Lara Croft-Tomb Raider: The customizable Hero

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

From Dungeon Siege to DOA:Extreme Beach Volleyball to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, our Hero characters have been customizable. We expect our characters to be able to switch outfits and armour, either as found item upgrades, or secret bonuses. We expect to see these changes immediately on our Hero as they jump and shoot and run around in their new togs.

I think Lara Croft should also have such a chance to change clothes/hairstyles/body armour at a touch of a button. After all, a girl, a Legend has got to look her best when she is saving the world.

In the words of Ace, "Toggle Ponytail On/Off"

[Notts Raider]

If it takes away any of the gameplay then no changes

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally Posted by Notts Raider

If it takes away any of the gameplay then no changes

How could having and choosing a different skin take anything away from gameplay? A skin is at it's most basic just a re-texture of the original clothing, and she does that on her own between levels usually, like in TR3 when she has a different outfit for each environment. In those cases where she wears a jacket the model changed. But the different coloured shorts or long pants seemed to be just a re-texture.

A closet half full of skins for the model is not taking away from gameplay, but adding to it. What took away from gameplay, for instance in AOD, was having to have Lara wear jeans. For me that was absurd.

[Sophia Leigh]

I actually like this idea CatSuit&Ponytail, I would prefer to be running around in Lara's jeans & denim jacket from the start of AOD or her black top from AOD - they are the sort of clothes I actually wear. I would change Lara's short-shirt and short-shorts any day given the chance.

Let's face it, in reality Lara wouldn't actually wear that hideous orange jacket and those disgusting pants (cow-print from memory) in the Antartica levels in TR3, she has too much self respect for that.

I really don't think an option like this would take you away from game play, just a quick selection through a menu and then off you go.

[Acceber]

New and shiny... and I can't get enough of that trailer!!!!

Anyway, I voted for the first three options. Obviously I like the toggle. And I would kind of like to find new outfits (as secrets), but sometimes I spend far too long choosing what outfit my character should wear, soooooo I also like option 3, where I only have a limited choice. For my own good.

Toggle! Toggle!

[John Carter]

As a game player, that's a really attractive idea.

From the marketing perspective, that is an idea that is easy and economical to do, and will increase the appeal/sales of the product.

As a moderator, that will dramitically reduce the number of "I-hate-how-Lara-looks-now" threads that will otherwise be inevitable.

[Acceber]

Originally Posted by John Carter

As a moderator, that will dramitically reduce the number of "I-hate-how-Lara-looks-now" threads that will otherwise be inevitable.

Ha! That's a new angle for the developers to consider! Mod-friendly customisation.

[midroth]

Thanks no. I'm not interested about her fashion questions. "Do I choice this, or this? Is it maching to the color of the gun, the eyeliner?"
I play Lara Croft, not Paris Hilton.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Who? Nevermind. I don't care.

***See, the beauty of it would be, you won't have to change outfits if you don't want to! I really don't see any logical reason why anyone would object to having another option...

[projo]

What next?
A slider bar to select between "sleazy Lara" or "demure Lara"?
How about "slightly overweight Lara" or "thin starving Lara"?
Or larger or smaller you-know-whats ! ! ! ! ! ! ?
No thanks !

But I do like the idea of costumes, hairstyles, and equipment options.
(How about a disguise option, for travelling about incognito?)

But let's keep Lara the way she is please.
I would also like a feature to disable other characters. For instance, some tech-support wise-cracker who yacks in your ear, or alternative player-characters, like that guy who never seemed to be able to move fast enough in AOD.
I like the idea of Lara Croft going it alone.

[LaraAngelOfDarkness]

Originally Posted by projo

What next?
A slider bar to select between "sleazy Lara" or "demure Lara"?
How about "slightly overweight Lara" or "thin starving Lara"?
Or larger or smaller you-know-whats ! ! ! ! ! ! ?
No thanks !

But I do like the idea of costumes, hairstyles, and equipment options.
(How about a disguise option, for travelling about incognito?)

But let's keep Lara the way she is please.
I would also like a feature to disable other characters. For instance, some tech-support wise-cracker who yacks in your ear, or alternative player-characters, like that guy who never seemed to be able to move fast enough in AOD.
I like the idea of Lara Croft going it alone.

Um, no one was talking about changing Lara's body, only her hairstyle and clothing to what YOU want her to wear during a level.

[GeorgeMaciver]

All I care about is gameplay. Couldn't care less what she's wearing lmao. To be honest, I can't remember ever once thinking in any of the previous TR games (never finished AOD) "I wish I could change her outfit".

