This is a great concept, especially the creative freedom with decals, layering, and being able to actually design your own gear instead of being stuck with presets. The idea of sharing designs with the community is huge too. That alone would add a ton of replay value.
One thing I think needs to be part of this is real gear variation, not just visual decals. In real life, players are not all using the same stock equipment the game gives us.
For example, stick and skate options are way too limited. Bauer and CCM already sell multiple colorways and different builds within the same line, and NHL players actually use them. In the game, you might get one version of a Vapor skate or one stick color, when in reality a large portion of the league is using different variations of that same model. Being able to choose different colorways, finishes, and slight model variations would go a long way toward making players look authentic.
On top of that, player customization needs to evolve alongside this system. Right now, if a player does not have a proper scan, they are stuck with generic faces and hairstyles that often look nothing like them. For anyone focused on realism, that turns into hours of recreating players from scratch.
The generic system itself also needs a major update. A lot of the faces feel outdated, there is a clear lack of younger player models, and overall variety is limited. Either let us fully edit generic players like in other sports titles, or significantly expand the pool with more modern faces and hairstyles.
There should be a system that lets us edit those generic models directly. EA already does something similar in Madden where you can swap or edit a generic face for a licensed player, and it updates the player image to match. That keeps everything within licensing rules while giving users more control.
To really match what you are describing, customization across the board should go deeper. Hairstyles and head shape adjustments should be available even on scanned players. Real equipment options like stick color variants, skate variations, and modern gear styles should be included. Gear fit control like helmet size, pad profiles, jersey style, and tape jobs should also be part of it.
If you combine your idea with true equipment variety and deeper player customization, it would completely change how authentic the game feels.
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