All Things Art: Super Boosters

What's up, everybody? The All Things Art thread exists for just one purpose: to help the Art Team identify the stuff you'd like us to create for you next! So far, the thread's been enormously helpful in this regard, and all sorts of things are in the pipeline now because of it.

In this offshoot of the All Things Art thread, I wanted to talk specifically and in-depth about future Super Boosters, which are premium costume/power/emote packs that we put out periodically. Super Boosters are a joint effort between the Design and Art departments, so well I don't have final say on what's in each pack, I'd at least like to communicate what the fans want from an artistic standpoint.

Quick refresher on the ground rules, and then we'll get started.

This is a direct line of communication between you and the COH Art Team. I want to hear directly from the players what they think about the art in our game, but to keep things running smoothly, please observe the following:

1. Gotta keep it real: Ongoing development is of course my top priority, so my ability to respond to posts and PMs will be limited. If you don't get a direct reply, don't worry--rest assured that I'm reading everything that appears on this thread.

2. Patience, young Jedi: Posting on this thread won't necessarily expedite that special request you've wanted forever, but it'll at least keep it on the radar. We're always striving to give you guys what you want, but that comes in two flavors: variations on existing stuff, and brand-new stuff that expands the game into exciting new territory. Though we try to honor older requests (see: animated tails), it has to happen as a part of overall, ongoing development.

3. This is why we can't have nice things: If something's logistically prohibitive, technically unfeasible, or aesthetically miss-matched with the game, I'll always try to level with you. Certain things just aren't on the agenda, and why dwell on those when we could be talking about all the awesome stuff that you get instead?!

4. Rein it in there, cowboy: Let's try to keep the dialogue succinct, measured and constructive. It's helpful to know what you like and don't like, but play it cool, y'know?


So yeah, what's on your mind?

I think that animal parts have bin mentioned quit enough already so lets skip those posts, can we?
I think some including myself have expressed an interest in having the Halloween costumes year round. That would be an easy add on.
Though I'd like to see it taken a step further. Something like a magic mirror power where you can copy nearly any enemy. At least temporarily.
And or the ability to swipe a random power from an enemy. You could keep it for x amount of time/ or use it x number of times depending on how powerful it is or until you changed it out.
Alternate travel power animations would be nice. I've repeatedly mentioned that I don't like to super-swim to my missions. That's swimming at super speed. Now if you could run on top of the water (sinking when ever you slowed down, don't want to try copying that whole walking on water bit.). Or swim fish/shark like through it rather than that dog paddle, now that would be good. Other ones could be roller blades. Skateboard. Hover Bord. One of those silly mono wheel motorcycles you some times see in cartoons.
Costume specific animations. Arm cannons replacing the slandered blaster powers. Heroic looking villein epic power peaces.

David,

I want to thank you for the great communication you do.

You've done a wonderful job filling in the community contact void - which I don't think is your job at all, even.

How about a mutant set with costume pieces that have more range than Demon/Witchblade concepts. Sorry, but the Mutant SB is by far the weakest and most uninteresting of the super boosters. At least expand the number of choices to add some variety and make it worth the money, because right now it's not worth 10 bucks.

Add some different auras, mutant hands and feet, mutant heads, etc. Right now nothing in the set, at least art-wise says "mutant" unless you want to use a definition of mutant that is so broad as to render the term meaningless.

Made a thread about this a while back. Not EVERYTHING mentioned is feasible I know, but it's got some good ideas and would be worth a read I think. Can be found here.

As far as keeping something in this thread:

Ghost booster. I want a ghostly floating sprint power that will make my character hover like a ghost (not actual flight, just a sprint power with that sort of animation), and a ghostly aura/appearance option that makes them transparent like Numina, Woodsman and War Witch, with an alternate version that also gives them the ghostly glow (tintable of course) like Spectral Pirates/Croatoa Ghosts. Not enough to be stealth-like, just enough to give a ghostly appearance. Extra points if some tattered costume pieces are included, even MORE points if we get just some wispy-looking pieces for that ethereal effect.

Hello Mr. Nakayama, sir.

I'd like to see more animal parts please. And animal heads that indeed look like animals.

Also, I'd like the Human Ears to disappear from the model when another type of ear is selected.

Thank you.

Well, a lot of people have voiced dissapointment with the 'Mutant' pack being more like Witchblade meets Prototype, despite Positron having mentioned that people wanting to make more anthromorph style characters should look forward to it.

Mostly, you'll have heard it all before, but here's a few major contendors;

1) Non-'Monstrous' Animal heads; Not every character that has a wolf/fox/eagle/hybrid-thing face is meant to look Ohmigawdteeth Evil. Some faces that could concievably show emotions and look more 'Heroic', or just plain neutral, would be nice. Ditto with the ear options.
Example: http://redwinterwolf.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2lp2tq
(/end shameless self plug)

2) Non-talon digitgrade feet; Same again, feet which look like actual animals, rather than a random be-taloned monstrosity.

3) Anthromorph heads with optsions; Sunglasses, spikes, headbands, hair, whatever. Customisation is the law around here, and its something that the CoX CC does very well.
Example; http://redwinterwolf.deviantart.com/...ites/#/d1afjbi

4) More tails; See the above link for another good example. Wolf/fox tails that are bushy, possibly other options. There doesnt need to be loads, just enough with perhaps a few different pattern options that can be handwaved as a multitude of different species.

