Does anyone actually like mmo's with premade characters?

[<HF> ☠Shonem☠]

For me, the main number 1 appeal to playing an MMO has always been the character creation and options.
I have endured many mmo's where 90% of characters look nearly identical, because many of them at least let you wear different clothes or have an extremely different playstyle, but they at least had SOME character creation options.
A know games like genshin and that tower game have premade chars, but those games are mainly open world solo/co-op games, is this just another in the same genre of carnival ride mmo's where you're really playing a predone story you have very little hand in actually influencing?

[Realight]

Well... it depends on the game, not all games have super in depth character creation...
You would't cry about League or DOTA or Overwatch or other games having you locked behind characters. It's the same here I guess. I know there are some other examples but my brain is in shut down mode rn to even recall them all :(

[IchigoMait]

Warframe. (but yeah it ain't an mmo, more like DDON that was cancelled)

[Flappyfish]

A long time ago in a land before my time we call "The 60s and 70s" folks made crpgs where the player could make any character because they largely drew on D&D for inspiration. These crpgs generally would slot in a semi-generic protagonist often written to have no dialogue so you could make whomever.

I grew up after that in the jrpg era, so I'm used to playing rpg's with main characters like Chrono and Cloud and whatnot. So this doesn't bother me whatsoever. Though I'm looking forward to the point on their roadmap in the next few months where they add character specific voice lines, backstories, and questlines.

I don't play Castlevania less because I have to play as Simon/Alucard, or God of War for having to be Kratos. You get this "who do you main" question a lot in fighting games, hero shooters, MOBAs etc. This is just part of many video games these days and honestly, it simplifies the whole process for me. I'd rather an art team make cool chars, than me try to fiddle with sliders, and end up having to put on piecemeal armor and spend half the game looking like I'm in a clown suit while I upgrade.

It's a preference IMO. I don't mind well written chars, or picking whomever I like, but I'm really here to smash monsters and chill with friends. And if I get to pick from a selection of cool chars to do it with... it's fine. I get to tweak colors and looks and skins so I don't look like every other Niss/Windgrave/whatever and that's plenty for me.

[<HF> ☠Shonem☠]

Seems like people commenting are missing the MMORPG aspect here

Originally posted by Flappyfish:

I grew up after that in the jrpg era, so I'm used to playing rpg's with main characters like Chrono and Cloud and whatnot. So this doesn't bother me whatsoever.

You seem to forget you could actually name your character in those games too.
Though again, those are single player rpg games, not mmo's

Originally posted by Realight:

Well... it depends on the game, not all games have super in depth character creation...
You would't cry about League or DOTA or Overwatch or other games having you locked behind characters. It's the same here I guess. I know there are some other examples but my brain is in shut down mode rn to even recall them all :(

Hero based battle arenas are all focused around the particular heroes in them, not really applicable to the MMO genre

[<HF> ☠Shonem☠]

Originally posted by IchigoMait:

Warframe. (but yeah it ain't an mmo, more like DDON that was cancelled)

Technically speaking in warframe your character is 100% customization, the frames you pilot as well can be tweaked, but those are not actually your character.

[Zouls]

Originally posted by <HF> ☠Shonem☠:

Seems like people commenting are missing the MMORPG aspect here

Originally posted by Flappyfish:

I grew up after that in the jrpg era, so I'm used to playing rpg's with main characters like Chrono and Cloud and whatnot. So this doesn't bother me whatsoever.

You seem to forget you could actually name your character in those games too.
Though again, those are single player rpg games, not mmo's

Originally posted by Realight:

Well... it depends on the game, not all games have super in depth character creation...
You would't cry about League or DOTA or Overwatch or other games having you locked behind characters. It's the same here I guess. I know there are some other examples but my brain is in shut down mode rn to even recall them all :(

Hero based battle arenas are all focused around the particular heroes in them, not really applicable to the MMO genre

not much of an mmorpg though, there are dyes and cosmetics but its more so a hub area with small dungeon runs, there is an open world but its super layered.

the easy answer is they are different characters, not classes, which means they can use different voice actors, unique mannerisms and animations and unique armors, you can decide to use whatever weapon you want which can set you apart, and you have various trinkets and stuff.

