Focused Feedback: Costumes

[The Curator]

Costumes

New Costume Parts

• Added 'Gold Bricker' preset to the costume menu set offerings.

 

Male / Female / Huge:

• Patterns > Chest, Gloves, Hips, Boots > "Bars" (Contribution by @Marbing)
• Patterns > Chest, Gloves, Hips, Boots > "Technopath" (Contribution by @Marbing)
• Patterns > Chest, Gloves, Hips, Boots > "Paragon Protector"
• Head > Full Helmet > "Paragon Protector"
• Head > Hats > "Plague Doctor 1"
• Head > Hats > "Plague Doctor 2"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Plague Doctor"
• Head > Half Helmets > Helmets > "Modern Beret"
• Head > Half Helmets > Helmets > "ACH Helmet Tintable 1"
• Head > Half Helmets > Helmets > "ACH Helmet Tintable 2"
• Head > Half Helmets > Helmets > "ACH Helmet 1-8"
• Head > Half Helmets > Helmet Detail 1 > "Modern Beret Flash"
• Head > Half Helmets > Helmet Detail 2 > "Modern Beret Detail 1-13"
• Head > Floating Heads > Eyeball > "Basic"
• Head > Floating Heads > Eyeball > "Glowing"
• Head > Floating Heads > Eyeball > "Evil"
• Head > Floating Heads > Skull 1 > "Glowing"
• Head > Floating Heads > Skull 1 > "Evil"
• Head > Floating Heads > Skull 2 > "Glowing"
• Head > Floating Heads > Skull 2 > "Evil"
• Head > Floating Heads > Skull 3 > "Glowing"
• Head > Floating Heads > Skull 3 > "Evil"
• Head > Think Tank > Eyeball > "Basic"
• Head > Think Tank > Eyeball > "Glowing"
• Head > Think Tank > Eyeball > "Evil"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 1 > "Basic"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 1 > "Glowing"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 1 > "Evil"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 2 > "Basic"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 2 > "Glowing"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 2 > "Evil"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 3 > "Basic"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 3 > "Glowing"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 3 > "Evil"
• Head > Think Tank > Skull 4 > "Basic"
• Head > Think Tank > Rubber Duck > "Friendly"
• Head > Think Tank > Rubber Duck > "Evil"
• Shoulders > Ornate Skulls > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Ornate Skulls > "Metallic Glow"
• Shoulders > Half Skulls > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Half Skulls > "Metallic Glow"
• Shoulders > Fanged Skulls > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Fanged Skulls > "Metallic Glow"
• Shoulders > Large Fanged Skull > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Large Fanged Skull > "Metallic Glow"
• Shoulders > Large Skull > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Large Skull > "Metallic Glow"
• Shoulders > Ribs + Skulls > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Ribs + Skulls > "Metallic Glow"
• Shoulders > Spines + Skulls > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Spines + Skulls > "Metallic Glow"
• Shoulders > Ilium + Skulls > "Glow"
• Shoulders > Ilium + Skulls > "Metallic Glow"
• Belt > Skull > "Glow"
• Belt > Skull > "Metallic Glow"
• Belt > Fanged Skull > "Glow"
• Belt > Fanged Skull > "Metallic Glow"
• Belt > Lone Skull > "Glow"
• Belt > Lone Skull > "Metallic Glow"
• Belt > Headhunter > "Glow"
• Belt > Headhunter > "Metallic Glow"
• Gloves > "Advanced Clockwork Blaster"
• Various > Clockwork > "Rusted Clockwork" - Texture added to all existing Praetorian Clockwork parts except faces.
• Backpacks > "Tech Knight Quiver 2" - Offset to the right to allow for a holstered bow to rest on the left shoulder alongside it.
• Backpacks > "Clockwork"
• Backpacks > "Rusted Clockwork"
• Backpacks > "Clockwork Winder"

(The capes below require The Mongoose badge for defeating 50 Snakes in order to be used.)

