Dye System Rehab Suggestion

[sthmnky]

As the title suggests, the system by which we purchase and install dye modules in preset combinations has never been a great system and, as such, could benefit from a few minor changes that would make it a more robust and versatile.

 

As it stands, a player must purchase a dye kit in preset combinations...and I'm just going to say it....sometimes those combinations are atrocious. As an example, If I want a particular yellow...do I really have to have it with purple, green, or some variation of baby-poo brown? There must be a better way!

 

Therefore, I am suggesting a single universal dye module to be crafted by artificers that would contain all the dye colors currently obtainable by the artifice crafting trainer. This craftable device would replace the currently crafted dye schematics, combining them into a single item that allows for the separate application of colors.

 

To describe basic functionally, this item would be installed in existing dye slots. When placed in the slot, it would open a window with two tabs, one for the primary slot and another for secondary. Within each tab would be a grid layout of each selectable color for that slot. For example, instead of having a purple/pink dye and a white/green dye, opening the primary tab would present the option to apply purple or white with a button to apply the selection. Opening the secondary would present pink or green from which to select and apply. Both primary and secondary can be set once per application after this, another module would be required to change either slots color.

 

However, I also suggest that these modules would allow a player to collect colors via the purchase of additional, currently available, dye modules. Those collected colors would be remembered in future repurchased universal dye kits. This would require a slot within the universal kit that would allow you to add colors from a Cartel Market or reputation dye module to the pallet of permanently available colors. So If I had an Honorable General dye module in my current chest piece...and buy a new chest and universal module, I could reapply one or both of the colors from the Honorable General set...as a part of a larger pallet of collected colors.

 

How is this any better than making Dye modules unlockable in collections?.... The primary advantage is in unhooking the many awful color combinations from each other and allowing them to be used in more creative and aesthetically pleasing ways while also not impacting the crafting revenue of artificers or Cartel Market dye purchases. Players would still need to purchase specific dye modules from the Cartel Market or reputation vendors in order to have access to those colors in a universal module kit.

 

While this may seem like a lot of work to implement to some, I feel like I would be a worthwhile improvement to a system that is currently very clunky, inflexible, and sometimes downright ugly. If nothing else from this suggestion strikes one as worthwhile, separating the paired color combinations would go a long way to improving the system.

[Goreshaga]

I'd like to add a tertiary colour slot to the idea, because i hate the undyable gold on some armour sets (like the Shikaakwan Royalty set, i'd love that set if i could actually change all that gold), and i know there are other people who dislike the undyable leather.

[SteveTheCynic]

As described, this would completely trash the CM dye system, since you'd only need to buy and use one of a CM dye to gain access to its colours ratrher than one for each time you want to use it. I think BioWare would probably balk at doing that. How would you propose to address that problem? (Clearly it's solvable, but that isn't what I"m asking. I want to see what you think would be a good solution.)

[JediBoadicea]

As described, this would completely trash the CM dye system, since you'd only need to buy and use one of a CM dye to gain access to its colours ratrher than one for each time you want to use it. I think BioWare would probably balk at doing that. How would you propose to address that problem? (Clearly it's solvable, but that isn't what I"m asking. I want to see what you think would be a good solution.)

 

This is a point that can't be overlooked. Anything that is actually going to mean people can buy less of something to get what they want is almost certainly not going to fly. I think it's a pretty safe bet to assume that it's the microtransactions of the CM that keep the game afloat.

 

But like the OP, I would love the ability to uncouple some of the dye combinations. I like quite a lot of them, but others are horrendous.

 

Perhaps a suggestion that would let people customize more, while also not limiting CM purchases (in fact it might increase them) would be to have two dye slots added to gear. Each dye slot could apply either the primary, the secondary, or the coupled set. When you apply a dye module to one of the slots, it could give you the option to choose if you want to apply only the primary, only the secondary, or both. Then you could apply a separate dye module to the second slot, and get the same options to choose from, only obviously if you'd already applied a primary it would warn you that you are just going to override it, and you'd get the same override warning if you tried to apply both colors of a set.

