21 replies to this topic

[meaning42]

I'm sure this topic has been posted a dussin times already, but since the search function won't let me search for the word "color" I'm going to start another one.

Why is there only 1 alternative color? Is individuality looked down upon?

Can't there at least be like, 10 colors? Every other person looks the same, I have to check every dang SC walking by to see if it's my buddy. Is it really too much to ask? =_=

There exists like 500+ colors for every class, at least according torenewal.playragnarok.coms character simulator(Though only like 150 of them look good), I can't imagine that it would be so hard to implant a more versile colorscheme, every private server I ever played on before this one had at least 50 colors to pick and chose from. Some of them had all 500+ (I know this isn't a private server but why should that make it inferior?)

Who picked out these colors? If I am going to pay for it, why not make it a bit flashy and really stand out from the original color, take the Shadow Chaser colors for example, the first week I played I didn't even notice the difference until I saw two of them sitting side by side, one orange-brownish and the other sickly yellowish.

Would be cool if the mounts changed color as well, every Rune Knight you see has a green dragon, I don't even see if they have the orignal or alternative color until they dismount. Would be awesome if there was a red or maybe blue version of the dragon.

Matching headgears and color is also a pretty big deal, at least for me and Feather Beret really sticks out on alt-color Female Arch Bishop, just to name one.
Do I really have to sacrifice style for damage reduction, c'mon...


TL;DR: Implant more character colors to choose from, please.

[Shane]

You can typically identify people based on the following characteristics:

Clothing color (2)
Hair style (several)
Hair color (several)
Headgear choice (super a lot).

If your friend has a unique combination of the above, chances are doppelgangers will be extremely few and far between. Learn what his hair looks like and what he wears, and you'll be able to pick him out of a crowd easily.

This isn't to say that more colors wouldn't be nice, but I don't think it's a priority with all of the other things this game needs.

[LordVader]

+1 to OP. Gravity wants money, we don't want the game broken. More colors would help satisfy both without having to implement God Item/MVP scrolls /swt.

[meaning42]

You can typically identify people based on the following characteristics:

Clothing color (2)
Hair style (several)
Hair color (several)
Headgear choice (super a lot).

If your friend has a unique combination of the above, chances are doppelgangers will be extremely few and far between. Learn what his hair looks like and what he wears, and you'll be able to pick him out of a crowd easily.

This isn't to say that more colors wouldn't be nice, but I don't think it's a priority with all of the other things this game needs.

The ways you mention of identification, cloth color sure cuts it 50/50 and hairstyle is typically not easily to spot under most headgears, except various hairpins and ribbons. Haircolor, same thing, and headgears: It never strikes you to just change headgear on a whim, like you use Rideword hat in PvE and change to a Feather Beret because you want to go PvP, Feather Beret being like the second most common hat as well.

But this isn't all that much about a problem in identifying your friends, even if that still is a big deal, say in pvp, you are being attacked by a GX with feather beret that keeps cloaking, then you see him walking a few strokes away, you asura him or w/e instantly, but turns out, it wasn't the same guy. I'm just saying this would be convenient, there are so many GX's around and they all look alike to me, with the Hair Brush and the browish color and hair.

I'm not asking for a revolution, I just don't think this would require a lot of work to implant, but I am not in any way familiar with the process of implanting mechanics into games, but that isn't my job either.

I think a lot more people would purchase clothdye if they got to have a more unique color, I know I would, I'm going SC in a day or two, and the alt color is so, so lame. Give me a Red and white one, or a blue/white or black/white one, that would make my day.

Edited by meaning42, 21 April 2011 - 10:50 AM.

[ClydeDenton]

If the servers we cannot mention has them, I really don't see why we can't either. There is no work that needs to be done to make this happen except maybe sort out which colors look ok, and which look like crap. Honestly, what's so hard about doing that

[morphine]

I think I'd rather not have 200 different ugly colours making the game an eyesore for the sake of 'individuality', especially when 80% of players would just pick black anyway. One or two more dyes wouldn't hurt though. I vaguely remember Heim saying ages ago they might have a sprite dye contest or something, but never saw anything about it again.

[meaning42]

I'm not saying they should implant All 556 colors, but you know, at least enough to give some variation to the gamesprites, I like to feel unique in some way, not just another shadow chaser blending into the woodwork.

Give me all the colors in the rainbow, one of each can't be tough for the programmers. I bet if they started going through it right now, we'd have them ready by monday, tops.

[GuardianTK]

Needs more blue clothing dye.

[sadekOB]

I'm not saying they should implant All 556 colors, but you know, at least enough to give some variation to the gamesprites, I like to feel unique in some way, not just another shadow chaser blending into the woodwork.

