| rdfs:comment | - It requires time, work, money, and storage space to create a decent-looking video game sprite, and even more of the same to create a 3D model. Giving each individual character in the game a distinct look borders on madness. As a result, most video game worlds have only about seven or eight distinct body types for NPCs. This means that wherever you go, you'll see the same person over and over again... only it's not them! It's almost creepy, and starts to make you wonder if there isn't some massive cloning conspiracy going on. Basically, the nerd(ier) cousin of Only Six Faces.
|
| abstract | - It requires time, work, money, and storage space to create a decent-looking video game sprite, and even more of the same to create a 3D model. Giving each individual character in the game a distinct look borders on madness. As a result, most video game worlds have only about seven or eight distinct body types for NPCs. This means that wherever you go, you'll see the same person over and over again... only it's not them! It's almost creepy, and starts to make you wonder if there isn't some massive cloning conspiracy going on. Generally, there are two or three "adult male" bodies, two or three "adult female" bodies, one body each for male and female children, and one body each for male and female elders. Things get worse for non-human races; you're lucky if males and females even get separate sprites! Basically, the nerd(ier) cousin of Only Six Faces. While this is present in a lot of games, it's most notable in RPGs, where there are NPCs by the bucketful that you often have to actually interact with. A corollary is that if you ever see someone who isn't using a stock body, you can bet that he or she will be important to the plot, even if in a minor way. Most series with Serkis Folk use the same models for all non-human creatures. For the naming equivalent, see Nominal Importance. Not actually related to the trope You Look Familiar, but too good to pass up. When the characters are actually supposed to be inexplicably identical, that is Inexplicably Identical Individuals. When Mooks share the same face, thereby positing a unique face as a symbol of identity, can be a subtrope of Faceless Goons. If the developers are trying to disguise it, they may use Palette Swap. The polar opposite is Cast of Snowflakes, when every character has a unique design. Examples of You All Look Familiar include:
|
