Capes: A Superhero Must or Foppish Non-sense

[Paragon Avenger]

According to 'E' from the movie, The Incredible, "No Capes!"
So what do you think?

Yes, 'foppish' is a cool word. 8)

[Power Gamer]

I love capes, but with the exception of matadors, medieval lords/ladies, and Zorro, they are a bit silly.

[Thirty-Seven]

It very much depends on the character for me.  A lot of mine didn't have capes... but for some characters, it really did fit the aesthetic I was going for.  For other characters, I used wings or a jacket to fill a similar aesthetic niche.

But it really did depend on the backstory, etc.

[Blackstar5]

Very few of my toons had capes, but then again very few of my toons wore "spandex".

[Brightfires]

Capes couldn't be used with wings... That put them directly into "right out" territory for me.  :P

[Paragon Avenger]

Foppish nonsense.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Definitely not a must, but I can see them working with more conventional hero types as well as with magic-themed toons.

One of mine did use a cape - Silver Spartan, see avatar - but I figure it must have been retractable or else he had a huge amount of spares. Powered armor with jet-propulsion flight and capes DO NOT MIX (and when CoH relaunches I'll probably prep some comedy macros related to extinguishing burning capes after landing...). :p
The rest?
Booster Angel's "costume" was a high-tech suit of "soft" powered armor designed for military use. Sticking a cape on that just felt silly.
Ghostslinger was a magic-based version of a character originally from a cyberpunk setting. No cape, but a tranchcoat filled a similar purpose there.
Finally, Engine Jean was designed with a very cyberpunk aesthetic in mind. The Cybertech Spine was more in character for her than a cape.

So, out of four:
1 Cape
1 Trenchcoat
2 Incompatible with capes

[blacksly]

I liked a lot of the flowing clothing options other than capes... Bolero dress, Trenchcoats, Gunslinger belt (female), a few other options. You can only really have one graphic item flapping around behind the character, or you see some major clipping issues. So for a lot of characters, that meant that capes were out. For others, backpacks or wings blocked the slot. For some, it just didn't fit (a stone character).

So, basically, a lot of characters really didn't have a realistic option to add a cape to the costume. From those that did, I would usually add it... more costume items, as long as there is an overriding design goal, usually allows for a better-looking design. As long as the design goal is not simplicity, of course.

[Apex Viper]

If i had to chose between capes and wings, capes hands down. The movement of capes were far superior to wings, unless you were flying or jumping.

[Super Firebug]

Acceptable, and even stylish flair, for ranged characters, but I tend to see capes and melee as incompatible - too much entanglement potential. In fact, I don't know how Batman keeps from getting wrapped up in that cloak of his, since it wraps all the way around the front, instead of just hanging down the back, like capes do. A cape/cloak is impractical for a brawler. (I spent my whole CoX time wanting cloaks added.)

[Paragon Avenger]

I can't let a firefly have the last word.
Capes are essential for the classic Superhero look.
If that ain't what you're going for, well OK then.

[Rejolt]

Dollar Bill would not approve...

I only used capes as a formal dress uniform.  I couldn't stand them in combat (especially Melee).

[Teikiatsu]

Capes had to fit the motif of the toon, not the other way around.

[houtex]

Capes couldn't be used with wings... That put them directly into "right out" territory for me.  :P

But capes *could also* be wings... see Batman.

[Paragon Avenger]

To misquote Police Chief Wiggum from the Simpson, "Throw his cape less butt in jail."

[Paragon Avenger]

I hayed the cape clipping errors where your leg would pop through your cape.

[houtex]

Or... was it your cape popped through your leg?

And so is the quandry.

[JennSpace]

I can't remember but I know I shortened Jenn's cape because I was tired of that bug! XD In the end, it wasn't a bad decision because it looked much better that way! :)

[Sugoi]

My main character Sugoi started out at a fairly young age, and began her career with a tiger-striped spandex leotard style outfit.  (Her daughter, who continued the family career as Sugoi-chan wore the same style outfit.) 

As Sugoi gained levels (and other costume options became available) she got a more traditional Uruseian Battle Bikini with armor pieces and a short cape. 

Quite a few people I played with thanked me for the addition of the cape, because they tended to get mezmerized by the sight of someone's rear view, and then get killed by the mobs due to slow reaction times. So in my experience, capes are a good thing for your teammates benefit.

[Power Gamer]

My main character Sugoi started out at a fairly young age, and began her career with a tiger-striped spandex leotard style outfit.  (Her daughter, who continued the family career as Sugoi-chan wore the same style outfit.) 

As Sugoi gained levels (and other costume options became available) she got a more traditional Uruseian Battle Bikini with armor pieces and a short cape. 

Quite a few people I played with thanked me for the addition of the cape, because they tended to get mezmerized by the sight of someone's rear view, and then get killed by the mobs due to slow reaction times. So in my experience, capes are a good thing for your teammates benefit.

You mean that staring at someone's assets was not part of the game?
I AM SHOCKED!