Option to visually hide armor

Discussion in 'Archived Topics' started by Evermor, May 15, 2018.

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  1. Evermor

    Evermor Avatar

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    In other games I have played there was an option to select which armor pieces were visible on your character. For example I would love to be able to not have my helm visible. In PVP zones this option was disabled so that people could see what you had on. Would love to have something similar in SOTA!
     
  2. Nog

    Nog Avatar

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    Yes, the helmet and cloak are fairly standard hideables in many fantasy MMOs - as they should be - because, well, the helm covers up all the personality contained in your face, and a cloak pretty much hides most of your armor style by walling off what it looks like. :-/

    There aren't a ton of facial/hair and cosmetic armor variations at this early point in the game, but it's still a bit of a downer for helms/cloaks to snuff out the appearance choices players exercise to showcase their characters.

    Another reason this feature should be one of the first things to be implemented is it has a high value compared to dev time to make the fix, not a major overhaul.
     
  3. Lazarus Long

    Lazarus Long Avatar

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    Take Your Helm Off.

    I'd quote other topics on this but i'm not opening that up again.

    Laz
     
  4. Nog

    Nog Avatar

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    That is what I do for the helm when in a non-hostile area. Perhaps the OP does too. Taking the helm off isn't quite as elegant a solution if you spend most of your in-game hours clashing with enemies.


    Though in the case of cloaks, there isn't that much benefit to wearing one unless it's the Shroud. That said, the Shroud isn't unattractive per se -it's unique actually - but it's not what everyone wants for a look as it is pretty consuming/bulky as a wardrobe piece.
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2018
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  5. stile

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    This topic has come up here many times.

    And I will continue to say what I do each time.

    +1 for better cosmetic system

    My favorite cosmetic system was LOTRO. A "bank wardrobe", saved configuration of clothing you could switch into, and out of, etc. All visual effects only, or inventory saving effects but in which you must own the original item.

    It need not replace the current crafting/reshaping, etc system.. something like that could be added in, and even expanded on for one of the best cosmetic systems in any game!!

    Furthermore, it would be in Portalariums best interest to do so, because by making the Cosmetic system more appealing like this, then they would increase their microtransactions on purchases of wearables and patterns... Much how LOTRO made a lot of their sales.
     
  6. Gorthyn

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    Yes the cosmetic outfit system in LOTRO is excellent and something similar would greatly benefit SOTA.
     
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  7. Hornpipe

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    Please no.

    If you don't want an helmet, simply don't wear one. Personaly, I think the fun is in the choice AND the consequences. Lots of people are already all wearing cabalist hoods because those are more efficient : It will get even worse if you can hide what you are actually wearing.

    As long as you can chose your style without any downside, it will just bring us to less diversity just like with "other MMOs" were people can just list what items you should use according to your class, from a list of thousands of options. Then, people will just buy/look for the same stuff and chose the look they want.

    If you want more cosmetic options, you should go for enchanted tiaras or circlets, for exemple, or for some cloth/leather helm with patterns.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
  8. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

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    I want to preserve players ability to see what others are wearing, while also allowing an easier option than removing the helmet. In the short term, I use a secondary deck that pulls up my "street" clothes (and no helm), and i can swap decks with a keypress. However, I'd still prefer an emote (I've been asking for /holdhat for a long time) that would remove the helm and show it held in your offhand. Drawing your weapon or using the emote again would toggle it back onto your head.
     
  9. Evermor

    Evermor Avatar

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    I'm not a role player so I don't generally have separate outfits, just different armor for different roles. I like the way my character looks and I cover her with a helmet 100% of the time because if I am on I am doing PVE things with my guild.

    I agree that it is important to be able to see what others are wearing when in a PVP situation. Other than that I don't understand why having more options for player customization is a bad thing, what is the point of dictating other peoples play-styles and cosmetic desires if it has no impact on your game play.
     
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  10. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

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    Officially, the answer has been essentially "because this is a sandbox game in which you can enter PvP at any time simply by attacking someone, therefore anyone engaged in PvP have to be able to see exactly what you might be using". Which is fine, for the most part. We shouldn't have players looking like they are wearing cloth while they are in full plate; that doesn't make sense. However, there does need to be more styles available. More options, as you say. But as long as you are in multiplayer, it does impact others game play; thats the whole point of a multiplayer sandbox.
     
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  11. jammaplaya

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    In the past I've disagreed with the notion of hiding armor from visibility. I'd prefer options for toggling things off the client to be strictly for performance reasons.

    That said, due to the volume of requests for this I'd say it's worth a test run.
     
  12. Pawz

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    I agree, it would be nice to be able to hide your helm. The function could be disabled if you flag for pvp or go into a pvp zone. Many people in the game don't pvp so why should they be affected by pvp rule sets?
     
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  13. Baratan

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    I don't know. I always hide my helmet in games where I can. But I am in the habit of manually taking mine off and on in sota. Since we put our weapons away in combat maybe add an option to hide the helmet when the weapons are sheathed and bring it back on when they're wielded.
     
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  14. Echondas

    Echondas Bug Hunter Bug Moderator

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    How about an option of having “town clothes” - like Guild Wars 2 originally had ?
     
