Poll: "Raising your Character"

[bigfatcarp93]

Now, I think most of us can agree that we like RPGs, from Mass Effect to Fallout to the Elder Scrolls to Dragon Age. Personally, one of my favorite parts of an RPG is getting invested in one's own character, and as I was playing Fallout 3 for nostalgia's sake the other day, I realised something: for the intent of enjoying the game more through the customization of my own character, it made a massive difference that, in Fallout 3, I followed my character since childhood.

Several RPGs have done this, including, among those I've played, Fable 1 @ 2 and Fallout 3. Personally, I think I like this more, because I feel like I know the character more. So, my question to you, Escapists, is this: does such a storytelling device make you enjoy an RPG more as it does for me?

 

[Zhukov]

No.

The childhood scenes always feel very token.

I guess there's no reason it couldn't be done properly, but I've yet to see it.

 

[dimensional]

No as long as they are interesting I dont care about anything else, I must admit though I tend to find it harder to be invested in a character I have made just the knowledge that they are a blank slate that could have been anything tends to rob them of identity for me and stop me from liking/hating them, in a way its like they dont exist they feel like a placeholder for a created role for a character who never was.

While I dont dislike the storytelling approach from childhood to adulthood I do think it is largely pointless because you usually cant do anything until you have grown to correct gameplay age then the world starts to open so it feels like yup heres your past oh look tragic event skip forward your in the game giving me no more attachment to them than I would have got just starting from adulthood.

 

[Savagezion]

It doesn't matter to me. In Fable and Fallout, they are just junk throw away scenes anyways. I can see where it could be cool (Semi-OoT) but I haven't seen it executed well once. Like Zhukov said the scene is always very token.

If you are going to go with that angle, the kid stuff needs to be longer than 20 mins of play. You need to get invested in kid you, so that it has better relevance to adult you. The best way to do this would probably be in a series of games rather than one game. Make the first game about a kid, the sequel imports your character and "ages" them with mild customization, and so on. You could do it in one game but you need to half and half it or something otherwise, why bother if you aren't going to make it worth the time in relevancy anyways?

 

[Kahunaburger]

I'm not a huge fan of it, if only because it's often a symptom of tutorial bloat. Although I can't think of a reason it couldn't be done well.

 

[BathorysGraveland]

Not really. I prefer the Elder Scrolls style, where I can completely create the backstory and history of the character myself and then make decisions and actions in the playthrough that would be in style with said backstory/history. I'm really not a fan of the childhood segments in either video games or films, honestly.

EDIT: To say I "hate" it, would be a little strong. I just dislike it, really.

 

[bigfatcarp93]

Not really. I prefer the Elder Scrolls style, where I can completely create the backstory and history of the character myself and then make decisions and actions in the playthrough that would be in style with said backstory/history. I'm really not a fan of the childhood segments in either video games or films, honestly.

That's a point I hadn't considered. That is nice, and I remember slowly fleshing out my own character's backstory over the course of Skyrim. Nonetheless, I still maintain that what happens to your character is more emotionally compelling if you've followed them since childhood. Consider also that, in real life, you don't choose your origin, but your choices define who you become. Shouldn't a good RPG reflect that?