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Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 7:44 am
by jack1974
Yes, though now that I remember, the game takes place in a very warm region, so not sure how much practical that would be :lol:

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:37 am
by DunKalar
You can include small ventillators in her dress ^^ or her umbrella could be a huge ventilator xD

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 12:32 pm
by Lonestar51
Not sure about how hot the region is supposed to be, and not sure about the capabilities of the airships, but...

Temperature decreases with height. In 10km height (Airliners) the temperature is about -40°C (think Sibiria in Winter). No Airship is likely to reach that high, but they can be said to fly where it is cool but not freezing. So the dress might be the flight dress of aircrew.

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 12:47 pm
by jack1974
Yes true. Well even if doesn't post often, I know Fen reads the forums so this discussion will still be useful to him!

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:01 pm
by P_Tigras
jack1974 wrote:Yes, though now that I remember, the game takes place in a very warm region, so not sure how much practical that would be :lol:
Just remove the shoulders for a strapless version. Instant ventilation, and mighty hot to boot... :mrgreen:

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:27 am
by jack1974
I just heard back from Fen, a sneak preview should appear again soon, and he said will answer some posts in forums directly :)

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:16 pm
by FenCayne
ValHallen wrote:Welcome back FenCayne. I hope everything is fine for ypu now, keep the good work!
and remember the beard!!!!!
I've got some fine reference images which I hope will inspire the artist to hitherto unimagined heights of beard portrayal in RPGs :lol:

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:47 pm
by FenCayne
Lonestar51 wrote:
FenCayne wrote:So what makes an attractive character for you? Is it physical appearance (whatever floats your boat in that regard), personality, attitude (reserved, extrovert, gung-ho or laid-back: Indiana Jones – in the classroom or in the field – or the Big Lebowski), or some more elusive 'aura' (for want of a better word)?
Well, appearence may *cough* *cough* play a role if I buy a game or not. Specifically, Reid in Spirited Heart ... (Oh no, I am so shallow... ;-) ) Please look her up, she is not as slim as most characters.
I think it's safe to say that most of the characters won't be mistaken for supermodels, but for romanceable NPCs, depending on the artist, it's a fine line between quirky and off-putting. Hopefully we'll provide a happy medium. :)
Regarding char personality, maybe you should provide variety. And do not be afraid of going too far, it is better to have an interesting cast where the player hates one or two of them, than to have a bland cast where the player just says meh. (There was a bit of discussion about meh elsewhere in the forum...) IIRC jack wrote that it would be difficult to retain all the people the player meets in the party, so if the player ... "dislikes" some NPC on sight it should be easy to ditch that one. Well, there is also the issue: if an NPC has unique and vital skills AND is disliked by the player, then the game would become a lot harder suddenly. Or impossible. Please avoid this, otherwise I am fine with a cast which has wide variety, even including some I dislike.
Yeah, these are valid concerns, and one of the toughest parts of the writer's craft is making characters interesting and not irritating when the player is going to spend most of the game their company. No doubt there are partners of people we know who cause us to wonder how our friends put up with them, and similarly in Roger Steel, certain party characters are (hopefully!) going to become universally liked, and some relegated to being cult favourites. (Hopefully none will be universally disliked >.<)

A particular related issue I'm dealing with at the moment is how to make an international cast of characters play true to their cultures and upbringings without becoming stereotypes, one-dimensional, or simply a checklist of random positive and negative traits. Just one of the problems arising from setting the game in a world nominally related to the one we live in! :lol: (for other problems, see the first Sneak Preview thread :wink:)

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:01 pm
by FenCayne
Maelora wrote: As to 'unconventionally attractive NPCs', I'm all for it. I get really bored of the parade of identical pretty-boy bishies that are male love interests in most games. Most of the time I can't tell them apart. A male LI who was older or rugged could still be handsome, just a bit different from the usual fare.
Hopefully we'll be OK here :wink:
And for lesbian love interests, I wouldn't mind a girl who looks like a bit 'dykier' for a change. All the girls seem to look like straight girls, with long hair and massive cleavage. She could still be pretty, just more boyish in how she looks, speaks and dresses.
... and here. As I mentioned before, being unconventionally attractive is a difficult trick for an artist to pull off, but I'm sure Jack knows just the one for the job :)
The protagonist in 'Love & Order' actually gives off a lesbian vibe, being pretty but not ultra-feminine. Then there's characters such as Marian Hawke or Aveline Vallen in Dragon Age, or Rebecca Chambers and Sherry Birkin in Resident Evil.
Great examples. I was particularly struck by Aveline's model. Not a conventional beauty but a striking character, well-developed. It would have been even more interesting if she could be romanced and Isabella placed out of bounds :twisted:
I'm all for NPCs who can die or leave, too. Killing Mesphit was my favourite part of the 'Loren' game outside of Karen's romance :)
Yeah. The problem is killing off a character that players become attached to which might ruin the game for them. Of course, Mesphit was a choice. The third alternative is to allow the player to choose who gets offed but insist that one does, a la Mass Effect ...

Re: Sneak Preview #21 - Roger Steel: Missing in Action

Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:12 pm
by jack1974
FenCayne wrote:... and here. As I mentioned before, being unconventionally attractive is a difficult trick for an artist to pull off, but I'm sure Jack knows just the one for the job :)
I think Loren's artist can draw that kind of female looking boyish rather well. Imagine Elenor (who has short hair) with smaller breast size and dressed with more male clothing and I think is already good :)