MC Personality Traits (Patreon)

Hey everyone! We wanted to give a sneak peek at what we're planning for the MC's personality in Gilded Shadows.

The MC will, of course, have to have a base personality of some sort. We can't make her entire personality customizable or writing this thing will be an utter nightmare. For the base personality, we're trying to have her be witty, but also optimistic and mostly easy-going. We don't want her to be like Nora V.2

She probably will be a little snarky sometimes - but not in the sometimes cynical way that Nora is.

The traits that will be "choose-able" will come in pairs. And each trait has two sides to it (positive and negative.) Because choosing a specific trait can help you out but it can also hurt you. It may unlock some good choices, but it can also unlock bad choices.

During the MC customization process, you'll be given a series of traits to read about, then you'll be prompted to choose one or the other. There aren't really right or wrong choices here. Every trait has pros and cons.

Here is the first pair:  Bold/Reckless  vs  Prudent/Cautious  

Bold/Reckless  

At its best, boldness is confidence. It is the ability to stand up for oneself, to be adventurous, and to stray from the beaten path with courage.

At its worst, boldness is recklessness and arrogance, it is over-confidence and making decisions without a sense of caution or prudence.

 Prudent/Cautious  

At its best, prudence is wisdom and shrewdness, and the strength to judge a situation and the repercussions of any actions before they're made.

At its worst, prudence is the tendency to over-worry or be anxious and uncertain of ones own decisions. It is indecisiveness due to fear or weakness.

The second set of traits is:  Persistent/Stubborn  vs Adaptable/Compliant 

Persistent/Stubborn 

At its best, persistence is sticking to your own beliefs and opinions, and staying resolute in your decisions in spite of obstacles, opposition, or persuasion to other sides.

At its worst, stubbornness is willfully refusing to see you might be wrong, or it is refusal to acknowledge other points of view, even if they're valid.

 Adaptable/Compliant 

At its best, adaptability is being able to change one's personal stance when the situation calls for it, to change for the better, see other points of view than your own.

At its worst, adaptability is compliance - an ability to be too easily swayed off the path you've chosen, or compliance with rules or orders without questioning their validity.

The third set of traits is:   Emotional/Impulsive - Rational/Analytical 

Emotional/Impulsive

At its best, emotional is empathetic and being unafraid to show vulnerability. It is openness, compassion, and humanity toward others, - and being unafraid to do what feels right.

At its worst, emotional is impulsivity. It is a tendency to lash out, lack self control, act on feelings over reason, and make impulsive decisions without thinking of the consequences.

 Rational/Analytical 

At its best, rationality analytical and inquisitive. It is making decisions based on reason and evidence without letting emotions cloud one's judgement. 

At its worst, rationality is over reliance on logic without making room for spontaneity. It lacks compassion and sympathy for others and puts reason above relationships.

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The plan is that traits you choose will unlock choices that won't be available to you otherwise. Now, these may be good choices you're locked out of, but they could also be bad choices you are protected from.

In addition, different love interests prefer different traits. When you select your choices, you will get a boost to some relationship meters, while others might take a hit.

(LIs are neutral to some traits as well. Currently it is set so that every LI likes three traits, is neutral to two traits, and dislikes one trait but that may change.)

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I am thinking of changing the page to say "I tend to be..." rather than "I am..." to give ourselves more flexibility in how we portray the MC. But I think that will really come down to how the choice menus end up.

Some people called Changeling "choice heavy" and implied there were too many choices - so we are trying to cut back just a little. And I don't think every single choice will necessarily have a "personality-based" option in it. I think many of the personality based deviations will not necessarily be at choice junctions (so they player won't realize it's a variation until subsequent playthroughs anyway. 

But anyway, this is what we are planning for at the moment in terms of allowing the player to pick personality traits, and some of the ways we intend to have those impact the story and game! OwO