Viera and Hrothgar Megathread

[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.

[Iscah]

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?

But would you miss it if it never existed? Or if there was a different style that had the same pigtails on the sides of the head and a third ponytail in the middle from the between-the-ears section? Or even just one where the hair wrapped around the ears instead of through them?

"Lots of people use this style" isn't really an argument when if there was a different selection of styles, people would be using those styles.

[Yencat]

But would you miss it if it never existed?

I'm not sure if we're talking theoretically now, or going forward from here on out?

Obviously I wouldn't miss it if it never existed, but this is where we are now and I'm not particularly thrilled at the prospect of them having another reason or limitation for why it's not possible to do <insert thing here>.

Or if there was a different style that had the same pigtails on the sides of the head and a third ponytail in the middle from the between-the-ears section? Or even just one where the hair wrapped around the ears instead of through them?

If that makes more than 8 total hairstyles? Sounds good to me, they can add whatever they want.

I'll take anything at this point, I just don't want them to throw up an imagined roadblock for the sake of "realism" that complicates actually getting things done in a timely manner any more than it already has.