custom character feedback

[jack1974]

I wanted some feedback
In this game you can customize your character a lot. You can choose male/female, but also your race and profession.
Because of this high customization, the romance CGs are seen in first person. It was the ONLY choice possible: otherwise I should have done, for EACH CG, 4 variants! (one for each race) and in some cases x 2 (like the Nagas that are bisex). So instead of 6 CGs, I would have needed 6 x 4 = 24 CGs which is slightly too much

So regarding the main character, my idea is to have a sort of paperdoll/dress up character, like Queen Of Thieves. I am planning to show it as portrait when he/she talks, on the side of the dialogue box, like happens in some visual novels.
I could perhaps do it waist-up, however the difference vs existing art would be noticeable (I would use another artist to do the portrait). Also could look even more weird since in the CGs the character is not seen? if during the whole game the main character is never seen apart the portrait near the dialogue would seems OK to see the first person CGs I think?

Would be doing only the portraits be OK?

[OhHaiMe]

If the art would be notability different,the best choice might be to just never show the main character at all.

[jack1974]

I have in mind two artists for this, one made Lynn's mother (the rightmost character) and I think the style/coloring matches enough the previous style:

the other is Undead Lily artist (you can see some artwork in the forum) which is similar too but if people want to be nit-picking the difference can be seen

[mastro]

If it's never seen in CG, maximum the portrait. You would have much more complaints from people if you showed it in game and then not in the CGS in my opinion.

[DarkWolf]

While I voted no as I am against the whole first person perspective thing in VNs and think it would be better to have only 2 (Male and Female) normal protagonists then bunch you only get to see as some portrait, honestly I would still bay a game as while I don't like that one thing I do like many other things in this game. And if we take in mind that if we get waist-up characters that are not only portraits would also mean lover quality art for those, I am not sure what I would prefer.

That said I really do hope that at least customizable characters don't end up looking like random villager A & B witch for me is even bigger worry then portrait only VS waist-up.

[jack1974]

Not lower quality, just different styles.
But maybe the best solution for this specific case is not having the main character shown at all. It worked for Bionic Heart, nobody complained about that and while the writing was average (since I wrote it myself) people liked the story/characters. So maybe doing those portraits wouldn't benefit the game at all

[BobTheMob]

I think either of the artists would be great for this, if we were to have a customizable character, an idea I fully endorse.

But dude, Jack...

...Bionic Heart, nobody complained about that and while the writing was average (since I wrote it myself)...

(Facepalm) Quit saying that about your work, will ya Brother?!
Bionic Heart esp. was a MASTERPIECE, esp. considering it was a branching thing; that couldn't have been easy!

[jack1974]

Thanks Anyways, aske on Twitter (I am not really an expert of Japanese VNs) and basically "first person view" is super common (I didn't know). So even if I decided to go with that, it's not like is something weird or never seen before, rather the opposite.

[Franka]

Yeah, faceless protagonists are almost a running joke with how often it's done in Japanese VNs. You'll often have a body with a blank face, but sometimes not even that.

[jack1974]

I think I'll go with portrait with option to turn it off should be enough!