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USING FACES IN RPG MAKER.
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Igloo9
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Igloo9
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CloseI was wondering your thoughts about using facesets for characters in RPG Maker. I'm trying to figure out if I should use them in a game I want to make. I'm going to be using RPG Maker 2003 because it's the one I'm most used to, and there are graphics available for it that I like to use.
The problem is, my idea for the game involves a lot of characters and a lot of foreshadowing. Meaning, that nameless character you see in the beginning who seems to not be very important, might appear later with a huge role in the story. Paths cross and collide and things like that. In other words, I can't go with the method of using faces for just the important characters. Because then the player would know who will be important and who won't be.
I could not use faces for anyone, so nobody knows how important a character is. However, it seems like it would be harder to give characters a personality. It's much easier to handle when characters have different facial expressions in scenes. And I'm not exactly the best writer, so it would really help me out if I could rely on faces.
I could use faces for every character in the game no matter who it is, but that would be almost impossible finding a face for every character and NPC you talk to the entire game.
Or, I could go in-between. Maybe only give faces to the characters who are known to be important to the player. And once a new character becomes important, give them a face all of a sudden. Would that be a good idea?
Thoughts?
The problem is, my idea for the game involves a lot of characters and a lot of foreshadowing. Meaning, that nameless character you see in the beginning who seems to not be very important, might appear later with a huge role in the story. Paths cross and collide and things like that. In other words, I can't go with the method of using faces for just the important characters. Because then the player would know who will be important and who won't be.
I could not use faces for anyone, so nobody knows how important a character is. However, it seems like it would be harder to give characters a personality. It's much easier to handle when characters have different facial expressions in scenes. And I'm not exactly the best writer, so it would really help me out if I could rely on faces.
I could use faces for every character in the game no matter who it is, but that would be almost impossible finding a face for every character and NPC you talk to the entire game.
Or, I could go in-between. Maybe only give faces to the characters who are known to be important to the player. And once a new character becomes important, give them a face all of a sudden. Would that be a good idea?
Thoughts?
Having a faceset that relay emotions help tremendously with everything. However, if finding facesets that have emotive states is an issue, the choice would probably be:
Maybe only give faces to the characters who are known to be important to the player. And once a new character becomes important, give them a face all of a sudden.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Another middle ground would be to only give faces to NPCs that appear in cut scenes, and not to ones that wander around and only talk if you talk to them first. This would drastically cut down the number of faces you need while still not giving the player any sort of heads up on who is going to be important.
I kind of like having clues about who is going to be important, though, even if I don't know why they're going to be important. Otherwise I often don't even remember that I met this guy earlier. It's a type of medium-specific foreshadowing, similar to giving a name to some characters but not others.
Speaking of which, you could also give a face to anyone who has a name. As soon as you learn a character's name, their face starts appearing in dialogue too. This is pretty similar to your idea of only giving faces to "important" people, but it's more concrete.
I kind of like having clues about who is going to be important, though, even if I don't know why they're going to be important. Otherwise I often don't even remember that I met this guy earlier. It's a type of medium-specific foreshadowing, similar to giving a name to some characters but not others.
Speaking of which, you could also give a face to anyone who has a name. As soon as you learn a character's name, their face starts appearing in dialogue too. This is pretty similar to your idea of only giving faces to "important" people, but it's more concrete.
There's varying degrees of "important." You might give a name and a face to a character who is just an NPC you rescue or do some sidequest for, but that person really isn't important afterwards.
I wouldn't worry too much about tipping off that a person is important, there's often plenty of named/faced NPCs aren't in RPGs. The contrast will be in your writing, not just "oh man, he's got a face, he's a big deal."
I wouldn't worry too much about tipping off that a person is important, there's often plenty of named/faced NPCs aren't in RPGs. The contrast will be in your writing, not just "oh man, he's got a face, he's a big deal."
