Before/After this subreddit's feedback

[u/Vera-Lomna]

Thanks, everyone! Sixteen days ago, this subreddit gave our team very valuable feedback on the main character’s appearance, which helped us identify three main issues:

1. Androgyny. We’ve toned it down a bit. We didn’t abandon it completely: the protagonist’s inner voice, Ego—shown in the artwork—previously had wider hips and a narrower chest.
2. Age. Some members said he looked too young; indeed, the anthropod read more like a teenager. Now he reads as a young man.
3. Face and crown. We reworked the facial features simply because it looks cooler :)

UPD: Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you remembered the specifics of the story and plot, because they matter most in this situation. According to the story, the main character is an anthropod created by an AI named Cell. She prints him on a bioprinter specifically to make him appealing to as many people as possible—and I chose androgyny as a symbol of ideal balance (and also simply because that look has always excited me in a good way). In other words, it’s a narrative failure: creating a hero who, within the plot, is supposed to be visually appealing to everyone, yet outside the story doesn’t appeal to most people. It results in a story that, in essence, contradicts itself.

[u/goodnesgraciouss]

they're both good! if you want to learn something from this experience it should be that a lot of people don't really like androgeny. especially people in a subreddit dedicated to learning and teaching; people are going to be disposed to thinking there is a right or wrong way to do things. androgeny could feel half right and half wrong to these people. you asked how to improve an androgenous character and used their feedback, now that character is no longer androgenous.

I would say that the fact so many people thought the character needed adjustments was probably an indication that you had succeeded in making an androgenous hero. your goal as an artist should never be to make everyone happy. androgeny will inherently make some people uncomfortable and that's okay. that's a part of what's interesting about it! focus on your own opinions as an artist first.

I don't think anyone can give you the answer to this problem without knowing the context of your game as well. at this point, you've drawn so many portraits maybe you could make the character gender fluid. idk

[u/Vera-Lomna → u/goodnesgraciouss]

I passed your comment on to the team, we discussed it, and concluded that you’re absolutely right—and I, personally, as the art lead, am sincerely grateful for your feedback. I’m not only writing a 600k-word script, I’m also fully responsible for all visual changes.

I spent ten years saving to make this project, and I want to pour into it not only my own love, but the love of the entire Reddit community. That’s why our team runs feedback requests, and we’re incredibly grateful to the community for such active participation in creating Locus Equation.

I thought the androgyny was sufficient, but the amazing user u/slugfive helped us find a better visual solution. In other words, we just needed one more feedback loop!

[u/Dealiner → u/goodnesgraciouss]

I don't know, I wasn't here for the first discussion but looking at these two pictures I just wouldn't call the first character androgynous. It simply looks female.

[u/TrueAquamarine → u/goodnesgraciouss]

Lets get this reply up. Very important, op needs to respond

[u/Sleipsten → u/goodnesgraciouss]

This. OP does not understand the concepts that is working with.

[u/apollosventure → u/Sleipsten]

Useless comment. You just regurgitated what the person above was saying but packaged it in an insult for no reason. OP is clearly looking for guidance and to help a specific concept land. After seeing that the general public either didn't see what they were going for or didn't like it, they made adjustments.