Pretty simple really, just asking for an appearance tab to be added to the in game character sheet.

 

Quite a few people I know (myself included) tend to hang on to certain armour pieces and put them in storage for their appearance. All in the hope that when / if we get the appearance tab, that we can simply slot these items in and choose to have them active as our character's current armour appearance.

 

While there is a very long list of things I didn't like about Lotro, one of the features that was great about the game was their appearance tabs. They allowed players to set really unique and personalised appearances, rather than everyone running around at end game looking the same

Might as well sell your items. SWTOR has the Item Modification System, and as such appearance tabs are unneeded.

Might as well sell your items. SWTOR has the Item Modification System, and as such appearance tabs are unneeded.

 

Except for a few things you seem to have overlooked.

 

That only helps when it concerns the orange/modable armour. Non modable pieces that have a good appearance to them could be put to use if we had an appearance tab.

 

Not to mention the fact that without an appearance tab, any attempts to change your armour appearance without dropping your stats requires you to strip all the mods and slot them into the new gear each time, which can quickly become quite costly if you're paying over 25k to move each mod.

We certainly need it, orange armour does not make for proper appearance customization. It's the difference between a crappy sword made out of bronze and a masterly forged steel sword.

That only helps when it concerns the orange/modable armour. Non modable pieces that have a good appearance to them could be put to use if we had an appearance tab.

The developers intent is to add an orange shell for every item model and skin present in the game. This is common knowledge if you take the time to look at existing threads on the topic.

Not to mention the fact that without an appearance tab, any attempts to change your armour appearance without dropping your stats requires you to strip all the mods and slot them into the new gear each time, which can quickly become quite costly if you're paying over 25k to move each mod.

So advocate the price be dropped. One does not amputate a foot to address an ingrown toenail.

The developers intent is to add an orange shell for every item model and skin present in the game. This is common knowledge if you take the time to look at existing threads on the topic.

That'll still not make a square wheel round.

That'll still not make a square wheel round.

Why not? Once all styles in the game are available as orange shells, you can have any appearance you want.

Why not? Once all styles in the game are available as orange shells, you can have any appearance you want.

Because:

 

- Lack of colour variations. What if I wanted a certain chest piece in black instead of white?

- Extreme money sink in upgrades / appearance change leads to changing appearance according to where you are is not really a viable choice and defeats part of the reason for appearance customization. You might want a more warm appearance on Hoth or Ilum, where a place like Tatooine calls for lighter gear. The ability to change the look of your character to the situation is very empowering to the storytelling of the game.

- It is more complicated than need be, in a thing such as customizing the look of your gear a simple solution is preferable to a complicated one (orange gear requires steps that are ultimately unnecessary).

- It defeats the purpose of non-orange gear.

 

Yes a lot of these things could be solved with further development on the orange gear (grant the ability to actually modify the appearance of the orange on the fly to another orange you own, and free change of the colour), but I find it is not just easier for the players in general, but Bioware to simply implement an appearance tab. It saves everyone a lot of hassle instead of swearing to a feature that tries to a be wheel but really is just a square block of stone.

You will find tons of posts on this topic and basically You will see a common theme with the ppl against equip appearance. The have either never played a mmo with equip appearance or they are crafters afraid of losing dump trucks full of money that they make from selling augmented orange gear over and over again for 200k each x5 every time you want to change your look.Not to mention the 800k to remove all your mods for a total of 1.8 mil. There is NO OTHER REASON not to love equip appearance. Edited May 10, 2012 by WaliceDrel

- Lack of colour variations. What if I wanted a certain chest piece in black instead of white?

The same thing would occur with appearance tabs.

- Extreme money sink in upgrades / appearance change leads to changing appearance according to where you are is not really a viable choice and defeats part of the reason for appearance customization. You might want a more warm appearance on Hoth or Ilum, where a place like Tatooine calls for lighter gear. The ability to change the look of your character to the situation is very empowering to the storytelling of the game.

Advocate the decrease/removal of the costs, and possibly maintain your multiple outfits as individual, fully modified sets.

