Why Blizzard is so restrictive about customization?

[Shakana]

Some amazing points in there. First you absolutely completely ignore the fact that there are technical issues with the engine, mostly for the color customization, they already talked about how this is a problem in WoW and why they put it in D3 easily.
Secondly you act like there's no choice when there's like 500 mounts in the game, that's a lot of customization right there.

Look I get it, you want a dressing room panel with color options to change everything and play photoshop with your shit. But get out of your bubble for half a second and realize how much customization we actually have, how little there used to be, and how much work making your wish come true would take on top of how little the ROI would be.

It's not an "attitude", you don't make a billion fucking mounts with an "attitude" of being anti-customization.

But got to say even tho it has 500 mounts, most of them don't look super great. And the ones that do, are hard to get atm. I still dont have my second favorite flying mount that is shackled ur'zul. I have tho my favorite mount that is timereaver, but just another drake, just more unique looking and so pleasing to have.
I like all the infernals, and atm i still dont have them, blue i need to hit 350 mounts, that is almost there, and the other 2 don't drop and when we did mythic in legion, went to someone else and never me, the red one. The green only dropped once, and to this day im still trying to get my fav mounts.
Even spirehawk doesn't drop as it's a rare world boss drop, and i can't seem to be lucky so i can use it on my paladin.
On the other hand, i don't want to customize them as well. What kind of customization you would put you know? Na, i prefer how they are.

Transmogs, i would like for stuff to not clip hairstyles only. It feels really bad you liking a hair and a mog but you cant use it cause it clips through. And that's my only complaint. (Okay and maybe when you go change hair, to appear full body + mog, so i can see how it looks like, cause on character creation screen is so much better)

Now, i have an actual complaint to do, i would like housing only for professions. I would also love a library with loads of books you could get and retrieve, and all containing secret lore, or just lore. A player could pass some days just reading it. Instead of watching nobble's videos. I at least love reading, no matter if in game or not. I even discovered on a book in a dalaran stuff about being exiled from dalaran for practicing shadow magic. Those things are so nice.

[CrawlFromThePit]

But got to say even tho it has 500 mounts, most of them don't look super great. And the ones that do, are hard to get atm. I still dont have my second favorite flying mount that is shackled ur'zul. I have tho my favorite mount that is timereaver, but just another drake, just more unique looking and so pleasing to have.
I like all the infernals, and atm i still dont have them, blue i need to hit 350 mounts, that is almost there, and the other 2 don't drop and when we did mythic in legion, went to someone else and never me, the red one. The green only dropped once, and to this day im still trying to get my fav mounts.
Even spirehawk doesn't drop as it's a rare world boss drop, and i can't seem to be lucky so i can use it on my paladin.
On the other hand, i don't want to customize them as well. What kind of customization you would put you know? Na, i prefer how they are.

Transmogs, i would like for stuff to not clip hairstyles only. It feels really bad you liking a hair and a mog but you cant use it cause it clips through. And that's my only complaint. (Okay and maybe when you go change hair, to appear full body + mog, so i can see how it looks like, cause on character creation screen is so much better)

Now, i have an actual complaint to do, i would like housing only for professions. I would also love a library with loads of books you could get and retrieve, and all containing secret lore, or just lore. A player could pass some days just reading it. Instead of watching nobble's videos. I at least love reading, no matter if in game or not. I even discovered on a book in a dalaran stuff about being exiled from dalaran for practicing shadow magic. Those things are so nice.

Things not looking great doesn't mean there's no customization. Customization options are just number of things available to change, even if all the options are crappy that's still a lot of customization lol.

Mounts could have color palette or even changeable gear, bunch of horses and dragons come with armor or naked, it could all be customizable.

Hair disappearing when you put on a helmet is the most annoying thing in the world. I almost exclusively put on helmets that don't make hair disappear, very limited options, a bunch of helmets look great but since it cuts hair off I don't use them.

[Conscious]

Part of it is probably the old engine and heaps of code required.

The other is money. There simply isn't enough money leaving citing customization as their reasoning. If there was you'd have more of it.

[Zephire]

Dance studio or gtfo!

