Dear Devs, please bring the Male and Female Xaela Au-Ra closer to this artwork

For the Female Xaela, I don't know a single person who wasn't absolutely ecstatic about this concept-art:

http://i.imgur.com/3X1HNa9.png

For the Male Xaela, I'm actually generally happy with their customization options, but their bodies look far too slender and frail, not much different than the Elezen. I'd like something closer to the 4th Au Ra shown here:

http://i.imgur.com/yl8E3Be.png

As you can see, it isn't a huge departure from what we have now, just more muscular.

Like the Hyur Midlanders and Highlanders, the Au Ra would greatly benefit from having different silhouettes between their Tribes/Clans. Their Lore is already quite distinct, and I think everyone would appreciate more variety. As someone who has been campaigning for a more "dangerous-looking" race, I feel like the Au Ra are almost everything that I want, and by making the Xaela more physically-imposing, they would be *PERFECT*. Not just for me, but they would provide the kind of variety that the game has been desperately lacking since the start.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I sincerely hope you will consider this. I can't speak for anyone else, but I would even be happy to let you guys "Lock" the Xaela option until Patch 3.1, to give you guys extra time to fine-tune them.

There is already a thread about changing the Au Ra design, you were even the last person to post it in just a while ago. -____-

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Originally Posted by SDaemon

There is already a thread about changing the Au Ra design, you were even the last person to post it in just a while ago. -____-

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You mean he MADE the thread.

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Originally Posted by gamesmart

You mean he MADE the thread.

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LOL Didn't notice that. Makes this thread even MORE redundant. :P

True, but the last thread was made months ago, and A) refers only to Male Au'Ra, and B) refers to *both* Clans/Tribes of Au Ra. I felt like, with Benchmark and some Lore having been released, it warranted a more detailed thread.

Frankly, I'm actually surprised how much I love the Male Au Ra's Face-options, and the Hair-styles are absolutely top-notch. I just find their bodies to be very, very skinny. They're even less defined than Miqo'te males, which I found surprising. That's not to say that they look *bad*, but given what Yoshi-P had indicated at the FanFest events, I was hoping for a more robust kind of character. Given the Xaela having a radically different background from the Raen, it makes sense they might also look different, as well.

Also, typically, I never play female characters, so I pay very little attention to how they look. When I saw that first piece of concept-art, though, I knew that we were missing out on something very, very special. Plus, I've heard a lot more people upset over having such a petite female race, and while I think the Raen look nice enough, it's kind of the same thing where I think the Xaela could stand to be more intimidating, just like the males. In fact, I might even make them Amazon-like, where Females rule the Xaela communities (after all, the follow the Dusk mother).

It's too late now. The designs look pretty much finalized and we got one month till release

A little late in the production to ask for this, though I'd really like to see this too lol

Oh yeah, it's definitely late. But you know, if we really voice support for them, perhaps they'll consider it? Like I said, just lock the Xaela off from creation until the following patch, to buy them a few months to fine-tune them.

It's unlikely to happen, but the Devs have proven they're willing to listen to fans. I made, the *REMADE THE ENTIRE GAME* once before. That should say everything.

If they ever add another race I would love to see something more beastly looking with imposing females. Right now all the races are human or human with tacked on animal-y bits. For the record I do not dislike the current races, but something different would be nice. It's not like they haven't had beast races in Final Fantasy, sometimes they have even joined the party. Heck the FFXI Mithra and Galka had more beast-like features and were a step in the right direction.

This is just an artwork draft from the countless they did. It's not going to happen for some reasons. First of all they already finished and implemented the Au Ra in game so they can't change them now. Another reason is that maybe this artwork is nice for some people but it's too beastly like for a playable and civilized race. The final Au Ra fits very well in game and resembles the other races in looks. The artwork seems more like some kind of mobs or bosses in dungeon and not like a playable race. SE always want to make the races attractive to the player base. So they don't like to create too monstrous creatures as a playable race.

Riardon, that's the entire problem. What's the point of adding a new race, if it doesn't actually look new?

All what it need is the hairstyle and claw gloves and you would get your Xaela ^^

I wish the horns were on top of the head, instead on the sides. You'd think it'll be much easier to develop since their already experienced with miqo'te ears

There is nothing new or innovative in the linked artwork. All you're asking for is bulkier males, and stereotypical western body ideal females.