- It is more complicated than need be, in a thing such as customizing the look of your gear a simple solution is preferable to a complicated one (orange gear requires steps that are ultimately unnecessary).

Invalid argument; this is a matter of opinion.

- It defeats the purpose of non-orange gear.

Intent of argument is null; appearance tabs would eliminate the need for orange shells. Additionally, argument itself is false; non-orange gear is still viable in all areas of the game and is actively being used in those capacities.

Yes a lot of these things could be solved with further development on the orange gear (grant the ability to actually modify the appearance of the orange on the fly to another orange you own, and free change of the colour), but I find it is not just easier for the players in general, but Bioware to simply implement an appearance tab. It saves everyone a lot of hassle instead of swearing to a feature that tries to a be wheel but really is just a square block of stone.

Anything worthwhile takes time to build and establish, The Item Modification System represents the natural progression of appearance tabs, an appearance system fully integrated into vital game systems. It is a truly innovative element, and really one of the only truly innovative elements present in SWTOR at this time.

 

If SWTOR is to succeed, it has to surpass what currently exists in the industry. Appearance tabs are dated technology, and the developers are wise to define a replacement for the system.

The same thing would occur with appearance tabs.

No because instead of just having an orange of each model, you would have every model and colour scheme at your disposal.

Advocate the decrease/removal of the costs, and possibly maintain your multiple outfits as individual, fully modified sets.

Not viable.

Invalid argument; this is a matter of opinion.

It's not an opinion, it is fact. Orange gear has more steps to carry out thus it is more complicated.

Intent of argument is null; appearance tabs would eliminate the need for orange shells. Additionally, argument itself is false; non-orange gear is still viable in all areas of the game and is actively being used in those capacities.

The argument is sound as all other gear does not hold the ability to function as appearance customization, and orange gear still has the unique advantage of work as stat customization gear.

Anything worthwhile takes time to build and establish, The Item Modification System represents the natural progression of appearance tabs, an appearance system fully integrated into vital game systems. It is a truly innovative element, and really one of the only truly innovative elements present in SWTOR at this time.

It is not the "progression" of appearance tabs if it does not improve upon it. Orange gear fails to improve upon it, thus it cannot be a progression of it. This is more akin to technology going lost like in the dark middle age. Orange gear works as stat customization, it does not work as appearance customization. They are two very different things.

No because instead of just having an orange of each model, you would have every model and colour scheme at your disposal.

And so will the Item Modification system.

Not viable.

How so?

It's not an opinion, it is fact. Orange gear has more steps to carry out thus it is more complicated.

That's not what you said. You stated "It is more complicated than need be." This is an opinion, and as such an invalid statement.

The argument is sound as all other gear does not hold the ability to function as appearance customization, and orange gear still has the unique advantage of work as stat customization gear.

You stated that "It defeats the purpose of non-orange gear." That is false, as non-orange gear is activly used within the game.

It is not the "progression" of appearance tabs if it does not improve upon it. Orange gear fails to improve upon it, thus it cannot be a progression of it. This is more akin to technology going lost like in the dark middle age. Orange gear works as stat customization, it does not work as appearance customization. They are two very different things.

Actually, Item Modification does improve upon it. Item Modification is an integrated system that functions alongside other systems in the game. As such it supports, and in turn is supported by, other aspects of the title to create a cohesive whole.

 

You state that the Item Modification system fails at the task of appearance customization, but you've not been able to identify a substantive reason as to why this is. The reason, of course, is that no such argument exists.

Anything worthwhile takes time to build and establish, The Item Modification System represents the natural progression of appearance tabs, an appearance system fully integrated into vital game systems. It is a truly innovative element, and really one of the only truly innovative elements present in SWTOR at this time.

 

If SWTOR is to succeed, it has to surpass what currently exists in the industry. Appearance tabs are dated technology, and the developers are wise to define a replacement for the system.

OMG....lmao is that the best you got...lol relay??? relay? Just say it " im greedy and I love the credits I make from crafting orange augmented gear". Just be honest . You cant just make things up and call them facts...lol. And thank you for the laugh.

