User blog:Willbachbakal/Multiplayer Character Customization

In the BioShock 2 multiplayer, you could cutsomize your character's aesthetic appearance in three different ways: you could pick a character from a selection of six (or eight, for those with the DLC), then you could change the look of their mask and melee weapon. In my version of the multiplayer, thing are a bit different. This multiplayer is Big Daddy-only, so no character model or melee weapon customization. However, there's one thing you can customize on Big Daddies that you can't on Splicers: armor.

By armor, I don't mean you only get to choose a whole suit at a time. No, character customization is split into six parts: Helmet, torso, shoulders, gauntlets, upper legs and greaves. Armor is unlocked one piece at a time, through levelling or trial completion. There are six different types of armor:


 * Elemental Armor: This armor symbolizes one of the twelve multiplayer plasmids (which means that there is a total of twelve elemental suits). Each piece of this armor is unlocked by completing a trial related to the appropriate plasmid. For example, using Incinerate! on 30 enemies would earn the player the Fire Helmet while setting 3 enemies on fire with a single cast would earn the player the Flaming Chestguard; and completing all six Incinerate! trials would earn the player the full Fire Suit.


 * Weapon Armor: This armor represents one of the nine multiplayer weapons, and each piece is unlocked by completing the appropriate weapon trial.


 * Veteran Armor: This armor is unlocked by completing Environmental trials. Each suit is related to one of the multiplayer's game modes, and thus each piece is earned by completing trials concerning that game mode.


 * Elite Armor: This armor is unlocked by completing Feat of Strength trials. These trials reward shows of great skill, such as precision, strategic thinking, and so forth. Each suit is related to a particular theme (like the ones mentioned above). Owning even a single piece of this type of armor indicates skill.


 * Rank Armor: Every time the player ranks up 10 levels, they receive a new full suit of armor. This type of armor doesn't require any trial completion to be received.


 * Custom Armor: Now, this is where it gets really interesting. After reaching level 10, the player will be able to create their own pieces of armor, and can create up to three entire suits that way. How does it work? First of all, you pick an existing armor piece model from the ones you've unlocked so far. Then, you proceed to color it and draw the motifs you want on it (basically, you paint your armor). You can even paste a pre-existing pattern or image onto your piece of armor. For example: if you belong to a clan and want to show it, you just paste your clan logo onto the front of your custom torso armor for everyone to see . If you're feeling lazy, you can go on the game network and pick a custom armor piece made by another player that you think looks good (so long as you've got the piece model, otherwise you won't be able to pick it). You can also rate custom armor pieces.

This also means every time you complete a trial, you earn a new piece of armor. All in all, there's probably going to be around half a thousand unique pieces of armor, which means half a thousand trials.

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