I am seeking character creativity, but I don't like my ideas

[RAlexM1996]

Hey guys,

As the thread title describes, I am seeking for creative design in my new video game character, but I don't like some of my own ideas. The only ideas I can seem to like are ones that are already copyrighted, and it would be considered infringing that idea if I went with it (i.e. Link from Zelda: OoT). I don't mean Link himself, but the design characteristics about it that are really cool. The ideas that I came up with on my own I just hate. In other words, I kinda hate my own ideas. It's not that I can't come up with something new and cool, I can, but I don't know what direction I should take as to how I can address this. I appreciate any advice,

Alex

 

[Kes]

One way to go about this is to imagine your world; its possibilities and difficulties, its hopes and fears, something about what it values and what it disparages.  What would the people be like?  What would be needed to navigate this world successfully?  What would set you on the margins of this world?  Questions like that.  Characters have to be believable against their background.  This is all before your precipitating event/circumstance/disaster/whatever it is that is going to launch your story.  What sort of characters would live in a world like that?  Whereabouts would they be situated in relation to the 'normal' person.  Is one of your characters fed up with this society?  Why?  What is it that disappoints/annoys/threatens the character's hopes and aspirations?  Is one of your characters just an ordinary joe getting along with life until something happens to jolt her/him out of their rut?  How do they fit in?  What qualities do they have that enable them to be content with their life before the story starts?

By asking lots of questions quite independently of the particularities of your story, you could well come up with the basis of well-rounded believable characters who then have experiences which they will handle in an authentic way.  They will respond to the events of the story, not seem like puppets being jerked around by the author/developer.

 

[RAlexM1996]

One way to go about this is to imagine your world; its possibilities and difficulties, its hopes and fears, something about what it values and what it disparages.  What would the people be like?  What would be needed to navigate this world successfully?  What would set you on the margins of this world?  Questions like that.  Characters have to be believable against their background.  This is all before your precipitating event/circumstance/disaster/whatever it is that is going to launch your story.  What sort of characters would live in a world like that?  Whereabouts would they be situated in relation to the 'normal' person.  Is one of your characters fed up with this society?  Why?  What is it that disappoints/annoys/threatens the character's hopes and aspirations?  Is one of your characters just an ordinary joe getting along with life until something happens to jolt her/him out of their rut?  How do they fit in?  What qualities do they have that enable them to be content with their life before the story starts?

By asking lots of questions quite independently of the particularities of your story, you could well come up with the basis of well-rounded believable characters who then have experiences which they will handle in an authentic way.  They will respond to the events of the story, not seem like puppets being jerked around by the author/developer.

That's what I am aware of in terms of who the characters are as characters. But I was talking about character development from an aesthetical approach, and how the character should look both in-game and on paper. That's my current challenge at the moment.

 

[mlogan]

Well, I would probably start with asking what it is that you like about the characters you do - such as Link. Really pinpoint any details. And then see how you can adjust and adapt them to fit your characters better.

 

[RAlexM1996]

Well, I would probably start with asking what it is that you like about the characters you do - such as Link. Really pinpoint any details. And then see how you can adjust and adapt them to fit your characters better.

That is some excellent advice. I will definitely see what I can do about my character's art.

P.S. Some of the things about Link's gear is that I love the fact he has knee length boots, fingerless gauntlets, a convienient place to put his sword and shield when not in use, stuff like that. But my new character is one that I want to be original too, so borrowing/tweaking those aesthetical details I mentioned (plus a few details from Mega Man characters too) to fit the style of my game character. I have big dreams and goals about a successful career in game design in my future, and I am determined to do my best to fulfill them.

 

[Lars Ulrika]

Actually a mix of Link-esque gear + a context adapted Megaman-like armour could work out quite well imo.

 

[RAlexM1996]

Actually a mix of Link-esque gear + a context adapted Megaman-like armour could work out quite well imo.

That's exactly my favorite style of game character, it's being worked on every day now.

 

[sai]

A lot of game characters tend to have gloves, boots, and a method to store their equipment, so those are fairly general aspects and open to play with for character design. All that matters at that point is what aesthetics to put onto those components, and you've pointed out that you'd like to have some Megaman nuances in the design. That's already a decent start.

What's most important is balancing out the mixture of aspects you'd like to put together. Don't think on it too much and just draft out some designs with all the cool stuff you'd like in it. See if it looks good to you. Do some research too if you're stuck on an aspect, and you shouldn't have to limit it to game characters. Try out some real life references, you never know what you can find. From there, you can pick out what stands out the most to you and make it your final design. Or if you're not even satisfied from there, you can still tweak it. Just have fun with it! You might go through a few drafts (or like me, A LOT) before you get to the final design, but when you put a lot of thought and inspiration into a design, it really shines.

 

[RAlexM1996]

A lot of game characters tend to have gloves, boots, and a method to store their equipment, so those are fairly general aspects and open to play with for character design. All that matters at that point is what aesthetics to put onto those components, and you've pointed out that you'd like to have some Megaman nuances in the design. That's already a decent start.

What's most important is balancing out the mixture of aspects you'd like to put together. Don't think on it too much and just draft out some designs with all the cool stuff you'd like in it. See if it looks good to you. Do some research too if you're stuck on an aspect, and you shouldn't have to limit it to game characters. Try out some real life references, you never know what you can find. From there, you can pick out what stands out the most to you and make it your final design. Or if you're not even satisfied from there, you can still tweak it. Just have fun with it! You might go through a few drafts (or like me, A LOT) before you get to the final design, but when you put a lot of thought and inspiration into a design, it really shines.

That totally makes perfect sense, and yeah, my main character design is still in it's early prototype stage, still alot of revisions needed until it's all good.