Is there a technological reason for why companions cannot wear helmets?

Gray_howling_parrot · August 2023

See question - just curious if it's been explained. Silly to see 10 Azandars & 7 Bastians running around

Reverb · August 2023

A quote by the designers from the Conpanions Q&A:

TM: We do have discussions about the level of flexibility we want to give users on a Companion’s appearance “from the neck-up” – like hats, or different hairstyles. One of the early design considerations with companions was the balance between "identity" and "customization" for each companion. We wanted to give players as much freedom to customize their traveling companion, while at the same time keeping the identity of the companion the same. We ended up with "no hats" on companions because it hit that sweet spot - where players can make them look any way they wish, but the character and identity of the companion doesn't change because you always see their face.
***

Btoop · August 2023

No technical reason. Just appears to be a bad design decision that no one really agrees with.

I understand the developers wanting to make it so the companions can't be made into faceless mercinaries so they can maintain their individuality but that choice should really come down to the players.

DivineKitty · August 2023

Instead of a faceless army of Anonymous people, we instead have a uniform, mass-produced sea of identical faces... It's a bit creepy if you put it in that context.

But most times, companions would look better with a helmet. I just genuinely dislike looking at Bastian's face, IDK what it is but something about it annoys me. Isobel has the whole Knight angle to go off of, but can't wear a helmet to go with her armour. And Sharp is an assassin, but doesn't hide his face... or his identity.

Oh well, until I get the option to hide Bastian's ugly mug, back in the cupboard he goes, while I hang out with the cooler, better looking companions.

phaneub17_ESO · August 2023

It messes up their hair, when you're not looking Bastian busts out a comb to keep those threads in place.

Snamyap · August 2023

ZOS wants to preserve their individuality by making sure they all look the same. Lot of players have been complaining about it but it's another hill ZOS wants to die on.

LunaFlora · August 2023

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/634365/companions-q-a

SDKTJ · August 2023

Personally I would like if you could have the helmets on them during gameplay and then when you talk to them they show their faces

Gray_howling_parrot · August 2023

Thanks all for the replies! I appreciate it.

I figured it was for what y’all said - individuality. But at the same time their voices would still be there with all of their voice lines. It’d add to immersion honestly if they DID look like mercenaries because then it would appear that only you have Bastian for instance following you around. Curious if this will be a QOL feature in the future. Who knows!

TybaltKaine · August 2023

It really wouldn't be that hard to have them hide helmets in dialogue scenes. Mass Effect figured that out in 2007.

Holycannoli · August 2023

Btoop wrote: »

No technical reason. Just appears to be a design decision that no one really agrees with.

I understand the developers wanting to make it so the companions can't be made into faceless mercinaries so they can maintain their individuality but that choice should really come down to the players.

Ironic, that. They're all clones without helmets and hats.

It's a little less immersion-breaking now that there are six companions instead of just two or four, when we would see a sea of Mirris or Embers, but they're still all clones.

Elsonso · August 2023

Snamyap wrote: »

ZOS wants to preserve their individuality by making sure they all look the same. Lot of players have been complaining about it but it's another hill ZOS wants to die on.

I will help them defend that hill...

I don't wish to deal with companion head gear.

whitecrow · August 2023

I guess when there are 100 companions we won't see so many clones.

Btoop · August 2023

Elsonso wrote: »

Snamyap wrote: »

ZOS wants to preserve their individuality by making sure they all look the same. Lot of players have been complaining about it but it's another hill ZOS wants to die on.

I will help them defend that hill... I don't wish to deal with companion head gear.

... Why? Why would anyone ever opt to not be given the freedom of choice?

You do realize that there would almost certainly still be the option to hide their helmets like with our own characters?

The only reason I can think of for defending this poor design choice and wanting to deny others the choice would be defending it out of spite for other humans in general.

Gray_howling_parrot · August 2023

Elsonso wrote: »

Snamyap wrote: »

ZOS wants to preserve their individuality by making sure they all look the same. Lot of players have been complaining about it but it's another hill ZOS wants to die on.

I will help them defend that hill... I don't wish to deal with companion head gear.

