Hey Daomei!
I'm a relatively new player and this is my first forum post; lucky you ;)
I like these ideas and I don't think they're useless at all. I would love to have some more options for character customization in Ryzom! If it's true what you guys are saying, and I hope it is, it seems like all hairstyles and skivvies for all races are already worked into the game and Mjollren's ideas for changing body shape and aging don't seem like a stretch either; If the options are already built into the client, it seems there's no reason players shouldn't have access to them :D
(really I'd love to get some of that fantastic Fyros hair on my Tryker
I'll add that, if possible, it would be awesome to have all tattoo options open for all races
Opening up more potential for customization would increase the variety of player expression in Ryzom; which = fun lol
Here's my two cents on implementation though. If the aforementioned options were put in the game, they would need balancing to be fun; ie. I wouldn't want to be able to, as a Tryker, simply walk up to a Fyros tattoo artist and purchase a new tattoo. One way to keep it balanced would be to require a minimum amount of fame with a race before having access to their cosmetics (sorry marauders). This has a role-playing sensibility; once ingratiated to an atys culture you can adopt their customs and styles ;)
Skivvies could work on the same principle; you could only have access to another races if you're fame with that race met a minimum requirement. However, adding a "Skivvy Store" would be silly, so an option to change them could be relegated to the item equip menu. A base plan to change their color could be added to crafting and could be available to all players from the get go (consider removing the option to do beige?)
Aging and body shape changing could be awkward to implement in a balanced way in game; but what if it worked like a catelyzer? Say I want to have the option to be old, I might have to buy a "Weathered Soul" item which, when activated, would make me appear old, or if I wanted a round belly I'd have to purchase an item which would do that if activated. Such items could be limited use like catelyzers for balancing purposes or permanent items you get to keep and activate/deactivate at will, but either way they should probably be expensive; it would be fun to have to earn them like status symbols!
There is a lot of potential for goofy fun in divvying up body modification in this way too; for instance there could be an item that nearly maxes your arm size to let people "get buff" or an item which close to minimizes all body sliders besides height which would let people role play as starving adventurers who've been out in the wilds of Atys too long XD
And if body modding was relegated to items; temporary ones, like a fattening one, could be given out for free at holidays like Atysmas
TL:DR
The long and short of it is; I'm all for more customization! I like having the potential to be what I want to be in a game, it's a big part of the fun of role-playing, but I also want it done right; I want to have to earn "useless" aesthetic changes because not earning this stuff takes some of the fun out of it!
Ryzom devs, can we make it happen :)??
I'm a relatively new player and this is my first forum post; lucky you ;)
I like these ideas and I don't think they're useless at all. I would love to have some more options for character customization in Ryzom! If it's true what you guys are saying, and I hope it is, it seems like all hairstyles and skivvies for all races are already worked into the game and Mjollren's ideas for changing body shape and aging don't seem like a stretch either; If the options are already built into the client, it seems there's no reason players shouldn't have access to them :D
(really I'd love to get some of that fantastic Fyros hair on my Tryker
I'll add that, if possible, it would be awesome to have all tattoo options open for all races
Opening up more potential for customization would increase the variety of player expression in Ryzom; which = fun lol
Here's my two cents on implementation though. If the aforementioned options were put in the game, they would need balancing to be fun; ie. I wouldn't want to be able to, as a Tryker, simply walk up to a Fyros tattoo artist and purchase a new tattoo. One way to keep it balanced would be to require a minimum amount of fame with a race before having access to their cosmetics (sorry marauders). This has a role-playing sensibility; once ingratiated to an atys culture you can adopt their customs and styles ;)
Skivvies could work on the same principle; you could only have access to another races if you're fame with that race met a minimum requirement. However, adding a "Skivvy Store" would be silly, so an option to change them could be relegated to the item equip menu. A base plan to change their color could be added to crafting and could be available to all players from the get go (consider removing the option to do beige?)
Aging and body shape changing could be awkward to implement in a balanced way in game; but what if it worked like a catelyzer? Say I want to have the option to be old, I might have to buy a "Weathered Soul" item which, when activated, would make me appear old, or if I wanted a round belly I'd have to purchase an item which would do that if activated. Such items could be limited use like catelyzers for balancing purposes or permanent items you get to keep and activate/deactivate at will, but either way they should probably be expensive; it would be fun to have to earn them like status symbols!
There is a lot of potential for goofy fun in divvying up body modification in this way too; for instance there could be an item that nearly maxes your arm size to let people "get buff" or an item which close to minimizes all body sliders besides height which would let people role play as starving adventurers who've been out in the wilds of Atys too long XD
And if body modding was relegated to items; temporary ones, like a fattening one, could be given out for free at holidays like Atysmas
TL:DR
The long and short of it is; I'm all for more customization! I like having the potential to be what I want to be in a game, it's a big part of the fun of role-playing, but I also want it done right; I want to have to earn "useless" aesthetic changes because not earning this stuff takes some of the fun out of it!
Ryzom devs, can we make it happen :)??