Charater Creation, user content and some vague musings

I just want to give some ideas regarding character creation and user interaction within the game.

Some ideas I would like to see what everyone thinks of and get feedback about. I am not proposing that we implement these ideas now or later, but feel that having a plan now would help reduce wasted effort with regard to coding and art creation. Also I am thinking about art more than game mechanics.

so here is a basic idea.

1) Player can pick a model for his character, the model is naked or simply dressed body type (male/female, tall/short, fat/thin, muscled/flabby ) ect.

2) player can buy clothing, clothing comes in two types

2.1) Skin type, this is a skin that is applied to the basic model(simply a uv mapped image that is superimposed over the basic model skin). Several layers can be built up to create a outfit.

2.1) Wearable Type, this is a mesh object (so affects charters model shape) and has to use a empty equipment slot. The wearable Item would need to know what character models it is suitable for. I would also like the Item to have a selections of skins that can be used with it. would basically mean that you could have white/black Helmut. would be the same mesh with different skins, would equivalent to two different objects/Items.

All that is pretty straight forward. So on to some very vague and out there ideas.

I think that allowing players to create there own skins would rock. First it would allow people to make there character unique, They would be contributing to the games art. And a system could be created to link this to crafts and economy.

Would work something like this. When artists create Items and Character models, they should also create some blank UV map images with the outlines of the character/object included. These can be made available to the players to paint/skin. After they have made there personalized skin, they can submit it to the appropriate guild (whatever). If the art is up to scratch the guild then gives that character a patent on that item (the skin is added to the art repo and database with appropriate settings). now that player can craft that item for his own use or to sell. He can also teach the skill of creating that item to other people. Something similar could be done for objects/items.

Would like to point out that most of this does not need to be implemented as something you can do in-game but more as a outside of game thing. give tutorial on web site. also all skins would have to be added with correct licensing.

Think it could add a lot of depth to the game. What do you think?