Forums » General Pantheon Discussion

Helmet Aesthetics

    • 2756 posts
    May 9, 2022 2:09 PM PDT

    bigdogchris said:

    I follow the super simplistic and easiest method. If you don't like the way your helmet looks, take it off.

    When you get to make things look exactly like you want, hide it, or change it's look with cosmetics it defeats of the purpose of wanting to upgrade your equipment. Not liking something is an incentive to update it. It's really that simple to keep players engaged with your game.

    I agree, but the helmet 'toggle' is kind of a special case. Some people (quite a lot, I guess, which is why it's a 'thing') aren't wanting to hide a helmet until they can find an 'upgrade' because it looks bad, they are not liking the look of wearing *any* helmet.

    Personally, I like to see helmets in a combat situation, but I prefer to see faces better (and for others to see my character's face) when out of combat. I would still be wanting a good-looking helmet.

    I think the issue is more about the social desire (explicit or subconscious) of wanting to see faces, than about the aesthetics of not wanting to see any particular helmet.


    This post was edited by disposalist at May 9, 2022 2:10 PM PDT
    • 560 posts
    May 9, 2022 2:18 PM PDT

    It looks like some might not upgrade because of looks but I equip gear based on stats even if it makes me look silly. It just happens two things are true with helmets. First for what ever reason the designers of games can’t seem to help themselves from making horrible looking helmets. Second there happens to be a toggle to turn them off in most MMOs. If I do happen to have a helmet that looks good I will normally turn the toggle back on.

    • 441 posts
    May 10, 2022 12:40 PM PDT

    With helms, all I care about is hide my helm.

    • 888 posts
    May 13, 2022 10:15 PM PDT

    I like the idea of a 'helmet off when out of combat' option and that being the default. Wearing a helmet all the time isn't fun and it's reasonable that characters take them off when ooc. No one likes helmet funk from a sweaty helmet.  Of course, if we wanted realism, there would be a whole slew of 'helmet hair' hair styles. 

    Any chance characters who use up most of their stamina can get sweaty?

     

    • 2756 posts
    May 14, 2022 1:41 AM PDT

    Counterfleche said:

    I like the idea of a 'helmet off when out of combat' option and that being the default. Wearing a helmet all the time isn't fun and it's reasonable that characters take them off when ooc. No one likes helmet funk from a sweaty helmet.  Of course, if we wanted realism, there would be a whole slew of 'helmet hair' hair styles. 

    Any chance characters who use up most of their stamina can get sweaty?

    I like it hehe.

    But, seriously, yes, it is somewhat ridiculous and unreal that characters would wear their helmets 24/7. They would definitely tuck them under their arm when not fighting. The more this is discussed the more I believe some kind of 'hide helmet' option (with additions like automatically showing when fighting) isn't just a cosmetic convenience. It makes sense, from an immersion point of view, and is in now way in the same league as things like appearing in 'casual' gear when fighting.

    • 888 posts
    May 14, 2022 4:41 AM PDT

    disposalist said: It makes sense, from an immersion point of view, and is in now way in the same league as things like appearing in 'casual' gear when fighting.

    What about casual Fridays? We can all hide our armor and dress as we want on Fridays.

    While the above suggestion isn't serious,  it would be fun to have an alt guild called "Casual Friday" or "Filthy Casuals" that is as casually dressed as possible and plays together once a week. Perfect for people looking for a group that is simultaneously more relaxed and more challenged. 

    • 945 posts
    May 14, 2022 12:02 PM PDT

    disposalist said:

    In a social game, like it or not, worried about it or not, what others see of your character will shape, to some extent, what they think of you, at least initially and then subconsciously forever, unless they know you IRL.

    Even if you don't care, others do, and they will, subconsciously or not, react to some extent as if you are like them and do care, and so interpret your look as if you chose it and intend it to reflect your character or even you yourself.

    This is 100% accurate.  Funny and true story back in 1999-2001, playing EQ with someone from level 5 to 50, chatting at one point we discovered that we were both in the Marines on the same base and that was about the extent of what we knew about each other.  One day walking down a hall, a Marine that somehow looked familiar but I had never met before stopped and looked at me as they heard me say something, and  he said "Darch?" to which I replied "Krull?"  (This was before VOIP gaming, so it wasn't my "voice" that he recognized, but my speech pattern).  No **** true story, we spoke and carried ourselves similar enough to our avatars (which we spent countless hours together watching each other's back on a PvP server) that we recognized each other.  

    Avatar appearance absolutely influences people's perception of you as a player if they want it to or not.  (This is also why I don't like playing female characters when there's a male option - not that there's anything wrong with it... it's just not for me.)

    • 33 posts
    May 24, 2022 3:19 PM PDT

    I like being able to hide the helmet as an option.  I will spend quite a long time designing a character's face and hairstyle, going back and making revisions, undoing revisions, switching between two or three possibilities over and over, in quick succession, before deciding...its probably unhealthy.  But at the same time, I screwed up my character in Destiny bad.  The look I was going for turned out, in game, to look like some Emo Goth who runs around constantly telling people they're conformists.  So I am NEVER not wearing a helmet.  One, because I don't want people to think that I think it looks cool, because what does that say about me. And two, just in case the game goes into an unexpected cinematic and I have to look at "that" face and accept that its me.

    So optional.  But I definitely would love the option.