The SWTOR appearance customization system is horrid and costing Bioware revenue

[Callaron]

The only issue from your OP that I agree with is the Dye System. When it first came out, I flipped my table in anger at terrible it was implemented and thought about quitting. I cooled off and adapted to it as best as I could but it's been a long wait for my Green and Red Dye (not the Red and Green dye they released to troll me.)

 

Yep, I've never been a fan of SWTOR's dye system - and by not being a fan of it I mean it's the worst implementation I've ever seen of a dye system on any of the (numerous) MMO's that I've ever played.

I quite like all the rest, the adaptive armors and such are indeed very nice when making a new alt - I love being able to avoid the whole "mottley jester" look that you have to put up with on so many other MMO's while you're leveling and all the crap you find doesn't match at all.

The mods cost at max level kinda sucks since they've been creeping it up again each time a new tier of gear gets added; I suspect eventually it's going to result in the same outrageous prices that triggered the initial lowering of mod removal costs.

[OddballEasyEight]

Good viewpoint.

 

Thank you good sir

[Jeweledleah]

I will agree that the dyes could use separate primary and secondary slot to allow mix and match. However, I think dyes should not be reusable. Artificers make already poor profit on them, now if all you needed was to buy one, that profit would be even less.

.

 

the problem with it is that - sure crafted dyes can just be remade over and over. but what about CM dyes? especially ones that come from older cartel packs (not the dye pack) and are completely random whether you'd get it or not. I just decided that I don't like the top I gave to my marauder after all. so I found a top I like better. except I still want to keep her original color scheme... and I can't. becasue the dye I used comes from one of the earlier packs and is literally not even on GTN anymore, because almost no one buys the packs it comes from nowadays. getting it at this point is possibly even more of a crapshoot than black/black or white/white (at least those occasionally show up as direct purchase on CM nowadays)

 

so if we're going to keep dyes one time use only... at least there should be a system in place that allows earlier colors to still be acquirable.

sad part is... its not even a dye marked with a "rare" gold symbol and back when it just showed up, it used to sell for under 50k.

 

P.S. as for character gear... I build individual sets for all my characters. in part becasue I enjoy my alts in their own personalized looks and in part because mailing gear back and forth is a hassle. so far, it hasn't been an issue to keep everyone at least storymode ops/hm flashpoint ready, with main and primary alternate getting better stuff. not that I'd be able to have them share gear even if I wanted to, since I tend to split my attention between different classes rather than several of the same class. to each their own I suppose.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Jeweledleah

[DarthTHC]

You know, I have no qualms or issues getting the look I want on every single one of my characters. If the prices for swapping out mods is challenging for you, perhaps you should learn how to make money in the game. Or perhaps even swap out mods less frequently.

 

Similar answer if you can't handle the price of dyes.

 

On the topic of swapping mods to alts, do you realize that only works if your alts use the same primary and secondary stats? I mean, what good would it do you to swap mods from your Juggernaut tank to your Operative healer? Or from your Commando DD to your Shadow tank?

[AbelNightroad]

You know, I have no qualms or issues getting the look I want on every single one of my characters. If the prices for swapping out mods is challenging for you, perhaps you should learn how to make money in the game. Or perhaps even swap out mods less frequently.

 

Similar answer if you can't handle the price of dyes.

It's really not about the price, it's about the fact that the price really shouldn't be there in the first place. There are lots of other options if they want credit sinks (introducing more ways of obtaining the nifty cosmetic gear than packs would be a nice start). But the look of the character is a very personal and involved thing for many people, and having that gated behind unnecessary credit black holes is silly when there are better alternatives.

 

The bottom line: the way it's set up works well enough, but there are much better ways of doing it.

 

On the topic of swapping mods to alts, do you realize that only works if your alts use the same primary and secondary stats? I mean, what good would it do you to swap mods from your Juggernaut tank to your Operative healer? Or from your Commando DD to your Shadow tank?

 

Obviously. But even then that gives you at least two or three options for characters to use the same set of gear. For an altoholic like myself, that's A LOT of potential credits. My Mercenary, Commando, and Vanguard will all be sharing one Aim DD set, which means they'll also all look almost exactly the same unless I sink millions of credits into them.

[CabelHarn]

I agree with the dyes. I would actually try to get more dyes and across all my characters if the dye system wasn't so awful. Instead I mostly ignore it and only use it on a rare occasion with a character and only after long-careful deliberation that I won't be changing the armor or want a different color for the foreseeable future. If they made them reusable this wouldn't be the case and I'd try to collect them on every character (or if they did it by server on the two servers I play on).

 

I'm not sure I agree with an appearance tab -- not that I don't think it'd be awesome and convenient, but that it'd totally eliminate the money sink of changing mods between gear on a character. Edit: I get what OP said in response to a poster above me, they could add other money sinks or add onto existing ones and that's valid.

