Customization Woes

[Ironside]

Which is why I should be able to pay for such an option as turning off customizations. I think it's a fair request.

Agreed

[RSphil]

desert camo ect though will be of use so turning them off may be seen as an advantage so i dont think it will be an option

[Sledgecrushr]

If they give us good quality serious skins along with just a handful of goofy skins I think you wont have too much of a problem with immersion. Though I cant wait for the outfits clown night in PS2 ������

[Malorn]

Which is why I should be able to pay for such an option as turning off customizations. I think it's a fair request.

When customizations are primarily silly things, I absolutely agree.

However, it defeats the purpose of camo, and also outfit recognition if people blanket turn off cosmetic customizations.

I'd prefer they not have silly stupid shit like zebra patterns and stick to practical cosmetics that are within the empire theme that can be used for recognition of individuals or outfits, or have practical camo-purpose.

There are tons of variations you could make on any given class just with different empire color patterns without getting into ridiculous crap.

If there's so much ridiculous crap that you feel the need to turn off customizations then they have too much ridiculous crap and need to simply get rid of it.

I'm still hoping that the zebra and giraffe patterns are just for testing purposes and shits and giggles and not real customizations that will be in game. If so... /facepalm.

[ZeroOneZero]

Bring back badges and medals, just make them look more appealing and people can actually tell the difference between them. (1000 AA kills, you get a bronze medal with a MAX blowing off the smoke off his weapons)

[Dagron]

You guys realize there was a slightly less dead thread (http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=42406&page=6) about this, right?
Title a little different, but basically the same discussion.

[Envenom]

Am I the only one who isn't really looking forward to super customization? Don't get me wrong, I like being able to work within each empires color palettes, but I can't help but think the camo patterns on the magriders in the pic below are just a bit ugly and feel out of place:

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media/album/mp52rz6sp6/20111115_4ec2bdb39bb6e.png

Same goes for the camo on this Terran Republic HA:

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media/album/mp52rz6sp6/20111122_4ecc20fa03674.jpg

I dunno, it just doesn't seem to work for me. Seems unappealing. Feels a bit tacked on just for the sake of having some sort of camo and not really fitting.

Am I alone in wondering if perhaps customization is going a bit too far?

I actually quite like both the pics you posted lol.

[neonlazer]

Customization is probably my worst fear in the game..im used to BF3/COD like gameplay..but all the customizations will just be a pain in the rear..every time i get a point ill want to add it to something...50% get certs 50% decide where to add it LOL

[Raka Maru]

You guys realize there was a slightly less dead thread (http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=42406&page=6) about this, right?
Title a little different, but basically the same discussion.

I saw you were getting irritated with WarBorn in that other thread, (so was I). He likes to cherry pick and ignore the things he has no answer for. Maybe we should have flagged him for calling everyone names who doesn't agree with him... I got tired of trying to be nice and giving him therapy.

[Troscus]

Imagine trying to find those guys by yourself from a mile away. It's one of the "actually useful as camo" camo options.

[Trafalgar]

I am shocked that it took 12 pages for someone to object to the possibility of disabling reskins/camo because people could and would disable it to make it easier to spot their enemies - and that point was then ignored until page 16.

Personally, I'm strongly opposed to anyone being able to disable camouflage, whether it's unlocked with or without station cash, and especially opposed to camo being disableable by paying station cash, which would be even worse.

Not that I'm anyone important here, of course. It's just a little mind-boggling.

[Mechzz]

I am shocked that it took 12 pages for someone to object to the possibility of disabling reskins/camo because people could and would disable it to make it easier to spot their enemies - and that point was then ignored until page 16.

Personally, I'm strongly opposed to anyone being able to disable camouflage, whether it's unlocked with or without station cash, and especially opposed to camo being disableable by paying station cash, which would be even worse.

Not that I'm anyone important here, of course. It's just a little mind-boggling.

Could be a lot of peeps are assuming that the camo is of no practical use?

The only one I saw that looked vaguely useful was the blue/teal on a Vanu in a night fight. Maybe zebra on ice continent.

[Bazilx]

Just put all the crazy and obviously out-of-character ones in a special category and make that particular category optional to view.

Problem solved.

Jeez, 18 pages and I just solve it instantly, I should get Higbys job.

[Sledgecrushr]

Yeah but it wouldnt be any fun to have red bushy hair and giant floppy shoes if everybody couldnt see it. And if everyone couldnt see it then nobody would buy it. And since no one would buy it then the option to turn it off will never show up in game.

[Bazilx]

Yeah but it wouldnt be any fun to have red bushy hair and giant floppy shoes if everybody couldnt see it. And if everyone couldnt see it then nobody would buy it.