• Capes > Collars > "Mongoose: Snakeman"
• Capes > Collars > "Mongoose: Snakeskin"
• Capes > Collars > "Mongoose: Stheno"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeman (Viper)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeman (Mamba)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeman (Cobra)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeskin (Viper)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeskin (Mamba)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeskin (Cobra)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Stheno (Viper)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Stheno (Mamba)"
• Capes > "Mongoose: Stheno (Cobra)"
• VEATS > Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeman (Arachnos)"
• VEATS > Capes > "Mongoose: Snakeskin (Arachnos)"
• VEATS > Capes > "Mongoose: Stheno (Arachnos)"

Male:

• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1 (High)"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1 (Low)"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1S"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1S (High)"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1S (Low)"
• Head > Detail 2 > "Plague Doctor"

Female:

• Upper Body > Roman Sybil > "Roman Sybil 1"
• Upper Body > Roman Sybil > "Roman Sybil 2"
• Head > Detail 2 > "Plague Doctor"

Huge:

• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1 (High)"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1 (Low)"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1S"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1S (High)"
• Head > Detail 1 > "Sweetheart 1S (Low)"

 

Costume Bug Fixes:

Female:

• Upper Body > Jackets/Sleeveless Jackets > Chest > "Spectrum" was missing and has been added.
• Upper Body > Jackets > Gloves > "Gold Bricker" can now be used with jacket sleeves and trench coat.
• Widow > Pants > "Blood Widow" adjusted texture around inner knee.

Male:

• Upper Body > Shirts > Asymmetric Gloves > "Aeon Tech" right glove should now display properly.

Male, Huge:

• Lower Body > Boots (All) > "Victorian Steampunk (Legacy)" was added to restore previous tinting appearance.
• Upper Body > Baggy > Chest Details > "Resistance Strap" was removed from baggy category as it uses the tights version by mistake (a baggy version does not exist).

Male, Female, Huge:

• Head > Full Helmets > Chitin Helm > "Masks" should now work properly.
  • If you have a lot of Chitin helmet costumes (for those that reported this issue), you can open your .costume files and update the texture path to include '!face_' before the pattern name so it passes validation when loading.
• Upper Body > Tight > Chest Details > "Resistance Strap" fixed 2 color tint for leather and metal detail.
• Upper Body > Jackets/Sleeveless Jackets > Chest Detail > Under > "Void Sanction" was missing and has been added.
• Fixed capitalization typo in "Chaos LEather" pattern name.

[Exiliath]

"(The capes below require The Mongoose badge for defeating 50 Snakes in order to be used.)"

 

This is not a good thing. It's just a waste of time and doesn't even require any kind of skill. It's not even a challenge, it's just a timegate! And it sets a very dangerous precedent for future costume parts. The whole point of Homecoming was to get rid of stupid limitations like this. We don't have to unlock capes anymore, please do not revert back to this archaic bullshitery. Just let us have them, they are already a niche look as it is.

[FupDup]

13 minutes ago, Exiliath said:

"(The capes below require The Mongoose badge for defeating 50 Snakes in order to be used.)"

 

This is not a good thing. It's just a waste of time and doesn't even require any kind of skill. It's not even a challenge, it's just a timegate! And it sets a very dangerous precedent for future costume parts. The whole point of Homecoming was to get rid of stupid limitations like this. We don't have to unlock capes anymore, please do not revert back to this archaic bullshitery. Just let us have them, they are already a niche look as it is.

A bigger issue is that as far as I know, Snakes don't really spawn in Paragon City at all except for a single vigilante tip mission in the level 20-29 range. This can make the pieces annoying to get for "pure" heroes since it's so easy to miss that tip (and the tips are given randomly). I know there's the mission computer SG base item for this but that's an annoying hoop to jump through. 

[Starforge]

1 minute ago, FupDup said:

A bigger issue is that as far as I know, Snakes don't really spawn in Paragon City at all except for a single vigilante tip mission in the level 20-29 range. This can make the pieces annoying to get for "pure" heroes since it's so easy to miss that tip (and the tips are given randomly). I know there's the mission computer SG base item for this but that's an annoying hoop to jump through. 

Swap alignments at Null in Pocket D, street sweep redside for like 10 minutes to unlock it, then swap back. Super easy.

[Exiliath]

4 minutes ago, Starforge said:

Swap alignments at Null in Pocket D, street sweep redside for like 10 minutes to unlock it, then swap back. Super easy.

We shouldn't have to unlock it in the first place, it's a dumb return to a bad time.

[Mystic Fortune]

The new 'glow' option for the shoulder and belt options is not much of an actual glow?

Also, the skull option for the Think Tank head is a bit on the small side?

