Can we get a Reptilian race please?

[DarkChild]

Only if I can RP as a lusty argonian maid

Hahahahaha!

[Annah]

I would take a magitek android who gained sentience through magicks as a player character. We have enough cute/sexy races.

I would love to see a mechanical race.

[Synrin]

Only if I can RP as a lusty argonian maid

Lifts-Her-Tail
My goodness, that's quite a loaf! But how ever shall it fit my oven?

Crantius Colto
This loaf isn't ready for baking, my sweet. It has yet to rise.

Lifts-Her-Tail
If only we could hurry that along. How would I accomplish such a task?

Crantius Colto
Oh, my foolish little Argonian maid, you must use your hands.

Lifts-Her-Tail
You wish me to knead the loaf? Here?

Crantius Colto
Of course.

Lifts-Her-Tail
But what if the mistress catches me? Your loaf was meant to satisfy her appetite.

Crantius Colto
Don't fret, my delicate flower. I'll satisfy the mistress's cravings later.

Lifts-Her-Tail
Very well, but I'm afraid my oven isn't hot enough. It could take hours!

Crantius Colto
Plenty of time, my sweet. Plenty of time.
END OF ACT VII, SCENE II

Such a jewel

[Clethoria]

Give Japanese examples where a furry/scaley race is popular outside of doujinshi and maybe that'll have more of a leg up. Otherwise they'll be like Roe. High population in the US, scarce in JP and to an extend EU. People like kawaii desu characters and sexy anime boys. See Little Ladies day and fan art in general.

[LukasRavenholme]

One major factor, I imagine (and I might be way off here), why most races are humanoid in MMOs - and FFXIV in particular - is due to armor design and movement animation. Each helmet in-game must be modeled to go around a set of horns, or accommodate a pair of pointy, longer ears. Each pair of pants in the game must have a variant version to go around a tail. Boots must make sense with non-plantigrade feet. It's a lot of resources, and sadly something that many game devs decide is too much of a pain to bother with.

In Guild Wars 2 you could tell that the armor designers were starting to get frustrated with designing Charr armor. Most of it looked horrible on Charr (helmets were particularly awful). Even with cash-shop items, which you'd expect to be higher quality designs, you could tell the devs cut some corners, like letting the tail clip through most pants and skirt armors. ArenaNet at least made the attempt, though, to their credit, of tackling a VERY non-human race and designing armor for it. The race-specific Charr armor, for example, was spot-on but looked like it took a while to make and finish. This is further than many devs often try to go.

And to Blizzard's credit as well, digitigrade races like the Worgen and hooved races like Tauren & Draenei don't have goofy-looking boots. The boots become like foot-bangles automatically. Druids, when transformed, just have a set style of armor (backplate on bear, etc), if any. No special modifications. I half suspect that concerns over shoulder armor and leg/foot armor design are what prevented them from making the flight-capable Arakkoa a playable race as well. You can imagine how ridiculous shoulder armor would look on a bird race as they flapped their wings, for example. And everyone loves that shoulder armor too much. And also as a goofy side note, I doubt a developer would bother with a race where you can barely tell the genders apart, unless they took serious liberties and butchered the intended design and practicality of the species. ArenaNet got this 100% correct with body design differences between the genders of Charr, and Larian Studios seems to be getting it right with the Lizards in OS2 so far. Practicality is great, but it doesn't appeal to people for some reason. Devs won't waste their time on a race they don't feel will ever be played.

I don't foresee SE taking the time and resources to mold all the in-game armor sets to fit more non-human races. Races like the Viera, Banga, and Burmecians walk on their toes. Boot and legging armor design would become an issue and a bog on resources & time. Helmet design for any race with a snout or beak also becomes a problem. All of this on top of animation for all those new armors so there's no clipping through the unique body shapes during run, jog, sprint, knockback, KO, etc. I've seen other devs do it, but I don't foresee SE making the attempt. SE puts huge effort into making the races we have look and move well in armor and cloth, no matter what animation the character is using at the time.

If any Ivalice race would be easily transferable to Hydaelyn, it would be the moogles, since SE already does armor models for smaller, humanoid races like the Lalafell, and it wouldn't take much adjusting on the shoes/boots since Ivalice moogles are seemingly plantigrade. But we already have moogles, so there's a conflict with naming and lore.

I think the Au Ra are the closest thing to a playable reptilian race we'll see in FFXIV.

In fact I don't see them introducing any new races from here til the end of FFXIV as we know it. I would love to be surprised, though. And I hope I am.

