This thread is inspired by another: view original post
[i]Hylebos made a fantastic thread about exotic gear and the restrictions on them, and it got me going on cosmetics and statistics, I definitely recommend going back and reading it if you're not afraid of a plethora of text. Anyway, I wrote this in the comments there but decided to make a related topic and repost anyway.[/i]
If I wasn't already following you, I would follow you. I really think this is a great thread (If not the greatest thread), and shares my thoughts about the restrictions. I was a little skeptical at first because of cosmetic breakup between armor could be a downside, though it seems that ship has sailed.
Transmogrification (changing the cosmetic design of something without changing it's stats) would be nice to have - just not for exotics, as some of your comments in the sub-thread clearly state the flaws of Halo: Reach's armor abilities and how Exotic gear being more noticeable from your first glance - it won't be as much of an issue. So being able to cosmetically change non-exotic gear would be nice, because this type of gear won't really have the crazy thing exotics do, wanting to wear a common item may put you at a disadvantage when you could use a superior item in it's place. Something I think World of Warcraft (WoW) and Borderlands both fail horribly at is their common gear.
[b]Yes - WoW has Transmogrification now and it has proved useful for plenty of players.[/b]
Talking about WoW in particular - has different gear bound to different levels. The game is just filled with uncountable amounts of items that are virtually useless because they're statistically useless or under leveled. It's not going to be likely that you will know an opponent's superior boots make them power-slide 10% further simply by looking at them. Both cosmetic and statistic customization is important for a player to really feel like themselves, because the way they look really speaks a lot about who they are and how they express themselves, but that feeling can be hurt when they really want one stat over the other.
For example:
[b]Boots #1:[/b] Boots #1 really sets off my personality by looks, and I could see myself wear it to my grave - but the stat bonus is nearly irrelevant to me, and I could care less.
[b]Boots #2:[/b] Boots #2 is going to offer me that 10% extra distance when power-sliding, and would go perfect for the build I am aiming for - but I really dislike the look of it.
Transmogrification would allow the best of both worlds for a player. Surely it would need something to prevent it keeping a person from freely changing everything they want all the time - it could cost a really good amount of Glimmer they may not actually want to use up, making that decision would then matter to a player, since they have to give up their goods in order to really show who they are, which in turn - makes it more meaningful.
These are some of my major thoughts on that (Although it strays largely from the original idea in mind, it relates heavily to the topic at hand) And I'm exited to see what happens either way.
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Edited by Nitron F117: 1/7/2014 10:11:43 AMI really think it'll depend on the relationship between visuals and stats. You know how, in diablo, there's a relationship between the abilities of an item and it's name? For example, you might have a pair of boots. If you find that same pair of boots that deals damage back to an attacker, they are now called "Spiked Boots". If they deal damage back, and generate light, they are called "Spiked Boots of Light". In this way, you can tell, at a glance, some of the abilities of equipment without actually looking at the stat card. What if the same is true about the look of items in Destiny? What if the equivalent of "Spiked Boots" actually has spikes on it? Should you be able to just add spikes to the boots you want, if they don't actually deal damage back? Or on the flip side, should you be able to hide the fact that your boots reflect damage from other players by making them appear as if they don't? I don't think so. Now, assuming there are no visual queues to the abilities of an item, I'd say it's fine. But I'd actually like the abilities of items to be represented in their look, and lose the ability to change it.