Forums » General Pantheon Discussion

Armor Customization "Work Around"

    • 40 posts
    March 6, 2020 5:42 AM PST

    The question keeps coming up in streams as to whether or not  armors will look different on each race. And we keep getting the answer that they won't due to the massive amount of artwork required for each piece of armor. Which is understandable and I'd hate to see so much time and resources lost by doing so.

     

    The reason this question keeps coming up is because people want to know if their character is going to look unique or if everyone is going to look the same running around in the same armor.

    While one of the factors is that not everyone will have farmed the same gear, there is still work arounds to making those same armors look unique.

     

    So I just wanted to make some simpler suggestions to further armor customizations that wouldn't require as much time or resources and possibly help generate revenue.

    The first is straight forward and simple and that would be a dying system for players to customize their look.

    The second would be to make armor skinnable either through cash shop items (To help support Pantheon), or skinnable by the end user (Taking the work load off of VR). In which case you'd be relying on the shape of the armor to make it's "type" recognizable. 

     

    Either way I personally would like to see armor customization be a thing through cash shop items to help support Pantheon. I know there will already be subs to pay. but I'm a firm believer that if something brings you joy you should throw money at it to keep it around longer.

    I know some people are cheap and won't agree with that logic but every little bit helps. I personally bought the most expensive pledge package I could afford, and if I can do more in the future to help support the game I'd gladly do so.

    It's just some food for thought.

    • 3852 posts
    March 6, 2020 7:24 AM PST

    Do not expect a lot of enthusiasm here for anything involving a cash shop. Responses to those two words tend to range from fanatical antipathy to grudging acceptance only if necessary to make ends meet and even then only for purely cosmetic items.


    This post was edited by dorotea at March 6, 2020 7:25 AM PST
    • 99 posts
    March 6, 2020 7:45 AM PST

    Cash shop Is not a good topic to bring up and I would be really surprised if it ever even became a potentially considered option


    This post was edited by SugarWood at March 6, 2020 7:45 AM PST
    • 40 posts
    March 6, 2020 9:19 AM PST

    I think a cash shop is a great way to support the game, not to be confused with pay to win. Not to mention it's a good way for players who can't afford to pay for subs to trade in game items or gold for their monthly subscriptions.

     

    The reality is  that VR is going to get a huge payment at launch with everyone that hops on board at the last second, but within a few months the population is going to drastically drop when half the population leaves. (It happens in every MMORPG) As for myself and others like me that crave the rare type of gameplay that they're creating we intend on sticking around for the long haul. And I personally a long with people in my community would spend extra money to make sure VR continues to work on the game and release content. Giving people the chance to make their characters unique and pay for subs by playing the game is far from a act of desperation. And literally almost every game out now a days has some sort of cash shop. I don't think it would be fair of anyone to deny them extra income to ensure future development.

    • 124 posts
    March 6, 2020 9:30 AM PST

    I've never understood the logic regarding the same piece of equipment being different on each race. It's like saying my jacket is red when a caucasian wears it, but if someone from the far east were to put it on, the fabric changes, the design is different and the colour isn't the same, but... it's still the same 'Jacket of awesomeness'. It's very bizarre to think that multiple people could be wearing identical pieces of equipment, yet they look completely different, I find it odd, but many don't.

    A large variety of equipment, and maybe the ability to apply enamel / dye to them would be a good alternative. Dark Age of Camelot allowed for applying dye to cloth / leather and enamel to metal items which was a great way to make your character unique, and it also avoided the patchwork armour clown look that many suffered from in the past. The items remain the same physically, the details remain, such as engraving or stitching, it just allowed you to make the set more uniform in colour. Then, once you had every piece from a set of armour, you could simply remove the enamel / dye to display the default colour.

    Dyes and enamels are great additions to trade skills, too. People would queue up to buy black enamel, especially if the reagents to make it were rare drops from areas such as dungeons (making certain colours themselves more rare, and subsequently more appealing). In the end, you'd have people hunting entire armour sets, then looking to dye them certain colours to make their set more personalised. It's a great way for loot addicts and tradeskill players to interact without having to worry about the items affecting anything in terms of balancing playermade items vs dropped loot (particularly weapons and armour).


    This post was edited by Shadowbound at March 6, 2020 9:37 AM PST
    • 1273 posts
    March 6, 2020 9:41 AM PST

    Shadowbound said:

    I've never understood the logic regarding the same piece of equipment being different on each race. It's like saying my jacket is red when a caucasian wears it, but if someone from the far east were to put it on, the fabric changes, the design is different and the colour isn't the same, but... it's still the same 'Jacket of awesomeness'. It's very bizarre to think that multiple people could be wearing identical pieces of equipment, yet they look completely different, I find it odd, but many don't.

