Character customization in an mmorpg

Game Play & Game Design
#1

Hi!

I’m working on a mmorpg called Blue Saga, here is a gameplay-video of how far I’ve come:

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I am a bit unsure how to proceed when it comes to character customization.

My first idea was to let the player change appearence every 10th level, meaning at level 10, 20, 30 etc you get to choose any monster appearence from a list of monsters you have defeated.

The goal is to have a great mix of player looks and make it more exciting when meeting new people, seeing weird creatures from far away lands.

The bad thing with this system is that you loose your identity when changing appearance completely, for example going from a blob to a dragon.

Another idea is to categorize monsters in families so that you can only choose creatures in the same family as your original creature. But that is unfair to new players who discover newly added monsters and can’t choose them.

A third idea is to let the players look the same but the equipment change like a standard mmorpg, but let players have pets that can be monsters in the game.

Do you have any other idea how to solve this, because the third idea is a bit boring when everyone is the same race, sure you can add races later on like world of warcraft and the others but there will still be very little variation between players.

My inspiration is the anime One Piece, where pirates can be anything from a frog or shark to a troll or dragon.

#2

At the begining of the game you could choose what race you want to be and then, as you said, at level 10, 20, 30 etc the appareance change (something like pokemon evolutions)!

Another idea is to have a few base races and then depending on your stats when reaching level 10, 20, 30 etc evolve into one monster or another!

#3

Thanks for the reply and nice ideas!

Good things about the evolution idea is that you keep your identity and show your awesomeness at the same time. But if I only have a few creatures a player can choose from everyone will still look the same when reaching higher levels. Or should you be able to choose a new creature from defeated ones when you create a new character and start a new game?

The second idea you have is a bit similar to the category idea I had, where you categorize monsters in families and then when you go level up you can choose more powerful creatures from the same family. This is perhaps a good direction, but I guess some loss of identity will occur since creatures from the same family can still look quite different.

#4

Definitely.

Also, you can make an npc(a witch or something) that can transform you from one race to another paying her a lot $$ And pay her again if you want to be normal.

#5

Also, at max lvl you could gain a skill that allow you to change between skins or whatever your “customization” is, at least between the original and one by choice, you could change that one paying gold.

By changing you, change abilities or is only a visual change? :slight_smile:

#6

Why lose the player’s identity with the change? An interesting challenge would be to come up with a way for players to keep their identity even if they completely change their shape.

Story-wise you could have players belong to a shape-shifting species that absorbs traits from other creatures, that would explain all the avatar changes. Or, alternatively, players could be spirits that actually possess the desired creature.

Regarding identity… Let’s face it, most MMOs have you change your appearance drastically with level/gear/cash shop items, and people still retain a sense of identity, because their character builds (and player names) remain the same.

Going back to the shape-shifters that absorb powers/shapes idea, on one hand players would feel that their character is unique if they can combine said absorbed traits as they see fit (unique build), and on the other, maybe players could have a portrait/logo/emblem that rarely changes to identify them.

#7

What about the evil technique?

Mutate your players through ingame events.

That way they can unlock new appearances by experimenting and community.

Just make sure you keep all the mutations secret to make it more fun.

Example:

Fall in acid - Turn into skeleton.
Use a teleporter - Legs and arms swapped around
Eat a dead zombie’s flesh - Become the one you ate

Keep the players guessing, and a community will be built around your game

#8

Wow! Cool ideas, thanks!

I like the last one with the secrets to discover, that becoming a certain creature require certain actions.

And I agree with Oskuru that all other mmorpg let you so epic equipments that in the end you don’t see your original character at all. I also like the idea of implementing the shape shifting abilities in the story, so the players learn that they will be able to change form later on in the game without it feeling awkward.

I am going to make some designs for the world so I know where to place all the different creatures, and then perhaps everything will be more clear as to how all will be connected.

Thanks for the help!