Customization Woes - Page 4

ArmedZealot · 2012-05-04, 12:40 PM

I want it all. Golden armor + inlcuded codpiece, and 2$ more for optional XL size.

In all seriousness the game needs a large amount of customization to survive. Games like league are profitable because they offer a large amount of skins per character, and those skins often have themes that make them seem outlandish and unique to the LoL universe.

However PS2 does not have a large number of characters. Characters are basically each class for every empire and making themes that are outlandish and unique in war sim leaves a bitter taste in vets mouths. So we are limited to gimicky camo + the odd gag addon to buy. Which means prices will likely be absurd.

Personally I think SOE, especially on this issue, needs to ignore the vet concerns and go as far as they can into creating skins that are interesting and worth buying. Especially when such skins will be shown off in a death recap interface.

Gonefshn · 2012-05-04, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

Personally I think SOE, especially on this issue, needs to ignore the vet concerns and go as far as they can into creating skins that are interesting and worth buying. Especially when such skins will be shown off in a death recap interface.

Or they can just make the game amazing so people will continue to play.

They should allow you to personally turn off all custom skins so that everyone and everything appears normal on your screen. I know if they included an option to view everyone without custom skins I would have it turned on at all times.

Sledgecrushr · 2012-05-04, 03:48 PM

If they can do otpional skins tastefully it should only enhance the gameplay. Im all in for greater customisation.

Shlomoshun · 2012-05-04, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by Gonefshn

Or they can just make the game amazing so people will continue to play.

For a FTP game model, retention of players who aren't into customization probably isn't what they are actually shooting for...Those players require servers to support and do very little to pay for them. It's sad, but that's the business model they are using so in some sense, if you want the game to succeed, and you are strongly on the side of FTP not meaning any sort of Pay-to-Win (and really, who isn't on this side), you've got to be willing to embrace an ever growing level of customization as a necessary evil for them to provide in order to sustain the game.

LostAlgorithm · 2012-05-04, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Shlomoshun

For a FTP game model, retention of players who aren't into customization probably isn't what they are actually shooting for...Those players require servers to support and do very little to pay for them. It's sad, but that's the business model they are using so in some sense, if you want the game to succeed, and you are strongly on the side of FTP not meaning any sort of Pay-to-Win (and really, who isn't on this side), you've got to be willing to embrace an ever growing level of customization as a necessary evil for them to provide in order to sustain the game.

Which is why you sell the ability to pick and choose which customizations to hide and show for a one time fee of lets say $15.00. I'd pay it if it meant I could further customize the game to my liking by excluding the customizations I find jarring and unsuited to Planetside.

Having such an option would also allow them to go further with the customizations they do have for sale, making them even more out there and diverse to suit more player's sometimes absurd tastes. Don't like them? Well, you have the option to hide them, you just have to pay a little bit yourself.

Gonefshn · 2012-05-04, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by Shlomoshun

It's sad, but that's the business model they are using so in some sense, if you want the game to succeed, and you are strongly on the side of FTP not meaning any sort of Pay-to-Win (and really, who isn't on this side), you've got to be willing to embrace an ever growing level of customization as a necessary evil for them to provide in order to sustain the game.

I agree fully with this statement. I stand by the point I made at the end of my previous post.

If customization is about letting the player play the game the way they want, look the way they want, etc. Then allowing me an option to uncheck a box that turns off all custom skins should be included. If you want to run around in a panda suite with a pink Gauss rifle then go for it. But when I customize my own experience, I'll make it so I don't have to see you myself.

Allow people to purchase all sorts of interesting cosmetic items, sure. Just don't force it onto my screen if I feel like it's breaking my game experience.

EDIT: post above mine by LostAlgorithm was added while I was writing up this one. I see you agree with me about being able to hide it but is that really something you should have to pay for? Paying to remove something you find distasteful, is to me, in itself distasteful.

