next »

[Snail_Man]

My very quick 2¢, I obviously don't know because I'm not devving the game, but would a whole separate female body option really double the spritework? It seems to me that if you can customize the entire body (Hair, eyes, face, shirt, and pants), you'd only really need to double the shirt/torso sprites, as everything is fairly unisex. You can have the same options for hair for both genders, as some men wear their hair long, and some women cut it short.

If that really isn't an option, I suppose go with the androgynous option, and make it so the different types of hair insinuate all the difference, but that clearly isn't ideal.

[Sik]

No need to modify the torso if we assume the breasts on a girl don't stand out noticeably =P (e.g. because she's wearing an armor that hides it anyway, or because her chest isn't large enough to show up noticeably, especially if the art style is simplified enough)

I'd say the face is a lot more sex specific. Heck, the face has the most distinguishing features between any two humans, period.

[Unplayables]

I think the most important thing when making something creatively is to consider two things: your own experience and your audience.

Everything you choose has an effect on how the game is perceived. Because computer simulations allow it, we tend to want to include everything, but that just makes the game look like everything. Most of the choices we make is that we avoid to dare to choose.

If I were in your shoes, I'd make a choice for one gender, either one. What feels appropriate for your game?

This is YOUR game, YOUR unique expression of the world. And in fact, just one such expression compared to the many that you may make in your life. What do you want it to say, today?