Paper doll (video games)
Encyclopedia
In computer and console role-playing games, a paper doll is a way of representing a character's inventory and currently used equipment.
In games that use a paper doll inventory management, the different player character
s are usually shown posing the same way. The equipment sprite
s (or 3D models) are then added on top of the character, similar to the paper cut-outs in real-world paper doll
s. This is sometimes done by dragging the items in place, or by selecting them from the list. Sometimes, there are also multiple poses, for example, there may be two different poses, one when a one-handed weapon is equipped, and another when a two-handed weapon is equipped.
Typically, the paper dolls are a separate part of the inventory management. Sometimes, however, the in-game character sprite or 3D model itself acts as a paper doll on which equipment can be put; an example of this would be Ultima IX: Ascension
.
Some of the games that use paper dolls include Ultima Online
, Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle
, Baldur's Gate
and The Elder Scrolls: Arena
.
In games that use a paper doll inventory management, the different player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s are usually shown posing the same way. The equipment sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
s (or 3D models) are then added on top of the character, similar to the paper cut-outs in real-world paper doll
Paper doll
Paper dolls are figures cut out of paper, with separate clothes that are usually held onto the dolls by folding tabs. They have been inexpensive children's toys for almost two hundred years. Today, many artists are turning paper dolls into an art form....
s. This is sometimes done by dragging the items in place, or by selecting them from the list. Sometimes, there are also multiple poses, for example, there may be two different poses, one when a one-handed weapon is equipped, and another when a two-handed weapon is equipped.
Typically, the paper dolls are a separate part of the inventory management. Sometimes, however, the in-game character sprite or 3D model itself acts as a paper doll on which equipment can be put; an example of this would be Ultima IX: Ascension
Ultima IX
Ultima IX: Ascension is the ninth and final part of the main series of the computer role-playing game series Ultima.Following the Avatar's escape from Pagan, he is transported back to Britannia for one final battle with the Guardian, who is increasingly ruining the physical and moral fabric of...
.
Some of the games that use paper dolls include Ultima Online
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
, Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle
Ultima VII
Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh installment of the Ultima series of computer role-playing games. It was released in 1992.The Black Gate was critically and commercially successful, being widely lauded as a high point in the series and as one of the best isometric RPGs ever created...
, Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate is a franchise of action role-playing games released under the Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Licenses. It is set in the fictional campaign setting of Forgotten Realms and takes place in its fictional continent of Faerûn. It takes place mostly in the Western Heartlands, but has also...
and The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the first game in the Elder Scrolls series. It is a first-person computer role-playing game for MS-DOS, developed by Bethesda Softworks and released in 1994...
.