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Guild Wars 2: The Quest for Looking Good

BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565

In this week's Guild Wars 2 column, resident cartoonist David North takes a look at the process of character creation and personalization in ArenaNet's upcoming blockbuster.  See what he has to say and leave a comment or two if you agree or not.

The health bar now showed zero HP; we knew we had defeated the boss.  We went to tell the tale of our great battle so that we might receive gifts of powerful items and praise.  I received a great set of armor.  It was both great in power, and had the look that would strike fear into my enemies.  After putting the armor on, I began to strut around the capital city to show off my prize.  But my spirits dropped, as everyone around me also had the same armor that I was wearing.  I suddenly lost a huge connection with my character.

Read the rest of David North's Guild Wars 2: The Quest for Looking Good.



Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.

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Comments

  • CujoSWAoACujoSWAoA Member UncommonPosts: 1,781

    Its simple really.

    You can never have "enough" character customization.  The closest game to even nearly reach a "enough" place is All Points Bulletin.  But even it, needs more.

    There will never be enough.

    I think this is why a lot of games don't even bothering trying. (World of Warcraft)


  • ChilliesauceChilliesauce Member Posts: 559

    Originally posted by CujoSWAoA

    Its simple really.

    You can never have "enough" character customization.  The closest game to even nearly reach a "enough" place is All Points Bulletin.  But even it, needs more.

    There will never be enough.

    I think this is why a lot of games don't even bothering trying. (World of Warcraft)

    Still i would have 'those trying' over 'those do not try at all'. 

    image

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    ^^Don't you think that Aion possibly offered too much customization?


  • marz.at.playmarz.at.play Member UncommonPosts: 912

    Originally posted by Alot



    ^^Don't you think that Aion possibly offered too much customization?




     

    The main reason why I stopped playing Aion. So many differences in shapes, sizes that it turned me off from the game. People no longer looked like poeple, rather deformed monsters.

    image
  • hardiconhardicon Member UncommonPosts: 335

    can never have enough, people should be able to make their characters any way you want.  ive been a long time player of city of heroes and that game has the best customization ive ever seen in a game and they still dont have enough.  so the more the better and they need to keep adding to it over time.  my only problem with the transmute stones is those are gonna be real money transactions at least that was the last i heard on the plan for these stones, charge you real money.  which in and of itself isnt so much a bad thing for a game that does not have a sub fee, what i dont want is for them to make all their armor sets that drop from monsters look crappy just so people will buy these stones.  I dont mind cash shops, i just hate it when the game design forces you to spend money in the cash shop just to enjoy the game.

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    Originally posted by marzatplay



    Originally posted by Alot

     

    The main reason why I stopped playing Aion. So many differences in shapes, sizes that it turned me off from the game. People no longer looked like poeple, rather deformed monsters.

    Well, apparantly the technology used to customize your character's appearance in GW2 is borrowed from Aion, although with restrictions this time.

    Edit: To the poster above me: It has now been confirmed that you can acquire Transmutation Stones with ingame currency.

  • FalcomithFalcomith Member UncommonPosts: 830

    Originally posted by hardicon

     my only problem with the transmute stones is those are gonna be real money transactions at least that was the last i heard on the plan for these stones, charge you real money.  .

    "A Transmutation Stone is a single use[1] item which allows players to combine two weapons or pieces of armor, gaining a desired aesthetic look from one piece, and a desired set of statistical modifiers from the other. They will be available for purchase through the in-game store and through gameplay through the use of karma."

    http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Transmutation_Stone

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441

    Originally posted by Alot

    ^^Don't you think that Aion possibly offered too much customization?

    I wouldn't say "too much", just that some of the choices were pretty bad.

    It helps if the character you still makes looks like one of his race. Just look on humans, we differ a lot so there are loads of possibilities without making the character look like a joke.

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    Originally posted by Loke666

    Originally posted by Alot

    ^^Don't you think that Aion possibly offered too much customization?

    I wouldn't say "too much", just that some of the choices were pretty bad.

    It helps if the character you still makes looks like one of his race. Just look on humans, we differ a lot so there are loads of possibilities without making the character look like a joke.

    But unfortunately, many humans still look like a joke.

    Oh, how wonderful it is to be an Alot. : )

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441

    Originally posted by Alot

    Edit: To the poster above me: It has now been confirmed that you can acquire Transmutation Stones with ingame currency.

    That is indeed great news. :)

  • DiovidiusDiovidius Member UncommonPosts: 1,026

    This looks pretty good to me but we'll have to wait for the exact details we'll get from gamescom.

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    ^We won't know what it's really like until somebody clicks the "Build" and "Face options" tabs.

  • ZeroxinZeroxin Member UncommonPosts: 2,515

    I personally would just like to be able to make a fat person with a big belly. Not too big but big enough so everyone knows he's fat not just "big". The reason I'd like this? Just for fun really, role-playing a fat person and telling everyone how I'm going to run them down with my belly and then actually doing it would be hilarious.

    This is not a game.

