Armor diveristy and everyone looking the same

[phyx]

I already posted this as a comment in another thread but i think i will get more views by posting it here resulting in more support on blizzards forums:


There is another issue that Blizzard is continuously ignoring but could enhance player experience by FAR, and is easily fixed.
Thats a CLONE issue.

I see there are 3 sets with only difference in color.
They are keeping WotLK system which is totally fail system.
I as disco priest in 277 do not want to look exactly the same as shadow priest in 251. Not to mention there are offset items that look, again, THE SAME so i can be a clone of locks and mages wearing them.
System get 1st set then upgrade it by changing color is a stupid stupid idea and shows lack of interest in player base needs and comments.
Why is that?
Im sure fury warriors dont want to look like tanks, or druids like boomkins. At least they could do is to add a little upgrades that clearly states "i raid HM,or hard content" or something. But just a freaking color. I dont want do wear the same set for 6 months, and im sure most of u dont.

Lemme refer to you to a thread going on EU forums regarding that (there is link in there for US forums too, there already reached volume 4):
Edit: It seems i cant post links until i post a few times but thread is in blizzard forum/cataclysm/ vanity slots gear 2 ( not discussing only about vanity but all kinds of armor diversity, any kind of armor diversity)

We could use all the support we can get, Blizz cannot ignore is players for too long.

[Lugo Moll]

It's been like this since forever.
In vanilla, the non setpieces used the same models as low level greens and blues. In TBC, the non setpieces were either recolored vanilla tier gear or just the same model as the tier gear. They simply don't always have time to develop more than 10 item sets for each tier.

Actually T7 was the only raid tier I can think of where they had unique models for offset gear.

[overneathe]

Sure, instead of bringing us new content they'll try and please you with 10 different armor models for a single tier for a single class.

[tushn]

I'll rather see Blizzard using time, and money, on content then on the diversity of gear apperances. While doing hc/raid/pvp the apperance of the player doesnt give me any extra, but the water effects, how a raid-instance look and so worth are more valuable in my view.

[Brezals]

i dont like the offset looks the same as a tier.. but that is only it, imo

[conscript]

Oh they can ignore your stupid suggestions for a long, long time. They have for nearly 6 years at this point so why start listening now? Your HM gear has unique colorations that is the same as other items of that gear level. That is the distinguishing marker between you and the lesser player in 251. The other noticeable difference should be weapon model. I think that is the real spot where Blizzard dropped the ball as they reused a lot of the same weapon models in different areas of ICC just with alternate glows. Vanity gear is a cool, but awful idea. You do realize everyone is going to end up looking basically the same right? Everyone is going to gather Gear Set X that looks incredible (every Paladin in the game would be wearing T2) up to the point where nearly everyone is identical again.

Btw, have you ever noticed how everyone in the real world nearly dresses alike also? Offense intended, you are probably one of those morons who buys ironic t-shirts from Hot Topic to feel cool, but really you look just like everyone else.

[Excalibur]

Whenever someone is rallying for support from others, i become very sceptical about the intent. And as you dont really present a solution, just trying to rally more whiners to go over to blizzard forums, i conclude that you are a fail whiner....

[Absintheminded]

This goes back to vanilla >.> Classes only had one set per tier, so it was a no brainer that anybody in tier gear looked the same. You should be happy to get different colors per item level.

[smoomin]

Id rather have them make the gear a challenge to get than have it diverse.

[Lugo Moll]

The only solution I could think of was if they scrapped the idea of class specific models on tier gear and simply spent the development time on designing the gear graphics randomly spread out on loot pieces. People wouldn't look the same, but we would have problems with gear looking stupid mixed with other gear.

Think back to Outland levelling gear with random models that don't fit together. Are you sure you want that for raid gear?

[conscript]

The only solution I could think of was if they scrapped the idea of class specific models on tier gear and simply spent the development time on designing the gear graphics randomly spread out on loot pieces. People wouldn't look the same, but we would have problems with gear looking stupid mixed with other gear.

The patchwork issue of BC leveling gear must never return.

[Deleted]

Adding a "recolouring" option at the reforging NPC's may be a solution, but every single person may end up wearing all-black armour sets...

[zelamonster]

I'll rather see Blizzard using time, and money, on content then on the diversity of gear apperances. While doing hc/raid/pvp the apperance of the player doesnt give me any extra, but the water effects, how a raid-instance look and so worth are more valuable in my view.

Except that we spend far more time staring at our gear than any individual piece of terrain, excluding maybe major cities. I understand it's a matter of personal preference, but given the choice I'd take interesting gear and mediocre instance graphics over the reverse.

Of course, right now I'm just stoked that my t11 set is non-ugly. It's been awhile since that happened...

[Philenia]

The patchwork issue of BC leveling gear must never return.

fuck ya it should skittels for the fucking win!
But the off set looks the same as tier is simple why, so it fits the tier-.- so wen your in t11 gear you dont look like a box of skittels.

[Vasti]

I think the coloration is more then enough differentiation between HM raiders and non-HM raiders.
However I do dislike offset pieces looking the same as tier sets.

I think that:
Tier 13 content off-set pieces should be recolored Tier 12 pieces
Tier 12 content off-set pieces should be recolored Tier 11 pieces
Tier 11 content off-set pieces should be recolored Tier 10 pieces

That way, it saves blizzard some work and during a raid tier, off set pieces will actually look different.

