Characters

[andygeers]

Hi all,

 

I'm in the process of writing my own adventure game, and I'm having a bit of an internal tussle about player motivations. To what extent do you think that the player has to want to be the character that they play? I've heard Tim Schafer talking about Full Throttle in terms of Ben being this really macho character that everybody dreams of being, compared to the weedier characters like Guybrush or Bernard from Day of the Tentacle. But personally, DOTT is my favourite game of the lot, in spite of that. Is that because I already relate to Bernard by being a bit of a geek?? ;-)

 

Alternatively, is the scenario itself what's important? Can I put up with Guybrush simply because the theme of wanting to be a pirate is what grabs you? Can I put up with Bernard simply because everybody loves trying to save the world?

 

If the game world is rich and vibrant enough, to what extent is it necessary for the lead character/plot to be fantasy fulfilment?

[jp-30]

Guybrush & Bernard my not be tough like Ben, but they believe in their cause and the "everyman" being thrust into an unlikely situation and making good is the staple of a lot of classic movie and book. Ben is more escapism.

 

One of the few characters I've played and hated was Brian in Runaway, a huge jerk who won't put his hand in mud to retrieve a spanner that he needed.

 

You can be a wimp / nerd as long as long as you're not a dick.

[Ascovel]

For me the character that attracted me the most in DOTT was Laverne. I was just completely mesmerized by her huge eyes, her voice and her strange walking.

[Nickelstein]

In my opinion i think the Guybrush-type charcter is the best. I can relate to Guybrush because we are pretty much alike. We try to act cool, professional or normal but we end making fools of ourselves. Another reason is that Guybrush is mysterious. We never know about his origins or family. We don't even know how he arrived to Melee Island or why he left his home (if he even had one). The most strange thing is that we don't know why he wants to become a pirate, which is a life filled with danger and death. Most notably we never see any emotions of greif or remorse when Guybrush accidently turns Elaine into a gold statue in CMI. This shows that Guybrush is good at hiding his feelings or problems.

[Goldblum]

And he's a lovable idiot. It depends on the story arc, what kind of tale are you telling? What is the setting, etc?

[neon_git]

I think having a character that players want to be is good for attracting players to the game in the first place, but what will keep a player playing (or keep me playing anyway) is that they can relate to the main character. If I understand what motivates a character and empathise with them then I want to help them reach their goal.

[Goldblum]

They need personality though. You don't want a Master Chief or a Fido from GTA III.

[Nickelstein]

They need personality though. You don't want a Master Chief or a Fido from GTA III.

 

To be honest Guybrush never really showed any real personality. A few bits here and there but thats about it. Its really up to the player to form their own personality in Guybrush.

[Goldblum]

He showed plenty of personality, at least for me. I think it was most fleshed out in COMI, but he has more to him that you probably give him credit for.

[Nickelstein]

He showed plenty of personality, at least for me. I think it was most fleshed out in COMI, but he has more to him that you probably give him credit for.

 

For me he just seemed mysterious especially when it came to his parents and origins. He just never mentions them even to Elaine.

[andygeers]

Thanks guys, this is all really helpful stuff! I suppose I'm just fairly conscious that I have basically written my whole game story and yet still don't really have the faintest idea what my character is like! I think I may have to try to rewrite it a little so that the character is in some way responsible for some of the twists and turns - at the moment they're too much of an observer. A friend pointed out how it was Bernard who was responsible for untying Purple Tentacle, and obviously we've already mentioned the way Guybrush turns Elaine into a gold statue and so on

[neon_git]

I think rewriting the story so the main character isn't just a spectator to events is an absolute must. It's very important that a player feels that they are having an affect on the game world, otherwise they wont have the motivation to continue.

 

I'd recommend you read Randy Ingermanson's guide to writing a novel - obviously it is aimed at stroy telling in a different medium but I think lots (nearly all) of his advice is transferable to videogames.

 

I don't know if you're already aware of it, and of course you're always welcome here - I'm not trying to shoo you away , but Tigsource has an excellent community of indie game developers who talk about any and all topics relating to game design. They may be more knowledgeable on these matters than us.

 

Keep us posted on how you're getting on either way.

[andygeers]

I'd recommend you read Randy Ingermanson's guide to writing a novel - obviously it is aimed at stroy telling in a different medium but I think lots (nearly all) of his advice is transferable to videogames.

 

Sorry I never replied to this - I found this page REALLY helpful, so thanks a lot for the link! The whole approach of gradually building something up in stages is really useful.

 

I've given Tigsource a quick look as well. It looks similar to Gamedev.net where I also hang out.