  • IcewhiteIcewhite Member Posts: 6,403

    Originally posted by Alot

    ^^Don't you think that Aion possibly offered too much customization?

    Nawp.  The sliders are great, but it's been obvious since the "boob slider" way back in CoH that some people will always push the extreme ranges of those sliders.  DDD's everywhere!

    Fortunately, it's a relatively short-lived phenomenon.  After the first few months, players begin to see than you're not being a rugged individualist by pushing the sliders to min or max, when 69949940 other players also had the same idea.

    The boobs in CoH returned (mostly) to more normal sizes within a couple of months.

    Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.

  • Lord.BachusLord.Bachus Member RarePosts: 9,686

    Close this post and put it up again after gamescon, because by then we should know more about the character customisation (The character itselfves and not the armor)

    Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)

  • Mariner-80Mariner-80 Member Posts: 347

    I like a lot of customization within certain parameters, e.g., humans should look like humans, else you'll end up with a game filled with immersion-breaking monstrosities. I hated Aion for that reason (and other reasons). It was like visiting a carnival freak show.

    Personally, I also think naming conventions should have players choose both a standard, lore-correct name (from a large predetermined list) and also a personal, customized name, and then allow players the option to display the name type they prefer (or both, I suppose). That way, when you enter a town or join a group, the names of the other players display as either "lore-correct" or "personalized"; one reason I avoid towns in MMOs now is because of the stupid immersion-breaking names people sometimes give their characters.

    As for character customization, I think Cryptic did well in STO: you could create a character from a given race and modify it a great deal, but it would still look human, klingon, vulcan, or whatever. I imagine GW2 will do something similar.

  • just1opinionjust1opinion Member UncommonPosts: 4,641

    Originally posted by Zeroxin

    I personally would just like to be able to make a fat person with a big belly. Not too big but big enough so everyone knows he's fat not just "big". The reason I'd like this? Just for fun really, role-playing a fat person and telling everyone how I'm going to run them down with my belly and then actually doing it would be hilarious.

     

    I too am into the light RP thing and would like to make a fatter female character.  It would just be more fun to play than the bone creatures we're usually given.  I mean....they make me feel like....well....how do you roleplay an anorexic or bulemic character?  It's just in poor taste (no pun intended).  I'd rather roleplay a chubby girl.  "Regular size" is boring and too thin is just....too thin.

    Let's here it for pleasantly plump! lol  w00t

    President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club

  • wolfneowolfneo Member UncommonPosts: 24
    the only thing i would like in GW2 now is power color customization i want to burn foes with blue flames! XD

    image

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    Originally posted by wolfneo

    the only thing i would like in GW2 now is power color customization i want to burn foes with blue flames! XD

    I fear it's not going to happen, but:

     



    Quote:

    CDA: Will it be possible to enhance our weapons by adding some specific visual effects to them, say putting flames onto a sword?



    EF: Like adding flames? Yes, you'll see modifications that add such effects on the weapons. And if it's an upgrade, it always has beneficial game effect in addition to changing appearance.

     



  • cali59cali59 Member Posts: 1,634

    Originally posted by just1opinion

    I too am into the light RP thing and would like to make a fatter female character.  It would just be more fun to play than the bone creatures we're usually given.  I mean....they make me feel like....well....how do you roleplay an anorexic or bulemic character?  It's just in poor taste (no pun intended).  I'd rather roleplay a chubby girl.  "Regular size" is boring and too thin is just....too thin.

    Let's here it for pleasantly plump! lol  w00t

     Your prayers have been answered

    "Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true – you know it, and they know it." -Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007

  • MoiaxMoiax Member Posts: 22
    Glad to see that t stones are purchaseable with karma.


    Best part about the dye system though is that the dyes are permanently unlocked, and can be used at any time, syrupy having to buy anything.
  • RequiamerRequiamer Member Posts: 2,034

    One of the thing i always waited for in all the rpg games i played, single player or mmo alike it the fact i could keep the armor and weapon skin that i like. GW2 finaly give me this oportunity. teh transmute stone will work on weapon too i hope, are they?

  • zellmerzellmer Member UncommonPosts: 442

    There's nothing new in this article as far as the features he's hyping up..

     

    Other mmorpgs have done it before, and it doesn't sound like character creation comes close to ones like Perfect World or the like anyways..

     

    The hype machine/advertising machine is strong with guild wars 2 on here, but come on..

  • RinnaRinna Member UncommonPosts: 389

    One of the main reasons I'm interested in GW2 is the character customization.  Aion to date has the best character creator I've seen.  Hopefully GW2 will follow suit.

    No bitchers.

  • BlahTeebBlahTeeb Member UncommonPosts: 624

    Originally posted by zellmer



    There's nothing new in this article as far as the features he's hyping up..

     

    Other mmorpgs have done it before, and it doesn't sound like character creation comes close to ones like Perfect World or the like anyways..

     

    The hype machine/advertising machine is strong with guild wars 2 on here, but come on..


     

    True that. This was a pretty useless article.

    Though to ease up a bit, he wasn't hyping the system as much as telling us what he wanted.

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