Character Customization!
I want Character Customization on par with Saints Row 2 or APB. (Gender, race, body type, face customization, tattoos, scars, layered clothing with many choices). Let me create my own character, a unique character, and do no limit my choices. The world of Cyberpunk is a melting pot of races and cultures. If you plan to include voices, limit it to two, one male, one female, speaking without discernable accent. If variety in voices is necessary, give us a tool to change the pitch of the voices.
Customization differences by zone. For instance, in most of the city you would have standard options. Normal and edge wear clothes, but in Nomad areas the clothing would be leathers and football pads, the mad max/Fallout look. In a Corporate Section the clothing stores would offer suits and high end fashion.
In addition to character appearance, it would be necessary to give us options that reflect the Roles. Solo's, Nomads, Medtechs, Fixers, etc... Roles should merely provide bonuses to certain skills. Players should be able to choose a Primary Role, but should be able to assign points to all the others as they see fit, as well as to skills. In addition, the Primary Role chosen should have an effect on how the story unfolds. The missions of the game remain the same, only for people with different roles, the order in which they come, and the objectives of the mission itself changes. For instance, if you are playing a Netrunner, one mission might have you trying to infiltrate a drug deal, using your hacking skills to record the entire thing for black mail. But if you are playing a Cop, your objective is to arrest the main dealer. Or if you are playing a Solo, your job is to protect the dealer from the cops who bust in. Or if you are playing a Nomad, you are the getaway driver for the dealer. The missions are all the same, but why you are there and what you are doing would change depending on your role and choices within the game. That way, even though the missions are exactly the same in subsequent play-thrus, it will always feel unique. Imagine how interesting this could get in a co-op style game?
I also kind of like the idea that the Primary Role you choose might determine where you start the game... say if you are a Solo, you first appear at the airport, coming back from a job. If you are a Cop, you appear at the precinct. If you are a Nomad, you first appear outside the city and have to drive in...
An OPTIONAL lifepath would also be nice, a randomly generated history for your character that may influence the way some NPC's react with you, maybe have an enemy that keeps randomly spawning and coming after you in the game, creates an event or encounter in the game, or maybe opens up options to your early.
How awesome it would be if at various stages of the game, you could save a "character sheet" to the hard drive (if playing on a console), then transfer it to your PC and print it off. Or even be able to do it in reverse, take your favorite character, and input his stats and skills and lifepath in the game... maybe as a bonus that unlocks after you have beaten the game. That way you could truly merge the video game and the Pen and Paper game. .
I want Character Customization on par with Saints Row 2 or APB. (Gender, race, body type, face customization, tattoos, scars, layered clothing with many choices). Let me create my own character, a unique character, and do no limit my choices. The world of Cyberpunk is a melting pot of races and cultures. If you plan to include voices, limit it to two, one male, one female, speaking without discernable accent. If variety in voices is necessary, give us a tool to change the pitch of the voices.
Customization differences by zone. For instance, in most of the city you would have standard options. Normal and edge wear clothes, but in Nomad areas the clothing would be leathers and football pads, the mad max/Fallout look. In a Corporate Section the clothing stores would offer suits and high end fashion.
In addition to character appearance, it would be necessary to give us options that reflect the Roles. Solo's, Nomads, Medtechs, Fixers, etc... Roles should merely provide bonuses to certain skills. Players should be able to choose a Primary Role, but should be able to assign points to all the others as they see fit, as well as to skills. In addition, the Primary Role chosen should have an effect on how the story unfolds. The missions of the game remain the same, only for people with different roles, the order in which they come, and the objectives of the mission itself changes. For instance, if you are playing a Netrunner, one mission might have you trying to infiltrate a drug deal, using your hacking skills to record the entire thing for black mail. But if you are playing a Cop, your objective is to arrest the main dealer. Or if you are playing a Solo, your job is to protect the dealer from the cops who bust in. Or if you are playing a Nomad, you are the getaway driver for the dealer. The missions are all the same, but why you are there and what you are doing would change depending on your role and choices within the game. That way, even though the missions are exactly the same in subsequent play-thrus, it will always feel unique. Imagine how interesting this could get in a co-op style game?
I also kind of like the idea that the Primary Role you choose might determine where you start the game... say if you are a Solo, you first appear at the airport, coming back from a job. If you are a Cop, you appear at the precinct. If you are a Nomad, you first appear outside the city and have to drive in...
An OPTIONAL lifepath would also be nice, a randomly generated history for your character that may influence the way some NPC's react with you, maybe have an enemy that keeps randomly spawning and coming after you in the game, creates an event or encounter in the game, or maybe opens up options to your early.
How awesome it would be if at various stages of the game, you could save a "character sheet" to the hard drive (if playing on a console), then transfer it to your PC and print it off. Or even be able to do it in reverse, take your favorite character, and input his stats and skills and lifepath in the game... maybe as a bonus that unlocks after you have beaten the game. That way you could truly merge the video game and the Pen and Paper game. .
