Hi All,
I agree fully, and want to throw my complete support behind these changes.
Because there are now SO many people in the game, the chat box has become the equivalent of a human stampede through a very small corridor. So many people are talking to one another that if you blink, you miss something, and if you have to take a restroom break, forget it, the topic has long since scrolled off your screen.
So anything to help identify people visually will be a huge improvement. The colors we already have are Fantastic! - but they are meaningless beyond the simple visual differentiation they provide.
Having the colors based on experience - would add a couple of whole new dimensions to the chat environment: First of all, it would of course let newbies know who they should perhaps approach with questions, and whose answers they may place a bit more credence in - while simultaneously, letting developers and more experienced players know who is new and may need more help.
But further, these colors would soon become another kind of badge, distinguishing developers and top players from the crowd, and providing even more motivation to achieve and advance in the game than the badges in one’s profile, since the profile badges are not publicly visible.
These colors, on the other hand, would display one’s achievement level in the game in the most important place to display them - In the Chat - where everyone can see everyone else, and where players mix and connect. The colors would become more than a meaningless visual differentiation aid; they would become indicators of rank, knowledge, and experience, and add yet another motivation to achieve and advance in the game. (I might add, that perhaps Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic, Texts may be employed as well, to add even further levels of meaning and differentiation.)
This is, just, simply put, an extremely good idea!
It would be a useful, attractive, and functional enhancement to the most important and most used communication venue available in the game.
Let’s DO this!
Best Regards,
-d9