The simplest solution to the glamour issue

[FaileExperiment]

You could just as easily say that FFXIV has had that time as well. By releasing after WoW, and having had WoW's example all those years, there's no excuse not to do everything they did but better. A glamour catalog type system was asked for during 1.0. They've had more than enough time to implement something. Maybe they didn't have the resources or money or time, but that shouldn't affect player expectations.

[Shippuu]

You could just as easily say that FFXIV has had that time as well. By releasing after WoW, and having had WoW's example all those years, there's no excuse not to do everything they did but better. A glamour catalog type system was asked for during 1.0. They've had more than enough time to implement something. Maybe they didn't have the resources or money or time, but that shouldn't affect player expectations.

WoW only just added their transmog catalog a few months ago. So arguably if ffxiv was copying stuff WoW did when they relaunched then it makes sense not to have a glamour catalog. There's a lot more to it than just "make the system".

The OP says his idea is the "simplest" solution but it likely isn't. Without knowing exactly how their character and item data storage works and how much memory is needed per character to store it all one cannot comment on how easy or simple it would be.

[Alberel]

WoW is over a decade old, and a dated game at that, FFXIV has only been out for 3 and a half years, Wow has had plenty of time to work out the kinks, and since it isn't nearly as graphically pleasing as FFXIV it might be much easier for them.

Unfortunately that's not a valid argument. If a game on the market wants to remain competitive it has to compete with the market as it is today. You can't use excuses like "it took WoW over a decade to add that". FFXIV is not competing with the WoW of a decade ago. It's competing with the WoW that just launched an extensive and exhaustive cosmetics wardrobe feature.

As for graphics, that has nothing to do with the issue. The problem is data storage in terms of keeping track of what glamours a player has acquired. It's also an invalid argument though. Given the number of MMOs that offer wardrobe features now it is clearly a solvable problem. We already have the exact feature in question as well: the armoire. It simply needs to be expanded to store everything, rather than a limited selection.

[FaileExperiment]

The glamour system is pretty poor in this game. Ideally, glamour should actually work similarly to gear set feature. Creating and editing your glamour sets pulls from a catalog of all the items you've ever had bound to you, not your inventory. You could then equip this glamour set just as you do a gear set. That way, your glamour would apply to any armor you have on even when you switch it, because it's actually applying to the slot, not the gear itself. Creating and modifying glamour sets would also not require any kind of consumable nor have level restrictions, only the typical class/job restrictions. You would even have the option of tying a glamour set to a gear set, so they switch together automatically.

If for some reason you did want to include some kind of consumable use, I would make it where you need to use a consumable to add the gear to the glamour catalog, but not for making/editing glamour sets. I think consumables are lame to begin with, but there are strangely those who live and die by them.

This system solves most of the current issues people have, like inventory space, general ease of use, and glamours that force you to apply them to different jobs other than the ones you actually want. It's already there too, in the form of gear sets, so aside from the glamour catalog, SE has all the pieces they need already.

[Heliantheae]

There isn't a glamour/inventory issue. Just don't hoard everything you get, I'm a glamour addict and even I don't believe anyone needs 50 different kinds of shoes/gloves...

Thems fightin words.

[Zumi]

A glamor book that logs the appearance of every ever piece of gear you have owned. Then you can go use the appearances in the book when you want to glamor your gear.

[HaelseMikiro]

The only mandatory thing that SE has to do with a glamour log is that it has to be stored server side, similar to retainer inventories etc, that we actively request from the server. SE avoids doing rollbacks in FFXIV by backing up the character data for EVERY person logged into the game approx. every 15 seconds. Staying near that target time for character backups is one of the biggest challenges the devs face with doing things such as increasing our inventory and Armory spaces. Their hands are kinda being forced with 4.0 because the Armory itself is already on it's last leg fitting gearsets for 13 combat classes, 3 DoL and 8 DoH. And we'll be getting a minimum of 2 new main hand weapons. If you're carrying around a relic/anima for a job that you already have a better weapon for, you've probably already had to resort to moving something from your Armory into your inventory just to change gear. Having a maxed job (ie WHM) while having a job with shared gear in the leveling process(ie 35 AST) causes huge pains with your Ring inventory also, as you now need to carry 4 healing rings.

Even if we ignore examples such as WoW, games like DC Universe have offered one of the finest examples of such a system ever (you can open and adjust your glamours ANYWHERE, auto saves every equip ever equipped I believe) and they've been doing that on a F2P model for years before WoW started theirs.
I'm sure we'll get one eventually. SE used to tell us that cash shop proceeds were directly funding the EU datacenter. It's time for a new goal I believe.

[Eul]

There isn't a glamour/inventory issue. Just don't hoard everything you get, I'm a glamour addict and even I don't believe anyone needs 50 different kinds of shoes/gloves...

I am that person... I made like 7 Coeurl beach brief with different metallic dye so I don't need to buy the dye again...

[LineageRazor]

While space IS a problem, I think a more serious problem is the fact that glamour is tied to gear, rather than to job. I don't WANT my DRK to have the same look as my PLD, or my MCH to look like my BRD.

Space issues are manageable, even now. The shared gear option, though, is not - not unless you're willing to undergear one of your jobs for the sake of having a different look...