Women and Armor!

[LineageRazor]

Try again. They are based on Mithra in XI which were not in any way fanservicey.

Waitwaitwait - hold the phone, here. I think you might be remembering FFXI through a bit of a nostalgia filter. Sexually dimorphic clothing was pretty common in FFXI, usually in that feminine versions of outfits would display some thigh (take for example, Paladin, Red Mage, Dragoon, most leather equipment sets as well).

And Mithra were VERY MUCH the "fanservice" race in FFXI. On Mithra, the thighs would scoop MUCH higher than on Hume or Elvaan, to an almost thong-like degree (google "FFXI Leather Vest Set" images and compare). Mithra also had the most revealing race specific equipment - and unlike this game where characters quickly outgrow RSE, in FFXI additional RSE was added at level 30, and then later on at levels 50 and 70 - many pieces best-in-slot for certain jobs and certain level ranges.

FFXI was not as tame as you seem to remember it being! Mithra may have been a bit more muscular and rugged than their wispy, stick-thin Miqo'te equivalents, but steps were definitely taken to make them the "sexy race". I don't disagree that Miqo'te get prodded a bit toward scanty clothing, but don't imagine that their precursors were any different!

Honestly, though, I don't have a problem with with the way FFXIV handles equipment. There's plenty of options to bundle up or to show skin as the player desires, and once you ding 50 you can dress pretty nearly however you want if best-in-slot gear doesn't suit your personal tastes. There are a few cases where I'm not happy with design choice (gawd, that DRG belly window...), but for the most part it's been pretty fair across genders - and when it's not, you can substitute other options.

[TheCurls]

The funny thing is that the belly window isn't the worst part of the dragoon AF. It's the fact that it's a harness and the black bra is entirely visible. That said, I still like the set.

[Aegis]

Honestly, though, I don't have a problem with with the way FFXIV handles equipment. There's plenty of options to bundle up or to show skin as the player desires, and once you ding 50 you can dress pretty nearly however you want if best-in-slot gear doesn't suit your personal tastes. There are a few cases where I'm not happy with design choice (gawd, that DRG belly window...), but for the most part it's been pretty fair across genders - and when it's not, you can substitute other options.

You can't get any gear that looks like the DRG AF but without the belly panel though. Or any gear that looks like the male coatee set.

Perhaps to get this back to one of my earlier points. It's not just the move towards gender dimorphism, it's the move away from the original aesthetic that was a bit more grounded, a bit more (I really want to avoid the word realistic because flying fire demons etc) ... gritty. At release, there were no weapons bigger than the Bardiche, and that was notable for its size. No glowy lightsabres of doom, no shoulder pads of epic manliness or battle-bikinis.

That was part of what I loved most about this game. It felt like a more mature, westernised, low-fantasy, FF game which is an aesthetic which is pretty rare. Sure, the palette was a little muddy but, along with the weighted animations, it felt more visceral, less floaty.

Now each patch brings more revealing gear, more gender-dimorphic revealing gear, foldy/shapeshifty weapons, more emo trenchcoats, more flashy disco-dance moves. If I squint when I'm wielding my Zenith Ninja weapon, I could be partipating in a 1990's dance off, complete with glow stick.

[Felis]

You can't get any gear that looks like the DRG AF but without the belly panel though. Or any gear that looks like the male coatee set.

You can't also get a harness for female that look like the male vesion (leather straps instead of a bra and full open in the front). You should add harness to your list if you want female gears to look exactly like male gear.

[Aegis]

You can't also get a harness for female that look like the male vesion (leather straps instead of a bra and full open in the front). You should add harness to your list if you want female gears to look exactly like male gear.

I see what you're getting at and I trust I don't sound like a hypocrite when I say that I don't mind gear being altered for practicality's sake. (ie: you wouldn't want them bouncing around free while fighting). If I thought the belly panel or the coatee's neckline were there for any real practical reason I wouldn't have a problem with them. Whereas they're quite obviously there for a bit of tacky titillation.