I’ve always noticed this on the forum - there are lots of ESO players that are mundanely opposed to any change even if it has absolutely no negatives on their experience or gameplay.

I’m genuinely curious about your reasoning. Do you not like dealing with your player helmet options either? Companions already wear helmets physically via companion equipment, we just can’t alter their outfits to have them ACTUALLY wearing one. I think choice will always be beneficial in a game, typically restrictions are the complaints by a player base.

swook33b16_ESO · August 2023

Im all for headgear for companions. Will give the companions a personal touch. Should have been there day one. Seeing 1000 Bastions or 1000 Mirri is like, which one is my companion??

Elsonso · August 2023

Jaustink wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

Snamyap wrote: »

ZOS wants to preserve their individuality by making sure they all look the same. Lot of players have been complaining about it but it's another hill ZOS wants to die on.

I will help them defend that hill... I don't wish to deal with companion head gear.

I’m genuinely curious about your reasoning. Do you not like dealing with your player helmet options either? Companions already wear helmets physically via companion equipment, we just can’t alter their outfits to have them ACTUALLY wearing one. I think choice will always be beneficial in a game, typically restrictions are the complaints by a player base.

I don't see it as a restriction that they are not shown wearing head gear. It is more of a benefit, as it is one less thing I have to dress them up in before I send them off the school.

Gray_howling_parrot · August 2023

Elsonso wrote: »

Jaustink wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

Snamyap wrote: »

ZOS wants to preserve their individuality by making sure they all look the same. Lot of players have been complaining about it but it's another hill ZOS wants to die on.

I will help them defend that hill... I don't wish to deal with companion head gear.

I’m genuinely curious about your reasoning. Do you not like dealing with your player helmet options either? Companions already wear helmets physically via companion equipment, we just can’t alter their outfits to have them ACTUALLY wearing one. I think choice will always be beneficial in a game, typically restrictions are the complaints by a player base.

I don't see it as a restriction that they are not shown wearing head gear. It is more of a benefit, as it is one less thing I have to dress them up in before I send them off the school.

Still not seeing the reasoning - the default is no helmet, so adding one as a choice for players that would prefer that is bad in your opinion how? You never have to dress them up at all. When you unlock them you can keep them as is for your needs.

LunaFlora · August 2023

swook33b16_ESO wrote: »

Im all for headgear for companions. Will give the companions a personal touch. Should have been there day one. Seeing 1000 Bastions or 1000 Mirri is like, which one is my companion??

your companion will have their name, anyone else's companion is PlayerName's companion.
your companion is also of course near you, has a custom outfit you gave them, and the only one you can interact with.

would be cool to be able to add hats to their outfits, but that's not the only thing that sets characters apart

Btoop · August 2023

LunaFlora wrote: »

swook33b16_ESO wrote: »

Im all for headgear for companions. Will give the companions a personal touch. Should have been there day one. Seeing 1000 Bastions or 1000 Mirri is like, which one is my companion??

your companion will have their name, anyone else's companion is PlayerName's companion.
your companion is also of course near you, has a custom outfit you gave them, and the only one you can interact with.

would be cool to be able to add hats to their outfits, but that's not the only thing that sets characters apart

It certainly isn't the worse limitation but it is still a needless limitation that shouldn't exist and can easily be changed.

The community has been quite vocal that they would rather be able to make the choice for themselves but unfortunatley the developers appear to be insistant on denying everyone that choice.

LunaFlora · August 2023

Btoop wrote: »

LunaFlora wrote: »

swook33b16_ESO wrote: »

Im all for headgear for companions. Will give the companions a personal touch. Should have been there day one. Seeing 1000 Bastions or 1000 Mirri is like, which one is my companion??

your companion will have their name, anyone else's companion is PlayerName's companion.
your companion is also of course near you, has a custom outfit you gave them, and the only one you can interact with.

would be cool to be able to add hats to their outfits, but that's not the only thing that sets characters apart

It certainly isn't the worse limitation but it is still a needless limitation that shouldn't exist and can easily be changed.

