So what can you do and not do with Live Avatars?

[Queasy]

With the release of a new version of XNA that gives creators access to Avatars, MS has posted the rules on what you can't do with your Avatar.

Disembowelment, dropping acid, money shots, and grinding seems to be on the outs.

Player interacts with their avatar as if it?s a separate character
A player?s avatar does not have an autonomous personality or instinct. The avatar is under the control of the owning player. It can have idle animations and can respond appropriately to game events but it should not interact with the user as if it is separate from the player, try to get the player?s attention in an annoying manner

Violence which causes blood, gore, dismemberment, decapitation, maiming, or mutilation
Cartoon violence is allowed. Violence is allowed as long as there is no blood, gore, dismemberment, decapitation, maiming, or mutilation. An example of allowable injuries includes injuries that might befall an avatar in a sporting event such as American football. Avatars can die temporarily to depict failure.

Player?s avatar talks
The player?s avatar should not have their own voice. They are allowed to make individual sounds, such as laughing and crying but otherwise cannot use a voice

Acts of sexual innuendo or mildly explicit sexual descriptions or images or sexual posturing
Sexual acts or terminology cannot be insinuated or enacted

Excretes obscene bodily fluids or substances
No sexual or bodily fluids or substances can come from the avatar

Glamorized criminal act
Criminal activities need to be relevant to the story and are presented unfavorably

Acts of an aggressive or threatening manner
Gratuitous insults, bullying, intimidation or otherwise violent or emotional abuse of a position of power are not allowed. Avatars may leave innocents or bystanders slightly injured, but not dead.

Vulgar or profane act
Game-controlled avatars cannot use profane, racist, or discriminatory language, nor can they make obscene gestures.

Use of controlled substances
An avatar is not allowed to hold, be seen around or partake in any controlled substances or paraphernalia including, but not limited to, alcohol, tobacco and drugs

Replace Avatar features
The features of an avatar cannot be hidden or in obscured and cannot be replaced with alternative items. Items such as, but not limited to, masks, hats and alternative clothing, are not allowed

Avatars proportions are not modified
The proportions of an Avatar cannot be modified form their original settings. An Avatar can be resized as long as the proportions don?t change

So it looks like my paintball idea is valid. Now all I need to do is learn how to program in XNA...and do graphics...and learn to read.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Avatars are and always will be useless. I just don't see the appeal.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
Avatars are and always will be useless. I just don't see the appeal.

It depends on the game and how they are used. I like them in A Kingdom for Keflings and 1 vs 100. MS just needs to expand their use/make them easy to use so that developers can actually do things with them beyond burp and wave on your dashboard.

But I just find it funny that they have to explicitly state that you can't have your Avatar excreting obscene bodily fluids or substances. Kids these days.