I'm sure I'm not alone, but I feel that the graphics for H2H weapons seem to be an afterthought compared to all other weapons. I've even noticed that the player studio folks are even skipping over this widely used weapon type. This also isn't anything new, it's been like this since I started playing more than a decade ago, and expansion after expansion just has disappointing graphics for h2h. The odd occasion there are one or two which look great, like epic 2.0, brumal fists, talon of the lycanthrope, shinai of the ancients or any of the fiery fists. I just think the more recent 'giant' ulaks that look like they belong in Final Fantasy need to go, plus the tiny little brass knuckles looking ones, are just so bland. Would it be possible for future weapons to look just as cool as the weapons other classes wield?
Shinai was awesome, Tonfa's were cool, and love my Resplendent Sword Ornament. I wish monks could have sword graphics more often (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon anyone?)
I always liked the monk epics. I would always walk around with the 2.0 and 1.0 now that you can use both were I a monk. But that's just me.
Yeah, monk epic ornaments are pretty great, all 3 of them. But, I can sympathize with people wanting to use something that not every other monk is using. (Plus, I think there's another class who can use hand-to-hand, but monks aren't allowed to talk about them.) Anyway, it would be easier if you had some idea what you *do* want to see. Personally, I can think of plenty of things I don't want in a hand to hand weapon, but not much idea of what I do, and I suspect that may be the reason a lot of players skip over it when submitting weapon sets. Things I like for hth are generally simple: monk 1.0, ignited heart of the firebug, burning ash of the lake, ball of sunlight, and yes, ceramic spikefist ornament. (I like the simplicity of it, with a bit of realism.) But those already exist, and how many variations of them can you make? (Plus, player studio creators can't give particles at this time, afaik.) So I can't say what would make a good hth ornament. But I can tell you what wouldn't. (Note that, sadly, not all of these have images on them. Just linking them for reference, many can be found in the marketplace or a buyer search. Most match their icons, anyway.) 1. Spikes, blades, and claws. No, sorry, I'm not Wolverine, and I didn't like the katar look, either. Example: Planar Scorched Cat Claws, Polished Steel Ulak. 2. Anything that's huge or heavy. Hth weapons should be swift and maneuverable, augmenting your fist, rather than replacing it. Example: The Foul Wind. 3. Fancy, flashy stuff. Some detail is fine, but we don't need a shield that comes up our arms or a face that sits on the back of our hands, while serving no purpose. Example: Ravager's Claw, Righteous Claw. 4. Things that protrude in a way that would make punching difficult. A short stud or post is one thing, but having one that's 2 feet long wouldn't make normal hth styles effective. Example: Claws of Flowing Blood. 5. Ulaks and katars. Just say no. (And see point 1.) Example: Heart of the First Katar. 6. Weapons which are poorly balanced. A hook or large ring seems like it would just throw you off balance, or displace too much force. Example: Studded Engineer's Workgrips, Bertoxxulous Crook.
I'm not a monk, nor have I ever played one, but I always thought something that looked like a wrap that goes around your hands and wrist would look good. I mean, h2h is just that, hands. So why not a hand wrap design.. Just a thought.
To add to the above because the 30 minute edit time = lose, but if you wanted particle effects for the wraps, something like splattered blood flying when you strike.. Idk, just thought it sounded cool lol..
They actually added a player studio h2h ornament today, so it's not being completely ignored. The graphic isn't my favourite (no offense to whomever made it) but it seems harder to make a great h2h than say, a nice sword. It's also a shame that they don't allow particles on those, since as others mentioned some of the better h2h graphics use a fair amount of particle effects. I play a beast not a monk, so my preferences are different I'm sure, but I agree with most of what Khoza said. The Claws of Flowing Blood made me laugh for quite awhile, thought they were pretty ridiculous. I don't necessarily dislike all claws though (which may be a beast thing or just my own personal taste). My least favourite was the seashell graphic from VoA though, seemed like a mean joke.
The problem with art is it's highly subjective. While Khoza doesn't like anything with blades, others (like myself) really like bladed fist weapons. Nothing we choose for a weapon appearance is going to please everyone, but we do try to keep some variety in how things look.
I've been wondering why player studio won't allow particle effects. Is it due to some technical limitation or does SoE want that option for themselves.
And is the reason that the Player Studio was such an awesome idea. If there were more things you could design / create (artistically, not just make via button smashing) would be awesome. That's probably a long ways off, before you can make a role-playing interface that allows people to make models in-game. Daydreaming out loud again. Yther Ore.
Particle effects would add a great deal of complexity to the Player Studio program. Models are comparatively much easier for players to create.
I don't mind bladed weapons and such... although I think they tend to look rather boring. I don't think it's really done as an afterthought, but rather it's a lot easier to make cool looking swords and such because you have more to work with. Personally I'm a fan of particle fist type weapons for monks. Although I wouldn't mind seeing the return of some monkly 2HB weapons... if we could ever get monk/bst 2HB weapons that would do comparable damage to H2H.
I wouldn't think allowing creators to add existing particle effects to their designs would be difficult, but creating something from scratch for sure.
I think the EQ2 thing of having a graphics paper doll override the equiped items paper doll is very nice.
Yeah, I got a little carried away there. The point I had in mind before I started typing was, hth is something of an odd weapon to design. (As others have pointed out.) I tried a few times to come up with suggestions for one... and drew a complete blank. I suspect the people skilled in such designing have similar problems, so if someone *looks at Ned* comes up with something good, share it, because you might have hit an idea nobody else will come close to. (Well, that kinda goes for everything with Player Studio, but you get my point.) Goes double for the people who will actually use hth ornaments, because you know why you didn't like hth_look's_corpse_01!
