August 01, 2007

character customization in WAR

Q: Why is this a smart move?
Lance Robertson: We are going to have a lot of changeable faces, for certain races like the Greenskins. There is really going to be a lot of variety.

What we really want to concentrate on though for the customization of your character in general is more your silhouette so to speak. I’ve got spikes on my shoulders or I have trophies hanging off of my body that shows pretty much how much of a badass I am. Our artists call it the 20 Foot Rule. We really want to make it so that the guy from 20 feet away is obviously different from the other guy in terms of their race, career, and how high a rank they are.
A: 1st of all, it saves workload. Make ONE model, not 3,000 different customization combinations where you have to check at each one of them if the animations are alright, if some equipment causes certain illustration errors etc., so basically a lot less required QA and manpower ressources.

2nd, it provides time for dynamic character customization: you can't only read in your tome of knowledge, what badass you are, you can also determine it by just looking at yourself. You become a walking trophy collection, bragging about your achievements and heartily inviting enemy players to give a damn about (trying to kill) you.

And 3rd... Well c'mon, who cares wether your nose is 2 inches long or what your exact skin color is when you are covered in full armor and helmet anyway?

No comments: