1.2 New armor models!

[MaximusRex]

Here's an open question in regards to that.

 

We always have to balance two things with armor. On the one hand, there's the gameplay requirement of "Make high level, very exclusive armor look like it's unique and powerful so other players can see that at a glance".

 

On the other, there's the aesthetics requirement - to make clothing echo the simple, almost plain looking clothing that's seen on some characters in the Star Wars saga. That led, in part, to orange gear in the game, which allows you to have an iconic appearance that doesn't suggest your gear's statistics.

 

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

As someone who has played high level raid and pvp content in other games, sure, the armor was kind of s status symbol of sorts, back when that content wasn't as accessible. That said, in games I've played where you have more control over your looks, there are of course some people who go in for the latest and greatest, but the majority tend to try to look different, people don't want to be clones of every other player.

 

I think another issue TOR has is they have really placed themselves into a tight spot with having a base character for each class, and trying to hard to bring that character into each armor item.

 

Sith Warrior and Bounty Hunter I think are two classes that exemplify this the most. There is so much Darth Vader and Boba Fett inspired armor its hard to get away from having to be that, yet Darth Vader was pretty unique, his armor wasn't just armor, it was also a biosuit that kept him alive. As a Sith warrior I don't want to be forced into that mold.

 

Boba Fett has well worn beat up chipped paint armor, and almost all BH armor is exactly like that. I'm to much of a tweeker to allow my armor to every get and stay that bad very very long, where are the pristine polished armors?

 

Inquisitor armor looks more like a dress then a full length closed robe like Palatine wore.

 

I think instead of getting into lavish silhouettes it might be better to focus on variety in the basic shapes we see in Star Wars. If you watch Ep 1-3 and some of the side series, you can see there is a lot of variation in Jedi armors, yet at the same time there is a sign of sameness to them.

 

I think focusing on a type of look, and then expanding on that look in more subtle ways might be a better run. Like we have the short Jedi robes, long Jedi Robes, dark colored light colored, robes with armor underneath, closed robes, open robes, long closed robes, long open robes. I think that looking at how practical it would be for the user to wear a item of armor would also be fitting, except for ceremonial garb, most clothing portrayed in Star Wars is pretty practical.

 

Gear looks as a reward might not be a very effective reward for this universe, at least not as much as it is in other universes. It might be better to focus on patterns on more simple shapes then majorly changing the shapes.

 

I will say that I overall like some of the parts of the warrior armors for 1.2, but the lavish horns are a bit much, and also I prefer a robe to Vader style armor, though it would also be nice to see more armor suits that are Vader inspired with no capes.

 

P.S. My Warrior would LOVE a armor set that was vary similar to the armors used by the Sith in the Deceived and Hope trailers.

[JohraTon]

Just because you like steak and I like steak doesn't mean we both prefer a dry-aged cowboy-cut ribeye, raised free range on an Iowan pasture, lightly peppered and grilled over hardwood briquettes.

 

Again, Star Wars has its iconic looks and people expect to see them. They don't have to be as seen in the films but to at least look like they could be put in there and not look out of place.

 

If this game was called Steak Wars and the darkside all ate a "dry-aged cowboy-cut ribeye" in the Steak Wars film then you're damn well sure I'd expect to see that here.

 

Just the same as when I see Star Wars and I am a Jedi, or a Sith I expect to be using a lightsaber and to look like a Jedi or a Sith. By that argument you could do away with lightsabers too and say well its an aesthetic choice and not everyone likes them.

 

This is not just about peoples personal aesthetic choices, it's about what fits and what just looks out of place. If Vader said the Emperor is on his way in the film and he turned up dressed like MC Hammer with blades and spikes attached to his shoulders and knees, people would have got up and left.

[Rhydler]

Great feedback already; thank you for being specific and thoughtful. Keep it coming!

 

 

Mostly I make it either/or for discussion, that's all. It's not a maxim.

 

We hope we're letting you make more choices in Game Update 1.2 (and will continue down that path). That said, there will always be some players, I believe, who want to be able to wear the 'absolute best' or 'most rare' armor in the game - and we want them to feel that its default appearance is cool. Hence, this sort of discussion.

 

I'm leaving the office so won't be as frequent in this thread, but keep the thoughts coming, people. Thank you!

 

Yes this is a long post from an MFA wielding designer.

