Thoughts on Character Immersion

[Tactikul]

Many people find it to be one of their goals in an RPG to really care about your character. You want to be able to immerse yourself in the small details and make your beloved adventurer look and act as you see fit. I think that Bethesda does a fair job with this but I believe that most would agree it could be improved. I got to thinking about what could be changed to help me feel more attuned to my character in future Elder Scrolls games. One idea that I had was implementing a traits system during character creation. For those who have ever played one of the Sims games, you are allowed to choose personality traits for your Sim. Ranging from being a neat freak to critically insane. This could be a really nice take in any RPG game. In addition to customizing looks, be able to customize personality. Maybe Bethesda could add something like this in the future, choosing 3-4 traits that define your characters mentality towards those around him and possibly add an extra dialogue choice or two depending on the trait. I know that your dialogue choices already give you some control on how your character is perceived but i feel these are severely limited and have little actual consequences most of the time. I wanted to see other's thoughts on this and hear what any of you would do to improve your bond with your adventurer.

 

[Windress]

That's a great idea Tactikul! Just as you've said, I like to create a full rounded and developed character in games like these, with backstory and explanatory notes that supplement the choices they make. Having a personality traits engine would be an amazing addition to the creation of my characters.

Traits could also contribute to how your character learns skills and utilizes fighting techniques. For example, if you choose a trait stating your character is "reckless" or "impulsive," then they may show a greater prowess at learning melee attack skills. And on the flip side, these traits could make a patience-based skill (such as alchemy, archery, etc) more difficult to learn or counter-intuitive to use. With a set up like that, the gamer could actually end up fighting with their own character because they might ask them to advance in ways contrary to their nature (and you'd only have yourself to blame... you made them that way!)

 

[hexperiment]

I completely agree. In DCUO, the hero customization also comes with 'personality' which pretty much defines how your character stands, run and all the physical gestures. Obviously, what you do in Skyrim is what really defines your character but a little visual helps the immersion.

As for bonding with your character, I took onto writing a role-playing journal. I made a character with defined personality and background history and write everyday journal from her point of view. I only made one character so far and I don't plan to make a new one until I finish the chapter for this character.

 

[Tactikul]

Thanks for the feedback! I think it's a decent idea and hope people continue to tweak it. It would be a good way to help the average player become more immersed in the game.

 

[BIGwooly]

I like the idea of traits but rather than picking them up front, I think it would be cool if your actions determined your traits. Much in the same way that you only level up skills you use. It would also be nice if your traits (and how you interacted in the world) really made more of an impact.

 

[Flint firestorm]

So like if you are always sneaking you get sneaking perks

 

[Nameless1]

I like tha traits Ideas alot, I liked that in tha Sims it definitely creates a more, defined character. if that makes sense. with more personality related dialouge and decisions to make this game would be perfect IMO.

 

[Tactikul]

BIGwooly I like that alot. Decisions starting to take their toll on your characters personality over time. I really hope something similar is implemented in future games.

 

[Dragonfang]

Inmersion isn`t archived by taking more care of simple things, that just complicate things up, making it booring or tedious.

Inmersion is archived when the things you do generate reactions, apropiate ones.

Example:

You kill a guard, you become most wanted in a city. Civilians run of you, guards chase you.

inmersion goes wrong when the things you do DO NOT generate reactions, or generate wrong ones.

Example:

You become a worshiper of X daedra god that hates Y deadra, Y daedra god does not give a fluff about that, and you can also become a worshiper of Y daedra, in fact, X daedra wont give a fluff either lol.

Making it more deep, inmersion comes when the things you do have a REAL weight, chosing is about open paths and closing others, is about compensation, inmersion is not (Skyrim`s Case) to have the freedom of being/do anything and that no one reacts to that properly.

 

[Tactikul]

Inmersion isn`t archived by taking more care of simple things, that just complicate things up, making it booring or tedious.

Inmersion is archived when the things you do generate reactions, apropiate ones.

Example:

You kill a guard, you become most wanted in a city. Civilians run of you, guards chase you.

inmersion goes wrong when the things you do DO NOT generate reactions, or generate wrong ones.

Example:

You become a worshiper of X daedra god that hates Y deadra, Y daedra god does not give a fu** about that, and you can also become a worshiper of Y daedra, in fact, X daedra wont give a fu** either lol.

Making it more deep, inmersion comes when the things you do have a REAL weight, chosing is about open paths and closing others, is about compensation, inmersion is not (Skyrim`s Case) to have the freedom of being/do anything and that no one reacts to that properly.

I agree with your view on appropriate reactions. However I'm talking about immersion in ones Character, not the game as a whole. This can be achieved by creating (Or discovering) a personality for your adventurer. This would add a new level to the game, and not cloud up existing ones. The characters in Skyrim are largely one-dimensional, and i often use the same dialogue choices just because there is no flexibility. Immersion in a Role-Playing game starts with the character you are "Role-Playing" and improving that is the key to solving Bethesda's versatility issue.