    Totally agree with this.  I'm not even sure where the idea came from.  A green color pair of leather pants is going to keep the same color and design no matter who puts it on.  The only thing I can think of that could possibly matter is the size of the person wearing it...and I'm more than willing to ignore that in the case of MMO's. 

    • 1273 posts
    March 6, 2020 9:42 AM PST

    LastObelisk said:

    I think a cash shop is a great way to support the game, not to be confused with pay to win. Not to mention it's a good way for players who can't afford to pay for subs to trade in game items or gold for their monthly subscriptions.

    As far as the debate on cash shops is concerned I'd recommend posting your thoughts here:

    https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/11674/community-debate-would-you-support

    • 2756 posts
    March 6, 2020 9:55 AM PST

    Love the enthusiasm and the idea, but no to cash shop, no to modding and I don't think armor should look different across different races anyway.

    At most it should look too big on small races and too small on large races, but I can live with a bit of magical scaling.

    I really don't know why people expect or even want it.

    • 19 posts
    March 6, 2020 10:01 AM PST

    Cash shop for me is a deal breaker and i am pretty easy going so i am going to assume it is a deal breaker for the majority

    • 1399 posts
    March 6, 2020 11:36 AM PST

    Terrible Idea.

    • 2001 posts
    March 6, 2020 11:40 AM PST

    LastObelisk said:

    I think a cash shop is a great way to support the game, not to be confused with pay to win. Not to mention it's a good way for players who can't afford to pay for subs to trade in game items or gold for their monthly subscriptions.

    You do realize that giving players the ability to pay their subscription with ingame gold is the exact opposite of selling cosmetics to help support the game, right? One adds to their income, the other takes away from it.

     

     

    • 368 posts
    March 6, 2020 11:57 AM PST

    LastObelisk said:

    I think a cash shop is a great way to support the game, not to be confused with pay to win. Not to mention it's a good way for players who can't afford to pay for subs to trade in game items or gold for their monthly subscriptions.

     

    The reality is  that VR is going to get a huge payment at launch with everyone that hops on board at the last second, but within a few months the population is going to drastically drop when half the population leaves. (It happens in every MMORPG) As for myself and others like me that crave the rare type of gameplay that they're creating we intend on sticking around for the long haul. And I personally a long with people in my community would spend extra money to make sure VR continues to work on the game and release content. Giving people the chance to make their characters unique and pay for subs by playing the game is far from a act of desperation. And literally almost every game out now a days has some sort of cash shop. I don't think it would be fair of anyone to deny them extra income to ensure future development.

     

    Thats because in every other MMO, a few months in you are already max level, sitting around in end game gear and max everything twiddling your thumbs waiting for something new to come along.

     

    Cash shops never end with cosmetic items only... Been proven time and time again.

    • 346 posts
    March 6, 2020 12:32 PM PST

    Cash shop discussion aside, since that's simply not a basis nor would I see that as happening, one of the things I realized with this decision isn't so much as one based in resources, but reality.

    Think about it. When you loot a piece of armor off a creature, why would it some how change the design to fit a particular race wearing it? Shouldn't the design be one that remains static for the actual piece in question regardless of who wears it? I can understand racial armor but it should be limited to those races. Armor that can be worn by a number of races or all should be and remain static to the piece, not the race of who is wearing it.

    So while they saw it as a drawback and using resources as a reason, I see it as something that should be given how unrealistic the alternative is, even if done in previous MMORPGs.

    For those who analogize it to the concept of a piece of armor fitting various racial sizes. I can understand that argument but that's why we have the breastplate stretcher.


    This post was edited by Janus at March 6, 2020 12:34 PM PST
    • 228 posts
    March 10, 2020 8:45 AM PDT

    LastObelisk said:

    I think a cash shop is a great way to support the game, not to be confused with pay to win.

    Define "win".

    One measure of succes is how awesome you look. Awesome looks should be achieved by swinging your sword/axe/club and/or hammer/needle/whatevever, not your Mastercard.

    • 1921 posts
    March 10, 2020 9:10 AM PDT

    Janus said: ... Think about it. When you loot a piece of armor off a creature, why would it some how change the design to fit a particular race wearing it? Shouldn't the design be one that remains static for the actual piece in question regardless of who wears it? I can understand racial armor but it should be limited to those races. Armor that can be worn by a number of races or all should be and remain static to the piece, not the race of who is wearing it. ...
    Agreed.  In my personal opinion, having all equippable items from the adventure loop requiring adjustment, modification, or some other action involving a PC or NPC crafter, and faction/favor/reputation based fuel, prior to use, is the cornerstone of a well designed MMO economy.

    • 2001 posts
    March 10, 2020 2:37 PM PDT

    Janus said: that's why we have the breastplate stretcher.

    That must be a similar device to a Woodworker's Board Stretcher!

    :D