 

The only part of the money sink of moving mods around that I think is unacceptable is augmenting and having to augment yet another set of gear. I think they should change it so you augment the SLOT instead of the item that goes into the slot and thus eliminate the cost of getting more augment kits and augmenting more gear. Having said that, I make a lot of money making augments and augment kits so LOL. This would shoot me in the foot and an argument for not doing it is that it would hurt the economy of the game. But I think it'd actually improve their sales of cartel market boxes and outfits because there'd be less investment in changing outfits.

 

I am with the people here who say they pick one look for a character and keep it. And that is a plus sometimes, I want to do that sometimes, but some characters (my main) I have 6-7 armor looks I'd like to use but I'm not going to spend the money / time to augment them all out for something that serves no purpose other than letting me look different when I do love my main look. If the augmenting was t ied to the slot instead of the items we slot into it that would eliminate that completely and I'd use way more of my armor sets.

 

Having said this, I really have no excuse for not being willing to augment kit out other gear even with the expense because I am not poor at all in-game, but my frugality is WHY I am not poor so I don't think I'd be so well off if I just went ape-crap crazy and augment kit'd everything I'd like to use character to character.

Edited February 18, 2014 by CabelHarn

[Aldael]

I would like a more types of dyes? Yes.

 

I think the system is so bad as some people suggest? No.

 

Some here are complaining about cost of changing clothes (armor or whatever you want to call them) is very expensive; first of all, i disagree, making money in this game is very easy (but can be time consuming), so cost is not as high as you could expect.

 

Second, augments and holes are not a must for the game (they are only for high end, pve or pvp if you want to excell at those),so if you want vanity (appearance or efficiency, and this one also need skill) you pay for it.

[alceleniel]

I agree with the OP. The dye system has too many limitations. I always have a color scheme for my characters. My Jedi knight is the shiny white (and a bit blue) hero. After wearing the white Gree armor for a couple of months now, I wanted something different and bought the armor for elite commendations (don't know the exact english name of it... something with verpine). But now I have a problem. Most of the brown parts are just not dyable and so I have a dirty brown Jedi

 

I think a system like in Guild Wars 2 is much much better and wouldn't reduce the possible profit for BioWare. Every armor part has 1 to 3 dye slots and you can buy single colors and dye every single slot in the color you desire. And once a color is unlocked for a character it is permanent.

[branmakmuffin]

It is what it is. Don't like it? Don't do it. It's just a game.

[ItachiZaku]

I agree to an extent. I think the end game is fine, you can reuse some stuff and it does cost you, and it should.

 

Now, coming from UO myself, I loved the way they did things, but at the same time, it goes into your argument that you can build ONE set and be ok. With UO, it was how it should be. Nothing was "BOP or whatever crap. You could use a 6 dex 6 int HCI 15 ring for a year and then fine a 7 dex 8 int 15 hci 4 dci ring and use it, then put the other on a vendor or an auction side. Dye Tubs!!

[tanerb]

yep, dye system is bad. cant get rid of the brown in most outfits regardless of the dye you use

[alceleniel]

It is what it is. Don't like it? Don't do it. It's just a game.

 

I think it is important, that BioWare knows how the players think about certain systems of the game. Only then can they improve the game and make it better (or worse)

[casirabit]

I have 4 level 55 characters and even though my smuggler/operative could share mods why would I?

 

It is not really that difficult to get the mods and stuff just a little time consuming. Each of my characters have their own look and they each have their own mods. They don't share the mods. I have all my characters fully augmented as well.

 

The legacy gear I only use to send new mods to my other characters. I take the time to gear each of my characters so I do not understand the thing of sharing mods. Why would you want to do that when it just as easy to mod each and every one of your characters? You can't share the weapons, earpieces, implants or the off hand so why not gear each and every one of your characters with their own style and their own mods.

 

Once you have the mods in the characters it will not cost you after that. If each of your character has their own mods then you wouldn't have to worry about the cost of taking the mods out and replacing them. This actually makes more sense than sharing mods.

 

I will agree that the dye system could be a little bit better since there are some outfits that not all the outfit is changed when you dye it.

 

But the mods are easier to do than sharing them.

Edited February 18, 2014 by casi

[branmakmuffin]

I think it is important, that BioWare knows how the players think about certain systems of the game. Only then can they improve the game and make it better (or worse)

Whatever makes you happy. One purpose of the forums is to vent, so vent away.

[NoFishing]

It is what it is. Don't like it? Don't do it. It's just a game.

 

Exactly, don't do it. Whatever you do, do NOT spend money on the CM, because you'll just have grind dailies to get credits to re-augment, move mods, and buy new dyes. Absolutely no reason at all to tweak the system.

