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Geek Culture / Female or Male main character?

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MikeS
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 05:29 Edited at: 24th Jul 2003 05:31
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One of my games I'm working on has come down to a major design decision.It's obviously still all on paper, but I've started doing some modeling.
The one thing I can't decide is if I should have the main character be female, or male.I mean, all my other games in progress, have male characters, so I'm leaning towards female.(for a change.)Plus, this project will be one of my best, so if it's good enough, it'll attract both males, and females to play.

Any advice. Especially from the female audiences.

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(This info. is too hopefully help you get a feel for the game )
Summary:Basically the game is your average, action game. The goal of the game is to keep the "bad people" from randevouing, with the other "bad people", who will then share a secret plot.You'll play either the female/male character, and try to stop the bad people from meeting together.Game will be mostly a combination of stealth, and action.There will also be 1-2 new features, that I plan on adding, that'll make it stand out a little more than most shooters.


Graphically: From some of the models I've started making(none are finished, but I'll post them when they finish.), it will be easy on the eyes, but nothing spectacular.

Sound: Well, it'll be an action game, so try to imagine gun sounds.

Gameplay: Like I mentioned above, there will be stealth, along with some faster paced action. So, it's a little mixed.
(sorry, I'm not planning on slow motion bullets though. )

edit: third-person perspective
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I'll keep updating this thread, with hopefully screenshots, and some more of the story.

Thanks for your time.





Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
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andrew11
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 05:42
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Well, I don't think that making it a female would attract men. It's a video game, remember, and you would only see the back. I don't think that most people care. Maybe the best solution would be to let the user customize thier player (Name, Age, Sex, Eyes, Hair, etc.).

"All programmers are playwrites and all computers are lousy actors" -Anon
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MikeS
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 05:46
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Quote: "Well, I don't think that making it a female would attract men. "

Yea, for the most part.Most games featuring female main characters don't make it big with guys.Except perfect dark, Tombraider, and few others.I'm trying not to make this game sound like it's all that, but it probebly won't be the next perfect dark.

The customize option should work fairly well.I guess, I'd have to do some changing around in the design document.Well, maybe in 1-2 days time, once I have the main character models ready for showing that'll help people decide.



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
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Ian T
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 05:53
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It dosen't really make a difference. People don't buy games because of their main characters unless they are already fans of the series. Do whatever fits in best with your game storyline.

--Mouse

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Mattman
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 06:53 Edited at: 24th Jul 2003 06:53
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will this be for Nightwatch? If it is i'm wiiling to help!

---Mattman
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Arrow
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 17:36
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One thing NOT to do is if your going to use a female is to focus on her 'ass'ets. I'm tired seeing companies using female character just for eye candy. Also try to fit her into the role, don't create a script that could easily use either a male or female character, but don't get cheap.

Teenage Male Geek + Female Remotly Intersted in Common Geek Activities = Teenage Male Jackass
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MikeS
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 21:13
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Mattman, I'm not planning on using it for nightwatch.Didn't you read my summary?

Anyway, I'm pretty focused on a female character, for the reasons I listed above, and will be very careful in how I desin her.
Screenshots, probebly over the weekend.(of the main character)



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
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Ian T
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 21:30
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' I'm tired seeing companies using female character just for eye candy'

Agreed... can you say 'Tomb Raider'?

I swear, her 'assets' grow larger with every new game...

--Mouse

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Mattman
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 21:53
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No, i mean will you develop it with nightwatch. That's the studio name, not the game name! And of course i read the summery, or else i wouldn't offer to help.

---Mattman
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Kangaroo2
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 22:03
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actually, Laras boobs have shrunk in the last 2 games but thats besides the point

A positive female role where her sexuality is not brought into it all the time would be a good thing

Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes, They got them hoppy legs & twitchy little noses,
And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?
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MikeS
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 22:18
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So far the female model is turning out nicely, and it looks fairly
"realistic." So I'm doing my best to keep it from looking like Laura Croft. My plot seems to be developing nicely, but I'm trying to make it a little more original.(instead of bad guy starts plan, good girl saves day, by taking down 100s of guys)

Quote: "
will you develop it with nightwatch"

Hmmmmmm, that's something to take into consideration.I was planning on making this the first game with my company.(company hasn't launched yet.Loads of legal stuff to learn, although I'll worry about that once the game finishes. )
Depending on the success of our racing game, that may very well determine if it's released as a "NightWatch" production.
As of now though, I'm a one man project, but you'll likely see something in the team request forums in 1-3 months, if the project is still on going.(more than likely it will be finished, if all goes smoothly)

I was just working on the model for about an hour, and the body is just about finished.(just needa touch up a little)The head is next, and then I'll put a basic texture on.Then I may be able to show it by tomorrow, but I'm not going to rush myself.



