Suggestion: Option to pick what gender NPCs refer to you as in the character creation

I know this might be extremely specific or a strange suggestion, but ever since I used my first fantasia I've wanted an option like this.

I started playing back when Heavensward was the latest expansion, and I started as a female Miqo'te (typical, I know). I played up until mid shadowbringers as the miqo'te without changing my appearance, but after I discovered Hrothgar I fell in love with them and had to change. I've been one ever since, but while continuing the story I noticed all the NPCs and my character's friends now referred to my character as male. I knew it would happen but it still felt so out of place, it felt like my WoL wasn't the same character anymore. I felt like if the characters ingame still referred to my WoL as a female like before, it would give a much better sense of continuation, like my WoL used the fantasia themselves but they are still her on the inside.

The dialogue differences for male and female WoL characters already exist, so I'd love to see some way we can pick which of the two is used regardless of what we look like. I'd be fine if we had to use a fantasia to change this option too, I already bought some extra because I'm waiting for female hrothgar.

Warning you right now: this discussion has happened multiple times and it never goes well.

Also, the current dialogue variations just reference your character's gender to see which pronoun to insert. It's not a separate piece of data to be referenced or changed independently.

Sounds like a simple fix.
I don't see why we couldn't get this.
Neat idea OP.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

Also, the current dialogue variations just reference your character's gender to see which pronoun to insert. It's not a separate piece of data to be referenced or changed independently.

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How hard would it be to separate that info from the physical gender? I genuinely don't know. I know many things that sound like they'd be simple fixes are actually a lot harder than they seem when programming.

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Originally Posted by Stepjam

How hard would it be to separate that info from the physical gender? I genuinely don't know. I know many things that sound like they'd be simple fixes are actually a lot harder than they seem when programming.

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You'd need to add a new piece of data to the character information that doesn't currently exist, and there is no track record for them adding new options. Instead you get things like Hrothgar having multiple copies of the same face with a different hairstyle attached to each one, instead of adding a new category for them to switch hairstyle (the usual one having been repurposed for fur pattern). Or the upcoming addition of "Midlander stubble" as a separate face instead of a new option for the existing face. The character template doesn't change; they just find new ways to wedge things into the existing fields.

So they'd have to do that, and the gender choice would come at the expense of being able to do something else with the same data.

Then they'd need to review every reference in the script that checks gender, and decide what happens in every instance where you meet a new person and they call you by a gendered term. How does the random villager know that your male Hrothgar wants to be addressed as "lass" instead of "lad"? Does Thancred try to flirt with you? Does Magnai speak to you as if you're a man or dismiss you as a woman?

It's not as simple as a find-and-replace and there are things that wouldn't convert well.