Descriptions

Here is the general basis for my idea.

Take other graphical MMOs. You get all this badass armor for your character, but you look like an idiot with all the color variations and armor not matching up. Enter Lord of the Rings Online fixing this and bringing to us the outfit system. In one tab you have all the armor you wear that actually provides stat bonus etc, and then another tab that you can place pieces or armor and/or clothing and then dye said pieces to the color that you desire and walk around actually looking like a badass.

Now, I feel we come to a similar problem here in LotJ. Combatants or anyone interested in increased stats, run around looking for all these sexy pieces of equipment and put it all on, and then sometimes they’re limited to how varied people can look. Sure you can buy a piece of armor that covers you completely and then restring it, but most of the time those re-strings aren’t really an accurate description on how you look.

For instance, you see someone running around thusly: A Figure in Katarn Class Armor. Okay, what does that describe? He/she has katarn class armor on. That’s in. Not very descriptive is it? Enter clothing descriptions, (maybe cdesc for ingame if ever conceived).

So now, you take the same person: A Figure in Katarn Class Armor. You take a look at them. NOW you see a fully fleshed out description of how there armor looks, from the way the helmet is design, to the cut of the armor down to the kind of boots he/she may wear.

But wait Falcon, hasn’t this been suggest before? You would be correct, but not only do I suggest this for people in restrung armor, but for people not in re-strung armor. People without re-strings, would allow people to see two types of descriptions. First, the physical description describing the features, body type, etc that is mandatory with all characters.

I propose a second description that could be seen in lieu of equipment. IE pertaining only to said outfit and clothing being worn that does NOT have to match what they are actually wearing that gives stat bonuses and what have you. The only things that may need to be mentioned would be backpacks, holsters and weapons.

A new command of course, would need to be enter, maybe look <name of character> eq that bypasses the description and looks at the equipment, allowing people to see just the mandatory description and the normal layout of equipment a character is wearing that you see today.

This new description system would be completely optional, though if done correctly, a very nice RP tool. Or at least I like to think so.

Rip apart, dissect, and blow up to your hearts content fellow MUDers.

Easier version: put in a layer 3 fabric so people can make no-benefit items that go OVER the stat cloaks, the stat boots, et al. It would take ~30 seconds.

I can’t introduce new code for this feature, but we can adjust what we’ve got to accomodate at least some of your suggestions, DCLXVI. Some layering changes have already been implemented on the new port, which would address some of it. If you are participating in the player test, you’re welcome to discuss the new system here, and we can build on it if desired. DO NOT reveal item names or locations.

I mean to work the laying as shown below, and if I’ve got the order mixed up, correct me.

Layer 1: occassional undergarment pieces like socks or boxer shorts. Or… lingere, whatever. These are mud-items, mostly for RP value.
Layer 2: Player made clothing (These have your hit point bonus)
Layer 3: Hr/Dr bonus items, quest armor. These are mud items that are found in the game.
Layer 4: Player armor items if applicable (2 wear locs only). Player made.
Layer 5: Clan uniform items/coats and cloaks

Was Tattoo layering fixed?

What I’d propose you do is:

Layer 1: Tatoos.
Layer 2: occassional undergarment pieces like socks or boxer shorts. Or… lingere, whatever. These are mud-items, mostly for RP value.
Layer 3: Hr/Dr bonus items, quest armor. These are mud items that are found in the game.
Layer 4: Player made clothing (These have your hit point bonus) <- Put CLAN UNIFORM items here. I.E. Senate Cloak.
Layer 5: Player armor items if applicable (2 wear locs only). Player made.

Jewelry and Comlinks would have to fit in somehow too.

I actually expected some member of the staff to give the usual "If you gear up with twinked out armors, don’t expect to look original. We aren’t going to give twinks that foothold."

I always considered it an intentional ‘issue’, so that the people who cared more about roleplay would have to make statistical sacrifices as far as their twinky gear is concerned to look how they want for their roleplay. Wouldn’t giving all the wearlocs another layer for general use just be removing that restriction?

It comes down to whether or not you want to level the playing field in that way. I suppose the biggest benefit would be to players who want to be able to run with the twinks and win, and still focus a lot on roleplay. The twinks, as it has been so far, are likely the last to care what they look like, so I suppose it’s really only be resricting that one group that wants to roleplay along with it.

Twinks are RPers too, and this game is (ideally) an even balance of RP and PK. If someone wants to gimp themselves for RP’s sake, all the power to them, but to punish the people who are just doing what they’re supposed to do? That’s just silly.

Ah yeah. Tattoos. That’s a layer.

1. Tattoos (mud made)
2. Socks, undergarments, etc. (mud made)
3. ???
4. ???
5. Player Armor
6. Clan EQ

Hr/Dr eq can be layered over player clothing (which logically it should) or it can be layered beneath it. All of the Hr/Dr and Quest armor MUST fit in this one layer, and all of the player clothing MUST fit in the other layer level.

Actually, it would look kind of silly for mud armor, like gold-plated leg guards, to be layered under a pair of slacks.

Jewelry is layer 0, and can’t be layered over.

Clan EQ will not go under the same layer as player clothing. I opened up the layer especially for clan eq to allow players to don their EQ and appear, for RP value, as a part of the team even if their real armor isn’t ready. (Clan EQ has essentially no stat bonus except for the over, and even that’s only equal to a piece of fabric).

Player armor is fixed in it’s current position on the chart. We can’t put anything over it, and clan EQ is no exception to the rule. In the case of the helmet, the player can choose to wear the clan eq (no stat bonus) or a player crafted helmet.

One thing that I will not do is add additional layers that players can make clothing for unless you all want to give up the bacta bonus that fabric currently gives.

The code prevents player made clothing from fitting over the clan eq. I just tested it out for good measure. Sorry.

The over layer of the clan EQ can be made with normal fabric and work like normal fabric. The over wear loc is unique in that a layer 1 over can ‘cover’ all of the armor. A layer 1 over, however, can not cover a layer 2 over.

Players who want to masquerade as a member of a clan can make the boots, the over, and any other clan items. Depending on what you make them out of, they won’t really layer the same, but the look can be achieved. It would be advised to make the items out of armor when called for.

To be clear, the setting that causes clan boots to fit over armor boots can not be duplicated by players. It is not the layer of the fabric which determines the layer of the product; It’s the command used.

As a side note: Clan EQ is wear-controlled by clan and rank. There are 4 – 6 uniform overs for the military and 4 – 6 overs for the navy, with an increasing amount of stars on each one. When you’re first join, you can wear a 5 star jacket, for example, and as you gain promotions, you can wear the 5 star jacket. Yes, any schmo can create their own 5-star jacket. The authentic one will only fit over a person who is of the correct rank and clan type.