Suggestion: Do more with the 'Cosmetic' slot!

[Mr. Von Grimmsy]

The thread title says it all - this seems like a huge missed opportunity by TFP.

We could have multiple skins/paint jobs for weapons and armor (instead of this lazy 'dye' system we have at present; and a side complaint - why the hell can't we craft our own dyes?!) to allow for more unique-looking gear. I'm talking tattered trench coats, or battle-damaged armor; shiny-new guns instead of rusted crap. I realize that some of this is handled by visible mods, but those are few and far between.

(also, maybe they should just tie an item's general appearance to its rating as a starting point - i.e. rating 1 gear looks ramshackle, along the lines of the new pipe weapons, while rating 6 gear would be close to freshly made, etc.)

I mean, maybe this is something already in the works, but it also seems like something that could be overlooked. I just feel like we need more options to avoid most players looking the same, albeit with differently-hued gear - and besides, who doesn't like a little more customization?

Yet, the proposed rework to gut armor options down to 'sets' in the next upcoming Alpha is concerning as well...

Just my 2 cents. Thoughts?