Skill Effect Color Customization

[Blur.3465]

I have been thinking about this for some time and it's one of the things I'd really love to see as an option in GW2.Being able to dye/change color of our skill effects would be so nice!

Now none of us wants to see bright pink dyed skill effects flashing across our screen etc...but as a mesmer neither do I!...and as a mesmer I'm constantly surrounded with purple butterflies and other purple-pink skill effects which drive me insane, esp as I mixed and matched colors of my character to be blue and black.

What I had in mind was that each Profession could have a set of skill colors which you could choose for them.A specialized palette that would stay true to the profession's uniqueness.

While at it, it would be nice if we could tone down the effects as well. If we don't want to see flashy skills from us and from others, an option to disable those would be so welcome.

EDIT:Having this as an 'option' to turn on/off like with mounts would be really nice so it doesn't visually annoy anyone.It could be obtained in-game from meta achievement or a nice new scavenger hunt where you obtain the 'themes' depending on current storyline.As suggested in the thread below, having Zhaitan's skill theme, Kralkatorrik's etc...to replace the color of your skills and skillbar would be really nice. Again as an option and something you could turn off or on!

[synk.6907]

For some various effects, I, too, have often thought it would be fun to be able to customize them!

However I think that we won't be able to see a system like that, in part to maintain a standard theme to help visualize them. By making, say, sand sades a sand/green necro theme, mesmer wells a purple, guardian effects blue, and things like that then players can more rapidly tell what is happening around them (and around their potential targets). Perhaps more of a WvW/sPvP need than PvE, but I suspect customization would lead to increased confusion.

Maybe I'm wrong.

[Fueki.4753]

@"Blur.3465" said:Now none of us wants to see bright pink dyed skill effects flashing across our screen etc...but as a mesmer neither do I!Good to know, that people like me don't count towards your "us"....and as a mesmer I'm constantly surrounded with purple butterflies and other purple-pink skill effectsAnd that's exactly why I like playing Mesmer.

That aside, I'd rather want to be able to have a second colour option for heal skills, so they can be more in line with their profession's thematic colour.Most heal skills being blue is grinding my gears more than anything else in this game's colour choices.

[AgentMoore.9453]

In a game with serious visual noise problems, I think we're super unlikely to get customizable skill effects as it would make things so much more hectic.

As synk pointed out up there, people rely on the sights and sounds of effects to determine where to stand, friend or foe, and other mechanics. If you thought it was annoying already just trying to squint through people's layered infusions, imagine the frustration of not knowing whether you're dueling a Mesmer or an Elementalist? Imagine trying to PUG through content with a party of people in custom skill colors, dodge-rolling away from a heal because it looks like a flame trap or bull-rushing into an AoE from an enemy because it looks like your party's custom buffs.

Just a whole lot of chaos.

[Blur.3465]

It's exactly why I pointed out that each profession should have a set of its own color palettes to choose from, so that it keeps on a memorable and unique feel of each profession, rather than to make it confusing. :) I am not sure if people read my entire post.

For example, World of Warcraft has introduced a unique questline for Warlock to be able to get Fel (green) fire instead of normal red fire. It also changes the color of your skills in skillbar which I think is quite amazing.

On top of that, as I suggested, 'transparency' of effects is something much desirable as an option so we don't have our screen cluttered with visual noise, as is the problem of the game in general.Flashiness and too much color hurts my eyes, so naturally I crave for calmer colors and less visual noise on my screen.

[Fueki.4753]

@AgentMoore.9453 said:imagine the frustration of not knowing whether you're dueling a Mesmer or an Elementalist? Imagine trying to PUG through content with a party of people in custom skill colors, dodge-rolling away from a heal because it looks like a flame trap or bull-rushing into an AoE from an enemy because it looks like your party's custom buffs.Just a whole lot of chaos.

These problems could be avoided if the colour changes were client side instead of server side.Then only you could see your personal changes and other people only see their own changes.

[Khisanth.2948]

@"synk.6907" said:For some various effects, I, too, have often thought it would be fun to be able to customize them!

However I think that we won't be able to see a system like that, in part to maintain a standard theme to help visualize them. By making, say, sand sades a sand/green necro theme, mesmer wells a purple, guardian effects blue, and things like that then players can more rapidly tell what is happening around them (and around their potential targets). Perhaps more of a WvW/sPvP need than PvE, but I suspect customization would lead to increased confusion.

Maybe I'm wrong.

Not exactly wrong but solutions to the problem you mentioned already exist in the game.

1) The concept of Standard model can be applied to skill effects as well. Anyone who doesn't want to see other people's altered effects can set a similar option which should arrive at the same time as any alternate skill effect implementation.2) The game already has the ability to display different effects for the same skill depending on whether it is being used you versus what it looks like when you see other people use it. A very obvious example is the Flamethrower AA animation. This point is mostly to cover anyone wanting to say "the technology is not there yet".

However if this ever happens it is much more likely to come in the form of gem store alternate skill effects thing which currently seems like a huge missed opportunity by ANet to get an additional revenue stream.

Obviously this would go over much better if you could get some sets via in game options. Maybe a Jormag related collection gets you a bunch of blue themed effects, green/black from Zhaitan, purple stuff from Kralkatorrik, etc.

[Blur.3465]

@Khisanth.2948 said:

Obviously this would go over much better if you could get some sets via in game options. Maybe a Jormag related collection gets you a bunch of blue themed effects, green/black from Zhaitan, purple stuff from Kralkatorrik, etc.

I like that. It would be really nice if we had that option.And agreed that it could be something only YOU could see, or have an option to disable this from other players, same as how they did it with mounts! :)

[AgentMoore.9453]

@Fueki.4753 said:

@AgentMoore.9453 said:Just a whole lot of chaos.

These problems could be avoided if the colour changes were client side instead of server side.Then only you could see your personal changes and other people only see their own changes.

Yeah, that'd be one way for them to do it. I'm usually in full support of optional features. Can't speak to whether they'd do something that big just for clientside or if they'd try to monetize it, but opt-in solves most issues associated with the idea.

[synk.6907]

@"Khisanth.2948" said:2) The game already has the ability to display different effects for the same skill depending on whether it is being used you versus what it looks like when you see other people use it. A very obvious example is the Flamethrower AA animation. This point is mostly to cover anyone wanting to say "the technology is not there yet".

TIL. I did not know that, in playing this game since launch... ha. Neat

[Solanum.6983]

As much as I want it, I don't think they'd ever do it. It's most definitely possible, I imagine it'd work just like dying textures on armor/outfits/mounts by having each skill have a grey scale base texture to be dyed but with it come problems like visual clutter as well as problems in PVP game modes where recognizing what skills are being used is a part of the game.

[Taril.8619]

Could be cool. It was one of the neat parts about later editions of City of Heroes, after they introduced the ability to recolour skills, allowing you to match them to your outfit (As well as also roleplay them as being different skills. I.e. If I recoloured my Earth skills orange/yellow/black I could make them look like Lava instead of Stone. Or if I recoloured my Fire skills Green I could match my secondary skillset that is Radiation themed)

As far as "Muh visual noise!"

1) For PvP/WvW have enemy skills use default colours/"Enemy" colours (Similar to default equipment skins option)2) Add option for "Use default allied skill animations"3) Add option for "Use simplified allied skill animations" (This setting would reduce even current default effects to be less obtuse)