More useless than your own gem, "I don't like you, you brown-noser, gtfo!"?

It's precisely the truth. Customization options cost money. Actiblizzard wants to maximize profit. It is highly unlikely that people will either sub or unsub for the minor customization options the OP is mentioning.

To point these things out epitomizes a useful, pithy response on a discussion forum. It's what I would have said.

Seriously though. They're working on it especially since we, the players, show that we really want customization. Hunting for transmog is also something that keep you playing which is something Blizzard like. I Think it's in their intrest to add more customation. Hell, what hyped me the most about Shadowlands was the promise of more costumization :P My character, my story, let's go!

[Nalam the Venom]

Chest slider, pretty please I need draenei and elves with larger breasts in my life.

[cparle87]

Hair disappearing when you put on a helmet is the most annoying thing in the world. I almost exclusively put on helmets that don't make hair disappear, very limited options, a bunch of helmets look great but since it cuts hair off I don't use them.

Not a WoW specific issue but that has already driven me up the way. When I played SWTOR during the SoO I was left sharing at the screen with shock when my hair completely disappeared when I put on a headpiece that was like a Jedi cloak with the hood up. I'm like "Could you at least leave me the parts of my hair that are visible in the parts the helm doesn't cover? Making me eggshell bald from wearing a hood is sadmode.

[Shakana]

Things not looking great doesn't mean there's no customization. Customization options are just number of things available to change, even if all the options are crappy that's still a lot of customization lol.

Mounts could have color palette or even changeable gear, bunch of horses and dragons come with armor or naked, it could all be customizable.

Hair disappearing when you put on a helmet is the most annoying thing in the world. I almost exclusively put on helmets that don't make hair disappear, very limited options, a bunch of helmets look great but since it cuts hair off I don't use them.

Agree, only of my most frustrating things also as a hunter alt, is seeing Sylvanas with a hood and hair, (even valeera now), try to look a bit the same, but without the hair showing on helms, feels so different and blood elf faces at least, look a bit awkward. Some helms don't cover the whole face and the hair is like inexistent.

I see what you mean, about having color palette. Talking about that, i even yesterday did this transmog beacon, got transformed into garrosh on my female dk and her voice was so much more adult, was still blood elf female doing flirts and all but she had a sexier, adult, voice. I was thinking: The game needs to make stuff to make us feel distinct of others, and not a copy, many voices (different actors/actresses), many hairstyles, etc etc. Really felt so great not hearing such a young teenager blood elf voice...and the voice was echoing, because it's a death knight. So wonderful. Wanted to be like that many times.

- - - Updated - - -

Chest slider, pretty please I need draenei and elves with larger breasts in my life.

Draenei look amazing like how they are tbh xD

- - - Updated - - -

Dance studio or gtfo!

Seriously though. They're working on it especially since we, the players, show that we really want customization. Hunting for transmog is also something that keep you playing which is something Blizzard like. I Think it's in their intrest to add more customation. Hell, what hyped me the most about Shadowlands was the promise of more costumization :P My character, my story, let's go!

For sure it is. We don't like to only do raids, pyromancer once even said, the game is only fun now to hunt mounts, raid and mog hunting. Cause when he logs he has the same feeling as me, that the only piece of content now is raidings and wqs, and m+. There's nothing engaging in the world itself, and only customizations besides raiding and m+, is something people like to do. Customize your character feels great, or something else they could add.

[Nalam the Venom]

Draenei look amazing like how they are tbh xD

Ofc, But Draenei is the only one looking amazing.. Imagine Draenei.. But bigger :O

[Shakana]

Ofc, But Draenei is the only one looking amazing.. Imagine Draenei.. But bigger :O

Hahaha i think they are already too thicc

Blood elves i feel like a teenager, im a woman and adult and i would enjoy to be more adult like than teenager like. Draenei fits me well, but i don't play alliance. Sylvanas and Valeera both adults looking. They are elves regardless.

[Littleraven]

I honestly have no idea. They seem to think that any time they add a system it needs to be the main thrust of the entire expansion and then they leave it behind never to be seen again with very few exceptions. They seem to be afraid to make evergreen content that isn't some marquee thing. They just simply don't see customization as content I don't think.

