Meaningful Costume Pieces?

[Vampill]

I've played several other MMO's out there, World of Warcraft, StarWars Galaxies, and CoX to name a few. The one thing I liked was the meaningful costume pieces like in Galaxies or WarCraft. In CoX it is all about the looks and I like that, but it woudl have been nice for the introduced crafting to allow for crafing of costume pieces that make a difference. And this could be both positive and negative. Heavy armor while it provides more damage resistance also provides minues to movement and etc. (As an example.)

So, first and formost, are the costume pieces going to be setup for mearly looks or will they be set up so that they can provide more than just the way a character looks, they would also contribute to the characters resistances, speed, power, etc.

Also, I didn't see a mention of any crafting...if I missed it. Is that something that is in the plans to have or not?

[Hmuda]

I personally against this idea. The thing I liked about CoX is that I could look they way I want to. If they introduce an item based costume system with stats and bonuses, I will be forced to wear those pieces to get the most out of my character. I would prefere to look the way I want to rather than the way my items would allow me to.

[Vampill]

I'm not talking about the forcing of armor like in World of WarCraft. More like enhancement slotting for clothing, for lack of a better word. That way you could still customize your look to your liking, but you clothing woudl do more than just define your look. I think it adds a new aspect of the game.

In CoX I've never been able to really get into the whole crafthing of clothing as if you seen one you've seen them all. Rocket boots that only play rocket animations. I'd like them to give me at least a limited jump/flight ability if I didn't have super jump or flight. I'd like the wings to do the same, not simply mounting my back. Granted if I didn't have flight on the wings, I'd fly really slow, but they'd provide me with a flight bonus or in the case of the boots a jump/flight bonus.

By all means, I don't want to restrict character look cause that is what made/makes CoX fun, I'd just like to see a new avenue opened up. Enhance my costume for fire resistances, kinda like if we look at batman and his constant ability to create new costumes that have different uses and effects.

That is all I'm saying. I agree, if they can't allow you to have the look you want to have while also providing enhancement bonues to outfits, then I'd rather not have them.

[Zandtar]

If they're sticking close to the Champion and HERO system rules, the costumes should be cosmetic only. There is no 'loot' like gear, rather you spend power points for powers you want (or vulnerabilities) and let your own imagination or definition of the power take over.

[Cyjack]

All I know, is that they better have trenchcoats out of the gate this time. ;)

[Aves]

All I know, is that they better have trenchcoats out of the gate this time. ;)

Haha, agreed. Best to not keep us waiting on more costume pieces.

[zzMDude]

All I know, is that they better have trenchcoats out of the gate this time. ;)

Perhaps they'll look better than jackets with capes attached to the bottom this time?

I fully expect there to be costume pieces used as rewards in some way. I don't like it, but CoH has taught me, the hard way, that I can live with it. As long as everybody doesn't run around wearing the exact same costumes because it's the only way they can be competitive, it's no big deal.

[Cyjack]

Avatar customization is the one thing Im completely not worried about with this game. If you can say nothing else about CoX, you can say its the best game of its kind for AV customization. Cryptic knows this too, and I doubt theyd abandon that trademark.

But yeah, we wont get everything we want up front, and itll take time for every concieveable look to work its way into the game... popular ones taking the form of perks. But thats cool...a supers game has the inherent problem of "loot" not being as important to the setting concept as a dungeon crawl game. Making different looks availiable to be achieved towards gives me something to work for.

[The_Prismist]

From what the website and the GI article said it sounds like there will be loot that makes you better, but you will be able to design it how you want or turn it off graphicswise. IE. you can keep the same costume, but with new benifits.

[Bill4747]

I'm not talking about the forcing of armor like in World of WarCraft. More like enhancement slotting for clothing, for lack of a better word. That way you could still customize your look to your liking, but you clothing woudl do more than just define your look. I think it adds a new aspect of the game.

In CoX I've never been able to really get into the whole crafthing of clothing as if you seen one you've seen them all. Rocket boots that only play rocket animations. I'd like them to give me at least a limited jump/flight ability if I didn't have super jump or flight. I'd like the wings to do the same, not simply mounting my back. Granted if I didn't have flight on the wings, I'd fly really slow, but they'd provide me with a flight bonus or in the case of the boots a jump/flight bonus.

By all means, I don't want to restrict character look cause that is what made/makes CoX fun, I'd just like to see a new avenue opened up. Enhance my costume for fire resistances, kinda like if we look at batman and his constant ability to create new costumes that have different uses and effects.

