Ability skins

sindalstar · June 2019

So here's a thought, that I mostly have for my warden but for the other classes as well.

Q: Would you be interested in the availability (either through earning it in game or paying for it) to have the visual effects of your abilities change.

The reason I ask, is because Warden has this 'Dunmer' problem where all their skins are dunmer inspired.
Fungus, the beetles and cliffboys, vines, (and ice for some reason).

Now, I know this won't really work for a lot of classes because Ice is...well, ice. You can't really change how ice looks that much unless you make it SPOOKY DARK ICE or something. But tossing out the ideas:

Warden: Oakheart abilites (More foresty, maybe a hircine wolf theme or a dryad creature theme. Be lethal snowwhite up in here)
Templar: Meridia's fury (More firey than light, hues of red etc) or daedric light (Much darker looking abilities, gloomier particles, the spiear turning into a glave or something more vicious)
Nightblade: Moon hunter (More of a silvery moon assasin instead of the dark blacks and reds) or RIPTIDE (Maormer themed piratey, swashbucklery kinda rogue nightblade)
Sorceror: Dwarven inventor (changes your spells to be more sciency and more electricity based or dwarven, getting some rad dwarven summons)
Dragonknight: Uuhhh...wait so their theme is stone and lava/fire and scales (And poison sorta). How about...Well, the only thing I can think of is to replace the very 'dragony' theme with that of another large imposing creature and model it after that. What that creature is is beyond be but...maybe an ash titan? Inno. Imagine just being the lord warden. Maybe the giants...
Necromancer is so new but uh...Maybe zombies instead of skellingtons?

Thoughts?

phermitgb · June 2019

I'm ALWAYS interested in the ability to change the visual aspect of my abilities/skills/whatever, right up until I realize that some other jackass might decide that it's awesome/funny that his powers display is cute rainbows or fluffy bunny's yiffing each other or whatever the hell.

Visuals are a great, modifiable feature...IF...if...if you're willing to let each individual play decide for him/herself what seems visually appropriate/funny/self-expressive vs the sentimentality of ANYONE ELSE!!

Hell is other people. When it comes to various features of video games, ESPECIALLY aesthetics, but also romantically, gender-wise, storytelling-wise, and so on - when it comes to various features of video games, EVERYONE has a different opinion of what's RIGHT, or POWERFUL, or UNIVERSAL, or IMPORTANT!!...and so on.

I tend to trust game designers. Not because game designers have some special GENIUS or anything - of course, OF COURSE, they've sold out to whatever huge conglomerate has decided to eat up your neighborhood/business. But because game designers are usually some degree of powerless. IDIOT game designers do whatever they think is popular at any given moment. SMART game designers, the ones with some degree of power/control over marketing agents, build games that may or may not work, but at least they TRY...

my point is, that giving individual players control over how their powers/skills/abilities manifest visually or mechanically, may SOUND like a great idea - right up until you realize that most day-to-day Americans haven't got the slightest *** clue what they're talking about.

Veesk · June 2019

sindalstar wrote: »

Templar: Meridia's fury (More firey than light, hues of red etc) or daedric light (Much darker looking abilities, gloomier particles)
Nightblade: Moon hunter (More of a silvery moon assassin instead of the dark blacks and reds)

I main a Templar and would love to have this, and really any, ability skin. My first ever created character is a nightblade and would really benefit aesthetically from this idea too. This would be a neat level of character customization.

LeHarrt91 · June 2019

I feel with the Warden class specifically they need to remove the Vvardenfell themed skills and generalise them to animals and plants that are commonly found all over Tamriel.

Then they can add themed skill skins.

GeorgeBlack · June 2019

Why yes I'd like one for Corossive Armor, Noxious Breath and Flames of Oblivion

sindalstar · June 2019

phermitgb wrote: »

I'm ALWAYS interested in the ability to change the visual aspect of my abilities/skills/whatever, right up until I realize that some other jackass might decide that it's awesome/funny that his powers display is cute rainbows or fluffy bunny's yiffing each other or whatever the hell.

Visuals are a great, modifiable feature...IF...if...if you're willing to let each individual play decide for him/herself what seems visually appropriate/funny/self-expressive vs the sentimentality of ANYONE ELSE!!

