Guild Wars 2 Dye System Gets Some Much Needed Fixes

 The Guild Wars 2 dye system has gotten some fixes intended to address some issues, but short of a full overhaul. The changes are intended to help add stability to the wardrobe system and fix certain issues that have affected the related player experience for a while.

ArenaNet's Kyle Conroy, Senior Gameplay Programmer, posted an update on just what to expect out of the new system.  First, Conroy breaks down that the dye tab may seem like a uniform operation, it's several different components that need to combine to make the whole thing work. The dye page shows what colors should be displayed and signals what changes to expect to the other components. The dye manager keeps track as to which are used in the tab channels and on your gear. The paper doll is all the info and schematic of sorts about your gear, outfits, and skin previews, all in the name of being able to update your character model in real time with the correct items and colors. Finally, the composite is the actual model showing all of those changes, gear, and specifics come together.

The issues many players were having, things like the wrong colors showing or skins not being stable and flickering, were diagnosed as elements of these components just not talking to each other correctly, most notably in modifying the composite. These pieces need to communicate, and the new fixes aim to help relieve some of these issues. 

However, as Conroy notes, these fixes are not as thorough as he and the team would like them to be, since the system is older and has some hard limits. But with End of Dragons coming soon, the decision was made to make some fixes that they could do now, to help some of the most pressing issues. The hope, as Conroy concludes in the post, is that they can revisit this system when they have more time and resources to tackle a more significant overhaul.