  15. majoria70

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    Well we have been told it is a not as easy as that. It is technical stuff. While I don't consider myself a roleplayer either I do change clothes often. When I sync music I don't always want to wear my armor. Anyway the Devs know we want options regarding this since it has been asked for since day one. In the meantime I use a tiara for my characters personality. You can enchant them and also the circlet can be enchanted which does give it some features and doesn't hide your hair.
     
  16. Hornpipe

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    This an unfair trial made to roleplay. While I doubt roleplay is the only reason why some people don't want this option, why are you asking it in the first place, if not for playing with your appearance and your role in Novia ?

    And why do you NEED to use your helmet in PvE if you don't want to ? Even when I wear my heavy armor (this is rare, I concede), I don't wear any helmet. You just DON'T HAVE TO. So, if you're still there asking for a plain "hide helmet" option, it is only because you want to be as optimized as possible to fight along your partners without the cosmetic downside (althrough you must admit that some helmets look good). To me, the problem is that you want all the benefits without the disadvantages. I can hardly say it's your fault. The philosophy of most games out there is to push everyone towards the path of ease by making them believe in any merit. I think it's a very bad thing to allow people to do everything they want without having to make a choice and face the consequences, in a multiplayer sandbox.

    "Dictating". Really ? When the game keep your feet on the ground for the sake of gravity, are you arguing that it is dictating something to you ? The game has always been like that. It's YOU, who are asking for something. Something that will affect the general gameplay and, therefore, will affect me and many of us. You asked for reasons ? We already gave you a list of reasons :
    And to add another one to this list : As I said, I don't wear any helmet, and I currently wear a simple tiara. IF the hide-helmet option is allowed, then the tiara will just have no value anymore. Currently, its value is only cosmetic : its stats are not as good as hood's stats (less resistance/avoidance and no masterworking) and the only value of wearing an enchanted one is cosmetic because I can see my own face (which is what you are asking for in the first place). It will also be true also for the invisible emperor's crown. Same with the circlet. Add an hide-helmet option, and plenty of crafted gear will instantly lose any value. In the meantime, cosmetic wouldn't be a thing anymore in the choice of your equipement, and that would be sad.

    That could be an acceptable compromise for everyone, under some conditions, I think.

    You can already use your decks for such a thing.
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2018
  17. Lars vonDrachental

    Lars vonDrachental Avatar

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    I’m most of the time on the side of realistic behavior if possible and so I think too that if you are wearing an item it should be visible that you are wearing this item...not because of PvP or something alike…just because it doesn’t make sense that an not invisible item is invisible. :p
    I think there would be just some reasonable options like:
    - If you holster your weapon you also take down your helmet (@Baratan) but I think this would also include some additional animations...but some might want to keep their helmets on like it currently is so this maybe cannot be a general mechanic and may have to be just an option.
    - We get an emote to remove the helmet and carry it around (@Browncoat Jayson)…but I would guess this would get in conflict with other emotes that are using your hands….so the helmet might have to disappear shortly after taking it from your avatars head.
    - Adding a possible enhancement (crafting) like “ghostly” to items making them some kind of semitransparent…e.g. the now green glowing edges of the item stay clearly visible creating some kind of gleam/glow around the avatars head while the helmet itself is getting semitransparent. You would still see that there is a helmet but you could also see the avatars head. I think the solution that would need the most dev work as they would need to create new semitransparent styles for all helmets or a new mechanic to make items semitransparent without creating new style sets for each item.
    - You can adjust the visibility of e.g. helmets just for your avatar in your option. Meaning just you will see no helmet around your avatars head while everyone else still sees your helmet and you still see the helmets of others. Might be the (technically) less error causing solution but people will have to remember that they have to remove the helmet if they would like to be seen by others without a helmet.
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2018
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  18. Evermor

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    I feel like this argument has a couple holes in it. Patterns being the first. If I pattern my gear with a coconut bra, kilt and tiara someone looking at me wouldn't necessarily know if I was wearing enchanted gear that had a pattern or if I was standing there in a coconut bra and kilt, unless you inspect me. Even inspecting someone does not give that much information. In LOTRO PVP, cosmetics were disabled and you could look at someone and know they had top end raid gear or PVP gear. Here the most you know is what material the gear is made out of, you don't know whether it is enchanted/master-worked or not.

    My second argument to this scenario, would be that I could be standing next to you in a kilt and coconut bra and quickly hit y change my deck and equipment and attack. You would have the same amount of time to process what I was wearing as if there was a hide option that was disabled once your PVP flag turned on.
     
  19. Evermor

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    I like that idea :)
     
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  20. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

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    Except that patterns can only be applied to specific armor types. So if you are wearing a coconut bra and kilt, I know you can be wearing cloth armor, not leather, chain, or plate, because those are the only pieces that those patterns can be applied to.

    Most other MMOs were a static choice for PVP; here you can flag on the fly, which is a completely different beast. And fortunately, there is no raid gear; the best gear in SotA is crafted, so you have to assume players are wearing crafted gear.

    If you change armor and weapons to do this, you also take a large hit to your focus. So yes, you get an advantage, but its not completely free, nor instantaneous.
     
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