Cloaks and Capes

[MrGeekyGamer]

Dear Obsidian

 

I have already backed Project Eternity on Kickstarter, with a $35 pledge, as i really want the soundtrack as well (here is hoping for Jeremy Soule like quality).

 

Anyways, i have a small request for the game. Please include cloaks and capes. I feel that almost every RPG in recent memory have gotten this aspect completely wrong or not even tried. In Dragon Age for instance when wearing a cloak (or whatever they call it) you feel like you are walking around in a women's dress!

 

As a mage/magic user i feel it is imperative to be able to have a proper cloak, and it needs to look real. Meaning something like real cloth physics, or fake, as long as it looks real. Separate the cloak from the legs and the upper body, and make sure it is only connected at the shoulders. Swords and armor should not stick through the cloak, and preferably the cloak should have a hood, covering up the face of the mage. Think Raistlin Majere from the DragonLance series, he is always hooded and wrapped in his cloak, which gives that character an ominous feel. Here is a good example, concept art from Thief:

 

 

Cloaks or capes should also be available for all classes, think Lord of the Rings, adventurers usually have those elven cloaks on, which protects them from weather and they can wrap themselves when cold, or hide them in certain situations. I don't feel like they should have such functionality, but the look of them needs to be right.

 

This is an argument towards increasing immersion, please consider it! )

[Oerwinde]

Cloaks shouldn't always have the hood up. There should be a hood up/down toggle.

 

Temple of Elemental Evil I found did cloaks quite well.

[MrGeekyGamer]

Yes i would agree, a toggle would be nice. I played Temple a bit, but did not really notice the cloaks.

[Mamoulian War]

And I was affraid that this topic would not emerge in a timely manner :-P

[Leferd]

Heh. Bringing back the nostalgia of all the cloak requests threads on the old BIS forum days.

 

Hopefully technology and scientific progress has improved so that we can have these.

[Tigranes]

Science: bringing you the real sensuous texture of cloaks.

[Leferd]

Science is a pretty neat thing.

[Littlefinger]

KotOR II had a basic cape mechanic. A very much appreciated change from the original game. Didn't seem too complex, yet it was enough.

 

Frankly, I'm more interested in seeing less clipping issues rather than OMGSOEPIC cape physics.

[Seagloom]

The fashionista in me would be remiss were I not to support any request for cloaks and capes. Thusly, I support it. It would also be nice if there were dress options for us mage players with a taste for the extravagant, and trousers for the practical. Only having bathrobes to choose from can get old, ya know? We don't get all those neat armor type upgrades the meat shields do.

[salty]

Cloaks shouldn't always have the hood up. There should be a hood up/down toggle.

 

Temple of Elemental Evil I found did cloaks quite well.

This is extremely important. I will not wear a cloak with the hood up.

[Stiler]

I'm still amazed at how many games simply ignore cloaks/capes/tabbards or don't fully do them justice.

 

Soooooooo many people wanted them in Skyrim , with proper cloth physics (which can be done easily in this day and age, see Batman: AA/AC) yet we didn't even get them there.

 

Cloaks/Capes/Tabbards were a VERY common clothing item throughout history, a staple clothing item in many great literary works, movies, etc yet in games they just get ignored or get halfway done.

 

I'd love to see all kinds of cloaks/capes/tabbards (these are not all the same thing, a tabbard is cloth worn over armor usually with a heraldic symbol on it or such) . From full cloaks (hood up or down), to half cloaks (Comes down only to your knee's) to capes (no hood, draped around your neck going down your back).

 

If they do them I really really hope they use phyiscs on them. A cape doesn't look/work nearly as well if it's just a rigged piece of clothing with no physics and bends like it's glued to your character model.

 

Batman should be an example of using physics for good capes.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Stiler

[MrGeekyGamer]

Good to see there is support for this. I agree that Batman AA and AC actually do provide a rather realistic cape feel. However there are still clipping issues, and that can potentially break the experience a bit.

 

It would be great to have both cloaks, capes and tabbards, and i feel like it would be even cooler if they had a purpose as well. Of course they should have stats, but they could perhaps grant the player special abilities as well, like invisibility (for a short time), damped sound when moving, faster moving, perhaps a bigger light radius... stuff like that.

 

Also the cloak/cape should have unique designs, and have a dedicated slot in the character screen, just like boots, pants etc.

 

It would also be cool if some cloaks would represent the factions in the game, with emblems on them, or perhaps the player could design them themselves, and give all members of the party the same symbol. Walking into a town with gang marks would be kinda cool.