As I said, problem solved. :)

[megamold]

As I said, problem solved. :)

so you want the game to fail before it even started then :)

[Warborn]

11 pages. Wow. Not reading it. Yes, I agree that they look dumb and out of place. A lot of people do. It's strange for the developers to make the game into a really silly shooter like Team Fortress 2. I wasn't expecting that.

[Zolan]

Normal camouflage and the various types (ex. digital) are great.

Zebra and Giraffe camouflage are mildly annoying and borderline silly.

Bull horns, top hats, smiley faces, hearts, and bunny tails are intolerable.

[Bazilx]

so you want the game to fail before it even started then :)

:rolleyes:

I want customization to either fit RELATIVELY WELL Within the boundaries of the game, or have an option to turn off, I'm not hard to please, I'd even accept the zebra camo.

See person above for definitions.

[megamold]

i'm not saying i like those things , all i'm saying is i know why they did it and that it makes sense for them to do it.
and if this is what it takes to keep this game going longer then ps1 then i geuss ill just have to get used to it.

in the e3 stream i actually tought the zebra camo was more annoying then the horns,catears and whatnot op the players.
mostly because those things are not really visible during gameplay, they only really show when you are looking at the deathcam where you see your killer.
the zebra skin however is visible from a mile away.

[Dagron]

I saw you were getting irritated with WarBorn in that other thread.

Actually i saw his point, even though he seems to just be shutting his eyes real hard and shaking his head yelling "no no no no"... if you read carefully, you'll notice he actually has a valid concern.
But just when i tried to make myself clearer on the other thread, it died.



Anyway, here's my take on the matter:

- First off, let me say i don't like the silly camos either, but i won't touch that now.

- Second, i get that people are afraid to lose the feel of PS if everyone trades the faction's colors for realistic camouflage. I'm not saying that should happen, i wouldn't like it either.
But some people (stealth ops teams) wearing it occasionally wouldn't ruin the general vibe, and they shouldn't be denied the option to do so just because we're afraid to lose the PS1 look.

So i think real camos should be in, as long as people wearing them don't become even nearly the majority... prices could be tweaked to keep them available but rare (there could even be incentives to wearing empire colors if this doesn't seem like enough).

I'm sure in my previous posts it probably sounded like i wanted PS to be another BF or CoD (bland gray/green/tan environment all over)... That's not what i want at all, sorry for expressing myself poorly.

- Finally (pasted from the other thread):
If you are worried about silhouette and colors ruining IFF, you clearly haven't watched the same footage i have where every freakin ally had a green name hovering over their heads!

I agree one faction shouldn't use one of the other faction's colors, but only using yours is stupid. Wearing black/grays, greens, tans, etc is not going to make you shoot the guy who has a neon sign on his head saying ":D HI, I'M YOUR FRIEND BOB! :D"...

I seriously don't understand people's aversion to standard camouflage patterns/colors. They keep saying it's about IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) but they also keep ignoring the fact that there is a bright green name over all your teammates heads.

I'm pretty sure my point here isn't cryptic at all, and when people ignore counter arguments without even bothering to point out why they might be wrong while they hammer away at the same IFF argument over and over...

Well, it feels like talking to a wall.

[WNxThentar]

Am I the only one who isn't really looking forward to super customization? Don't get me wrong, I like being able to work within each empires color palettes, but I can't help but think the camo patterns on the magriders in the pic below are just a bit ugly and feel out of place:

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media/album/mp52rz6sp6/20111115_4ec2bdb39bb6e.png

Same goes for the camo on this Terran Republic HA:

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media/album/mp52rz6sp6/20111122_4ecc20fa03674.jpg

I dunno, it just doesn't seem to work for me. Seems unappealing. Feels a bit tacked on just for the sake of having some sort of camo and not really fitting.

Am I alone in wondering if perhaps customization is going a bit too far?

My opinion...if you don't like it then don't buy it. Problem solved. You don't like the way it looks on others? Tough... you aren't their mommy and you don't dress them.

If it makes SOE money I say "Go for it" because in the end it is this stuff that will give us a this game, this stuff that will give us further development and honestly this stuff that is going to attract a TON of people. You should see how many people play RPGs just to decorate houses these days? I mean I even have a guy in our P&P D&D game that likes to decorate his keep! Its human nature to like to customise the way we look. I do it in games where I can. Will I spend real world money on it? Probably at some point.

[WNxThentar]

Normal camouflage and the various types (ex. digital) are great.

Zebra and Giraffe camouflage are mildly annoying and borderline silly.

Bull horns, top hats, smiley faces, hearts, and bunny tails are intolerable.

Not saying I'd want it but...TF2 would prove you wrong. The difference being that is a bit of a silly game and crazy hats fit in.

