Add Weathering to ships and constructs! (yes, I'm serious)

[Shaman]

Everything in the game right now looks super clean and factory new, which may work in some scenarios, but to me makes everything look too plastic-y and glossy. In my opinion, adding weathering to ships and constructs over time should be implemented, so that we can have ships that look a bit more like this:

 

 

NOW HOLD ON, just hear me out, don't take out your pitchforks and torches on me just yet.

Firstly, weathering will be a very slow process which only happens in certain conditions, while the construct is active. if you keep your ship in space (and not in a gas cloud or something) it should remain spotless. Likewise, if you constantly fly your ship on a sandy planet like Sicari it should get covered in dust fairly quickly. (the weathering effect doesn't have to be that fancy either, just a simple transparent texture over the ship would do fine)

Secondly, weathering won't be permanent if you don't want it to be, so you can have shiny ships if you want. Something along the lines of a 'cleaning unit' could be added, which would act like a mix  between a territory scanner and a repair unit. You would select which construct to clean, and after a set amount of time (depending on core size) all stains would be removed, as long as your cleaning ship/construct stays stationary for that duration.

Cleaning units should be a large investment as well, so that players are more likely to hire another person to clean their ship, instead of people just saving up a couple million and getting a personal cleaner instead. Some constructs are be multi cored (and too tedious) to clean on their own, which may be another reason why you would want somebody to do the cleaning for you. NQ could encourage this behaviour even more by adding it as a type of mission in the upcoming mission system.

 

TL;DR Constructs in this game look too glossy and like plastic. Adding weathering could prevent this, and add economic opportunities to clean them as well. Almost every ship in star wars looks dusty and well-used, not shiny and glossy like in DU currently.

[Context]

I support, but also support longer periods of time. Though not time per say, but rather travel wear and tear. Micro-meteorites, radiation and such.

 

I'm just not sure if its computationally reasonable? If it is, yes please.

[Taelessael]

From my experience, stuff like this just annoys people, becoming another kind of  "tedious durability" to manage. Better to just make it a skin / voxel-type that is always that way if you'd like to fly something with that look. One should most definitely be able to trust in the rust if they so desire, but I must advise against pushing it on everyone. Having to wash a car only a few meters long IRL is enough of a chore, I have no desire to then have to come wash my much larger star-ship off after.

[bleakcon]

On 4/25/2021 at 7:03 AM, Taelessael said:

From my experience, stuff like this just annoys people, becoming another kind of  "tedious durability" to manage. Better to just make it a skin / voxel-type that is always that way if you'd like to fly something with that look. One should most definitely be able to trust in the rust if they so desire, but I must advise against pushing it on everyone. Having to wash a car only a few meters long IRL is enough of a chore, I have no desire to then have to come wash my much larger star-ship off after.

Nah sorry I want to open my new orbital ship wash

[Haunty]

They were working on "uber textures" but it was put on the back burner for now