Edited May 10, 2012 by WaliceDrel

And so will the Item Modification system.

No it will have every model, not every colour scheme.

How so?

Use your head, make a reasonable assumption that people do not wish to spend half of their total playtime doing dailies.

That's not what you said. You stated "It is more complicated than need be." This is an opinion, and as such an invalid statement.

And "It is more complicated than need be." is a true statement - it is not an opinion, it is a fact. If this was a boolean, it would come out true if the comparison was between orange gear and an appearance tab.

You stated that "It defeats the purpose of non-orange gear." That is false, as non-orange gear is activly used within the game.

No it is not false. If you want to have appearance customization then non-orange gear has no point. It is a waste of data.

Actually, Item Modification does improve upon it. Item Modification is an integrated system that functions alongside other systems in the game. As such it supports, and in turn is supported by, other aspects of the title to create a cohesive whole.

So you see improvement as:

 

- More time consuming

- More complicated

- Offers less customization options

 

I can see why we part in this as I find that improvement is the exact opposite of these.

 

And no it is not a more integrated system than an appearance tab would be, I am sorry, but using that term for "bad design" is just laughable.

You state that the Item Modification system fails at the task of appearance customization, but you've not been able to identify a substantive reason as to why this is. The reason, of course, is that no such argument exists.

Oh, but I have. Your name just suits your stance extremely well in this situation.

The developers intent is to add an orange shell for every item model and skin present in the game. This is common knowledge if you take the time to look at existing threads on the topic.

So advocate the price be dropped. One does not amputate a foot to address an ingrown toenail.

 

Given that you've somehow managed to miss the very simple point I was making, that the lack of an appearance tab prevents any decent chance for unique appearances as it rules out everything except orange gear (and in terms of end game use, end game gear WITH augment slots) I can only assume you're trying to argue for the sake of it

 

But to put it in terms you may understand, one does not crush a pineapple to make a banana split.

Given that you've somehow managed to miss the very simple point I was making, that the lack of an appearance tab prevents any decent chance for unique appearances as it rules out everything except orange gear (and in terms of end game use, end game gear WITH augment slots) I can only assume you're trying to argue for the sake of it.

I've not missed this. Once the system is complete, all appearance options an appearance tab would boast will be achievable through the Item Modification system. Every style and unique appearance will be available as an orange-quality shell, all of which will be viable choices in all aspects of game play.

I support this and I have been supporting it pre launch.

 

Please just make this happen and save yourself all the trouble you are going through

doing "match to chest" and similar stuff.

I've not missed this. Once the system is complete, all appearance options an appearance tab would boast will be achievable through the Item Modification system. Every style and unique appearance will be available as an orange-quality shell, all of which will be viable choices in all aspects of game play.

 

Yet again overlooking the issue of augmented sets for end game use. You really expect people to aquire augmented versions of every kind of armour they like the appearance of just so though don't have to gimp their own stats in order to have a certain appeance they like? Not to mention the cost of mod swapping all the time.

 

The whole thing can quite simply be handled with an appearance tab. That way no matter how old/low level the armour piece is, it dosen't matter, they can just drag that item into the appearance tab, whislt using / hiding the actual armour they're wearing for their stats.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Paelo

The devs have been pretty clear that their long term goal is to make the mod system work as the appearance system. While it still is falling short, I think your efforts would be best to point out item art that doesn't have a mod version instead of suggesting they make a completely new system.

 

http://www.swtor.com/blog/some-clarifications-item-modifications

 

http://www.swtor.com/blog/why-unify-color-chest-piece-gone-and-whats-next

 

Those two blog entries from just before launch describe their intent with the systems.

 

Also, as of 1.3 you will be able to add augment slots to existing gear without any.

Edited May 14, 2012 by MaximusRex

Yet again overlooking the issue of augmented sets for end game use. You really expect people to aquire augmented versions of every kind of armour they like the appearance of just so though don't have to gimp their own stats in order to have a certain appeance they like? Not to mention the cost of mod swapping all the time.

