Usually, I just try to put myself in/at the place the characters are, and think what would stand out to me. If it’s an office building, I mention how high, because that’s a pretty stand-outish thing. Also just things that dictate other senses. If the air is moist, it might make it seem harder to breathe (a description of a place that directly affects the people in it) or the sound of the tile floor when someone’s shoes step on it (a sound that comes from an action a person is taking inside said place).
To me, first descriptions come from what’s memorable about a place, where as everything else can be told through character actions and/or senses.
This is kind of what I was getting at with saying descriptions could be adjusted based on character build. What’s memorable to one character might not be memorable to another. Adjusting text based on character build could add a lot to immersion.
For the rest, I definitely agree. When reading or writing, I am more appreciative of text like “Character wrinkled her nose as she drew in a breath, the pungent smell of the room causing her stomach to churn” than I am of a flowery paragraph over-describing a sunset and the multitude of colors that paint the sky. The former actually helps me get into the scene. The latter just annoys me and makes me roll my eyes. A single sentence about the sunset is plenty. No need to throw word vomit at me.
This actually makes me think of another “disliked” elements for me, now that I’m thinking about it.
I don’t like authors pushing their likes and dislikes onto my MCs. I’ve seen it before, with the MC having “thoughts” about how depressing an environment is because there are grays, too little natural light, or something, instead of bright colors and sun glaring through the windows. And it irks me.
As someone who can’t stand being in the sun for long and has overly sensitive eyes, I like cloudy days, use grays, navy blues, and deep reds to decorate my house, and can’t abide really bright colors because it hurts my eyes. So having a game tell me that, somehow, my choice of colors is wrong and horrible because it’s not what they like makes me want to give the author a one-fingered salute.
This is a bit different, but the previous post reminded me of it.
When I choose the option that my MC is not interested in romance at all but author still makes MC have a long reflection on RO’s appearance when they first meet them. And course about how attractive and intriguing they are. Some ROs descriptions are even so, uh, poetic
RO descriptions feel really weird to me in general. Idk, probably because I’m asexual, but sometimes they really double down on insisting on how attractive a person is and/or describing them in a way that makes it clear they narrative wants you to think they’re super attractive, and meanwhile I’m always sitting here like every time, because I’ve never in my life looked at someone that way.
Actually, writing this made me think of two other complaints I have.
First of all, I hate how most ROs I’ve seen so far are always picture-perfect modern models with not a blemish in sight. Or if they do have blemishes, they’re not described or mentioned at all. The reason I hate this one is two-fold:
One. I feel like it unintentionally perpetuates toxic besuty standards by pushing onto the readers that X or Y traits are super attractive in a person, and that Z traits aren’t. So some people will never see their body types or appearances or any other traits of theirs touted as attractive through the game, ans I feel that that’s just very wrong and harmful in general.
Two. As someone who’s never been attracted sexually and has never given a shit about physical appearance (there’s very very rare cases where I do, and it’s usually so hyper-specific I never see my “type” in media anyways), seeing every RO look “perfect” all the time just makes them feel very same-y and plastic-y to me, like a bunch of pretty Barbie and Ken dolls, and they all start blending together into mush, even if their personalities are different.
Like, come on! There’s so much more variety to people than that, and even models and actors can have stereotypically “unattractive” traits to them, but nobody gives a shit because they’re charming, and/or they know how to dress to make their strong points shine, and/or society widely agreed they’re hot.
Secondly, as an aspec person who is sex neutral and/or interested in sexual stuff, I pretty much never end up picking the asexual option in character creation because I know it might permanently lock me out of some content, and I don’t want that.
Asexuality and aromanticism are both spectrums, and it bothers me that, as far I’ve seen, it’s never treated that way. Though at the same time, I understand that trying to code in the full spectrum of sexualities in a character creation choice would be pretty damn hard.
Honestly, the best solution I’ve found to that so far is to just have players decide what genders they want ROs to be, and then let them set their own pace in a romance.
