Some possibly controversial thoughts about a dancer addition

[Shurrikhan]

Realistically - and lets assume that Dancer is greenlit - it would have to be another AST clone as a WHM + dances or a SCH + dances would make those jobs obsolete.

No, it really wouldn't, unless XIV is deadset on purposely exhausting all avenues of meaningful variance in design in as few steps as possible by chopping out the vast, vast majority of what otherwise would have been possible.

We've probably only a couple expansions left by which such stringent avoidance of what falls outside their existing systems can finagle x or y gimmicks of difference and get away with labeling the whole job as something unique. And why even do that? Why purposely deepen a rutt that will almost certainly taper off to an early end? Almost any excuse they can take to step outside their own formula will be a benefit to them at this point, so long as they can maintain cohesion while finally expanding their vision. What would it take for a Dancer to really work as hoped, and how much of that would be beneficial even in its own right? That's what I hope development might start looking over before precedent-as-restriction escalates exponentially further.

[Ilyrian]

No, it really wouldn't, unless XIV is deadset on purposely exhausting all avenues of meaningful variance in design in as few steps as possible by chopping out the vast, vast majority of what otherwise would have been possible.We've probably only a couple expansions left by which such stringent avoidance of what falls outside their existing systems can finagle x or y gimmicks of difference and get away with labeling the whole job as something unique. And why even do that? Why purposely deepen a rutt that will almost certainly taper off to an early end? Almost any excuse they can take to step outside their own formula will be a benefit to them at this point, so long as they can maintain cohesion while finally expanding their vision. What would it take for a Dancer to really work as hoped, and how much of that would be beneficial even in its own right? That's what I hope development might start looking over before precedent-as-restriction escalates exponentially further.

Because making a new job is not the same as overhauling an entire system. MMOs are a constant balancing act - I remember reading years ago a quote that went along the lines of; 'Maintaining balance in an MMO is like trying to remove air bubbles from wallpaper - as soon as you've smoothed one another pops up'. [I paraphrase - i can't remember who said that, some developer].
If you create an entirely new job that has either a unique role, move set or works entirely outside of the status-quo you are going to have to overhaul everything.
I'm not saying the won't/can't do it - just that it is highly-unlikely and would be a pretty crazy amount of work for very little payback. Also you say 'unique' i see 'mandatory' or 'useless'.
They would be better off employing new ideas/systems for FFXVI and beyond.

[Remilia_Nightfall]

snip

Haha I KNEW this discussion would end down this path - i.e. talking about alleged sexism. It always happens.

Look, personally I understand all the gender equality thing and all that stuff - and while I do agree that the gender-binary culture that humanity developed in the past millennia or so is intrinsic to humanity, it is nonetheless natural for humans, at least at this point of time and space.

"Then why shouldn't we fight to change it?" you may ask - and indeed you can - but I fear this battle shall not be won on this battlefield, a Japanese MMO. This is not the place to fight that battle. This is a game made by a company who needs to make money. In addition to that, it is a Japanese company. I am sure you understand what this means.

Come on. We have Catgirls. Dragongirls. Idols. Maid outfits. Miqo'te dancers in Ul'dah and Miqo'te prostitutes in Costa del Sol. This game SCREAMS fan service albeit not in a TERA or Blade & Soul way - as I said earlier, fan service here is for a more refined palate. Yet, it is fan service nonetheless.

This being said, SE will NEVER develop a job and gate it behind a gender. That makes zero sense and will break the armory system. As for dances, we can't know - but my 2 cents is that they WILL have different (maybe only slightly) movements whether you are male or female, and a falafel or a roe, as as you mentioned for the Sundrop Dance, there are precedents.

I still believe that a Chemist is more likely to happen, tho.

[Fhaerron]

Lel, the way this thread has gone too.

*grabs popcorn*

[BillyKaplan]

In addition to that, it is a Japanese company. I am sure you understand what this means.

We have banana hammocks, the Coliseum Gear, Haurchefant sending you gear to Mor Dhona to, based on the translation I read, accent your muscles. Yeah sounds like a Japanese game alright.

it is fan service nonetheless.

I'm not saying don't fanservice. I'm saying equal fanservice. I kind of doubt anyone'd unsub over a male roe DNC with the same moves as a fem Au Ra. Could be wrong tho.

This being said, SE will NEVER develop a job and gate it behind a gender.

Ya, goes against the lore of the series too. And seeing how they were originally really stressed about giving us another rank of materia because of the series' naming convention, I don't see this as being really cause for worry. So long as my male Dancers aren't too behind the ladies in movement, at least... though depending on the dance, ala the Sundrop dance, I might be on the winning side here with my male main lmao

[WilhelmWhite]

Man, I will shake my giant hips til the end of time, and love every minute of it.

[Singularity]

All jobs so far, while allowing you to integrate renovations (DRG comes to mind) were largely about tapping into the abilities and skills already existing within your Soul Crystal and abiding by your mentor chara's route. That leaves not as much room for racial differences, and again I should hope they won't go overboard with the differences based on gender.

Well, from a lore perspective, the job crystals (MCH excepted) all talk about the "myriad deeds of <job>s from ages past", so your dancer crystal would presumably have been owned by many dancers before you and thus contain a wide range of dance motions.

Because let's face it, going by this game's track record it's almost certain that male charas will get shafted, and I just don't trust them to pull a BRD again

That's a genuine concern, but it's a separate issue from merely having different motions. Neither gender deserves to get animations of lesser quality, nor to have motions intended exclusively for the other one shoehorned into its animation set.

[Xlantaa]

I don't see a problem. It is true that somethings are weird in some race/genre, but it is nothing important. Astrologian sets and animations are very... "girly" that's how call it (it is just a cultural thing to be real), but nothing stops a male from play it; or a male roe as ninja looks slow and heavy, but it works, so why not?

[Pingosteel]

You're welcome.

[NephthysVasudan]

You're welcome.

*scrambles for bleach*