HOW IMPORTANT IS AESTHETIC CHARACTER CUSTOMISATION?

Being able to customize those things are nice, but far from necessary. Under no circumstances do I think you should shoehorn those features in. If the game is set up so that it naturally leads to this kind of customization (WRPG like game) then go for it, but if you need to sacrifice from other aspects of the game to accommodate for aesthetic customization then it's not worth it.

It is also meaningless for me to be able to name the hero in a heavily character driven game like Final Fantasy games. In those cases I don't view them as my character and I consider it the game maker's job to choose a name. This applies equally to games with silent protagonists.

I think if there are plot elements that are dependent on being a male (ie FF7 brothel scene), it would be interesting to see the way things play out if your character is a female. That sort of thing gives the game good replay value for people like me who enjoy seeing everything the game has to offer.

post=137284
Depends on what kind of game it is.

I would argue that it is inversely proportional to how story based the game is.

While I mostly agree, I think that Dragon Age: Origins manages to pull off "make any character you want and then tie them directly into several major plot points" really, really well. This is probably because of the origin stories.

I always like to name the characters. I think it's cool when you can customize their appearance but it's never what I'd consider a 'necessary' factor.

I've never been a fan of it for RM2K3, since it takes time, and is just an overall pain in the butt. More players are interested more in how well mapped a game is, and if all the music and graphics fit the game. Finally, the most important thing is a good story, without it, you could have all the best graphics, music, and custom systems known to man, and it won't save the stinkometer on the game.

With that said, again, they really are not important.

post=137642
I agree mostly with what WeasleX says, except that he overemphasizes the importance of story. How fun and engaging you make the battle system is the steak of the game. The story is the side potato.

This is not true for everyone. It's a matter of personal preference. Note that this does not reflect my personal belief on the subject, but I have found it to be generally true.

It's not the strong story that makes the game good. Neither are gameplay and character design. It's all of them functioning together (or: not getting in each other's way) that makes the game good. Note that an element can be still good when it's very simple, it should be kept out of the spotlight then.

post=137267
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Is it worth the effort to give players the opportunity to customise their character in this way?

For 1st-person storytelling (Oblivion, Dragon Age, etc.) and MMORPGs, this actually really helps because it lets the player play dress-up in a way~ It aids the gameplay by just being fun.

post=137456
More on point is that Dragon Age gives you a handful of options but not nearly as many as, say, Oblivion.

Oblivion has the worst aesthetic character customisation by far, have fun spending forever trying to make a character attractive in any aspect of the face. With mods and save files you could probably end up with some crazy elf babe, but then you realize every NPC around you is still damn ugly.

As for the topic itself: In MMOs I have been known to get new equipment whenever possible just for the sake of updating my character's look rather than better stats (I mean who wouldn't after grinding forever). But when it comes to a more single player and streamed experience: I don't really care at all, just so long as the main character doesn't look ridiculous in some piece of armor (light pink suit in ME anyone?).