Out of Character: how to design good game characters

Michel Sabbagh a game designer/writer from Montreal, Quebec

Video games are a form of visual art, meaning that they can be judged by how they look and how they represent the animate and inanimate objects in the game world. This explains why physical characteristics matter a lot when crafting characters for your game. Take physique, for instance. Most of the time, physique can convey a characters traits: is he thin and frail? Must be a weak character. Brawny and tall? Likely to be a brute. Thats not always the right assumption, but it is the first one we usually make when we meet a character for the first time, and before he opens his mouth. This is critical when designing the protagonist as he is the character youll be controlling in the game and taking a look at what he looks like will give you a good idea of what he is capable of. Its also important when designing enemies and bosses. Nothing is more frustrating than meeting a frail goblin in an RPG only to realize he takes away three-quarters of your health with one hit (and no, displaying his level on his head does not excuse his misleading appearance).

Another important aspect of physical character design is the silhouette. Silhouettes are important for several reasons: they help distinguish characters from each other and against the environment, allowing the designer to essentially test the characters level of distinction. Distinction is important when it comes to crafting memorable characters, both mentally and physically. Take, for example, the cast of the recently-announced Overwatch. All of the characters on offer are unique in their own way, but their silhouettes give you a clear idea of their personalities as well as their gameplay characteristics. Big and bulky characters such as Winston look like the type of character that can withstand lots of damage, whereas slim and winged classes like Tracer and Pharah give you the impression that these characters are quite nimble and mobile...and thats before you even got a chance to try them out yourself! Point is, silhouettes can really help you determine whether or not your characters are distinctive enough.

So thats what defines a character. Now comes the tricky part: what should you do to ensure that your character is likable and relatable? What shouldnt you do when designing characters? I mentioned a few dos and donts while taking a look at the anatomy of a game character, but I think it would be useful to summarize them in a few short sentences:

MAKE YOUR CHARACTER DISTINCTIVE:

it doesnt matter if your character is objectively likable or interesting. If he cant stand out from the pack, then he is bound to get lost in the masses. Good characters always have that unique trait that helps define their personality or appearance. You could have a robotic character in your largely humanoid RPG roster (HK-47 comes to mind), or you could include someone who is trigger-happy and doesnt take anything seriously (Haggard from Bad Company is a good example). What you end up with is a character thats memorable simply because he is unlike any of the other characters that populate the game world. Distinctiveness can make a character interesting.

DONT USE STEREOTYPING:

Whats worse than an uninspired character? An uninspired character thats actually a walking stereotype. Stereotypes are the bane of good character design: they strip the character of any individuality and turn him into an absolute bore to listen to and/or look at. Its not only cheap, but its also grossly offensive in some cases. Dead Island is a perfect example of a fun game thats marred by its characters. From the butchered accents to the shallow personalities, the characters in Dead Island have no redeeming quality whatsoever. And the one-liners they utter while slaying the undead made me want to mute the game altogether. And I rarely mute the games Im playing. Theres a reason why people hate stereotypes: they reduce individuals to a set of preconceived traits that are sometimes exaggerated for comedic effect. 'Stock characters' can really take you out of the experience and destroy any semblance of immersion.

So what does the future hold for game character design? Well, like many other mediums, video gaming is going through a phase, one that will potentially open the door to more opportunities and considerations when creating game characters. Remember when movies only featured white people and very few, if any, minorities (and the ones that are included are sometimes offensively stereotypical)? Well, that has changed over the past 50 years. Now movies include characters that are portrayed by actors from different backgrounds. Gaming was born roughly 50 years ago, so its only a matter of time before we see characters that arent only gruff or white. We want characters with myriad personalities and appearances in our games, not just one-liners-spewing dudebros with little to no character development. So what can we do to make sure that we see a more diverse cast of characters?

BE CREATIVE AND OPEN TO NEW IDEAS:

Gaming is a form of art, and art allows people with different interests and ideas to express themselves with little to no restrictions. Dont be afraid to come up with characters that people have never seen before. Are you thinking of crafting a fez-wearing snowman with hooks for hands and robotic legs? Do it. Or maybe you want to create a security droid with a TV for a head? Go for it. Of course, you have to find a way to fit your characters into your game world, but whatever you do, dont let the norm fool you: gamers arent only interested in dudebros. They just dont want to admit it. Remember, its YOUR game. Do what you want with it, and dont be afraid to surprise your audience with your original creation. Maybe your original creation will become the norm! L

剩余内容已隐藏，支付完成后下载完整资料

怎样设计出优秀的游戏角色

Michel Sabbagh a game designer/writer from Montreal, Quebec

视频游戏是一种视觉艺术的形式，也就是说，我们可以由它们所呈现出的来进行评判以及它们如何在游戏世界中来表现有生命和无生命的对象。这就解释了为什么角色的外观特征在游戏人物制作中会非常重要。以体格为例。大多数情况下，体格可以传达一个角色的的特征︰瘦小且虚弱的角色性格是什么？肯定是弱小的。强壮且挺拔的呢？应该会是一个粗鲁的角色。可能这并不总是正确的假设，但在他说话之前，这些通常就是我们第一眼看到这个角色就会有的想法。当设计主角时，因为你会在游戏中控制他，当看到他的外形就会了解他的能力，这会是一个好的想法，当设计敌人和boss时这尤为重要。没有什么比在RPG游戏中遇到一个虚弱的地精更让人沮丧的了，因为你会意识到他一次攻击就会夺走你四分之三的健康值 （我的意思是，在他的头上显示的等级并不能符合他迷惑性的外表）。