The animal print patterns in PS2 to me are a bit of psychological war far. If they are that good the pattern doesn't hurt them that much by giving their position away to soon and to boot people will remember, Hey I keep getting killed by that guy with the Zebra patterned Tank and pink headlights and when you see them you might think "flight" instead of "fight"

Likewise if they are shit at fighting and you keep killing them then their zebra pattern just makes you zero in on them for a quick kill and their money has help you play.

[Rare Raisin]

I wonder how others feel on a rating system for skins etc.

A simple rating system next to different skins, etc might be useful. I suppose most companies would just implement a higher rating just through the number of sales.... but I think they should at least have both. So people can vote how much they like something in game.

Not saying everyone will care if something has 1 star or whatever the rating is but it also gives additional feedback rather than just what's reflected with sales.

Sorry if I repeated a similar post from anyone. :)

Maybe this is already planned. :)

[Haro]

Customization can work just fine if done right. I had a friend who used to wear a helmet that had a bullet mohawk he made himself. Looked badass, and I'd love a feature like that. Even something like bull horns could look cool and stay within the reason of the game if done right.. Other things, like additional holsters, bandoleers, armor modifications etc. would also look great. Look at the Halo series: recent games have had extensive customization system, with alternate pieces of armor and attachments that allow customization but don't get in the way of the game.

Being able to get a few alternate pieces of armor for your character could be fantastic, especially if you aren't totally a fan of the design. For example, I'd be interested in a new version of the NC helmet, while because it's not terrible, I felt there could be better designs. These decisions don't need to interfere with gameplay as long as they fit general visible styles of each empire and keep some color elements from the empire. Similarly, I wonder if they could vary the camouflage patterns of each empire, so that the desert camo of the NC isn't identical to that of the TR or VS. Think of modern armies and how they all have fairly unique and often equally viable camouflage patterns that serve as much as a form of identification as well as concealment.

[Raka Maru]

I wonder how others feel on a rating system for skins etc.

A simple rating system next to different skins, etc might be useful. I suppose most companies would just implement a higher rating just through the number of sales.... but I think they should at least have both. So people can vote how much they like something in game.

Not saying everyone will care if something has 1 star or whatever the rating is but it also gives additional feedback rather than just what's reflected with sales.

Sorry if I repeated a similar post from anyone. :)

Maybe this is already planned. :)

It couldn't hurt, would be very useful feedback, doesn't even have to be public viewable. First time I heard of this idea. :thumbsup:

[LostAlgorithm]

Glad to see there are more people showing their disdain for the stupidity of some of the customizations already in the game.

Customizations should have to fit logically at the least. No desert camo in the woods. No woodland camo in the desert. No zebra or giraffe camo ever, unless faction colored. Same with stupid horns, cat ears, etc.

[Troscus]

Which is why I should be able to pay for such an option as turning off customizations. I think it's a fair request.

What about the game play standpoint of it? You get an unfair advantage when you can just say "No" to someone's carefully chosen and perfectly effective camo.

[LostAlgorithm]

What about the game play standpoint of it? You get an unfair advantage when you can just say "No" to someone's carefully chosen and perfectly effective camo.

I disagree that it's really effective enough to matter. The forgelight engine is good, but not enough for camo to be that useful, especially when everyone has bright green and red names above their heads.

And carefully chosen? Really? "Derp, I'm in da desert so I should use da desert camo! I r smurt!" Yeah, whole lot of effort put into that one.

[Otleaz]

You guys are going to be eating your words when a guy hiding in a zebra herd shoots you and you don't even see him.

[Raka Maru]

I doubt they will give you a switch to turn off skins that were purchased by loyal customers.

[Jonny]

On the subject of the horns we saw on the TR character - I don't like the way they're going with that. I don't want this game getting any more rediculous after the way the vanu look ;). I mean this is supposed to be real military factions who have resources for tanks/aircraft - would they really be adding WoW style horns and crap on their outfits?

Keep the customisation proper and down to weapon varients, useful camos, helmet types, sidegrades, afew decals etc. Please carefully consider what you're adding to the game SOE because you won't easily be able to get rid of it and don't end up like a certain fortress style team game involving purchasable hats and socks...

[EVILoHOMER]

moan moan moan

I like them personally and hope they add loads more patterns because it is FUN. People moan on about it all ruining TF2's look but it's FUN!

[Meriv]

ok with the frustration taking place of the euphoria

I found the ultimate skin camo check this ..................................

jeans pamper.mp4 - YouTube


sorry pre beta frustration makes ubber troll :S


Edit: forgot to tell that it gets quite usefull when facing TR

[Sabot]

On the subject of the horns we saw on the TR character - I don't like the way they're going with that. I don't want this game getting any more rediculous after the way the vanu look ;). I mean this is supposed to be real military factions who have resources for tanks/aircraft - would they really be adding WoW style horns and crap on their outfits?