But playing wargrave forexample i dont even see my face at all, the difference on the silhouette and hitbox of senja and niss are massively different, because they are different playstyles.

again in a game like this i think best you can ask for is hair customization which you can buy i guess as you can equip various accessory parts to change your outfit.

edit: turns out you can unequip the helmet, neat

[Vilidius]

This is an interesting question, and I'll give you a complex answer. I LOVED MMOs where every player had an opportunity to develop their own character's storyline. I loved games where you could ask a player (at least one with any interest in an immersive experience) "hey, what's your journey been like?" and you would get an interesting and unique answer. But here's the thing. That ship sailed a long time ago.

It's not about whether your character has a unique name and whether you can pick your own hairstyle. It's about the journey you're on. And as long as you're on a scripted, single path towards the end of the game that you share with every other player (or at most, every other player of your class) it's the same bloody thing regardless. Who cares if you have a different name and hairstyle than the next guy? If you try to have an in game discussion, it'll go like "why are you here?" then "I'm here because I'm the chosen one and I need to find my long lost sister Arina" and then "that's amazing! I'm here to find my long lost sister Arina too, but I thought I was the chosen one?!?" So really, what the hell is immersive about that?

Unless you're going full sandbox without a story on rails, I don't care if my toon has the same name. The point is, he has the same story already. The difference between the two, once you've already put everyone on the same story, is trivial to me.

[Zenogs]

I have to agree none customizable character lose the purpose without a solid story ,making these characters relevant. This game does not sound like one I mean one comment-er threw bunch of example on exactly that point, but ignore the facts that world in those games are centered around the character not other way around. The mmos on other hand can not create world for one character since it breaks immersion when you see player with same thing running around making rpg part irrelevant and stupid. So short answer no I do not like premade heroes for mmorpg games as they opose the very core of what massive rpg involving others should be.

[Zouls]

Originally posted by Zenogs:

I have to agree none customizable character lose the purpose without a solid story ,making these characters relevant. This game does not sound like one I mean one comment-er threw bunch of example on exactly that point, but ignore the facts that world in those games are centered around the character not other way around. The mmos on other hand can not create world for one character since it breaks immersion when you see player with same thing running around making rpg part irrelevant and stupid. So short answer no I do not like premade heroes for mmorpg games as they opose the very core of what massive rpg involving others should be.

except here the entire point is that you were great heroes brought back from the dead in an attempt to beat the darkness.

like you are already known in the world and that is why you can get them, they are heroes / champions in the same sense league of legends champions are.

[MaikElPipas]

Originally posted by <HF> ☠Shonem☠:

For me, the main number 1 appeal to playing an MMO has always been the character creation and options.
I have endured many mmo's where 90% of characters look nearly identical, because many of them at least let you wear different clothes or have an extremely different playstyle, but they at least had SOME character creation options.
A know games like genshin and that tower game have premade chars, but those games are mainly open world solo/co-op games, is this just another in the same genre of carnival ride mmo's where you're really playing a predone story you have very little hand in actually influencing?

Same, game look fine, but hell, seeing 20 same characters dressed the same walking around is damn....depressing.

[Jo]

Would love to be able to create my own character and just use the skills or the other characters as skins (ex. see tower of fantasy as an example) i have put this in as a suggestion on their suggestion website! https://wayfinderfeedback.featureupvote.com/suggestions/482373/character-creation

[Misguided]

Originally posted by Vilidius:

This is an interesting question, and I'll give you a complex answer. I LOVED MMOs where every player had an opportunity to develop their own character's storyline. I loved games where you could ask a player (at least one with any interest in an immersive experience) "hey, what's your journey been like?" and you would get an interesting and unique answer. But here's the thing. That ship sailed a long time ago.

It's not about whether your character has a unique name and whether you can pick your own hairstyle. It's about the journey you're on. And as long as you're on a scripted, single path towards the end of the game that you share with every other player (or at most, every other player of your class) it's the same bloody thing regardless. Who cares if you have a different name and hairstyle than the next guy? If you try to have an in game discussion, it'll go like "why are you here?" then "I'm here because I'm the chosen one and I need to find my long lost sister Arina" and then "that's amazing! I'm here to find my long lost sister Arina too, but I thought I was the chosen one?!?" So really, what the hell is immersive about that?

Unless you're going full sandbox without a story on rails, I don't care if my toon has the same name. The point is, he has the same story already. The difference between the two, once you've already put everyone on the same story, is trivial to me.

I always enjoy reading your posts, V.

[Brolando]

I wouldn't categorise this game as an MMO, because it lacks the massiveness of an MMO and a large open world. It's a lot more like Warframe and Dragon's Nest where the characters are premade and you basically just run instances.

[King T]

I prefer them