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
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Starlight
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 22:51
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Have you played funsoft's "The Longest Journey" ? The main character is female, her name is April Ryan. You really do connect with the character in the game as she grows and learns about herself. I would recommend you have a look at this Adventure Game, for ideas on a female character. Was game of the year in 2000. April is meant to be someone who everyone would connect with. She is an 18 year old girl who at first appears to be a little timid and not much confidence in herself and no such luck with her love life, etc. She is what you might call an "average" girl - although I never describe people as average, ever. Yet by the end of the game she becomes this confident female heroine - but not necessarily sexy physically but sexy in other qualities as well - such as her personality, etc and who she is. And someone who both female gamers as well as male gamers would fall in love with. The story of April has a really deep storyline and along with saving the Universe from the bad guys she learns about herself and going back to her roots, etc and her problems with her parents, etc. And who she actually is. I would say she is sexy physically though - but in this game it would be a matter of opinion. There is nothing imposing sexual. I would say that a character's gender does make a big difference and people do care! It really depends on the storyline. Yes she is sexy but its the story that makes you fall in love with the character.

For me I don't buy a game just for boobs and all that crap! But at the same time I do want an interesting female character with some controversy in it - but at the same time there has to be a mysterious personality there to. As for Tomb Raider - well there is only physical looks, etc, and not much of a story - so how can you connect with the character there. I've heard that they have tried to rectify this in the TR: AD with more of a story and not just running around fighting. That's why I loved Unreal 2 so much because of its story. I didn't fall in Love with the Aida character because of boobs, etc! Although I admired her physical appearance she is damn cool!!! But what about her mysterious personality, her uniqueness and her sense of homour? Falling in Love with the characters or for me - the Aida character - is what makes a good story. If I wanted boobs, I would have turned off my computer and bought a Play Boy or surfed the web! It seems that some people are too...ignorant (or suffer from tunnel vision!) to see something besides boobs/asses in the Aida character in Unreal 2 or any female character in a game and generally in girls.

I don't want footsteps following me...
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Starlight
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 23:00
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"I was just working on the model for about an hour, and the body is just about finished.(just needa touch up a little)The head is next, and then I'll put a basic texture on.Then I may be able to show it by tomorrow, but I'm not going to rush myself."

Your project seems really exciting!!! Good Luck!

There is an area that I am really going to look into. Had enough of the IT world. Gaming is something I am look at. So what tools and development environments are you using? Love to know the skinny.

Hope your new company takes off!

I don't want footsteps following me...
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Andy Igoe
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 23:05
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bah - all this deep and meaningful stuff balloney. I play games to get away from serious stuff.

Give me a cheap gimmick anyday.

OK here's an example:
I play the MMORG Everquest, when I started I was presented with the choice of male or female character. I thought about this for a moment and decided that I wanted something aethetic for me to look at so I made a female character.

I never realised until far too late that Everquest is a game of social interaction and guys kept hitting on me and this was just too frightening for words, to compound matters I didn't even pick up any great one-liners for my own use.

So to counter this I made a second character that was male. Now whenever anyone hits on my female character i'll be sure to find them later with my male character for a bit of retribution...

I guess if you want to have a serious and meeningful plot though then the choice of male / female is a significant one and here I would actually suggest that as a man you could probably write a better male character than a female one.

Mind you, there is a line from a movie I think Jack "Eyebrows" whats-his-name delivered: "How do I write a woman? I think of a man and remove all sense of reasoning and common sense."

Pneumatic Dryll
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MikeS
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 23:38
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@Starlight
Thanks for your comliments, and suggustions.Currently the tools I'm using to develop for my game are

wings3d- Great open source 3D modeling tool, that I mainly use for weapons. [href]www.wings3d.com[/href]

Truespace5.2- Another great modeling tool, that I mainly use for humans, and bigger objects.(cars, buildings, etc.)I was able to purchase it for abou $150, but now I think it's around $200-300.
http://www.caligari.com/

For the environments, I havn't really decided what tools I will use, but quark, or maybe quill 3d will definitly be taken into consideration.Although, now that qtkradient is out, I'll have to experiment with that tool.(though .bsp maps, do contain many bugs)

Dark Basic Professional-And obviously, I'm using dbp for this project.