That is all I'm saying. I agree, if they can't allow you to have the look you want to have while also providing enhancement bonues to outfits, then I'd rather not have them.

Vampill, the reason as I understand it, that costumes are cosmetic only is this:

In the superheroic genre, many characters have tons of 'gear' like batman and ironman. Many have no gear at all, like superman and the hulk. Some have a mix of this. You don't want superman to have to wear armor. Superman is the culprit here, not batman.

Its not 100 percent realistic, I know. Also, the punishers guns are in concept, the same as cyclops' eye beams: a ranged attack. They just have a different power source.

What I would expect to see, and this is only a guess on my part: Some characters will select 'gadget pool' or 'powered armor' or 'gun user' etc.. and those powers will have customizeable gear options. Perhaps being a bit weaker as a trade off for being more flexable.

On the flip side, a power like heat vision might be 'natural' and have no gear options at all, but all powers will have some customization I am certain.

I bet we are all impressed with the level of customization they offer, I am so glad its a top priority.

[Alikar]

I would love for the game to at least have meaningful gear! I didn't like that your gear changed depending on what power you used in CoX. I really wanted to design a weapon for my character to use in CoX, I hope that happens in this game.

[mrguy08]

I would love for the game to at least have meaningful gear! I didn't like that your gear changed depending on what power you used in CoX. I really wanted to design a weapon for my character to use in CoX, I hope that happens in this game.

I think there's going to be something along those lines. They mention that powers can be customized by color and design also CoX does have different weapon appearances now as a recently added feature. I'm hoping they will go more in depth with it in this game.

[justicefishy]

And wings right off the bat too! That said, it might be cool if the costume pieces were mostly available at start but rewards allowed you to imbue that armor with some mystic supermetal instead of normal titanium or kevlar or some such.

[Mrfoxx]

All I know, is that they better have trenchcoats out of the gate this time. ;)


By this man a beer!


Treanchcoats and long cloaks!

I Hope they add removable options, i hope the costumes are broken into pieces that way, if i want to take off my overcoati can do that without creating an entirely new costume I always wanted to do this, maybe sometimes i want my sleaves long, or rolled up, jacked open or zipped, things like this i hope they add to an ingame "closet" if sorts, i mean i should have to jump through hoops to unzip my jacket like you had to in CoX.

[Comicsluvr]

I'm of two minds on this whole idea. On the one side I dislike the idea that some costume piece might give me such a huge bonus that I might feel compleede to wear it. On the other hand I see nothing wrong with assigning a certain 'look' or 'style' to costume pieces that give you a small benefit or tradeoff somehow.

For instance, say I want to create a typical Batman-ish type character like from the comics. I have whatever gadgets I have but my costume is simply that, a costume. Now if I later manage to make/find/buy the armored version like in the Michael Keaton Batman movie then I can use that but if I want the protection then I'm going to have to have a slightly different look or style to the outfit.

I could see the options in the costume creator looking something like this:

Chest piece, tight.

Chest piece, padded.

Chest piece, lightly armored.

Chest piece, medium armor.

Chest piece, heavy armor.

The first would be like Spiderman, skin-tight but no protection at all. The padded piece would look like a light SWAT vest or other sort of thicker gear. Again, no real benefit just a different look. The lightly armored version is more of the Keaton Batman suit, a little bit restrictive but grants a small amount of protection somehow. The medium armor would look like something the Civil War Spiderman wore, obviously protective but with enough bulk to hinder movement. The heavy armor is the top of the line protection but might hinder me more.

Having all of these options works for me. The lighter stuff is for character's whose concepts doesn't inolve any sort of armor while the cops and military types can use the medium stuff and the powered armored guys can use the heavy stuff. However I strongly feel that the benefits/detriments for these should all be minimal until the Powers and Disadvantages, if any, are added in. That way the only players who will really feel compelled to squeeze every last point from their characters (min/maxers) will go for the best stuff all the time and even then they're paying for it somehow, in decreased movement or whatever.

In this way you can still have your cake and eat it too IMHO. You can take a skin-tight suit and be invulnerable ala Superman or you can take a heavily armored suit with almost no protection to simulate some sort of off-the-shelf tech suit cobbled together in the mad genius' basement.