Hell is other people. When it comes to various features of video games, ESPECIALLY aesthetics, but also romantically, gender-wise, storytelling-wise, and so on - when it comes to various features of video games, EVERYONE has a different opinion of what's RIGHT, or POWERFUL, or UNIVERSAL, or IMPORTANT!!...and so on.

I tend to trust game designers. Not because game designers have some special GENIUS or anything - of course, OF COURSE, they've sold out to whatever huge conglomerate has decided to eat up your neighborhood/business. But because game designers are usually some degree of powerless. IDIOT game designers do whatever they think is popular at any given moment. SMART game designers, the ones with some degree of power/control over marketing agents, build games that may or may not work, but at least they TRY...

my point is, that giving individual players control over how their powers/skills/abilities manifest visually or mechanically, may SOUND like a great idea - right up until you realize that most day-to-day Americans haven't got the slightest *** clue what they're talking about.

..Dude I just don't want to have to throw a cliffdiver at things. Let me throw a spirit indrik or a different animal.

When I say ability skins, I mean ones that FIT with the classes still. I'm not asking for LOL RAINBOW BUTT BEAM or whatever yiffing is.

NONE of my ideas were joke themed. All of them still have to fit the criteria of 'this is still a templar/warden. Just a different kind of templar'

And these would optional, remember?

TelvanniWizard · June 2019

I´d like maormer water magic skills skin for sorc skills.

XomRhoK · June 2019

It can be good idea if developers will be able to handle this. Abilities must look recognizable even after "skin change" so player will not be confused in combat. And, in my opinion, must be lore and game colors/atmosphere friendly. And with all this flashy, sparkly, tasteless mounts running around i doubt developers will do this right (from my point of view right, of course), but in other way abilities already flashy and sparkly, so maybe it will be harder to ruin this. And i have to admit that flashy mounts are the only thing that bothers me in visuals. Motifs, nature, houses all good, so maybe they can do this right with abilities skins too.
My wish is to color of Dragon Knight wings in "Dragon leap" and "Protective scale" match the color of vampire skin, so it will looks like bat/vampire lord wings.

gepe87 · June 2019

Fire theme sorcerer

sindalstar · June 2019

gepe87 wrote: »

Fire theme sorcerer

While neat, They probalby shouldn't mix visuals with damage.
The changes I'm thinking about are purely cosmetic. So if they look like fire but deal electric damage we's gonna have a weird mismatch

Granted, Electicity is just plasma which is also fire but Iunno

Serkuos · December 2020

Let's Reanimate this thread through my Necromancer skills.

Since there is in the Collector of Morrowind (in the crown store) a sort of "ability skin" (the look of the warden's bear change), I think it's more interesting than never to think about this idea.

Cloudtrader · December 2020

It's only really egregious on the Warden class, but yes, I agree, ability skins would be absolutely fantastic!

To make it more complex (and fun), you could skin the skills automatically based on race. Like, an Orc Warden would have rampaging echalettes instead of shalks, a horker bouncing along behind them instead of a netch, an icewraith instead of cliffdivers, and a polar bear for the ultimate. Nord could share the horker, icewraith, and polar bear, but would have elks or maybe pocket mammoths or perhaps wolves or foxes instead of shalks. Argonians would have swamp jellies instead of netches and hackwings instead of cliffdivers, of course. Etc etc.

I doubt this would ever come to pass, of course, but I'd totally be willing to buy it in the crown store if it did.

AlienMagi · December 2020

phermitgb wrote: »

until I realize that some other jackass might decide that it's awesome/funny that his powers display is cute rainbows or fluffy bunny's yiffing each other or whatever the hell.

This is actually a brilliant idea.

Opalblade · December 2020

I'd pay good money for a skin that makes the vamp ult less goofy looking.

Vevvev · December 2020

sindalstar wrote: »

Dragonknight: Uuhhh...wait so their theme is stone and lava/fire and scales (And poison sorta). How about...Well, the only thing I can think of is to replace the very 'dragony' theme with that of another large imposing creature and model it after that. What that creature is is beyond be but...maybe an ash titan? Inno. Imagine just being the lord warden. Maybe the giants...

Griffin Knight

Vevvev · December 2020

Opalblade wrote: »

I'd pay good money for a skin that makes the vamp ult less goofy looking.

I'd love it to! Even if we didn't get wings if we got like full on plate armor for that form that'd be awesome!!!