Keep the customisation proper and down to weapon varients, useful camos, helmet types, sidegrades, afew decals etc. Please carefully consider what you're adding to the game SOE because you won't easily be able to get rid of it and don't end up like a certain fortress style team game involving purchasable hats and socks...

I'd love me some purple socks with teal stripes on... proper 'I-mean-business-socks'

But seriously, these things are very subtle... apart from the animal-camo perhaps -.- But I don't think you'll notice it very often while playing... hopefully you'll have other things to think about. And if not... you'll just get angry at the redonkulous helmets people are wearing and shoot at them more effectively.

[Meriv]

I'd love me some purple socks with teal stripes on... proper 'I-mean-business-socks'

But seriously, these things are very subtle... apart from the animal-camo perhaps -.- But I don't think you'll notice it very often while playing... hopefully you'll have other things to think about. And if not... you'll just get angry at the redonkulous helmets people are wearing and shoot at them more effectively.

I think they have made the camo work with the combination of the kill cam, just like a show off. Just few during the video were looking usefull (the only one that i remember is the desert camo for tr max where the beige takes the part of the black in some decent areas and in daylight looked quite usefull) But since most of the players were doing Team Killing or crossing in front of enemies (with the opposite faction not firing) i would be more worried of getting more recognizable in the heat of the battle (like ww1 they used sometimes big glasses/aluminium idk which material attached to their back that would reflect the light soo your frontline would not fire at you, like a car triangle attached to your back) and not getting shoted by my team mate that in an adrenaline rush tought i was some Alien Fan boy.

[megamold]

i tought the horns on the characters and stuff were not very noticable while actually playing, they only became really noticable when you got to see who killed you on the deathcam.

[Dagron]

I disagree that it's really effective enough to matter. The forgelight engine is good, but not enough for camo to be that useful, especially when everyone has bright green and red names above their heads.

We only need to hide from the enemies, and they only see red names over our heads when we were already spotted or shot at, so camo wouldn't be as ineffective as you think. Also the engine has nothing to do with it... as a matter of fact, camo would help us hide even if we were playing an 8bit game.


People moan on about it all ruining TF2's look but it's FUN!

Who would take a war game seriously if it had a guy in it wearing an alligator hat throwing piss jars at people?
Yeah, TF2 is fun (<3 it btw)... it's also a whole different gaming experience, one that is supposed to be funny.

PS is about faction rivalry fueling endless war, it's not about shits and giggles.

[LostAlgorithm]

We only need to hide from the enemies, and they only see red names over our heads when we were already spotted or shot at, so camo wouldn't be as ineffective as you think. Also the engine has nothing to do with it... as a matter of fact, camo would help us hide even if we were playing an 8bit game.

Wrong. I've played games in the past that supposedly had camo which made you harder to spot, and gave you signifigcant range to fight over, and it didn't help in any noticeable way.

The engine can absolutely influence how easy it is to spot someone with camo. Unless the engine is specifically designed around making camo much harder to spot, it doesn't really help. You're still an obvious blot on a static background. The only camo that works is invisibility like the infiltrators get.

[Luieburger]

I won't pay a dime for ugly camo coloring. If you want to, I will laugh at you, but that's your choice. Thanks for paying to keep the servers up so I can play for free :D

[Dagron]

The engine can absolutely influence how easy it is to spot someone with camo. Unless the engine is specifically designed around making camo much harder to spot, it doesn't really help. You're still an obvious blot on a static background.

Alright, i'm no expert on the matter, i accept that some engines might make it easier to spot you even in camo.

However, we shouldn't rule it out as ineffective in a specific game before even seeing it in action (sadly, most gameplay footage we've seen so far was of people in faction colors or zebra camo).



Anyway, in my opinion (no facts here, skip this section if you'd like):

It goes against common sense to believe it's so hard for an engine to work with camo that it has to specifically be designed for it.

The way our eyes and brain work (visible color range, spatial perception, etc) makes us miss stuff that blend in an environment of similar colors/patterns, it's why camo works IRL.
It's also the reason animal camos work on their prey/predator despite the fact they're (ridiculously) visible to us... but i digress. :p

So it's easier to hide things in those conditions than to accidentally make them stand out. Some games may have failed at it, but nothing currently screams at me that PS2 is that way.

[Raka Maru]

Have any of you noticed the graphic detail in this engine?

Camo, if it's real camo will give you an advantage unless of course, you are already spotted, then you have a big red dot for people to shoot at.

[Sledgecrushr]

There are so many awesomely cool ways to do skins for vehicles. I really hope they limit the silliness to just a couple of designs.