[Ametrine]

Give Japanese examples where a furry/scaley race is popular outside of doujinshi and maybe that'll have more of a leg up.

Mmmm what about the characters of the Mario series or Sonic series??

[Clethoria]

Mmmm what about the characters of the Mario series or Sonic series??

I always saw Bowser (since most of the main cast is human anyway) love as more of an appreciation of the character himself for being a dad. And bara material for... those people. As for Sonic, and OCs in general, again- it's a Western love, and the games/media reflect that. I think both cases were actually made with the US in mind upon conception.

Then again, they're also really cute in a mascot kind of way. Which makes me think if we did get a 10% humanoid playable race, they would still be cute like Sally or Amy instead of scary or in any way intimidating. Kinda like lalas.

[Clawbriar]

Eh. I'd just rather have Xaela women look more buff and Raen men look more lean.

[RyuDragnier]

One major factor, I imagine (and I might be way off here), why most races are humanoid in MMOs - and FFXIV in particular - is due to armor design and movement animation. Each helmet in-game must be modeled to go around a set of horns, or accommodate a pair of pointy, longer ears. Each pair of pants in the game must have a variant version to go around a tail. Boots must make sense with non-plantigrade feet. It's a lot of resources, and sadly something that many game devs decide is too much of a pain to bother with.

In Guild Wars 2 you could tell that the armor designers were starting to get frustrated with designing Charr armor. Most of it looked horrible on Charr (helmets were particularly awful). Even with cash-shop items, which you'd expect to be higher quality designs, you could tell the devs cut some corners, like letting the tail clip through most pants and skirt armors. ArenaNet at least made the attempt, though, to their credit, of tackling a VERY non-human race and designing armor for it. The race-specific Charr armor, for example, was spot-on but looked like it took a while to make and finish. This is further than many devs often try to go.

And to Blizzard's credit as well, digitigrade races like the Worgen and hooved races like Tauren & Draenei don't have goofy-looking boots. The boots become like foot-bangles automatically. Druids, when transformed, just have a set style of armor (backplate on bear, etc), if any. No special modifications. I half suspect that concerns over shoulder armor and leg/foot armor design are what prevented them from making the flight-capable Arakkoa a playable race as well. You can imagine how ridiculous shoulder armor would look on a bird race as they flapped their wings, for example. And everyone loves that shoulder armor too much. And also as a goofy side note, I doubt a developer would bother with a race where you can barely tell the genders apart, unless they took serious liberties and butchered the intended design and practicality of the species. ArenaNet got this 100% correct with body design differences between the genders of Charr, and Larian Studios seems to be getting it right with the Lizards in OS2 so far. Practicality is great, but it doesn't appeal to people for some reason. Devs won't waste their time on a race they don't feel will ever be played.

I don't foresee SE taking the time and resources to mold all the in-game armor sets to fit more non-human races. Races like the Viera, Banga, and Burmecians walk on their toes. Boot and legging armor design would become an issue and a bog on resources & time. Helmet design for any race with a snout or beak also becomes a problem. All of this on top of animation for all those new armors so there's no clipping through the unique body shapes during run, jog, sprint, knockback, KO, etc. I've seen other devs do it, but I don't foresee SE making the attempt. SE puts huge effort into making the races we have look and move well in armor and cloth, no matter what animation the character is using at the time.

If any Ivalice race would be easily transferable to Hydaelyn, it would be the moogles, since SE already does armor models for smaller, humanoid races like the Lalafell, and it wouldn't take much adjusting on the shoes/boots since Ivalice moogles are seemingly plantigrade. But we already have moogles, so there's a conflict with naming and lore.

I think the Au Ra are the closest thing to a playable reptilian race we'll see in FFXIV.

In fact I don't see them introducing any new races from here til the end of FFXIV as we know it. I would love to be surprised, though. And I hope I am.

Well put argument. Though this makes me believe Lupin will be the closest we'll get to an actual playable beast race if they decide to add one, simply because with the exception of helmets, they can seemingly wear regular armor. Though SE may take the cheap way out and just introduce a glamourable helmet that makes you look like a Lupin, similar to the ones we have for Couerl, Behemoth, etc.

[dinnertime]

Eh. I'd just rather have Xaela women look more buff and Raen men look more lean.

They should've given each clan major differences in body types just like with Hyur or even better, give every race/clan a customizable body type, from skinny to built or I guess chubby.
Apparently it's a lot of work though?