[iggzy880]

I personally against this idea. The thing I liked about CoX is that I could look they way I want to. If they introduce an item based costume system with stats and bonuses, I will be forced to wear those pieces to get the most out of my character. I would prefere to look the way I want to rather than the way my items would allow me to.

I agree, thats what love about CoX, the fact that you don't have to be designed around the most effective stuff. You are a hero, powers are drawn from some source and the costume doesn't hinder, heck, if its big it provides more power, not potentially hinders.

[Tripleimperial]

IO nthe main website for this page they said you can wear costumes that give you benefeits, but you can turn of the graphics and visual so it wont affect your costume look. so say you have a armor that does 10%defense bonus you can wear without you or anybody else seeing it. which is cool but I think people might abuse it

[Blacklight]

From the Magazine (http://www.gameinformer.com/default.htm) article:

"Wherever you travel, you'll be in constant control of an ever-evolving superhero. Unlike in City of Heroes, you'll pick up and don real loot and gear. Each piece you discover fits into one of several body slots. If you don't like the way the new equipment looks in conjunction with your carefully crafted costume, then turn it off; the visuals for every item can be toggled away."

Sounds like a good idea. You can keep showing the ones you like, and hide the ones you don't. Always keeping the stats/bonuses... I think most players will hide most of this gear, which leads me to think modelling/texturing/etc these pieces of costumes might result in a "wasted" effort for the Developers... Hope it's not the case.

[FerretGirl]

I just think it'd be cool to have unquie animal tails and such. Lots of people had Fox chars last I saw in coh/cov. I would love to do a ferret char (obviously). So anything I can get that is close to it would be way awesome!! I saw a few that had raccoon chars, birds, badgers, a beaver....whales, pandas, mice, rats, ect. The list can go on forever I suppose but I just it was really cool. Sorry just rambling now.

[iggzy880]

From the Magazine (http://www.gameinformer.com/default.htm) article:

"Wherever you travel, you'll be in constant control of an ever-evolving superhero. Unlike in City of Heroes, you'll pick up and don real loot and gear. Each piece you discover fits into one of several body slots. If you don't like the way the new equipment looks in conjunction with your carefully crafted costume, then turn it off; the visuals for every item can be toggled away."

Sounds like a good idea. You can keep showing the ones you like, and hide the ones you don't. Always keeping the stats/bonuses... I think most players will hide most of this gear, which leads me to think modelling/texturing/etc these pieces of costumes might result in a "wasted" effort for the Developers... Hope it's not the case.

I think that is the perfect fix, being able to get, hopefully, cool bonus equipment, and hiding it if it screws with your look or whatever, its a plausible fix. I say plausible because I like havign room to defend myself and be cynical later :P

[TheFiend]

Let me start by saying how incredibly excited I am to see a Champions MMO being made. I have been trying to sell this game concept to former employers (Acclaim Entertainment) for years with no luck what so ever. Maybe that explains why Acclaim went under? I am a huge fan of Champions, Cryptic and MMORPGs.... I've kicked Foxbat's tail so many times in the table top version of Champions, my foot hurts. Glad to see he's back for the digital age.

So here is my piece on the topic of rules and semantics for Champions Online:

I see so many discussions and questions here and else where about "Will this MMO be like "X" MMO...."
Personally I hope that this system emulates the 2rd edition CHAMPIONS rules by HERO System to the letter. The reason I say this is because that was the best SUPERHERO RPG system ever. It was free form character creation with the ability to create and customize any hero with any powers you wanted to play as. It had simple rules and allowed for great characters to ROLE PLAY in a unique and super heroic world. Also it allowed for compromise. If you really wanted a character that was a certain way you could take disadvantages to get the character the way you wanted it. The downside was living with the disadvantages you took.
What more can you ask for? It's built in game balance. If you could think of a character you could basically make it if you had the points to spend and the way to get the points initially was to take disadvantages. This is the fundamental principle of the superhero genre which makes it different than any other genre out there.

What I think everyone takes for granted is that this is a superhero genre game.... Not fantasy.
I don't think Armor is an issue. Most Superheroes don't wear it.
Maybe if you wanted a character that had a power ring or a mace you could take it as a focus for your powers then that would be something to discuss. Taking a mace as a focus might mean that you get an additional boost to your power levels but maybe it forces you to have a a disadvantage as well.
I also don't think farming for equipment should be a problem either.... Superheroes don't do that either. And contrary to COV or COH... not every superhero invents stuff. I don't think that the genre should have to be bent around the conventions of popular MMORPGs that are out in a different genre. This is where COH and COV failed because besides the costumes the superhero feel of the game was missing completely.

