Armor Trim Analysis: POPULAR but is it GOOD?

In snapshot 23w04a the Minecraft Community was introduced to the first form of an undeniably popular and well-received addition to the game the armor trim as part of the 1.20 update themed around self-expression players can finally customize their appearance when decked out in armor this has been an issue

Since the beginning of Minecraft the Armor is essential for PVE and PVP yet it partially obscures the individuality of a player’s skin and can make them difficult to identify despite armaturim being very well received by the community I believe this is a slightly flawed execution of an excellent idea so

In this video we shall discuss its strengths weaknesses and potential ways to improve upon the idea and before we dive into things I should address two things first number one this is just my subjective opinion a result of discussion with my community and thinking over new features if you’re

Interested in being a part of such discussions they generally happen over on my twitch Channel where I’m known to Waffle on about such topics and and take input from my chat too Point number two is simply a reminder that at the time of writing this video only two snapshots

Have been released with the experimental armor trim features which are subject to change and when you’re watching this video may have changed drastically so keep that in mind so let’s start with the positives armatrim is absolutely what people want the reception has been glowing as mentioned in the intro armor

Mix players look similar and players tend to gravitate to the best armor formerly just Diamond but now there’s netherite too this leads to crowds of players difficult to discern by attire alone armor trim addresses this giving players their individuality in a crowd again oyang’s approach to implementing

This new feature with solid game design principles was good to see it’s clear they have thought about how adding a new game activity can complement existing ones although Limited in overall scope the inclusion of materials instead of Dyers grants them more uses in turn creating more incentives to seek them

Out a motive to explore the world mode is also added through the smithing templates found in the loot chests of 11 different structures players have a real reason to visit these structures again the jungle temple for example is pretty pitiful in what it offers I can’t tell

You the last time I intentionally sort one out but at least now I have a good reason to there is another use too although a niche one details and decorations for those players who love the Tea Room of adding Minor Details into a build the act of pushing armor

Stands equipped with helmets into a block to give the impression of a plate on a table just got a new set of micro details to go even further with it’s not really my wheelhouse and it isn’t a great example but wherever armor can interact with the world the options have

Now been multiplied in general you can’t go wrong with adding extra activities to the game as long as it doesn’t override an existing one which armor trim does not so a quick Interruption just to ask you if you’re enjoying the video if you are subscribe to the channel so you can

Catch more content like this in the future thanks for doing that now let’s track on having sung its Praises let’s now look at the negative aspects these tend to fall outside the Realms of the trims themselves as a concept it’s great just what players wanted but how it

Looks is subjective and I’ll start with my subjective opinion which you are welcome to disagree with first of all the shape of the trims the Vex trim complements the shape of the armor itself it feels like an enchantment or unique variant others like June or I come across as simple pixel shapes and

Patterns and Designs slapped on top of the armor without any compliment to the Armor’s shape then we have materials of which some combinations just look awful to me although highly subjective redstone on diamond just looks wrong to me whereas netherite and quartz look fantastic on most armor the argument

Here is that not all options look good yeah ultimately with all the combinations possible you can leave that up to the player to decide for themselves getting past subjective preferences we have the cost I think the current system is fair for expanding a personal wardrobe of armor but if

Players want to create multiple sets of armor for a mini game and the like it’s gonna cost them dearly and what about experimentation although we do get an armor stand preview in the smithing table this leaves little room for a mistake so simply changing up one’s appearance on occasion seven diamonds to

Duplicate the smithing template may not seem like a lot but it’s 28 for a full set and what if this feature gets expanded to tools weapons and the elytra 2. I think reducing the cost would be wise it’s also a tough justification to invest these diamonds into weaker armors

Like iron chain gold and now even leather too exploration in Minecraft like many of his activities is preferentially enjoyed based on the player creating more incentives is nice but they need to be rewarding if exploration is not your thing then a lack of guaranteed reward for spending hours seeking out rare structures like

The Pillager Outpost or jungle temple could become infuriating the low chances initially proposed have already been improved but I do think they create a bit of a gamble with your time as looking for structures in this game can eat hours of time away when not using external map tools like chunk base or

