your ideas for game protagonists

[IBlackKiteI]

good Idea's especially Jim the jungle man

how ever I would be wondering why Jim is being auch as asshole becuas really...hes just a tree hugger who has no more right to the plantet than anyone else

anyway this all remeinds me of AVATAR

this has ntohing to do with the quality of your Ideas but personally (as in IMO) I couldnt stand another story where everyone are acting like dicks...and ohhhh humans!! look how evil we and all that

not saying youre Ideas are bad thats just my personal opinon (am I making sense?)

basically I like to have a side I can really get behined and route for

Thanks, and I get what you mean. But the crazy jungle guy isn't entirely meant to be a sympathetic protagonist. Hes basically a guy whos become completely deadened to human concepts of morality, culture and right and wrong and such.
Basically he has a really screwed up and unrelatable take on reality, by normal standards.
The way he sees it is that the two sides will inevitably destroy the planet and he has to stop them no matter what, when all the humans intend to do is build up the place and the aliens want to stop them from achieving that. But he doesn't at all care what they actually want to achieve.
He only cares that they accidently burn down forests and kill animals and whatnot, which makes him rage. A lot.

Also it does kind of sound like Avatar in reverse or something now that you mention it, and the more I think about it the more I reckon Jim would instead be better off as an antagonist.

I prefer a take on sides where they both have legitimate reasons to believe what they do, and that the heroes AND villains are genuinely sympathetic good people. Call it "GRIMLIGHT" if you will. The tragedy is that neither side deserves to lose, but neither side is willing to compromise either... leading to pointless devastation at the hand of miscommunication. It has that same "world is f***ed up" sort of message, but doesn't have the same tired plot twist where every corporation, government, religion, and book club is headed by cartoon villains out to conquer the world.

The idea isn't completely original, but I don't think it's been done with a detached hero who ends up dying at the hands of former friends for not buying into the cycle of destruction.

Sounds cool, though having your own buddies kill you at the end might be a bit of a downer, though understandable if they've all been brought up and indoctrinated to their side's ideologies, which while I'm not entirely sure, seems to be what you're getting at.

You mentioned previously that the antagonists are 'evil' but then sort of implied that both sides are just as bad as each other, so are they really the bad guys or more like just opposition?

Your second idea captures what I aim for. If done right, your hero alien soldier would be sympathetic. You would understand his motives and not want him or his comrades to suffer. At the same time, the humans as enemies are sympathetic and we can inherently understand why they're doing what they do. At the end you don't really want either side to lose, but they can't both win.

Yeah, thanks.
The whole idea is that the protagonist is smart but incredibly naive, believing his side is all good and holy and whatnot and that noone could in their right mind disagree with them. As it all goes on and increasing bad stuff happens to him and everyone around him he begins to lose it, and goes from being quite compassionate and having no real grudge against humans to developing an immense hatred of them because he just can't even comprehend why they're trying to hold on to what he sees as a crappy existence when he thinks his people could 'enlighten' them and such.

I wish more games, or other forms of media, tried to do this more. Develop characters not just by simply building upon what they are, but more like building upon them then changing them into something completely different to what they previously were.
It would be great to play something where upon completing it you can look back on how your character used to be and see how much they've changed, but in a way that didn't seem predictable or immediately obvious, but its understandable this would be an extremely difficult thing for a video game to do, due to obvious limitations. How much can you develop a fairly standard FPS Space Marine-ish character for instance?

 

[Tax_Document]

I'd like to have a main character who was a zombie. Not the more recent biological zombie, but an old fashioned, summoned from the grave type. His goal would be to find out why he's been brought back to life (so to speak, anyway,) all the while trying to avoid being seen by the living because... well, he's a zombie. People don't tend to react well to that.

There was a game called Stubbs the Zombie and you got to infect towns, 1960 style!

 

[-Drifter-]

I'd like to have a main character who was a zombie. Not the more recent biological zombie, but an old fashioned, summoned from the grave type. His goal would be to find out why he's been brought back to life (so to speak, anyway,) all the while trying to avoid being seen by the living because... well, he's a zombie. People don't tend to react well to that.