A perfect example is Star Wars Galaxies... One of the best universes to explore and tap into and they turn it into a fantasy game in space. Nothing remotely lasting from the genre held true.

I just hope to God that this game has no classes.... (Unlike COH and COV) because there are NO CLASSES in superhero role playing games. The years of fantasy RPGs dictating how MMORPGS should be set up needs to end in order for this genre to shine.

The concept of a 'healer' class in a Superhero MMORPG is just silly. ARMOR? Pointless, unless it acts as a focus for your powers. Farming for Weapons, Items and Wealth? Again silly. It just doesn't translate correctly to this genre.
Any one that ever read comics knows these things don't exist in this genre. A character with healing properties in addition to other powers, maybe... but even they are rare.

Long story short is I hope to God this is the game I've been waiting for, that will make other genres of MMORPGs different from the routine fantasy farming class system. I have faith in Cryptic because the original plan for COH was similar to Champions point based system and the fact that they are committing to the name and license for the original is consoling.
I've been a fan of Champions for 24 years and I have played almost every major MMO out there.
All I can say is I hope this one lives up to the original table top version of the game and doesn't change an amazing system and universe to cater to the WOW crowd that are finally looking for something else to do with their time.

BTW: If anyone over at Cryptic is looking for 10 year veteran in the video game quality assurance field as well as a very knowledgeable authority on the original Champion rules, I am available for full tie work as well as consultation. =)

[Greyhawke]

(I hate to keep using CoH as an example, but it's Cryptic's first born, they're just going to have to live with the comparisons)

I like the mix they seem to be going with. In CoH, we can get wings and jet boots as costume options, but we can't fly. We can get a baseball bat temp power, but have to draw out our mace when we attack. Weapon customization has helped a small amount with that last, but its a bandaid fix at best.

Now, it has the potential to be the best of both worlds. I can get the Jet Boots, but if I want to say that I am flying because of my newly discovered wind control powers, I just don't allow the boots to show.

[Ninkame]

I personally against this idea. The thing I liked about CoX is that I could look they way I want to. If they introduce an item based costume system with stats and bonuses, I will be forced to wear those pieces to get the most out of my character. I would prefere to look the way I want to rather than the way my items would allow me to.

I agree i would rather its be about the looks and to help with the idea of crafing instead they have a ponit system were you can add certain stats thru points to your coustume no matter how it looks.

[Rusted]

TheFiend has spoken and his words are truth. *bow*

[Incenjucar]

If it's going to borrow from fantasy RPGs, hopefully it'll at least be moving towards what Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition is doing...

With gear, they're making it so only a few major pieces really matter, and they matter in an orderly fashion, so you can eliminate them by simply granting the standard bonus for that level they would have given. Other gear is just about giving you new, but not game-changing options... say akin to how Superman or Batman occasionally market toys I mean wear one-shot costumes for special events, which often just aren't worth the effort or cost to use otherwise.

4E-style class options, if classes are indeed in, would work as well: you can add things in from other classes without changing your overall direction. Equivalent to a WoW warlock grabbing the ability to use a shield while maintaining their usual spell progression and so forth.

That said, if they can make a classless system that's well-rounded enough, <3.

At the very least, I'm hoping they put enough options and customizations in that you have to ASK someone which class they are even after seeing them in action.

[RYNO]

This is a tuff Decision for me. I personally love being able to customize my Costumes. But at the same time, I like to be Proud in being a collector of Rare Artifiacts... In a way it's a hard Trade off. Awesome custom costumes, or suits that help raise your power....

I would lean more towards not having costumes affect your stats for fear of Herding becoming too prominiate a need within the World itself.

[darkspeed]

From the Magazine (http://www.gameinformer.com/default.htm) article:

"Wherever you travel, you'll be in constant control of an ever-evolving superhero. Unlike in City of Heroes, you'll pick up and don real loot and gear. Each piece you discover fits into one of several body slots. If you don't like the way the new equipment looks in conjunction with your carefully crafted costume, then turn it off; the visuals for every item can be toggled away."

Sounds like a good idea. You can keep showing the ones you like, and hide the ones you don't. Always keeping the stats/bonuses... I think most players will hide most of this gear, which leads me to think modelling/texturing/etc these pieces of costumes might result in a "wasted" effort for the Developers... Hope it's not the case.