 

A lot of the problem stems from slavishly trying to fit into the MMO market without really thinking about the integrity of SWTOR. I'm not going to dance around the issue of the "other game". WoW has a very specific art style, and it's be pretty consistent over the years. If you are to list the things that are defining WoW style characteristics, you would come up with a list of things like:

 

1. Outsized and larger than life proportions: what would be in real life would be a two-handed sword is a one-hander. Two-handed WoW swords are another game's battering ram.
   
2. Class defining profiles based on the shoulders. For example, the priest sets with their masks, fountains, wings and so on.
   
3. Races with strong silhouettes. You can tell in an instant which race is which based on size and proportions. No one is going to ever confuse a Tauren male with a Draenai even though they're similar in size.
   
4. Light hearted. Wow can make a lot silly and/or contemporary references or tributes, like Haris Pilton and Sky Captain Swayze.
   

And all of this is embodied in their approach to design and if you've been to Blizzcon and sat in on the art panels you can hear how they have a very specific design philosophy that's been drilled into the design team after the schizophrenic Burning Crusade mess. Looking at this list, absolutely none of them apply to Swtor, and yet we find ourselves with bad imitations of WoW Gear in 1.1 and 1.2.

 

SWTOR has no consistent design philosophy. What there is a bunch of stuff thrown together by a range of people with differing levels of talent. It's like each item in question was evaluated in a vacuum and without regard to the larger context of the game. Half of the zones and gear could be dropped directly into Azeroth. The other half is rooted in the Star War universe.

 

What needs to happen is that the art team needs to sit down and re-list the core principles and philosophies that drive each class (and planet) and translate that into a visual language and make sure that all designs adhere to them, not how cool it looks at that particular moment.

 

So what does this mean in practice? Let's take the Jedi since it's probably the best example of not-getting-it.

 

What people are saying: I don't like off the shoulder tunic, the UGG Boots, etc.

 

A major problem is that this set violates the core concept of a Jedi. You've already got people giving out great keywords such as simplicity and functionality, which help define what a Jedi is, and that also includes eschewing material frivolity, and overt sensuality. Everything about this set is wrong from that standpoint, and add to that someone designed the female set to attract more attention to a woman's hips. Who in their right mind does that? It must be the same male that keeps chopping shirts off at the midriff instead of actually designing looking at, ah, real life sources of post-Victorian era clothing which aren't a Secret if you want base your designs on sensual outfits.

 

Instead of rehashing the-keep-the-designs-simple-and-Jedi-like that people have already done, I will just briefly point out that linings, adding a second tunic (a la Mace Windu), and textures should be the first avenue the art team should explore for Jedi gear. You might think fear that's too boring as a game developer, but the response to this is from the class panel at the Guild Summit.

 

Remember the "SWTOR players already have a very specific idea of what archetype they want to play and no amount of outside interference is going to change that" when it comes to getting more people to play Operatives or Smugglers?

 

It really is okay in the first year of the game to give people iconic looks for each of the classes. Don't run away from iconic Star Wars looks three months into the game. Later on down the line, it will be time to thoughtfully expand on the visual vocabulary on what makes a Jedi look like a Jedi by careful iteration once it's been defined by the team. Other classes have a bit more leeway, but the team should always keep in mind that Star Wars is not fantastical. It has fantastic settings, but it's driven by human scale emotion and struggle.

 

So in this very long post, the art team should not be looking for is what "looks cool", but rather they should be thinking about concepts that fit into the narrative the writers have set up for that particular tier. It should have the wow factor because presumably the story behind the instance is pretty cool to begin with and they're designing gear to fit into that story.

 

For example, if the raid was happening on Quesh, you'd be needing a lot of environmental protection. The design problem, and it's an interesting one, is what does a Jedi wear when the air is pure poison? It would definitely look far less sleek and refined than an Imperial Agent's cutting edge gear set, right? I look at the 1.1 and 1.2 sets and they don't serve a function or reflect the instances that they dropped in. There's nothing tying together a Rakata tier across classes. It also doesn't help the art team that EV and KP have nothing to do with each other thematically.

 

If the art team and writers execute properly, it will be cool because it look like something from Star Wars, fits the story behind the instance, and still suits the core concepts behind the class. The problem is that they way things are so all over the place right now, we'd be getting gear from this theoretical raid instance that would look like it was lifted off of Grobbulus and processed through Tron.

