Costuming: Head/Detail 3: Neck

[Techwright]

I'm not suggesting new neck features.  I'm suggesting a retooling of the costuming categorization system which hopefully will distinguish neck items into their own category, and possibly provide greater creative options as a result.

 

Currently under Head/Detail 2 we've got several lower face items such as beards, mustaches, gas masks, and cybernetic jaws, but we also have things like the Jester neck ruff which is clearly a piece for the neck.

 

In addition, if we move down to Upper Body/Shoulders, we have our standard assortment of shoulder/bicep coverings, but then we also have things like Bowtie and Spiked Collar, again things that are strictly neck features.

 

I'd like to suggest retooling to add Head/Detail 3, or perhaps Head/Neck Detail, and under it move all the neck features currently in other categories, including the Ascot wherever it is.  I've lost track of it, which just goes to show the need.  Having all neck features in the same category will make them easier to find.   [EDIT: Found it!  Under Upper Body/Chest Detail along with a host of other items that should probably be "Head/Neck Detail" as well.]

 

It is also my hope that in creating Detail 3, this releases these features from blocking others in their current category.  For example, I currently can either have a beard or a Jester ruff, not both as they are restricted by Detail 2.  With the proposed solution, I can have the Jester ruff and add either a Handlebar Goatee or a Van Dyke for a more interesting look like that of a Shakespearean jester.   Likewise, I could take Heavy Gold Chain or Spiked Collar, currently limited by the Upper Body/Shoulders category, and add my choice of them to one of the spikey shoulder features for a more bad-to-the-bone look.

 

To head off one concern, there are features that by nature cross over multiple locations on the body:  Head/Detail 2: Reaper and Head/Detail 2: Breather 5 for examples.  The former shows a swath of cloth covering the lower face and neck, the latter showing a breather mask with a tube running to a chest-mounted filter.  For items like these, I'd propose that they be placed on the bases of where the focus of the item is.  In each of these examples, the focus is on covering the mouth and nose, so they'd remain as Head/Detail 2 items.

 

Lastly, though I cannot recall any specific items, if there are any other categories having listings that seem out of place, I would suggest a re-evaluation for them as well.

 

[EDIT #2:  This suggestion implemented would likely clear up some other confusion as well.  One currently can have a Upper Body/Shoulders/Bow tie at the same time as they have a Upper Body/Chest Detail/Bow Tie.  Hopefully, we could get one bow tie option, under Neck Detail, and still keep the Polka Dot variant]

 

Edited April 14 by Techwright
Additional info added

[Player2]

As I understand it, that would require creating a new attachment point onto the character model for these items to be attached.  Yes, these things already attach to those areas but under the Head/Detail 2 and Shoulders positions.  Think of it as an action figure with a hole in the figure for each costume category that we have.  You can only put one item in each hole.  Creating a new attachment point isn't as simple as drilling a new hole into an action figure, though.  It requires coding to recognize what goes in that new spot, and then retooling everything else that uses costume slots (players and NPCs) to recognize that new location.  I'm not sure what the limits of this are, but I know that doing so posed challenges for the original dev team on live as a restriction for why we couldn't get winged characters with trench coats or any other loose flowing cape-like costume piece... because those pieces typically occupied the cape attachment point.

 

But maybe I'm wrong and there's potential for workarounds like when they gave us asymmetrical boots, gloves, and shoulder items.  Maybe the could split the Head Detail 1 and Detail 2 slots the same way, and designate specific items in each of the split categories... like all neck items in Detail 2b and everything else from Detail 2 into 2a.... while Detail 1 could be split into face and head, so anything that covers the face and eyes could go into 1a and everything that covers the ears or other areas of the head could be 1b.  Or maybe just duplicate the entire lists so if you want both a mustache and a specific beard option to layer over each other, go for it.  Safety goggles AND hockey mask?  Why not?

 

Anything that creates more options is a plus in my book.  I just don't know how feasible it is to do so.

[Glacier Peak]

If this gets me the Arena headset paired with a neck cover, I'm down! 

[Techwright]

@Player2, thanks for the constructive feedback.  Your description makes a certain sense, though why the original team put these items in at least 3 different categories does not.  Had they all been in a single category, I would have grudgingly acknowledge it.  And the two bow ties, with different variant choices at that, just seems to confirm (IMHO) that the process was not handled correctly.  But I do accept that we might have an action figure with only so many attachment holes, as you describe.

 

I do like your comment regarding using asymmetrical to resolve the issue, or at least work around it.  I'd not considered that possibility, though I'm not sure how it would work for the Upper Body/Shoulders category, since we already have it for each shoulder, unless it can be extended to a 3rd for the neck.  Hypothesizing, since I've no idea of coding, an asymmetrical chest detail option might allow for something else I've always hoped for:  main chest detail and pocket chest detail side by side on most any chest piece except jackets.