There was a game called Stubbs the Zombie and you got to infect towns, 1960 style!

Yes, it seem the idea was more common than I thought. A couple other games have been mentioned as well with a similar concept.

 

[Vault101]

good Idea's especially Jim the jungle man

how ever I would be wondering why Jim is being auch as asshole becuas really...hes just a tree hugger who has no more right to the plantet than anyone else

anyway this all remeinds me of AVATAR

this has ntohing to do with the quality of your Ideas but personally (as in IMO) I couldnt stand another story where everyone are acting like dicks...and ohhhh humans!! look how evil we and all that

not saying youre Ideas are bad thats just my personal opinon (am I making sense?)

basically I like to have a side I can really get behined and route for

Thanks, and I get what you mean. But the crazy jungle guy isn't entirely meant to be a sympathetic protagonist. Hes basically a guy whos become completely deadened to human concepts of morality, culture and right and wrong and such.
Basically he has a really screwed up and unrelatable take on reality, by normal standards.
The way he sees it is that the two sides will inevitably destroy the planet and he has to stop them no matter what, when all the humans intend to do is build up the place and the aliens want to stop them from achieving that. But he doesn't at all care what they actually want to achieve.
He only cares that they accidently burn down forests and kill animals and whatnot, which makes him rage. A lot.

Also it does kind of sound like Avatar in reverse or something now that you mention it, and the more I think about it the more I reckon Jim would instead be better off as an antagonist.

[/quote

ok that makes sense

I still think its a really good Idea but to be honest I would probably hate it if Jim was presented as being "in the right" this is excatally what was wrong with avatar

its ok to have both sypathetic villans and good guys..but bashing the audience over the head with whats "right" when you averge movie go-er actually doesnt agree..is annoying

and its made 100x more annoying if its an environmental massage..becuase to be honest we are all so sick of environmental messages Im sure its driven some of us to want to burn down forrests...or just me...

 

[ultrachicken]

I would create a protagonist that has no talents in any manner what so ever a regular joe/jane, and make the general population think he is a great hero that is going save the world from evil. This world of course filled with magic and mystical beasts but modern (like people have cars but have to still worry about dragons and rogue sorceresses). The protagonist has to talk, run, and rely on people who actually have powers to save the world but while keeping his hero like status. also one last thing have the game be like ME2 except a whole lot more companion options and a relationship meter oh and less shooting people and being a hero.

That's an interesting concept, but it doesn't sound like it'd be very fun to play. Feeling like a dick does not make for a good time.

 

[Biased Observer]

I really think a game where the protagonist is a fundamentalist Muslim trying to get by in the USA would be quite interesting, particularly people's reactions to it. Obviously there would have to be some kind of actual gameplay, but yeah.
That, or a game where the protagonist just has absolutely no reason behind their actions, or acts in such a way that the player doesn't quite know what they're up to. It would be awesome to explore the idea of an unreliable protagonist in a video game, or just someone who does what they do for the hell of it.

 

[BRTurtle]

I would create a protagonist that has no talents in any manner what so ever a regular joe/jane, and make the general population think he is a great hero that is going save the world from evil. This world of course filled with magic and mystical beasts but modern (like people have cars but have to still worry about dragons and rogue sorceresses). The protagonist has to talk, run, and rely on people who actually have powers to save the world but while keeping his hero like status. also one last thing have the game be like ME2 except a whole lot more companion options and a relationship meter oh and less shooting people and being a hero.

That's an interesting concept, but it doesn't sound like it'd be very fun to play. Feeling like a dick does not make for a good time.

It would be about as fun as a visual novel(which essentially is what it is), which I tend to enjoy... and whats this about being a dick I didn't understand what you mean? partially because your character is a dick in almost every game you steal from the people your saving, and you kill whoever that looks like a bad guy or gives you gruff without trying to work something out first.

