The sad state of customization

[Avatre]

What I don't get is... Why is it not a problem to add hairstyles but it is a problem to add new faces?

Probably because for the faces they would need to devote more resources to make all the emotes work with it. For hair they need to do less(wearing a full helm - hide the hair; that type of thing), and can use the resources elsewhere.

[Aylis]

The only thing I remember remotely from letters was that it was a memory problem. Is it still a memory problem years later?

It could be. A thought crossed my mind and while I'm not sure if it effects things or not. I've wondered if the way characters are created has anything to do with it. Be it extra added work or memory issues. All the games character animations, emotes and the big one, facial expressions are digitized instead of being just rendered in 3D like pretty much every other MMO on the market. I think this was done in 1.0 as well which maybe causing the conflicting code. So they would have to first bring up the digitized render for each emote, animation and facial feature and then 3D render the new customization over it. Its possibly why this game will never have sliders due to how many different possibilities that would create.

[FallenArisen0990]

The simple answer OP is that SE can't be asked to go and add new customization to odd races. Not only do they not want to redo every single piece of armor, but it's such a low priority to them. They affirm this by constantly giving the excuse about server limitations or memory issues. They can't even be asked to release a 1080p texture patch to PCs that can handle it because they want the game to look the same across the board. They're more focus on making "new" content sadly.

[Slirith]

The simple answer OP is that SE can't be asked to go and add new customization to odd races. Not only do they not want to redo every single piece of armor, but it's such a low priority to them. They affirm this by constantly giving the excuse about server limitations or memory issues. They can't even be asked to release a 1080p texture patch to PCs that can handle it because they want the game to look the same across the board. They're more focus on making "new" content sadly.

With that "new" content being Mogstation stuff.

[Jonnycbad]

Everyone spends hours customizing eye color/hair highlights, cheek heights and other extremely minute details etc. Despite all this, 99% of other players will not notice these details because nobody actually closely examines other players during content or ever actually. Only you will notice during MSQ cutscenes, or if you post vain screenshots in glamour forums on reddit.

[Vidu]

What I don't get is... Why is it not a problem to add hairstyles but it is a problem to add new faces?

Because one hairstyle fits all races (and genders) - only need to be done once, maybe scaled a little, but thats it.

Making a new face on the other hand would actually mean: making 12 new faces, one for each race and gender. At least if they want to make it "fair" and give every race new options. So, adding a new hairstyle only means: adding one new hairstyle. Adding only one face would mean: adding 12 new faces.
A face probably also requires more work because of emotes and facial expressions.

Hairstyles are also something that are being changed frequently - so they're being "used". Unless you're a fantasia-addict, you'll see the option to pick a face once (...until you hire retainers, granted)

With that "new" content being Mogstation stuff.

Oh c'mon, stop being so biasdly unfair - yes, they're adding stuff to the mogstation. Yes, that sucks and I would prefer to have those things just ingame aswell - but its not as if we're not getting new ingame content (including glamour) aswell...

[Naunet]

Everyone spends hours customizing eye color/hair highlights, cheek heights and other extremely minute details etc. Despite all this, 99% of other players will not notice these details because nobody actually closely examines other players during content or ever actually. Only you will notice during MSQ cutscenes, or if you post vain screenshots in glamour forums on reddit.

It doesn't matter what "other players" notice. What matters is that the person playing the character notices and wants to customize their character to their liking.

Nothing wrong with that. Nor is there anything wrong with loving to take screenshots and sharing them.

[usalia]

The only thing I remember remotely from letters was that it was a memory problem. Is it still a memory problem years later?

if we take the BS from yoshi then yes it is even after the "new servers".

but no one here know if its so or not as we never worked on the game. didn't see the net code or servers .

[ZJyn]

They are a bit hamstringed by the fact that this game was on the Playstation 3 at the time of its design. When the models were put together, they obviously wanted to make sure that it would run on the aging hardware.

Now that the PS3 is retired, it would be possible to do something that is a bit higher res with more options, but... that would take time. An inordinate amount of time. Designing new models that accomodate body sliders and a wider variety of facial sliders not only means the time in doing that, but also fitting every single piece of armor to that new skeleton/face.

Also, should they up and revamp something, they would risk alienating current players who are attached to the way that things look.

It really is a lose/lose for Square. The most that anyone could ever hope for are more static options for the current swathe of player models that we've got.

Thankfully what we do have looks pretty dang good

[usalia]

?_?

ps3 can play gta5, skyrim so.....
we lose the ps3 and got 0 new customization from it so it was never the ps3. now some peopel talking of old pc as the problem-_-" . like come one so one may be play the game on a tamagotchi so you know....
as to it will take time yes it will and 4.0 was this time as its when they killed the ps3 part of the game. in 5.0 it be the ps4 as the problem? switch? old pc?

Also, should they up and revamp something, they would risk alienating current players who are attached to the way that things look? really want to talk to all the people that "like" how some jobs work in 4.0 after a revamp , they didnt give a fuck if they alienating any one there.