I would kill for them to just add systems to the world that are low maintenance but just make the world feel more alive. Be that enhanced holidays, player housing, more xmog options. Anything like that. They have the bare bones of some of these systems in place but just don't do anything meaningful with them. I know a lot of people would say they are a waste because it's not "content" but not all content needs to be a raid or dungeon. Hell I wouldn't be mad if they did more dungeons in place of raids so they could maybe cultivate the world a bit more.

[TwoMana]

What do you think is the reason behind them being so smug about letting the player customize thing around and will that attitude of them ever change?

They want to control the look and feel of their IP.

[Lane]

But got to say even tho it has 500 mounts, most of them don't look super great.

A lot of them I don't use not because of looks, but because their run animations are ridiculous. Camels and boars are the first two that come to mind.

Some of it's functionality too. I love the Spirit of Eche'ro mount, but it doesn't fly! There's no reason it shouldn't have doubled as a flying mount.

[philandjims]

I stopped liking Blizzard a long time ago.

[Shakana]

I honestly have no idea. They seem to think that any time they add a system it needs to be the main thrust of the entire expansion and then they leave it behind never to be seen again with very few exceptions. They seem to be afraid to make evergreen content that isn't some marquee thing. They just simply don't see customization as content I don't think.

I would kill for them to just add systems to the world that are low maintenance but just make the world feel more alive. Be that enhanced holidays, player housing, more xmog options. Anything like that. They have the bare bones of some of these systems in place but just don't do anything meaningful with them. I know a lot of people would say they are a waste because it's not "content" but not all content needs to be a raid or dungeon. Hell I wouldn't be mad if they did more dungeons in place of raids so they could maybe cultivate the world a bit more.

For me a dungeon is something really creepy to be in, like when you're somewhere on vacations, and you enter in a cave and find horrible creatures, or a huge dragon like onyxia, a lair. needs to give me that feeling. Waycrest manor if it had more rooms darker and all, you barely could see would be a bit claustrophobic but so nice... god. A Raid needs to be a boss so big i can barely see it. Argus was big, aggra, ragnaros... those bosses are still my favorite. They always make bosses big asf compared when we see them elsewhere, but that's the whole point, it needs to make you feel small asf, and more weak in comparison, that's what gives me the chills. And mini bosses until then can be a bit smaller tho. The world needs more tangible assets, we need more company , i was the other day at mage class hall, and there was stuff so nicely well designed and no interaction is available. Everything is so dead. Same for stuff in the world.

- - - Updated - - -

A lot of them I don't use not because of looks, but because their run animations are ridiculous. Camels and boars are the first two that come to mind.

Some of it's functionality too. I love the Spirit of Eche'ro mount, but it doesn't fly! There's no reason it shouldn't have doubled as a flying mount.

It does fly, they changed all of those type of family mounts to flying-ground. If you go to a flying place, like orgrimmar you can fly.

Came out as possible to fly on Patch 8.1.5.

[Lane]

It does fly, they changed all of those type of family mounts to flying-ground. If you go to a flying place, like orgrimmar you can fly.

:O! Thank you for telling me about this! I usually only pull out the mount in ground-only areas. Yay!

[Shakana]

:O! Thank you for telling me about this! I usually only pull out the mount in ground-only areas. Yay!

Hahah glad you could find out!

[Doffen]

Ofc, But Draenei is the only one looking amazing.. Imagine Draenei.. But bigger :O

Draenei is already nice but the human females in game are more like a real human, got the junk in the right places

[bufferunderrun]

He's not getting 'exactly' what he wants... so he's point at everything as 'almost nothing'

sorry mister blizzard apologist but asking for customization and getting some extra skin tone and few tattoo, that by the way are all pre determined by blizzard so you can't even chose to put a tattoo on a single shoulder won't satisfy me.

Anyway since this thread started you keep flaming, i do understand that you are a blizzard hardcore fanboy and everything they do and say is law but i don't care much.

