Short form: I suggest adding a few bones to character models that sport capes, roughly positioned similar to where wing bones attach to the shoulder, so that capes can be subjected to a 'spread wide' posture at times where cape physics might lead to extreme cape postures.
Long form:
Capes as implemented currently in CoH are done pretty well. However, very often the cape physics twist the cape into weird and aesthetically confusing positions or postures. For example, when jumping off a building and falling straight down, the cape adopts a strained upside-down posture that looks, well, absurd. When twisting around in circles really fast the cape sort of coils around (but can't quite make it most of the time). Then there are many clipping situations. Sometimes it can seem that the tragic stories of capes recounted in The Incredibles are playing out in the streets of Paragon.
Looking a bit at Batman: Arkham Asylum, I notice how Batman's cape can there adopt a special posture for gliding that is far more rigid versus physics. Taking a cue from the basic approach there could add value here.
I suggest character models be altered so that adding a cape would consequentially include adding a set of wing-like invisible bones, attached to the capes near the shoulders and a bit along the cape sides. (Perhaps not absolutely on the edge of the cape, the bone can plausibly run a bit inside from the edge). I suggest these bones remain loose and flexible during periods of relatively low character movement, yet can affirm and spread out wide (like a gliding Batman) when the character ramps up into high-velocity or otherwise highly-dynamic motion.
It's of course difficult to tell if adding such bones could improve cape performance from an aesthetic aspect, or even how exactly such bones must be positioned to best create the effect. But there seems no doubt the current state of capes leaves room for improvement.
Short form: I suggest adding a few bones to character models that sport capes, roughly positioned similar to where wing bones attach to the shoulder, so that capes can be subjected to a 'spread wide' posture at times where cape physics might lead to extreme cape postures.
Long form:
Capes as implemented currently in CoH are done pretty well. However, very often the cape physics twist the cape into weird and aesthetically confusing positions or postures. For example, when jumping off a building and falling straight down, the cape adopts a strained upside-down posture that looks, well, absurd. When twisting around in circles really fast the cape sort of coils around (but can't quite make it most of the time). Then there are many clipping situations. Sometimes it can seem that the tragic stories of capes recounted in The Incredibles are playing out in the streets of Paragon.
Looking a bit at Batman: Arkham Asylum, I notice how Batman's cape can there adopt a special posture for gliding that is far more rigid versus physics. Taking a cue from the basic approach there could add value here.
I suggest character models be altered so that adding a cape would consequentially include adding a set of wing-like invisible bones, attached to the capes near the shoulders and a bit along the cape sides. (Perhaps not absolutely on the edge of the cape, the bone can plausibly run a bit inside from the edge). I suggest these bones remain loose and flexible during periods of relatively low character movement, yet can affirm and spread out wide (like a gliding Batman) when the character ramps up into high-velocity or otherwise highly-dynamic motion.
It's of course difficult to tell if adding such bones could improve cape performance from an aesthetic aspect, or even how exactly such bones must be positioned to best create the effect. But there seems no doubt the current state of capes leaves room for improvement.