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It's that time again! Bunny ears are back in season and once again I'm asking DE for two simple things:
- Make festive cosmetics permanent
- Add an option to hide festive cosmetics
I like the Lepus Headgear. I think they're cute. I want to wear them on my Ivara all the time. But Warframe has several million players, and that means several million differing opinions on the matter. Some players feel the same way, while others are upset that these festive cosmetics exist in the first place for various reasons like immersion or whatever. Others still couldn't give two sh*ts, and some like that these kinds of cosmetics are limited because — for them — it makes the cosmetics feel "more special". Those are all perfectly valid opinions to hold, and me begging every year for permanent festive cosmetics would be in poor taste if I didn't account for other player's perspectives. Because I like festive cosmetics and want them all the time, and because some players never want to see them ever, we should get a new option relating to these cosmetics.
The 'Hide Festive Cosmetics' option would go in the 'Gameplay' section of the Options menu. It would have three settings:
- Show Festive Cosmetics: When Appropriate — This is the default setting. You will only see festive cosmetics on other players when they are in season. For example, you will only see the Lepus Headgear or Spring Step Ephemera on other players around Easter and you will only see the Dullahan Mask on other players around Halloween.
- Show Festive Cosmetics: Always — Festive cosmetics will always be shown on other players.
- Show Festive Cosmetics: Never — Festive cosmetics will never be shown on other players.
I made a mock-up of how this would work two years ago. Regardless of the setting you choose, your festive cosmetics will always be visible on your screen. For assets like weapon skins, a fallback skin would be used if it's out of date: the Ringers and Peppermint Scythe skins would use whatever weapon model it's equipped on. Assets without a fallback are simply not loaded in the first place.
This setting would affect the following items:
- Eros Arrow Skin (also changed from consumable to equippable arrow skin - another longstanding request)
- Lepus Headgear
- Spring Step Ephemera
- Dullahan Mask
- 2014 Movember Mustaches: The Magnum, The Tusker, The Baron, The Gentleman, and The Villain
- 2015 Movember Mustaches: The Dastard, The Shopkeep, The Illusionist, The Master, and The Anvil
- Ringers Skin
- Spearmint Scythe Skin
- Festive Glaxion Skin
- Little Helper Hat
This setting would not affect the following items:
- All Towsun skins and cosmetics
- Naberus shoulder armor
- All Day Of The Dead skins and cosmetics
- Festive Frost Skin, Winter Mirage Skin, Festive Imperator syandana, various holiday Gene Masking Kits
- All Solstice skins and cosmetics
This separation is for two reasons. Either:
- The cosmetic is very silly (Moustaches) or obviously out of place (Little Helper Hat)
- The cosmetic isn't all that out of place (Naberus, Festive Imperator Syandana, Solstice items) or otherwise costs plat (DotD items)
The Festive Glaxion is a bit of an outlier, since it costs plat and is more like the other "silly" festive cosmetics that would be affected. It should be removed from the Winter Bundles and the 20p cost of the item should be refunded. It should then be made purchaseable with credits during the winter holidays, just like the Peppermint Scythe and Ringers skins. The Winter Bundles' costs should likewise be reduced by 20p. This is the only outlier I can think of, let me know if there's one I've missed!
Some common comments I've seen over the years, and my response:
"This is too hard for DE to do/it would take too much effort."
Nonsense. It's their game, their engine, they can do whatever they want with it. If they want separately colored Syandanas, or multiple energy colors, or cinematic quests, or open world zones, or space ships like frickin' Star Citizen, then they can do it. There also exists precedent for the two technical requirements for such a setting:
- The ability to selectively hide meshes. Chroma can hide his pelt when using Effigy, and Khora can selectively toggle her spikes.
- The ability to check if today's date lies between two other dates. Warframe is practically built on timers. There's absolutely no way that DE is unable to manipulate dates and times to see if an item is in date.
On the topic of effort, DE already has to place all of their new assets anyways. Whether they do it once a year when the holidays comes around or once when they create the asset makes no difference.
"I don't want to see festive cosmetics outside of the holidays because it makes them less special" and "they're fine the way they are."
The default setting of "When Appropriate" would leave festive cosmetics exactly as special as they already are. If you don't want to wear them or see them in the off-season, you don't have to! But what feels special to you doesn't necessarily feel special to someone else. It's subjective, and letting players choose for themselves will make the most people happy.
"I don't like festive cosmetics and I never want to see them, ever. They're silly and break my immersion."
Then you should support this idea, because by changing "Show Festive Cosmetics" to "Never" you wouldn't have to see them ever again, even if they're in season! Right now a player can run around with a giant candy cane and a Santa hat on their dog all year round and there's nothing you can do about it.
"I don't want other people to be able to hide my cosmetics."
Too bad! Some people just don't want to see them. Why should you be allowed to break their immersion? That just sounds rude.
TL;DR
Man shouts at company over bunny ears for 3rd or 4th year in a row: make them permanent, let people hide them.
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