 

[Dragonfang]

But for being effective, that will need to have reactions.

The way i give inmersion to "only my character" is by making a list of restrictions, like no fast travel and such, i use a lot of mods for this, like the rebalanced weight mod, so you can`t just go and clean a whole ancient temple on one run, you have to take just what you need. Things like that, i only wait for the CK for see what the modders of nexus have to offer.

 

[Tactikul]

See, I think we're on two different pages. Your talking about making the game more realistic and thus more attractive to hard-core players. I am discussing a feature to be implemented by developers (not a mod) that would make characters more appealing to role-players on all consoles.

 

[Windress]

I agree with your view on appropriate reactions. However I'm talking about immersion in ones Character, not the game as a whole. This can be achieved by creating (Or discovering) a personality for your adventurer. This would add a new level to the game, and not cloud up existing ones. The characters in Skyrim are largely one-dimensional, and i often use the same dialogue choices just because there is no flexibility. Immersion in a Role-Playing game starts with the character you are "Role-Playing" and improving that is the key to solving Bethesda's versatility issue.

Very well said, Tactikul, and spot on! Characters become personable and unique through their actions/reactions as observed by the ultimate audience (that is to say the player, rather than the NPC onlookers). Once our characters begin to stand independently of the one-dimensional engine powering Skyrim's interactions, I can see them becoming more "Real" in our minds... well, at least my own mind. As it stands now, it's too easy to allow your character to simply operate as a mechanism of the game, or a "portal" into the world of Skyrim, rather than a fully developed individual.

 

[Panthera]

One thing would be really great if you from other race do quest for stormcloaks, nords would be more polite to your kind. And when you meet your kind they would be grateful for better circumstances you made for them. But from other side Imperials you would be bullied like paying bounty for something you didn't do. Or If turn this around and do quest for Imperials, people who are supporting Empire will be more found to your race than it was before (specially for Kahjiits, Argonians and Orcs).

 

[ActOfGod]

I would at least appreciate if they did SOMETHING so that your choices made a difference besides who you do the quest for and the reward. Hell, even a simple thing like in Fable, where your character looks more evil or looks more good depending on their actions would suffice. People still react to that. And the game must have something in place already along the lines of what you all want. The guards are always saying stuff such as, "Hands to yourself, sneak thief." or "Don't go picking any locks around here." or "Bow, eh? I'm a swordsman myself." I don't know much, put just add personality traits and suchwhich and take it with what they already have and go!

 

[Rayven]

I think the sim-like traits would be interesting and a fusion of the two ideas posted would be cool. We start Skyrim as adults and so choosing one or two traits in the beginning would be fine. But then, as we play through and make choices, additional traits could be 'achieved' via game play.

 

[Gemini Sierra]

If they used the karma/faction thing from Fallout New Vegas this game would have a whole new level to it.
Imagine, you follow the storm cloak out of helgren, from there on your faction rating with the Imperials is lower and they react less to you. the more you help the stormcloaks the more the imperials don't like you. to the point you're a wanted person and either have to evade the imperials at all cost or start killing them.

Same thing for the say helping out the thieves guild. Every city you go to will become more negative towards you. If you become the leader of the guild, you're wanted in every city.

You can level it out though by helping people in the different holds. Clear a mine of spiders and your reputation in that town goes up.

And so on...

 

[Windress]

If they used the karma/faction thing from Fallout New Vegas this game would have a whole new level to it.
Imagine, you follow the storm cloak out of helgren, from there on your faction rating with the Imperials is lower and they react less to you. the more you help the stormcloaks the more the imperials don't like you. to the point you're a wanted person and either have to evade the imperials at all cost or start killing them.

Same thing for the say helping out the thieves guild. Every city you go to will become more negative towards you. If you become the leader of the guild, you're wanted in every city.

You can level it out though by helping people in the different holds. Clear a mine of spiders and your reputation in that town goes up.

And so on...

omg, I hadn't even thought about the Karma engine in NV! That's an excellent suggestion! And it could start, as mentioned above, with the choice of race/gender made as a base level influence on how NPCs respond to your presence. It would certainly make some of the main questline stories more believable. Sometimes it makes no sense that I'm standing in front of NPC badmouthing the Dark Elves, and I'm playing one...

 

[Rayven]

I just had the funny moment of asking Ysolde about Khajiits even though I'm playing one, so yes, the NPC's having a slightly better sense of context would be a good thing in my opinion, however it was phrased in the game code.

 

[Tactikul]

I've always loved the Karma Engine/Moral Compass part of games. That + a traits system + TES6 would probably relieve me of a social life for the rest of the foreseeable future.