- - - Updated - - -

I honestly have no idea. They seem to think that any time they add a system it needs to be the main thrust of the entire expansion and then they leave it behind never to be seen again with very few exceptions. They seem to be afraid to make evergreen content that isn't some marquee thing. They just simply don't see customization as content I don't think.

I would kill for them to just add systems to the world that are low maintenance but just make the world feel more alive. Be that enhanced holidays, player housing, more xmog options. Anything like that. They have the bare bones of some of these systems in place but just don't do anything meaningful with them. I know a lot of people would say they are a waste because it's not "content" but not all content needs to be a raid or dungeon. Hell I wouldn't be mad if they did more dungeons in place of raids so they could maybe cultivate the world a bit more.

exactly imho customization has keep lot of peoples subbed more than raid, dungeon and wq all put together same as alts, i myself find more entertained running old content to collect trasmog than doing the last raid.

If they had made the garrison a real housing maybe less peoples had it but also they would have right now another thing that keep player subbed, yes yes it won't have been a gold printing machine but imho more peoples would have and still enjoy it.

- - - Updated - - -

Part of it is probably the old engine and heaps of code required.

The other is money. There simply isn't enough money leaving citing customization as their reasoning. If there was you'd have more of it.

are you joking? let aside the peoples that would stay subbed just to hunt that furniture or pet/mount recipe; if they put thing in the shop peoples would go crazy and spend lot to buy the much like people pay 25 buck for mounts and 10 for pets.

Imho the biggest reason is they want to control the aesthetic of the game especially because if you are able to customize a mount that may limit what kind of reward they can offer (for example thing like the armored beast mount that drop from blackhand).

[Mellrod]

Probably because Blizzard is slow and also there may be engine limitations. We are only just now getting character customization features for humans that give us multiple real world ethnicities other than just Caucasian guy #1 & 2. More variety is coming for Dwarves and Trolls too I believe. I assume different body types and sizes (that aren't just an entirely separate race) have also been talked about internally before. Would also be better to just have sliders, but again, I doubt WoW's old ass engine could handle most modern character customizations unless they overhaul like they had to for the new human face options we saw at Blizzcon.

- We know that the garrison is one of many different iterations of player-owned/managed property that Blizzard has experimented with already on the road to proper housing (the MoP Farm coming before it). So obviously if an official housing feature went live, it would be after many different lessons learned from previous similar features. It's something they've obviously got on the drawing board already.

- Honestly I think the current state of tmogging is just fine. A lot of it's problems for me lie in that a few armor/weapon categories are neglected (i.e. fist weapons, off-hands, wands, etc) and thus should be cross-moggable with other more common items that take the same slot or make sense to be cross-mogged (e.g. fist-weapons should be able to xmog over daggers and vice versa). How much more relaxed should the restrictions be in your opinion? It seems like the only thing they haven't done is remove obvious limitations like being able to mog a two hand mace with a one-hand sword, etc. That would be a little nuts.

- Mount & pet customization is a cool idea, and given that we have a mount equipment slot now, it seems like a step in the right direction, we might end up getting a second cosmetic slot eventually. The problem is they're essentially cosmetic features, as well as pretty minor content, which puts them on the same level of importance (in my mind, at least) as glyphs and updated spell graphics. Given the nature of these ideas it's less likely that they're being complete fun police, and more likely that extra customization & more xmog changes are such a low-priority idea that it's on the back burner. That was their explanation for the Goblin, Worgen, & Belf graphic update, and those were entire race changes. The same logic probably applies even more to smaller stuff like class pets and mount appearances (especially since summoned pets are usually changed with cosmetic glyphs).

TL;DR - With most cool feature ideas that we want to see in future patches, we have to ask ourselves "why couldn't it happen/isn't it being worked on right now?" Your answer is going to be either that it's already being worked on for the future, that it just isn't a high priority feature at the moment, or - in extreme cases - it's challenging (or virtually impossible) to make in WoW's current engine. Proper Player Housing, Xmog changes, & customization for vanity items & spells all fall into at least one of those 3 categories

[Drusin]

there are technical issues with the engine, mostly for the color customization, they already talked about how this is a problem in WoW and why they put it in D3 easily.

Pretty much what I would guess. Don't forget, 2004 game.