Will this game allow you to use custom characters?

[Trackmaniack]

All FPS games have their skins created by players. It is not something new.

Not all...but some of the new ones do. The trick will be is it going to be like TM, in where everyone can see your skin/model, or will it be client-side only?

[BLiNNeMaNS]

Well, i think/hope they will do the same as trackmania..
At gamestart go to options and disable custom content
would be great if there was a seperate function per type (models, mods, avatars etc)

A cool addition would be a modelbrowser ingame where you can exclude certain models from showing up, thus being set back to defaults.

[KuroBit]

I think it would be silly of them to not include that. Almost all of the early first person shooter games had custom models and skins, and TrackMania is all about creation and customization.

The only thing is that they need to work out how to make sure people aren't cheating when using skins. Maybe making it so characters always have a glow behind them or something?

I REALLY hope they add support for custom animations, but I suppose with how complex things will be compared to the older FPS games, this might be too difficult... I'd hate to try to figure out how to implement a non-humanoid model onto a humanoid bone structure...

[db89]

Like Carpark... here CharacterPark With characters imported from other games

[EnaiSiaion]

Inb4 microscopic cube.

[windows3.1]

Inb4 microscopic cube.

Same, except in addition to microscopic cubes I'm inb4 the guaranteed millions of Master Chiefs, Chells, Heavy Weapons Guys, Gordon Freemans, and whoever else is popular. I guarantee that even both Sephiroth and Captain Falcon will show up at least a few times.

Anyway, on the issue of non-humanoid characters, I can list one thing that would make Nadeo cringe in trying to create compatibility for - a Tyranid Hive Tyrant. Four arms, two legs, a tail with who knows what kind of killy stuff on the end, chitinous armour plates... ooh, some also have wings!

Basically either the game will have to be delayed or players will have to make their own animation skeletons, either in-game with an editor or in an animation program .

[KuroBit]

I'm pretty sure there's a few new PC FPS's that let you use either the default skeleton, or create your own with it's own custom animations. I don't see how this would be too much trouble since it's been done before.

You'll have to put a lot of work into it no matter how it's done I think, but just look at TM2 and how much work it takes to make a car for TM2. Damage models for each car part, Dirt skins over the regular skins, Custom illuminations on the car, but people still use all of these features .

[zixxiz]

So my instant response to the OP was of course, we have custom car models, why not have custom player models? And then I realized there are some specific reasons why there normally aren't and shouldn't be custom player models in shooters. The biggest reason that having a smaller or unusually colored skin gives a player an advantage and this creates a bit of an issue. I wouldn't get your hopes up for custom models like in TM because in SM you actually have to interact with them.
That said, I see no reason why you couldn't modify models client side like in Warsow by either coloring them for better visibility, but size needs to be constant for hitboxes.

I'm pretty sure there's a few new PC FPS's that let you use either the default skeleton, or create your own with it's own custom animations.

Which games are these? I cant even think of a single (multiplayer) shooter that lets you do this.

[BLiNNeMaNS]

well, a simple "serverside list of allowed models where an unlisted model will simply show as default to others" already does the trick.