Changing character order is alright, but how about changing character backgrounds as well?

Carbonised · September 2018

While I'm glad you're finally making us able to change character order on the selection screen, how about taking it one step further, and enable different landscape backgrounds on the selection screen as well.

Currently, the selection screen shows your character along with their personality, armor/outfit/costume etc, as well as your selected mount and pet. The background, however, remains the dull old Bleakrock snow setting for EP, desert theme for DC and Auridon landscape for AD.
Several ideas have already been tossed around, how about making the landscape reflect your race instead of your alliance? How about changing the backdrop to reflect your main residence house, or the zone your character last logged out of? The latest Chapter you bought and installed? There are plenty of possibilities, but I think that after 4 years it would be nice to see some change on the selection screen, instead of being stuck with the same 3 starter islands landscapes that have been outdated for years now.

Main screen music changes with chapter, main screen background changes with every DLC, and our characters change with every new pet, mount or outfit we use on them - can we get the possibility to change the character selection backgrounds as well, either for different predetermined ones, or entirely customizable ones?

@ZOS_RichLambert @ZOS_RobGarrett @ZOS_GinaBruno

Ydrisselle · September 2018

Great idea. I want to add the option to select from a pool of them, so my high elf could keep Auridon, but my Khajiit could use Grahtwood since my main house is there...

HidesFromSun · September 2018

Carbonised wrote: »

While I'm glad you're finally making us able to change character order on the selection screen

Really?! That's great, where did you find out?

Carbonised · September 2018

Derlfak wrote: »

Carbonised wrote: »

While I'm glad you're finally making us able to change character order on the selection screen

Really?! That's great, where did you find out?

There have been forums posts about it, as well as a recent ZOS presentation on PAX confirming it.

Ydrisselle · September 2018

Derlfak wrote: »

Carbonised wrote: »

While I'm glad you're finally making us able to change character order on the selection screen

Really?! That's great, where did you find out?

It was mentioned on Twitch as a feature for Update 20.

HidesFromSun · September 2018

@Carbonised @Ydrisselle

Thank you both for the replies, the community has been asking for this one for years, so im glad it's finally being implemented

HidesFromSun · September 2018

@Carbonised @Ydrisselle

Thank you both for the replies, the community has been asking for this one for years, so im glad it's finally being implemented

Carbonised · September 2018

Derlfak wrote: »

@Carbonised @Ydrisselle

Thank you both for the replies, the community has been asking for this one for years, so im glad it's finally being implemented

It's a nice enough change, but I think they should take it one step further and look at more character selection background options as well, since the starter islands have been outdated a very long time ago, and since all my characters are EP, it's really putting the "bleak" back in Bleakrock.

pauli133 · September 2018

More character selection screen dioramas!

Clear a zone (pathfinder achievement?) - unlock a diorama!
Clear a dungeon - unlock a diorama!

Really, there so many awesome settings in this game that would make for awesome dioramas. Each of the refuges would be a killer backdrop in its own way. And the master anglers should probably get one, too...

Beardimus · September 2018

I like the "the old Bleakrock snow setting for EP" I don't think it's dull, you are being over dramatic. But I respect the fact you are passionate about this topic that im not interested in, as long as I can keep Bleakrock, fill your boots!

Runs · September 2018

While we are at it...

How about an option to have the same character select console users have, for players who prefer gamepad mode. Granted it's a small annoyance but having to put down my controller and switch to mouse when I change characters is still annoying.

Merlin13KAGL · September 2018

While having it display background based on current location would be interesting enough, and the diorama unlock idea is, as well, do you really linger on the character select screen long enough for this to matter or warrant development?

Carbonised · September 2018

Merlin13KAGL wrote: »

While having it display background based on current location would be interesting enough, and the diorama unlock idea is, as well, do you really linger on the character select screen long enough for this to matter or warrant development?

Do you really linger enough on the character selection screen that it warranted implementing the functionality to change character order? Apparently it did, since they just did so.

No, it's not a "huge" thing, but not everything has to be "huge". On the other hand, I also assume it would be easy enough to implement a feature where the engine selected from a set of predetermined stock backgrounds, such as 1 for every overland zone, or 1 for every home - which would show a default version of your selected home with default decoration, for instance.
We're not exactly talking about something that would take up a huge amount of man hours, but something that would be a nice feature and upgrade, just like character position swapping is something that was a nice little feature.

SilverIce58 · September 2018

pauli133 wrote: »

More character selection screen dioramas!

Clear a zone (pathfinder achievement?) - unlock a diorama!
Clear a dungeon - unlock a diorama!

Really, there so many awesome settings in this game that would make for awesome dioramas. Each of the refuges would be a killer backdrop in its own way. And the master anglers should probably get one, too...

I personally like this idea the best. There are so many awesome places that we should give our characters the chance to stand in.

Barring that, my idea would be to have racial backgrounds. A Murkmire-like swamp for argonians, a volcano for dunmer, a traditional castle for Bretons, a forest for bosmer, some kind of Cyrodiil for Imperials. They practically make themselves.

AlnilamE · September 2018

pauli133 wrote: »

More character selection screen dioramas!

Clear a zone (pathfinder achievement?) - unlock a diorama!
Clear a dungeon - unlock a diorama!

Really, there so many awesome settings in this game that would make for awesome dioramas. Each of the refuges would be a killer backdrop in its own way. And the master anglers should probably get one, too...

Make it Master Explorer and you got a deal!

Runs wrote: »

While we are at it...

How about an option to have the same character select console users have, for players who prefer gamepad mode. Granted it's a small annoyance but having to put down my controller and switch to mouse when I change characters is still annoying.

That does sound annoying. I hope they do implement your suggestion.

Lyserus · September 2018

Better yet, let us take screen shot from in game and use them as background

Tandor · September 2018

It's just a character selection screen, and the simpler it is kept the less time and fewer issues that will arise from loading it.

lagrue · September 2018

I'm totally down for changing backgrounds too - I don't mind the current Alliance based environments, but it would actually be cool to have a selection of some 20-30 screens to put your char on. Though to be honest I think this is way too much vanity and the chances of seeing it are slim to none.

I am still glad we're getting to move our characters around the list, because I'd love for my guys to be lined up so I can have all my elemental mages first - sadly I didn't have Ice Mage once upon a time, because no Warden, and put other characters between my other mages. Reordering will please me.

iiYuki · September 2018

Steady on there! It took us nearly 4 years for a basic feature like re ordering our character list, you cant re-colour mounts AND implement features at the same time.

MLGProPlayer · September 2018

Merlin13KAGL wrote: »

While having it display background based on current location would be interesting enough, and the diorama unlock idea is, as well, do you really linger on the character select screen long enough for this to matter or warrant development?

Texture detail has been updated substantially in all the DLC. Backgrounds from the DLC zones would serve as a nicer advertisement of the game's graphics to new payers.