SOTA Female character, the softer feminine side & more

Discussion in 'Avatars & NPCs' started by majoria70, Oct 19, 2014.

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  1. Qball

    Qball Developer Emeritus Dev Emeritus

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    Yeah I promise you all that they haven't fallen anywhere. In some cases we have been waiting for tech, and it was lower on the monthly priority, because we needed to it right. The expectation and what is all involved with characters is next and then Tech challenges I will go over in post 3. UNITY 5 will help a bunch!!!!!!

    Thanks again,

    Qball
     
  2. Drocis the Devious

    Drocis the Devious Avatar

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    It's these types of honest portrayals of game development that I appreciate the most. One, because I really have no idea how games are made, and I learn a lot. Two, because what little I think I know, I often dislike. From a fan's point of view, it's easy to become cynical about the whole process.

    But what this post reminds me the most is that behind all of the silence from the developers, and regardless of the assumptions made by fans like me, there are always good people working very hard behind the scenes to deliver a special game. That's one of the main reasons I backed this game at the level I did.

    I look forward to reading more, Qball. Thank you for taking time out of your weekend to share this.

    P.S. I hope Unity 5 can make flowing robes! ;)

    ::goes back into his player cave::
     
  3. Duke Death-Knell

    Duke Death-Knell Avatar

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    Wow, sounds like you guys need help big time. That's a lot of art to be responsible for!

    You guys probably do character customization as well.
     
  4. selbie

    selbie Avatar

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    Sounds like Unity 5 is going to solve a LOT of limitations with the current game.
     
  5. Qball

    Qball Developer Emeritus Dev Emeritus

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    Thanks guy I appreciate the responses! Unity 5 will help some, but game development is like a big puzzle. Everything is give and take. the more of art we have the less we can put in the world. Its even more true on MMOs which generally have to be built for last gen, because everything needs to be stream through the intertubes at the same time.

    I will get more into that in these posts,

    Thanks again,

    Qball

    PS Baron Drocs, its post like yours that give me faith in the gamer community too! :)
     
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  6. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    Thank you Qball. I so appreciate your time as I mentioned before. I know you will need downtime also. I'm sorry that it seems that we rant and while I do try to make it constructive just in case an idea is needed bye the Devs, I'm sure it does not always come off like that.

    It has always been my understanding that this game is being made with us, and for us type of thing, as is said in the Dev Hangouts over and over, so sorry it feels like rants. If I didn't try to contribute by giving ideas, and just sat back to wait and just see what happens, then it would go however it goes, I could do that, but It wasn't my understanding of why we are here viewing the game early, to hash out ideas that may or may not be used. So sometimes when it seems we are ranting, maybe we are just brainstorming out ideas to be used or not be used when it is time for that part of the game to be added in.

    To view the forum not as a resource is a waste. True, true we may get off on tangents, but we care about the project so very much that we put real life money into it. We are gamers and sometimes have great ideas to be set aside for when
    the time is right. I agree there should be absolutely no Dev bashing, I never do that and I will not listen to it. We are lucky to be involved in the project and it seems there should be things we can assist with. Some are willing to invest more in the game money wise, probably not enough, and some have other talents and would love to assist.
     
  7. Joviex

    Joviex Avatar

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    I applaud all of the artists on this project given the budget and time constraints to date. Your work is very good.

    The sad facts, that a lot refuse to listen to, respond well to, etc... are dead simple, I've been saying it since month two.

    A lot of us are well aware of the production constraints this project has directly because of the budget and (originally) perceived timetable. Keep in mind the original "delivery" of this game is now a month past that first projected date.

    So, when the project was sold as a "participation" event, a LOT of us, in the industry, or in sectors that parallel a similar style of work and development got very excited that we could contribute to a project with this scope and developer history.

    That was never planned well (the participation pipeline) if at all. Because of that there is a ton of talent out here that is untapped, which could have resolved almost every problem this project has -- resource holes.

    Even a project of this size requires a ridiculous amount of resources (music, art concepts, sounds, meshes, animations).

    Given the size of this team, the money "donated" and the time table... again, a bunch of people who know what is what have said it many times, that it is not feasible to do with all the functionality also being requested.

    I fully realize this is a multi year project, but that first episode is going to be a major tell all for a lot of the non-invested, to the point of making this overall experiment work or not work on continued donations of money, rather than requiring an outside investor or publisher.

    This is not some sad, wanna be conjecture. I too have been in this "industry" over 15 years and have seen what happens, even on properly budgeted projects if your production pipeline is under resourced.
     
  8. Raven Swiftbow

    Raven Swiftbow Bug Hunter

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    One of the things I've heard from more than a few new players has been, "This is pre-alpha?!" Because they are completely *amazed* at what we already have! The work that has already been done may not be as spiff as some of the other corporate funded games, but I'll gladly back this one just because it *isn't* funded by some large corporation that could give a cr** about the player experience. Time and time again we have seen how much the player experience means to Portalarium.

    Anytime I see anything in this game which I wish was a little smoother, etc., I remind myself that this is pre-Alpha, being built by a small, but extremely dedicated team which has *our player experience* at the top of their list. As a woman, I have not jumped in on this list previously because I don't assume that they don't care - I assume that they are busy working their tails off on other items which might be more critical at this point in time (like game crashes, NPCs we need for critical quests, etc.).