 

But the above way, you could choose the Primary color from one dye module, and the Secondary color from a separate dye module (or just the primary from one and leave your second slot blank). And to make it happen, you'd actually have to buy two dyes. No, it's not friendly to the wallet, but the game has to sustain itself somehow, and because it would still be useful for crafted dyes also it has a use beyond pure real life currency. And frankly plenty of people (myself included) would drop a few bucks for buying multiple dyes if they could mix and match this way.

[sthmnky]

As described, this would completely trash the CM dye system, since you'd only need to buy and use one of a CM dye to gain access to its colours ratrher than one for each time you want to use it. I think BioWare would probably balk at doing that. How would you propose to address that problem? (Clearly it's solvable, but that isn't what I"m asking. I want to see what you think would be a good solution.)

 

What you have said is true. And I don't have a perfect solution to address this. You COULD acquire two dye kits, one with black in the primary and another with black in the secondary...and in this way make a black/black dye module obsolete. However....could making the dye system feel not so onerous encourage more people to buy dyes off the CM Could this make the purchase they do make more valuable to them? they feel their purchase is more lasting? For example, I am NOT going to buy a dye module for each character each time I regear. BUT...I might be encouraged to repurchase if I know I do not have to do it again on that particular character at a later date. It lends more perceived value to each purchase.

 

This means that I should have stated in my original post that each purchased dye module would only be remembered for the character that purchased it. If I buy the Honored General Dye Module on my Mercenary, those colors will always be available for him when applied to the universal dye kit. However, I would have to repurchase the Honored General Dye Module for any alts I want to use that dye on. That gives us more flexibility as players and (in my opinion) offers minimal impact on CM sales.

 

If I get to keep a color palette on a character I might even be in favor of a small increase in the cost of each CM dye module as compensation.

[SteveTheCynic]

What you have said is true. And I don't have a perfect solution to address this. You COULD acquire two dye kits, one with black in the primary and another with black in the secondary...and in this way make a black/black dye module obsolete.

That's true, although it wasn't quite what I was thinking of. My thought revolved around the question of what happens to the "source" dye module when I use it to create a mix. In partcular, is the source module consumed? (If not, then I can use it as many times as I want on that character to create new outfits, so I don't need to buy another.)

However....could making the dye system feel not so onerous encourage more people to buy dyes off the CM Could this make the purchase they do make more valuable to them? they feel their purchase is more lasting? For example, I am NOT going to buy a dye module for each character each time I regear. BUT...I might be encouraged to repurchase if I know I do not have to do it again on that particular character at a later date. It lends more perceived value to each purchase.

You're not wrong here, but I don't know how the numbers compare, nor how to even assess the relative sizes of:

* The number of repeat sales of less costly dye modules - these would become one per character rather than one per outfit.

* The number of dyes people would buy (per character) for additional characters if your idea was adopted.

 

I have no idea how to estimate the second, and I doubt anyone out here can give a reliable figure for the first. (And of course both are hard to assess in terms of financial impact because of the quantity of not-paid-for-in-money Cartel Coins lashing about. In particular, the dollar loss from losing those repeat sales is likely to be smaller than the number of CCs spent might otherwise indicate. I buy dyes - when I buy them - because I get oodles of free CCs over and above the ones from my subscription, so losing my repeat buys wouldn't cost them anything.)

This means that I should have stated in my original post that each purchased dye module would only be remembered for the character that purchased it. If I buy the Honored General Dye Module on my Mercenary, those colors will always be available for him when applied to the universal dye kit. However, I would have to repurchase the Honored General Dye Module for any alts I want to use that dye on. That gives us more flexibility as players and (in my opinion) offers minimal impact on CM sales.

 

If I get to keep a color palette on a character I might even be in favor of a small increase in the cost of each CM dye module as compensation.

Hmm. OK, so more like a per-character version of the GW2 dye system. That could be interesting.

[sthmnky]

That's true, although it wasn't quite what I was thinking of. My thought revolved around the question of what happens to the "source" dye module when I use it to create a mix. In partcular, is the source module consumed? (If not, then I can use it as many times as I want on that character to create new outfits, so I don't need to buy another.)

 

To answer that thought...Yes, dye modules would be consumed when applied to a universal dye kit. My intention with this system was to create a way to allow us greater flexibility in character customization, without taking away from crafters, needing any form of deep systems reengineering, or negatively impacting CM sales. But thanks for the feedback, I appreciate the conversation around this.