- UrbanSolder000
- |
- Elder Mythic Member
Poll: Do you want to see this in Halo : Reach? [closed]
Total Votes: 171
Note: Long read
The basis for my idea started when I first learned about Halo 3's armour permutations, but I never fully thought about it until now. In a game as popular as Halo, people need a lot of variety in order to express themselves, and truly be considred unique.
I propose a system that allows to add 'decals' to your player model. This system will feature 3 main types of customization: Simple patterns, Dirt/Scarring and Material Editing. Some more stuff will also be explained later.
Simple Patterns
The first of the customization features is the most simple but probably the most visually impacting. The user will be given a set of basic shapes to choose from, like a rectangle, circle, half circle, triangle, pentagon etc. The user will then choose the parameters of the shape, like size, length, colour (using a colour wheel), transparency and possibly illumination. The user would also be given a set amount of layers that he/she could work with. Using these layers, the player could create a design that is unique on their Spartan/Elite model. If people don't really want to put the time/effort into creating such things, some default designs could be present. Or better yet, designs could be uploaded by the community for other people to use (the user would decide if he/she wants to share it or not).
The user could also decide to customize specific bodyparts, or have an option that makes a layer symmetrical with the other side of the body. The base colour for your Spartan/Elite will be the first layer and the transperancy always be set to 0% (and Illumination to 0%) and the colour of said layer will also be selected by a colour wheel.
If you still have no clue what I'm talking about, this idea is reminiscent of Forza 2's Livery Editor.
Dirt/Scarring
This idea builds on to the simple patterns idea. After the user is done customizing the colour design of their model, they would add battle damage scars and dirt onto their model. This works exactly like the simple patterns idea, only instead of choosing shapes, you choose different scar 'decals'. Some scar types would include: bullet holes, armour chips, plasma burns, fire burns, energy sword chips, dents, fall damage scars, etc. The user could change the scar size (diamter, or length) and the severity/depth of the scar. Now moving on to dirt.
Dirt is a little bit different. Since there are different map types (Desert, Snow, Jungle etc) a player would be given a type of player model. Obviously you wouldn't want Snow residue on your spartan when you're playing a desert map, it just doesn't make sense. So, the user would customize different dirt types. On snow levels, the game would load the player's 'snow model', on jungle levels the game would load the player's 'jungle model' etc.
Some dirt decal ideas:
Badlands -Mud residue, dust residue, sand residue, rust, water residue etc.
Desert - Sand residue, dried salt residue, heat damage residue etc.
Snow - Ice burns, snow residue, ice covering something etc.
Jungle - Mud residue, Foilage stuck to a bodypart, moisture damage, etc.
The user could change the severity of the residue, the size, and the location (the bodypart it affects).
Material Editor
This is the final step to creating your design. This feature doesn't add anything new onto the design, but rather works with the layers you already made in the 'simple patterns' section. This option would change the type of material is applied to a layer. Some standard designs could include such things as metallic paint, irridescent paint, or more dull variants. But what would be cooler if the user could make his/her own material, using a set of paramters like shinyness, reflectiveness, the roughness of the material, and a whole bunch of other things. They would then upload it to the community to use (or can download materials other peolpe have made)
*Blood
Players could add blood decals to their spartan models, adjust the type of blood (Flood, human, covenant), the size of the stain and how visible it is.
But there is a problem
You've spent hours on your design only to go into team slayer and it is overrided with a simple 'Red' colour or 'Blue' colour.
The solution
The player would set a certain layer(s) as a 'team colour indicator' (could be more than one). By default, it would be layer 0, the base colour of your Spartan/Elite. The colour of the team colour indicator layer in your design would be the colour that you set, and it appears in FFA games, but changes to the colour of your team in team games. There could be some sort of system that checks to see if, first of all, you actually set a team colour indicator, and second of all, if it's big enough for other players to immediatley identify which team you're on. I would suggest the layer should cover at least 35% of the player model and the transparency will have to be set to 0%. The illumination on the other hand wouldn't be affected, because your layer could glow your team colour.
But there is another problem
This would, no doubt, slow down the game significantly if it's not limited.
The solution
Have the player use the same system Forge uses. Instead of 'forge dollars', the user would be given 'design dollars' that could prevent some idiot putting on an insane number of layers that all glow different colours. More performance guzzlers (probably the glow idea) would be expensive to use, and other basic shapes will be less expensive to use. The user will also have to 'buy' new layers.
Other cool features
-The player could also add letters, words (no swears, of course), or their emblem/service tag as a 'decal' anywhere on their spartan model.
-The player could change the secondary colour of their visor. What this means is that the base colour will still be orange, but when lit, it could reflect a different colour.
-The player could customize what the colour their shields flare, and what effect is used. Instead of the traditional 'lightning storm' effect, it could be something different, like a bubble shield-esque flare or something else (remember the Multiplayer doesn't have to be canonical).
-Clans would have their 'uniform' as a download if someone wants to join. This would especially be cool in the MLG circuit. The pro players would have matching designs to symbolize their team.
*- Players could have a 'forced uniform' option on for their gametype variants. This means that the person would have to have a design on them when they play on a certain team when the'yre playing the gametype. For Example: Infection. The humans will have their design as they do in FFA, but the zombies might have to be forced to wear an 'infected' design. This combines the blood idea because the infected Spartans could have chips, dents, dirt and blood all over their original design when they were humans. Because they are layers after all, and the infected layers woudl just get 'added' onto the existing design the player had made.
I know this idea sounds insane and it would be crazy if they actually made it, but it would be cool nonetheless.
Thoughts? You're welcome to build on the idea if you want.
* means that the idea is been added from people suggesting on this thread, or from myself.
[Edited on 06.23.2009 1:09 PM PDT]