Xenallure Character Concepts

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14 comments, last by sunandshadow 19 years, 2 months ago
Quote:Original post by Salsa
I'm not really into the whole furry animalism thing, which it looks like you're going for with those names and designs. Anyway, I can't really tell who is who. Is the girl on the right the bunny or the kitten? Is the first character a boy or girl? The face looks male, but the chest certainly does not (unless he's got some estrogen issues, heh).

I don't like the second character from the left's face. Her whole facial look is just...arbitrary and weird. It looks like some prissy girl with too much make-up and bad hair.

You may have something going with the third character. It reminds me a bit of Vega of SF or something; a really effeminate look. His face looks like it's a mask, however. If your art is supposed to be exaggerated and stylish, then you could certainly pass it off as his real face, but if realism is your goal it's far too porcelain looking.


The two characters on the left are hermaphrodites, one of the races in the game is hermaphroditic. Those are Follow (short for FollowTheLeader) and Bunny (probably hir final name will be Desiderata). Kitten is the catgirl on the far right. Skew, Lion, and Kitten are from an anthropomorphic (furry) race. There will also be normal humans and some truly strange spiritual beings. The game is named Xanallure because it is about the allure of the alien, e.g. hermaphroditic and furry characters. IMO normal is boring. ;)

Thanks for the comments so far everyone, it's very useful to me to see how you perceive the characters! :)

I want to help design a "sandpark" MMO. Optional interactive story with quests and deeply characterized NPCs, plus sandbox elements like player-craftable housing and lots of other crafting. If you are starting a design of this type, please PM me. I also love pet-breeding games.

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How about a shorter, stocky, more muscled character? Generate appeal through a more intriguing personality than the rest, maybe a gleam in his/her eye.

I will have to jump on the bandwagon and say that I find Kitten most appealing as well.
What is more normal (boring by your standards) these days than an big busted anime female?
This thread is strange because it is in the art section and we are asked not to comment on the art. I assume that the question you wanted to be answered is,
"Does the eyes and hair-style match the personalities in the cast?" The following is the answer to the question:

Follow: In order to answer the question meaningfully I would have to guess the intended hair style and personality. For follow I guess that you are trying to have a guy version of Rei. When hair covers the face or the eyes, it gives a sense that the character is hiding something. It is assumed that Follow is hiding his affection from the leader. In other words, he enjoys being in the background, like a stalker. His low-maintainence and somewhat undefined hair style also highlight the idea of him wanting to be unnoticed, and that he does not care much about his own appearance.

Bunny: I am unable to interpret your intention between the hair style and the personality. The previous posters actually described her pretty well, and a cheap one at that. I don't think that was the intention. To make her more attractive I suggest making her elegant, mature, and with seductive eyes. Her appearance should suggest to the player strongly that she has an extravagant (sexually extravagant, but high class) life style. The player might mistaken that she is easy, because her eyes always look as if she is seduced by the player, but nothing ever happens. The idea is to make her unattainable, yet seemingly within reach.

Skew: According to your protrait, I assume that you intend a braveheart hair style. I think that this hair style is too free for him. Skew is about being superior, feeling that he is better than the others. And his sense of superiority comes from what he ability to manipulate. It is sensible that he is a perfectionist, and perfection cannot be achieve without manipulation (it is not about following the nature or the flow). Therefore he would manipulate his own hair, and be conscious of it. He likes things to go according to his plans, and his hair style would be wheather-proof, maybe tied in the back leaving few stylish thread in the front. Yet Skew is never satisfied, there is always more hate in him than he could revenge, and that leaves him eyes with never-ending vengeance, that can only be broken by the player. (example)

Lion: His hair is missing in this version. But there was an earlier version with braveheart haircut. I think that you didn't draw his hair because Skew took it. The free, natural, and curvy hair suits Lion, because it highlights his determination, conviction, and his sense of responsibility and duty. He is a protector of a way of life, and his sense of pride comes from his certainty that he is doing what the nature intends. Unlike Skew, Lion believes that perfection comes from following the way of the nature, therefore the free, natural style in his hair.

Kitten: I think the intended Kitten is innocent and cute. The eyes you chose is not cute, and the hair style is at the margin of being fashioned. It is unclear what values the magicals believe in. However, in general, her style should adhere to those believes to the tradition. A general feature at her age would be discipline, which can be symbolized by braids (that was why she had a braid in original concept art). She is at an age of transition, therefore her appearance should show the confusion, uncertainty, and unpreparedness. For example, she would dress in the cute way that she had always dressed, but it became unappropriate. When she tries to dress like an adult she doesn't look right either. And at times she gives up in frustration and her braid is only half-done.

[Edited by - Estok on February 13, 2005 6:58:19 AM]
Quote:Original post by sunandshadow
Okay, my art is lame, I know this. *humbleness* But, it's what I've got until I can recruit a better concept artist. Anyway, I would like to know what you all think of the first half of our cast of characters - are there any body, face, hair, etc. types missing that you would like to see? What is your gut reacton to each character, and how would you suggest changing each one to make them more attractive? (Xenallure is a dating sim). Thank you, I will be grateful for your input. :)
The Cast
From left to right, characters are: Follow, Bunny, Skew, Lion, and Kitten (Some names are temporary placeholders until we think of better ones.)


I won't comment on the artwork itself as you admit that you're not asking for critiques of that. However, that does render the whole question moot.

How about, instead of drawing pictures, you _write bios_ of each character. Describe each one verbally, but without too much detail -- let your concept artists handle that; it's what they're _for_. What YOU need to focus on is the *characterisation*, not the look. This is the writing forum. YOU, ma'am, are a *writer*.

So write. Don't draw.

--
Sean Timarco Baggaley.
Sean Timarco Baggaley (Est. 1971.)Warning: May contain bollocks.
Estok, yes thank you, that's a good way of stating what I'm looking for - do the characters' body types, faces, hairstyles, poses, and facial expressions match the characters' personalities. Thank you for the detailed responses. :)

Stimarco, I'm the writer, yes, but I'm also the art diretor. There is a verbal desciption of each character in the design doc, but I find my concept artists are happier wth crappy sketches of what I want than with no sketches at all - if I can give them a visual starting point it takes them fewer drafts to get to something am happy with.

I want to help design a "sandpark" MMO. Optional interactive story with quests and deeply characterized NPCs, plus sandbox elements like player-craftable housing and lots of other crafting. If you are starting a design of this type, please PM me. I also love pet-breeding games.

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