Paper Doll (gaming)

Paper Doll (gaming)

In role-playing video 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 characters are usually shown posing the same way. The equipment sprites (or 3D models) are then added on top of the character, similar to the paper cut-outs in real-world paper dolls. 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.