Missing Genders: A request for Male Miqote, Female Highlander, and Female Roegadyn

[Abriael]

While I am happy with my character and wouldn't want to change them for a male Miqo'te, female Roegadyn or female Highlander I would like to see them out and about in Eorzea. I can understand that some people aren't happy with the choices that were given and if it were me I wouldn't be able to enjoy the game half as much if I had a character I didn't like the look of. If these characters have already been designed then why not spend a couple of weeks putting them into the game. To be honest I'd be okay with it if they kept the servers closed until they fixed all of FFXIV's problems, if that made the process any quicker...

Considering that at the moment we have 15 race/gender combinations (even without counting the whole rest of the customization options), those that can't find a satisfying option between all of them must be VERY picky.

And often the idea of barring everyone out of the game longer to allow man'quote and female roegadyns (that would be used by just a few superpicky individuals) is... umh. I don't think i can find a definition for that.

[Melantha]

Considering that at the moment we have 15 race/gender combinations (even without counting the whole rest of the customization options), those that can't find a satisfying option between all of them must be VERY picky.

Maybe, I guess because I'm quite a picky person I empathise with them

And often the idea of barring everyone out of the game longer to allow man'quote and female roegadyns (that would be used by just a few superpicky individuals) is... umh. I don't think i can find a definition for that.

I think you misunderstood, I don't think FFXIV's problems start and end with races - also I meant it as just a flippant comment, I don't really have an issue with servers opening back up before things are sorted, I know that we have all bought this game and should be able to enjoy it even if others don't.

[Otemori]

Considering that at the moment we have 15 race/gender combinations (even without counting the whole rest of the customization options), those that can't find a satisfying option between all of them must be VERY picky.

And often the idea of barring everyone out of the game longer to allow man'quote and female roegadyns (that would be used by just a few superpicky individuals) is... umh. I don't think i can find a definition for that.

Picky as in desiring any sort of race/gender combination that appeared even vaguely ethnic? I'm not asking for afro-central here...but I'd like to be able to make a female character that isn't built like a noodle and whose hair doesn't fall neatly back behind a head band. And I'm not talking about pasting on a darker skin tone, either.

I understand some people being satisfied with the options presented. They're pretty cool after all, and within a limited spectrum there are quite a variety of options. However, singling out those who want a few changes as "picky" is a little single-minded. The Final Fantasy world has always been captivating, it's hard for me to want to explore it when my character options are: midget, starlet, androgynous elf, or brawny male-model.

[Abriael]

Picky as in desiring any sort of race/gender combination that appeared even vaguely ethnic?

Manquote and female roegadyns have nothing to do with real life ethnicity. They are *fantasy* races.

I'm not asking for afro-central here...but I'd like to be able to make a female character that isn't built like a noodle and whose hair doesn't fall neatly back behind a head band.

As for the "noodle" build, that's normally because bigger builds require different skeleton animations. The more skeleton types you have in game, the more memory requirements become restrictive, unless you implement very generic animations not influenced by physics (and the animations in FFXIV are better than the average exactly because they are influenced by physics and aren't generic). Every game developer, when creating races, need to try and find the most popular options excluding less popular ones in order to fit with memory restrictions.

As for hair. Wouldn't it be much easier to ask for more hair options, that can be enjoyed by everyone, instead of asking for whole new race/gender combinations that would make just a small niche happy?

But i find (and always found) funny when people bring ethnicity-related arguments into fantasy games, anyway.

[Otemori]

Manquote and female roegadyns have nothing to do with real life ethnicity. They are *fantasy* races.

Here I was referring more to the Highlander race. But it would also be folly not to assume that any fantasy characters are, in some way or shape, designed around the human form and its variations.

As for the "noodle" build, that's normally because bigger builds require different skeleton animations. The more skeleton types you have in game, the more memory requirements become restrictive, unless you implement very generic animations not influenced by physics (and the animations in FFXIV are better than the average exactly because they are influenced by physics and aren't generic). Every game developer, when creating races, need to try and find the most popular options excluding less popular ones in order to fit with memory restrictions.

As for hair. Wouldn't it be much easier to ask for more hair options, that can be enjoyed by everyone, instead of asking for whole new race/gender combinations that would make just a small niche happy?