 

[ManInRed]

Who the protagonist is would be based off of the game I was trying to make, but I understand why it's sometimes easier to make the character first, to come up with the game play concept. Still it is a very open question, if I list all of the main characters I came up with for game ideas, I'd probably be in the hundreds or thousands (depending on how 'main' of a character I focused on). And we'd be hear all night if I had to give you enough details behind each to explain who they all are.

So the basics... every character I've made is a reflection of something inside of me. Maybe it?s a part of my own character, maybe it?s a memory of someone I've know, or a mix of fictional works, or a figure in a dream. Villains are often based on the parts of me I don't like, the rationalities I can come up with I'd hate to follow, the weaknesses I have. Heroes are often a villains opposite, against in form and mind against what that villain stands for and believes, so the story will inevitably have some sort of theme or arch to it.

Immersion is more than just character, you need to have a feeling in mind you want to make the player feel. And not just happy, mad, or afraid, but deep unique feelings. Think of the unique stories you experience or seen others experienced, that could be summaries to feelings we do not have names for. Then try to think of how you would explain to someone how it is to feel that want, construct your elaborate scheme and you'll find you have a back story and plot to your character's role in the story.

Ask questions you have no answer for, and make a character that is an example to a possible answer for that question. Then think of why that answer is wrong, and flaw that character based on the holes for such logic.

Map out a chart of characters based on relationships, as how their related will often define who they are and where the plot could go. Make sure every character is link some how to the web, and search for interesting connection where you can add them. Then figure out how the characters differ from one another so there is no repetition. How do they look different? How do they talk different? How are their beliefs different?

Then just think about situations that sound interesting and make the characters do what is natural for them, and the story writes itself.

 

[ultrachicken]

I would create a protagonist that has no talents in any manner what so ever a regular joe/jane, and make the general population think he is a great hero that is going save the world from evil. This world of course filled with magic and mystical beasts but modern (like people have cars but have to still worry about dragons and rogue sorceresses). The protagonist has to talk, run, and rely on people who actually have powers to save the world but while keeping his hero like status. also one last thing have the game be like ME2 except a whole lot more companion options and a relationship meter oh and less shooting people and being a hero.

That's an interesting concept, but it doesn't sound like it'd be very fun to play. Feeling like a dick does not make for a good time.

It would be about as fun as a visual novel(which essentially is what it is), which I tend to enjoy... and whats this about being a dick I didn't understand what you mean? partially because your character is a dick in almost every game you steal from the people your saving, and you kill whoever that looks like a bad guy or gives you gruff without trying to work something out first.

Making a game to be like a visual novel is missing the point. The thing that makes games great is interactivity. By shoehorning the character into a single path you take a lot of the interactivity away. Yes, I'm aware that a lot of games do this, but the good games that do this make up for the linearity with good gameplay. This game doesn't sound like it would have very good gameplay because it would consist of a gigantic fraud (the player) watching everyone else do the work.

This would be a better concept for a movie, or a novel.

 

[Kopikatsu]

I'd go the other way from these super trained heroes and just get a midget, a fat dude, guy in a wheel chair, ... and any other sort of improbable heroes, they could just have the best quirkiest skills and personalities(and an actual fucking story to tell).

Also we need more games where you can become a dragon, that shit is awesome.

Killer 7.

Your team of assassins are: A nearly catatonic old man in a wheelchair, a blind guy, a masked wrestler, a dead girl, a janitor, an albino desk clerk, some random dude, and a petty thief who holds his handgun upside down.

OT: My game protagonist is...basically a young rogue who carries out assassinations, espionage and such. Then as he ages, he takes on an apprentice and you have to show/teach the apprentice the ropes. Then the protagonist dies, and you control the apprentice for one last mission, and he can only use the skills/items that you taught him/had him make.

 

[BRTurtle]

[/quote]Making a game to be like a visual novel is missing the point. The thing that makes games great is interactivity. By shoehorning the character into a single path you take a lot of the interactivity away. Yes, I'm aware that a lot of games do this, but the good games that do this make up for the linearity with good gameplay. This game doesn't sound like it would have very good gameplay because it would consist of a gigantic fraud (the player) watching everyone else do the work.