I'm not too sold on this idea. I'd prefer a complete disconect between what you look like and what your abilities are. By all means have enahancements that we can slot into our characters (maybe even seperate enhancement slots for each costume slot we have). But I would much prefer they didn't water down the visual customisation by making costume peices into lot.

[TheFiend]

TheFiend has spoken and his words are truth. *bow*

I apologize if I sounded cocky in the last statement... but the truth is I am so **** excited about this game that I don't want it messed up!
I worked in the video game industry as a QA person and Assist. Producer... and I pitched this exact concept (Superhero MMORPG with Champions rules) to my former employers 7 years ago and they turned it down.... Said that MMOs would never catch on and survive. They're out of business now... go figure. Long story short is I think that too many cool genres get pigeon holed into the fantasy mold.... Not that I hate the Fantasy genre... but that's why there are genres to begin with... If superheros or Star Wars or any other genre besides fantasy is going to pop up things need to be treated different and normal fantasy conventions need to be abandoned.
Progress!!! And thanks for the props! Peace!
:cool:

[TheFiend]

This is a tuff Decision for me. I personally love being able to customize my Costumes. But at the same time, I like to be Proud in being a collector of Rare Artifiacts... In a way it's a hard Trade off. Awesome custom costumes, or suits that help raise your power....

I would lean more towards not having costumes affect your stats for fear of Herding becoming too prominiate a need within the World itself.

I think the best answer for you my friend is not to collect equipment but hope for a trophy system... where like Batman and Supes... when you defeat your arch nemesis you can collect their death ray or giant robots head and put it in your trophy case. Not COH Badges Mind you? Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges.
:D

[TheFiend]

Enhancements Suck.... They are overly generic and don't fit the genre....
The best way to approach this would be to have a point system. Where as you develop along your given path you can chose to buy more powers or enhance the ones you have...
If you want a guy that has a really weak blast... limited Invisibility and medium flight spend points that way. If you want a guy that has one friggin huge power blast and no defense of travel powers.... fine, great for you... I hope for your the baddies don't see you coming and shoot first.
Again... Gear and enhancements rot for this genre.... No super hero collects other peoples junk...Don't quote me the one occasion that Batman dons a power suit to kick Supermans butt. It doesn't happen regularly and shouldn't.
They should allow progression by means of your powers... quickly.... every level you should be able to add aquired points to your Superhero (if not between levels... if they have levels at all). You should be allowed to buy new powers if you want and as many as you can afford. You should be allowed to modify the way your power affects things... Like does extra damage to a certain type of character. All of these are the basics of the original PnP Champions rules... And this is what makes Superheroes different.
I think if you want gear... but it with CPs (Character Points)... As long as they keep a cap on the character points that a player can aquire they can regulate game balance... because again if you spend all your points on offense.... Even Foxbat has a chance to take you out given the element of surprise. Also because the game has live action gameplay... You may be more skilled than someone else at a certain method of gameplay.... It's not methodical (point click kill) its strategic... Because you aren't sure either way that another player of the same CP level is your equal.... It encourages players to get good at playing their characters and not at farming for equipment to ensure their success.

Go read Frank Miller's Daredevil, Chris Claremont's X-men, Jeph Loeb's Batman stuff Secret Wars and the Avenger's versus the Master's of Evil from the late 1980's and then buy the Champions PnP RPG third edition rules. Read the character creation section and you'll see what I mean and why this game has no need for loot and farming for equipment....

[Sylph_Knight]

My prime concern with the topic of clothes is not so much "I hope they have this" as "I hope their costume part options mix up better than some of the hideous outcomes I've seen in CoX". Admittedly, it was the fault of the players who lacked good taste in character design that were responcible though. But it'd be great if the differently-themed costumes transitioned better, like having tights and mechanical pants, where the cut-off is more clearly evident and doesn't look like it just blended into the Tights.

But you know. I'm DYING for some GIANT PAULDRONS, like the shoulders on Samus Aran's armor, for both male and female (female characters got really tiny variants of the Mens' shoulders in CoH. No fair!)

The lead costume designer for CoH, Sexy Jay, gets less sexy every issue he doesn't give me giant shoulder pauldrons to wear.

[Morgyn]

At the very least, I'm hoping they put enough options and customizations in that you have to ASK someone which class they are even after seeing them in action.