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Originally Posted by myahele

I wish the horns were on top of the head, instead on the sides. You'd think it'll be much easier to develop since their already experienced with miqo'te ears

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Do you really want horn bags on the headgears?

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Originally Posted by Felis

Do you really want horn bags on the headgears?

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With how they programmed the horns that should not be the case.

Unless they were in capable of doing that, so the horns are on the sides now. Sill, i wonder how their horns will look like on the new WHM hood, I'd imagine there'll be clipping

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Originally Posted by Terin

Riardon, that's the entire problem. What's the point of adding a new race, if it doesn't actually look new?

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But it DOES look new.
It just has to meet the restrictions of the art department. If it's TOO different they have to redesign nearly every piece of armor to fit them. Tails are already a problem.
The concept artwork is just very stylized. They really do actually look close enough to the concept artwork, aside from the arm spikes, which are wholly impractical for the in-game models.

They could of gone with the one cute tribe and one beastly looking one but they didn't. This isn't changing now because they done all the 3d models already and the game will be out in month and a half.

Hey and while we are at it, lets get the miqo'te butt's changed too!

I support the female Xaela being naked. That's the purpose of this thread, yes?

Not going to happen. The Benchmark wasn't "alpha" Au Ra or anything. It's pretty much the final product.

Sorry, but this is getting out of hand.

Many people are saying (implicitly or explicitly), that the female Au Ra concept art makes them look "curvy" "womanly" or whatever. I think you may not actually be looking at the concept art very closely at all. The one on the right we will chalk up to perspective. Take a closer look at the one on the left. She is SUPER skinny. Just because they prominently show her chest doesn't magically make her "curvy". She's not. She's skinny. Period.

The only real difference is how the scaling and horns are done, not the body type. And, as others have pointed out, and as you must realize by now, is that when you are designing something like a new race, you do TONS of different concept art to see what you like. That doesn't mean any particular sketch had ANY chance of being the final product.

Also, male Au Ra are not super slender. If you want them to look like the hulk, there's already Roegadyn. Au Ra are relatively thin, but they aren't even close to sticks. They are certainly less thin than the Elezen males, who aren't exactly ridiculously skinny either. You guys make them all out to be the Slender Man or something, and that might just be a little bit of an overstatement of reality.

No matter what, just like the size of SMN egis, this stuff is not and can not change at this point, sooo.

To be honest, people on the forums are always skeptical of change, and I honestly don't know why. Like I said, they rebuilt the ENTIRE GAME once before, and pessimism doesn't help anything.

I don't think asking them to change the new race while they already finalized it is a good idea, it would be better to ask for a 3rd tribe that would look closer to these artworks, if a lot of people really want them, maybe they'll consider it.

A sexy, mature looking female character in this game? Impossible.

I have to agree, this ship has sailed. Maybe they'll take this feedback into consideration if/when they implement another race or maybe add new clans to existing races?

I am happy with the current iteration of xaela (very much so), but that's not to say I wouldn't mind something more yours and others liking in the game too. :)

Those are very early drafts OP.

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Originally Posted by Hiruke

Many people are saying (implicitly or explicitly), that the female Au Ra concept art makes them look "curvy" "womanly" or whatever. I think you may not actually be looking at the concept art very closely at all. The one on the right we will chalk up to perspective. Take a closer look at the one on the left. She is SUPER skinny. Just because they prominently show her chest doesn't magically make her "curvy". She's not. She's skinny. Period.　

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Er, are you one of those people who now equates curvy to fat? The Au Ra in the OP IS curvy: large bust and hips, small waist.

Anyway, I think OP is pointless because they are obviously not going to suddenly change the Au Ra this close to release. I would also have preferred something closer to the artwork in OP, but it's not going to happen now.

Maybe if more people played female Roes, Elezen and Highlanders we would have more of a chance. But they are the most unpopular female races, so it doesn't give them much incentive to create more tall/strong women if they think no one is interested in playing them.

I liked this one a lot more anyway.

http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/umadori07...e/ae53f593.jpg

I remember commenting that they should have had monster hands, now it pains me to realize they did in the concept art.

For those who wan't claws the closest one if getting the "Claws of the Beast" from Gold Saucer for 30,000 Points

It's a shame they didn't stick to the dragon theme for the Au Ra, but with the main theme of 3.0 being about the war on dragons, I can see why the change was needed.

