How many characters is too many?

[KodiakBehr]

I'm soliciting for opinions.  My current title calls for somewhere close to 50, most of which perform a single function, like working at a store, or waiting in a lineup.  Is this extraordinarily high?  They not particularly large or detailed, so it's (barely) managable from an artistic standpoint, but I'm wondering if this will have a demonstrable impact on game size or performance.

Grateful for your thoughts.

KB

[steptoe]

I doubt it.

Characters/Objects with just single animations each with simple views I don't think you need worry about game size.

[Ghost]

Regarding game size, characters need sprites and sprites need disk space. So there will be an impact, but I wouldn't worry too much about that- these days people are downloading 40MB demos without batting an eye. If you find yourself having a very large game exe, you can try compressing the sprite file in General Settings, and AGS does a good job compressing sprites.

Regarding performace, I am very sure that the total number of characters in the game is irrelevant- the number of characters on-screen, however, can have an impact. Again, time is on your side and modern hardware won't even notice. I remember Two Of A Kind using a larger number of individual characters to form a swarm of bees, and back then my P200 was seriously slowed down. Today, though- peanuts.

But honestly, 50 characters sounds a lot! I am curious about the scope of that game  :o

[cat]

I don't think it's a problem performance-wise. But if there are lots of characters, the player might expect to be able to interact with them. So each of them should have some dialog to go through and they should have (at least slightly) different personalities.
So the question is not if the engine can handle it, but if YOU can handle it.

[KodiakBehr]

But honestly, 50 characters sounds a lot! I am curious about the scope of that game

So the question is not if the engine can handle it, but if YOU can handle it.

I'm inclined to agree, and after examination, there was a bit of fat that could be cut, and some characters could be incorporated into part of the background, but even stripped down, I'm pretty sure it will still be close to 40.  I've definately bit off a lot here, but if I commit to a schedule, it may still be possible to chew.

Thanks for your insight, all.

KB

[Ghost]

Don't get me wrong, I like character interaction; it can add a lot to a game, so it was more honest curiousity to ask about the scope!

[Ali]

If you are creating 40 characters make sure you take an approach to the artwork that is actually efficient. I have modelling and rigged over 40 3D characters to be rendered in 2D for Nelly Cootalot II, which is ridiculously inefficient. I'm also starting to realise how much more challenging it will make voice acting.

I regret not doing what you've done and ask people beforehand. I strongly recommend you making sure that the artwork will be as efficient to produce as you think. You're probably right, but I was wrong.

[Radiant]

So the question is not if the engine can handle it, but if YOU can handle it.

This. Scope creep is the biggest killer of indie adventure games.

[KodiakBehr]

Well, being deficient in artistic talent, I decided to adopt a simple, low-resolution style for this next game. 

You can get a sense of how small in scale the characters are here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=44542.0 .

Every few months, I need to do a sanity check to make sure that scope creep does not burn this project.  That's why I was sure to produce all the design documentation in advance, so I can clearly articulate the plan to others, and so I don't lose sight of the big-picture.

[Ali]

At that scale, 40 characters is not impossible. It's still a burden in terms of writing rounded, interesting characters. With that resolution, the writing of the characters will be even more prominent.

Perhaps it's worth considering the clever economies commercial adventures have made. In Gabriel Knight, the lead character's best friend is also a policeman investigating the case Gabriel's involved in. I suppose that's just smart writing, but it means one NPC character performs multiple functions throughout the game.

I attempted 40 characters, though, so I won't judge you if you go for it. Good luck!