@PneumaticDryll

Quote: "I would actually suggest that as a man you could probably write a better male character than a female one."


You make a very valid point there. As a man, I know male, better than female, but I still plan on sticking to the female character. This project will ,in a way, be an experiment to me.It'll be very interesting to see how it turns out.



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
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Ian T
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Posted: 24th Jul 2003 23:54
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'I never realised until far too late that Everquest is a game of social interaction and guys kept hitting on me and this was just too frightening for words, to compound matters I didn't even pick up any great one-liners for my own use.'

Ach! Again, I know exactly what you mean. The thing that really gets me is, some of those people don't even care what sex you really are. Man, that's when people REALLY need to get a life...

--Mouse

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Troan
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 01:07
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Im a male and i play games with female main character *wink *

---Troan---

Im useless, but not for long. The future is coming on.
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Ian T
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 02:11
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I play females quite a bit too... but really, there's no deep meaning too it, I just like trying out playing various characters.

Roleplaying games, however, normally keep me as a male... it was just a bit too odd in Neverwinter Nights walking into the Moonstone Mask as a female...

--Mouse

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Arrow
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 07:00
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In FFXI the race that are best thieves are only female. Tis a pitty to many of these MMORPG players don't connect with their D&D roots and do a bit of Role Playing.

Teenage Male Geek + Female Remotly Intersted in Common Geek Activities = Teenage Male Jackass
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Solidz Snake
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 07:12
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i suggest a female, and make her wearing a translucent, light blue hip -short nightgown.. either that or a skimpy towel, don't fold it around the body, just that she's holding it infront..

.. cancel the towel, give her a handkerchief

Snake? What happened? Snake? Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!!! - Colonel Roy Campbell

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Ian T
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 07:51
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'.. cancel the towel, give her a handkerchief '

Something tells me she'd strangle you with it

--Mouse

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MikeS
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 22:44
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lol.



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
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Troan
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 23:25
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shame on u
u need more than a handkerchief
a necklace might help

---Troan---

"Love and Peace"-Vash the Stampede
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MikeS
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 23:32
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Come on guys, be a little more serious. lol, you're making me laugh.

Anyways, I've decided on a female, that will be wearing a full suit.
Blonde hair, and a short small body build.

(sorry solidz, and troan, it won't be a girl with a hankerchief, and a necklace. )



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Mattman
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 23:34
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aww, yellow...

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Ian T
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 23:50
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'Blonde hair, and a short small body build.'

Just a note, remember, if she's short, in 1st person the camera view will be short too...

--Mouse

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Solidz Snake
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 23:59
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no hanky? how about using pink tissue papers

Snake? What happened? Snake? Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!!! - Colonel Roy Campbell

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MikeS
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Posted: 26th Jul 2003 00:39
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Quote: "third-person perspective"

Mouse it's in third person perspective.



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Ian T
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Posted: 26th Jul 2003 19:34
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I stand corrected

--Mouse

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randi
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Posted: 27th Jul 2003 00:55
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Well if you want my advice...
And you want something authentic...

What about just a simple blouse(usually white, maroon, or tan), A-line skirt(usually black or grey), white short sox, and white canvas shoes.
That's what I wear 90% of the time.
Or capris, instead of a skirt(usaully kaki).

"Anyways, I've decided on a female, that will be wearing a full suit.
Blonde hair, and a short small body build."
I hope you don't mean a business suit?
Vomit!! How boring.
And blonde hair? How about auburn?
Short? what about just average?

Any way...
Just a thought.



Randi
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MikeS
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Posted: 27th Jul 2003 01:44 Edited at: 27th Jul 2003 01:57
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Hmmmmmm lemme be a little more specific

Height: 5'6
weight: 150 lbs
hair color: auburn(now that randi mentions it )
eye color: (undecided)
cloths: (no not a business suit, lol) I don't know how to describe really, other than pants and a long sleeve shirt.

Current Status: I havn't been able to work on the model much lately, but it will be done before August 1,2003.



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Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
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Mattman
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Posted: 27th Jul 2003 04:18
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How are the cars comin along?

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MikeS
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Posted: 27th Jul 2003 04:53
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@Mattman
Please keep to the topic.
You'll see how the cars are coming along once I get the design document.



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Mattman
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Sorry, i'm tired. Can't remember what place i'm in. Had to get up at 6:00 for Swim Team. Anyways, I don't really care what characters look like in the games i play. As long as they exist i am fine.. And remember, don't go overboard with character polys as there are other things to do...

---Mattman
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