Edited March 31, 2012 by Rhydler

[Raansu]

Personally...I think the new sentinel armor looks terrible... I like my robes. I just wanted an option to remove my hood sometimes...I also wish the belt wasn't rapped around the robe but was on the inside like it should be and that they would fix the shelf butt thing going on with the robes.

[Kendaric]

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

For me at least, aesthetics trump gameplay by far when my character's looks are concerned. In every MMORPG that allows for any type of appearance customization I've basically never displayed high level items.

 

Armor needs to look functional, not plastered with spikes, horns, blades and huge pauldrons (shoulders). This is where the current endgame armors in SWTOR fail, there are a lot f NPC outfits and even "white" outfits on planetary vendors that look really good and star warsy though. A lot of the gear found while leveling looks good as well and not overdone.

Making orange gear viable in endgame is a step in the right direction, however we definitely need to have every green piece available as an orange version (some seem to be missing).

[FrostyDroid]

Here's an open question in regards to that.

 

We always have to balance two things with armor. On the one hand, there's the gameplay requirement of "Make high level, very exclusive armor look like it's unique and powerful so other players can see that at a glance".

 

No, ditch that idea completely. No one cares. Cool is not needing fancy gear to show how cool you are.

 

On the other, there's the aesthetics requirement - to make clothing echo the simple, almost plain looking clothing that's seen on some characters in the Star Wars saga. That led, in part, to orange gear in the game, which allows you to have an iconic appearance that doesn't suggest your gear's statistics.

 

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character?

 

No need. Just focus on lots of customisable gear, irrespective of stats.

 

Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level?

 

No, not in the slightest.

 

I would rather not be able to tell level, or class, based on gear.

 

You worked on CoH: this game needs to take a similar approach.

 

Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

Aesthetics always trump gameplay. I wear weaker gear to get closer to the look I want.

Edited March 31, 2012 by FrostyDroid

[-Scopes-]

i like the new armors personally...i know some may look a bit off to some players...but all in all i like it i just worry that rated stuff wont be augmented meaning we cant use them and instead are forced to use regular orange critted stuff to get the best stats

[Vishuz]

Looking for feedback on what players want their gear to look like? here's a big hint, Empire side on the server I play on, people pay HUGE credits for Saber Marshal's (lvl 10-20) pcs and Supreme Inquisitor's (mid 30s lvl) pcs. Assassins grind space missions to get Black flight pants so they dont have to ONLY wear skirts. Most BH wear the Mandalorian style armor from Taris (lvl 30+) heroics. And many Juggernauts wear the hooded lvl 40 PvP set.

 

Please for the love of all things holy, stop making Empire gear in Pastel and Neon colors, it's laughable that someone thinks that fits the theme of SW. Does the player base really have to explain to you the majority of Empire colors should be Black, Grey, Red and Chrome?

 

 

There is something seriously wrong with the concept that "Hey that guys a lvl 50, I can tell, he's wearing all Rakata, and looks EXACTLY like the other 50 people walking around in the fleet that are his same class"

 

You guys have a lot of nice gear models on NPC as well as crafted and looted Greens, greens no one will ever wear, why? because they are greens.

 

Please make ALL crafted, looted and buy-able gear RE-able to Oranges. and fix the mods so they carry over the type (light, med & hvy) as well as the set bonuses, so we can slot into whatever we choose and not all look exactly the same.

Edited March 31, 2012 by Vishuz

[vincent-]

"The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?"

 

OH BOY!

 

Let me tell you how people will want to dress as they want a bum, a classy person, a worn beat soldier, a merc looking like he needs every edge, a wise man not looking to stand out, an operative looking to blend in, a teched out cyborg that had little to show for humanity, anything really.

 

End game doesn't have to look end game. I have a lvl 50 bounty hunter and the supercommando gear does not reflect the way I want to look.

 

What I imagine is a merc who looks beat up torn and scorched marked armor (tank) besides the worn look. I should look as there should not even be an opening for any attack. The case being a sealed suit that stops gas, laser, Shrapnel, shock proof armor.

 

What I see in these up coming gear is not star wars to me spikes and goofy looking items on those pieces does not make sense?

 

Would any smart swordsman have anything like that on their armor that drastic at least? If the spikes are bigger than your thumb than it's already a problem for the fighter if logic was thrown in. I mean when I look at the warrior the first thing I would do behind one would grab those horns and spin him right into some fire pit or wall and blast him for being stupid enough for me to easily grab his head.