Give me all the colors in the rainbow, one of each can't be tough for the programmers. I bet if they started going through it right now, we'd have them ready by monday, tops.

Yea Clothing colors would be great. Would be nice to see a blue chaser or red RK or whatever. Its not just about knowing who you're looking at, the game overall will look more customizable and diverse.

[NoxiousOrchid]

I hope we get better options than the one kRO got. Half of the dyed sprites look really bad.

I would also like to see a fix for the alternate dye color for baby female rangers. Pink and green is cute, but I wanted brown and orange/gold.

[Heimdallr]

I would like to implement more color options. But the limited ones available are due to how long it takes to make ones that don't look like crap. Anyone can change the pallet to all black and say "Look I made my "ninja" stalker LOL" But making ones that actually look decent is a monster task. We discussed with the client team at HQ about running an event to do it, and the problem is it isn't about recolloring the sprite as you want it, the colothing of a class is like a paint by numbers board, and the change is done by changing what color represents "1" and "2" all the way up to 24 (IIRC). When I was messing with it, it was hard to make it look good, and frankly most become either an eyesore or are so subtle as to look like it is all monotone.

We didn't have the event because the process for showing how to manipulate the file was so technical that just getting players to try it would be a huge hurdle.

Now with all that said, I have seen what I think are new official colors floating around other versions, and we are going to try and grab those.

[Fureedo]

I would like to implement more color options. But the limited ones available are due to how long it takes to make ones that don't look like crap. Anyone can change the pallet to all black and say "Look I made my "ninja" stalker LOL" But making ones that actually look decent is a monster task. We discussed with the client team at HQ about running an event to do it, and the problem is it isn't about recolloring the sprite as you want it, the colothing of a class is like a paint by numbers board, and the change is done by changing what color represents "1" and "2" all the way up to 24 (IIRC). When I was messing with it, it was hard to make it look good, and frankly most become either an eyesore or are so subtle as to look like it is all monotone.

We didn't have the event because the process for showing how to manipulate the file was so technical that just getting players to try it would be a huge hurdle.

Now with all that said, I have seen what I think are new official colors floating around other versions, and we are going to try and grab those.

Actually, almost every sprites the client can display has been made for...things we must not mention. The sprite modding communnity is actually pretty huge, it would almost just be a matter of whose work to steal. Whole websites exists for alternate character coloring.

And as far as the leglity of stealing recolorings goes, I doubt it's illegal or anything, especially since THEY used Gravity's property as a base.
Choosing ~30 good sets and communicating with the authors might be worth it? Especially if while you did, you could've actually made only 1 set of clothes...

Edit: I was looking for the actual *things* pallettes but it seems all my sources died. Instead, I found a program anyone can use to edit the sprites...one that is VERY simple actually.
Edit2: stop looking down on your playerbase...i'd say more but i'd promote "Illegal" things

Edit 3: People even found out the pallettes you're using!

Edited by Fureedo, 21 April 2011 - 01:46 PM.

[ClydeDenton]

Well that makes sense. So the so-called "artists" that made the original sprites are unable to use different colors that would look decent, as if the colors we currently have are the ONLY set that works. That's like saying that cars can only come in black or white. The part that gets me is that 99% of private servers have multiple color palettes, and while alot of them just look retarded, like others have said, a good 50 or actually look good. Narrow that down to the best 10 and your good to go. I think it boils down to laziness IMO, or lack of talent, either way.

[Rutana]

Heim, what's with the 2nd alternative dye that kRO allready has?
Could we get this one in near future, maybe?

[Heimdallr]

Those palletes aren't what the official clients use. Each sprite has a seperate pallet that it uses, it isn't a generic pallet set.

If the pallet and sprite didn't come from official sources the problem WILL come up where crashes are caused due to conflict of files, this is why we don't go all willy nilly adding questionable content. I've seen alot of pserver stuff, most are crap some have a good basis, but the issue is if we do ANY palletes we have to do every single class and gender. We can't do a Stalker only female pallet, we have to do all 200+ sprites. its not a small project.

[LemnzestManatee]

Well kRO has another set of colors that we don't have. Any idea when we are going to get them? It's been like 2 yrs since we got the first set.

[TheFury]

this is very true. also in kro there are different colors of dragons that change the element of your dragon breath. fire only is so lame, you cant hit a great deal of stuff. we are so far behind kro i don't understand why there is a big list of old kro changes we are about to implement, when all of that list has been changed as well.