[branmakmuffin]

Exactly, don't do it. Whatever you do, do NOT spend money on the CM, because you'll just have grind dailies to get credits to re-augment, move mods, and buy new dyes. Absolutely no reason at all to tweak the system.

It's not prefect, but who cares? It's a game. Play it or don't.

[NoFishing]

It's not prefect, but who cares? It's a game. Play it or don't.

 

If you take the time to actually read it, illgot presented a really good argument about why Bioware SHOULD care. But I'll summarize it: improving the system so that changing looks is less onerous on the players would encourage more participation in the CM, and generate more revenue for Bioware. And that is something we should all care about, even if you don't care about how your character looks.

 

EDIT: and anyway, if everyone did as you instruct, there would be exactly 0 posts from players on these boards.

Edited February 18, 2014 by NoFishing

[illgot]

If you take the time to actually read it, illgot presented a really good argument about why Bioware SHOULD care. But I'll summarize it: improving the system so that changing looks is less onerous on the players would encourage more participation in the CM, and generate more revenue for Bioware. And that is something we should all care about, even if you don't care about how your character looks.

 

EDIT: and anyway, if everyone did as you instruct, there would be exactly 0 posts from players on these boards.

 

he's a comedian doing a bit on how useless hipsters are to the improvement of human culture yet still playing the role of an avid consumer.

 

It's the J.Swift of our generation!

Edited February 19, 2014 by illgot

[Floredon]

add dyes to Collection problems solved.

[Themanthatisi]

I agree with the OP.... I would spend way more real money if it was actually worth changing outfits in the game... But it costs some 40k just to change my pants. I am not sure why BW/EA see this as a good thing... A way to change outfits, without swapping around mods is desperately needed.

 

For now, I joined the "Dirty Underware Guild" until we can afford to change our clothing....

[Aries_cz]

I agree with the OP.... I would spend way more real money if it was actually worth changing outfits in the game... But it costs some 40k just to change my pants. I am not sure why BW/EA see this as a good thing... A way to change outfits, without swapping around mods is desperately needed.

 

For now, I joined the "Dirty Underware Guild" until we can afford to change our clothing....

 

Well, think of it this way - you have your pair of high tech combat greaves filled with latest in armor and military technology, and you standard home trousers. If you wanted to get your home trousers to the same tech level as those high tech combat greaves, it is going to cost you a lot of money...

They are not charging you for changing the outfit, but for bringing it to the same tech level

[Arwynn_Davion]

I would love an appearance tab that let me set several different outfits with to having to swap mods. I wish I could easily swap outfits endgame but as has been said before the cost is too prohibitive.

[Andryah]

If you take the time to actually read it, illgot presented a really good argument about why Bioware SHOULD care. But I'll summarize it: improving the system so that changing looks is less onerous on the players would encourage more participation in the CM, and generate more revenue for Bioware. And that is something we should all care about, even if you don't care about how your character looks.

 

EDIT: and anyway, if everyone did as you instruct, there would be exactly 0 posts from players on these boards.

 

Except there is no proof whatsoever that what the OP presents as opinion is in any way materially factual to "costing Bioware revenue".

 

It get it.. he does not like to pay to switch mods in appearance. he is entitled to his opinion and feelings, but that's as far as it goes. He simply lacks any analytics data of any kind to support his theory.

 

You can't have the QQ both ways folks... you can't QQ that they money grub everything from players by force AND then QQ that they are leaving revenue on the table by not submitting to your personal will and desire as a player. Pick a bias and stick to it IMO... either they are money grubbers that suck your wallet dry of real money at every opportunity... OR.... they are inept and leaving money on the table. Which is it?... or does it completely depend on your mood for the day or something?

Edited February 19, 2014 by Andryah

[branmakmuffin]

You can't have the QQ both ways folks... you can't QQ that they money grub everything from players by force AND then QQ that they are leaving revenue on the table by not submitting to your personal will and desire as a player.

I think there's a saying that might possibly apply. Something having something to do with cake. Hmm, not 100% applicable, I deem.

Edited February 19, 2014 by branmakmuffin

[AlienEyeTX]

add dyes to Collection problems solved.

 

This is one part I don't agree with. I think they found a way to keep people spending money on dyes. That's fine. No problem. However, they are discouraging people like myself from spending more money on gear, because I simply do not want to spend the credits it takes to rip out all the mods and install new augment slots. That, I think, is the biggest part of the system that needs to be re-evaluated. Not everybody plays the game for hours and hours every day. It takes time to earn credits. I'm going to spend them on other things than changing gear.

 

I would really like to have multiple sets of useful gear for my 55s. I'd be happy to even spend a little cash on that. However, it's just not going to happen. I have put them in a look and that will be the end of it, possibly for as long as I play.