Au Ra physiology and other lore.

[lilirulu]

Steps of Faith didn't offer any rewards. If they were going to have two versions they'd need to add in rewards to the tougher version because no one would do outside of completing it (if even that). Nerfing it was the best option because it wasn't ever intended to be "hardcore" content but a story trial. And it's not as if SE nerfed it because it was actually hard (it wasn't) but because people are generally stupid.

As for why the Xaela are are tiny as the Raen; The answer simple: They didn't want to make two unique sets of assets (8-unique face models (est. 20+ features for each), two body models*) not to mention it'd be unfair for the females to get two versions while men get one. And if they give the males two unique versions you're looking at 16 unique face models, four body models*, and probably unique animations for each.

And Highlanders are a unique case because they came from 1.0 and were originally male-only. The ladies didn't come in until 2.0*.

*This depends on if the Au Ra are actually going to get unique body models at all. As it is currently in-game all female (excluding Lalafell, who use the same models for the most part between male/female) have the exact same body model (outside of being naked and racial gear) for their armor. So, fem highlanders are really only unique in their facial model.

[LineageRazor]

Would people really get that upset over Xaela women becoming more tougher looking? It's not like they lack the option as the Raen would remain as waifish as they are. If the answer is "We didn't have enough time" then why shouldn't they dedicate time afterwards to solving that issue?

Once the Benchmark was released and players were able to design their characters, that was pretty much the nail in the coffin for the possibility of making Xaela into the highlanders of the Au Ra. This kind of thing that we've gotten an actual dev response on: While I don't have a link for it, a while back someone posted that they were dissatisfied with the way that one Keeper of the Moon face type lacked the pronounced canines that other Keeper faces have. They liked the face, but wanted the same teeth that the other Keepers have. A dev replied that there were no plans to change this, as it would be unfair to folks who would be irritated at suddenly having longer teeth.

Adjusting the Xaela models to make Xaela fems more imposing and buff (and presumably, adjusting Raen men to be a bit scrawnier) would be a whole new level of this kind of disturbance. Suddenly players who'd picked Xaela simply because they liked the dark scales would suddenly see their lizard-lady waifus git swoll - very off-putting, for some!

Once the models are released for public consumption, changes to them are very unlikely to happen.

[Isklexi]

Genetics!

Gene expression is a grab bag of behavior. Some things show up from a single gene variation while others use Rube Goldberg levels of interaction between many different genes. It's possible that the sequences responsible for Au Ra height are linked in some way to other less obvious traits. It could be that these other traits were beneficial enough that they outweighed any disadvantage from smaller stature amongst the females (or taller males depending on context).

An example to illustrate this is homosexuality (hopefully this isn't too controversial to bring up). This trait has obvious disadvantages from an evolutionary standpoint. A creature with this trait is significantly less likely to pass on its genetic legacy to the next generation, and yet, the trait appears with mild frequency throughout wild animal populations (notably among fruit bats for some reason). Scientists still don't know why for sure, but it must provide some kind of benefit for it not to have been selected out of the gene pool by now.

[SaintAjora]

So, I probably shouldn't get involved in all of this, but I couldn't help but notice something. When you talk about how maybe the guys shouldn't be so big for the nomadic lifestyle on the steppes, riding horses and all, I actually just start thinking of the Dothraki. I know they're fictional, but I don't feel like it's too much to wonder if maybe the devs just really like Game of Thrones, and they were thinking "well, it works there...". XD I also read that the Dothraki take some inspiration from the Mongolians, among others, so it still lines up, I think.

[jomoru]

An example to illustrate this is homosexuality (hopefully this isn't too controversial to bring up). This trait has obvious disadvantages from an evolutionary standpoint. .

Male homosexuality actually HAS been proven to have distinct evolutionary advantages the problem is you're thinking in simple pair based setup. Rather Women with gay children and siblings tend to have more children enough to cancel out the drop off from lack of homosexual reproduction. Thus the bloodline carries on through a smaller set of breeding females while the males are able to help provide for those children, at least in the village based set up our biology is set for.

[Cilia]

I don't know what we're yelling about!

Choosing a mate based on their ethnicity is not eugenics; it's a matter of social boundaries or custom. Incidentally, this does lead to a greater incidence of genetic diseases among certain ethnic groups (such as Sickle Cell among African-Americans and Tay-Sachs among the Jewish people), and yet despite knowing this people continue to do so for whatever reason. Humans do not run entirely on logic, and this can be seen when people will break those social boundaries and/or customs and choose a mate based purely on love and affection (unquantifiable concepts) despite the social climate deeming it unacceptable.

