Is character customization really at it's best?

I''m out of my leauge talking about this because I don't really know how it all works but here is my idea anyway.

What we need is a character creation engine. Like how ID make game engines which other companies then borrow to use for their game, this character creation engine is designed to work with all the popular engines and updates every so often. The game developers will of course make the changes, add their own polishes and skins to suite their game just like they do with the Sourse engine/Unreal engine ect.

The only games I can think of which have different builds is City of Heroes. You'd get changes in height, muscle build and a few other things. DC Universe will offer the same.

When this is turned into a game, only then will character customization be at its best:



Until then, we will have to suffer through using a set of stuff to make our characters instead of anything our imaginations can come up with. :(foxhound_fox

When they finally manage to make a true dnd game then we will be at a awesome time in gaming :D

Character customization isn't a big focus of most game designers nor should it be.  Customization kind of goes against character background (KOTOR gave one's customizable character a background, but it was the same background irrespective of one's character and the gender of one's character didn't impact their love life).  The ability to chose a guy who looks like Bobo the Clown or Frankenstein on steroids is fun, but if it doesn't mean anything, then I don't get real excited about it. 

Of course, not making choice meaningless would mean a certain flexibility in game design.  The best example I can think of is GTA: San Andreas, where the character's appearance impacts his abilities (a lean athletic guy doesn't hit as hard as a big, buff guy but he can outrun him, which is useful in a game where one does a lot of running from the cops). Another interesting thing about SA was the character's appearance wasn't something you chose at the start, but something that came about over time due to the lifestyle you had CJ lead. 

IMO character costumization is very important to get me immerse into the story and basically the whole game. I have to be able to like my character otherwise I'll hate the game. I bought Oblivion but I never really played it because I didn't likeits character custumization.