 

Same with the shooters nothing should be in the way with movement you're either not going to fall over like a turtle or nothing gets caught up with your weapon and your gear getting stuck.

 

I know none of these apply as they don't effect us at all but logically it's stupid looking there is being flashy and there is being easy pickings for the well I tried club.

Edited March 31, 2012 by vincent-

[Costello]

What I would like to see is Maurader armour that isn't a skirt after level 32. Currently and I hope this will change in 1.2 there is very little orange gear available before 32 and after it is mostly skirts and chests. Which are very important but I haven't found any orange boots that are knee high and when you go small boots with pants it can look very odd and just plain wrong.

 

Speaking of Pants the options for Imperial Agents is also very stange. They all seem to have a strange waist band that runs round them and often as not odd colour knee pads. It would be nice to have a single colour (maybe Imperial grey) so as to make it look imperial rather than like a court jester.

 

So from a personal point of view I would rather have the choice to have high end gear that looks basic but in keeping with the character. If my Star Wars Story has a character wearing Obi Wan style robes at level 50 (I am sure he was level 50 when he wore them) it would be great to have this option. Likewise I really like the low level Maurader look of around level 20 to 30 with normal size shoulder pads, pants and high boots. But come level 33 even with Orange gear I have a real hard time not going silly shoulderd and skirts with small boots.

[Regault]

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

I think if you'd gone with the Corellia/Belsavis tier armor models for the original endgame gear (Primeval Vindicator, for example.) it would have pretty much met players' expectations for what raiding gear should look like. The Rakata and Campaign sets essentially feel like you jumped straight to Tier 10 raiding sets. The Primeval jedi gear has small shoulderpads with shiny scrollwork you'd expect for "fancier" Jedi gear.

 

 

I think the issue mostly arises from the armor model squish that happened in late beta. October-Novemberish a lot of great armor sets and appearances either disappeared from the game or were relegated to random green only. I assume that what happened is that after the forced low-res textures change was put into place, the developers decided to remove any armors that looked indistinct and didn't "scan well". Unfortunately this lead to most characters wearing what used to be 40+ armor from level 25 on. In particular, Troopers now jump directly from the cloth uniforms of Ord Mantell to an armored look with heavy shoulderpads. Beforehand there were several sets in between that looked like a single armored plastron strapped over a uniform and got progressively more elaborate until you hit the shoulderplates look around Balmorra(Republic).(Some of these are currently still in game as level 10ish random greens. Heavy Breastplate, for instance.) Likewise the Jedi Guardian had a few chests that were essentially the Centurion sets without the shoulderguard and backpack that were quite appealing.

 

 

My personal issues with the armor in game can be summed up as the following, in order of priority:

 

A: Massive shoulderpads. They should stay in WoW and Warhammer 40k. Probably most of the sets in the game people hate would look quite decent if only there was a "hide shoulders option." If you want to make people look more epic, get more elaborate with the textures. Put a dragon or flames or something embroidered on a Jedi's robe Japanese Biker style. Put grenade pouches on Trooper gear. Give smugglers a flowing Kamen Rider style scarf or split short-cape.

 

B: Guardians/Juggernauts looking too similar to Sentinels/Marauders. Guardians are heavily armored, Sentinels get two lightsabers. Those are their things. When you make Guardian armor identical to Sentinel armor, you're robbing the AC of its cool factor. Guardian armor textures should imply armor plating. The difference between the Guardian and Sentinel Centurion PvP sets is a good example of how to do it with textures.

 

C: Lack of color in Trooper armor. In Beta, trooper armor was shabby green, bright blue, gunmetal grey, a large assortment of colors. Now most trooper armor is "white with a secondary color as trim."

 

Personally, if you guys have an archive of old builds, and can look back to one of the builds on Revan last Summer (HE600ish) for the armor models in the game at that time, and find some way to bring them into the current game, I'd be ecstatic.

[MustrumRidcully]

Here's an open question in regards to that.

 

We always have to balance two things with armor. On the one hand, there's the gameplay requirement of "Make high level, very exclusive armor look like it's unique and powerful so other players can see that at a glance".

 

On the other, there's the aesthetics requirement - to make clothing echo the simple, almost plain looking clothing that's seen on some characters in the Star Wars saga. That led, in part, to orange gear in the game, which allows you to have an iconic appearance that doesn't suggest your gear's statistics.

 

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

I want to look good first, powerful second. If at all.

