Viera and Hrothgar Megathread

[reivaxe]

I'd like a source on this. To my knowledge, there has been no indication of this at all.

1:20 mark.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/5600024...ives&sort=time

QnA on this very forum
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...=1#post5126637

A number of interviews around the time ShB was announced and some recently when asked directly about it that I can't find. They don't talk about it much (and almost never unprompted unless it's related to something they're talking about ... and they don't talk about character design that much to begin with), but it's been said a number of times.

[BunnyChain]

My theory as to why these races didn't get any hair is because they already did. 8 unique hairstyles for each (with Viera getting alternative slightly different ones). And since 5.0 they released 8 hairstyles for everyone else.
So now that we're "even", there is some possibility that they might get more hairstyles, either in a batch or along everyone else, starting with 6.0.


We know that they are very capable to release a new race in a short amount of time, if the priority is set accordingly. You could argue that there wasn't much time to make things work for Viera but Hrothgar was of "their own making"... and they have more limitations, though most likely because the priorities were set like this. It really isn't rocket science to make a hair work for another race, but they can probably only whip out so many of them at a time.
8 / expansion? It were 7 between 4.0 - 5.0 and 9 between 3.0 and 4.0.

[Yencat]

My theory as to why these races didn't get any hair is because they already did. 8 unique hairstyles for each (with Viera getting alternative slightly different ones). And since 5.0 they released 8 hairstyles for everyone else.
So now that we're "even", there is some possibility that they might get more hairstyles, either in a batch or along everyone else, starting with 6.0.


We know that they are very capable to release a new race in a short amount of time, if the priority is set accordingly. You could argue that there wasn't much time to make things work for Viera but Hrothgar was of "their own making"... and they have more limitations, though most likely because the priorities were set like this. It really isn't rocket science to make a hair work for another race, but they can probably only whip out so many of them at a time.
8 / expansion? It were 7 between 4.0 - 5.0 and 9 between 3.0 and 4.0.

Every race starts with their own unique styles only they have access to, it's not even close to even and the 10th hairstyle for everyone but Viera/Hrothgar is already on the way.

[reivaxe]

My theory as to why these races didn't get any hair is because they already did. 8 unique hairstyles for each (with Viera getting alternative slightly different ones). And since 5.0 they released 8 hairstyles for everyone else.
So now that we're "even", there is some possibility that they might get more hairstyles, either in a batch or along everyone else, starting with 6.0.


We know that they are very capable to release a new race in a short amount of time, if the priority is set accordingly. You could argue that there wasn't much time to make things work for Viera but Hrothgar was of "their own making"... and they have more limitations, though most likely because the priorities were set like this. It really isn't rocket science to make a hair work for another race, but they can probably only whip out so many of them at a time.
8 / expansion? It were 7 between 4.0 - 5.0 and 9 between 3.0 and 4.0.

Yeah, this is more along the lines of how I see things.

The reason we get so few hairstyles in general is because hairstyles are used as incentives for doing content. I've played a number of MMOs, this one likes to drip feed us hair but tie it to content whereas others like GW2 and PSO2 use it as incentive to pay more.
They give us 2 for free when an expansion drops, but that's it. Every new hairstyle is linked to some kinda content to get you to play the new stuff, or you have to get it from someone who played the new stuff ... and sometimes it comes from the Mog-station. This expac we have had 11 hairstyles if you count the datamined 1 that's yet to be released (I'm guessing we're getting a 12th when they put Cat Boi outfit on the Mog-station) so my guess is that when ever they reveal the hair for these races it will be around a dozen, but that's a pure guess.

Then there's the topic of "how do you release hair that's only for 1 race". Given that they likely don't want to release an item in game that's sellable on the MB that unlocks hair for only 1 race ... that's an interesting pickle. Even more confusing for Hrothgar, given they gave different foreheads and ear shapes to each head which makes manes not match easily without tweaks (Hrothgar basically don't have hair, their stuff is all CC O_o). So it could shake out that they wouldn't ever release 1 Hrothgar mane without manes for other faces if they decide to not design manes all faces can have.

