Viera and Hrothgar Megathread

[BunnyChain]

Unless this means Viera is now "complete" and can be moved into a dev rotation where they receive hairstyles that don't conflict with their ears, you'll be stuck with 8-ish hairstyles like the rest of us and will probably run into the same problem.

If at least their hairstyles were encompassing their ears...

Hrothgar hairstyles are controlled by the face setting. The face setting cannot be edited, therefore hairstyles cannot be switched. The game does not differentiate them as "different hairstyles for the same face" but two separate faces which happen to be identical.

There is no technical reason for this on their race. They have, just like every other race, 4 head models and separate hair models.
The only reason I can think of is they didn't want to give them a hairstyle option because you'd just have 2 hairs. That would look worse than having "8" face options and a missing hairstyle option is hard to notice... hoping the reviewers wouldn't either?

[Yencat]

If at least their hairstyles were encompassing their ears...

I was mostly thinking hairbands and braids that would end up going under the ears, but yeah it's not like they modify the hair to part places where the ears go anyway.

The ears just sitting on the hair like they do doesn't bother me at all, so cut some holes in the Modern Aesthetics hairstyles and stick the ears on. Please and thank you.

[Iscah]

There is no technical reason for this on their race. They have, just like every other race, 4 head models and separate hair models.
The only reason I can think of is they didn't want to give them a hairstyle option because you'd just have 2 hairs. That would look worse than having "8" face options and a missing hairstyle option is hard to notice... hoping the reviewers wouldn't either?

It comes back to the character design template and using it in new and unusual ways.

It seems that the normal hairstyle setting (with linked "colour" and "highlight colour" palettes) got repurposed for the fur patterns, leaving nowhere to put a separate choice for hairstyles so they just melded them into the face slot.

Whether it was the right decision, it's how they got that way and I don't think they can change it now without taking away some other kind of choice (or rebuilding the character creator and everything that uses its data).

Maybe they could have tied hairstyles to set fur patterns instead.

[Iscah]

If at least their hairstyles were encompassing their ears...

I hate that so very much. There is exactly one race that will use those hairstyles, you know where their ears connect to their heads; how did any of this get past the design stage? Nearly every hairstyle in their entire range parts sideways between-and-under the ears instead of going around them.

I really hope they approached it better for the male designs.

[Yencat]

I hate that so very much. There is exactly one race that will use those hairstyles, you know where their ears connect to their heads; how did any of this get past the design stage? Nearly every hairstyle in their entire range parts sideways between-and-under the ears instead of going around them.

I really hope they approached it better for the male designs.

It doesn't look great zoomed in like that, but you really don't notice it that much when you play one.

I also don't think some of the hairstyles could be achieved if they had to go around the ear base. The ears are positioned vertically while the pigtails have a middle part that makes the hair go horizontally, with how high up the ears are there's very little room for the hair to give the appearance of going around them without messing up the entire look of pulled down ponytails or anything other than pulled back hair really.

I'd much rather they focus on the output of a larger number of hairstyles than being overly concerned with making sure we only get styles that could accommodate the ears in a realistic way.

EDIT: Male viera have a hairstyle with a similar parting and it looks about the same, with both ears on the same side of the parting even.

[Iscah]

I also don't think some of the hairstyles could be achieved if they had to go around the ear base.

That's exactly my issue. They shouldn't be achievable and therefore they don't make sense. They just need to have more styles that sweep backwards between the ears instead of sideways.

For the male hairstyle you posted above, it's hard to tell but it might shift direction and only the section in front of the ears has the parting line. That would make sense. But there's no need for it to continue sideways between the ears.

I just feel like you could do more things that actually work with the ear position - different ponytails or half-ponytails or fancy braids that run longways between the ears. Or for the style with pigtails, do three sections instead of two. Don't just ignore them and create six different styles with centre part lines that shouldn't be physically possible.

[Yencat]

That's exactly my issue. They shouldn't be achievable and therefore they don't make sense. They just need to have more styles that sweep backwards between the ears instead of sideways.

For the male hairstyle you posted above, it's hard to tell but it might shift direction and only the section in front of the ears has the parting line. That would make sense. But there's no need for it to continue sideways between the ears.

I just feel like you could do more things that actually work with the ear position - different ponytails or half-ponytails or fancy braids that run longways between the ears. Not just ignore them and create six different styles with centre part lines that shouldn't be physically possible.

I get what you're saying completely, and if the race didn't have bigger issues than whether or not the direction the hair is going in relation to the ears is realistic I'd agree they should pay this more mind.

But right now? The selection is already so bare bones, if they were to take this into account as well we'd be even more limited in the sort of styles we would potentially get access to.

Viera hair already has a lot of weird little quirks like a wildly inconsistent hairline shape and forehead size. It shows in the image with the male Viera as well, his forehead is so small with that hairstyle his eyebrows almost connect with the hairline.

They clearly do not care and just design a cool hairstyle and then cut two holes in it for the ears so I can't bring myself to care too much either, I just want more of them at this point.

[Iscah]

But right now? The selection is already so bare bones, if they were to take this into account as well we'd be even more limited in the sort of styles we would potentially get access to.

That's my thing. I don't think it would be "more limited", just more unique and they'd actually seem like race-specific Viera hairstyles that they put effort and thought into.

Viera hair already has a lot of weird little quirks like a wildly inconsistent hairline shape and forehead size.

That's not a Viera problem, it's a whole-game problem. The standard hairstyles vary a lot too - they're either not paying attention to it or they're deliberately going for variety over consistency.

I honestly don't think the character designers think about the one character constantly changing hairstyles, but rather the idea that you build your character and stick to it. It would certainly explain the approach to Hrothgar not prioritising hairstyle changeability over the variety of fur patterns.

[Yencat]

That's my thing. I don't think it would be "more limited", just more unique and they'd actually seem like race-specific Viera hairstyles that they put effort and thought into.

Maybe it wouldn't be more limited in the total amount of hairstyles because they could've made something else instead, but if a hairstyle like the one I'm using right now (or several of the other Viera hairstyles I'm quite fond of) wouldn't be possible, how can that not be limiting?

It's fine to argue for more unique and race-specific hairstyles, but when 8 hairstyles in 2 years is all they can manage without putting the thought and effort into working around ears then I don't want it.

Don't get me wrong it's nice in theory, but it's kind of a first world problem to people that just want more hairstyle options. Even if it isn't exactly realistic.

[LuciaMirain]

If at least their hairstyles were encompassing their ears...






There is no technical reason for this on their race. They have, just like every other race, 4 head models and separate hair models.
The only reason I can think of is they didn't want to give them a hairstyle option because you'd just have 2 hairs. That would look worse than having "8" face options and a missing hairstyle option is hard to notice... hoping the reviewers wouldn't either?

this is what has been bothering me for a long long time (around two years ....or so.....) Vieras own hair already clips with the ears so to use that as an excuse as to why we cant recieve the other hairs is just silly. I have through mods seem all the modern aes hairstyles on them and honestly only form and function and the "B hairstyle clips really bad with the braid or headband. Great lengths looks really nice on viera. If they want to make it easy for themselves then just release the same hairstyles in a bundle for both female and male vieras and just let them share hairstyles like all the other races and genders do (except some few race specific ones). Alot of the fanart of male vieras already have them in long feminine hair anyway, locks and braids....so it wouldnt be too much of a stretch to actually let them use existing viera hairstyles already. Also give us option to toggle off the flowers......please...They ruin my style so many times.