[DEV REQUEST] Balancing Character Customization

[CuteWhisper]

Sorry for bumping the old thread but we do need to have more customization, it is so lacking right now in so many areas. They need to do something about this.

[Caitlyn]

I want to be honest here:

I ve seen a lot character creator tools from other MMORPGs. From very limited (WoW) until endless (Star Trek, Black Desert), I ve seen everything. But the character creator from FFXIV is one of the best. I tell you why:

1. You have many options, but not too much.
2. You cant mess up things. Even if you try hard, you still fit into the lore.
3. You can make a beautiful character with less effort.

The problem with character creators like in Black Desert or Blade and Soul is, that you can do too much. I ve spent more than 3 hours on one character, by changing every single detail of hairstyle, face and body. At first I was satisfied, but a few hours later in the game, I realized, that I messed up my character. Legs to high or face to small, i dont know.

So, when it comes to improve the Character Customization:

• Add a booty slider (yeah, its still a thing. Let us be 1.0-sexy xD)
• Seperate horns, hairstyles and face types from Au Ra (still some space for improvements here)
• Allow to use body-parts from other races (like Elezen-ears for Hyur. Hilda approves)

[Eul]

About muscle slider, it would be nice if miqo'te got same muscle body as midlander...

[Naria]

So far we have received one "free" fantasia an expansion. I don't see them adding options to the CC in patches, but an update accompanied by an expansion (and the free fantasia) would be appropriate. If they can or will actually do that is another matter.

I want more options myself. I don't want an extremely complex CC like say the the one in Dragon Age: Inquisition, but more ear/horns, body-type sliders, facial features, tails etc would be nice.

[Slirith]

It'll happen when they get the logic to stop supporting the ps3 as that's where the majority of the "memory" issues come from. Course this is just my opinion.

[Vejjiegirl]

It'll happen when they get the logic to stop supporting the ps3 as that's where the majority of the "memory" issues come from. Course this is just my opinion.

Sadly it was confirmed at the EU fanfest that it will not be happening even with PS3 dropped..

[Shurrikhan]

Who's to say they haven't had equal development time, or even equal outcomes in the sense of each having options enough to likely appeal to x% of that race's players, though?

One race's 6 options aren't necessarily going to have a more desirable coverage than another race's 4. Aiming for equality in count alone appeals only to fluff choices.

Result > Effort. Weigh the result by... the result, not the effort (choice count).

Edit: The better question is, "is it sufficient?" It doesn't matter if one race has it better or worse, or by what degree. If another race's customization feels insufficient, it should be fixed. Ideally speaking. Now whether that's cost effective, given that race's player count and how difficult its designs are to create is another story, at which point you have to ask, do I want each race to have sufficient customization, or do I want the game as a whole to feel like it allows for a good amount player customization for a sufficient amount of players?

Usually one side will require the other, but not always. (And as a cat, you'd be right to assume that my reference lies with the latter.)

[Naunet]

One race's 6 options aren't necessarily going to have a more desirable coverage than another race's 4. Aiming for equality in count alone appeals only to fluff choices.

That is some serious spin. xD

[Shurrikhan]

That is some serious spin. xD

I'm just saying the metric presented is unreliable. I want more character customization, too, but "balancing" them based on the number of choices, or grading the quality of customization based on choice count alone does not guarantee a better product. That's like asking for x words of explanation for a design choice from the devs. Sure, it increases the chances of something in there being worthwhile, but wouldn't the simple yet more thorough metric "am I satisfied?" be more appropriate? Accepting the effort over the result is to accept fluff-work.

It's the same with customization for combat classes. The question shouldn't be "how many choices did the class get" as "what percentage of players felt 'very satisfied' with the choices they were given and the class variant(s) they produced from them?" If the prior did not significantly improve the latter, then the development time was largely wasted.

[Beckett]

Sure, it increases the chances of something in there being worthwhile

As you said, more choices will always increase the odds that an individual will find something they like. Having the same percent chance to find something you like on every race/gender combo is only fair.