Mist that give you the exact coordinates and what happens when the harsh punishment of death comes perhaps lava or the 5-minute despawning of items ritual of your hard-earned armor trim there is now a far greater cost in returning your gear back to normal lastly a bit of an odd air quotes

Complaint or should I say observation being a part of the hermitcraft server new features often get me thinking about how they fit into the diamond economy the large Diamond investment to clone templates and offer customers unique armor weighed against the hundreds of possible combinations a player might

Desire seems to make this a doomed business venture a shop would have to have a large stock to satisfy its customers needs you could sell the templates but it feels like an opportunity here was missed obviously a unique situation like SMP shops only represents a sliver of the Minecraft

Player base experience but I thought it was worth mentioning in outlining the positives and negatives you may have noticed that there isn’t much room for improvement the core of the idea is simple and well executed but nonetheless here are some proposed Solutions this first one will diminish the need for

Exploration I think it’s important not to force the player to explore over and over again have them obtain their reward after committing the time templates in loot chess should be the reward for finding such rare structures as the Woodland mansion and Pillager outposts and strongholds the more common ones

Like desert temples and shipwrecks could easily accommodate a lower chance of finding a template if deemed necessary but otherwise I think the chance of getting a template should just be a hundred percent smithing templates can also be cloned but I’m not sure how this plays out for the average player well

They choose to go on somewhat of a more reliable grind to mine diamonds or seek out Adventure again not knowing how far or for how long they need to venture this ultimately comes down to the Preferred Player style of the player but what if neither of these were necessary

Costs to create more trim Dharma making it cheap makes it more accessible the elytra has its durability diminished with use yet it doesn’t break when it’s depleted templates could model this having a series of charges to be later repaired in an anvil we often forget that the Phantom membrane frame does

This for the elytra since mending wouldn’t apply to a template there is an opportunity for another item in the game to gain a new use case this could also complement the exploration cause as a generic Loop commonly found in chests this would make it much more accessible through the shorter not destination

Specific explorations of a Minecraft world as an alternative to this the template could simply be permanent not being consumed by the smithing table the smithing table could demand a use cost this could reduce those seven diamonds down to a single one or make use of an alternative material when creating armor

Trims both these ideas reduce their Reliance on exploration and reduce the cost for the player which is what I think is needed lastly my biggest suggestion is the one I think most unrealistic as it asks Mo Yang to walk back a lot of what they have already

Given us if we’re up to me I think I would have reduced the amount of patterns and materials involved perhaps focusing on a higher grade of visual quality and gratification for the trims themselves I would also Implement distinctions between armor type giving each unique shapes and iterations that

Complement the armor material not just generic patterns to be placed over the top of the armor but actual modifications to the overall shape and size after all there is a rich history of armor and armor design used Through the Ages with different shapes and proportions I quite like the idea of the

Shape and size of Minecraft armor being a part of this too the end result being characterized and complementary armor distinctions that look great as opposed to a larger combination of variables built on a handful of colors and pixel patterns this idea would require many more custom models for armor and would

Be a departure from their original shape which is somewhat classic and identifiable now I could see how this might be unpopular but I still really like the idea and I do have one more observation with the addition of leather armor trims in snapshot 23w05a the amount of color combinations

Has gone through the roof on one hand this is great for obtaining a specific look but also highlights the drawback of using weaker armor for Aesthetics because lever also breaks a lot faster than other materials even when enchanted with mending it can be at risk of getting destroyed and that’s after

You’ve sunk seven diamonds into it I don’t have a proposed solution for this but I think it speaks loudly for the two uses of armor being at odds with one another functional use for survival and cosmetics perhaps what armatrim really needs is a way to provide those cosmetics without sacrificing that

Functionality so those are my thoughts and I’d love to hear yours please do comment down below and while you’re down there leave a like and also check out the Minecraft discussions playlist that this video is a part of if you want more content just like this that’s the place

To go check out for more thanks for watching the video and I’ll see you soon bye