[Lazarillo]

31 minutes ago, FupDup said:

A bigger issue is that as far as I know, Snakes don't really spawn in Paragon City at all except for a single vigilante tip mission in the level 20-29 range. This can make the pieces annoying to get for "pure" heroes since it's so easy to miss that tip (and the tips are given randomly). I know there's the mission computer SG base item for this but that's an annoying hoop to jump through. 

This is probably the intent of putting it behind a badge that basically any villain is likely to get at low levels: parts specifically tailored towards Villains, which Heroes aren't likely to see/receive.

 

But that doesn't mean I support that intent, either.  As everyone else has said, these pieces should just be open to everyone.  HC doesn't need to go back to the "grind for costume pieces" philosophy that was mostly just used to keep people paying subscription fees, regardless of context.

Edited January 20 by Lazarillo

[Cobalt Arachne]

5 minutes ago, Mystic Fortune said:

The new 'glow' option for the shoulder and belt options is not much of an actual glow?

It will be less noticeable in the costume editor but more so in-game when in dark locations.

 

Try them out in Atlas Park at night and you'll notice the difference.

[FupDup]

49 minutes ago, Starforge said:

Swap alignments at Null in Pocket D, street sweep redside for like 10 minutes to unlock it, then swap back. Super easy.

I know it's fast and easy. My complaint is not time or difficulty, it's immersion. I don't like changing from a paragon of virtue to a genocidal maniac as casually as changing my socks in the morning even though the game allows and encourages it. 

 

My complaint could be solved by adding a few snake spawns to Paragon. Since the tip mission mentioned earlier was a Crey experiment, perhaps some of those experiments could have escaped the lab and found their way into Crey's Folly. Alternatively, since villains are now going to be coming to Striga Isle, it makes sense that some snakes from the Rogue Isles could sneak into a boat and start breeding in Striga. 

[Seed22]

1 hour ago, Starforge said:

Swap alignments at Null in Pocket D, street sweep redside for like 10 minutes to unlock it, then swap back. Super easy.

Or do operative grillo's mish with snakes and boom, snakey parts unlocked. I understand the initial kneejerk reaction, and share in my weariness personally when it comes to things like this, but if future unlocks are just this small and NEVER tied to completing say, a HM TF or a specific TF/arc, then I'd be fine with them.

[Spirit Shield]

Are both Advanced Clockwork Blaster Gloves supposed to open up when in combat? Currently, only the right-hand one does.

[Exiliath]

4 minutes ago, Seed22 said:

Or do operative grillo's mish with snakes and boom, snakey parts unlocked. I understand the initial kneejerk reaction, and share in my weariness personally when it comes to things like this, but if future unlocks are just this small and NEVER tied to completing say, a HM TF or a specific TF/arc, then I'd be fine with them.

Prismatic Aether are a giveaway that things will get worst if we allow this to stand un-opposed.

[Starforge]

45 minutes ago, FupDup said:

My complaint could be solved by adding a few snake spawns to Paragon. Since the tip mission mentioned earlier was a Crey experiment, perhaps some of those experiments could have escaped the lab and found their way into Crey's Folly. Alternatively, since villains are now going to be coming to Striga Isle, it makes sense that some snakes from the Rogue Isles could sneak into a boat and start breeding in Striga. 

This is feedback that is appreciated and I can agree with. Instead of just saying unlockable costume parts are evil, this seems like a rather easy addition to make bluesiders not have to side switch, however temporarily that may be, to get them on redside.

[Exiliath]

2 minutes ago, Starforge said:

This is feedback that is appreciated and I can agree with. Instead of just saying unlockable costume parts are evil, this seems like a rather easy addition to make bluesiders not have to side switch, however temporarily that may be, to get them on redside.

 

But they are evil. It goes against the entire philosophy of Homecoming. Prismatic Aethers are already a huge headache and a mistake in themselves, we should not allow that kind of things to happen anymore.

[Dispari]

Unlockable costume parts ARE evil. Nobody needs to be made to do content they don't want to do. I have over 80 characters and it doesn't matter how quick/easy it is to kill 50 Snakes, that's just a waste of my time no matter how you slice it. HC put a lot of effort into making all costumes and emotes free and available for everyone, and now we're reversing course on adding pointless grind? No. Absolutely not.

And as was said above, this just opens the door for more later. 50 Snakes "isn't that much" right now, but how's it look like when there are 30 different things to unlock from all over the place? With as much forethought as this one had since, as people pointed out, it's basically locked redside.

