@ Chris: Weren't you okay with being Wei Shen in Sleeping Dogs? Or Niko in GTA? or Marston in RDR?
inb4 not RPGs.
inb4 not RPGs.
Not RPGS.
You know what, in some ways I felt those games were VERY much RPGs. Because you aren't playing yourself. Dragon made a point earlier about not playing herself in these RPGs, so not minding issues of gender or name or whatever the topic was. Pet-murder probably.
And she has a point. If you are role-playing, you are trying to get in someone else's head. If you're wandering around with your "own" character, how is that role-playing? Most of the time it's just you with less brakes, better abs and the ability to reload after you've been stupid or unlucky.
Playing as Geralt or Niko, I really did spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I would do in their role.
And being Niko suuuuucked.
You know what, in some ways I felt those games were VERY much RPGs. Because you aren't playing yourself. Dragon made a point earlier about not playing herself in these RPGs, so not minding issues of gender or name or whatever the topic was. Pet-murder probably.
And she has a point. If you are role-playing, you are trying to get in someone else's head. If you're wandering around with your "own" character, how is that role-playing? Most of the time it's just you with less brakes, better abs and the ability to reload after you've been stupid or unlucky.
Playing as Geralt or Niko, I really did spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I would do in their role.
And being Niko suuuuucked.
Never played Sleeping Dogs or RDR. I've never played Saint's Row either.
Last GTA game I played was the 1997 origional.
I have played Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Deus Ex, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Deus Ex: Human Revelution, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas and many others.
What I was called in these games made no real difference to me. I would have rather picked my own name in many of them, as I would have felt a stronger connection to my character. Being called by someone elses name never really feels right. Being called by a name in general games makes no difference to me, as most of the time when people talk to me in real life, they do not need to use my actual name. Mate, Fella, Sweetheart, Chap, Son, Asshole, Dickhead. These are the most common signifiers that are used when people are speaking to me. I am an intelliget human being, I am capable of working out when someone is speaking to me.
That is my take on it. I know not everyone agrees with me, but hey.
Intelliget, eh?
You try STALKER with the Complete Mod yet? ANd how long did you play DA2 for?
Didn't use any mods on STALKER yet.
I played Dragon Age Origins and 2 for about 4 months solid.
When I get into something, I really get into it. I hope I will be able t play '77 for about 6 months solid, creating new characters and going through stuff over and over.
If we get tools for player generated content, then I will probably get into that pretty hard.
EDIT:
And yes, Intelligent. It's not my fault my keyboard was held back twice in school.
Someone's talking about me?
I really don't see the big deal as far as personalised names are concerned. Whatever happens, the game will still decide what to call you, whether it's a given name or a nickname, or a "hey dude" name. At least with a personalised name, you'll get to see it the arrest warrant.
But if they do have personalised names, I hope that they don't use it to name the savefiles, DA:O style. It's a total PITA having to think of a different name every playthrough.
Gender of the PC, and the message was "if you can roleplay as an elf, why is playing as a man unacceptable?", which is a little different, I think, to the point being made here.
I really don't see the big deal as far as personalised names are concerned. Whatever happens, the game will still decide what to call you, whether it's a given name or a nickname, or a "hey dude" name. At least with a personalised name, you'll get to see it the arrest warrant.
But if they do have personalised names, I hope that they don't use it to name the savefiles, DA:O style. It's a total PITA having to think of a different name every playthrough.
We've already acknowledged that when you play a character with any sort of vested interested, you slip into role-playing, so I won't go too much into this.
Really, I get that personalization makes a character meaningful. But I appreciate smooth narrative transitions and storytelling more than this type of personalization.
The reason I don't like the idea of naming our own character in CP2077 is the awkwardness of not being called by a first name during dialogue. I don't like the solutions of being called a last name or title all the time, that's just unnatural.
Maybe it's just me, but I am not fussy about the MC's name, and in fact, I hate having to pick one; I usually end up calling them Hero Dude or Hero Dudette or something lame like that.
Is a name really more important than having great dialogue and hearing the character's full name in voice overs?
Okay, if we want our own name so badly, then how about being able to choose a name from a set of first and last names?
Really, I get that personalization makes a character meaningful. But I appreciate smooth narrative transitions and storytelling more than this type of personalization.
The reason I don't like the idea of naming our own character in CP2077 is the awkwardness of not being called by a first name during dialogue. I don't like the solutions of being called a last name or title all the time, that's just unnatural.
Maybe it's just me, but I am not fussy about the MC's name, and in fact, I hate having to pick one; I usually end up calling them Hero Dude or Hero Dudette or something lame like that.
Is a name really more important than having great dialogue and hearing the character's full name in voice overs?
Okay, if we want our own name so badly, then how about being able to choose a name from a set of first and last names?
Then we're back to the voice-over cost, which we covered earlier. As best we could, since budget, who knows?
That's the argument, basically. Don't use your name in VO andpick any name you want, type it in, etc.
Or hear your name in VO and either CDPR picks or some compromise in terms of last name, Role, Handle, etc.
That's the argument, basically. Don't use your name in VO andpick any name you want, type it in, etc.
Or hear your name in VO and either CDPR picks or some compromise in terms of last name, Role, Handle, etc.
Well, here's hoping TW3 sells by the buttload so CDP can make expensive VOs happen.
I'd buy that one. With that, we can still hear our name in the dialogues.
I don't see the big issue with the naming fiasco. It was suggested very early on that npc's and such respond to who you are becoming and not by name. Something like "Hey there mr artiste" or "how about it muscles?" i always found pet names like these by npc's to be alot of fun and gave depth of character.
This way you can have custom names and atmosphere in the game.
Another alternate one which i am not sure if has been mentioned is to forego actual voice dialogue for simple text dialogue and leave the voice acting for less specific encounters. I have nothing against a little reading, reminds me of the good ol'days haha. I think alot of newer gamers will not respond to text so well however.
This way you can have custom names and atmosphere in the game.
Another alternate one which i am not sure if has been mentioned is to forego actual voice dialogue for simple text dialogue and leave the voice acting for less specific encounters. I have nothing against a little reading, reminds me of the good ol'days haha. I think alot of newer gamers will not respond to text so well however.
Me too. Let's petition for this. Hear ye, hear, ye fellow punks.
No.... please no... the reasources are much spent somewhere else, rather than having to store innumerable multiple copies of each line of text just so you don't forget who you are.
This.
Yeah, this, another lifeless RPG where you don't have a meaningful identity.
Seriously, no silent PC crap unless they go with FP view. That and isometric is the only way that works well. It's just too ridiculous to have a conversation in TP where your character is mute while everyone else talks. Hell, I would even love if we get a fixed, predefined PC. That's right, I said it bitches. 
I can live with blank slate though.
I can live with blank slate though.
Well, I think we can bet on a voiced PC, absolutely. Name is another issue. I'd bet CDPR dodge the resources issue by using either a small selection of Role-based handles or a choice of names. Like, say, "witcher". Keep in mind that even Role-based terms add a whoooole bunch of extra VO time across a hundred or more conversations. Each of teh VO actos has to say the same line and swap different titles out.
But the simplest and most inexpensive solution is to avoid using identifiers. Kind of bland is all. Serviceable but nothing special. That sound like CDPR to you guys?
But the simplest and most inexpensive solution is to avoid using identifiers. Kind of bland is all. Serviceable but nothing special. That sound like CDPR to you guys?