Thoughts on Pool/Ancillary/Patron Customization

I know we all want it, and the Dev's say it would be difficult, mainly because of how the UI would work, as demonstrated by the various Incarnate menus. Plus that much potentially unused data (all Pool, all Ancillary, all Patron) sitting on any one character would get costly.

I've brought this up before in other threads, but I don't know whether it got lost in the jumble of discussion and thought I'd mention it in its own thread.

We have 'unlockable' costume pieces. Auras, Capes, now various and tons of new items from weapons to costume pieces for defeating groups.

Now I understand the powerset UI is slightly different, but couldn't they apply a similar system to it?

Say I take the Teleport Pool Power. I would now get an 'invisible badge' somewhere in my character's data and the notification that "You have unlocked a new costume part!" That way we only get animations for groups of powers we pick.

If I respec, the last job of the respec could do a quick 'audit' of which 'invisible badges' I've attained for the powers I picked, so I would lose access to the Teleport power customization if I don't take it on the respec.

I understand that would still be a bit more data than we might use (what if I only take TP Ally, for example) but it would be far less than plugging everything into every character. Similarly, maybe this could be applied to the Incarnate system as well swapping out 'invisible badges' as we craft out powers, or at least limiting our list to ones we've crafted to cut down on the huge row of stuff (unless we craft them all).

Anyway, just throwing that out there, just because I've never seen this addressed in the one or two times I've mentioned it. Thank you for your time

I don't recall ever seeing a developer cite the additional data as a problem. If they do (or have), then I'd hope this option could work out well enough to prevent too much of a problem.

I have no problem with what you suggest, but I am not convinced that this particular aspect is a problem at all (other than the UI cluster!).

Forgetting the hypothetical data amount issues, if it just helps them with managing and designing the UI, I'm all for having to unlock the powers in order to customize them.

If it's not an issue, I'm also for just being allowed to view and customize any and all pool powers and the like.

I'm flexible... I just want it!!

I don't even care about the whole shabang. I just want different FX for hasten, and an option for minimal FX. Really, I think if they would just make Hasten and Super Speed less annoying, they would hear less about this.

For hasten I would like to see

Traditional fire hands

Electrical hands

A blur effect.

No FX.

Same for super speed.

One day maybe. This year I hope. I really want something to happen this year that will make me want to buy another year sub in Jan. So far that thing has not happened. I don't even know what that thing is, but I am sure I will know it when I finely do see it.

I would love for all power/app/ppp to be customizable, but right now I would just settle for hasten and ss to either be customizable or have a no fx option.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paladiamors I love you, I Burnt the Toast!

What I want more than anything else is an alternate animation for Tough.


I mean, come on - I play a top-hatted, suit-wearing gentleman who is simply absurdly hard to kill, not friggin' Tarzan.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if EPP customisation wasn't being worked on at this time.

File size really isn't a significant issue.

I have too admit, this is a sore spot for me. they knew we wanted it, they knew we wanted it since issue 17 beta, and the fact that they have never gone foreward with it is an area that has my usually dev supporting self pretty annoyed. while i appreciate the new powersets and all that freedom has brought is, animation customization was a major draw for me and it has been ignored since the ranged attacks several issues a go, this really needs to be something that happens and is part of the core subscriber experience, not an additional cost for vips.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

BABs was the major proponent for customization. It seems like with him gone, there's no-one left with the drive to keep pushing for that.

Either way, within the spirit of Freedom, I'm prepared to pay for pool and epic customization. I'm not even that concerned with the price, so long as it's sane. Anything in the $10-$20 bracket is perfectly fine by me. The point of Freedom, it seems, is to find what we want the most and charge us for it, and I'm fine with that. Power pool and epic pool customization is what I want. Go ahead and charge me already!

File size may be an issue if it's as irresponsible as Incarnate customization. I've seen Incarnate custom files, and the game simply dumps the settings for every Judgement power in existence in all of its variants, whether they're used or not. I imagine a better alternative would be required, but even then, file size doesn't seem to be a problem.

When it comes to the UI, it AMAZES me that they created a whole new costume creator UI and still didn't account for pool customization. What the suggestive themes was the point of dumping the old costume creator and making a new one if you won't fix the problems you've been using as an excuse since I16? If the problem was the UI, what better opportunity is there to fix it than when you're making a brand new one? There had to have been time to squeeze that in between forcing a 4x3 aspect ratio on the editor and making the colour picker transparent so the background bleeds through.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

Wild speculation/wishful thinking: we'll get power-pool customization when we get the Sorcery power pool.

Why do I think this? Every new powerset that's been added to the game since I16 has had customization. I doubt they would put the work into a new power pool without making it customizable.

If case people have forgotten, we had very much this same discussion before tintable colors for powersets. We had very much the same replies from the devs: It's too time-intensive, the tech isn't there, there's no staff available to do it, etc. Yet in hindsight, BABs was working on color customization for powers for months if not over a year before it went live... while still neatly avoiding any spoilers about what he was doing, so it was a big surprise when the announcement was made.

Who's to say that something similar isn't going on now, with color customization for power pools currently being worked on in secret or maybe even already finished, and the devs are just keeping it a very tightly-held secret until the big reveal?

My only thought is that this should have been included when power customization was introduced.

i hope alternate animatiosn also get another look at too.

the fear cone from dark control and fea/holds that are single target could totally benefit from a hand cast option.





also, i kind of dont want/need patron pools to be customized, those are thematic. Mu... maybe... but mace is pretty specific. i can see some of Leviathan and some of soul being color tintable [water spout/darkness powers] but things like sharks and the fancy ghost widow hold are also specific to the theme...

:/ i am conflicted. but i suppose customization for all is more preferred than just some being customized XD

LET IT BE DONE!

If this ever gets done, I'd happily pay for it.

It's not "difficult" to put in the modifications to the interface that would allow pool customisation. It does however require time, which has to be allocated and budgeted for. It therefore can't happen until the project managers say it can happen.

Which is likely pretty soon now...