Issues with Character Creation for a New Account

jerax1011

So I've been helping out the folks over at the Champs Wiki and decided to create a brand new account to be accurate in what parts are available for new players. I had heard about this in the past, but now experienced for myself one of the biggest issues for the game.

Why on earth do newer Z store costume parts show up as unlocked on a brand new free account? This is a HUGE error and should be remedied. It's extremely misleading to new players that see these parts as appearing unlocked in the character creation, but when they actually try to enter the tutorial several different errors occur, from the character creation failing and forcing the player to start over to just flat out crashing the game. Now this presents a MAJOR issue as first impressions are EVERYTHING to potential customers. Why would anyone bother to attempt anything else in the game if they can't even use parts that according to the game itself is showing as usable but in truth are not? There is absolutely no reason that a brand new player should have to "figure out" what parts are actually usable. It changes a curiosity about the game into a frustration before they even get into the tutorial, and that in my eyes is inexcusable for any game to allow to go uncorrected for so long.

Now once a new player passes the tutorial, if they have managed to not use any of the "unlocked" parts, they also unlock MORE costume parts at level 10 which brings them to the level of unlocked parts that most veterans would remember as being available right away (side note, it's kinda sad that I couldn't use bunny ears until then). I understand the change from a business perspective to keep players interested with more bonus unlocks for sticking around, but considering that the customization is one of if not the BIGGEST factor in drawing in new players, why is there no notification that the player now has more parts to use in the tailor? I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of coding, but I'd imagine that a pop up window directing players to the tailor at level 10 to check out new parts wouldn't be too difficult.

decorumfriends

The level ten costume gate is the most counterproductive thing I've ever seen in an MMO (not that I've seen a lot of them). Especially bad that you have no idea unless some other player tells you.

sterga

Is this still a thing? This seriously hasn't been fixed yet? Hey Cryptic? Do you actually want people to play your game? I mean, millions of dollars have been spent on this thing and you are essentially driving people away with errors in the first 5 minutes.

If I played a game that had errors before I could even get into the playing part of the game, I'd uninstall and find another game. Especially since this is a F2P game in a massive sea of them.

flyingfinn

People stay focused more to the game when they realize that there is multiple different things they actually need to go out of the game and search for.



And even if you use 'Show only pieces i own' feature, you still have pieces from the couple of the latest sets popping up in there.

jonsills

That doesn't just happen on new accounts. If I go to create a new toon and haven't already been logged in on an existing one, it'll often display the names of costume parts I don't own as if I do. On the other hand, if I try to put them on, they won't appear, unlike what happens when they are correctly displayed, so...

So yeah, that needs fixed. And at the same time, maybe we could get rid of the "streamlined" character creator, the one that hides more than half of the free stuff (and the fact that there are premium ATs you can buy, or costume sets for sale) until you hit level 10 and then doesn't even tell you about the new capability when you do. That was an incredibly boneheaded move.

trailturtle

Setting aside the question of the streamlined creator for the moment, do people have more repro steps for the bug? I was able to reproduce it once, on a fresh account, but couldn't get it a second time. When I tried (even on a new account), I got the proper “Hey, you’ll need to buy a cash shop costume” popup when I tried to finish creation.

chalupaoffury

Yeah, it still happens to me too, and it seems to be pretty arbitrary. It seems to happen quite a bit more when I tailor directly from the login screen, or to a lesser degree ren center. I've tried to reproduce it multiple times, and I've yet to find a *reliable* method to reproduce it.

jonsills

Oh, I get the "you'll need to buy something" when I try to finish - but until that point, if you don't already know better, there's every reason to believe these costume parts are indeed available to you.

Must be terribly frustrating for someone to go to the trouble of making a new character, with a really cool costume, try to start playing, and only then find out they can't do what they thought they could do...

kallethen

trailturtle wrote: »

Setting aside the question of the streamlined creator for the moment, do people have more repro steps for the bug? I was able to reproduce it once, on a fresh account, but couldn't get it a second time. When I tried (even on a new account), I got the proper “Hey, you’ll need to buy a cash shop costume” popup when I tried to finish creation.

It's NOT just creating a new character, but whenever you try using the tailor. It seems to be random. I'll use the tailor one day fine without trouble, then the next day when I use it there will be Z-store costumes that look like they are already purchased (lacking the Zen coin icon) but if I were to try to use them the costume creation will fail. This has been going on for years, and has been brought up many times on the forums.

