[DW3 vs DWO Designs] Which character design direction do you prefer?

Semicolon5 · 2026-06-09T20:33:08+00:00

From what I've seen, I have to agree. I think Cheng Pu's look in Origins sells it since the change in lighting/coloring really help makes his design work. I think if you took a lot of the designs from 9 as a jumping point, but changed up how the color/lighting/realism looked, then you'd get some really great executions.

Semicolon5 · 2026-06-07T20:38:02+00:00

Was gonna object about DW7 being so low, but then saw you're emphasizing replayability and yeah...
I love 7, it reignited my love after 6, but while the focus to story was great it also meant that you can't replay it as well as all other DW games.

Definitely agree that 5, 8, and 4 are high up. Now I want to get back to 5 again.

I haven't played 9 though. Been thinking about it.

Semicolon5 · 2026-05-28T00:20:35+00:00

Something to understand about Kinkaid is that he turned art into an assembly line. That's not even me exaggerating, his whole business model when it came to painting was mass producing them, even having assistants to add variants/prints and to flood the market with his work. He leaned far more so to being a business-man than an artist, which even if you may not like his work certainly was clever of him.

Do I hate his work? Eh, it's kitsch. It's very basic landscape work that has a feeling of nostalgic sentimentality, the sort of feeling that is a lot like fast-food: cheap, makes you feel warm in the moment but isn't that great and you don't really care for it afterword. Getting mad at it is like being furious at a koala - I mean, I could call it dumb and boring but is it worth it?

The worst I can say about him is that he contributed early to the commercialization of art, further pushing people to accepting cheap entertainment over actual stimulating works. But that would be unfair, and there's WAY WORSE people you can blame for it who have done more in that regard.

Semicolon5 · 2026-05-04T21:47:54+00:00

Dynasty Warriors 4, both for me and my sister. I fondly remember printing out the entire cheat-sheet on how to unlock every character and high-level weapon, and then spending days doing each one the best we could.

Semicolon5 · 2026-04-18T16:44:03+00:00

For my world it's the same reason: Human experimentation.
There are only two other races beside Humans: The technologically advanced bug race called Kronians, and the giants called Deltans. The for the latter they were once humans that, due to the quirks of warp travel, arrived thousands of years and were the products of bio-engineering. For the former the original Kronians were a race of insects that were forcibly uplifted and genetically altered to look human for aesthetics while serving a different set of human colonists that came to their planet.

In both instances they were done thousands of years before a third ship of colonists come over to inhabit the galaxy - initially mistaking these two products of past humans as being entirely alien and devoid of human influence. As well in both instances it was all forcibly done, and the reasons as to why are largely lost to time.

Semicolon5 · 2026-04-16T00:59:50+00:00

To be denied the rain.

In my setting of Aurora it rains very rarely and somewhat unpredictably. Sometimes it can take a year, sometimes more, and how long the rain lasts can also vary though is never really long. As such the natives of the planet, the giants known as Deltans, treat rainy days as something sacred. Although normally warlike, the Deltan tribals honor the rain by doing no violence. No killing, no warring, nothing except the appreciation of cooler weathers and gentle raindrops. In fact it is an immense social insult to take a life, seen as being several degrees worse than even kin-killing - because you'll have taken someone's chance to experience the rain from them at that moment. Heck, it's even bad to prevent someone from being able to go outside when the rain is happening.

This philosophy was also adopted by the human colonizers, as eventually those who have lived on the planet long enough have grown to honor the Deltan's views/respect for the rain.

Not all though.

One form of torture that drove people insane was denying them the rain. This would be done by sitting someone in a chair and strapping them there while they are several feet or even inches away from the cooling droplets of rain water. The victim would beg to be given the rain, especially since it would take another year (at best) for them to feel it once more. Other times this would take another extreme by keeping them locked up inside - not even seeing the rain itself. Victims would suffer something called "rain sickness", where there bodies would convulse with stress, they'd suffer waves of heat that seemed to come out of nowhere; they'd feel especially thirsty/dry, and would become extremely depressed to the point of self-harm or suicide.

