Bodygroup selector for cars, allowing better customization - The suggestion

[Creepis]

Discussion Post: https://perpheads.com/threads/bodygroup-selector-for-cars-allowing-better-customization.20536/

Main Idea: Being able to select the bodygroup for cars with a selector/menu at the painting NPC which would allow for better customization on our vehicles.

Full description of the idea: The current way you can slap bodygroup onto your car is via bodykits. Not all of us like the bodygroups that come with the kits and it would be better if you could select what bodygroups you'd actually want to have on your vehicle. This would cut down the cost if for example you'd only want 1 bodygroup out of the kit instead of the 3 bodygroups it comes with, then you would also obviously pay less which lets you customize your vehicle as you wish and have a few more bucks to spare. An example would be the Mitsubishi Evo Lancer VIII which has a wheelrack on it's roof when you get a specific kit for it. Not all of us would like to have this wheelrack on our roof and it would be better to have the option to not attach this onto the car in the first place and since there is a specific bodygroup where it doesn't include the wheelrack so it would be nice just to have a spoiler at the back for those who would like to customize their vehicle that way.

Why should it be added?: As said above:

"Not all of us like the bodygroups that come with the kits and it would be better if you could select what bodygroups you'd actually want to have on your vehicle. This would cut down the cost if for example you'd only want 1 bodygroup out of the kit instead of the 3 bodygroups it comes with, then you would also obviously pay less which lets you customize your vehicle as you wish and have a few more bucks to spare."

Pros: Better customization
More bodygroups (Some vehicles have bodygroups or additional one's that aren't available which would let us actually make use of them instead of being restricted to a kit)
More money to spare if you would only get a few bodygroups instead of a whole kit.

Cons: Not a real priority and would just take up some dev time.
Bodygroups would need individual pricing which would also take up some time to set up correctly to the vehicle's price.
We would need to update TDM with it's updated models to include the other bodygroups since we are using an outdated version but regardless it would still be nice to choose what bodygroups we can attach onto our car at the moment.

Other additions: Nein

Images:
An example:
SL-65.
Has 1 bodykit in the server (Racing).
2 bodygroups in total.
No bodykit:

Spoiler

With the racing bodykit:

Spoiler

If we could choose what bodygroup to attach, the car would look just like this with a wing:

Spoiler

Or just the front lip splitter:

Spoiler

Some more pictures (probably include the new bodygroups of TDM, not sure)

Spoiler: More examples

Here are some more examples, showing how you could customize your car.
Ford F150 Raptor SVT with a different bumper and wheel.

I hate Mitsubishi Evo Lancer VIII's with a passion but this is how you could also customize your's with a different wheel (not sure if the wheel is available via kits, never seen it before)

And just for you McLaren P1 fanboys, here is a wing you could attach if this idea would ever be implemented (probably included in an updated TDM version).

 

[StephenPuffs]

Let's go through this logistically step-by-step shall we?

1. Open text document, load up sandbox in GMod, select easy bodygroup tool, and open TDM vehicles tab
2. Spawn any vehicle, if no more go to step 11
3. Select vehicle with tool and check number of bodygroups
4. If none go back to step 2
5. Write down name of vehicle somewhere
6. Select a new bodygroup and find where it changed, if none go back to step 2
7. Write down what bodygroup number this is part of (and possibly what else it would need to change, see my notes after)
8. Come up with and write down a name which makes sense for what it is
9. Come up with and write down a reasonable price
10. Go to step 6
11. Start with all the back end changes

Now keep in mind there are certain bodygroups which we simply can not use, such as ones where the wheels are entirely gone, so those would be omitted by some means. But then we also face the issue of where TDM in his infinite wisdom decided with some vehicles you can change all wheels as one bodygroup but others you change each wheel individually, but do all wheels have the same amount of options as another? No. So we then need to create a system whereby changing one bodygroup also then has the ability to effect others as well, so further definition is required.

How are we doing on time at this point? Without even considering redoing any code, GUIs, required database conversion/changes, converting the current system to then do it this way instead, or formatting what we've written down to be in a format which makes sense or would work at all we'll assume that on average a vehicle has 6 bodygroups options total (no idea how accurate this figure is), and then the process outlined takes about 1.5 minutes per option since it is more than just copying data but instead requires some creativity. That then equates to about 9 minutes per vehicle, now in the gamemode we have about 110 purchasable vehicles and people want this expanded, but for now we will exclude that time as well. So that then is roughly 990 minutes or 16.5 hours of just going vehicle by vehicle to only determine its bodygroups.

Frankly put, taking 16 hours and possibly more but not much less (if any), just to expand on an already working system for very little gain other than small aesthetics because people "want to be different" really has little appeal to myself. Now if you wish to take the time yourself or get a group to help you with it, as long as you verify that there are no invalid options, options which are unrealistic, or plainly look absolutely awful... Feel free. Then once I decide on how this information would need to be formatted to possibly use, you would be in charge of putting it into that format so I can use it. It would need to be set for all vehicles and not just some, there is no halfway for this type of change.

It takes me personally long enough to do each and every vehicle script when we have new vehicles along with all the other individual vehicle definitions that doing this on top of it is unwelcome. Basically though, it's that simple, go for it and have fun.

 

[Deleted member 3902]

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