 

Roleplay-Wise, Many classes have in-built reasons why you may not look like some superpowerful, important person. A Smuggler will want to go in-cognito often- but still be well protected. A Jedi will probably often prefer modest clothing. A Sith Juggernaught may want to look as intimidating and notable as he can, but a Sith Assassin may prefer subttility And it could still sometimes be the other way around, depending on what kind of mission/quest you are

 

At no point does anyone want to intentionally wear weak gear, but at many points, simple looking clothing can be very desirable. Aside from that - spikes and all that are not necessarily looking good or impressive. They can just appear silly and impractical.

[Vishuz]

"The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?"

 

Obi-Wan was wearing common Tatooine clothing, Uncle Owen and many other characters wore something similar, it was hardly a Jedi 'Uniform', he was hiding out in the back waters of the galaxy and trying to blend in with the locals.

Edited March 31, 2012 by Vishuz

[eisteh]

When it comes to clothing most of the Sith/Jedi players probably just want to look the way Sith/Jedi do in the movies most in the times. They were simple black / brownish robes with black/white tunics below it. Some pants... Most people wouldn't even care about what's below, it's just that they want a robe and a hood. Period.

 

Why would I care what others think about my equipment? If I'd like to wear a pink shirt and I could wear it, I would do so. If others think I'm low level or badly equipped because of that, so be it.

Giving constructive feedback about (mostly all) the high end gear so far is very hard... I just thought I'm playing Star Wars and not some animal, ninja or samurai game.

 

I'd bet that there's something for everyone in the game so far that they really liked but had to drop because they advanced in the level. Having the posibility to customize almost ALL items we get with mods would be the best way to give everyone a chance to look they way he wants to.

I'm still afraid, even with the mod changes, that I won't get the simple black robes I (and many others) want so badly..

[lmcvann]

I am really pleased you guys have finally realized that we need more 'iconic' armor choices in the game. Like many others I watched the class progression videos pre launch and picked my class from there due to how they looked and what the did.

 

I wanted to play a Maurader, REASON: In the video it moves from the base warrior tree to the Marauder tree and he has some awesome looking black robe with a hood, WOW

 

Thats how they should look, but what do i get, dresses, i was so dissapointed, and at 50 I can look forward to spikey shoulders, Not what i wanted.

 

Some of those armor models must already be in game, PLEASE just release them, they wont need more designing.

[Jasa]

On my consular I'm still using social I set (with headpiece hided) because that is one of best looking sets I have seen. It's still little too fancy and I would like to remove few things from it, but still I like it and I'm planning to use it even after level 50 (39 now) so I don't really care if people can't recognize my level from my gear.

 

To be honest I can't remember game where I have seen as ugly gear as in swtor. They don't feel like star wars and they don't look practical. I wish you would keep it simple. Like for sentinels/consulars something along side robes seen in movies for guardians more armored version of it. Ability to change colour of those simple robes would be nice too. Maybe something from kotor? If I could I would get something like Atris' robes from kotor 2 for my consular.

[Deesasther]

To be honest I can't remember game where I have seen as ugly gear as in swtor. ..

 

I can, it was called neverwinternights 2. I really hoped bioware had learned something from it.

[Ashuraman]

All advanced classes should have their own individual look with armor sets. Not just different colors.

 

All armor sets should be designed around the species. (i.e. Tauren, Forsaken, Worgen, etc. like blizzad does in WoW)

 

some pictures:

 

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs19/f/2007/244/9/4/Sith_Empress_by_namesjames.jpg

 

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100615163921/starwars/images/5/5d/Sith_Legacy.jpg

 

http://monsterscifishow.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/starwars_sith.jpg

 

http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/b/be/SithStalkerArmor-TFUUSE.jpg

 

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20081202053633/starwars/images/e/e3/Sith_trooper_concept_art.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XdP6Lp2ceqY/SwTSznfyTyI/AAAAAAAADgs/eeScgGc-qt4/s1600/altair.jpg

 

http://reignguild.net/gallery/plog-content/images/star-wars-the-old-republic/concept-art/timeline08_malak_revan.jpg

Edited March 31, 2012 by Ashuraman

[Twin]

Here's an open question in regards to that.

 

We always have to balance two things with armor. On the one hand, there's the gameplay requirement of "Make high level, very exclusive armor look like it's unique and powerful so other players can see that at a glance".