    There are also naysayers that always look at how things have failed in other games in the past and try to project that same fate onto this game. Don't let them! "Our job" as I see it, is to keep this Portalarium team as uber-psyched about this game as we possibly can - because that will help lead to the fabulous game that we see unfolding before our eyes. This is programming, yes. But this is also 'art' and I don't mean just the graphic art but the creative process. Art in that sense is a fickle thing, and upsetting the apple cart, so to speak, can have devastating effects.

    And, yes, I'm confident that eventually they will be able to get back to adding more character options and, overall, prettying things up around the edges. In the meantime, Qball, you've done the right thing in telling your 'team' (co-partner? lol) to not even read the boards. I'm sure our wonderful Firelotus or others can alert you if there's something that needs to be addressed.

    *puts down cheer-leading pom-poms*
     
  9. Karrolanth

    Karrolanth Avatar

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    I'm sure they are, and I hope I don't come across as a naysayer. I don't expect things to happen 'right now', I'm just curious to know what (if any) changes are intended before launch. If we understand where they're going, surely that helps us to be more supportive, not more negative? Especially when new backers come along in the future and say negative things, which we can then counter with our knowledge of where the game is actually headed rather than where it's at now.

    (And yes, for 'pre-Alpha' it IS pretty good. :) )

    Qball, thanks so much for your time and effort in posting here! :)
     
  10. Caliya

    Caliya Avatar

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    The way I see it, the graphics are so far and above Minecraft, that even if they kept the characters the way they are, it's all good to me. I only use Minecraft as a comparison because it's a wildly popular game with horrible early 1990 graphics. So it's not all about the superficial stuff that makes a game popular. If a game has a great concept and storyline, lots of things to do, I think people will play it anyway.

    As for the female physique, honestly, I will say it again as I've said before in other threads when discussing female characters. It's a bit disturbing to me when men call the shots on how women look in games (a male playing a female character really doesn't count to me) and even more disturbing when men are asking for larger busts. (sorry but, people can find their own large busted women in real life if that's what they really want). Let's not start another gamer gate ;).

    You will notice that Majoria isn't asking for larger busts, just softer curves. I really think she means more natural looking, rather than that blockiness that all characters have (male & female, and even NPCs and monsters).

    The baggy dresses or skin-tight clothes are a little strange, not because they do or don't show off the curves, but they really don't look natural. Neither does the hair or facial hair.

    Considering the budget of the game, it's looking pretty good as it is, though. I've often said that the dev team must be frustrated often, as there could be a larger team but there isn't the budget.

    Thanks for your post, Qball.
     
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  11. Lord Lonn

    Lord Lonn Avatar

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    Qball I just want to add I think you guys are doing a GREAT!!! job.
    We all know who the Haters and Breakers are, and your not seeing them in this and your posts...
    Because they have nothing to complain about on your post...
    Besides you're a great guy lol that's why nothing to ***** about lol ;)
     
  12. Ravenclaw [BEAR]

    Ravenclaw [BEAR] Avatar

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    I've always said that making the characters we play is one of the most important parts of the game because it is what we see all the time. The cities, monsters, scenery, etc is also nice and good art is always appreciated but we pass these things by as we play. Our characters themselves is the one thing that we almost never stop seeing. (I am not a fan of first person mode except in certain circumstances. ;) )

    As to the team handling these characters, I have faith that by the time the game releases we will have the ability to create and play vibrant and varying in-game characters. The direction and work they've done so far in the pre-alpha alone shows that they are taking things seriously and looking into developing what will certainly be a wonderfully vibrant world filled with interesting people along the way.

    To the team, kudos and keep up the great work. We appreciate your time and effort and look forward to what follows in the months to come. Thank you.

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
     
  13. Skidd Vortex

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    I would really LOVE it if my character at least had the option of not having to look like a whore (like I've had to in ArcheAge). I find the idea of sexually suggestive armor that covers so little of your body ridiculous for combat; it would in no way protect you from bodily harm in fights. I'm not opposed to having sexy outfits; that's fine. Make them optional and put them in their place, party dresses for role playing.

    This is generally how quest armor for female characters looked in ArcheAge. The better crafted armor really wasn't much better visually and it was definitely still slutty. Seriously, leather panties and garters?

    [​IMG]
     
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  14. Caliya

    Caliya Avatar

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    Thanks for saying it, and welcome to the forum! I completely agree.
     
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  15. Tahru

    Tahru Avatar

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    The head looks a little shrunken.
     
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  16. Caliya

    Caliya Avatar

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    You mean.......you mean........you actually looked at her face. ;)
     
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  17. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Wow what a revival, this is an old post, and really we have a very much nicer looking female now and still to come continuous touch ups and probable new things will be added to character customization.:)
     
  18. Pamela Eldritch

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    It looks like the green haired fellow stole your dress.
     
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  19. Rhawkas

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    I agree with most of what has been said about the characters needing some work (though I understand that since it's pre-alpha we're we even get characters XD ). The issue that actually ends up bugging me the most is pretty simple...

    [​IMG]

    I picked blonde hair, not brown...
     
  20. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    Welcome to Shrouds Rhawkas. Yes a few people have mentioned this bug. We are just going through updating the engine to Unity 5, so some unusual and unexpected bugs appeared, hair and facial, lighting
    and many things were not working correctly or at all. ;) So exciting though from what I've seen so far improvements that have been made are amazing. So more to come as in every release.:)
     
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