Poll: How do you go about creating a character in an RPG?

[Sordak]

none of these mostly? well in games where i can only play a human chances are im gonna play myself.
Myself in Space or Myself as a Viking i guess.

In other games i usually do develop a character that may or may not have simmilar ideas to me.
Generaly speaking it realy depends on the game.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

I create a hot chick, because I'm a guy who doesn't want to look at a "gorgeous" Hollywood stereotype guyfor 100+ hours.

 

[Jenitals]

Pretty boy...What? If I'm going to be staring at this protagonist's ass throughout just about all of this game for hours at a time It's got to have a decent face attached to it.

 

[infohippie]

Umm... none of these options. I decide what kind of character I want it to be - skills/weapons/personality/etc - and which sex it will be, then leaf through presets and shuffle sliders around until I can assemble an appearance that looks like it'd suit the character traits I decided on.
Basically, I decide on a role (hence role-playing) and build a look that suits that role.

 

[badgersprite]

I always make them very different from me. I'm there to play a character, not myself. Playing me would be weird and awkward as hell.

I usually try and make them an interesting character, or the type of person you almost never see in that role, or the kind who completely stands out in the game world. I basically try and take as much leeway as possible to create a character entirely of my own.

 

[Caedus]

I spend a loooooooooong time creating my character (when an editor is available). Even longer for the name.

There's only in Fallout 3/NV that I spend less than 5 minutes to create the face, it must be because Bethesda's character editor sucks... :/

 

[Xaio30]

I make him look like myself + awesome goatee + Mage robes.

 

[Fredvdp]

It's very hard to make a realistic representation of myself because I have a quite distinctive look. I have a scar at my left eye where a dog bit me and I have birth mark covering almost half of my face. Character creators don't let me add those.

In RPGs I try to make characters that look distinctive and fit with the character's background. in Dragon Age Origins, for instance, my mage looks a lot different compared to my human noble. In Mass Effect I went with the default because he has better face textures.

 

[sumanoskae]

None of the above, I usually imagine the personality first, then I create the character based on that.

 

[AbstractStream]

Usually someone along the lines that looks like me. There are those times where I do create something radically different. Not even what I want to look like, just someone random I guess.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Fuck around with sliders until it doesn't look terrible, and then find the only hair style that isn't absolute shit. It seems to be a rule that any given game has one good hair-style, and if you're lucky there's one for each gender.

 

[Yosato]

Depends, sometimes I'll try and make me, then other times I'll go for something completely random or a celebrity (I have Samuel L Jackson in Oblivion )

 

[Weslebear]

It really depends on the play through, this mostly applies to more open world RPG's.

First time will always be a jack of all trades, usually male and as awesome looking as I can make them, and I just play through the game doing whatever and settling into the the things I like do.

Second play through will be similar the first but more dedicated to certain skills or aspects of the game, usually still a male character but race and appearance will be more in line with the play style I am going for, say making a wood elf on Oblivion for purely bow based character.

Third play through same as the second but focusing on another aspect of the game I want to focus on.

Fourth? Roleplay. Usually female characters just to mix it up and I set them up not to be focused on game play but to fit the the back story I want to portray, Oblivion as another example, making an Imperial female using nothing but heavy armour a good sword and restoration to become a Paladin of sorts only ever doing the righteous choices throughout.

 

[Vortigar]

In videogames I my personal faves are almost never present ie. there's no option to make a bard or a dedicated spearwielder. If there isn't a mechanic that jumps out at me for some reason I default to Monks, rangers and spellswords.

In SF games I rely on short range weapons and nimble characters with quite a few points in the talky options.

As for the looks. Short haired (sometimes bald) women with spunk and men who are a business suit shy of being bankers are what I usually end up with. My men are sweet talkers while my women will kick you to next monday.

As for the poll: none of the above.

 

[Vakz]

Usually a preset, unless I simply can't find one I feel fits. I'm usually not too bothered by it.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

None of the above. I usually just creative a character for the RPG and that's it. I don't really aim for any of those options.

 

[JasonKaotic]

None of those, really. I just have an idea of the sort of character I'd like to play and go on that.

 

[-Ulven-]

It really depends on the engine and the option. I try to get it to look like a "perfect" me (I.E like me but better). Or else I try to think about how I've would've wanted to look (I.E if I play another race in an RPG like an orc or sumthing). But I always play my gender (male) since I get creeped out by being female in RPG's for some reason. I just don't like it.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

I usually play a female, simply because there are too many male protaganists in todays video games.

Apart from that, I like to make the character think like me. I really loved my Femshep in Mass Effect 1 because I made decision like I would make. I had a problem with Mass Effect 2, since I needed to be Paragon or Renegade to do some sidequests, so I went Paragon on everything. I might play through that properly sometime. Before ME3 at least.

I personally feel that most single player RPGs are very limited, in that I can be a warrior and only a warrior, and I have to go here and do this, which really takes me out of the story when I want to play a character (rather than having a character play me. See every characterised non-rpg)
So when I roleplay a character, ill play an MMO. I can go where I want, kill what I want, and If I want to play as a goldsmith or a baker, I can.

 

[theamazingbean]

I usually try to bash through as fast as possible while ending up a with a character that doesn't look entirely deformed, and usually fail because I don't have any talent with the slider systems.