This would be a better concept for a movie, or a novel.[/quote]

you could add interactivity with the chat system (since you wouldn't have to worry about a battle system) you could have all the conversations play out more like a battle then a regular chat system in games. When I originally wrote that starting post I was watching the extra credit on non-combat gaming. With my ME2 comment I ment it in the way of the choice you get on where you go and who you talk to eliminating the linearity. With the visual novel statement I mean on the way of memorable characters, choosing the way the game ends with more then 3 endings, and no real correct ending.

 

[Flailing Escapist]

I like my protagonist like I like my women. Silent, unless their name is Jennifer Hale.

 

[YoungPeaches]

so if you were making a game what kind of protagonist would you create?

I had an idea after thinking about games like Darksiders, god of war and Bayonetta, often with theease good vs evil/heavan vs hell type themes you get charachters that often chaotic neautral or chaotic evil...or just in general, somtimes evill jerks

The problem that usually happens with main character to God of War style games is that it is hard to make them flawed. One moment they are lamenting the death of their family, the next they are ripping the eye out of a cyclops. I think Bayonetta and Kratos are both pretty successful, but they are rarities and could certainly be better.

 

[MajWound]

I would use the D&D character I'm playing right now. He's a half-orc, half-dwarf (Dworg) barbarian who is hunting the orc who raped his mother. He's not that smart, though, so he pretty much just kills every orc and hopes that one of them is the right one. He dual-wields hatchets and speaks in one-liners in the voice of Randy Savage.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Someone capable without being overpowered, with an interesting backstory, and a strong motivation. They must be strong but realistically flawed in some way, they must be personable and charasmatic and not a prick.

 

[thejackyl]

Well, I have been tossing a few ideas for characters for an RPG around in my head for a while. The setting would be like a western-style/steampunk Phantasy Star minus the additional planets. Only certain people are allowed to have guns, so the few that do are criminals, and those supposed to have them. Everyone else fights with Swords, Knives, Magic, and whatnot.

Spoiler: Lots of text (5 characters)

Spoiler: Protagonist

Main Character: A young man(21-30) who was framed for the murder of his parents, decides that all he wants is revenge. Not matter the price, or method. He has a demon bound inside him, who tries to convince him to kill himself (which will free the demon)

Spoiler: Support 1

Support Character: An older woman(30-40 in appearance), who is sent by this world's "Heaven" in order to manipulate the main character into doing their work. She convinces him that to get his revenge, he must get stronger (which is true), and to do so he must defeat the main villain's cronies.

Spoiler: Support 2

Support Character 2: A young woman(20-25), who when she first join is just along for the ride, because of her crush on the protagonist (he "saves her life", right place, right time sort of deal), and when she finds out about his "mission". she joins because she believes someone that evil deserves to be brought to justice

Spoiler: Villain

Villain: An older man (50-60 in appearance, hair still has color), who is causing a lot of trouble to bring the world's "Heaven" to an end. His father, who was a notorious criminal was killed by them. He didn't know of this, and refuses to believe it. He kills the protagonists parents to start the events of the game. He wants to unite the demon inside him, with the one inside the protagonist. The demon inside him wants this too, but only because he is old and will be too weak to contain it's full form.

Spoiler: Real Villain

The demon inside both the hero and villain. It simply wants to unite itself and destroy EVERYTHING, and create a world where demons rule. The half in the hero tries to convince him to kill himself, or do extremely risky/violent things. The half inside the villain wants to grow stronger and use his body as a host

I know it carries a LOT of cliches, which I am trying to phase out, and the characters are A LOT more detailed than what it might seem. I literally have notebooks filled with information about this story. Though the writing tends to show that I was writing it out of boredom while I was in high school

I would use the D&D character I'm playing right now. He's a half-orc, half-dwarf (Dworg) barbarian who is hunting the orc who raped his mother. He's not that smart, though, so he pretty much just kills every orc and hopes that one of them is the right one. He dual-wields hatchets and speaks in one-liners in the voice of Randy Savage.

YOUR MUSTACHE IS CROOKED! ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL_1xkPIEaQ )