 

On the other, there's the aesthetics requirement - to make clothing echo the simple, almost plain looking clothing that's seen on some characters in the Star Wars saga. That led, in part, to orange gear in the game, which allows you to have an iconic appearance that doesn't suggest your gear's statistics.

 

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

 

How about installing an appearance tab? -Give us the option to hide pieces of armor (Like Helm now) if we want, and give us the ability to wear whatever we want as appearance.

 

Remove the light/med/heavy restrictions from -Appearance- armor -and let them drop as crafting schematics from pve and purchasable from pvp vendors. Let us craft them without any stats, They are just for appearance to be worn over the pieces we are actually "using".

 

If inspected, the info should still show what the player is truly wearing.

 

Imo this could only be good and contribute alot to immersion between players.

 

//Twin

 

PS. This might very well have been discussed before, and if so i appologize -Dont have time to browse through the forums right now =)

[Elear]

Oh boy, I'm happy you've finally directly asked players for opinions.

 

One, rather important point is - if everyone don't want to wear/show something, then it doesn't matter how it looks. Of course there are people that wear and show that 'not-liked' gear, se we can't just asdsume there is noone that likes them. But in general, if most of players don't want to wear silly looking headgear, it's better to make it plain, as players wouldn't display it anyway or move mods to something else.

 

I agree with balancing issue, howeve in few cases, it goes far too far from iconic appearance.

 

With armor for jedi classes, you could stick to variations of robes. Yeah, I can't think of many ways this can be done, but then I'm not very creative.

 

There are also issues for headgear, where possibilities are very limited. One way, is to give them special '/use' or '/toggle'. Hood with cloak with hood up/down(this option should be avaible for everyone, but item itself is added cloak to any gear without it), full head masks with ability to open mask part, Smuggler big hat with ability to shift it to back, etc.

 

Or just improve existing low level gear. Once I've found some googles around lvl14, only headgear I've shown on my smuggler ever since(just don't like other hats during leveling). JK headbands have some potential, but they are almost invisible. Simple robe/vest with certain pattern/decoration.

 

Or, with gear dropping from bosses, boss based one. It may still look silly, but at least there is reason for this.

[Forgon]

We'd prefer to see links to inspirational sources, rather than "Make it look exactly like this". That gives the artists ideas.

 

With that said, we've heard the requests for some sort of community interaction on future armor sets, and we're looking into that.

 

I actually made a thread for this exact purpose.

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=353344

 

If we post inspirational ideas here and let the artists of the community add their own flare and style to armor for future armors, I assume that you and the developers would be able to look at the community for what we want for our aesthetic pleasure a bit easier?

[Kyrel]

Darth Can Opener and Darth Purple Twigs were the two things that sprung to my mind after seeing the new Sith Sorcerer designs. I guess in the end sorcerers (and Sith Empire in general) are better off than Jedi Knights who seem to have got their head stuck on a toilet seat.

 

While one could argue that what does it matter when I can put the new endgame gear mods to what ever robes I want ( and I will ), the fact remains that these designs ( even if some are pretty neat) do not fit the setting they are being introduced into.

 

When I first picked up the game I was hoping that my Juggernaut would closer to endgame have to possibility of resembling Darth Malgus ( who has an amazing looking suit of armour just to point it out), and turns out I will resemble more Darth Cactus. I was duly disappointed when I saw the new 1.2 armour designs, they look like something that fell of the Dragon Age art departments desk rather than Star Wars.

 

One of the coolest outfits you can get in the game for Sith Juggernaut is the lvl 40 pvp set. It is modest but yet very menacing. It also has very much iconic Star Wars feel and it looks like you mean business.

 

If you want elaborate and impressive designs visit those, or the Voss Mystic robes. Very intricate yet lore faithful designs.

 

As for the marauder gear I would love to see more black robes and pants like in the original character progression video. Currently having to end up in a red skirt and armour pads that make leaving the room impossible make feel ridiculous not an agile lightsabre wielding terror. The look also makes me think Imperial Guard too much. Less pauldrons. More Black Talon marauders robes.

 

I'd also suggest revisiting the designs of KotOR in general. The grand masters you encoutered had layered stylised robes. Things that made me feel like a Jedi ( or Sith, depending how I wanted my Revan to be that time around playing the game).

 

There have been some very good suggestions through out this thread.