My character descriptions, when I remember to do them (my space opera has some… when meeting unfamiliar aliens) tend to be at the level of “pale-skinned redhead with a super expensive leather jacket”, but I’ve been trying to remember to put in a bit more detail when the MC has nothing else to do that stare at the character. Dunno which approach I should do - on the one hand, I don’t usually know what the characters look like myself and pretty much need to roll dice for that; on the other, some characters’ appearance might even be relevant, and it would be weird to describe only them; on the third hand, I’m trying to treat all equally.
If you have trouble envisioning a character you need to write you can try experimenting with AI image generators as inspiration. It’s much easier to look at something and write about it than trying to wholly envision something in your mind and translate it to paper.
IMO the description really just needs to set the vibe. I walk into somebody’s house. Is it cozy but cluttered? Neat freaky? Messy? A tv+chair ‘men live like this’ place? Old fashioned grandma house? Once you do that, my imagination will fill in the blank spots.
Include important things to the story, of course, but other than that just give me enough detail to get a feel for it.
Literally every game about heroes is happening in the U$A Guess Americans have a monopoly on superpowers, heroes and villains…
But seriously, it’s a bit annoying. I mention superheroes because really I haven’t seen tla single one that had a different setting than the US, but it also applies games of other genres that happening in modern world… It’s not that most authors are Americans I often saw in WIPs descriptions “English is not my native language etc.” but they choose America instead of their home country anyway.
I’m glad Hellkeepers has appeared. I wish more authors to decide on this, tho.
My superhero stuff takes place in Europe. Granted, it’s a post-apocalyptic Europe, and I don’t have any WIP threads as of yet, but it does!
I suspect the “I’ve never seen this in any other setting than America/Most of the media I consume is American” + “so it feels wrong to put it elsewhere” effect, at least in part. It happens!
Ah, how timely Trump will win, Americans will abandon us, Putin will attack and here we are: post-apocalyptic Europe.
Joking aside, I can’t wait learn more about that wip
Yeh, unfortunately. Maybe it’s the fear that people won’t like it because it’s too different. But I would love it for being different. Unique.
Maybe because and that’s just my opinion, I for example hate my shit hole of a country. Why would I wanna re-visit that hole with Super Heroes? If I created a Super Hero story, it become a Vilain and will do a genocide under 2sec nuking that shithole once and for all.
It would be a very very short story then.
No fun at all
The USA give us familiar settings that everyone is comfortable with. Some also use fictional setting.
And maybe putting a story in X country would just be problematic…
Can you imagine a Super hero story with North Korea Setting? How do you go about that??
Unless the Super Hero escaped to South Korea or another country, but then it would become more political than anything and that kinda ruin it.
A lot of countries have issues…how can one make a Super Hero, flying about and over look all the shitty issues plaguing your X country?
I don’t buy it. There are many countries in the world where that stories could work as well as the USA (+ it could be much more interesting and original). I didn’t say that it must be problematic country like North Korea (although I would enjoy some IF happening in this country, it could be great, although in a genre other than superheroes). I’m sick of “familiar” American setting.
Wait, are you suggest that US has no issues? XD
Well, I’m not…
when I have to choose MC height and it’s in feet! Wtfudvh
Didn’t say that. It just…sort of easier to write in that setting.
Were in poorer countries, let just say…the poverty is really in your face and can’t be avoided.
Less whining and more writing then. Chop Chop! Write one where the setting is AFRICA…Big Lovely continent right there for you to bring out the Wonderful stuff out of it with your Super Heroes.
every time, because I’ve never in my life looked at someone that way.
Literally every game about heroes is happening in the U$A 
I often saw in WIPs descriptions “English is not my native language etc.” but they choose America instead of their home country anyway.
Granted, it’s a post-apocalyptic Europe, and I don’t have any WIP threads as of yet, but it does!