I actually prefer Au Ra's like they are now. Plus the males in the OP looks way too much like the Castanic from Tera.

I wanna take whatever the OP is smoking that makes them think SE are going to take a U turn on character designs because someone on their forums is unhappy with it.

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Originally Posted by Terin

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I sincerely hope you will consider this. I can't speak for anyone else, but I would even be happy to let you guys "Lock" the Xaela option until Patch 3.1, to give you guys extra time to fine-tune them.

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Like this, are the devs like taxi drivers and we can issue such insane demands from the back seat?

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Originally Posted by Terin

To be honest, people on the forums are always skeptical of change, and I honestly don't know why. Like I said, they rebuilt the ENTIRE GAME once before, and pessimism doesn't help anything.

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Yeah they did, but they aren't going to use time and money better spent elsewere to redesign something which is already pretty much done because a minority of people don't like it. What you view as pessimism is just realism.

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Originally Posted by Terin

To be honest, people on the forums are always skeptical of change, and I honestly don't know why. Like I said, they rebuilt the ENTIRE GAME once before, and pessimism doesn't help anything.

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Which was a huge gamble, cost more money than most of us will make in a decade, and took more than a year to complete.
They also already went through the process of designing, refining, and testing the Au Ra. They mentioned they've been accounting for the horns in all of the armor designs since 2.1.
Practicality trumps all, and change costs money.
Again, just making the more "monstrous" hands would require nearly every single piece of hand gear in the entire game to be completely redone to accommodate them.
And you want all this done, every single piece of hand armor and many pieces of chest and leg armor, completely remapped and redesigned for a single race just so you can have big claws on your dragon lady.
There's a reason this idea never made it past the concept art stage.
It's important, before making suggestions/demands like this, to take a step back and ask yourself: WHY would they change this between the concept art and final release?
Do not think "they should" until you take the time to ask yourself that question, and properly answer it.
Concept art is not a road map. It's a collection of artwork to give the teams ideas as to which direction they want to go. What we've seen were just the ones they actually liked, you can bet there are plenty that were hated. Hell many of the artists don't even have the same drawing style as that which the game will be in.

Too late in Development. Not going to happen ever. /thread

You know one reason I don't see them doing this? Because apart from the Midlander/Highlander thing, no other race has any real differences apart from coloring and lore for their separate clans. If it was way back they might have been able to do something though I still don't see them doing claw hands simply because of the amount of work modifying armour for the hands. However now if they did go out of their way to modify one clan it would lead to people demanding more variety for the other races as well which is probably a mountain of workload SE would rather avoid.

The modifications being asked for aren't minor. It would require reworking everything from animations to gear sets to fit the new build less clipping issues and such occur.

I think people are just going to have to accept Au Ra as they are now. Maybe the next race they introduce will fit the desired concept more.

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Originally Posted by Belhi

You know one reason I don't see them doing this? Because apart from the Midlander/Highlander thing, no other race has any real differences apart from coloring and lore for their separate clans.

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Not EXACTLY true. The Miqo'te Keepers and Seekers have different proportions in their ears, and their eyes are completely different. Keepers also have fangs, whereas Seekers don't. I'm also fairly certain there are tail styles exclusive to one or the other.
There are actually a lot of little differences between most of the races beyond skin color, but NONE of these things affect equipment and weapons, which is the big thing when it comes to designing races.
SE puts a lot of interesting detail into the races, but they can't deviate too strongly from the base 5 race body types without having to remake every single piece of armor in the game, which is a lot more work than players seem to think.

Not to be a downer, but the protruding horns seem like it will be impossible to put head equipment on. And as far as their other concept art goes (when they looked more dragonic) I noticed they looked a like like a beast tribe than a playable race. If anything, they looked like a combination of the Ixal and the Amalj'aa. Also, they were clearly dragons in the concept, but Square seemed to want to make the Au Ru more ambiguous between dragons and demons.

Imo, I think all the races in this game ARE humans or at least related somehow (that's why they look similar.) That's probably why they're called "Races," suggesting they are connected in some shape or form. If they were tribes like the beast tribes, there'd be more distinctions (noticed how vastly different the beast tribes are to each other?)