[T!tania]

...every Paladin in the game would be wearing T2...

Let them do this then i would still be different 'cause for me it would be T4 or 8,0 (the white one)

I don't agree with Blizz when it comes to that "our artists' work would get ignored if you could choose what your gear looks like" thing.
Let's take the 2 sets mentioned above or even your beloved Paladin T2 as an example. All those sets and other items using the same models are outdated so no one (with a few exceptions) wears them anymore. Their models are Blizzard's artists' work. And they are either forgotten or ignored today. (duh!)

I think if there was a possibility to change the looks of gear, there would of course be a lot of ppl who said "that BC tier set looked so cool back then, lets change my t25 () to look like that", but... what if those changes were expensive, had a cooldown or would require you to do quests... Then the "my gearscore is high, i don't need to look good" ppl wouldn't do it. Make it so that you would only do it if you really really wanted it, not just because everyone does it.

To put that "ignoring our artwork" thingy simple: There are 2 types of players. One who looks at their stats and if the numbers are high enough, everything is fine. That player is ignoring the artwork anyways, may it look nice or ugly, may it be new or old. It's got big numbers which means it's a great piece of gear. And then there are the ppl who actually care about their characters' looks (like i do ) and therefore also don't "ignore" the artists' work as long as it looks good which is dependant on personal preferences. And that's the reason why the few players that actually care about the artwork want to choose which models/skins to display!

[Sackman]

I think what you say is partially and completely true, in a sense of it's true but its not necessarily Blizzards fault or intention for it to be true.

I would favour a system where each class/role get's its own unique items that exist for one expansion - that over the course of the expansion instead of getting new armour pieces you "upgrade" your armour thus changing the aesthetic. Essentially like the PVP gear of WotLK but on a per class/role basis (whichever is more viable, as there is only so much you can alter an armour before people realise armour is armour).

You could upgrade pieces by using tokens and points gained from instances, so to upgrade to the next tier would require the next tier to be released by Blizzard (so you couldn't out gear content in the first tier by spamming forever). Then as you go through the expansion your awesome armoure gets upgraded to look even more awesome, so a warrior tanks armour may become beefier and larger with massive plate adornements and such while a Paladins tank may become increasingly less subtle in its display of holy power, surging with gold light. Holy/Disc priests armour could become increasingly angelic with white aura's while shadow priests could become increasingly dark and shadowy. Warrior DPS armour could become more aggressive while DK dps armour could become more sinister and cold. DK tanks armour could become more murderous and crimson. Shamans armour could become increasingly elemental, perhaps shattering or being consumed in waterfalls for restoration. Druids armour could become more naturey(sic) or balancey(sic), trees and leaves and roots and flowers and the sun and moon. Hunter armour could take on aspects of the main bosses of a particular tier, so perhaps having circling winds about the shoulders from Al'Akir and then add fire to the wind after ragnaros or whatever order and such.

This way, the design team could work really hard on one set of armour making certain all of them look awesome and are pleasing to most people rather than trying to clunk out loads of armour that eventually will just be back peddaling on already released armours. It could even be added on a per boss basis so tier armour is chosen against set pieces and you choose the particular stat upgrade that you want for your tier (so if you want to focus on haste you could choose to upgrade in the direction of haste - and then you look less like a clown for playing towards your playstyle).

This could also make seeing what content has been achieved much easier, perhaps making it so that Ragnaros for example has a flame adornment for his tier of gear and after you have it your armour is noticeably touched by magma or fire.

Just an idea on how individual classes specs could look different with the same or less work on the design team yet with equal or greater positive response from the community.

[HammondQ]

Oh they can ignore your stupid suggestions for a long, long time. They have for nearly 6 years at this point so why start listening now? Your HM gear has unique colorations that is the same as other items of that gear level. That is the distinguishing marker between you and the lesser player in 251. The other noticeable difference should be weapon model. I think that is the real spot where Blizzard dropped the ball as they reused a lot of the same weapon models in different areas of ICC just with alternate glows. Vanity gear is a cool, but awful idea. You do realize everyone is going to end up looking basically the same right? Everyone is going to gather Gear Set X that looks incredible (every Paladin in the game would be wearing T2) up to the point where nearly everyone is identical again.

Btw, have you ever noticed how everyone in the real world nearly dresses alike also? Offense intended, you are probably one of those morons who buys ironic t-shirts from Hot Topic to feel cool, but really you look just like everyone else.

That would be a good thing IMO if everyone had the option to wear any tier they had acquired …..and most people wear Tier X and Y but nobody wears Tier Z ever……….

FIRE THAT A-HOLE WHO MADE TIER Z!!! Make the artist who designed Tier X and Y a Lead for that department.

[Bullet Tooth]

http://wow.joystiq.com/photos/the-da...748149/#748157

THAT.
You see that? THAT is why the "clone problem" started.
I'll take gear that looks the same over THAT any day.

[Alrix]

the offset pieces and weapons need to look different, that's for sure.

as far as tier sets go, different colors for normal/heroic works, but I would love to see a SLIGHT difference in the helm/shoulders for each role set. it would still be the same set and look mostly the same, but you'd be able to see a slight difference by looking at the toon.