Image Designer Archive
Thread: CLIENTS LOOK HERE: Image Design FAQ for customers
Q: What can an image designer do?
A: We have two sets of skills – what can be done at character creation and “extras” (see below).
Q: Can you do everything available at character creation?
A: Yes.
Q: Oo ooo, then can you make me superhumanly tall? What about an extremely large chest? How about jet-black skin?
A: We can do everything available at character creation within regular character creation species limits. This means that if you’ve maxed out your height, we can’t make you taller. We also don’t have any extra colors for hair/eyes/skin.
Q:Can you change mygender? Can you change my species?
A: These changes have been vetoed by Lucas Arts. Do not expect them in the future.... ever.
Q: Can you ID vendors?
A: We really want that. It may happen in the future.
Q: Wow, what can’t you do?
A: some things are bugged. At this time, freckles on some male species cannot be modified (i.e. Zabraks), but code might be used for this (not sure after the most recent patch). We also cannot make people bald, but some image designers have found a “loophole” to this. It is unclear whether the recent patch has “fixed” this loophole, which would be tragic to people who want to go bald. Eye shape is not changeable at this time.
Q: What “extra things” can you do, which are not available at character creation?
A: The only extra modifications we get are extra hairdos. That’s it. Nothing else. Really.
- Twi’leks: additional lekku positions
- Trandoshans: additional frill positions
- Bothans: additional hair styles
- Zabraks: additional hair styles, all of which include a combo of hair and horns. For male Zabraks, this is the only way you can get actual hair with your horns. For female Zabraks, there are alternatives to the ponytail.
- Humans: many additional hairstyles
- Male Rhodians: new frill patterns
- Female Rhodians: new hair styles
- Mon Cal: nothing new
- Wookiees: nothing new
Q: Do I need to contact a master about these additional hair styles?
A: absolutely not. The master box grants no additional hair styles. All additional hairstyles are available at Expert Hairstylist (Hair IV).
Q: Can I preview all these hairdos to see if I like one before bothering my friendly local image designer?!
A: yes, please check out the following websites.
http://swg.warcry.com/index.php/content/image_design
http://swg.atomicspacekitty.com/
Q: Will my image designer go through every single hairdo/lekku pattern/wookiee pattern if I don't want to visit the website?
A: Well I wouldn't! Perhaps you would find an extremely patient and possibly masochistic image designer who would be willing to spend an hour offering every style, one by one, when you can just browse the available styles on a website which takes all of 2 minutes. An image designer probably would not mind showing you "all the shoulder length hairdos" or "hairdos 20, 24 and 25" to compare.
Q: Can I have body tattoos? Can I have exotic hair colors? How about new spot patterns? Nail polish? More tattoos? Scars?
A: Were you paying attention? – only extra hairstyles! Let’s say it all together now: only extra hairstyles.
Q: Can I see changes before I accept?
A: Yes, you will receive a message box that says “so-and-so wants to change your eye color/weight etc” where you can “accept” or “reject” changes. On that same box there are also preview buttons where you can look at your “before and after” avatar. The changes are visible on your avatar itself, so look closely.
Q: If an image designer changes me, can he or she change it back if I don’t like it?
A: Yes, what an image designer can do, an image designer can undo, with the exception of hair. Lower level image designers do not have access to all the elite hairstyles. Therefore, make sure to ask your image designer about this issue before accepting any hair changes. Please remember that image designers cannot make you bald (except via a loophole that may no longer be open) so if you are bald already, think very hard before accepting a new hairdo.
Q: Is there an “undo” button for image design changes?
A: Unfortunately not. If you want to be changed “back” you will have to work with your image designer to put each feature back individually.
Q: I'm having trouble with the lighting - how can I see the changesbetter?
A: The best thing to do is target yourself using control-1 and then type /ex. The examine window will pop up, which will show you in "true" lighting.
Q: Does image design cost resources?
A: No. However, it does cost time – think of it as on par with requesting a long and complicated custom order from a crafter.
Q: How does image design xp work?
A: The image design profession works in that the image designer gains experience by having customers accept proposed changes. You must be in the same group as the image designer for the image designer to be able to “propose changes”.
Q: What kind of interface do image designers use?
A: The image design commands work off a slider (i.e. weight) or palette (i.e. eye color). The image designer as he or she moves the slider sees the changes on the client’s avatar, as it would appear if the change were permanently accepted. There is no separate “image design window” where the image designer can see how the proposed changes will look.
Q: What are the bugs?
A: Here are a few that have been documented, and are still not resolved:
- Hair color/horn color/rhodian frill tip color bug. This bug essentially causes the image design client to see the hair’s real color, while others see a different color.
- If your hair STYLE is changed, the color will look the “default color” to everyone but you (brown for humans and zabraks, white for bothans).
- If your hair COLOR is changed, the color will look like your old color before the change to everyone but you.
- If you have your COLOR and STYLE changed, the hair color will be the default color to everyone but you.
This bug is resolved by doing an exceptionally long relog (more than 30 minutes). Sometimes this does not work. Server reset always fixes this problem. This bug, however, would explain why an image designer might have trouble matching hair and eyebrows. - The slider default bug: sometimes when the image designer clicks on which feature he or she wants to change, the “slider” reverts to the zero value. For example, clicking on weight will cause the slider to revert to zero. This is a problem because the image designer sees your avatar AS THE SLIDER IS, not as you actually are, and closing the ID interface does NOT make the image designer see you as you actually are, but the image designer will continue to see you at the zero value (i.e. for weight, extremely thin). Therefore, sometimes the image designer will have to guesstimate what you looked like before to know how to change you. This only happens on some sliders, but be aware of it because that explains a lot of times why the ID can’t get it exactly right. However, once you click accept the first time, the second time the ID changes the same feature, the slider will not revert to zero. (Why I gave this long explanation will become apparent soon enough). The slider bug has been known to occur on weight, ear size, nose length, nose protrusion, nose width(?), chin, jaw and cheekbones.
