Add Visual Differences to High Quality Gear

A small request, but it would be nice to add in some kind of a visual indicator so that it's obvious a player is wearing HQ gear. It would add variety and give another layer of value to HQ items.

Perhaps extra decorations, or a shinier finish, or some kind of subtle glow, or color change, whatever.

Right now it's a bit of a hassle to have to "check" everyone just to see what quality of gear they have on.

Here's a quick example that I just thought of:

Dodore Doublet: looks the same as it does now.

Dodore Doublet +1: Tiny Dodore wings sprout from the back

Dodore Doublet +2: Medium Dodore wings sprout from the back

Dodore Doublet +3: Large Dodore wings sprout from the back, and the character has a subtle, purplish haze around their body (like the purple fog Dodore spawn condition in Mor Dhona).

This is a great idea! It would also make me more interested in synthing HQ items. Currently I just don't see much point to it. It is nice when it happens, but I rarely try for it.

I think this idea is great from an aethetics(sp?) point of view. It seems to me like this would be a huge undertaking for modeling and system resources- and I can't realistically see it happening.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WilyKat

I think this idea is great from an aethetics(sp?) point of view. It seems to me like this would be a huge undertaking for modeling and system resources- and I can't realistically see it happening.

---

aesthetics*

Yeah, it might take some time to add in the differences, but I'll be a nice touch. They don't even have to be that elaborate. Didn't the HQ Dream Tunic in FF11 have just like, some extra buttons or something?

Anyway, as for performance, that's why I was just thinking about certain size variable changes so that the gear can share the same models, but just have various parts be different sizes, or have certain flourishes be repeated more often or be a different color or something.

Just like how the monsters are larger. It's the same monster model as before. They just changed a variable to make them look bigger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc0il...tailpage#t=59s

i've been wondering why we didn't have this since the beginning.
they seem to have a big lineup of equipment with slightly different visuals, they could easily make it so HQ's use those models, yet they rather add new armor that almost looks like the one you had 20 levels earlier, but with shoulderpads/or a closed visor :/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Black_Rose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc0il...tailpage#t=59s

i've been wondering why we didn't have this since the beginning.
they seem to have a big lineup of equipment with slightly different visuals, they could easily make it so HQ's use those models, yet they rather add new armor that almost looks like the one you had 20 levels earlier, but with shoulderpads/or a closed visor :/

---

Wow, that's really neat! So many cool variations of gear! Why is it that we have nothing like that in-game now? ; ;

And yes, I think that if what the video said is accurate and that such variety can be enabled without additional asset strain, it's a no-brainer to implement. I mean, looking at the video, all they gotta do is move around a few sliders, and you can get totally new looks.

Right now, the problem with (non-weapon, non-tool, non-tank armor) HQ gear is that

1. The boosted stats are irrelevant and useless to the player

2. They look exactly the same as their NQ counterparts.

I'd suggest that they devs see which issue would take less time and effort to resolve and do that one first. Either way, improving HQ gear in even one of those areas would make the process of HQing gear MUCH more worthwhile.

You can see from XI that S-E's MO on armor and monsters is (and certainly will be) to re-re-re-re-use models and pallet swap. That being said, I've always praised XI's armor for it's level of intricate detail, which just got better and better over there years. Now, all they'd need to do to make HQ noticeable and (somehow. I swear! It works!) desirable is turn just one of those layers of detail they hide (as shown on the video) and give it a lighter shade color than the one being used on the armor itself. For example, black armor? Turn on a few little details and make 'em gray. Brown armor? How about making the details right there darker brown, or lighter?

The Dragoon Artifact Armor set compared to the Dragoon Relic Armor set (FFXI) would be a great example of this, granted, I am aware that they did add some small extra details in there (they generally do), but just taking some of the existent details on current armors and giving it a different colors should serve the purpose, and be relatively "easier" than making all kinds of new effects.

I am not one for wings and glows, that's why I play This not That, and it never felt like this world's direction to begin with. But with the current situation, the change of team and the fact that money talks (it's still a business, y'know) and copying from There would certainly be profitable (even if it hurts us all to admit it), I'd understand if they went that way (and cry myself to sleep). C'est la vie.

I think this would be a really good idea. But it would seem like a big overhaul. I'm not too sure about sprouting things from the gear, but perhaps the design layers. Where a piece of armor is very bland, but each tier of HQ adds more color and design to it. Say a shield is just plain silver, but as each HQ it begins to have engravings and markings.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zaran_Akikaze

I think this would be a really good idea. But it would seem like a big overhaul.