I know nothing about game design whatsoever, but I do notice the aesthetic qualities and the physics produced as a result. I have no complaints about that where Final Fantasy is concerned. What I meant by "noodle" is a reference to the general presentation of females in the game. Even the female elves, despite their size, look "noodly".
I think that asking for new hair is a great place to start, but this particular thread is about the genders that aren't offered for three of the six races, not hair options. I mentioned hair as an illustrative point, not as my entire thesis. :P

As for that ethnic business, it is a reference place. I bring it up because as an ethnic girl and one with -apparently- unique admirations, I find it difficult to build a character that takes my ideas of an exciting and beautiful world into the fantasy world of the MMO. Which is, lets face it, half the reason that anyone plays an MMO. It is a place where your fantasies, however little and silly, can be enacted to some extent.

[Cairdeas]

I think what Otemori was trying to convey when talking about "Noodle" was how the Female elvaan were much broader and sturdier looking then Female Elezen. Female Elezen are very waif like, thin dainty flowers and do not poses the same awe inspiring proudness and strength that their Elvaan Cousins do. This mostly because they did humanize them more, making the body shape more inline with human proportions instead of maintaining the wide girth of hips and long strong arms and necks..

[Otemori]

I think what Otemori was trying to convey when talking about "Noodle" was how the Female elvaan were much broader and sturdier looking then Female Elezen. Female Elezen are very waif like, thin dainty flowers and do not poses the same awe inspiring proudness and strength that their Elvaan Cousins do. This mostly because they did humanize them more, making the body shape more inline with human proportions instead of maintaining the wide girth of hips and long strong arms and necks..

I should have taken the time to explicate that, and Cairdeas is correct. The Elvaan were plenty fantastical, but they also commanded a presence in both male and female form. I do not think that, as Abriael implied, fantasy negates the necessity for a variety of character presentation. Female characters seem to satisfy only an exaggeration of a European/Asian archetype. I'm seeing more variety in the male designs.
Which is not to say that I think this has anything to do with ethnic or sex discrimination. <<which is so unecessary to have to state.

[Natabant]

Picky as in desiring any sort of race/gender combination that appeared even vaguely ethnic? I'm not asking for afro-central here...but I'd like to be able to make a female character that isn't built like a noodle and whose hair doesn't fall neatly back behind a head band. And I'm not talking about pasting on a darker skin tone, either.

I understand some people being satisfied with the options presented. They're pretty cool after all, and within a limited spectrum there are quite a variety of options. However, singling out those who want a few changes as "picky" is a little single-minded. The Final Fantasy world has always been captivating, it's hard for me to want to explore it when my character options are: midget, starlet, androgynous elf, or brawny male-model.

lol thank you, you are one of the few that gets it, and i dunno why people are getting so butthurt about this topic, its not like we are asking them to drop everything to only work on the races, it would just be cool if they did it on the side, but if they dont its not like im gunna nerd rage quit lol, i would just play as something else, but i would like to have the option to chose a character i could conect to and would love to play as.

[Abriael]

lol thank you, you are one of the few that gets it, and i dunno why people are getting so butthurt about this topic, its not like we are asking them to drop everything to only work on the races, it would just be cool if they did it on the side, but if they dont its not like im gunna nerd rage quit lol, i would just play as something else, but i would like to have the option to chose a character i could conect to and would love to play as.

Funny. Now how is discussing against something equivalent to being "butthurt"?

Development resources are *always* limited. Working "on the side" means using development resources. In the state the game is now, it's rather silly to suggest them using development resources to satisfy a very limited niche instead of using them to add content that can be enjoyed by everyone.

[Natabant]

Funny. Now how is discussing against something equivalent to being "butthurt"?

Development resources are *always* limited. Working "on the side" means using development resources. In the state the game is now, it's rather silly to suggest them using development resources to satisfy a very limited niche instead of using them to add content that can be enjoyed by everyone.

well first off what i meant by "on the side" was that, from what the original director said, that they were done with the design of both male miqote and female roegadyn (dont know about female highlander, but i think that was in an interveiw also), so i would guess the only thing they "didn't have the manpower" to do before was the programming part for gear, weapons, etc. So i honestly dont think it would take that much "manpower" to slowly TRY and impliment the extra genders for the races. And second, the "very limited niche" ur talking about has been asking for male mithra/miqote and female galka/roegadyn since the beginning of FFXI, and its not just a few people, its quite a bit. If you don't want the extra race genders that's fine, it's your choice to like what you want, but alot of us wouldnt mind a little bit more variety. One of the main reasons i want the male miqote, female highlander, and the female roegadyn is because i don't like when any game makes single gender races, especially if they exist in the world/lore.