Easier identification of Avatar in Group Ride

(Howard Neale WBR (B)) #1

In large group rides and races, it can be very difficult to see your own avatar, especially if all the riders are in the same kit. How about an option to highlight your own avatar in such situations?

(Jordan Rapp) #2

Howard,

Totally get this. Would an individual beacon - the same design as a leader/sweeper beacon - but of a different color that was only visible to you work?

//Jordan

Zwift Game Design

(Howard Neale WBR (B)) #3

I think that perhaps a highlight surrounding my avatar would work best, obviously something bright and ‘glowing’

(Jordan Rapp) #4

Hmmm… need to think about how we’d do that so that it wasn’t super annoying when you were not in a group…

I noticed this as well during some of the big WBR rides - and I can see especially the need for this during races with big packs, but except in those circumstances, having your avatar glow would be pretty irritating.

Anyway, certainly think it’s worth exploring more for the future. Thanks.

(Nigel Doyle) #5

I agree it’s often hard to figure out who your rider is, hence the reason I have the orange cap and not the helmet.

No more beacons please. If you do a group ride and ride close to the beacon, riders in front of the beacon are invisible. 2 great big beacons might take up 2/3 of your screen.

Something small like a dot or arrow over your rider’s head might work better.

(Gerrie Delport) #6

This will be nice i have been thinking about this. I was thinking of the option to add a red reflector to my riders helmet. but what to do with guys that don’t wear helmets. Or have a helmet that you can pic for group rides that only display on your screen. Other people see the option you used before the group workout but that will take some clever tracking of user settings. 

I don’t like the idea of a arrow or another beacon, it must be something that you could change irl to identify your self.  

 

(H 2.O) #7

The best idea, in my opinion, for distinguishing yourself is to have added an unique designed helmet to all participants during the organized events, which is visible in red color to the owner of the account and in black color to the rest of the field and only for the duration of the event. The helmet is added to an avatar when joining the event the way a special kit is added to the avatar at the same moment and removed at the end of the event.

(Duane Gran [Vision]) #8

I’m not sure if it is the best design choice, but when I raced years ago in Tour de Giro they displayed a red sort of highlight on the ground under your rider.  It worked well.

(Gerrie Delport) #9

I like your Idea H 2.O. 

It will also force people to wear helmets when racing… LOL (some won’t like it, I already see the face book post “why do I need to wear a helmet in a virtual race” with 400 comments LOL)

A helmet that you can change color (like the bike frame) but it is only used for group rides/races where everyone wear the same kit. Then we can match bike, socks and helmet.

 

(Jordan Rapp) #10

I don’t mind us mandating helmets for races. The UCI does it… Oh, wait, maybe that’s a bad sign…

Anyway, I think this idea is a good one. And I like the helmet idea the best of all the ones out there. Certainly better than changing the color of your head…

//Jordan

(Nigel Doyle) #11

Yeah I like the red helmet idea as well.

(H 2.O) #12

Especially that helmet does not really require a lot of new code to be written (already existing functionality in Zwift). it only requires some twist to make it work similarly to custom kits during events (which is also something existing which can be reused or adapted to helmets). The only new feature is the different helmet aspect for the owner of the account and for the rest of the field. Zwift can even make it orange to stick with the Zwift preferred color.

(Jarek Poswiata [C#]) #13

You can always define your own jersey to wear during such events (they are only local, so nobody will have it :))

Option to override “network” jersey and “local” for current rider, watched one and ridden with would be quite helpfull.

Beacons would be great, either.

(SteveK @Cycleoptic ICC) #14

Im 105Kg 187m so get a large avatar with an “unusual” Kinetic, jersey. Easy to see? Perhaps the proposed club shirts availability could be accelerated?

(E ddy Slow) #15

I spent a long time choosing my kit, my hair, my beard etc so that I look really cool. I get a bit miffed in a group ride when I am automatically put in the same kit as everyone else. I would be very easy to locate if I wore what I always wore and everyone else wore the kit for the ride. 

It could look like this for each rider, they wear what they usually wear. Everyone else wears the ride kit. 

BTW, I think it is madness to suggest we should be wearing virtual helmets during virtual rides. Next thing someone will be suggesting we wear actual helmets while riding our indoor trainers because it’s more realistic.