There does seem to be one solid work around: If you check the option under the tailor window to hide unowned parts, it will prevent you from using any of the unpurchased costume parts that appear owned. If you try to select the part with the option checked, the character will display without the part as if you selected "None" for that part category.

flowcyto

trailturtle wrote: »

Setting aside the question of the streamlined creator for the moment, do people have more repro steps for the bug? I was able to reproduce it once, on a fresh account, but couldn't get it a second time. When I tried (even on a new account), I got the proper “Hey, you’ll need to buy a cash shop costume” popup when I tried to finish creation.

I dunno as far as the in-game tailors and the bug, but as far as new character creation, it seems that one must re-load the character select menu at least once for the 'bug' to correct itself. This can be done via zoning in w/ an existing character first and then exiting back to the login or character select menu, or backing out of the character creation to return to the character select menu.

Perhaps the bug lies in some function not completing (or initiating) when you first access the character select menu from the login and boot-up. But this same function does get initiated anytime the char select screen is loaded again thereafter.

supporting tests, just making junk/default characters:

Test 1:

1. booted up and logged in, still on char select screen.
2. created a new character (default male FF) -> costume items that were not purchased were not showing a Zen icon beside them and show up on the model (option to hide locked parts isn't consistently working)- ie. bug is in effect.
3. finished creation, zoned in, and then went back to char select screen.
4. 2nd and 3rd attempts at creating new characters after the first one DID properly show locked items as needing to be brought (option hid them)- ie. bug apparently fixed.
5. deleted all three new characters and started again (re-creating 1st new character).
6. this time, the first new character also DID properly show locked items as needing to be brought (bug still fixed).

Test 2:

1. fully exited the game and launcher (for a new session).
2. re-booted game and logged in.
3. created 1st new character again, w/ unowned items improperly showing up as before (bug is in effect).
4. canceled character creation and went back to char select.
5. re-created 1st new character again, but now the unowned items were properly being displayed as such (Zen icons working, etc)- bug apparently fixed.

Just going back a few screens (not to the char select) during creation and selecting different powers/stats/AT also did not seem to fix the bug in itself.

ofc, this could just be w/ my own copy of the game or account; others would have to corroborate.

jennymachx

Inexcusable. Not a single one of other MMOs that I've played had any problems with something as fundamental as a character creation system. I would put this high on the priority list when it comes to fixes.

avianos

Cryptic really shot Themselves in the Foot for not having this Bugged and stupid Limitation NOT Fixed yet!

• First of all the Stupid Costume Limitation for new Accounts
  I'm sorry Friends but that's ******** Idea, the game main selling point is the Character Costumization, limiting it to new players and NOT stating it makes the WORST First Impressions
  
• Z-stores costumes Available in Character Costumization for no reason
  Still hasn't been fixed and still makes horrible First Impressions to new players
  
  Also the Hide Z-store costumes Button HIDES the costumes' Models... but the Costumes still appear on the list (they are still Invincible)

talapari

With the understanding that sometimes the character creation has glitches, its usually a form of either decompression error with the materials and how they are perceived to the game. i have had instances where after a game crash and i was creating a new character, even on a gold account, that it would let me get through costume creation with Cstor items that i hadn't bought, and say nothing to me, then once it tried to load, it would always crash until i removed said character. I hope that helps with you fight to fix TT. Always a big supporter of you at least trying to help.

~Fayd~

trailturtle wrote: »

Setting aside the question of the streamlined creator for the moment, do people have more repro steps for the bug? I was able to reproduce it once, on a fresh account, but couldn't get it a second time. When I tried (even on a new account), I got the proper “Hey, you’ll need to buy a cash shop costume” popup when I tried to finish creation.

pallihwtf

This happens ALWAYS when you FIRST LOG IN and you are on the character screen and you try to make a new character.

If you have already been into the game with existing character, it won't happen again. (if you select "change character" and go to make a new one).

roughbearmattach

My experience is similar to Pallihwtf.
When I log in, then go to make a new character, I experience these issues with the creator.
When I am already logged in, change characters, then make a new one, I haven't noticed this problem.

flyingfinn

Why even make stuff that breaks one of the key features of the game?
Should these things be tested so nothing game breaking, like this, gets thru?
Just leave stuff that works alone.
Focus on the broken stuff.
So more stuff doesn't get broken.
Soon we have a game that doesn't work, at all.

Oh well.

kallethen

I'll get the bug with costume packs looking like I own them when I don't on existing characters too, not just new creation. It's been posted about several times on the site, including the work around of using the "hide all unowned parts" to prevent usage of the non-purchased packs.

jerax1011

A slight update of sorts...

I signed in to my alt account from the launcher and once again had the error where it appeared that the Z store sets were owned. HOWEVER I hit back all the way back to the "create your hero" stage and proceeded to the tailor portion once more and the parts were appearing correctly.

So it would appear to be intermittent.. either way it's still something that needs to be fixed on all levels from what others are saying.