All in all I think they may make a Mog-Station item that unlocks a bundle of hair for them at the end of the expac (that says in no uncertain terms that these ONLY work for these races) or simply add them for free as a feature in 6.0.

[LaylaTsarra]

My theory as to why these races didn't get any hair is because they already did.

That's no excuse from excluding them from new content releases. If they are going to do so well then exclusive hairstyles would have to be the replacement. It's simply unfair to give all the other races new things constantly and nothing to Viera or Hrothgar.

[Abaigeal]

All in all I think they may make a Mog-Station item that unlocks a bundle of hair for them at the end of the expac (that says in no uncertain terms that these ONLY work for these races) or simply add them for free as a feature in 6.0.

I am sorry I giggled a little...I mean this with no snark, but when have you EVER seen anything for FREE on the mog-station...they charge anywhere from 2-15$ for emotes that could have been free and tied to events.

Seriously though, do you know how pissed off people would be if they did put a race exclusive hair pack on the mog station and charged players for it when the rest of the player base get hair styles for free just for as you stated playing the content? It would literarily cause more of an uproar than you see here.

[reivaxe]

I am sorry I giggled a little...I mean this with no snark, but when have you EVER seen anything for FREE on the mog-station...they charge anywhere from 2-15$ for emotes that could have been free and tied to events.

Seriously though, do you know how pissed off people would be if they did put a race exclusive hair pack on the mog station and charged players for it when the rest of the player base get hair styles for free just for as you stated playing the content? It would literarily cause more of an uproar than you see here.

I didn't say they would be free on the Mog-Station, I would fully expect them to charge like $25 for a bundle of 12 or w/e hairs so that people could hash out that it would be "$2 a style, not bad!". That OR they add them to the game for free as a feature fore 6.0 like how we got the WoD hair and 1 long hair for free at the start of ShB.

And ... Hrothgar already have to pay for any hairstyle change they want to do. Nothing about these races is "fair" tbh.

[LisSquid]

I'm pretty sure new viera hair will be slapped onto other hair tickets. It's the most elegant solution, really. It will be interesting to see if they would be retroactive with it, like putting a short viera hairstyle on something like form and function.


I also don't mean these hair styles edited for Viera (I actually don't want that. I want the unique Viera hair which was oddly a huge selling point for me), but their own styles that loosely relate to others.

[LuciaMirain]

I'm pretty sure new viera hair will be slapped onto other hair tickets. It's the most elegant solution, really. It will be interesting to see if they would be retroactive with it, like putting a short viera hairstyle on something like form and function.


I also don't mean these hair styles edited for Viera (I actually don't want that. I want the unique Viera hair which was oddly a huge selling point for me), but their own styles that loosely relate to others.

Yesterday someone asked me what hair I was using....for the first time since vieras came out I actually got to tell someone it was a race hairstyle that only vieras could wear...it felt weird.

[BunniEclair]

Not 100% clear if he's talking about Viera, Hrothgar, or both, in that statement though.

This is something that frustrates me about these two very different races being bundled together as a package deal currently. Interview questions are rarely asked about just viera or just hrothgar, and aside from the initial “viera will get some legacy hairstyles” he has never addressed them individually when talking about issues. But they have different issues, which will likely require different solutions, so I’d like to hear just a little more on this.

For Hrothgar it makes sense they wouldn’t get legacy hair because their head shape is, indeed, very different. With viera, I don’t see a reason we wouldn’t be able to get most of the legacy hairstyles fitted to us other than lack of time...but it seems like it would take way more time to design a bunch of racial hairs from scratch. I like racial hairs (there’s a few hairstyles from tactics and 12 I’d like to see...) but I still think the best way to go resource wise would be to retrofit some old hairstyles to viera and focus the heavy lifting on making new racial hair for hroth, unlocking the ones they can between face models (shared styles) and figuring out a solution to them being able to change without paying money.