5) Mechanised options; Armoured variants and helmets would be a nice touch (Although maybe less likely than some of the others) And hey, people could use them as simply stylised helmets as well, for whatever purpose they want.
Example and self plug; http://redwinterwolf.deviantart.com/#/d2o7h62

Most of its probably been said before, or will be said again regardless. Just wanted to put my tuppence hapenny worth in there

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

I think the one thing I would like the people that make the boosters to keep in mind is making sure that the shiny premiums we are paying for are as versatile as possible.

Case in point: the first booster I bought when I came to the game was the cyborg pack specifically because one of my first characters (of course) had been rebuilt with the monstrous robot claw feet and I wanted her to be essentially a head and torso with robotic limbs.

However, there is no such option to have cyborg legs and robot claw feet. You have to pick one or the other, and that seems pretty cheap to me.

I would also encourage you to try to make as much clothing as possible work for both genders. The magic pack has that fantastic coat that you made for male and huge bodies, but surely it would have been worth it to give to females?

Stuff like that. If I am going to pay for these, I want to be able to use as much of the pack as possible.

Thanks for reading, the customization is really the thing that keeps me coming back here every month. Keep up the good work.

"Hi, how are you doing?" http://VileTerror.Keenspace.com/ColourTheory.JpG
(please excuse the feet. I can't draw feet worth crud. Just pretend they're suitably zombie-ish feet)

I would be very interested in an undead booster. The current zombie pieces are, in my opinion, a little one dimensional. Undead doesn't always mean beraggled, I say.
The previously suggested "ghost booster" also sounds good. Possibly put the two together as a Supernatural Booster?

Granting us some sort of optional power which renders our character as flagged with the Undead tag would be amazingly stellar, in my opinion, though I realize that's not specifically art related. The idea of having the game acknowledge a character as being non-living, and having stats appropriate to that, would be great! A weakness to "holy" attacks and reduced Regen, but with maybe a benefit of a low-power life-sapping effect added to all attacks/powers that target foes?
Which then encourages the idea of something similar for robotic characters in another booster pack as well. Giving them a trade of some benefit like Endurance/Recovery sapping abilities, at the cost of an increased vulnerability to EMP type attacks.

I would love to see Super Booster: Weapons some day. A vastly expanded library of weapons for all of us out there bashing, stabbing, slicing, crushing, and swiping at things.

Off the top of my head? More maces, more axes. Some more claw variations too, that could synergize with glove options to look more like protrusions of the hand.

Weapons with elemental effects, like electricity, fire, vapor, cold, smoke. Maybe even let us have a weapon that drips with poison.

I would also love to see, outside of what I don't know is coming in GR, more costume options with glowy bits that don't require me to hide that I might be a fish.

Oh and PLEASE, more variation on shoulder pieces and male haircuts. It may sound weird, but honestly... too many of the shoulder pieces look gaudy on my characters. And I feel they are predominantly evil looking, for the most part. And most of my male charaters are either of the Surfer or Gusto haircut because the others look too concept-specific or just... meh I'm rambling.

Some ideas for you.

Switch

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus This entire post should receive some kind of award for being both hysterical and fantastic. Well done.

My hopes for boosters would be:

Animal -- more realistic animals heads, legs, feet, hands, tails etc. Everything, really, within the constraints of the system. It would also be nice to increase the flexibility of the system so that (my no. 1 wish, actually) skirts could be worn with monstrous legs, but I guess that's outside the scope of a booster.

'Evil' monsters -- vampires, werewolves, zombies.

Armour -- power armour, better medieval armour.

Casual -- more 'normal' clothes: shoes, jackets, skirts, shirts, etc.

A 'chassis' pack -- more faces, more hairstyles, a muscled look for female characters, an expansion of the skin colour palette so that it's easier to blend non-human skin colours with costume pieces.

Add my request to the Zombie/Ghost/Supernatural Boost.

What I would like to see is some kind of Bone armor. And I mean bones not bone like growths! For example a Ribcage Chest piece. Bones tied together for armbands.

Body parts that been stitched together Via Frankenstein or IN-game Vahzilok style body skins.

Playing a Zombie hero isn't easy when you blend into the Zombie Horde... I take that back the Zombies from the Horde Halloween event are better looking. New Undead heads would be useful.

Perhaps even use the Robot arms and put in BONE arms. Where the flesh have fallen off the bones so your arms are mostly skeletal with just enough meat and tendons to keep them together.

Why not just do a "random costume parts" pack? A couple animal parts, skeleton options, a new aura, steampunk parts, etc., and call it a day? You could address a whole bunch of people's wants easily and I suspect the pack would sell quite well.

I would love to see another "Tech" booster pack.

The Cyborg pack was great, I use it in almost all of my costumes but I would love to see more "Powered Armor" options similar to the PPD Hardsuit. "Blaster gauntlets, thruster boots, armored shoulders, etc ... both large and sleek parts that have new textures but with the option to match up with current costume textures as well.

In addition some purely robotic options would be nice, clearly non-human parts with exposed workings much like the Praetorian Clockwork, angular pieces much like some of the current "Robot Arms" etc.

Some "Techluminescent" texture options would be great too. A full texture set much like the Bioluminescent set, or as an overlay to some of the current texture sets. I'm sure it could even work as a aura/combat aura option.