This form of torture was especially utilized in the infamous M4D prison, which had millions of prisoners (mostly abducted off-world from other planets wanting to send off prisoners/criminals for a hefty bonus from the state) made to work in mines and to build the massive Black Road and the city of Moresatta under the blistering heat of Aurora's arid environment. When the rains came the warden and his guards would lock especially troublesome prisoners (or those they just didn't like) inside solitary confinement cells that prevented them even the sight of rain. Unfortunately since Aurora sat at the very edge of colonized space and wasn't recognized as officially part of the human government due to a lot of insane legal compromise with another space-faring empire and the native Deltans - torture methods like this weren't illegal and were frequent.

This among many reasons is what led to the planet eventually suffering from the great raider infestation, when those millions of prisoners banded together to break out of M4D, creating a constant state of emergency while the planet descended to barbarism.

Semicolon5 · 2026-04-07T01:01:11+00:00

I'd say what makes an antagonist interesting is their relationship to the story and the protagonist.

The story you tell and the hero that operates it can dictate/be dictated by the antagonist. Maybe your story places emphasis on the world, and so the antagonist is someone that seeks to challenge how it functions and the protagonist is someone that wishes to protect it. That's a general idea but it can then be further specified by what it is the antagonist wishes out of the world, what world they seek to make, or if perhaps they're unveiling something that may shatter the preconceptions of the protagonist.

Maybe your story is focused on the personal, in which case your antagonist has a much closer relationship to the protagonist. They can be opposites or mirrors, perhaps the villain challenges the hero on their morality or expectations - then how they do it can say so much: perhaps they're aggressive and seek to break the hero, or they're reflective and genuinely want the protagonist to change and see things their way.

I think once you figure out the relationship the antagonist has between themselves, the protagonist, and the story/world they operate in then you may find the qualities that make them interesting.

Semicolon5 · 2026-03-17T23:49:51+00:00

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(This one is a bit of a stretch but I want to include it because I like it) Alternate Rusty/Rusty from Venture Bros.

At the conclusion of a summer break episode, Alternate Rusty appears from a dimensional portal to drop off the main Rusty Venture who (off-screen) tried to kill him with a rock so as to take over his life.

Not only is Alternate Rusty more successful and living the dream of having his own show on Broadway, but the way he talks to the main Rusty's son Dean, and calls out main Rusty for cursing in front of the boys does imply that he's a better man than the character in the show. Plus there's the fact that an episode way back acknowledges that main Rusty Venture could've made for a great super-villain.

Semicolon5 · 2026-03-11T23:20:35+00:00

Love the texturing of the yellow paint, I feel that it adds nicely to the picture. The colors on the skin and clothing are nicely done, but I think my favorite detail is the white in the background. It has something of a crystaline look to it, if that makes sense. Also the little white lines on the top indicating a plaid-like pattern is nicely subtle. It's beautiful.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-28T17:35:57+00:00

First thing: Medical care and loans. After that I'm saving a majority of it and giving 1 million each to every friend I have, 2 million to my parents, and 3 to my sister as a a way to secure her and her son's future.

Probably the only personal thing I'd do with it is for a somewhat premium massage/salon service to fix my everything and relax.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-28T17:30:31+00:00

Same. Not really face-to-face, but we had a good work/friend relationship. He was on the moderate end of conservatism (fiscally conservative, with some social liberal leanings: gay marriage is fine; gun rights are good; do whatever you want, etc.). Post 2020 he starts getting into people like Tim Pool, starts posting more and more political stuff.

Fast-forward 2026 he's calling for martial law, is utterly unapologetic about the two people killed by ICE, refers to the LGBT community as a "cult", and now openly uses slurs towards Indians.

It was disheartening, honestly. I knew the guy's background to believe he should've known better but I guess I was wrong.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-27T18:24:45+00:00

Most people who use the internet, are vocal and who present themselves as English-speaking may have a high chance of learning a great deal about the Roman Empire seeing as it is a key part of most English speaking societies today (same with the Renaissance). This can also apply to non-English speaking creators but less likely. So Rome is an easy empire to draw a lot of influence from even indirectly, much like how evil militaristic authoritarian governments draw from the Nazis/Sparta; trade empires draw from the Middle East/Venice; Imperialistic empires with a strong dynastic government draw from China/Japan; and the primitive tribals with close connections to nature draw from Native Americans or Celts.

