The Panel 5 at Citcon 2023 conference focused on character advancement and customization in the game. They showcased different fashion styles, new gangs, dirtiness mechanics, and a major hair update, along with extensive DNA customization options, emphasizing the goal of providing more customization and diversity for players.
Panel 5 at the Citcon 2023 conference focused on character advancement and customization. The panel began with Ian, Andre, and Shawn discussing the character team’s work, including different fashion styles for different locations in the game. They showcased a demo of modular storage and extreme weather outfits, emphasizing the goal of more customization options. They also introduced new gangs like the Rough and Ready and the Head Hunters, showcasing their aesthetics and ranks.
The panel then delved into details about the appearance of characters, starting with discussing how dirtiness affects a character’s appearance and interactions with others. They demonstrated a shower mechanic to reset dirtiness and showcased a demo of unified star cloth technology between Squadron and the Persistent Universe. The differentiation between cage and mesh for star cloth was explained, along with controlled movements and preventing clipping.
Next, Andre discussed star hair, explaining the challenges of modeling hair and the importance of hair tips for achieving realistic results. They showcased a demo of different hairstyles and highlighted their efforts to add more variety to hair options. It was announced that a major hair update would take place by the end of 2023.
The panel concluded with a discussion about DNA customization, mentioning the addition of 60 more scanned heads and the use of a device called Dorothy for quick scanning. Sean Tracy presented a live demo of biot Corp, showcasing the ability to manipulate facial features and select from a wide range of skin tones, textures, eyes, makeup, and hairstyles. It was emphasized that players would have the freedom to create diverse characters, including bearded women and men.
Overall, the panel provided insights into the character advancement and customization features being developed for the game, ranging from fashion styles, gangs, and dirtiness mechanics to hair options and extensive DNA customization possibilities.