Xaela exiles (of either sex) will probably look for the best mates, but if there's no attraction might choose not to have children, or might have children to give the tribe more bodies regardless of how overall weak those children could be. See above on illogical choices among human mating habits. Au Ra aren't human, but they probably follow similar emotional processes (especially the Xaela; "fiery wills," remember?). People are complicated, and rarely choose a mate based solely on the advantages it can give offspring.

In regards to reasons for being exiled... don't know. There are numerous possibilities, but without knowing their customs anything is possible. Stealing food, leaving a tribe-mate to die, killing PoWs, etc.

My example of how sexual dimorphism can be present in Au Ra was a simplification for the sake of argument. Isklexi explained it better than I care to:

Laconic: genetics are complicated.

(As an aside, do not worry about discussing homosexuality, buddy. I had to try and explain to people how Auri sex organs can still be compatible despite the difference in size between the men and women, so... yeah.)

I seriously doubt SE has the Au Ra genome mapped out, and trying to apply the human genome to them is fruitless since they aren't exactly human.

1. The point is they can say anything is possible, because "aether / magic / Allagan tech," and we just have to accept it because the reasoning can't be contested without scientific study of what is and isn't possible though the application of "aether / magic / Allagan tech."

Raubahn not going into shock from the loss of his arm already breaks real-world logic, never mind fighting in that state for any length of time without hours of medical care and days (if not weeks) to recuperate.

Pickaxes are effective mining tools because they are designed to break up the structure of the rock by focusing all their force into one point; axes are not. Sledgehammers bludgeon the rock and break up their structure to the point pickaxes can be used. The rest is "magic," which can be neither proven nor disproven.

5. Don't know if or how many people would be upset if they changed Xaela females to be sturdier; however...

Adjusting the Xaela models to make Xaela fems more imposing and buff (and presumably, adjusting Raen men to be a bit scrawnier) would be a... disturbance. Suddenly players who'd picked Xaela simply because they liked the dark scales would suddenly see their lizard-lady waifus git swole - very off-putting, for some!

Once the models are released for public consumption, changes to them are very unlikely to happen.

... is what I've been saying all along.

Dungeons and player models are very different bits of content, so stating that they change dungeons and so should be willing to change character models is not a very strong argument.

There's a major difference in saying "The Auri women's design was a mistake!" and "I think the Auri women's design was a mistake!"; the former passes it as truth, while the latter acknowledges it as just your opinion. You're entitled to your opinion, but do not try and pass it off as the truth.

I don't claim to know why the Hyur are the exception among races when it comes to having different models based on the clans. Regardless, the fact of the matter is they are, and expecting any other race to have unique models based on their clan is probably just setting yourself up for disappointment. Lore justification? Genetics.

I already said the doughy walrus midget men were cute and cuddly! Like god-damn teddy bears! Besides, we already have cute males; this is almost literally what Lalafell are for! They're not bishounen; that's what Midlander Hyur and Elezen are for, maaaaaaaan!

[Kytrin]

maaaaaaaan!

This is in no way related to the current discussion, but I went into a giggle fit when I read that. Thank you for the Fairy Tail reference! Even if it wasn't intentional it was a hysterical way to break up the seriousness of the discussion. :P

[zuzu-bq]

I don't even know what is happening in this thread anymore.

[Kytrin]

I don't even know what is happening in this thread anymore.

Looks to me like they've gotten into a massive debate about how realistic the Au Ra physiology and culture are. In particular, there seems to be a huge amount of debate about the height/build differences between the males and females and how that could possibly come about. I think there's also some stuff mixed in about Raen vs. Xaela and how the Xaela should be the Au Ra equivalent of Highlanders (which I admit would be kind of cool...).

Personally I'm not going to stress about it either way. I've built my female Raen and I'm perfectly happy with her as is. Though I do recommend reading over some of the posts. They're quite interesting. Some of these guys got REALLY in depth.

[Cilia]

This is in no way related to the current discussion, but I went into a giggle fit when I read that. Thank you for the Fairy Tail reference! Even if it wasn't intentional it was a hysterical way to break up the seriousness of the discussion. :P

Actually I'm basing them on cuteified version of the Tuskarr from Warcraft, a race of... walrus men with an Inuit-like culture.

Still, I'm glad someone is laughing, because being all super-cereal like this all the time is draining.

I don't even know what is happening in this thread anymore.

We're actually going into in-depth discussions on (gasp!) Au Ra physiology and social structure (other lore) instead of just posting pictures of moé moé lizard lady waifus.

Git gud scrub!