Quality of Life idea: Change Rooms!

Hello.

I came up with this idea because I feel that the current wardrobe and character creation preview systems, while great, still feel somewhat incomplete. And this is mostly because the two sides are not interlinked very well. I thought it would be cool to have a system where we could preview both character creation changes and wardrobe items on our characters at the same time, so we could better plan our customization, and that's when the idea of a "Change Room" came to me.

How it would work:

Basically, what you'd do is implement a change room area somewhere in LA that players can enter freely (or perhaps it could be a building with multiple change rooms, so you don't have too many players fighting for space). When a character enters this room, they can interact with different NPC's (one for character creation and one for wardrobe items like weapons or armor) and then customize their characters as they see fit, including the ability to apply any dye. All changes made to the character can then be saved and the character would take on the desired appearance, weapons, armor and all, and retain that appearance until they either alter it, or leave the change rooms.

The benefits of a Change Room system:

The main benefit of this kind of system would be the ability to see your character with a new look in the actual game world as opposed to the character screen, and because you are previewing both character customization changes and wardrobe items at the same time, along with dyes, it makes it easier to plan your complete look through one easy system. The other benefit is that your friends or peers would also be able to preview your ideas, and in a manner similar to how you'd perhaps present yourself in a fashion store and get the advice of your friends on your new wardrobe selection, you can get feedback from your friends on your customization ideas in game without having to send screenshots, etc.

Additional functionality could also be added, like the ability to save appearance ideas for future reference, or a "wardrobe planner" that tracks your progress on attaining the items used in your preview, until your look is complete.

All-in-all, I really like the idea, and I think it would benefit both ANet and players alike.

Honestly I like the idea but I think it's a bit too roundabout. You're creating an extra layer of inconvenience for me by forcing me to go somewhere specific. I think your idea can be applied just by allowing a preview whilst out of combat for a set time, let's say a minute. Convenient for a quick look at your character but not convenient enough that you could avoid actually using the current wardrobe system.

All in all though a very good idea

@Rawr.9467 said:Honestly I like the idea but I think it's a bit too roundabout. You're creating an extra layer of inconvenience for me by forcing me to go somewhere specific. I think your idea can be applied just by allowing a preview whilst out of combat for a set time, let's say a minute. Convenient for a quick look at your character but not convenient enough that you could avoid actually using the current wardrobe system.

All in all though a very good idea

Hello. I do understand what you are trying to say, but those inconveniences already exist with the current systems. You have to either visit a bank to preview the wardrobe, or an NPC in LA to preview character creation changes. My system would not introduce more inconveniences, so much as just make things somewhat more convenient by marrying the two sides together, with some added functionality.

Also, the main reason I suggested a preview room, is because I wanted to avoid possible exploitation of the system. You don't want characters standing around wherever they feel like, showing off or pretending to have items that they do not. Limiting the time factor can also be seen as an inconvenience, because it will make players feel rushed, and doesn't' give them time to observe their changes or show their friends their ideas if they want, which was part of the benefit of a Change Room system.

Thanks for your feedback though.

@Tenrai Senshi.2017 said:

@Rawr.9467 said:Honestly I like the idea but I think it's a bit too roundabout. You're creating an extra layer of inconvenience for me by forcing me to go somewhere specific. I think your idea can be applied just by allowing a preview whilst out of combat for a set time, let's say a minute. Convenient for a quick look at your character but not convenient enough that you could avoid actually using the current wardrobe system.

All in all though a very good idea

No you don't for just the 1st paragraph.Just hit H and go to wardrobe to preview your gear as you would have the skin unlocked.And for the creation, while yes you have to be at an npc, if you have a total makeover kit on you or a shared inventory you can use that too to preview looks.

@Ayumi Spender.1082 said:

@Tenrai Senshi.2017 said:

@Rawr.9467 said:Honestly I like the idea but I think it's a bit too roundabout. You're creating an extra layer of inconvenience for me by forcing me to go somewhere specific. I think your idea can be applied just by allowing a preview whilst out of combat for a set time, let's say a minute. Convenient for a quick look at your character but not convenient enough that you could avoid actually using the current wardrobe system.

All in all though a very good idea

But pushing H to preview items only lets you preview gear you already have unlocked. It doesn't let you plan ahead with regards to gear you don't have yet. So you'd still end up going to a bank to use the wardrobe either way, in the case where you're planning a new look.

Keep in mind, the idea behind the system is to make it easier for players to plan their looks, so that they can make more sound decisions with regards to what armor/weapons/character appearances to pursue. You don't want a situation, for example, where you spend a few hundred gold on an item you think will compliment your look, only to discover that it doesn't work quite as well as you'd hoped in reality, which is a situation this kind of Change Room system could help avoid. Likewise, seeing a look in action could be enough to encourage a player to work for it, where they might have otherwise simply avoided it because of the fear of regret later on.