- “X already has an image design offer…” - when one of you goes LD during an image design session, the image designer may not be able to design you (or anyone else) for the rest of the night. Sometimes a long relog fixes this, but in my experience, you usually have to wait until after server reset.
Q: Can someone practice image design on me without changing anything?
A: Yes. For the Image Designer to get experience he or she does not need to actually change the color or move the slider: he or she only needs to offer the change and have the client accept. In fact, there is no reason to “change” the feature since that involves either moving the slider or clicking a new color – and it’s more work for the grinding image designer. However, be aware of the “slider bug” as mentioned above, and the first time the image designer “offers” you one of the above labeled items (weight, ear size, nose length, nose protrusion, nose width(?), chin, jaw and cheekbones) check to see if you are being offered something new or not. Sometimes it can pass unnoticed because facial features cannot often be seen clearly in a dark cantina. If you’re not comfortable monitoring slider changes, a safe way to help out an up-and-coming image designer is to agree to accept all eye/hair color changes (which are on a palette, not a slider).
Q: Should I accept every change, even if I don’t like it?
A: It depends on a few factors. First, does the image designer possess your original hairstyle so he or she can “put you back.” Second, does the image designer need experience? If yes, it’s polite to accept intermediate changes, even if you’re going to ask for a little tweak right afterward. Third, does the change cost a lot of mind points? If so you may not want to accept every change or you might be there all night waiting for mind regen. Fourth, is the change “close” to what you want? If so, you should probably accept and then tell the ID “a little more” or “a little less.” This helps the image designer more accurately pinpoint what you want because it creates a frame of reference.
Q: What should I expect to pay?
A: Some image designers set fixed prices, and others do not. It should be asked up front. Price systems can be set up based on complexity of the change (higher level more expensive) or time spent on the image design session. If your image designer works off tips, consider this question: if someone spent a half hour doing a custom tailoring order for you, or made you a gun upon request, wouldn’t you tip him for the personalized effort? If you don’t have the money, that’s understandable, but stiffing an ID is inexcusable. Probably you should be looking at 1k-10k depending on whether it’s a “I want hair in red” or “I want an extreme makeover.” It varies from server to server.
Q: Pshht why should I pay?
A: People who stiff image designers will be punished with horrible voodoo curses. Some of us have paid for our training. We have to buy clothes so we can look nice for our profession. We have houses. We spent time getting image design xp, time that we could have spent farming Baz Nitch lairs back in the day. When we image design YOU we are spending time we could have spent doing missions, crafting, or any other lucrative endeavor. We spent points on image design that you chose to spend on skills that help you take better missions, or craft better items. We are providing you a service. Pay up!
Q: What is general etiquette for an image design session?
A: Ahhhh the do’s and don’ts.
- DO: be polite to your image designer
- DO: be prepared to wait if others are in front of you
- DO: make an appointment – that will be sure you don’t have to wait.
- DON’T: bombard your image designer with tells. Even better, use e-mail. He or she may be in the middle of an image design session.
- DON’T: criticize the design aspects – YOU wanted to see the hairstyles/lekku patterns/ mon cal spots. And WE didn’t design them. Saying “eeew” is not nice.
- DON’T: expect the image designer to come to you. We are actually pretty busy people. Would you expect a crafter to do home delivery?
- DON’T: move! It messes up our view and our lighting.
- DO work on one change until you're happy with it
- DON'T jump around between changes before you're satisfied with the one in progress
- DO: tip
- DO: say “thank you”
- DO: recommend your friends
- DON’T: recommend jerks.
Q: Why am I smiling like a dork?
A: It’s mood – do /mood none. Either that or you're in the cantina listening to music/watching dancers. Do /stopwatch or /stoplisten and you'll get rid of the funny face (and will stop listening or watching).
Q: can you change a TEF?
A: no.
Q: Can I have hair even though I’m a twi’lek? How about horns?
A: That’s an exploit that has recently been fixed.
Q: How do I get more information about Image Design (either to become an Image Designer or to be a better customer.)
A: Here are some websites you can look at:
http://swg.warcry.com/scripts/columns/view_columns.phtml?site=13&id=996
http://swg.atomicspacekitty.com/
Message Edited by NJ62 on 02-22-2004 05:52 PM
- DO work on one change until you're happy with it
- DON'T jump around between changes before you're satisfied with the one in progress
Good tips, I just turned I.D. so I'm learnin' up. But... why doesn't a ID session remove a TEF? Seems perfectly logical that you would be unidentifyable if you looked different. Unless of course we have embedded chips in us. Ahhhhh!
Jessepe
1. Is Kasi really that sexy?
Yes
2. Is Kasi looking for a date
No
3. Wasnt Kasi once human?
Yes quit asking
(thought those were important)
Hi there!
I was so free and translated the text for the german players, and posted it on www.starwarsgalaxies.de
I hope that's ok with you
Icet Windwalker
Gorath
Soon-to-be Master ID, (and not a follower of the glowing Cube 
)
Q: Can you do everything available at character creation?
A: Yes.
To get a truly bony face you need to alter not just cheeks, but also the jaw...
The odd thing about the slider bug is that it does not go down to zero every time you work on someone, and it can happen with any type of number slider.