You will. Every class has access to every ability in the game. Class will dictate how many points you have to pay to buy the ability. Say two different classes want to buy the ability to throw a fireball they both can, but it'll be cheaper for one guy because it's more inline with his class.

[Yin]

All I know, is that they better have trenchcoats out of the gate this time. ;)

And ROBES! Not the ones in CoX! Real, ankle-length robes!

[Ohoni]

I'm going to join the voices of disagreement here. Your outer appearance shouldn't have anything to do with your stats and capabilities. You have totally uber golden armor that makes you look like a hulking god? Well that could either be magically empowered, nigh-indestructible armor, if you have those powers, or it could be plastic and tinfoil if you don't, looks just as nice, only without offering the protection.

It's the difference between the "real" Batsuit, and the "Cristian Bale" Batsuit, that he could barely move in and caused heatstroke within minutes of practical use. Both look just as good, only one is more functional than the other.

If you want a character that relies on his gear, that's cool, just make the character with the stats you like, and the gear you like, and set him loose.

[Vampill]

I guess it is more on the lines of this. 1.) In CoH I think the costume crafting is a joke. Most of the pieces at the beginning were tough to get and now if you go to the auction house you can get most anything you want fairly cheaply.

These new pieces only enhance your looks and in some cases can be relatively useless. Rocket boots for example... If I don't have a flight type ability or super jump then they are relatively useless. Pieces of equipment like this would have been better suited as a type of equipment that granted limited flight/combat jumpting at a minimal. The wings also without hover or flight are largely useless. Limited glinding would have been nice to add to them just to get some useability out of them.

Any equipment type characters, Axes, swords, guns, etc... Those type of toons that use those would be cool to get some specialized gear for.

As far as enhancing ones costumes we could look at the Incredibles...even they had costume upgrades which gave them minimal protection, bullit proof etc....

I"m not stuck on this idea, but if they don't have some sort of added ability, I'd rather not see clothing as something that can be crafted as it would simply be a waste of time with little pleasure coming out of iit.
Like I said before, I don't want any time of enhancement ability to items or clothing IF it means NOT getting full and complete customizations.

Another reason I brought this up it because it would be nice to see a notible change in the character from costume to costume. In CoH after awhile you get so used to a costume that those extra slots really become meaningless...each costume affords nothing more than a change and after awhile that gets a bit boring.

Also, it seems inevitable that eventually crafting will probably make its way into this game as it did in CoH. IF they plan on doing crafting, I'd much rather drop my line of what I'd like to see before it ends up being like CoH's version of crafting where you waste a lot of time and get little satisfaction out of it. So I guess the real question should have been, IF they were to implement crafting into this game, what would you like to see come out of it?

Once again, I'm not dead set on this idea as from reading post I can see each point that is being made and I can appreciate that. It just seems like it would add another level of flavor to the game.

[Ohoni]

As far as enhancing ones costumes we could look at the Incredibles...even they had costume upgrades which gave them minimal protection, bullit proof etc....

But the way to depeict that is NOT to give players bulletproof costumes, it's to make the CHARACTER bulletproof, and then they BLAME it on the costumes. Because the character has the "bulletproof" ability, their costume is now a "bulletproof costume". See how that works? You don't get rocket boots so you can fly, you fly, and therefore your rockety looking boots ARE rocket boots. If the rockety looking boots don't make sense on you because you can't fly, then don't wear them.

[Vampill]

The problem with that is now I"m bullet proof all the time...I can run around naked and I'm still bullit proof.

I think if Iron Man and his mix of costumes. If he was going to a volcano he'd bring his fire resistant suit. If he was going under water, he'd have his aqua version suit.

Now, I'm not talking about powers here. I'm talking about preparing to engage combat in environmental situations. If I was going to a volcano, I'd want a fire resistant suit. When I change my custome to another look, I"d simply like to have some resistance for it. I think that it adds a special twist to my character without over powering/limiting a look of a costume while givin me a reason to have multiple costumes.

If I am only going to have 1 costume for the duration of my character, fine, forget adding special resistances and I will just be a SUPER like everybody else.

Part of the MMO/RPG portion is imagination and I get that. The other part is using your head. I'd like my character to be able to use his head to survive not just my SUPER powers. I'd like to be able to equip for certain battle before I rush off into them. Even superman has put on a suit or two in his time if he knew there was going to be some cryptonite around.

