Ok, so I've had this idea in my head for a while and if it has been proposed before, forgive me...
Why not create a stand-alone costume editor app?
Customization is at the heart of CoH's attraction to customers, so why not create something that can have a viral marketing component that will help to get people interested in the game?
An app like this would have two main purposes...
First, as a tool for the existing CoH community (folks can plan their builds, why not be able to plan their looks?) and in addition to being handy for character creation/planning, it would be a great tool for AE mission designers.
Second, as a viral bit of marketing... the folks from Spore released their editor (arguably the centerpiece of the game) to generate hype about the game before it was released, and I think that now we are 5 years down the road, something like that could help generate buzz about CoH and serve to expose more players to the game.
Additionally, the app doesn't have to be free, the community has already shown that it is willing to pay for things that they see as valuable and useful, so the investment to create the app can be recovered with the chance that it might actually become a revenue stream.
Finally, there is the issue of compatibility... a Windows app is the obvious choice, and then perhaps a Mac version. There is one other format that I think would be ideal for this app... the iPhone! If you made a CoH Costume Editor app for the iPhone it would be an ideal platform for this... I know plenty of folks that obsess about their costume who would love nothing better than to be able to tweak it constantly, and this is perfect for that. Also the iPhone is where my viral marketing concept really kicks in... a little $5 app that was fun to fiddle with would sell well on the app store AND it would serve as a great advertisement for the game. Not to mention if you ship it with ALL of the costume items unlocked and readily identify where they come from, it might sell a few more of those Super Booster costume packs.
Okay, that's my idea... proceed to rip it apart folks!
-Teflon Don
