughts.
3) Do you see the other characters' internal thoughts?
This is a big one-I understand why it is there, but it also takes me out of the game somewhat. I like how Acting Lessons has the little "Melissa likes that" or "Liam will remember that" hints. I like how Man of the House conveys this through physical expressions (and email diaries) instead of thought bubbles.
4) Do you witness scenes of other characters where the MC is not physically present?
Conversations between two characters outside of the MC's presence, i.e. the Daughter and Elena in DmD, Elena and the other friend in DmD, etc...Acting Lessons also has this-both in Flashbacks (which I like) and in just conversations (there is one scene between Megan and Melissa that reveals to the player how they feel about the MC-which is moving, but then how are you, as the MC, supposed to pretend you don't know?)
It is the Omniscient Narrator Approach, which is fine, but it also makes my decisions quite different if I know what the other characters are actually doing/thinking behind my back.
I know it is easy to stand outside of the process and criticize why things aren't made exactly how I want them to be, LOL., and I'm sure making my own game will bury me in humility and doubt. But I am curious how other devs approached these issues (or didn't care about them), and how players feel about them (or don't care about them)
(This thread was influenced by reading this amazing
1) Do you see the MC in 3rd person or all First Person POV?
a) FPPOV: Just his hands and uh...body parts in 3rd person (DmD, DoD, Babysitter) Just noticed in Acting Lessons we get the MC's chin in a close hug shot.
b) Mostly FPOV, but sex is 3rd person model (Man of the House)
c) Mostly 3rd person (Babysitter-although a lot of dialogue is in FPPOV)
Guessing a lot of this is driven by the artist's skill with staging/framing scenes. I can't relate personally to being the kid 3D model in MoTH, but do love how the rest of the game is framed as a FPPOV otherwise.
2) Do you read the MC's internal thoughts?
Almost every game has this I think? I like how Depraved Awakenings uses the weary detective talking to himself approach. I don't like games that put tons of "wow I can see her nipples through that dress!" thoughts into the game-isn't that what the Daz3D show nipple render is for? I just relate much less to MCs who have internal thoughts that comment on every scene, as they aren't *my* thoughts.
3) Do you see the other characters' internal thoughts?
This is a big one-I understand why it is there, but it also takes me out of the game somewhat. I like how Acting Lessons has the little "Melissa likes that" or "Liam will remember that" hints. I like how Man of the House conveys this through physical expressions (and email diaries) instead of thought bubbles.
4) Do you witness scenes of other characters where the MC is not physically present?
Conversations between two characters outside of the MC's presence, i.e. the Daughter and Elena in DmD, Elena and the other friend in DmD, etc...Acting Lessons also has this-both in Flashbacks (which I like) and in just conversations (there is one scene between Megan and Melissa that reveals to the player how they feel about the MC-which is moving, but then how are you, as the MC, supposed to pretend you don't know?)
It is the Omniscient Narrator Approach, which is fine, but it also makes my decisions quite different if I know what the other characters are actually doing/thinking behind my back.
I know it is easy to stand outside of the process and criticize why things aren't made exactly how I want them to be, LOL., and I'm sure making my own game will bury me in humility and doubt. But I am curious how other devs approached these issues (or didn't care about them), and how players feel about them (or don't care about them)
(This thread was influenced by reading this amazing
You must be registered to see the links
- these thoughts are not 'Tropes', but they are integral to how I enjoy a game)