Also, I think by allowing suiit customizations like this cater both to the PVE crowd as well as the PVP crowd. Normally you have to spec for one or the other. I think some specialized costume slotting would allow for a PVE costume as well as a PVP costume. Plus I also think it adds a new way to feel like you are accomplishing something when you find that special material that can help your outfit be a little more durable and you add it in.

Superman VS Doomsday that just came out. Superman wore a suit that helped him recover quicker so he could get back into battle. Once he put the old suit back on..he lost the benefits of his black suit. He didn't just change back and still had that power..he lost it when he changed.. that I what I want. I don't want to have to slot 'Stamina' to say, 'My suit allows me to use less energy or, My suit helps me recover quicker'

And I realize this is probably just turning into a rant so I will just leave it as is... My biggest hope is that if they aren't going to allow for this type of slotting of costume parts that they don't make costumes craftable. Just give them to me in my character select or let me earn them without crafting because in the end it is just a graphic. Also, the need for mulitple costumes can go away... I will just go back to the tailor if I want to change my outfit because none of the extra outfits do anything but take up space are are useless.

In CoH I only use my final costume because there is really no reason to use the others, it doesn't make me feel accomplished and it doesn't provide any real benefit. It is kinda like have skills but no need to use them.

Costume slotting will give a REAL reason to have multiple costumes and I can stop "Pretending" it does. Plus, I think more people would use these costume slots the same way I would, to prepare for different events and areas.

So, that is my final rant and now I will simply sit back and see what the devs decide to do with the costumes.

[TheFiend]

But the way to depeict that is NOT to give players bulletproof costumes, it's to make the CHARACTER bulletproof, and then they BLAME it on the costumes. Because the character has the "bulletproof" ability, their costume is now a "bulletproof costume". See how that works? You don't get rocket boots so you can fly, you fly, and therefore your rockety looking boots ARE rocket boots. If the rockety looking boots don't make sense on you because you can't fly, then don't wear them.

I agree.. Totally! It's the actual powers that matter... who wants a randomly spawned upgrade pick up that doesn't fit your character model.
If you want to fly then allow all players the option to buy flight (and pay Character points for it) and then give them the option to have rocket boots as a "SIDE EFFECT" or a "FOCUS" for the power... Wanna get crazy? Maybe choosing Rocket boots won't let you fly as fast or maybe it costs more energy to use or something but have a different variable that's better or cheaper to buy.... Kooky huh?
You want a guy that has the ability to shoot lightning... Buy energy blast as a power.... add the special effect lighting so that it looks like lightning... Want it to come from his eyes? Same thing. You want him to shoot lighting from his mace... Make the focus of your powers the mace you carry. Get it?
It's not Fantasy... In fantasy... an elf is an elf... and human is a human... and a mage is a mage. Spells work one way only.... Weapons only do so much damage.
If two elf mages are max level and stats the only difference is their equipment which work very specifically with their abilities as mages and elves.... right?
In comics there is no such thing as this example.... Take away Iron Man's ultimate armor and Captain America's (R.I.P.) Shield and it doesn't make it an even fight. Cap's Power is 90% internal because he is the pinnacle of human excellence....The shield is just that an awesome weapon/defensive tool and it's unique. Take it away and it can't be remade.
Iron Man's power 90% comes from his armor the other 10% is his genius with inventing. Take away his armor and he makes another one.
Now look at Spidey. In the comics he has web slingers as equipment, in the movie it's natural. Either way it fits the character concept and adds to the story..... the semantics don't matter....
In comics it's all about concept and not semantics. It's all about story and evolution of characters through development. As long as the game play semantics and mechanics allow the player to choose what powers they can have (Without class) and how the power will looks in game... Actual Equipment pick ups and equipment itself is pointless. It's just cumbersome. It's a door prize to replace something that should be the mega millions jackpot of the game.

[TheFiend]

The problem with that is now I"m bullet proof all the time...I can run around naked and I'm still bullit proof.

I think if Iron Man and his mix of costumes. If he was going to a volcano he'd bring his fire resistant suit. If he was going under water, he'd have his aqua version suit.

Now, I'm not talking about powers here. I'm talking about preparing to engage combat in environmental situations. If I was going to a volcano, I'd want a fire resistant suit. When I change my custome to another look, I"d simply like to have some resistance for it. I think that it adds a special twist to my character without over powering/limiting a look of a costume while givin me a reason to have multiple costumes.

If I am only going to have 1 costume for the duration of my character, fine, forget adding special resistances and I will just be a SUPER like everybody else.

