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Fantasy game with a chracter creator like City of Heroes? Poll
gillvane1
Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 1,503
Many MMORPGs have magic in them, and that magic lets you do all sorts of things, including turning invisible, or a mask that makes you appear like another race (from lower GUK you EQ freaks).
If magic can make you invisible, why can't it make your armor invisible? If magic can make you appear like another race, why can't it make your armor look like something else?
Why not have a fantasy game with characters that can be customized like City of Heroes? Hundreds of types of capes, armor styles, clothes, belts, buckles, magic effects like a glow, or halo, bikini armor, Armor with Dragon wings, or whatever you can think of ?
The idea is it's a magical illusion that has no effect on your stats. You can still collect magic items and armor, like any other fantasy MMORPG game, that change your stats over time, but you pick the looks of your toon on creation with a really cool character generator like CoH, only a magical fantasy style instead of superheroes. When you get some plate mail, that doesn't mean you have to LOOK like you're wearing plate mail just like every other player in the game with plate mail. It goes in your inventory, and you get the stat bonus, but your look is the same (created by an illusion).
Or do you think your character's looks have to change to match whatever piece of armor he wears, or sword he wields?
For those not familiar with City of Heroes, you could select from hundreds of customizations when you made your character. By mixing and matching the customization options, and also the ability to change your body size and appearance, players made thousands and thousands of unique looking characters.
MMORPG Maker
If magic can make you invisible, why can't it make your armor invisible? If magic can make you appear like another race, why can't it make your armor look like something else?
Why not have a fantasy game with characters that can be customized like City of Heroes? Hundreds of types of capes, armor styles, clothes, belts, buckles, magic effects like a glow, or halo, bikini armor, Armor with Dragon wings, or whatever you can think of ?
The idea is it's a magical illusion that has no effect on your stats. You can still collect magic items and armor, like any other fantasy MMORPG game, that change your stats over time, but you pick the looks of your toon on creation with a really cool character generator like CoH, only a magical fantasy style instead of superheroes. When you get some plate mail, that doesn't mean you have to LOOK like you're wearing plate mail just like every other player in the game with plate mail. It goes in your inventory, and you get the stat bonus, but your look is the same (created by an illusion).
Or do you think your character's looks have to change to match whatever piece of armor he wears, or sword he wields?
For those not familiar with City of Heroes, you could select from hundreds of customizations when you made your character. By mixing and matching the customization options, and also the ability to change your body size and appearance, players made thousands and thousands of unique looking characters.
MMORPG Maker
Comments
BOYCOTTING EA / ORIGIN going forward.
CoH/CoV has a system where you put enhancements on your abilities to make them stronger. Why not create a similar system where you place enhancements on your character. I mean lets face it killing a wolf and getting some plate mail from it's corpse has never made sense, but if you kill a wolf and then draw out some "essence" from it's corpse that you'd consume to become stronger, that would be more believable. (That sounded weird, "consuming somethings essence" sounding "more believable"). But isn't that really all that equipment is, an enhancement on your character.
So when you get to higher lvls maybe you get more "slots" for enhancement or simply the ability to use more powerful ones. But all in all it could work very nicely.
"Victims aren't we all."
-Eric Draven, The Crow
"Those who dont build must burn. Its as old as history and juvenile delinquence."
-Ray Bradbury
Basically you separate the feature that characters progress in strength, from the way characters look, however you want to do it. My idea is with an illusion, but if you want to throw away swords and armor, adn instead let characters enhance themselves with some sort of fantasy amulets, rings, essenses, potions that are permanent, or whatever, instead of platemail and leather armor and two handed swords, and bracers, etc., that's OK too.
Personally, I'm headed towards a fantasy look that's pretty out there. I mean, you can make your self look like Conan with his shirt off if you want to, but why not be able to add Minotaur horns, and make your eyes glow red, with little wings like Hermes on your ankles?
Look, if you don't like it that's fine. But don't tell me it's more immersive because you can turn invisible, but you can't make your plate mail invisible so that you actually look like you're not wearing a shirt, or you can see your shirt beneath the invisible plate mail.
You're really going to argue that it's immersive if a player can turn invisible, but somehow not "realistic" if you can cast a spell that makes armor invisible?
