Tomorrow, Turbine launches Book 12, the fourth free content update to Lord of the Rings Online since it launched last April. To date, each update has added a grab bag of new content and terrain, specific improvements to a couple classes and then a lot of love for one brand new game system. In Book 11, it was housing. In Book 12, Turbine turned all its attention towards character customization.
When MMOs were translated from pen-and-paper games and later MUDs (text-based forerunners to the MMO), the addition of graphical presentation created a new dilemma: how the character looks. To date, most games have ignored the problem and simply made graphical representations of each item the character wears. This means that players need to make a choice: do they want to look good or do they want to be good? Inevitably, looks lose to function, but that doesn't mean people are happy about it. The initial launch of LotRO was no different.
In Book 12, Turbine addresses this problem with the Outfit System, which allows players to both maximize their stats and customize their look in a unique way. This system adds a second layer to the character sheet; on top of the page where players put on their gear, they also have a page where they can design what their player looks like. It is totally cosmetic, as it visually replaces what's under it and creates a solid, if completely unrealistic compromise that allows players to both maximize their character's stats and sex appeal.
"This is true in all games. Players are constantly torn between: do I get to wear the really, really fun goofy; or really, really elegant; or really, really flashy costume and get to look the way I want to look or do I get to have the armor stats that I need to go into combat?" Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel asked rhetorically.
The outfit system is unlocked at level 20 and uses a combination of actual items and cosmetic items. Each player has a maximum of two outfits (essentially templates) to begin with, but unlike regular equipment, the actual item is no longer necessary once locked into an outfit. Say for example, a player finds a special robe they really love the look of, but it's too expensive to just keep and not the right fit for their character. They can add it to an outfit, save that template, then sell or trade that robe to another player. As long as they don't tinker with that outfit, they can show it off to the world long after the item is gone.
The Outfit System is not without limitations, either. It is purely cosmetic, and as such they have disabled it in the Ettenmoors. This is where Monster Play - LotRO's answer to player vs. player combat - takes place, and they do not want players to be able to cheat by pretending to be one class to fool their enemies. Item restrictions also apply to outfits. The system allows players to wear any item they could be wearing as an outfit, but it does not let them equip items that their character simply could never wear and effectively go in disguise. The system also doesn't extend to the weapons the player wields, so players won't see guys swinging staves like swords.
"I think it hits a broader swath of the audience," he added. "You can look pretty cool at a lower level."
It is not exactly the most realistic approach, but rarely is entertainment, let alone fantasy, ever realistic. Xena's armor wouldn't have done much to help her and Conan ran around with no shirt on. The key is that players can dress heroically and in a way that represents their character without being at a disadvantage. This should make happier players and forever dispel the problem where players of the same class at the same level invariably wear the same clothes. So while it may not be realistic, it will create a more vibrant and believable world.
To further enhance customization, Book 12 introduces barbers into the game. These NPCs, for a price, allow players to revisit some of the basic choices they made above their character's neck. This includes a bevy of new hairstyles, a change in color, extra facial hair and, in a particularly macabre twist, the barber will even give the player a scar or two for the right price. At launch, Turbine noted that there was a certain inequality between the races with regards to hair. Some race/gender combinations had dozens of styles, while others only had a few. The new solution balances that out and lets players mix and match for a nominal in-game fee.
"We can add new hairstyles to the game, but without the barber shop you'd have to go build a new [alternative character] to use it, this way you don't have to," pointed out Turbine Director of Communications Adam Mersky.
Book 11 was headlined by player housing and to fit with that theme, Book 12 also extends the level of customization available to house owners. We saw how they added lightable fireplaces and torches, the ability to tilt and rotate items within the house and loads of new items to decorate with.
LotRO has never taken itself too seriously - like chicken play - and as part of the new housing features, they added beer kegs. These come complete with permissions set by the owner of who can use them, but Turbine encouraged my character to partake in some spirits. Unfortunately, I over indulged, fell over and woke up in a random location chosen from a pre-defined list somewhere in Middle-earth. It's hardly a functional feature, nor do I anticipate people doing it all the time, but it adds some fun and is a nice, low-cost touch for them to add.
