character-customization
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Taking a look at the Black Desert cash shop
So what does the inside of Black Desert's cash shop actually look like? Sure, the exact contents aren't going to matter to players who hate having cash shops at all or the players who were going to play the game no matter what, but a good implementation or a bad one could have an impact. Hence a new post on Steparu walking through the options available and giving a loose idea of how the pricing breaks down. With a $50 budget, some options were simply out of reach on the shop, specifically the limited edition mount armor. A handful of limited-time packs with boosts are already in-place in game, alongside the usual options of dyes, inventory expansions, and makeovers. The cash shop also contains exclusive hairstyles and under-armor options. Check out the full piece for a more comprehensive glance inside of the game's real-money marketplace.
A glance at Civilization Online's robust character creator
Let's cut to the chase: Past the break, we have two videos embedded showing off Civilization Online's character creator, which you can use the next time anyone starts talking about the challenges of body sliders with stylized art. It doesn't take much to see that the characters here are pretty heavily stylized, but despite that, the character creator features a huge array of options, sliders, and details. Many of the creation options are controlled by a grab-and-pull system similar to the one seen in The Sims 4, making adjustments to body dimensions more instinctive. There's no official timeline for when Civilization Online will come to the US, so you'll have to either wait or get familiar with Korean if you want to try this out for yourself.
Upload your face to this WWE 2K15 trailer
2K offered a new trailer for WWE 2K15 today, showing off a bit of the game's superstar customization options. The latest entry in the wrestling series from Yuke's and Visual Concepts allows players to upload photographs to 2K's servers, importing their likenesses onto the heads of custom wrestlers. Head past the break to check out the video, which also boasts custom tattoo and logo options in the game's creation suite. WWE 2K15 is already available on Xbox 360 and PS3, having launched last week. 2K's wrestling series will debut on PS4 and Xbox One on November 18 in North America and November 21 internationally. The game features a historical rivalries "2K Showcase" mode as well as a My Career mode similar to the publisher's other popular sports series, NBA 2K. Its $25 season pass includes three additional stories for the 2K Showcase mode. [Image: 2K]
Darkfall Unholy Wars unveils the new custom roles
You want to do your own thing in Darkfall Unholy Wars, but how are you going to do that? Simple -- you're going to make use of the game's upcoming custom roles to build exactly your sort of character. This represents a fundamental shift to the game's mechanics, and the latest development post on the official site stresses that this first iteration is going to be modified over time. But it's still something novel, and it's a chance to have more control over your character's development. Players will be able to pick out any 9 school skills (with 1 Ultimate skill) and several common skills for a given build, with a grand total of 16 skills from school skills and common skills. Players will also be able to mix and match armor types to create just the right sort of playstyle. Builds can be altered at any point if a character has been out of combat mode for 15 minutes, so you're not locked into one configuration. Check out the official post for more details on the mechanical shift.
Check out WildStar's new body customization options
Earlier this month we discovered that Carbine was planning to add additional (as in "more than one") body types for each race and gender in WildStar. The changes are in with this weekend's beta test update, and YouTube sensation and friend of Massively Richie "BogOtter" Procopio made a 21-minute video looking at all of the new options for characters. He's got the video broken down into sub-sections, so if you want to skip to a certain race/gender combo, you can do so. He also includes the new hairstyles that went in with the patch. Give the video a watch after the break and let us know whether Carbine did a good job with these additions or not!
Star Trek Online shows off new head options for Season 9
The character creator in Star Trek Online is pretty robust, but it has its limitations. There are only so many complexion options and only so many head shapes, and trying to create certain looks took an extraordinary amount of effort. So it's good news for all captains that Season 9 will bring with it a far more robust character creation setup with three new head shapes and three new complexions for everyone. It all started with bringing Tuvok into the game; creating a model that matched Tim Russ' actual face required the creation of a framework that segued naturally into more robust player options. It also gave the team an excuse to redo facial textures that had always been seen as problematic, replacing them with slightly higher-resolution versions that have better mapping. Take a look at the full development blog for more details on the process as well as a closer look at what can be done with the new options.
Daxxarri asks how you would customize your WoW character
It's hardly confirmation that Blizzard is thinking in this direction -- Daxxarri says the discussion is "just for fun" -- but on the official forums CM Daxxarri has responded to a thread about character customization options asking what players would most like to see. Daxxarri Just for fun, if you could pick your top three character customization options, in order of preference, what would they be? For me: 1. Scars/tattoos/warpaint 2. More facial hair options for males 3. Racial 'variants' for those who have them source Is this reason to hope we might get more character customization options -- or even more varried racial skinning options -- in the future? We're not holding our breath based on this thread, certainly, but if more customization is what you're after, hop into the thread to let Blizzard know.
