Square-Enix's "How the Mog Station Stole Christmas!"

[Ultimatecalibur]

But surely you and Ultimatecalibur have to admit that it's easier to be creative with more options? I certainly can't think of any reasonable argument to the contrary, so if you have one, please enlighten me.

Not really. More options can actually lead to less creativity as using the new options take priority over using older options.

Consider what happens when a new piece of glamour gear gets added. There is a massive wave of players wearing the same or similar hot new glamour.

Those that are the most creative are those that do unusual/unexpected things with whatever they have access to, not those with the most options.

Restrictions are well known for enhancing creativity when properly used in circles related to things that require creativity.

[Zojha]

Consider what happens when a new piece of glamour gear gets added. There is a massive wave of players wearing the same or similar hot new glamour.

That's not addressing the point.

What you're stating here is uncreative people being uncreative. That of course happens, but that has nothing to do with restrictions helping or hindering creativity, that's simply people not using their potential for creativity, regardless of how small or large that might be. A person with the potential to become a top sprinter doesn't necessarily become one and neither does a person with a higher potential for creativity necessarily be more creative. These people won't get any more or less creative if one restricts their options, they'll show the exact same uncreative behaviour with the options that ARE available to them - making some unavailable can change what they wear, but not their behaviour. They'll remain uncreative, they simply are uncreative with a different item. Biiig whoop.

That said, you can create diversity with restrictions, yes, just as you can create diversity by forcing characters to be randomly generated without you having the option to make changes. But that has nothing to do with creativity. We humans are very diverse in appearance and genetical composition, but we are not "creative" for that. We are creative with the things we CAN change - hair color, clothing etc. But that's because those are options to us. If clothing was restricted like genes, we wouldn't be able to be creative with them either.

[Ultimatecalibur]

That's not addressing the point.

That was directly addressing the point. Creativity is not related to the number of options available and the addition of new (or reintroduction of old) options does not directly increase creativity and will sometimes decrease creativity.

That said, you can create diversity with restrictions, yes, just as you can create diversity by forcing characters to be randomly generated without you having the option to make changes. But that has nothing to do with creativity. We humans are very diverse in appearance and genetical composition, but we are not "creative" for that. We are creative with the things we CAN change - hair color, clothing etc. But that's because those are options to us. If clothing was restricted like genes, we wouldn't be able to be creative with them either.

I was more referring to artistic works. Oil painting is not inherently more creative than charcoal drawing even though Oil paints have far more color options. Anyone blaming a lack of creativity on lack of options does not understand what creativity is.

[Lukha]

Not really. More options can actually lead to less creativity as using the new options take priority over using older options.

Consider what happens when a new piece of glamour gear gets added. There is a massive wave of players wearing the same or similar hot new glamour.

Those that are the most creative are those that do unusual/unexpected things with whatever they have access to, not those with the most options.

Restrictions are well known for enhancing creativity when properly used in circles related to things that require creativity.

But those who are actually going to be creative with their options will still be more creative with more options.

You're basing your argument on what the sort of people who will make a default male midlander and only change the hair color, or pink-haired catgirl #4,873,027 if they're feeling especially daring. The sort of people whose glamour efforts rarely extend beyond using a full matching set of whatever the new thing is. People like that aren't going to be creative no matter what you do, and shouldn't be considered an example of anything. They most certainly shouldn't be used as a reason to restrict options for those who would actually use them!

Restrictions and exclusives will realistically result in less capacity for creativity, because even if you have an idea for something different, you might not have access to the necessary materials to achieve it. It will also result in everyone within a certain set or class using the same components, since those are the only ones they have. You seem to want to prevent homogeneity, but the scenario you're arguing for is actually the one most logically likely to result in it.

Restrictions on options cause people to be more creative with their designs because they may not be able to simply slap on the shiny new item of the patch.

That is a major logical error on your part, because as I've pointed out previously, restrictions such as you have stated your favor for in this thread will actively force people to 'slap on the shiny new item of the patch' because it is all they will have access to.

I could probably expand an entire page worth of words on this but you can't seem to grasp creativity, so it'd be difficult for me to continue.

That's a pretty rude thing to say, but it's not difficult for me to believe you said it, since your entire argument seems to be based on imposing your own values as to what qualifies as 'creativity' on others.

It's not about what an individual player can bring to themselves, it's what a player looking out at other players in the game see.

Case in point. Glamour or decorating your personal house or apartment is 100% about the individual player doing it, and the only right you have any claim to in relation is the right to go away if you're not happy with their choices.