---

Well, according to that "Polygon Shaving" video that Black Rose posted, it shouldn't be all that hard to implement. (assuming that the video is not a cake, and thus, a lie)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rentahamster

Well, according to that "Polygon Shaving" video that Black Rose posted, it shouldn't be all that hard to implement. (assuming that the video is not a cake, and thus, a lie)

---

This makes me wonder, though...

@Bayohne - if you're reading this, are you able to get dev comments from the other people in charge of the art and graphics stuff, like Senior Concept Artist Akihiko Yoshida, or Lead Artist Hiroshi Takai? I would think they are not as overwhelmingly busy as Yoshida since they just handle art stuff?

The video Black Rose posted was one of the things that made me really excited about the game prior to release. I thought they were giving PLAYERS that control and not just having it behind the scenes. I thought it was gonna be something that players could mess with to make their armor and by association characters looks more diverse. I mean it would have been pretty easy to do that as the video shows it's simply sliders that do the trick.

But more on topic. I think the adding visual differences to HQ gear is a great idea. I don't know about the whole wing thing(I just don't think that fits the more realistic visual style the game has going) but as someone else mentioned making the HQ gear have more and more engravings and things of that nature as they get higher quality would be awesome. A good comparison of would be back in FFXI. SAM AF would be a normal piece while the relic would be a HQ 1 or 2 and Tenzen's SAM armor would be the HQ 3 each looks a little more detailed and a little cooler.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rentahamster

I would think they are not as overwhelmingly busy as Yoshida since they just handle art stuff?

---

People love getting some of that.

Someone's about to log in and find out his character is now a blue orc with a pink bow.

A small visual difference between NQ gear and HQ gear would be nice. Nothing too drastic though.... I do not support the wings idea.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rentahamster

A small request, but it would be nice to add in some kind of a visual indicator so that it's obvious a player is wearing HQ gear. It would add variety and give another layer of value to HQ items.

Perhaps extra decorations, or a shinier finish, or some kind of subtle glow, or color change, whatever.

Right now it's a bit of a hassle to have to "check" everyone just to see what quality of gear they have on.

---

yes! Yes! YES! .... please :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Illy

The video Black Rose posted was one of the things that made me really excited about the game prior to release. I thought they were giving PLAYERS that control and not just having it behind the scenes. I thought it was gonna be something that players could mess with to make their armor and by association characters looks more diverse. I mean it would have been pretty easy to do that as the video shows it's simply sliders that do the trick.

But more on topic. I think the adding visual differences to HQ gear is a great idea. I don't know about the whole wing thing(I just don't think that fits the more realistic visual style the game has going) but as someone else mentioned making the HQ gear have more and more engravings and things of that nature as they get higher quality would be awesome. A good comparison of would be back in FFXI. SAM AF would be a normal piece while the relic would be a HQ 1 or 2 and Tenzen's SAM armor would be the HQ 3 each looks a little more detailed and a little cooler.

---

It made me wonder why we don't have those sliders before we craft.

Like a model of what will be crafted shows up and then we can change the model and material as we want, and THEN craft...it would make crafting feel sooooo much more in-depth.

I like the idea, but if my doublet grows wings I'm going back to wearing my velveteen gown.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rentahamster

I would think they are not as overwhelmingly busy as Yoshida since they just handle art stuff?

---

If SE is run anything like most other studios, the artists are doing more actual work than the producer.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NotApplicable

I like the idea, but if my doublet grows wings I'm going back to wearing my velveteen gown.

---

Aww, but the you'd be like a cute little succubus!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NotApplicable

If SE is run anything like most other studios, the artists are doing more actual work than the producer.

---

Perhaps you're right. Artwork is a fairly intensive process. I imagine they must be coming up with new animations and stuff as well.

so along the lines of the winged dodore doublet. What if we were to HQ a subligar? Would you have something growing out of the subligar? wait a minute!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bigglesworth

so along the lines of the winged dodore doublet. What if we were to HQ a subligar? Would you have something growing out of the subligar? wait a minute!!!!

---

Only from the Lizard ones. Pray the rest have no zipper.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bigglesworth

so along the lines of the winged dodore doublet. What if we were to HQ a subligar? Would you have something growing out of the subligar? wait a minute!!!!

---

Subligar +3 = smiley face on the front