Part of the MMO/RPG portion is imagination and I get that. The other part is using your head. I'd like my character to be able to use his head to survive not just my SUPER powers. I'd like to be able to equip for certain battle before I rush off into them. Even superman has put on a suit or two in his time if he knew there was going to be some cryptonite around.

Also, I think by allowing suiit customizations like this cater both to the PVE crowd as well as the PVP crowd. Normally you have to spec for one or the other. I think some specialized costume slotting would allow for a PVE costume as well as a PVP costume. Plus I also think it adds a new way to feel like you are accomplishing something when you find that special material that can help your outfit be a little more durable and you add it in.

Superman VS Doomsday that just came out. Superman wore a suit that helped him recover quicker so he could get back into battle. Once he put the old suit back on..he lost the benefits of his black suit. He didn't just change back and still had that power..he lost it when he changed.. that I what I want. I don't want to have to slot 'Stamina' to say, 'My suit allows me to use less energy or, My suit helps me recover quicker'

And I realize this is probably just turning into a rant so I will just leave it as is... My biggest hope is that if they aren't going to allow for this type of slotting of costume parts that they don't make costumes craftable. Just give them to me in my character select or let me earn them without crafting because in the end it is just a graphic. Also, the need for mulitple costumes can go away... I will just go back to the tailor if I want to change my outfit because none of the extra outfits do anything but take up space are are useless.

In CoH I only use my final costume because there is really no reason to use the others, it doesn't make me feel accomplished and it doesn't provide any real benefit. It is kinda like have skills but no need to use them.

Costume slotting will give a REAL reason to have multiple costumes and I can stop "Pretending" it does. Plus, I think more people would use these costume slots the same way I would, to prepare for different events and areas.

So, that is my final rant and now I will simply sit back and see what the devs decide to do with the costumes.

I can see your point and I agree with you somewhat concerning earning your powers and add ons. I don't think costumes are the answer though. I think a universal character point system as experience would allow you to do what ever you want to with your powers and still have the character you want with the concept you wanted. It would also keep the character with in the balance of game play. If you wanted a character with Fire resistance that's great spend some of your points on a level of it and you have it always and by doing so give up a bit of your overall power somewhere else. Iron man's armored suit has resistance to lasers and fire and everything pretty much. Does he have a Volcanic suit? Maybe after years of developing his normal armor to perfection and equipping it with so much stuff that it can't hold anything else. That would be like a bonus high level character respec. that you could chose between as an alternative build for your character when you log in. =)

All the incidents that you are sighting are really situational.... And most times they are story outs for writers not game mechanic fixes.... Cheesy ways of presenting an ultimate danger and then navigating it somehow.... (Who knew Superman had a Power suit just to fight a guy that could kick his ass that he never knew existed? They guy can kick a planet out of it's orbit... what does he need a power suit for?)
Costume slotting isn't the answer for these situations in my opinion.... it was a booby prize that COH/COV added to make up for bad forethought and lack of actual game content and progression at higher levels. The whole Capes are really hard to render thing. Blah blah blah.


Here is another option I would like people to think about:
In the original Champions PnP rules they had a catch all power pool power... It was a power that required you to pay points to buy but that did nothing itself.
It allowed you to put points into a power pool that allowed you to have situational powers (like Green Lantern's ring for example) that could allow you to do anything with in the limits of the points you had to invest. So if you had to fight an Ice monster (Example only please) and "15 levels" of Power pool you could take 10 levels in flight and 5 in armor to get close to the monster's area. Then the next turn you could turn off your flight and take 10 levels in power blast fire to burn the Ice monster while keeping your armor. Let's say you are out of your league and can't hurt the thing.... you could push it all into one big 15 level fire blast or take 15 levels in invisibility and get the heck out of there. Also some powers were not able to be mimicked to ensure balance.
Here's another quick example: Let's say you want a guy that is like the Punisher.... but you don't want a the same gun all the time. You buy a power pool with equipment as a focus. Now you have "equipment" that can simulate a cloaking suit.... or a grenade launcher.... or rocket boots.... just not all at the same time and not with super high levels.... It's a trade between situational reliability and raw power....
How's that sound? That's why I loved Champions PnP RPG because it let the characters be what they wanted so that the stories and villains you fought could be even better and more memorable. Not just some gang of generic loser thugs called "shockers" and "Blasters" on every street corner.