[Kitten]

I would like to implement more color options. But the limited ones available are due to how long it takes to make ones that don't look like crap. Anyone can change the pallet to all black and say "Look I made my "ninja" stalker LOL" But making ones that actually look decent is a monster task. We discussed with the client team at HQ about running an event to do it, and the problem is it isn't about recolloring the sprite as you want it, the colothing of a class is like a paint by numbers board, and the change is done by changing what color represents "1" and "2" all the way up to 24 (IIRC). When I was messing with it, it was hard to make it look good, and frankly most become either an eyesore or are so subtle as to look like it is all monotone.

We didn't have the event because the process for showing how to manipulate the file was so technical that just getting players to try it would be a huge hurdle.

Now with all that said, I have seen what I think are new official colors floating around other versions, and we are going to try and grab those.

jRO has secondary alt dyes. They have been posted here many times by players asking if we can get them... Do you really need to see them again so you can request them for us?

[LemnzestManatee]

jRO has secondary alt dyes. They have been posted here many times by players asking if we can get them... Do you really need to see them again so you can request them for us?

Yeah and does it really take YEARS to implement new official dyes? I can't imagine it would be that hard of a task to do.

[Fureedo]

Those palletes aren't what the official clients use. Each sprite has a seperate pallet that it uses, it isn't a generic pallet set.

If the pallet and sprite didn't come from official sources the problem WILL come up where crashes are caused due to conflict of files, this is why we don't go all willy nilly adding questionable content. I've seen alot of pserver stuff, most are crap some have a good basis, but the issue is if we do ANY palletes we have to do every single class and gender. We can't do a Stalker only female pallet, we have to do all 200+ sprites. its not a small project.

I wonder how come pservers, using a only slightly modded iro or kro client( and by slightly I mean, only changing the files that points to the server's ip in data.grf and, of course, the sprites) can do it.

Go fishing for the (1 for everyclasses) sprite sheets? and then use on of the (70 billion) pserver utility that automagically turn that sheet into the right spr files? I guarantee you, finding 20 good ones that will fit your exigences will take as much time as making 1.

That pallette is the pallette ro as a whole use. It's used for 2 things.
1: not using colors that doesn,t fit with ro
2: so user can simply use the tools in photoshop or gimp and copy the cell's color

They're, basically, all the colors that are used in ro, I'm aware, thanks.

I'd actually make my own and then replace the normal skins in the client by those just to prove it's easy...but i'm artistically retarded. Once finals are done i'll send you pictures, Mr. Heim, proving how easy it is to use alternate colors from pservers /pif

Edited by Fureedo, 21 April 2011 - 06:49 PM.

[TrevMUN]

Why is there only 1 alternative color? Is individuality looked down upon?

So the so-called "artists" that made the original sprites are unable to use different colors that would look decent, as if the colors we currently have are the ONLY set that works.

Yeah and does it really take YEARS to implement new official dyes? I can't imagine it would be that hard of a task to do.

Wow.

I like how all you guys insult the intelligence and skills of Gravity's original artists and development team, based on a feature they did not originally plan for when Ragnarok Online launched.

You may not be aware of this, but when it comes to implementing a feature not in the original programming, it takes quite a bit of effort. Especially when it comes to the graphics engine. You're doing the code equivalent of renovating a house. That's not exactly something easily done when a company has the rest of the MMO to worry about, let alone other projects.

Clothing dye wasn't planned until after kRO went pay to play. Gravity KR's first attempt at it gave each class five alternate sprite palettes. Shortly after implementing it, they had to remove it from the game because it caused client crashes when people used skills that tint the sprite a certain color, like Power Thrust or Two-Hand Quicken.

Oh, and contrary to popular belief, especially the belief of people who think pirate servers do everything omgsomuchbetter, it's not as simple as switching out palettes. Yes, people have discovered what palettes Ragnarok Onlne uses. ANYONE could do that with a few sample sprites and Photoshop or the GIMP.

Here's part the problem: many of Ragnarok Online's sprites use colors from multiple swatches to represent a single color on part of a sprite. Edit the palette thinking you'll modify a certain part of the sprite that way, and you'll get ugly, mismatched specks of color.

For the record, I'm all for more diverse clothing dye--but going as far as to accuse Gravity of being "against individuality" or insulting the original dev team as being "so-called 'artists'" just because they didn't plan for this when RO first launched?

That's way out of line, brother.

Edited by TrevMUN, 21 April 2011 - 07:17 PM.

[Heimdallr]

Short Answer: Yes more clothing dye will be happening. Regarding the pserver things, they aren't really responsible when stuff goes wrong, we are and have to be able to explain why we did something, and that comes into contract issues and does cause a huge issue internally and with our impacted community.

Thread has run its course, if someone wants to further discuss it please PM me and be patient.