31 replies to this topic

[Kadelia]

There's no reason why there shouldn't be both sprites available.

Actually, there is a reason.

The game system is built around tying sprite to class with only only variable that the client understands for alternating it beyond that, being male or female. Adding some sort of _alt sprite would require re-engineering the server code that refers to the job or gender probably, and re-engineering how the client interprets which sprite to display.

Bottom line: requires coding and client testing so that it doesn't b0rk people when the new client is released.

The game's client and server software framework is like 10 years old and I doubt any of the original coders are onboard.

More than likely kRO determined this would be too much work for something that is tantamount to a niche & unimportant aesthetic change; particularly in the face of all the demand their coders currently have for bugfixed and class balancing.

[eerie]

^Snewt Beat me to it.. & # 1 Ty.

Guess I'll go ahead and post what I was going to...







If that's not enough for you, go compare the character design artwork.

Edited by eerie, 12 September 2011 - 10:13 AM.

[AhinaReyoh]

Actually, there is a reason.

The game system is built around tying sprite to class with only only variable that the client understands for alternating it beyond that, being male or female. Adding some sort of _alt sprite would require re-engineering the server code that refers to the job or gender probably, and re-engineering how the client interprets which sprite to display.

Yet we have mounts, Mados, summer/Christmas costumes, wedding clothes, and baby Dancer pants, which involve swapping the player sprite.

Edited by AhinaReyoh, 12 September 2011 - 10:18 AM.

[Kadelia]

Code for mounts/mado was in since beta (knight/peco)

Code for alternate costumes like santa suit/summer have been in since early times do to the wedding system, they change your 'class' in a hackjob sort of way, which may be why you can't use skills, even though they could have added casting/fighting animations to those costumes (same vein as what you're complaining about).

Baby dancer (and all babies) are actually different classes than their parents. The babies are in the class tables.

In the end a permanent fully functional sprite swap that is set by a variable, that leaves you s the same classID as your other sprite, that doesn't get messy with mount code is something new that would need to be engineered, and Gravity isn't likely to dedicate time to it.

There is also the extra sprites to design for the lion mount, which was mentioned. Extra work Gravity doesn't want to do.

So yes, there is a reason gravity didn't "just make it optional".

Edited by Jaye, 12 September 2011 - 10:27 AM.

[asayuu]

I prefer the old Rune Knight too. But this does not mean I don't like the new.

I think they are weird though [On my eyes, because I was used to see that sprite and LIKE it]. I mean, I totally prefer the old female RK sprite. [Hey hey. Why not giving it to extended super novices? ] [Phrase cut due to death threatening.]

The point is. While the new sprite show a improvement, showing the Rune Knight as an evolution of the Lord Knight, the old ones show a more magical Rune Knight, more like a magic warrior instead of "only a melee class", that in the end is their essence. To make a perfect RK costume, I would fuse both clothes, because each one shows one of the sides of the real Rune Knight class.

I hope the next step won't be "Bring PecoPeco back for RKs too, so you won't see any difference between a RK and a LK."

Edited by asayuu, 12 September 2011 - 10:27 AM.

[AhinaReyoh]

So yes, there is a reason gravity didn't "just make it optional".

I dunno, that looked more like a list saying RO already has multiple examples of source code for changing the player's appearance.

An oddity too... if summer/Christmas/wedding changed your "class", wouldn't that affect what gears you could equip? And what about GMs? They have a regular class as their base, but with a GM costume that is combat capable. Then pservers can hack a player into a monster sprite despite monsters only having 5 animations in their .act compared to a player's 13.

But why am I wasting time in this topic when I have no stake in the argument? xD You seem to know an awful lot about RO's coding anyhow.

Edited by AhinaReyoh, 12 September 2011 - 11:20 AM.

[Kadelia]

In general it comes down to kRO trying to put out content without a significant amount of coder time invested. More than likely the sprite artists didn't have anything on their plate, but the coders are way backlogged with stuff to do, so the simple fix to people complaining about RK sprite was to swap it in place rather than trying to re-imagine how the game's sprite engine could have "chooseable" class sprites (a new game feature).

As much as I dislike gravity's management style and project prioritization, I can't help but say that stating they "don't have a good reason to not just implement XYZ thing" is a fallacy.

Edited by Jaye, 12 September 2011 - 12:55 PM.