Some might see this as wedges being drawn between a game’s community, but not so - think of it like a high school, with its meaningless fashion trends, its "in right now" versus its "so last year," and its cliques that dress alike or apart to show loyalty. The Voidwalker Wraith in your Apex Legends squad is going to try way too hard, that sort of thing. League of Legends players roll their eyes at their team’s Elementalist Lux she’s never a team player. Look at any of the top-rated headgear items on TF2’s fan workshop, and most of them will include a gallery picture of the item used in a half-dozen outfits - like a seller in a boutique saying, "Wouldn’t this hat just go great with your suspenders?"Įvery game with uniform choices has its own stereotypes for each of them. In fact, the TF2 community values costume parts that are versatile and can complement hats and accessories already in the game. It’s an evolution from its former self, and very unlike the tight selection of developer-designed skins in your average hero shooter or MOBA. What might otherwise have been "pick your favorite hat and your favorite shirt" becomes a true exercise in creativity. Two of these items - the necktie and the coveralls - are worn on the Pyro’s upper body, and neither was designed with the other in mind, but TF2’s complex equip region system allows them to harmlessly coexist without looking glitchy or distracting. Helmet, face mask, and scarf? No sweat.įor a visual example, here’s a Pyro loadout: By 2013, in a defining change, "one hat and two accessories" became "any three cosmetic items that don’t overlap in equip region" (essentially, any three cosmetics that don’t intersect on the model). As updates and cross-promotions added chest accessories like badges, one cosmetic slot turned to three.
With future updates, TF2 would refine the art of "dressing up your guy" in a video game. There are exceptions - Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege lets players pick separate helmets and uniforms for their operators, for example, even if most helmets are made for specific uniforms and vice versa - but this is the broad standard, and players who take pride in making heroes their own can expect this framework to continue. But in general, your options to express yourself through your hero’s appearance are few and far between. Sometimes menus can be recolored, or portraits can get custom borders. One thing that unites these diverse games, though, is a now-familiar style of player customization: You can trick out your hero in one of a handful of pre-assembled “skins,” full-body remodels of the base character, usually with other options like emotes or voice lines depending on the game. They fall under a wide umbrella, one that includes everything from class-based tactical shooters to MOBA-likes. Hero shooters - games built around a roster of distinct "hero" characters, and the way they interact, as opposed to interchangeable soldiers and thugs - are a game genre in their peak.