 

What I'd like to see is the ability to resemble the Key NPCs and the characters from the movies. While I do understand wanting to keep their look unique, I would like to see one day my Jedi Shadow to have something similar as Satele Shan or my Jedi Knight in same armour/robes a Ven Zallow or Master Dar'nala. The cinematics in general have excellent designs and looks.

 

Below a few links to looks that I find fit more the Star Wars 'Verse, Old Republic or otherwise.

 

http://rpggamer.org/uploaded_images/darthnihilus.jpg

 

http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/3/34/Kreia_art.jpg

 

http://media.moddb.com/images/mods/1/13/12870/revanscreenshot_01.jpg

 

http://www.fanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Darth-Maul.jpg

 

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/244/9/4/darth_caedus_2_by_lordscythican-d2xski9.jpg

 

http://images.wikia.com/swgreatgalacticwarrpg/images/4/4f/Jedi_no_hood.jpg

[EATtheDEAD]

Here's an open question in regards to that.

 

We always have to balance two things with armor. On the one hand, there's the gameplay requirement of "Make high level, very exclusive armor look like it's unique and powerful so other players can see that at a glance".

 

On the other, there's the aesthetics requirement - to make clothing echo the simple, almost plain looking clothing that's seen on some characters in the Star Wars saga. That led, in part, to orange gear in the game, which allows you to have an iconic appearance that doesn't suggest your gear's statistics.

 

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

you could make the over exaggerated armor still but as you said give orange sets that represent star wars. not just iconic. not everything has to be iconic. there is plenty of star wars lore and clothing/armor in the expanded universe that could be used.

 

i think one of the main things for the majority of the playerbase for swtor is that we are star wars fans and also mmo fans. some more then others. have regular jedi robes or plain black sith robes would be fantastic to us.

 

we understand you guys hold WoW in high standing in take their approach on a lot of aspects of the game, but the over sized out of this world fantasy style armor doesnt really fit. (darth baras for example) maybe its also cause he is so obese.

 

i would wear a plain black set of robes for my sith warrior from lvl 1-50 and beyond if it was available. I dont like looking like a cyborg darth vader flunky 24/7

[Neopopulas]

The problem with anything, and its always going to be the case, is that you can't make everyone happy. I like simply things, i do NOT like things that look like they are from WoW. Oversized weapons, oversized armour. I know that it makes them easier to see but i do not want huge horns on my sith, i do not want massive shoulderpads.

 

I am also kind of sick of wearing a skirt, almost no sith in any fiction has worn a skirt and yet my maruder has had to do so for dozens of levels because medium armour seems to be all about the skirt.. I just wants some pants and/or a proper robe over the top.. no more skirts/dresses please. Tunics and robes are the way to go, like in all the movies, cartoons, pictures..

 

I know this probably has been mentioned and its not really the idea of the thread since its a logn way off but i would kill for cosmetic options. LOTRO has had them for awhile now and that means i could take ANY piece of armour, no matter the stats or whether it is light or heavy, and allow it to be how i look and my stats can stay good. I can have an imperial uniform for my Operative for when she is in town, i can have pants and hooded robe on my sith, i can wear the good looking armour and not the one with the huge shoulderpads and massive, ridiculous cape.

 

The key i think for most of these things and for most people is SIMPLE and not over the top, exaggerated. huge shoulderpads and things like that, those are things i don't think we want to see anymore, simple robes, cool cloaks, awesome hoods and masks and so on.

Edited March 31, 2012 by Neopopulas

[Meigs]

Here's an open question in regards to that.

 

We always have to balance two things with armor. On the one hand, there's the gameplay requirement of "Make high level, very exclusive armor look like it's unique and powerful so other players can see that at a glance".

 

On the other, there's the aesthetics requirement - to make clothing echo the simple, almost plain looking clothing that's seen on some characters in the Star Wars saga. That led, in part, to orange gear in the game, which allows you to have an iconic appearance that doesn't suggest your gear's statistics.

 

The question is, how do you balance that? Arguably Obi-Wan's robes in Episode IV are very 'low level' in appearance. Would you want to see that as an armor set for a high level character? Would you not be concerned that players would see you as low-level? Or do aesthetics trump gameplay for you?

 

I'm here to play "Star Wars" not "Gear Wars".

 

I think the v1.2 improvements in our ability to put "end game" mods (and therefore stats) into any orange gear is wonderful. I also believe that as a result, you will see a significant increase in the number of level 50 players wearing "simple brown robes". They are, after all, THE iconic jedi outfit.