Choose My Adventure: Through the starting gates of EverQuest
And we're off! The gates of EverQuest have opened, and thanks to the advice of my very own pit crew (that means you!), I am planted firmly in my saddle as ready to take on this wild Choose My Adventure ride. So let's get this show started, shall we? Figuring out where in EQ I was going to go was pretty cut and dried; Firiona Vie was the server winner by a landslide. Either you know me well enough and placed me accordingly, or you're just saying that's an awesome place to be. Of course, it could be both, which is a double bonus. The racial fight was more of a nail-biter. Tier"Dal, Iksar, and Froglok battled it out, but in the end, good won. Well, actually let's not be too hasty tossing that "good" label around: As for classes, only two choices were running pretty much neck in neck, and both were decidedly evil! Ultimately the caster lost and tin can won. So instead of summoning and commanding my own hordes of undead (for which I thank you profusely), I dub myself Sir MJ, the Shadowknight. As much as I have rarely played plate or tank classes, I do appreciate this; necromancy is definitely not a favorite pastime of mine. Add in your final decision to start me off in my racial lands and we are all set to go.
A look at WildStar's customization options
How much do you like character customization? If you shrug and click the nearest "random" button when making a new character you probably don't care much. But if you like to carefully examine customization options before creating a character, and then even more carefully examine customization options after creating a character... well, WildStar's developers understand the way you work. They'd like to help, insofar as giving you a whole bunch more customization options could count as "helping." Customizing your character doesn't end at creation -- it extends to how you play your character, how your character's outfit looks, and even how your mount looks. Not to mention, of course, that there's the housing system. The game's latest DevSpeak video about customization is just past the cut, and we got a chance to talk a little more with the fine folks at Carbine Studios about tuning your character just right.
Do we need a free character re-customization for the new models?
The recently announced new character models are causing quite a stir, with varying opinions appearing. The reactions to the new female human model have been largely positive, but the question I'm interested in today is whether you think we need a character re-customization after the models are added to the game. On the one hand, I can see that the developers' objective has been to stay as faithful as possible to the original models, and as such they may not really see the need for it. But although I think there has been some great work done in this area, they haven't been entirely successful with the fidelity to old models. Indeed, that is a very subjective assessment, too, and what you liked in your character's old face might not be evident in a new face. Depending on the skintones available, given that Chris has teased potential others, you may want to alter that too. Hair style and color can, of course, be edited in the game. %Poll-86777%
Experience Entropy's character creator with new video
The new space sim Entropy hit the scene last month through Steam's early access program, and interested explorers can get a glimpse of character creation thanks to a new video. Players can be a variety of alien species on top of human, or just add alien characteristics to a human. While the options for hair and facial features are not extensive (most have no more than eight ) and the color pallet is fairly limited (ranging between five and 14 choices for most options), players can still create a reasonably unique character -- or an approximation of The Hulk, if desired -- thanks to the number of different features that can be altered. Looks are not the only thing players must settle on, either; one point that the video emphasizes is that picking a background for your character actually has meaning as whichever choice you make grants you different skills and items upon entering the game. Check out some of those options available in the clip below.
Massively previews WildStar's character creation, housing, Engineer, and Medic
What do you get when you throw a bunch of Massively writers into the WildStar beta for a week and tell them they can roll a million characters, play the new classes, and muck around with floating houses in the sky? You get today's embargo-lift extravaganza, that's what, and a whole bunch of bunnygirls. Massively's Eliot Lefebvre, Justin Olivetti, and Gavin Townsley trekked to the planet Nexus and back to relate their deep-dive hands-on experience with the upcoming sci-fi MMO's character creation, Medic, and Engineer, as well as a take fresh look at the updated housing system. Enjoy our complete coverage! Massively's hands-on with WildStar's character creation Eliot tinkers with character customization, judging WildStar's somewhere between the extremes of World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. Expect an expert opinion on hair styles and body sliders. Massively's hands-on with WildStar's housing system In the wake of the latest housing demo, Gavin explains the differences between sockets, plugs, and buff boards, and then repeats rumors of a strip club for small stuffed animals. Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Engineer Justin is a sucker for Engineers: "This is my rifle and this is my gun; this is for fighting and this is for statistical improvements that help my gearscore for the inevitable raid gating." Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Medic Eliot covers the feel of WildStar's hard-to-master melee healer and his role in the overall environment: "Sure, I had moments of frustration, but I certainly wasn't ever bored."
Breakfast Topic: Do we need to re-customize our characters with the new models?
