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Sufyan: I have a similar problem, but mine is not that I'm trying to create the perfect character but rather "Hmm, this is not exactly how I wanted my alcoholic janitor with a gambling problem and PTSD to function at this point in the story, maybe if I start over with some small changes and...".

I even do this in games that do not have stat progression, like GTA. I played GTA V from start to finish four times before I was happy with how all characters progressed through the story, even though there is no real book keeping in the game itself but only in my memory of the journey. I rebooted the story another five or more times during those playthroughs.
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Wyndfyre: I'm the same way. Before now I didn't know of anyone else who was capable of restarting as many times for the smallest of details like I do. If the story and/or characters don't progress in the way I had envisioned, I get unhappy and start over, this time with a (presumably) clearer idea of how I want things to turn out.

I finally broke this endless restarting process with Planescape: Torment, which I made myself play all the way through. I certainly plan on playing it again, not only because I enjoyed the game so much but because I want to get it "just right" next time. Playing through that first time gave me a better grip on the characters, their personalities, how they should progress and why. When I play again, even though I won't have quite the same experience as I would have the first time through, it'll be the one that feels closest to "perfect" to me.
I think I get where you're coming from. I also want all characters to do things that make sense or have great dramatic impact on the story telling, which means knowing the game beforehand helps a lot. It is especially fun to develop the story arc for a character you know is bound to die. My various Shepards in Mass Effect 1 always lose their love interest on Virmire because I like that both for the heartwrenching drama and the story hook it provides to turn Shepard from once idealistic hero to cynical and jaded who isn't necessarily so interested in making every person in the galaxy happy with fetch quests any longer.
Post edited March 01, 2014 by Sufyan
Natalya isn't too bad (aside from Night Person being useless and no combat skill tagged). Perhaps a bit more in INT and less END, but the attribute balance for her is decent.
I accidentally went with Chitsa. It's okay.
It's not really a question of effectiveness... though I do enjoy the rock-paper-scissors aspect of character building, reaching for some specific target maximum, a character where everything is geared towards maximum smooth talking, or sniping everybody in the eye from great range.

But no, it's the "this character is mine" kind of thing. I decide the motivations, the nature of the adventurer. My play, my choices. Picking a pre generated character kind of increases the distance to me, it's not mine anymore. And it also removes an aspect of the game I enjoy.

I never got into the Witcher as much as other RPG's, partly because you have a preset character. Mass effect and Dragon Age had enough freedom, so playing a commander/warder wasn't too restricting.
In Fallout 1,2 and Tactics I created my own.
In Brotherhood of steel Xbox I had to use a premade because you are forced.

In Fallout 3 and NV, I used the premade faces because they look better and its more convenient to use a premade rather than sit and spend years trying to make a new face, especially since Fallout 3 and NV are so buggy.

I always make my own backstory up in my head everytime I play.
In NV I use role players start, a mod where you can choose your backstory, and so I acted like I was a teenage boy who was born in the wasteland and became a raider after I was saved from the legion by Motorrunner of Vault 3.
With the exception of a very few games, the pre generated characters are not well built. They're like a crude prototype with suggestions for how to choose your stats and skills, but often fall on their faces quite quickly.
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JackBurton85: Just some "out of pure curiosity" questions. First, does anybody actually play as any of the 3 characters the games give you the option to play as, instead of designing your own character? If so, why? Even from my first playthrough, having little to no idea which skills would be most important to put points into, I had a strong desire to customize my own character. Does playing as one of the preset characters change anything gameplay/story wise at all if you do? I wouldn't think it would, figured they likely just included these characters for people who for whatever reason didn't want to design their own. I have heard picking the big ox of a dude in Fallout 1 leads to some funny interactions as his intelligence/charisma is so incredibly low, but I figure that'd be the case if you design your own character with similar stats.

Second, I've 100% completely ignored melee. I put zero points into it, never use it in combat, don't see its appeal or worth. If I can kill enemies from afar, why would I ever want to fight up close where I'm guaranteed to take some damages? Am I missing out on any amazing death animations by not using melee? That'd be my main reason for ever utilizing it in future playthroughs, if it leads to some very cool sights and effects. How powerful can your melee weapons/skills get? I always assumed merely wacking someone with a sledgehammer could never be as effective as blasting them with my plasma rifle for example. Can you get regular one hit kills with em, can they be just as devastating as your powerful guns?
I don't think for the fallouts people ever used the preset characters, mainly because their flaws are so obvious in F1, and the systme is very easy to learn, so since F1 did a poor job giving you quick-to-start-with sheets, people just don't even look at them.

For F2 though (where the series got wide fame) people did try the pre-mades, soon recognised their flaws, restarted soon with an optimalised character. My first char was a Narg

On melee: this type of combat needs a certain level of attention, then it becomes devastating, especialy as in fallouts enemies just jump at you and don't run away. With a ton of movement you can get through half the screen and start punching, with 95% on the eye causing continuous loss of AP for the enemy, or even instant death. Fallout 2 was entirely viable for unarmed combat.
What the real shame is, Fallout Tactics would also be an adventure to play an unarmed deathclaw, but that'd require advancing with the game (aka. you need the extra exp from though guy mode), which'd need a stable game.

EDIT: Fallout 1's premade are not that bad actualy, just have obvious flaws. Like Natalia starts with 4 STR, and unarmed instead of small guns. You need heavy alteration during the play to make her viable, especialy as her skills are not good for the two main locations.
Albert is fine.His main flaw is the 4 AG and 9 CHA. He's not bad though, has decent stats, and very good tagged skills. Give him a sniper rifle and a team so he can blast through everything he can not smoothtalk through. Sure, he looses some perks, and skilled is pretty lame compared to F2, but whatever.
Now Max is a horrible character. He has no AP, and is practicaly blind. Changing some EN to Pe would be mandatory, so he doesn't blow himself up with rocket launchers. His lowered crit-chance doesn't help either, that Bruiser-trait should definitely go.
Post edited August 24, 2021 by twillight
i barely realised their existence, as ive played the games in a weird order and assumed the presets didnt exist at first, the presets seem terribly one note. so i prefer to just have more control
I did play Max Stone in F1 and the diplomatic character in Nevada.