Another problem I'd like to point out, there's no way to track or learn about this unlock in the game. There's no progress bar, no sign telling you you can earn it. So most people won't even know it exists or how to get it. So it doesn't even exist as an incentive for people to go earn. You won't know it's there unless you read patch notes or a friend tells you. Which is a pretty good reason not to do it at all.

[Seed22]

I meant to ask, is the unlock account or character wide? If account, meh I see no problem. Character? Oh hell no that shit's gotta go.

[Starforge]

Currently it appears the Paragon Protector helmet has a default black color on the neck that can't be changed on male characters. Is there any possibility to have that take the same color as the lower jaw portion?

Edited January 20 by Starforge

[Starforge]

On 11/22/2023 at 10:50 AM, The Curator said:

Male, Female, Huge:

• Head > Full Helmets > Chitin Helm > "Masks" should now work properly.

Not seeing any of the patterns working on this on Brainstorm.

[Sakura Tenshi]

I just want to say, in defense of the unlock choice, it's fine and I think it's a little hurtful people thinking this is going to lead to the dev team deciding to go Ubisoft levels of idiocy with unlock systems. The Mongoose Badge costume pieces might push towards redside, but what's wrong with that? People rarely play redside so here's a new incentive for it.

[Cobalt Arachne]

48 minutes ago, Spirit Shield said:

Are both Advanced Clockwork Blaster Gloves supposed to open up when in combat? Currently, only the right-hand one does.

The Clockwork Blaster setup currently only works for right-hands at this time but we'll be looking into expanding that to both hands.

[Exiliath]

36 minutes ago, Sakura Tenshi said:

I just want to say, in defense of the unlock choice, it's fine and I think it's a little hurtful people thinking this is going to lead to the dev team deciding to go Ubisoft levels of idiocy with unlock systems. The Mongoose Badge costume pieces might push towards redside, but what's wrong with that? People rarely play redside so here's a new incentive for it.

 

The Ubisoft levels of idiocy is already here and it's called Prismatic Aether.

[Sakura Tenshi]

@Exiliath
You can outright buy Prismatic Aether Particles off the auction house. During Halloween you can get about 50 free, more if you have alts. And Aether particles allow you to get NPC appearances that are otherwise impossible for players to recreate (in most cases) due to them not being made with the same base model/skeleton as a player. In the case of some of the premium effects, it basically grants you another aura slot and one based on powersets your character might not have access to.

[Dominoey]

I use the costume editor to help plan out the characters I want to make. It's kind of unhelpful to have options locked away so I can't even plan out the full look and style of the person I'm making. Maybe the inconvenience would be worth it if something notable was being added, but all we're getting is busywork

[Coyotedancer]

Over-all... fun stuff. But I also think that the Think Tanks skull is a fair bit smaller than it ought to be. That head-to-bod ratio makes him look a little more Jojo's Bizarre Adventure than he ought to. 😅

 

And... yeah. Aside from that I'm with others up-thread who aren't pleased at all to see locked costume parts make a return. In a game as much about customization as City is, that was always a bad idea. It was silly when Paragon did it twenty years ago, and it's still silly now. I get that a certain segment of the player population won't be happy until they have a bucket full of things they have to grind for.... But costume parts should not be among those things. Stick to vanity pets, special effects and transformations if you feel like you absolutely MUST add more unlockables and grinder status items to the game.

[Exiliath]

48 minutes ago, Sakura Tenshi said:

@Exiliath
You can outright buy Prismatic Aether Particles off the auction house. During Halloween you can get about 50 free, more if you have alts. And Aether particles allow you to get NPC appearances that are otherwise impossible for players to recreate (in most cases) due to them not being made with the same base model/skeleton as a player. In the case of some of the premium effects, it basically grants you another aura slot and one based on powersets your character might not have access to.

It costs an insane amount of money to get enough Prismatics to even get 1 costume. All of those costumes shouldn't be locked behind anything but Inf at best, and nothing at all would be altogether better! I'm not saying their unlocks are bad, it's the process to get them that is bad. Farming 4 stars? Or a pitance from Giant Monsters and the WTF if you're lucky? That's not the way to do it. That kind of costume is appealing to Roleplayers. AKA not the kind of people who are going to want to bother with 4 stars most of the time. Very little people will bother with 4 stars altogether. Prismatics are just a boring grind, appealing to the wrong crowd, and the fact that this philosophy is (to a lesser degree) being introduced to other costume parts is a bad idea.

Edited January 20 by Exiliath