Are any major character model changes planned?

Since funding through Kickstarter, it's been fascinating watching this game take shape and change over time. My favorite aspect so far is the World Map - the color palette, modeling and animation is completely magical and spot-on. Well done! I keep hoping some of that palette will migrate into the rest of game play, which seems a bit darker.

As far as competing with other games out there, I keep hoping some major changes will take place as far as the character models. I don't play male characters, so the female character model issues are what I notice the most. Specifically, the upper torso seems larger than it should be and a bit misshapen, making the legs and feet seem thinner and smaller. Something based more on reality is what I'm hoping for, but beauty can take many forms and I hope we'll be able to adjust proportions ourselves too in customization.

I am a female player in real life, thankfully something so much more common now! Ultima Online was the first MMORPG I ever played, and I have played them almost exclusively ever since. Character models and customization are of huge importance to me and my willingness to continue investing time and money in any game.

MMORPGs have changed so much since UO, and most recently the bar for character models seems extremely high. I currently play Final Fantasy XIV and completely adore it. I also played TERA Online recently, which is a stunning game with unrealistic yet beautiful character models.

I hope to immerse myself in Shroud of the Avatar and fall in love with it. Does anyone know if anyone has mentioned specific future changes to character models?

(For anyone wondering what I have played, in no particular order: Ultima Online, Everquest, Everquest II, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Anarchy Online, Guild Wars, Vanguard, City of Heroes, Dungeons & Dragons Online, EVE Online, The Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, Neverwinter, TERA Online, Final Fantasy XIV. I'm probably forgetting something...)

 

https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...haracter-the-softer-feminine-side-more.15487/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...t-stick-a-fork-in-it.10560/page-4#post-179312

Hi as one of the biggest advocators for great looking female avatars I am appreciative that this subject is resurfacing a bit. I know that so much extra work is being done on combat right now, which is totally important. Once we get a handle on that and get happier about it, then perhaps we can swing some more attention back on the look and feel of the avatar before release. It has really seemed such a chore to get the focus on this because of our small team. There is just so much to do. Hopefully with the addition of some newly hired people to the team we can see some more improvements. It looks like you have been around awhile Sira since 7/2013 so you probably saw some of the threads on this, but feel free to run with this subject. I fully support that we still need more work done on the female and male avatars to have them not be clunky, better looking hair, beards, etc. , more customization choices hairstyles, face styles, character sizing (height has been mentioned and will come in), also I'd like lipstick or lip color perhaps, before we go live.
I listed a couple of links to threads that went on. I think they are good in that they show some progress which I love. I love to get close up and watch my character blink and annimate moving her head side to side. Also I love the sing emote for the depth of expression that is showing on it. I could watch her sing forever. Someone did an absolutely terrific job on that emote, plus all the others I love too. **cheers**


**edited typos etc**

 

This is pretty important to me as well, Sira. All I can do is hope that in the next few releases the team implements some other options to put SoTA at least equal to--but preferably above-- other MMORPGs where character customization is concerned. Right now it is very, very underwhelming and doesn't even compete with the majority of the other games you listed.

I'd love to see more hair options and a color slider, more beards, body hair, scars and make-up. I realize weight sliders might be hard because of the armor meshes but..it's possible. I would love to create a cheery, rotund little alchemist guy along the lines of a Friar Tuck persona. The female avatars definitely need to be tweaked. The model seems...off. I think you described it well but there is something else for me I can't put my finger on. Actually, this release I was going to finally play a female avatar. Created her, got in game and absolutely hated the way she ran so I deleted and re-rolled as male. Seriously. The female avatars look like they're running for a 25% off everything at Macy's sale and trying not to break a nail while doing it.

One thing I would also like to see at some point is a barber shop where you can, for a price, alter your hair style and color and whatever else is appropriate for a barber shop. One of the few people in disagreement with the barber shop poll I did several months ago argued, "where would it end? what's to stop plastic surgery places from popping up next"? Simple. It ends with the barber shop. With the idea that makes sense and would jive with the fantasy concept.

 

Richard said we will have a barbershop, especially for those who don't like to spend a lot of time creating their character, then they will be able to do it at their own leisure once they are in the game.

 

I would guess we will see later on more refinment on charakter models, texturs and animations.
I guess Star Long would say at this point, for now it totally works fine.
But when we come near beta i hope this will change, since clean animations are allsow importent for a good working combat system

 

I don't particularly like the run animation of my avatar - even if she's wonderful because she's MINE, not because she's beautiful.

However, I like *a lot* the sprinting animation. If someone doesn't know it: you can double-tap the forward key (usually W), and your avatar starts dashing forward while consuming focus, for a reasonable speed increase (and better animation!).

 

Great news!

The sprinting movement looks fine, it's the normal run speed that just looks odd. Well, it's all good for now because I don't mind my beefy male counterpart.

 

I also hope the avatars get A HUGH overall, cause as of the way they are now, I find them to be very unappealing. I Too am a female in real life, and only play my gender .... I think the avatars are odd looking..... and I don't like the hair styles either, they just don't look right.... just my 2 or 3 cents

 

You only gotta look at Black Desert character design to see what can be done, but sota is a small team compared to a lot of these big mmo

 

True but keep in mind that "the game uses Pearl Abyss' own "Black Desert" engine specifically created to handle the fast rendering required for its seamless world and large-scale castle sieges." The SotA team is limited to the constraints that Unity 5 entails. I agree that the character generator needs some attention but I don't think that they will ever be able to match the options shown in Black Desert so long as they are using Unity.

 

The Koreans always seem to put a massive focus on their character customization. They get it, apparently. See Black Desert, Aion, Tera..just to name a few. While I wouldn't expect SoTA to be able to compete in terms of model quality, I think variety and style can certainly be managed.