One thing I will iterate is that the character preview screen doesn't always give the most complete depiction of how your character will look in the game world once you've geared them up. You can't, for example, preview aura effects or weapon animations properly, look at footfalls, or see how certain types of gear might affect your view or your perception of the environment around you. For example, I've avoided legendary back items for a long time, because I have this impression that if I used them, they'd inhibit my view while playing because of how big they are, but having the ability to test it in game could either confirm or contradict my expectations.

I like this idea!

@Tenrai Senshi.2017 said:

@Ayumi Spender.1082 said:

@Tenrai Senshi.2017 said:

@Rawr.9467 said:Honestly I like the idea but I think it's a bit too roundabout. You're creating an extra layer of inconvenience for me by forcing me to go somewhere specific. I think your idea can be applied just by allowing a preview whilst out of combat for a set time, let's say a minute. Convenient for a quick look at your character but not convenient enough that you could avoid actually using the current wardrobe system.

All in all though a very good idea

Well I finally learn something new that I didn't know damn well existed.I used to go to the wiki and check outfit names and then post the game link from the wiki into the chat and check out the clothing parts I wanted to use... not knowing I could've just damn well do this from the bank wardrobe area.Finally got pieces to aim for to 100% perfect one of my charactersToo bad the one thing I said "I would never need" during Halloween... I kinda want now thoughreally should've gotten those damn Shackles...

What ever did happen to the QoL and update to customization system that they mentioned would be in the expansion?

@Ayumi Spender.1082 said:

@Tenrai Senshi.2017 said:

@Ayumi Spender.1082 said:

@Tenrai Senshi.2017 said:

@Rawr.9467 said:Honestly I like the idea but I think it's a bit too roundabout. You're creating an extra layer of inconvenience for me by forcing me to go somewhere specific. I think your idea can be applied just by allowing a preview whilst out of combat for a set time, let's say a minute. Convenient for a quick look at your character but not convenient enough that you could avoid actually using the current wardrobe system.

All in all though a very good idea

Ah, well, I'm glad that helped you out a bit. It's a pity about the Shackles, but hopefully you'll find something you like in the meantime.

I like the thought, honestly... I always have half-assed previews that come with a risk. I mean... it's nice to see that preview screen, but it lacks proper lightning and zooming options. As such, I find that it would be best to have a way to "try out" different combinations before actually commiting. I might be alone in this, but I burn through transmutation crystals like mad... I'd want to have a "safer" way of preview before I fully commit. It also counts that certain items get "altered" by animations if you will, so a more detailed preview is definitely something I'd love to see.

I have to admit, I like this idea. It's a lot more refreshing than all the housing/fishing/etc, "ideas" that pop up all the time. Thanks OP!

I would like this type of thing if only to find out which armor pieces actually fit together and don't leave a mysterious gap (literal gap) between pieces, which you then end up wasting charges to change.

I think it would be popular.

I like this idea. Too often I transmute a weapon or armor thinking it looks great only to find out it looks weird with skills or clips while moving, etc. The wardrobe is nice, but it would be nicer to be able to see them in action

I would really like a preview that actually lets me see my real character in the real gameworld under real lighting conditions. Because almost all of the time, my character in the little preview window ends up looking totally different than the real result when I apply the change (I mainly refer to dyes here).

I suppose that is a result of various settings in the grafics options like post processing / shaders and such which may not be used in the preview. So I would welcome the proposed change even if it was for just the reason of seeing the real world outcome right away while changing.

May I suggest the inclusion of adjustable lighting, night/day, and backdrops?

I actually really like this idea - different materials will colour differently depending on the lighting, so sometimes a preview screen isn't enough to decide if you think a look fits well. There are also cases where things begin to clip when you begin moving. While a certain amount of clipping is to be expected, it can sometimes ruin an otherwise good look.

I want to be able to walk around with a look before buying it, if possible.

@Nox Lucis.8341 said:May I suggest the inclusion of adjustable lighting, night/day, and backdrops?

Hmmm, that's an interesting suggestion. I'm not sure how difficult it would be to implement in a non-instanced area, but it would be cool to be able to preview your look with different variables, and see things like Sylvari glows or day/night variations on weapons or armor that cycle.

I would absolutely love a 'change room' where we could go and change our skins for free, without needing to use TM charges.

I think the TM charges are an outdated and inconvenient system anyway, but since it's not likely they would delete them or give us an unlimited TM stone for gems, this would be a good solution. Want to change your skins for free? Then you have to travel to X to do it.