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[Column] General: The Best Character Design in MMOs

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

Character models are possibly the most important aspect of a graphical MMO. After all, the avatars that we create and play through are us in many ways, so they need to look and feel like extensions of us, into the game world. For some players, that means the avatar should look heroic, or beautiful, or needs to offer a ton of customization. Whatever the particular player wants in an avatar, the good news is that there is probably an MMO out there that offers just for what they are looking.

Read more of Beau Hindman's A Casual, Cornered: The Best Character Design in MMOs.

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Comments

  • LycaerixLycaerix Member UncommonPosts: 19
    Someone should tell that to Secret World. Urgh... Some of the ugliest characters in any MMO ever.
  • Viper482Viper482 Member LegendaryPosts: 4,101
    Warhammer Online had some sweet character models and animations. RIP, you left us way too soon.
    Make MMORPG's Great Again!
  • KyrgyzManasKyrgyzManas Member UncommonPosts: 4
    From all MMOs I've every played I rank GW2 as best looking (not only in terms of overall graphics, but also in terms of character/armor design and fluidnes of animations/motion). I'd rank NVN second and ESO third (only in terms of overall graphics...character animations are terrible - really, really clunky compared to GW2).
  • NildenNilden Member EpicPosts: 3,916
    City of Heroes let me design my own characters in what was the best character customization I have yet to see in any game. Guessing you never played it? It's hands down above everything you listed for me.

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  • alivenaliven Member UncommonPosts: 346

    Lulz.

     

    Anybody played champions online or dc universe? :D

  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956

    - GW2 had the best looking and some awsome class mechanics.

    -wildstar has pretty dam good graphics all around.

    -warhammer online had the best looking orcs/goblins with their mounts EVER!!!!!

    -eve, well best looking ships.

     

  • GruntyGrunty Member EpicPosts: 8,657
    Originally posted by Yldvarg
    Someone should tell that to Secret World. Urgh... Some of the ugliest characters in any MMO ever.

    Mortal Online holds that crown with Anarchy Online second.

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  • VesaviusVesavius Member RarePosts: 7,908

    If we are talking about model design, I think one of the stand out games for me was The Chronicles of Spellborn. 

     

     

    It was a surprise in the Western market, one that traditionally is so bad at model design.

  • kjempffkjempff Member RarePosts: 1,760

    Good looking characters are often found in the worst mmos, so I would say that means its not the most important part of a game.

    Aion had nice character customization, and I must admit I hang on to gw2 pretty far only because everything looked so good, and races actually are versatile looking. Vanguard also had a style i liked, and apart from animations eq has produced some great looking npc races over the years.. Snakes in ssra for example. I like characters that are alien looking but at the same time natural.. Also I like character customization that allows you to make ugly, fat, old, scarred as well.

    Anyways, only if the gameplay is good, will character models matter. I could not enjoy eq with old models, but even wow characters were good enough for me.. What I Imagine can bring most things to life, but I need that to trigger.. Hence, atmosphere and gameplay come way before looks for me.

  • RazeeksterRazeekster Member UncommonPosts: 2,591
    Neverwinter had horrible character models, not sure why that's on your best list... Have you seen the weird hands on characters? Really unnatural looking.

    Smile

  • goth1cgoth1c Member UncommonPosts: 79
    How about Tera Elins poeple seems to love those

    image
  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,843
    ESO is my favorite. from CC to development.
  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    Ahh, an article more near and dear to my heart.  You provided some great examples and explanations.  I also think character models are very important to MMOs.  However, unlike you I would rather have proper animations before body shape.  It's the animations that give the illusion of life though proper body proportions are also important to sell that idea.  LOTRO is a prime example, as you pointed out as being a big offender with it's terrible animations.  The characters have no sense of weight and there is hardly any anticipation in their movements.  There are certain principles in animation that need to be followed that most trained animators know and would adhere too which makes me think that Turbine practically pulled someone off the street or had someone who had no formal animation training do their animations.  Blizzard, on the other hand is on the extreme opposite side of that spectrum.  They have some of the best character and environmental artists as well as some of the best animators in the business.  I also think Carbine's and ANet's art teams are top notch as well. 
     

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  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,955
    As far as design goes, whether one likes them or not, I would say Warhammer, Aion, Tera, Ryzom, Chronicles of Spellborn and definitely Final fantasy 14.
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  • Nemesis7884Nemesis7884 Member UncommonPosts: 1,023
    looking at armor i think age of conan has by faaar the best looking armor... character models in terms of face - probably black desert...
  • NaeviusNaevius Member UncommonPosts: 334
    Age of Conan ist a great looking game. And character models that can lose body parts in a spray of blood are the best!
  • HarikenHariken Member EpicPosts: 2,680
    Champions Online has the best character creator out there now.
  • flizzerflizzer Member RarePosts: 2,455
    My vote would go to Guild Wars 2. 
  • Shana77Shana77 Member UncommonPosts: 290
    My vote would also go for GW2. 
  • OzmodanOzmodan Member EpicPosts: 9,726

    As usual Beau has posted more nonsense.  Have to question this quote: "Look at the character models of Lord of the Rings Online if you want to see something truly horrifying. They’re not ugly, they are eerie.

    Seriously Beau, for the age of the game they are some of the better character models in a MMO.  Granted there are complaints about automation, but I have never seen any about the models themselves.  They make Wow's look primitive.  You want eerie, try some of the eastern MMO's they are full of them.  

    I know people are entitled to their opinion, but you are really off the wall in this case.

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 44,070
    EVE. No, seriously, the character creator is good, now if only I could get out of the damn Captain's Quarters.

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  • VesaviusVesavius Member RarePosts: 7,908
    Originally posted by Gorwe

    Come on! Where is some swtor love? If wow is present then swtor needs to be present as well. Out of all MMOs I played:

    Great: AoC, Aion, swtor
    Good: wow, GWs(both), WAR
    Average: edit: Rift, TSW, EQ 2
    F mark: LoTR:O

     

    It's all subjective I guess, but SWTOR has the fugliest models... Just horrible. Right there for me with TSW and LOTR in what you would call the 'F Mark'.

    To put it above GW2 is crazy talk.

  • NorrthmanNorrthman Member UncommonPosts: 16
    FFXIV anybody :O - I liked most its chars, Tera shoots over. Both the animation and look was quite good in XIV. But they hate solo and duo players so I left. Animation in Teso is good but faces ugly. Best mmo for me would be chars from FFXIV but more classes, fighting from Teso and stories/quests like in SWTOR or Teso prophetline. Gw2 looks handpainted to me, like cartoon. Some like the mother, I like the daughters.
  • Sassy_Gay_UnicornSassy_Gay_Unicorn Member UncommonPosts: 316
    ESO and GW2
  • 1. Guild Wars 2

    2. Guild Wars 2

    3. Guild Wars 2

    4. Final Fantasy XIV

    5. Warhammer Online

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