Perhaps because no issue exists? With the addition of Augment Tables, augment slots can be added to any orange shell.

The whole thing can quite simply be handled with an appearance tab.

 

It would be much simpler, which is why I'm against it. Because it would require no effort on the players part to maintain an appearance.

 

LotRO IMO did it wrong, because it was so simple it took all the joy of finding new armor out of the game. There was no way the stuff would even come close to looking decent so why bother looking at it at all. It became nothing more then stats, and half the fun in finding new armor was destroyed.

 

I much prefer the modification system because I might find something I want, and I have to actually work at it a tiny bit. When there's orange versions of everything then we'll have IMO the best of both worlds.

It would be much simpler, which is why I'm against it. Because it would require no effort on the players part to maintain an appearance.

 

LotRO IMO did it wrong, because it was so simple it took all the joy of finding new armor out of the game. There was no way the stuff would even come close to looking decent so why bother looking at it at all. It became nothing more then stats, and half the fun in finding new armor was destroyed.

 

I much prefer the modification system because I might find something I want, and I have to actually work at it a tiny bit. When there's orange versions of everything then we'll have IMO the best of both worlds.

You are totally wrong IMO.

In LOTRO I spent hours every week, to seek new armors, and find news skins I've never seen before. That include buying dyes and armors from crafter/low lvl, or social stuff. I used to see EVERY grey armor vendor in the game, to look the armor, since they were different. Also include event social gear.

In AOC I spent time farming various mobs for a special "skin set", like Vanir or Nemedians. Doing solo instance just to have the unique skin cape in the end. And when I was unable to have the gear, buying it from the market.

In SWTOR, I spent like 1month grinding/buying for the Vendetta armor set for my AI. For no purpose, since I can't use it.

In EQ2 I spent time every day to check the HV for new stuff, and do some quests for a special gear.

 

What do I do in SWTOR ? I craft my own orange gear. And don't use it anyway, I'm still using rakata/columi gear, and the set can't be transfered to orange items. I already have almost all schematics, and I take 5m or so to craft an armor. Hard to get... yeah, right, if you say so.

Perhaps because no issue exists? With the addition of Augment Tables, augment slots can be added to any orange shell.

 

Clearly one does exist if Bioware keep having to chop and change their own equipment appearance system multiple times. Which is why it's surprising they haven't taken the simple and effective option of an appearance tab.

It would be much simpler, which is why I'm against it. Because it would require no effort on the players part to maintain an appearance.

 

LotRO IMO did it wrong, because it was so simple it took all the joy of finding new armor out of the game. There was no way the stuff would even come close to looking decent so why bother looking at it at all. It became nothing more then stats, and half the fun in finding new armor was destroyed.

 

I much prefer the modification system because I might find something I want, and I have to actually work at it a tiny bit. When there's orange versions of everything then we'll have IMO the best of both worlds.

 

The appearance tab was one of the few things Turbine managed to get right. Character appearance should have nothing to do with the hunt for better stats/armour, and that's where the lotro appearance tab worked so well.

 

Almost every region had vendors/quests which would drop different bits of armour. Not to mention odd pieces that could drop while farming mobs. For those players who took the time to explore and look around, they had a better chance of finding more variety for their apperance.

 

The ability to mix and match items such as a few pieces of end game raid gear, with a few pieces of low level armour or clothing sold by vendors helped players come up with a lot of unique looks. Which is far better than everyone running around looking like clones of eachother.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Paelo

Clearly one does exist if Bioware keep having to chop and change their own equipment appearance system multiple times. Which is why it's surprising they haven't taken the simple and effective option of an appearance tab.

... "chop and change?" Where are you getting this?

 

The item modification system has seen some level of change, sure. As does any innovative system being designed and implemented for the first time. This is both expected and desired. That being said, the basic ideas and concepts defined for the item modification system at launch remain unaltered. Why would they discard their effort thus far, when those efforts are producing the desired result? Why implement an outdated system when item modification will not only do the job as well, but better than appearance tabs?