Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Empyrean Customization Feedback/Wishlist
Saphras
Member, Alpha Two
I would like to start by stating I am acutely aware that this is only Alpha 2 and not the finished product of the character models, so I'm not aware of any changes that may be occurring behind the scenes, but I would still like to give some feedback on the character models and customizations to give a larger window for possible change, mainly for Empyreans. I would also like to clarify that I mean no disrespect with this feedback, I want to be as clear and constructive as possible with my criticism because I have really high hopes for this game and would love for it to be in the best position it can be!!
I just recently jumped into Alpha 2 this week for the first time and was playing around with the customizations for Empyreans and was having difficulty landing on something I was satisfied with for my character. Femme Empyreans kind of feel like their skin is a bit shrink-wrapped to their faces as of right now, almost like a facelift that was pulled too tight. I think part of this is due to not being able to make the mouth smaller currently, you can change the size and corners of the lips but the actual corners of the mouth are static so the lip can end but the mouth extends beyond that, kind of like a Joker smile. It seems like having more angular faces with high cheekbones is a staple for them, but as of right now, they look a little gaunt when you play with their customizations and it's kind of hard to add more fullness to their faces to soften them up a little.
Default Empyrean Femme Face
Another point I would like to bring attention to that I think is important for the fantasy of this race and any other race that will later be added to the testing phases is silhouettes. As it stands right now, proportionately and silhouette-wise Empyrean, Kaelar, and Vaelune all have very similar silhouettes and idle animations. I think it's important for these races to stand out more by either changing their idle animations to seperate them or changing their body proportions so that even with a full set of gear covering their body you can still make out what race is under the armor. I think a great solution could be changing the proportions of Empyreans, and even Py'rai, giving them longer legs could even help diversify their silhouette from the human races and connect them as Elven races. Though the elves are still humanoid, changing their proportions to have longer legs is a subtle difference that helps them further be unique past their ears. This isn't so much of an issue for Vek and Dunir since their silhouettes are very different from the other three playable races, and it pays off in the game being able to differentiate them under their armor. But I do think all races would immensely benefit from having different idle and movement animations that lean into the fantasy of these races and give them character to help them feel more alive.
Body Proportions Side by Side
Now moving on to my wishlist of customizations that I would like to see in the game!!
As far as makeup and eyelashes go, I think a game like Naraka does a great job with its face customization options, letting you change anything you want with the faces as well as letting you customize your makeup in any way you like. Eyelashes in particular are an important option to have for your character because they can completely change the shape of your character's eyes. Since the concept art for Empyrean seems to draw inspiration from Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" Elves, I think it would be amazing to have similar jewelry pieces like Arwen's headdress or Galadriel's crown for Empyreans to give them a more regal and opulent appearance. Lastly, I am a sucker for power tattoos, for example: in World of Warcraft there is a race called Nightborne who are elves that were exposed to A LOT of Arcane energy for thousands of years, and because of this it changed their appearance by carving Arcane Tattoos into their skin and making their hands and hair glow with mana. I think having the magic that you use to reflect on your character's appearance is such a fun concept and would love for that to exist in Ashes as well!!
Naraka
Arwen's Headdress
Galadriel's Crown
Nightborne Customization
Last thing before I go, there is quite a big bug with tattoos currently on Alpha where you can't remove a tattoo option once you place it and it's quite buggy when you start moving it around your character's body!
Feel free to reply to this discussion with customizations you would also like to see in-game!!
I just recently jumped into Alpha 2 this week for the first time and was playing around with the customizations for Empyreans and was having difficulty landing on something I was satisfied with for my character. Femme Empyreans kind of feel like their skin is a bit shrink-wrapped to their faces as of right now, almost like a facelift that was pulled too tight. I think part of this is due to not being able to make the mouth smaller currently, you can change the size and corners of the lips but the actual corners of the mouth are static so the lip can end but the mouth extends beyond that, kind of like a Joker smile. It seems like having more angular faces with high cheekbones is a staple for them, but as of right now, they look a little gaunt when you play with their customizations and it's kind of hard to add more fullness to their faces to soften them up a little.
Default Empyrean Femme Face
Another point I would like to bring attention to that I think is important for the fantasy of this race and any other race that will later be added to the testing phases is silhouettes. As it stands right now, proportionately and silhouette-wise Empyrean, Kaelar, and Vaelune all have very similar silhouettes and idle animations. I think it's important for these races to stand out more by either changing their idle animations to seperate them or changing their body proportions so that even with a full set of gear covering their body you can still make out what race is under the armor. I think a great solution could be changing the proportions of Empyreans, and even Py'rai, giving them longer legs could even help diversify their silhouette from the human races and connect them as Elven races. Though the elves are still humanoid, changing their proportions to have longer legs is a subtle difference that helps them further be unique past their ears. This isn't so much of an issue for Vek and Dunir since their silhouettes are very different from the other three playable races, and it pays off in the game being able to differentiate them under their armor. But I do think all races would immensely benefit from having different idle and movement animations that lean into the fantasy of these races and give them character to help them feel more alive.
Body Proportions Side by Side
Now moving on to my wishlist of customizations that I would like to see in the game!!
- Makeup
- Eyelash
- Jewelry
- Hair Jewelry
- Glowing Tattoos
- Runic Tattoos
As far as makeup and eyelashes go, I think a game like Naraka does a great job with its face customization options, letting you change anything you want with the faces as well as letting you customize your makeup in any way you like. Eyelashes in particular are an important option to have for your character because they can completely change the shape of your character's eyes. Since the concept art for Empyrean seems to draw inspiration from Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" Elves, I think it would be amazing to have similar jewelry pieces like Arwen's headdress or Galadriel's crown for Empyreans to give them a more regal and opulent appearance. Lastly, I am a sucker for power tattoos, for example: in World of Warcraft there is a race called Nightborne who are elves that were exposed to A LOT of Arcane energy for thousands of years, and because of this it changed their appearance by carving Arcane Tattoos into their skin and making their hands and hair glow with mana. I think having the magic that you use to reflect on your character's appearance is such a fun concept and would love for that to exist in Ashes as well!!
Naraka
Arwen's Headdress
Galadriel's Crown
Nightborne Customization
Last thing before I go, there is quite a big bug with tattoos currently on Alpha where you can't remove a tattoo option once you place it and it's quite buggy when you start moving it around your character's body!
Feel free to reply to this discussion with customizations you would also like to see in-game!!
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