Male Viera as a playable character! show your support

[Lauront]

Not so much never added, but not developed further. I've said before I doubt Eureka is the sort of content they'd have any reason to scrap... BLU and limited jobs more generally, on the other hand, have left a sour taste in the mouths of many, so I doubt it'd fare well on any assessment of its cost-benefit, but that's just a hunch.

[zeylos]

I wasn't aiming the statement at anyone in particular. It was just a trend I happened to notice at times throughout the thread. Perhaps I'm being overly cautious but I am very wary of content being delayed or cut in favour of something else. Even in terms of hypothetical talk. If left to the forum community, for instance, we'd see BLU and Eureka removed.

As for Square Enix, I'm not thrilled by some of their decisions lately and I do agree that they need to invest more into FFXIV since it must be making them a fortune at this point. I do recall the development team stating that some problems cannot simply be solved by throwing money at them, though. Which either means that they need additional employees and/or there's executive meddling at play.

Personally I'd rather them for now on focus on missing genders or even other content over limited jobs, Eureka, PvP (unless they fix it) and I'd rather have the missing genders than any more options, and once we have all the races and hey are finished, then they can start to look for ways to add more customization, but that's just my personal opinion. Also I'd rather have races over glamour personally

[Theodric]

BLU and limited jobs more generally, on the other hand, have left a sour taste in the mouths of many, so I doubt it'd fare well on any assessment of its cost-benefit, but that's just a hunch.

There's plenty of people who enjoy BLU. Ultimate only sees use by a very small portion of the overall community yet is still a worthy investment on the part of the development team. It was also confirmed in advance that more content is coming for BLU. Personally I'm pretty excited regarding the possibilities.

[WhiteArchmage]

There's plenty of people who enjoy BLU. Ultimate only sees use by a very small portion of the overall community yet is still a worthy investment on the part of the development team. It was also confirmed in advance that more content is coming for BLU. Personally I'm pretty excited regarding the possibilities.

In the cost-benefit assessment: Ultimates take less resources than limited jobs, so even if there's less people playing or clearing it, it's also much cheaper :P

[Theodric]

In the cost-benefit assessment: Ultimates take less resources than limited jobs, so even if there's less people playing or clearing it, it's also much cheaper :P

Which is a slippery slope. Not everything added to the game needs to be developed with efficiency in mind. Otherwise the game risks becoming very stagnant. Simply put, I can no longer bring myself to support the addition of the missing genders if those here are willing to sacrifice content that others find to be enjoyable in order to acquire something they desire. It may be seen as petty to some but for me it is a matter of principle.

[Lauront]

So... you’re asking SE not to consider cost-benefit when considering how it directs resources within the game.... when it already does that all the time?

Regarding the game becoming stagnant, it’s not a case of saying don’t take risks. Quite the opposite. What I am saying is that if certain features don’t add enough to the game to continue maintaining them, it is prudent to cut your losses and move the resources elsewhere.

It’s a bit baffling to me that people would rather grandstand over this than understand what is being said.

[Anvaire]

I think the greater problem is that the game is perpetually growing and if the resource doesn't grow to match, the quality is going to suffer. Eventually, the issue preventing them from adding new races is going to also affect other parts of the game. There's the added issue of looking at the current offered content and questioning is it truly worth it - I say this NOT in ana argument to cut it to add MViera or Fhrothgar but to look at the game as a whole. This is why they cut a dungeon to add Eureka.

One thing I will bank on though is Square Enix's care for its reputation and its customer base. That the game exists at all is a testament to that. A Realm Reborn was a watershed moment, one the devs have spent years building up support and confidence in Square Enix. When FFXV got terrible reviews over the story and Chapter 13, did they ignore it? No, they went back and amended it and kept amending it until they felt it reached a quality they and the fans were happy with.

I think the same process is ongoing with the missing Genders, only it is more complex due to the nature of the game itself. Designing a new race take a lot of time and resource, Yoshi P isn't averse to saying no, we have ample evidence of that. But he can't say yes either, hence the response we got. I think part of the issue is they need to look at the cycle and work out if it is possible with the manpower they have and that isn't something they can do until they know how Shadowbringers has been received and how their work cycle is progressing.

Do I think the content balance is right? Well actually No. Personally, I think that Ultimate is utilised by a very low number of players and therefore has less worth than say a 24 man or a normal raid. Would I have it removed? No. But I wouldn't want to see more than 2 fights of them. Firstly because they take a LONG time to complete and secondly in that often when they have been cleared the value of the loot is already surpassed. The small number of players who undertake Ultimates mean their worth as content is much less. Which is why I think cancelling the third ultimate in lieu of the Baldesion Arsenal was the right call for them to do as the baldesion arsenal has a greater scope than ultimates could ever hope to achieve.

Where does this leave the MViewa and Fhrothgar? I think they will come, but only with careful planning and implementation by the devs themselves. However, as a basic bottom line, if they cannot add the missing genders if they come to a time where they will never be added. Then at that point, 2 important NPC's representatives for a Male Viera or a female Hrothgar should be added. None spring to mind for the Male Viera. But the Queen of the Hrothgar would, I think, be a perfect fit for them.

[zeylos]

Also I want to make it clear that we don't want content to be cut, and that you should support the thread if that's what you fear because almost nobody is asking for SE to have less content in order to add male viera

[Theodric]

It’s a bit baffling to me that people would rather grandstand over this than understand what is being said.

It's not grand standing. I'm not one to mince words - the clear implication from reading in between the lines of certain posters is that they're perfectly fine with the idea of seeing certain content neglected, scrapped or removed so long as they get what they desire. They're free to think as much, though they cannot claim to be surprised when others, in turn, withdraw their support for the missing genders as a consequence.

As I've said many times throughout the thread I want to see viera men added to the game. I do not want them to be added at the cost of anything else, though. Even the hypothetical discussion of what could or should be scrapped to make room for them is enough to invite controversy and as such is best avoided altogether.

[Lauront]

It's not grand standing. I'm not one to mince words - the clear implication from reading in between the lines of certain posters is that they're perfectly fine with the idea of seeing certain content neglected, scrapped or removed so long as they get what they desire. They're free to think as much, though they cannot claim to be surprised when others, in turn, withdraw their support for the missing genders as a consequence.

As I've said many times throughout the thread I want to see viera men added to the game. I do not want them to be added at the cost of anything else, though. Even the hypothetical discussion of what could or should be scrapped to make room for them is enough to invite controversy and as such is best avoided altogether.

That applies to any feature they add, including Eureka and BLU, which in turn directed resources away from other areas. Are you saying SE should not therefore add anything unless they increase investment into the game and should not assess how resources are being used and whether spending is providing good value for money? I’m trying to understand the logic behind this.

I’m not asking for specific content to be cut - just for them to do what they usually do as a business and prioritise resource flow based on value added rather than simply further feeding sunk costs.