[REQUEST] Can we have a more original race next time?

[Samcaesar]

And why is that, Otarolgam. You say they won't, but haven't provided a source on why.
This is a fantasy game, after all. Fantasy should allow you to play as something bizarre.

We know why they won't Nestama >_> SE knows the fanbase will shell outs money for the next brand of cute waifish girl they can be and they've decided it's better (ie makes them more money) to do that than make something unique.


I really wish they would've just made the Au Ra different between the clans like the Hyurs, maybe keep the Raen as they are and for the Xaela they swapped the proportions and the appearances (Making the girl more tougher and dragon/demon like looking and the guy being waifish and more human/hyur like). I feel like that would've been at least enough to make the difference in making the Au Ra actually feel like a unique race. If they had issues with time restraints, it'd suck but I'd much prefer them just lock the Xaela clan with promises to introduce them as soon as possible instead of "Sorry they're the same and they're not changing" sorta deal we've got.

But I'm curious Nestama, any thing you'd want with the Au Ra to make them feel more unique?

Also love the Roegadame <3 You gonna join the linkshell for girl Roegadyn on Hyperion?

I'd love a race that floats instead of walks... the idea in my head is like a Genie.

Some dude, his name is Gramul, drew a super cute race of cloud folks. I think it's earlier on in the thread actually!

[Nestama]

But I'm curious Nestama, any thing you'd want with the Au Ra to make them feel more unique?

Also love the Roegadame <3 You gonna join the linkshell for girl Roegadyn on Hyperion?

Hmmm. Honestly their concept art would have done just fine to me. Heck, if the males had a build like in this:



I'd be fine with them. They kinda look neat. The faces... I'd still get used to, though (unless it's similar to the concept art)



For the females, well... you already know my stance on them. Hyur-ish face and Miqo'te body. Give them a fierce face, make them taller and... I dunno, more demonic feel to them? Basically, the opposite of cute, but still good looking (well, good looking that would take some time and effort to achieve).

And yes, I've joined that Roegadame LS (I was doing stuff in Limsa and the LS leader spotted me, hahah). Only a femRoe until HW comes out, though. I loved my Roebear.

[InfiniDragon]

And why is that, Otarolgam. You say they won't, but haven't provided a source on why.
This is a fantasy game, after all. Fantasy should allow you to play as something bizarre (on that note, Au Ra are "demonkin," not dragon).

The reason most games (MMOs and games with character customization) don't do it is because doing full bestial races requires custom rigging and skeletons for the character models. MMO devs making tons of gear sets don't want that because that's work for them. And since SE already changed the 1.0 models to be more generic in shape in order to be easier to rig and throw gear on...yeah the writing's kinda on the wall.

I'm not against bestial races but I seriously wouldn't get your hopes up based on their past decisions with the races. If they're so against having to model and rig customized gear for races that they took the backsides off the female Mi'qote (a very minor change), a race with completely different body shape is unlikely.

[Onikimaru]

Snip Snip

It's not really hard to conform a mesh(in this case, armor)to match up with a different skeleton rig. It would probably take them a month max to get it done. All they would need to do is make a rig for a beast race, weight it properly. import the animations from the current models, convert. Conform the meshes to match the skeletons and new body type and you're done. If i have a friend that can do this in his free time, i think a dev team could probably do it.

All that aside, i couldn't really care if we have a beast race or not. I am happy with the way the Au Ra turned out, if you choose to cry and make your character look exactly like the other races that is fine. But i've managed to make some really unique looking Au Ra in the benchmark and i personally am satisfied with the outcome.

[Samcaesar]

Snip

Yeah I could definitely see the appeal to that honestly men do look super toned down from the first picture. I think the more prominent facial scales that are also irremovable are really what let the Auri men's faces look a good bit more distinct.


Honestly my only complaint to the concept art is the lack of lips, it removes an entire option (mouth/lips) and makes it so the facial emotes have to rely nearly entirely on the eyes and a really simple open mouth/clothed mouth option (I'd be so distraught if I couldn't /smirk!).

I dunno, I would be hoping for a more draconic feel (Though in this game there's hardly a difference til you state they're scalekin or voidsent) with the girls. I would've loved something more closer to the males in build, very top heavy with slightly waspish hips along with more noticable facial scales you couldn't remove (Gosh! Like a little spiky crown chin would look so cute imho). Maybe larger horns as well. I'm much more satisfied with the men in looks, but I definitely can recognize they need some tweaks, the girls are ever so frustrating for me >_> (I really wanted to play a dragon race with girls who didn't look like they'd fall to their butts if a strong breeze hit them ;

Well, once you're in the Roegadame LS you don't leave it! Rae loves nabbing Roegadames to add. Both Roes looked great though, all Roes look great (Except for that one in the Titan/Leviathan quest.. Lazy lying jerk!).

Snip

I mean, I suppose, but there's still no reason for the near lack of any changes between the Au Ra body shapes and the current ones we have (Men resemble Elezen and the girls are so close to Miqo'te it hurts) . Like, maybe they should focus on more prominent beast like features while still keeping much more humanoid in shape, such as the Mithra's nose, as an answer as opposed to completely remaking the skeletions for them. Like.. Say more scales on the Au Ra as opposed to the kind of large patches that we got, look at the thin band of scales on the arms as opposed to their feet into their ankles on the girl Au Ra as an example. I don't think there's much of a reason why they shouldn't have done more scales really.

[Balipu]

Leg and Feet gear get a unique look. So now more work.

Mounts... ya.........

Mind you. Yes. I want... but as the WoW forum has proven. This is more unlikely to happen.

THIS. Playable naga were requested pretty much since Frozen Throne, but it will never happen, due to the insane ammount of work it needs. Something akin to worgen would be possible, but the more exotic a race looks, the less likely they would work as playable races. Lack of legs causes problem with gear, mounts, aaaaand even a few skill animations. Monks for instance kick a lot. Both in wow and here.

[Nestama]

Interestingly enough, they do have the Rain of Death animation.

[kyuven]

It's not really hard to conform a mesh(in this case, armor)to match up with a different skeleton rig. It would probably take them a month max to get it done.

That's precisely why they don't do it. That's an extra month's work just for something that, according to statistics, only a max of about 5% of the total number of characters would make use of. And that's not 5% of players, that's 5% of characters made, an important statistic given most people make an alt of a new race just to have it.
Add to that they'd have to continue to rework the mesh-skeleton rigs for every piece of armor that comes out, just for this race that again, taking statistics from other games, would get very few returns.
It's all about practicality and efficiency. They're not willing to slow down development just so one race can have hooves or claws. There's a reason most of those races in other games use ridiculously simplified armor meshes compared to races with feet.
Hell even the Elder Scrolls games made their bestial races less bestial in later installments

[MidnightAge]

Personally, the Au Ra remind me of Minbari.

[kyuven]

Personally, the Au Ra remind me of Minbari.

Delenn, maybe
They don't exactly rock the whole bald thing.