So what is a Hrothgar?

[Cidel]

No it's not.

Yes, it is. I've poked my head into that thread several times and based on comments throughout (not all, but a lot), it's central focus has consistently been about male viera. Anything remotely "pro-male viera" in there gets showered with 'likes.' Let discussion about a different race have a chance here.

Players have hated gender locked races consistently for years and in far more than just this game. It's not about wanting bunny bois, it's about having the same racial choices presented to you regardless of the gender of your character. I don't plan on ever playing a male viera but I 100% support having them in the game because I don't want other players to be deprived of this choice.

If that was the case, people shouldn't have made such a big case for viera as a playable race when they're literally represented throughout the series they appear in as practically "all female," regardless of what their lore writes just to enforce that males exist for reproduction and what-not. The issue I see is that people want to interpret viera lore in a way that agrees with what they want to see and suits their narrative. If the devs decide to not give male viera for their own reasons, then that's fine with me- let them preserve their stance on what they want their viera to be in the franchise. If they do give viera male, then whatever, the pandering continues. I'm curious to see what this Hrothgar is, give it a chance, and see how original it is for XIV. If they're making viera all-female and this new Hrothgar all-male, I am fine with that since it's not as if the gender ratio has been made lopsided.

[Penthea]

Yes, it is. I've poked my head into that thread several times and based on comments throughout (not all, but a lot), it's central focus has consistently been about male viera.

Have you not considered that the focus is like this because it is a new race? People always bring up the gender locked races in 1.0 and FFXI and how badly they were received when talking about viera. I am astonished you managed to miss the multitude of the posts with these comments. If you think the gender locking conversation is only due to some weird fixation on bunny men then I have to assume you haven't been paying as much attention as you claim.

If that was the case, people shouldn't have made such a big case for viera as a playable race when they're literally represented throughout the series they appear in as practically "all female,"

And yet in lore male miqo'te are rarely seen but among the playerbase they're extremely popular. Never mind how in 1.0 that race gender combo was unplayable. So if players can play the once unplayable "rare" male miqo'te, then why can't they also play the rare male viera? Why the double-standard?

You're also forgetting that SE own all the FF lore so they can change it any way they please. And they certainly have done so many times already. A lot of what they borrowed from other FF games isn't used in the exact same way in FFXIV. If SE don't introduce male viera it would be because they don't want to. Not because they cannot.

[Cidel]

Have you not considered that the focus is like this because it is a new race? People always bring up the gender locked races in 1.0 and FFXI and how badly they were received when talking about viera.

Don't recall them being "badly received," if anything, the fact that one of the main NPCs was a female Roegadyn when there was only males available being a talking point. People just requested for the opposite genders of the spiritual successors of XI since they were remaking the game anyway.

If you think the gender locking conversation is only due to some weird fixation on bunny men then I have to assume you haven't been paying as much attention as you claim.

It's as plain as day that the really vocal people in that thread want male viera and if you think that's not an underlying motive to push for "unlocking" possible genderlocked races you're being willfully obtuse.

And yet in lore male miqo'te are rarely seen but among the playerbase they're extremely popular.Never mind how in 1.0 that race gender combo was unplayable. So if players can play the once unplayable "rare" male miqo'te, then why can't they also play the rare male viera? Why the double-standard?

The simplest reason is because viera are not a creation of XIV. They are immigrated from another different story, game, whatever- where females are the primary representatives of that setting and males have not played any part in it. Not to say that they can't simply write-them in with some weak Deus ex Machina that comes out of nowehere, but I admit I'd respect the devs more if they adhered to the source game they borrowed them from.

You're also forgetting that SE own all the FF lore so they can change it any way they please. And they certainly have done so many times already. A lot of what they borrowed from other FF games isn't used in the exact same way in FFXIV.

