Main Char: far from or close to home?

[jonthefox]

Do you like to start games where the first town or city is where the main character is currently living, and thus has some implicit familiarity with...Or do you like to come up with a plot device that puts the main character in a foreign setting from the get-go, to align with and reflect the fact that it will always be a new and foreign setting for the player.  


I tend to like the latter, but I just realized that I make it so much harder on myself to come up with a plot device (and a more complex opening cut scene) that explains where and why the player is where they are.  I was sitting here thinking "so the main char came near this other character's town, why did he come here, why did he come here...OH WAIT I could just make it HIS town that the OTHER character is coming to."


What's your preference and why, both as a player and as a developer?

 

[Kes]

As a player I don't mind which it is as long as there is a believable story reason for the main character to be wherever it is they happen to be.  Different stories have different requirements.


As a developer, I have used both, and again it was as a story requirement.

 

[RHachicho]

 I don't really have a preference either. Personally I am starting mine close to home. Hell he is still "living with his parents" for the first chapter of the story. It all depends on the story. Hundreds of factors go into determining this answer.

 

[Wavelength]

I think both are good!


In my videogames I usually start characters (especially the main character) in their hometown - sometimes literally in their home - because showing what is familiar to those characters is such a good lens through which you can implicitly describe your character to the player.  What's going on in their hometown that their everyday life was made of to this point?  Who are their family and friends and what are those people like?


Starting in an unfamiliar place can be really cool too, especially for games that begin in media res.  It lets you focus more on "how does your character react" than "what is your character about", and lets you believably handwave any reservations your player has about "why is your character all of a sudden running out into an epic adventure now".  I often do this with my pen-and-paper Role Playing characters, since time to build a window into my character's personality, background, and psyche will be ample throughout the game.

 

[XIIIthHarbinger]

I think it is very much a question of how the location plays into the story, & how your protagonist relates to the location.


Honestly, I think the "Stranger in a strange land" bit is better suited for the neutral mask silent protagonist, which the player projects their identity onto. While the "Welcome to my world" bit, works better for a character that is fully fleshed out; because they are going to have biases, prejudices, & experiences, developed over the course of their life involving the locations, groups, & individuals that populate your game world. & when you don't acknowledge that reality, it chips away at the suspension of disbelief.


I think it's why so many people use the "I have amnesia" cliche in storytelling, when the protagonist is exploring a world they should already be familiar with.   

 

[LuLingqi1]

It's all relative to the story. If your main character's first town is an unknown town, and all the rest are unknown towns... It's like... Urm? 


I found a small inbetween, haha. My main character starts out in a forest, which is where she and her bestfriend live. Super early on, she goes looking for him and is warped to a dungeon.


I like going half and half on most things if I can't decide haha. OH OH WAHT IF THE MAIN CHARACTER IS AN AMNESIAC AND REMEMBERS ONLY LITTLE BITS OF THE STARTING TOWN!?

 

[Kalashnikov]

As long as their location is justified, I think both can be done very well. Plus, both are capable of a very effective payoff - leaving home for the first time, or finally coming back home after a long time. 

 

[Nirwanda]

Well, a lot has already been said, and I don't want to repeat others posts, but it really is true, it depends more on the plot and how you want to introduce the characters and the world. Personally I place my character far away from since I enjoy seeing them running into surprises and having to solve completely unexpected situations, which is more common on a foreign setting.

 

[IamGilgamesh]

Have both occur the game. Play em out.

 

[Caitlin]

In my story, the MAGI, the main character is found floating in the ocean, with a strange memory block and all they know is that she was heading there for some reason.  She's from the east, but the island is more of a European like place.  So, she's far from home, for sure, but my other game, Age of Heroes the main character starts out in her home town.  Of course, the town is attack when she is only a small child and grows up some where else, far away from her home.  For me, it all is what's best for the story, but can you imagine what Breath of Fire 1 would have been like if the hero had been away from home on a journey when his village is attacked?  It would change your entire view point and likely the main character's as well.  Sometimes, it is interesting to think, "What if..." and place your character or someone else's character in another place.  What if is my favorite question, as a matter of fact.