Male Viera as a playable character! show your support

[Senn]

...

Actually, I don't think they'll take our feedback on male viera's physical appearance at all.
I mean, they'll probably consider feedback about adding male viera to the game, but not how they look. You know what, though? I'm ok with this. I trust they will do a good job, if they ever add them.

[Lauront]

I expect they won't disregard it entirely, either, but yeah it's probably not going to be a case of just gauging what is most popular, as opposed to what they think is the best fit. We're mostly just discussing our own hopes and dreams for Viera.

[BillyKaplan]

Actually, I don't think they'll take our feedback on male viera's physical appearance at all.

I agree that they have a base in mind. Everything we heard so far from both Yoshida and Matsuno (dat Highlander screenshot...) isn't too far from the Concept Art.
But our feedback could contribute to certain aspects of that base, like which gender is taller (with average height difference, not an Au Ra height gap), how much to pump the muscle slider, maybe hairstyles, etc.

[MrKimper]

Again, the issue is when the arguments completely detract from what you should be aiming for, which is male viera being added in regardless, and you have people saying whoever is posting x is trying to co-opt what viera should be. It's just stupid and non-constructive when I highly highly doubt there's any real leeway to consider fanart at all for it's design when they already have concept art to work with. There's no reason why someone should post x viera and be told "No that can't exist at all and if it did I wouldn't want it" or "They should be smaller than the females, they have to be or it would just kill male viera for me."

It's just irksome, and sort of goes to prove the point that no matter what the devs would try to do there would be some sort of irrational backlash from people who want wildly different things. I'll stop going on about this though since it doesn't seem like it's actually helping.

[Senn]

I agree that they have a base in mind. Everything we heard so far from both Yoshida and Matsuno (dat Highlander screenshot...) isn't too far from the Concept Art.
But our feedback could contribute to certain aspects of that base, like which gender is taller (with average height difference, not an Au Ra height gap), how much to pump the muscle slider, maybe hairstyles, etc.

No, I don't think so. Like what was just said, SE will probably do what they think fits best. Player feedback on design choice is most likely insignificant.
It's not a design choice, but take a look at dancer. SE implemented dancer into the game because it was popular, but they didn't make it a healer even though that seemed to be a popular request.

[BillyKaplan]

SE will probably do what they think fits best. Player feedback on design choice is most likely insignificant.

I mean, the two are not mutually exclusive.

SE implemented dancer into the game because it was popular, but they didn't make it a healer even though that seemed to be a popular request.

While I think they had plenty of time during SB to address healer balance so they could've added a new healer in ShB, that's still a pretty good reason for that. A debate can be had about whether or not they should've waited on DNC until a new healer could've been brought in and gave us a different dps job now, but that's really neither here nor there in this context. DNC being ranged dps is more than just "we can't please everyone so let's just make a decision". If they're already going to bring in female Hroths and male Viera, there's really no reason not to listen to "please make male and female Viera same height/make males a bit shorter" - unless, of course, they decide that the alternative would be more popular or more in line with their vision, but in that case there's really no harm in voicing that request. You know what makes SE absolutely not listen to feedback or requests? Those things not being voiced.

[Rollout]

wishful thinking it will be anytime in ShB life
maybe next expansion or maybe even after

be a bit odd that a gender is locked by a expansion now i think about it

I doubt that they would lock male Viera and female Hrothgar behind any expansion, if they do add them. They will likely be added to the Shadowbringers license, so if anyone has at least Shadowbringers, they'll have access to both genders.

[Senn]

...

Yeah, no harm in voicing your requests.
However, I think SE/the devs/Yoshi P will go for something that fits with their vision instead instead of player request, and that's probably a good thing because we're so divided.
In the end, I think it should be left up to the developers.

[Lauront]

No, I don't think so. Like what was just said, SE will probably do what they think fits best. Player feedback on design choice is most likely insignificant.
It's not a design choice, but take a look at dancer. SE implemented dancer into the game because it was popular, but they didn't make it a healer even though that seemed to be a popular request.

The initial response Yoshi gave indicated they weren't sure how to go about them. However, in reality I do think it's less that and more to do with being tactical about how to get senior management buy-in for two races, with the possible intention of adding the missing gender option later.

So, I am of the view that they're not really working from a total blank slate but will probably take player feedback into account, to an extent. We have to remember the forum is still a minority, so although this is signalling demand for the male version of the race that they can't ignore (still no guarantee they'll add it but I believe they're now considering it more seriously), in terms of what would sell to the broader community they can't just limit their sights to the forum, and besides this, in working so close with Matsuno I am pretty sure the discussion about how he (and the wider Ivalice team) imagines male Viera would look has come up and has guided their own decisions.

[BillyKaplan]

that's probably a good thing because we're so divided.

To be fair, I think part of it is rampaging expectations and illogical hopes. Asking for male Viera who are basically Feol is strikingly against what we know they imagine, be it Matsuno, Yoshida, or even the Concept Art. Unlike DNC being healer, some of the requests we've seen here are pretty detached from what we got from the devs so far. I mean, we did get a Concept Art, which is still something. DNC meanwhile they've kept quiet about.

In the end, I think it should be left up to the developers.

This statement makes me very conflicted. I mean, on one hand, that's going to be the case no matter what happens unless someone here has the cash to buy SE and directly dictate their vision to Yoshida.
On the other hand, if it was left up to the developers, we wouldn't have male Viera in this game even in 20 years.