That's some pretty convoluted reality to me. Again, if you don't like the idea fine, but dont' try to convince me one is more "realistic" than the other. Yea, we all know it's easier to turn people invisible than armor, because that's how it works in the real world right?
Besides, we all know no matter how many "armor combinations" you offer in a game, one combo will be perceived to be UBER, even if it really isn't, and everyone that level will be wearing that armor, making everyone look just alike. Sure, you look the same for longer, but I have to say I had more fun looking the same as in not changing my look for a long time, and totally unique because no one else looked like me, in City of Heroes, than changing my look all the time (everytime I got a new piece of armore) but looking just like everyone else at that level that got the same new piece of armor.
I completely agree I would like to find a look and stick with it. however i can understand that some would get bored with the same look.
So with that said how about something like this ....
you start a new character and IF you find armor or a weapon you like the look of you can actually "boost" that weapons/armors ability with other drops you acquire. So basically you would transfer the stats from one weapon/armor to the weapon/armor you like.(as long as its the same style ... wouldn't be able to transfer "chain" armor stats to "plate.)
so for example say you like the look of the "dark mace of death". however its a level 40 item and you just got a new mace with great stats but crappy look. You would just take it to a "melding" NPC who can take the stats from the new mace and put them on the Dark Mace of death.
so basically you can keep the same look but just upgrade the stats. However if you wanted to just keep the new mace you could and not EVER use the "Melding" NPC.
A simpler solution would be to just allow armor appearance customization, on a per-piece basis. Chain would still look like chain, plate would still look like plate, but each armor type would have several different designs and colors to choose from. It could easily be expanded so that some customizations are more expensive, require a higher level, need to be unlocked, or are otherwise hard to get and therefore "special."
It's a feature that would go well in a fantasy-themed MMO, but i think the implementation should fit the world.
While it is an interesting concept, a few things have to be considered :
City of X games are a comic book superhero genre. These are set in contemporary/ futuristic times. A medival fantasy setting has the premise of more primitive society. Just like your lvl 50 Knight isn't dungeon delving with a submachine gun, your superhero mutant which can fly and spew powers from his hands has little need for plate mail.
Trying to create a customization of a medival character will always be a challange, because starting clothing with inevitably covered with gear. Too simply make it invisible so you can see the customized clothing defeats the purpose of status in medival settings. Until a MMO takes a plunge that moves away from the "gear is goal" concept, medieval fantasy settings will always reward players with items. It has worked well for a decade, why ruin it?
So what can be done to truly make your character unique in an MMO, or at least make your character feel unique? Perhaps try city clothing gear. Say, while your advenutring gear may be common, you come to the city limits, your character has to remove (or it is done for you) that clunky armor and weaponry to engage in civil duties or tasks. Whatever profession you are in, you have status and station. The more elaborate your clothes, the obvious notoriety you have acquired. That is not to say you cannot have a uber item or two on your person, but only rare adventure items are allowed to be adorned in the town. This may allow more customization for your character without turning your medival fantasy game into a City of Everquest.
Another thought is NPC reaction to you. NPCs bowing at your presence, addressing you as Lord or saluting you. Perhaps they cower in fear or grovel. WOmen throw rose petals at you. Children dance around your feet. Peasants beg for your favor (or mercy). Maybe you are so wretched in appearance NPCs vomit or say in passing "What stinks?"
As for the theme of a Fantasy setting, where the OP's 'llusion' idea causes trouble for some of you... in a game's character creator, you should think about what YOU would like your character to look like instead of having to resort to a very limited and reduced spectrum of possibilities (armor for a warrior, robes for a mage, leather and cloak for a rogue, all those 'normal' themes which have become so clichéd) along a determined path, in time. That's what CoH does for many people. There's so many options you can come up with almost anything you want if thinking in superhero terms; there's obviously limits on the character creator, but you can visualize thousands of characters instead of having to resort to recurring themes of armor for warriors, robes for mages, and so on. There's so many options you stop thinking of the character creator system as a problem. You just find what you like, and do it.
That's what I believe the OP is advocating for. A warrior who wears robes. A mage that wears full plate armor. Let's drop all the common prejudice in Fantasy and let loose with our character creations!