There have been some concerns from a few players about their character changing to the point where they will no longer recognize them. In short, they would like to have the option of a free re-customization with the new models so they can make sure their character's personality remains intact. In a BlizzCon interview, Tom Chilton mentioned that there are currently no plans to do this because it's their goal to make the models as true to the spirit of the originals as possible. Bashiok Again I think it's just way too early to make a determination, and Tom certainly didn't give a definite answer. Our artists are going to extreme lengths to ensure the new models and animations embody (kyuck knyuck?) what you know and love about your characters. Our hope (and Tom's point) is that you log in, go AWESOME, and enjoy playing your character that still looks and moves and acts like your character - just at a much higher fidelity. If it comes down to it and we just totally miss the mark I'm sure we'd at least seriously consider offering a chance to pick something else. But again, too early to say for sure. source
More on Albion Online's unique equipment customization system
Previously we learned that character customization in Albion Online would include a unique system for customizing gear where players can add any crafted spell to any piece of equipment. Players can eschew cookie-cutter character molds and choose any combination they want, but they can also play up the inherent characteristics of a particular weapon or armor piece. Armor-wise, cloth pieces will have natural enhancements for mana regeneration, stealth, energy shields, or cleanse; plate piece enhancements, on the other hand, are about protection, instant self-heals, and survival mechanics. Weapons also have their own inherent characteristics: Broadswords have defensive characteristics, axes have offensive damage, and one-handed hammers have healing. To learn more about Albion Online, check out Massively's exclusive interview. Interested players can sign up for beta on the official site. [Source: Sandbox Interactive press release]
New Greed Monger screens show character creation
All's been quiet on the Greed Monger front lately, but some new screens have surfaced for the crafting-centric sandbox that show off the character creation system. The four new screenshots released on the game's Facebook page show off male and female models as well as various facial and body features that can be affected by 46 different sliders that adjust the details of your avatar. These screenshots also show a slightly different system than the Unity avatar building system that players have been able to mess around with since June (although you can still make an amusing she-hulk-monkey-girl there). See what you think about the new system in our gallery below.
Massively Exclusive: Albion Online dev blog explains diversity with spells and crafted items
Previously, we learned about Albion Online's territory control, housing, the economy, and more in our exclusive interview with CEO Stefan Wiezorek. Thanks to this exclusive dev blog, today we get a look at the relationship between crafting and spells and how that translates into deeper character customization. In short, Albion players will craft spells that can be put on crafted gear, which in turn gives them access to that spell whenever they equip that item. This system offers an endless possibility of combinations as players equip various items, each with their own set of spells added on. For a detailed run-down of this system, check out the full dev blog after the break.
The Daily Grind: Why do you play a tall race?
Let me put my capital-b Bias up front and center here: Tall races are awesome. From Draenei to Roegadyn, Norn to Bahmi, I'm always tempted to play a race that towers above the others. My characters in Champions Online and DC Universe Online both tend to be elevated above the crowd, which can occasionally prove problematic when attempting to slip into smaller passageways. Even the shorter characters I play are on the tall side for their races. Why do I do it? A lot of the time I just prefer the overall demeanor of the taller races, compared to smaller races that often come across as overbearing (Guild Wars 2's Asurans) or annoying (World of Warcraft's Gnomes). Aside from that, taller races have an easier time conveying a variety of attitudes from body language, posture, and dress. And I'm relatively tall myself, so there's a touch of familiarity there. There's no shortage of players who take playing diminutive races as a point of pride, but people who play taller races don't have that same sort of community. So today I say stand up, look down, and tell everyone: Why do you play a tall race? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Breakfast Topic: How do you start a new character?
When you've decided to create a new character in WoW, you'd think the actual creation part would be the easiest part of the process. After all the hard part ought to be leveling, advancing, and collecting gear. But for some players (myself included), character creation itself poses a challenge. If you've picked a class, there's still the question of which race to choose -- or if you've picked a race, the question of which class. And, while WoW's character creation mini-game is far from elaborate, there's still the matter of just what your character looks like. But most difficult of all tends to be picking the right name: WoW's been around long enough that many of the names you might usually use in a game have likely been taken. So tell us, early morning readers: what's your character creation challenge? Does name selection cause you to stumble? Do you have to get your character's look just right? Or is character creation something you fly through, eager to get to the real game?
Choose My Adventure: Framing my first foray in Darkfall
Break time's over! Now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get back to work building our latest Choose My Adventure. The first order of business is to establish the framework for the rest of our Darkfall Unholy Wars (mis)adventures. Of course, we can't just build willy-nilly; we need to follow a plan. And as with any major construction project, we couldn't really move forward until said plan was OKed by the planning commission. So while we waited for the foundation to set, we sought approval for which type of structure to base our continuing adventures on. And as is wont to happen with committees, there was trouble coming to a consensus; even though the proposed models were all pretty similar, disagreement arose as to which to pick. However, after some debate (one proposal won by only one vote!), we finally got the go ahead: The final word was to build a Mahirim Deadeye. I'm on it, boss!%Gallery-187735%
The surrealistic Dragon's Dogma tech demo
What you're looking at is an internal Capcom video made by the team behind Dragon's Dogma, designed to demonstrate the ease with which the game's character creation system can make universal use of animation data, regardless of a humanoid creature's size or configuration.Aside from being an effective measure of the technology's capabilities and a surprising glimpse into the lighthearted nature of Capcom's internal development process, it's also a surreal, often hilarious and pointedly bizarre carnival sideshow of bulging eyeballs and dancing cyclopes.As you may have noticed, it doesn't really look like footage from a fairly recent game, and there are two main reasons for that: First of all, this is an internal production that was never originally intended for mass consumption. Moreover, this is an early prototype from five years ago, when development on Dragon's Dogma was first underway, and the game still went by its original codename: BBS-RPG.You may have also noticed that this video has no sound, which is more of a legal issue than an effort to enhance the production's already potent hypnagogic qualities. Since Capcom never intended for this video to be distributed to the public, it had to have its uncleared soundtrack removed before the developer could share it with us. If you're willing to have two tabs open, however, we thing we've found an elegant alternative.