The issue I see here is they've not done something on the level of immigrating a specific, iconic race in one particular setting into XIV and decided to practically retcon a defining characteristic about them (females being the highly visible ones) until now. This is different from "what are the classic summons in this game? Let's reuse this monster/boss from this FF game here that has practically 0 impact on anything." Or "Let's name this inconsequential type of item something recognizable from a previous series."

If SE don't introduce male viera it would be because they don't want to. Not because they cannot.

Agreed. And I'd respect that decision based on the circumstances surrounding viera. Clearly some people just want them bad enough for that not to matter.

In any case, I'm done arguing anything else about viera-anything here. Just need to wait for the next fanfest to see what the devs ultimately decided to do.

The issue is
Male race big strong and beastly
Female race petite and pretty

So, par for the course because that's Au ra in a nutshell? And if the content model is anything to go by, they don't like "mixing it up and trying anything new" which I thought a lot of people were fine with? /s

[Metsonm]

So, par for the course because that's Au ra in a nutshell?

This exact issue was brought up with them, continues to be mentioned regarding them, and is often brought up in regard to gender dimorphism among races in other games that it applies to.

It's not new here.

[Penthea]

Don't recall them being "badly received," if anything, the fact that one of the main NPCs was a female Roegadyn when there was only males available being a talking point. People just requested for the opposite genders of the spiritual successors of XI since they were remaking the game anyway.

Man I didn't even play FFXI and I heard about the gender locking being badly received before I played FFXIV. I really wonder how you managed to avoid seeing criticisms about it.

It's as plain as day that the really vocal people in that thread want male viera and if you think that's not an underlying motive to push for "unlocking" possible genderlocked races you're being willfully obtuse.

I'm being obtuse? SE released male viera concept art for HW. At one point they were planning to put them as a playable race and gender combo in the game. Now that you know this, do you still think it is obtuse to ask for the male viera now that female viera have been announced? Currently the playerbase feels it is getting only half of what they have been waiting years for.

The simplest reason is because viera are not a creation of XIV. They are immigrated from another different story, game, whatever- where females are the primary representatives of that setting and males have not played any part in it. Not to say that they can't simply write-them in with some weak Deus ex Machina that comes out of nowehere, but I admit I'd respect the devs more if they adhered to the source game they borrowed them from.

And yet the image I linked above shows that SE had intended to make male viera playable. It is definitely not outside the realms of possibility. Not just because SE own all the lore and they can do what they want with it, but also because there is proof that they wanted players to be able to be male viera.

By the way miqo'te and roegadyn are pretty much immigrated from FFXI. In 1.0 they had the exact same gender locking as their FFXI counterparts. Even the elezen and lalafells are just newer versions of the elvaan and tarutaru. Tataru's name is most likely a nod to the tarutaru race.

So now that you know this as well, have you now lost respect for the devs because they removed lore-based gender locking during the life cycle of FFXIV with races heavily inspired by FFXI's gender locked races?

[Cidel]

Man I didn't even play FFXI and I heard about the gender locking being badly received before I played FFXIV. I really wonder how you managed to avoid seeing criticisms about it.

Easy, I actually played the game and didn't see people constantly complaining about being unable to be a male Mithra. Maybe because I frequented actual gameplay discussion boards and not outlets centered around frivolous griping, which was not as mainstream back then, I guess.

By the way miqo'te and roegadyn are pretty much immigrated from FFXI. In 1.0 they had the exact same gender locking as their FFXI counterparts. Even the elezen and lalafells are just newer versions of the elvaan and tarutaru. Tataru's name is most likely a nod to the tarutaru race.

So now that you know this as well, have you now lost respect for the devs because they removed lore-based gender locking during the life cycle of FFXIV with races heavily inspired by FFXI's gender locked races?

I've always known; this isn't news. And the whole initial draw of XIV's starting races was playing on the racial familiarity of the previous ones from XI, right down to the initial gender lock of the Mithra and Galka. It's as clear as day that they're spiritual successors/homages to XI right from the get go- and they are both the online games of the Final Fantasy numbered franchise. So... A rather fairly moot point.