另一个身体特征设计的重要方面是体型。体型是重要的，有以下几个原因：它们有助于区分在不同环境中的不同角色，也可以被设计师用来区分角色的等级。当制作令人难忘的角色时这种区别是很重要的，无论是精神上还是身体上。例如，在最近公布的《守望先锋》中，所有出现的角色都是独一无二的，但他们的体型却给你一个清晰的概念，你甚至能想象出他们的个性以及他们的游戏中的特色。看起来高大而笨重的人物如Winston，在游戏中是可以承受大量伤害的类型，而苗条、有翅膀的角色Tracer和pharah给你相当灵活和擅长移动的印象hellip;，甚至这是在你有机会尝试一下这款游戏之前就会有的印象！重要的是，体型真的能帮助你确定你的角色是否足够与众不同。

这就是所定义的角色。现在碰到棘手的部分︰ 你应该怎么做来确保你的角色是讨喜且人性的呢？在设计角色时，你不应该做什么？我提到一些在角色设计时该做的和不该做的，同时考虑到游戏角色的剖析，我认为用下面这些短短的句子是可以总结的︰

使你的角色与众不同

如果你的角色是客观上就讨喜或有趣的也没有关系。如果他不能脱颖而出，那么他一定就会被玩家们遗忘。好的角色总是有独特的特质来帮助他们定义自己的个性或外表。你可以在你的角色名单有一个仿人的机器人角色（由HK-47想到的），或者你可以加入那些好战的和不认真的角色（像战地bad company里的Haggard就是一个很好的例子）。你最终将会得到的是一个会被玩家记住的角色，仅仅因为他和游戏世界里的其他角色不同。独特性可以使角色变得有趣。

不要模式化

有什么比一个平庸的角色更糟吗？一个平凡的人物，实际上是一个无聊的老套想法。老套的想法往往是一个好的角色设计的祸根：他们会剥去角色的个性，把他变成一个绝对无聊的事物去听和/或看。它不仅便宜，而且在某些情况下也很不好。《死亡岛》是一个完美的例子，一个有趣的游戏，却被他的角色完全破坏。从屠杀时的口音，肤浅的个性，在《死亡岛》中的角色没有任何可取的质量。他们杀不死族同时说出的俏皮话，使我想要完全静音。我很少静音玩一个游戏。还有一个原因，为什么人们讨厌刻板印象：他们减少个人预先设定的特质，有时是夸张的喜剧的效果。”常备角色“真的可以把你从经验中解放出来，摧毁任何你会沉浸在其中的假象。

那么游戏角色设计的未来是什么？像许多其他媒体一样，视频游戏正在经历一个阶段，这一阶段将在创造游戏角色时拥有更多的机会和想法。还记得电影只有白色的人很少，如果有的话，少数种族（这包括那些不定型的）？嗯，在过去的50年里改变了。现在电影包括由不同背景演员扮演的角色。游戏大约是50年前诞生的，所以在我们看到的角色不只是粗暴的或白色的之前，它只是一个时间的问题。我们想让角色性格在我们无数出场的，不只是一个轮番喷涌毫无个性发展的dudebros。那么，我们能做些什么来确保我们可以看到一个更多元化的游戏角色呢？

创新，开放新的思想

游戏是一种艺术形式，艺术让人们有不同的兴趣和想法来没有任何限制地表达自己。不要害怕拿出人们从来没有见过的角色。你想做一个戴着毡帽的对手和机器人的腿钩的雪人吗？那就这样做吧。或者你想创建一个拥有电视头的机器人？努力去完成吧。当然，你必须找到一个适合你的角色进入你的游戏世界，但无论你做什么，不要让规范欺骗你：玩家不再只对dudebros感兴趣了。他们只是不想承认。记住，这是你的游戏。做你想做的事，不要害怕用你最初的创造来让玩家惊讶。也许你的原创将成为常态！看看TF2，例如：像《守望先锋》这类游戏的灵感显然来自Valve公司的F2P的杰作，角色的个性设计，和TF2游戏方式非常相似，更别说FPS类的游戏。

为您的游戏，而不是多样性决定您的角色

我知道我提到了多样性很多，但你必须记住，你的角色需要在游戏世界中有一个目的。如果你仅仅因为你认为它会取悦玩家而使你的角色多样化，那你就错了。根据游戏世界的不同，设计和改变你的角色，而不是根据市场目前的元素缺乏。《时空分裂者》是一个为游戏而进行角色设计的很好的例子：它是一个时间旅行类的科幻FPS，所以会出现不同的时间、地点hellip;和各种造型不同的角色。不死牧师，姜饼人，忍者猴子，由你来决定他的名字。当然，不是每一个游戏都是古怪的或超现实的。如果你的游戏在本质上是现实的，那么你将不得花更多工夫去设计讨人喜欢的角色。也许不同的服装风格和个性会有效效果。谁知道呢？但请确保你的不同角色有目的和意义。不要仅仅因为你希望你的角色名单看起来很有眼光。

剩余内容已隐藏，支付完成后下载完整资料

资料编号：[18660]，资料为PDF文档或Word文档，PDF文档可免费转换为Word