8p

[enoch]

Originally Posted by GeorgeMaciver

All I care about is gameplay. Couldn't care less what she's wearing lmao. To be honest, I can't remember ever once thinking in any of the previous TR games (never finished AOD) "I wish I could change her outfit".

8p

Me too. All I thought was "Mmm, this feels nice"...

[projo]

Originally Posted by LaraAngelOfDarkness

Um, no one was talking about changing Lara's body, only her hairstyle and clothing to what YOU want her to wear during a level.

Checked your sense of humor in at the door, eh ?

I have played some games where those options almost exist.
Not really so very off topic, then, if you pause to consider how appeasing consumers is often mistaken for good business.

I don't want to see that stuff happen to Tomb Raider !

[DM3]

I'd go for something like this. Though I'd want a set number of clothing items that can be used in any combination. That way, if I'd like her to wear blue jeans, and the trademark green shirt, but no jacket, I can do that. If there's a water level, like at the end of AOD and I don't want her to change out of the wetsuit, I can also do that. It would be pretty cool.

oh, and the model itself doesn't change in the DOA volleyball game. The main textures are also the same. The swim suits are essentially seperate models attached to the main model. This goes for the changable hair as well. This works because there are only two actual body types for the DOA girls. as good as that game looks you'll still see hair going through their shoulders at times.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally Posted by DM3

....DOA girls. as good as that game looks you'll still see hair going through their shoulders at times.

I never noticed.

[bene1]

projo, very funny

CS&PT,
you really don't know who PH is?
How refreshing.
There may be hope for this world yet.

[Solange]

Great idea, Cat!

[KasigiYabuSama]

Hmm, slightly loaded poll there - "My mother dresses me?"

My immediate reaction is: Anything, anything but the Spinster-Librarian bun! I don't care if it's bug-infested dreadlocks (but I repeat myself.)

Editorial comments aside, it's not something I'd be enthused enough to ask for, and if it would do anything to either increase the development time or take time away from the absolute imperative - in the wake of the technical disaster that was AOD - of thorough play-testing across every conceivable platform and OS, then absolutely not.

It would have to be somewhat plausible - in other words, being able to change her into a slingshot thong for a level set in the Arctic Circle would be just silly, as would an Air Force parka in the jungles of the Congo. ("Jungles of Congo"? On second thought, that would require an Ebola cure in the backpack...)

"Mother dresses you" notwithstanding, I think the developers have thus far done a good job of matching her outfits to scenarios. 'Not something I care to mess with, though others may enjoy it.

I'd much rather the developers focus their efforts on the essentials, like making play on a PC as hassle-free as on a dedicated game machine. Let me drop the disc into the drive, click on "Setup," kick back and relax with a dram of Laphroaig 10 year while the game installs and adapts itself to my PC's operating system, sound and graphics cards and settings for all of the above, then click "Play" and be off without a hitch.

That would be something to shout about.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally Posted by KasigiYabuSama

My mother dresses me.

Nicely argued, Kass, but I have to say "Hey! " about your bun comment. If you had long hair you'd know how relieving it is to just wind all that stuff up and tuck it away! Have you ever had a tree reach out and grab your ponytail while you were running through the forest? *sniffle*

My main focus in asking is of course the catsuit, which frankly, is good for everywhere wear. ;D Once I saw her in TR3 London, I just thought she was the best she ever had been. And then later on I saw her in jeans and wanted to strangle someone with their own intestines.... So I'd say that her clothing adds or detracts a lot to/from the game for me.

In other games where changing armour is part of the deal, I most often stay with a lower armourclass if it looks better on the character. Because when I game, I identify with my character. My character becomes a digital extension of me, so I have to look my best while "Butt-kicking For Goodness!"

And no, I don't want anything to hinder the actual game development, but I find it hard to believe that this would.

[DM3]

I am thinking this sort of thing might be better implemented on the next gen consoles and more powerful PC's. They would have the power to keep track of all of this stuff, and even have dirt and damage to the clothes Lara is wearing making a change of clothes necessery at times.

Kas, if playing the PC version of games upsets you so much, why don't you play them on a console such as the PS2? Doing some minor configuration changes to improve a games performance on your PC is just part of playing games on a PC.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally Posted by DM3

I am thinking this sort of thing might be better implemented on the next gen consoles and more powerful PC's. They would have the power to keep track of all of this stuff,

Oh, I don't know. These sorts of options have been around in gaming for quite a while, and the computers and consoles all seem to have been able to keep up.

[Klerik of Kaos]

I think that this is a good idea. It would be cool if they design it that you have to change her clothes to match the environment she is in. Like seriously, she wouldn't wear a tank, with some poom-poom shorts in a snowy area like she did in one of the games (I forgot which one).