Would you guys be open for character creation in FF (mainline)? I mean, FFXV had the avatara system making it possible to replace Noctis with a player-created character.
Maybe having the option would be entertaining.
The problem with this isn't that the technology isn't there. The problem is that it's really, really, really hard to do good solid characterization with a "player insert" character. And solid characterization is a staple across all FF games. Even the MMOs have that for their NPCs while they don't have it as much for the MC. And when they do have it for the MC, there's always players go "that isn't how my character would react" to X plot thing.
Having a customizable appearance for a character that is basically their own character that the PC can't effect is also... weird. When you're the person designing what a character looks like, as a player, it gives you the idea that you have control over that character. So to let the player design a character and then not give them control over how the characterization works feels like pulling the rug out from under the character.
As far as art/design goes... I hate to say it, but I think people will be turned off if the FFXVI isn't realistic. For better or for worse (worse I think) there is very much a version of the
Animation Age Ghetto when it comes to computer graphics. Stuff that isn't realistic isn't taken seriously by a lot of people, at least when it's from an AAA studio. Which is one of the reasons I think a lot of the "side" FF content "doesn't count" for a lot people; it doesn't look realistic like modern FF games do, so they don't think of it as a game worth their time putting in the hours. LIke it or not, people expect to be "wowed" by FF games. And people aren't really "wowed" by non-realistic stuff anymore.
At least not in the AAA game market. For Indie games it's more expected, but usually those push the oppposite end of the spectrum. They're smaller games that aren't usually 3D open world with far less story and things to animate, so things like painting everything in a digital painter is actually feasible. Get a good art team on board and they can call it a day. Usually though, most indie games are either isometric or side-scrolling or use pixel graphics. Most of them aren't aiming for 3D open world because that kind of game is just too big for a small studio to tackle at all.
What you don't see a lot of "artsy" stuff done with is 3D open world.... or... 3D instanced word for that matter. Once you get models with a movable camera moving around in an environment, it has to feel realistic in a certain way. And... I just don't see a non-realistic art-style working with FFXVI. I think it says something that FF stopped doing more stylized main title games when they got rid of the static camera in the scene and instead had it follow the player around.
Amano's stuff... FFXIV has a lot of bosses that either are his designs or inspired by his designs. They are all great takes on his designs in 3D... they also have... odd proportions compared with everything else. And this is in a game where you have a whole bunch of different races with very different proportions in it. For Amano's stuff to really work, I feel you'd have to design an entire game around it... and Amano's stuff has always looked best in 2D, not 3D.
Amano Inspired Designs in FFXIV
Halicarnasus -
Image 1,
Image 2
Exdeath -
Image 1
Neo Exdeath -
Image 1, Transformation Sequence into Neo Exdeath
Kefka -
Image 1,
Image 2, Kefka Intro
God Kefka -
Image 1, Transformation Sequence into God Kefka
Omega-M and Omega-F -
Image 1,
Image 2
You could probably throw in some orriginal characters like
Zenos who are quite obviously inspired by Amano's style too.
Amano does his best art for like... the
Logos of the various FF games. Which aren't supposed to be realistic or the basis of character design at all. Quite the opposite. They would have to be drawn
after all the characters are designed. Many of the later ones are fantastic at getting across emotion, feeling, etc.