I made a game using facesets for everyone once.
http://rpgmaker.net/games/1802/
I used RM2K RTP and those Roco faces as basis, and the rest were edits made by myself. Some light edits, and some strong edits. If the NPC wasn't very important, I'd just make small edits like changing hair color, etc. Also, I used the same face for NPCs with the same charsets (generic ones). It's a bit of work, but it's worth it. If you're using RM2K3, feel free to take my facesets if that's the style you're going for.
http://rpgmaker.net/games/1802/
I used RM2K RTP and those Roco faces as basis, and the rest were edits made by myself. Some light edits, and some strong edits. If the NPC wasn't very important, I'd just make small edits like changing hair color, etc. Also, I used the same face for NPCs with the same charsets (generic ones). It's a bit of work, but it's worth it. If you're using RM2K3, feel free to take my facesets if that's the style you're going for.
Essenceblade
19
Well really, it isn't all that necessary for EVERY character in your game to have a face set. Only the important ones (or ones that the player actually is destined to reply to) should be given a face set. Unless you are an omni-god at creating face sets of your own style, or are EXTREMELY to find a face set pack which hosts graphics of the same style for every character in your game, you're going to have to do what most people do, and use roco style face sets, OR this style as an example;
Or go for the plain and overused method and use Facemaker 3.1. Which gives an infinite limit to how many faces you can use, at the cost of custom.
If you're skilled enough, you can also take a face set and edit expressions onto them.
Or go for the plain and overused method and use Facemaker 3.1. Which gives an infinite limit to how many faces you can use, at the cost of custom.
If you're skilled enough, you can also take a face set and edit expressions onto them.
I didn't give everyone facesets and only of those of importance have one, for the sake of consistency and less art to do :x
I work like so:
Main characters either get a different colour name or a face. Major (story-integral) NPCs get the same treatment. Major NPCs that aren't an integral part of the story get a name and normal NPCs might get a descriptor name or none at all depending.
If they're hidden I usually draw attention to them by not having a face, but treating them like a major NPC - name or descriptor in coloured text. That way the player knows they're semi-important and will bother remembering them.
So, for example, in one of my games I have a guy the heroes run into who convinces them to pay his bill for him. He's described as 'Convincing Drunkard'. Later on you meet the same guy, still called by that until his big reveal as one of the major 'baddies' in the game.
Also, just because the player might not recognise the person doesn't mean the heroes won't. Use in-game dialogue to point it out. "Oi! You're that guy we paid the bill for that time! You owe us money!"
The player will remember who they are talking about and it's a chance to add more depth to the heroes' characters. "Oh yeah, it's that guy we paid for. Wonder what he's doing here?"
Main characters either get a different colour name or a face. Major (story-integral) NPCs get the same treatment. Major NPCs that aren't an integral part of the story get a name and normal NPCs might get a descriptor name or none at all depending.
If they're hidden I usually draw attention to them by not having a face, but treating them like a major NPC - name or descriptor in coloured text. That way the player knows they're semi-important and will bother remembering them.
So, for example, in one of my games I have a guy the heroes run into who convinces them to pay his bill for him. He's described as 'Convincing Drunkard'. Later on you meet the same guy, still called by that until his big reveal as one of the major 'baddies' in the game.
Also, just because the player might not recognise the person doesn't mean the heroes won't. Use in-game dialogue to point it out. "Oi! You're that guy we paid the bill for that time! You owe us money!"
The player will remember who they are talking about and it's a chance to add more depth to the heroes' characters. "Oh yeah, it's that guy we paid for. Wonder what he's doing here?"
(I know some of them are not edits)
--edit--
And that's how you take seven years (not) to finish a project.
I don't think they're ALWAYS a necessity, but at the same time, they can add to your perception of a character. Slight details in their physical appearance or their facial expression can give you added insight or a better idea of their personality.
To be fair, I've played quite a few RM games that don't use facesets and still pull off their character and convey emotion and tone flawlessly.
To be fair, I've played quite a few RM games that don't use facesets and still pull off their character and convey emotion and tone flawlessly.
DarklordKeinor
2478
Facesets are a good idea in my opinion. The trick is maintaining graphical consistency. The facesets should be in, more or less, the same style. It's your game, I recommend you make it the way you want to make it.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
for a three month necropost, that sure was a pointless comment
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