Edited September 16, 2012 by MrGeekyGamer

[Veca]

Cloaks shouldn't always have the hood up. There should be a hood up/down toggle.

 

Temple of Elemental Evil I found did cloaks quite well.

 

This

Sometimes its nice to be able to see the persons face, and other times its nice to hide it away.

Increases immersion

[dknight99]

I love cloaks and I would love a toggle feature for the cloak up or down.

[NoxNoctum]

Yep, I love me some cloaks. And from what I remember ToEE did them really well.

 

BTW which thief is that concept art from?

Edited September 17, 2012 by NoxNoctum

[Umberlin]

Only if they're done well. Well done capes and cloaks I'd adore. I've played too many RPGs where I had to just plain hide them using an UI option or else just not wear them at all because they looked terrible, or, even if they looked nice, were animated terribly.

[MrGeekyGamer]

I agree, if not done properly, don't bother at all. However, it would be nice to somehow know if Obsidian has read this and considers it... I mean they say that we are their bosses, and we are a part of the design. An interesting concept, but this is like a brainstorm with a 1000 people, how can we make sure this point is heard and considered?

[Thraxen]

Seems like a cloak would be useful in a lot of situations, if you knew how to use it. Make yourself harder to see if you're trying to sneak somewhere, help you defend yourself a little better in combat (like how Batman could stun an enemy in the Arkham games by covering them with his cape) or just make the enemy have trouble hitting you because the cloak obscures where your body is.

 

Oh, are we going the the "Cloaks have a hood, Capes don't" method of describing each one? Or Are Cloaks just anything can be wrapped completely around you, whilst capes can only go over your should or back?

[Sordel]

I like cloaks as well, but I think that they should be an accessory-type item, only equippable for some classes. Seeing a warrior in a cloak always seems wrong because it would interfere with weapon drawing. Also, I don't like to see all classes end up with the same silhouette.

 

The sort of thing I'd like to see is for each class to have a decent number of equippable slots, such as jewellery, special clothing (for warriors it could be a visor, for example) and weapon 'gems' or 'runes' or whatever. Capes & coronets could be special clothing for clothies, with cloaks for rogues.

 

That said, we don't want to put more weight on the item designers than the budget can stand!

[norfar]

yea cloaks, mantles and hats (like the one in my avatar) for the wizards plz

Edited September 18, 2012 by norfar

[MrGeekyGamer]

Keeping it as an accessory seems to diminish the effect for me. A warrior can easily have a cape or a cloak, just look at Aragon from LOTR, he wears a cloak, and it does not hinder him in combat (realistically though i see what you mean).

 

It could even be incorporated into the game somehow, imagine your warrior actually detaching his cape before battle and then draw his weapons, only to collect the discarded cape after combat (perhaps automatically?).

 

Give it stats, and i like how it could be used in a stealth fashion, i always hated how IE did stealth, i mean the character is usually right in front of them. If the cloak did something like invisibility or blended with environment just like LOTR when Frodo and Sam hides from the evil men. Imagine how cool that would be, instead of it being an actual skill every class could use it effectively. A warrior being invisible to attack with full force from behind, or a mage always switching positions and staying hidden while moving, confusing the enemy. Would create whole new combat strategies.

[Entropious]

Please remember, though, that this will be an isometric, 2D title, so I wouldn't expect too advanced movement and clothing animations. As such, it may be far easier than it seems to implement a nice look to cloaks and capes, longcoats and trenches, panchos and mantles.

[IrishLuigi]

Is it just me or is there a whole lot of people who don't seem to realise that this game is isometric on these forums?

 

I would also like people to recognise the type of cloak or armour you are wearing and react accordingly (For example, when you go into a faction wearing a rival faction's colours, you should expect a negative reaction).

[MrGeekyGamer]

Hmmm well they do write isometric on the kickstarter page. However, does that in fact mean a 2D experience? I would consider Neverwinter Nights to be an isometric game as well, but there it was in 3D and you could rotate the camera. Regardless even if the world is in 2D, i still believe that it would be a layered experience, meaning some 3D objects at least on top of the 2D to create depth. I feel games with only 2D can feel a bit flat, like Planescape, but pretty nevertheless.

 

No matter what the characters themselves will most likely be in 3D, as it will simply be the easiest way of doing it currently, creating 2D characters would be insane considering the level of customization expected from games today. Nothing is confirmed on this, but i am willing to bet my hat on it.

 

This means that cloaks and capes would have to function in coherence with 3D models, meaning the same old problems: Making it look real.