LostAlgorithm · 2012-05-04, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Gonefshn

EDIT: post above mine by LostAlgorithm was added while I was writing up this one. I see you agree with me about being able to hide it but is that really something you should have to pay for? Paying to remove something you find distasteful, is to me, in itself distasteful.

I'd rather not pay for it, but I'm willing if it will increase the odds of such a feature getting into the game / development time spent on it. Trying to make it appealing to the developers to spend the resources.

It's kind of fair in a way, too. Others have to pay for many of their customizations, so maybe we who dislike them should pay for ours too. As ours is quite a bit further reaching and requires more time to develop, it should be a bit more expensive.

Shlomoshun · 2012-05-04, 06:26 PM

THen they can pay $30 to make you see them, but for another $30 you can override that....it's an endless business model.

But seriously, I get the desire to have an uncheck system so you wouldn't see their skins. That makes some sense...but
That said, ...EDIT: What Lost Algorithm said above.

Gonefshn · 2012-05-04, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Shlomoshun

THen they can pay $30 to make you see them, but for another $30 you can override that....it's an endless business model.

But seriously, I get the desire to have an uncheck system so you wouldn't see their skins. That makes some sense...but
That said, ...EDIT: What Lost Algorithm said above.

Definitely an endless business model. I still think it's ridiculous to include being able to turn these things off as something you have to buy. Even if people have to pay for customization, it's about there game not mine. So what that people can turn it off? Is it worth boohooing that I can't express myself? To me it's about my own game, whats on my own screen.

And what part of what he said above are you referring to cause the beginning of your post was going against what he said in his last post.

Kipper · 2012-05-04, 07:36 PM

Customisation is to be supported IMO, provided they don't add silliness it will be fine.

TF2 is for silliness, World of Tanks offers a solution (camo) that proves you can have cosmetic items that are in keeping with the world.

It's going to be fine, people

LostAlgorithm · 2012-05-04, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Kipper

Customisation is to be supported IMO, provided they don't add silliness it will be fine.

TF2 is for silliness, World of Tanks offers a solution (camo) that proves you can have cosmetic items that are in keeping with the world.

It's going to be fine, people

I disagree that camo keeps with the universe developed for Planetside. Especially if you can have things like tanks driving around in the snow while using desert camo.

Customization is to be supported, which is why they should also support our ability to customize the game to hide these skins.

Toppopia · 2012-05-04, 11:38 PM

I would actually like to customise the camo on my tank, maybe have a primary color that can't be changed then a secondary color that you can choose. Its fun to beable to customise your stuff and say, "Yip, thats my Siberian camo AK-47 with a reflex sight with orange circle for sight and red lens" (Call of Duty: Black Ops)

Rozonus · 2012-05-05, 03:29 AM

I was thinking the opposite to most of you! I love the idea of customisation and it's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most. I'm not talking about random camo schemes etc but the ability to strap extra pouches and bandoleers to my Engi while I'm carrying my shotgun.

And as for using the wrong vehicle camos in different terrains, I plan to use a snow camo on my Galaxy at all times! It's already big enough that it's never going to go un-noticed, and I want everyone to know that it's my Galaxy! If I remember correctly the devs hinted at other vehicle customisations such as writing on the bodywork so I'll be taking full advantage of that too by naming my Galaxy in the same way that pilots named their bombers in WW2.

ArmedZealot · 2012-05-05, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by Gonefshn

Or they can just make the game amazing so people will continue to play.

They should allow you to personally turn off all custom skins so that everyone and everything appears normal on your screen. I know if they included an option to view everyone without custom skins I would have it turned on at all times.

Why would they let you turn it off if players pay for such a thing? That would be unprecedented in the F2P market and detract from the value of such customization. It's a risky move to take from a business perspective. The whole point of the skin is so other people can see it, especially in a first person game.

bullet · 2012-05-05, 08:37 AM

Guy 1: "Hey. You see that guy in the desert camo? Lets go for him."

Guy 2: "I turned that camo stuff off."

Guy 1: "Oh..."