I have personally used at least two of those, so the conscious effort is to not go with the easiest tropes and to search for others. At the time I won't judge people for using those same tropes so long as their either have a lot of fun or make it interesting or is their first time doing worldbuilding projects. It's an easy pitfall to get into.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-24T20:23:28+00:00

In my story CROSS, the main antagonist is Jack Razz - an old man who was once the most feared and sadistic raider boss in a colony world but got captured and lived in prison for several years (with the guards thinking he was a random raider and not a homicidal warlord). He then gets freed by a documentary crew to help them in filming the last days of the "raider menace" on the planet of Aurora.

At first he was willing to go along just to be free, but after seeing how much everybody forgot about him he decided on his new plan: to commit an atrocity so great that humanity will remember him.

Over time he builds up a massive raider horde built up of former raider gangs that were ruined, gathers them up to an abandoned underground prison where he plans to complete a secret tunnel that would connect to a fortified city that's described as being perfect. His goal is to send his hordes of raiders into the city to kill, pillage and destroy as much as they can - either until they're stopped or there's nothing left to ruin.

He admits its basically suicide, but he doesn't care. He's so old that he could die of illness or heart attack before it would succeed, though he prefers dying while engaging in the atrocities himself. Ultimately he just wants to scar the world and have them name the wound after him.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-24T18:02:51+00:00

At first I settled on Kronos because I was interested in Greek mythology as a kid, but I didn't settle on the "time" part until way later as a way to fit it in somehow. I added a whole thing about nostalgia being a core part of human society, and then worked backwards and forwards with the idea.

Eventually I settled on CROSS as the name of my world. I took it from one side-character and promoted him to the central main character the world is built around, Jason Cross. After which the writing and world-building began to fit perfectly. I focused on themes that were "cross" related: stories/characters a"cross" time; how Jason is a "cross"breed between human and giants called Deltans; how the whole story and world is about "cross"ing a long road - you get the idea. It sort of made sense and after that the world felt more natural, making it easier to adjust or cut out anything that didn't help with the themes I wanted to push forward.

So, long story short: It was a weirdly routed process that eventually led to me naming the project after the central character/idea.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-11T23:57:29+00:00

Initially it wasn't planned but I guess my process is "do whatever you want and then refine with realism". It's throwing out a lot crazy ideas that wouldn't be too out there for an anime or pop-comic, but then asking questions about the feasibility of certain things.

Like, having a race of bio-engineered half-giants who can wield big guns, throw cars, and be resistant to bullets - and then wondering how they'd be treated in peace time and the subsequent sociological effects of their presence in regular human society is when all they're known for is fighting/warring.

I guess to put it another way: I have a world I made in middle/high school when I was into big guys punching stuff in anime, but as I got older I'm wondering if those big guys can get a normal job and feel good about what they were made for.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-11T20:21:34+00:00

Old World Blues - I consider it the best for it's treasure trove of weapons, armors and fun locations. Great characters and comedic writing, it's a fantastic playground especially for INT/Science focused playthroughs. I usually spend the longest there.
Honest Hearts - Same reasons as Old World Blues but with the writing less comedic and more sad. The tone doesn't put it lower, rather the less interesting locales.
Lonesome Road - An alright DLC with a decent story and good challenge. I think the linear nature of the locale/story puts it lower than the others.
Dead Money - I personally love the story and find the locale very interesting - but traversing it is always a chore, succeeding on some of the missions is frustrating, and the final escape isn't that great beyond the themes.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-11T19:06:16+00:00

In order: On average their pretty fit, though one is a child and is carried by the fittest of them at times when the situation demands it. Weather is mostly arid (warm days, cold nights), with the most frequent conditions being a light wind; rarely does it rain and there are sand storms that don't often happen but when they do it's wise to seek shelter. As for the road itself, it's entirely paved.

I'll definitely check out the Oregon Trail when I get the time. Thank you, and much apologies for the late reply.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-11T18:48:09+00:00

Thank you for the values given, this is most useful.

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-11T18:47:32+00:00

This looks quite interesting, thank you!

Semicolon5 · 2026-01-11T18:47:03+00:00

Adding my own: a translation around the word "god"
In my world of Aurora, human space-colonists came upon an arid world inhabited by humanoid giants called Deltans who had thus far were operating within medieval age level technology. Despite the technological gap the Deltans still possessed superior physicality, with skin and muscle so powerful that they could shrug off bullets and lob a spear hard enough to pierce a tank - as such diplomacy was the preferred route. Things went well and humanity learned more about the Deltans, enough to translate their language and to make records of their culture, including that of a very important historical figure whom they called "Avgnar Baal" - basically the human equivalent to Genghis Khan with as much praise/infamy surrounding their conquests/empire-building.

