discussion Does it matter if MC is faceless or not for people that self-insert themself?

[kemad]

if the MC's comically ugly it takes me out of it tbh, but usually i just don't really care

 

[69Questions]

It doesn't really bother me unless there's something extraordinary about the MC, if there's something off-putting about a character that's supposed to be "me" it can ruin the game.

 

[Elrond13]

Doesn't really matter to me. The focus is elsewhere anyway...

 

[echilog]

mostly like faceless, but I am kinda meh about it.
unless he looks like a stupid child

 

[solcrow]

Much prefer a face to the mc, but it's no deal breaker.

The games that have a faceless MC is interesting. The amount of work the creator goes through to keep the MC faceless can be impressive, especially if they have very expressive scenes that constantly change angles and perspective.

 

[lord_xenu]

I don't understand the capabilities/possibilities of these programming tools, but I hope we'll see customizable characters/faces in the future. That would be great.

That would be easily possible in game engines like Unity and Unreal since those can render 3d models in real-time. I've seen quite a number of adult games using those engines that have character creators. It's a lot harder for game engines like Ren'Py and RPGM because those games don't actually render anything, they just display pre-rendered images.

There are a few Ren'Py games I've seen with a basic character creator, but they all use simple 2D sprites with about a dozen or so stock poses. Doing a full 3D customizable character in Ren'Py would require either rendering each image dozens if not hundreds of times to include every possible arrangement of customization options, or include a massive amount of custom programing that requires more skill than many AVN developers have. I only know of one game that attempted that: Lab Rats 2 had randomly generated women. The game itself was really more of a tech demo than anything else, and the dev spent 5 years trying to make it work before giving up and abandoning it.

 

[kodex]

That would be easily possible in game engines like Unity and Unreal since those can render 3d models in real-time. I've seen quite a number of adult games using those engines that have character creators. It's a lot harder for game engines like Ren'Py and RPGM because those games don't actually render anything, they just display pre-rendered images.

There are a few Ren'Py games I've seen with a basic character creator, but they all use simple 2D sprites with about a dozen or so stock poses. Doing a full 3D customizable character in Ren'Py would require either rendering each image dozens if not hundreds of times to include every possible arrangement of customization options, or include a massive amount of custom programing that requires more skill than many AVN developers have. I only know of one game that attempted that: Lab Rats 2 had randomly generated women. The game itself was really more of a tech demo than anything else, and the dev spent 5 years trying to make it work before giving up and abandoning it.

The main problems with character creators are costs and possibilities. Ofc you can make an extremely competent character creator, but if you spend 85% of the game's budget on it, you are unlikely to make a good game. There is also the issue with the options provided to the user. Like the recent controversy with Dragon Age Veilguard proves, if you don't know your target audience, your character creator will probably be treated as a negative instead of a positive.

 

[CristianRed]

As long as it's not horrible I don't care, btw prefer if his face is not visible.

 

[R51093]

I have seen a lot of discussion about people that self-insert themself to the MC and was wondering about this.

If you like to do it, do you prefer the character to be faceless, (aka you never see the MC:s face) or not?

For me it doesn't matter that much, as long as character design looks good.

When playing games / VN's, I fully immerse myself in the role of the MC. Having a defined face for the MC significantly elevates the immersion experience, even if their features are seldom shown. Generally, there's a scene when the MC’s face is revealed, and a faceless character evokes an unsettling feeling. However, as long as the MC is not portrayed as old or unattractive, I welcome any appearance they may have. This diversity in character design greatly enhances the overall immersion and connection to the story.

 

[DannyO24]

Faceless works for me, it beats the hell out of having a unappealing MC design.

 

[Roki1212]

I don't care if it's faceless or not. Until MC doesn't looks like potato... and for self inserting names, nah, I prefer to use a nick name.

 

[Aster Ater]

For me faceless is not a requirement. It is important that the MC isn't distracting from the game but that is not a high bar to clear.

 

[vandura]

Doesn't matter to me if he's got a face. I like a POV character and I actually find it a little jarring when an MC who doesn't usually show his face looks into a mirror or otherwise sees his reflection. Takes me out of it for a second.

 

[pb8-1s]

It doesn't matter to me, the only thing that I don't enjoy is when the devs make these really weird camera angles or ploys to just block the MC's face. IMO either show their face or don't have 3rd person or a view with their head. Some do a good job with it, but some are not great.

 

[MajinGuu]

Doesn't really bother me. Small exceptions have been in DAZ games where the MC is either ugly as fuck or looks like someone I know IRL. MC from Family Faring looks like a carbon copy of my father, was too weird to play lmao

 

[User_135305]

I don't mind faceless MC, Light of my life does a good job.

 

[noaway]

I don't think it matters. Unless the mc looks like an ugly bastard then yea keep it faceless.

 

[HarryMason]

I don't mind either way but it is jarring when he looks fugly

 

[User_9860]

agreed nothing too ugly. otherwise doesn't matter so much

 

[albatross]

I never insert myself, never even thought to. I'm always just watching other people, like when watching porn. Today's porn lacks plot, so here I am. I wish more guys thought about it like I do, because I'm all for NTR in these games. I mean, come on, it's not my landlady that guy might nail.