The community has been quite vocal that they would rather be able to make the choice for themselves but unfortunatley the developers appear to be insistant on denying everyone that choice.

i agree though i doubt that zos will change it

ArchangelIsraphel · August 2023

Elsonso wrote: »

Jaustink wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

Snamyap wrote: »

ZOS wants to preserve their individuality by making sure they all look the same. Lot of players have been complaining about it but it's another hill ZOS wants to die on.

I will help them defend that hill... I don't wish to deal with companion head gear.

I’m genuinely curious about your reasoning. Do you not like dealing with your player helmet options either? Companions already wear helmets physically via companion equipment, we just can’t alter their outfits to have them ACTUALLY wearing one. I think choice will always be beneficial in a game, typically restrictions are the complaints by a player base.

I don't see it as a restriction that they are not shown wearing head gear. It is more of a benefit, as it is one less thing I have to dress them up in before I send them off the school.

This is a non-issue. You don't have to put your companion in a helmet just because other players do.

I'm sure if this was implemented, the default would be no helm, until a helm motif was used.

Otherwise, it would be easy enough to add a "hide companion helm" option in the settings so that it's toggleable.

You don't -have- to do anything in a game.

Silaf · August 2023

Please Zos reconsider this design choice. No one like it.

Kappachi · August 2023

I think enabling them to wear helmets would be a bad decision, would be harder to tell at a glance who's a player and who's a companion. as it is now is fine, yes many people have the same companion but as more expansions come out and people use the outfits/motifs available to them their compnaions can still become plenty unique, I've never seen anyone else's Ember look like mine for instance, and being able to see their face makes it a better connection roleplay wise when you're talking to your companion and so on.

Supreme_Atromancer · August 2023

Their heart was in the right place: it was informed by sincere care for what they were creating. I celebrate any decision to keep true to their vision, world, identity and character, even when it impacted player choice sometimes, because the soul of the world and story are important to me.

In this case, it does sit awkwardly with the fact that it means you're gonna see 1000 Bastians everywhere. If displaying helmets became a possibility, I wouldn't necessarily use it- I like their character- but it would decrease the density of apparent Bastians!

phaneub17_ESO · August 2023

Just imagine any of them in a Jester Mask and nothing else.

Monte_Cristo · August 2023

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

It messes up their hair, when you're not looking Bastian busts out a comb to keep those threads in place.

"All my dreams involve combing my hair." Bastian.

rpa · August 2023

If devs insist companions to wear no headgear, let us give em haircut.

slt101880b14_ESO · August 2023

Just putting it out there...
Companions with Polymorphs...

zaria · August 2023

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Their heart was in the right place: it was informed by sincere care for what they were creating. I celebrate any decision to keep true to their vision, world, identity and character, even when it impacted player choice sometimes, because the soul of the world and story are important to me.

In this case, it does sit awkwardly with the fact that it means you're gonna see 1000 Bastians everywhere. If displaying helmets became a possibility, I wouldn't necessarily use it- I like their character- but it would decrease the density of apparent Bastians!

I agree, now an good thing with more companions is that we will get fewer of the same than then we only had Bastian and Miri.

Treselegant · August 2023

Kappachi wrote: »

I think enabling them to wear helmets would be a bad decision, would be harder to tell at a glance who's a player and who's a companion. as it is now is fine, yes many people have the same companion but as more expansions come out and people use the outfits/motifs available to them their compnaions can still become plenty unique, I've never seen anyone else's Ember look like mine for instance, and being able to see their face makes it a better connection roleplay wise when you're talking to your companion and so on.

I have to agree. A few months ago I was very much "yeah, would be nice to have hats/helms, I can't see why not" and...then I started farming the Galen vents. Trying to work out who's a player and who's a companion is hard enough when there's a sea of people swarming an event. Right now, the lack of helmet helps you see it's a companion character. I understand it's a sticking point for a good few in the community but these days I can't find it in myself to protest to the decision. Would it be nice to be able to finish off a great outfit with a great head-piece - yes, do I find it super annoying - no.

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Is there a technological reason for why companions cannot wear helmets?

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