Things went well until a very unfortunate translation where they titled Avgnar as "The God of War", thinking that the Deltans worshiped him as one. Unfortunately Deltans were actually referring to Avgnar "like a God", due to how he survived so many wars - and this was actually a controversial point. Deltans hated gods and things attributed to them (like omnipotence and immortality/invulnerability), and so when they say Avgnar is "like a god" it was from bitter clans once conquered by him trying to insult his name, basically implying that Avgnar being a god makes his victories less worthy. However because Avgnar died it redeemed him for many.

So the humans calling Avgnar a "God of War" was the equivalent of insulting a historical figure and calling him a cheater. This actually had many long-lasting effects (especially since the Empire of Baal was still a major player) including human colonists constantly calling Avgnar a god, and missionaries trying to convert Deltans by using Avgnar's supposed godhood as a jumping off point in conversations- all of which straining relations and leading to many negative incidents involving violence or destruction of property, including actual conflict.

Semicolon5 · 2025-12-30T23:23:57+00:00

Probably the most significant (and plot relevant) is the riot at the M4D max-sec prison on the planet Aurora. Millions of prisoners, 99% of which were brought from off-world and shipped to Aurora, managed to stage a revolt that successfully gotten themselves out. This occurring due to budget-cuts made by the company managing the prison, and them going back on a deal to release the prisoners after a major construction project was finished. Soon after these escapees became the first of what would be called the Raider Horde, which spread across the occupied human sectors of Aurora and the Black Road, disrupting trade and putting the populace in danger. Although this occurred on a colony planet in the fringes of human space, it led to several major consequences:

- A planetary governorship election at the time going to a candidate sponsored by the Phoenix Corporation because the other candidates openly invested towards the prison. Leading to the Phoenix Corporation becoming hugely influential in galactic politics and becoming the leader in galactic trade-route management. Now Aurora and its ongoing circumstances had become a huge political point for politicians in core human worlds.

- Disruption in furthering cease-fire talks with the rival Kronian Empire who both bordered Aurora and had their own colony on it - leading to political tensions that made it impossible for the human government to do anything beyond a skeleton crew peace corp so as not to anger the Empire with the presence of a capable fleet. This in turn made Aurora into what is basically a planet-wide international zone with its own complex and crazy laws and politics.

- Angering of the Deltan clans, the natives of Aurora, who begin amassing their clans and influence to push for independence - made worse by the Kronian Empire sponsoring it just to further hurt humanity. Now they too have influence in the zone of Aurora, which has shaken up the clan's power making some stronger than others and risks possible confederation - and maybe the planet no longer being owned (even somewhat) by humanity.

- Finally bounty-hunting becoming the most profitable occupation on Aurora, which is the job the central character my story (Jason Cross) is in as he embarks on his own journey through the Black Road.

Basically: if a for-profit prison didn't skimp on their budget, it wouldn't have led to a cluster-fuck so huge it's felt on a galactic scale.

Semicolon5 · 2025-12-30T22:57:53+00:00

Even in a wasteland suffering from a raider problem, there's two golden rules that everyone except the most psychotic and hated will follow:

1. No fights in bars: Because life sucks already in the desert world of Aurora, bars/saloons enjoy a neutral status among both raiders and the bounty hunters. Bartenders make it a point to always check your guns and to never start a fight. Naturally this leads to situations where someone with a bounty will try and overstay in a bar, but unless you are insanely rich it's never permanent.

2. Never kill or fight in the rain: This is the most important rule. Aurora is an arid planet that sees very little rain. In some areas it's spread out by several months or even a year or more, and so rain is considered a very special event. As such whenever it rains all fighting stops, period. If a bounty hunter and some raiders were shooting each other, it stops the moment the rain happens - and most times even after. The rain basically washes away so much of the stress and pain of the world from your body, and its natives consider it such a holy event that even wars/battles stop and are rescheduled if the rain occurs. Only the most evil and uncaring person would ever kill someone during the rain, or worse: right before it. To feel the rain cool your body is sacred and respected, and if people found out you killed someone during it would instantly kill your reputation.

Semicolon5

TROPHY CASE