Viera and Hrothgar Megathread

[Lauront]

Right, so now having seen them in the benchmark:

• Face 1 is probably the best of the lot IMO, but sadly, lacks facial hair of any sort. I'd say it's the least boyish of the lot. This is about as close to satisfactory as I could get it.
  
  However, I didn't particularly care for it in animation. For example, this, this and this.
  
  For comparison with a similar style for a middy, I would go for this face and at least it can sport facial hair. Expressions here, here and here.
  
  And the famously expressive derplander face is even better in that department.
  
  It seems like Viera are just inherently more predisposed to more boyish, lackadaisical expressions.
  
• Face 4, i.e. the usual "dad face", is also not bad, but pretty boyish.
• The other two are very soft.
• Facial hair options, where they exist, are very tepid and on 4 they just look bizarre - almost like those attempts at using a female Viera to create a male Viera. No idea why option 1 hasn't got any. This is a new race, designed with newer textures - why are the options so bad?
• The default posture is very hunched and not in the way that it is with miqo'te, maybe due to their shorter frame, maybe because of the way they form their hands.
• Good long hair options - I hope we see ones like these on existing male races.
• Very good textures - again, they have plans to upgrade textures all around, so I'll wait to see these on existing options.

They're not terrible but the odd design choices put me off them. I'll continue playing Midlanders and Au Ra for however longer I play. Basically I'd like to see the hairstyle options and texture upgrades on existing races, and how they could improve on Midlanders, Highlanders, Elezen and Au Ra.

I am sure they'll eat into catboy numbers, though, as well as those who like Elezen with very dainty features. Yet as someone who'd normally play an elf with sharper, more angular features, if I were looking for an Elezen substitute, this wouldn't be it.

[Allegor]

capes a bit wonky but they normally are tbf

I...don't think looking like you were sliced in half and only your shirt is holding you together is a good look lol, but from your other screen it seems that will probably depend on the gear in question

[Iscah]

one emote reused in a cutscene isn't that much of a big deal when literally everyone uses the minfila "oh dear" think emote lmao

That one and others, though. And I don't think everyone uses Minfilia's pose either – again, if that's the one I'm thinking of, that's something I can peg as a Midlander-specific emote: their version of the originally-inaccessible emote we recently got as hmm/consider. I don't recall seeing other races use it, though (you being an Elezen) maybe the female Elezen version is t far off it. I can only remember seeing Ysayle doing what I think was the equivalent thing a while back.

It's possible it's not even any of the usable emotes from the menu but just the little inbetween things that the cutscene programmers make use of but nobody thought to test or replace.

I'd have to set up an alt to really compare them (and know where in hundreds of cutscenes to look for the relevant emotes to explain) but there is definitely just an ongoing recognition of specific emotes that my Midlander does when I see other Midlanders or Viera in cutscenes, and it doesn't happen with other races.

[DynnDiablos]

SE obviously spent a ton of time on male Viera and the quality of their customizations so all of you screaming on here really need to take a seat. SE isn’t going to delay their release simply because your nitpicking about the posture or facial hair and they didn’t spend the last year working on them to start from ground zero.

Male Viera isn’t what you expected in your head? Well play another race. I’m so glad the official forum reaction doesn’t equal the true fan reaction which is overly positive. Seems the forums is just a place for people to scream and complain and hate 24/7

[Juzjuzz]

I’m so glad the official forum reaction doesn’t equal the true fan reaction which is overly positive. Seems the forums is just a place for people to scream and complain and hate 24/7

Yet you are here complaining.
When some ppl don't complain that mean they don't care, it's worse. And what's a true fan? Someone who's are happy enough for you ? Don't come if you don't like it.
Some ppl don't enjoy the other races. They all have some weird things into them that fits a certain niche. Sadly not all niches can be satisfied by all the races we have. Some were hoping for a handsome looking male race and we got very feminine guys. Nothing wrong with the choices made by the developers but being dissapointed is a normal reaction. Some ppl react harder than others and some want to guive feedback. It's okay lol
Pls be comprehensive of others before demanding satisfaction or silence.

[Yencat]

Right, so now having seen them in the benchmark:
[LIST][*]Face 1 is probably the best of the lot IMO, but sadly, lacks facial hair of any sort. I'd say it's the least boyish of the lot. This is about as close to satisfactory as I could get it.

However, I didn't particularly care for it in animation. For example, this, this and this.

That doesn't look too bad, maybe you'd like it better with the white lashes off? Because with the lighting in the benchmark it does give sort of a strange jarring look.

[Theodric]

I wouldn't consider Twitter or Reddit to be the equivalent of 'true fan reaction' given that both places actively shut down dissenting opinions and operate as biased echo chambers.

It would appear that opinions are rather mixed which makes sense given the chosen design direction. Some people will like it, others won't.

[Lauront]

SE obviously spent a ton of time on male Viera and the quality of their customizations so all of you screaming on here really need to take a seat. SE isn’t going to delay their release simply because your nitpicking about the posture or facial hair and they didn’t spend the last year working on them to start from ground zero.

Male Viera isn’t what you expected in your head? Well play another race. I’m so glad the official forum reaction doesn’t equal the true fan reaction which is overly positive. Seems the forums is just a place for people to scream and complain and hate 24/7

People are giving their feedback on it. In a similar vein, I suggest if you don't like the tone of it, to ignore it. We all pay a sub to play this game and we are allowed to voice our views on the content added. I happen to not like it. There is no "screaming" here, and I fully intend to continue playing my existing options, but on the one hand I keep hearing this is what the "majority" wanted - on the other, you are saying this (the feedback on the forum) isn't the "true" fan reaction. Absent polling with proper controls to ensure they are dealing with a representative sample, such claims are suspect. SE has done no such polling to my awareness.

The forum is here for people to discuss the game and give feedback on it. I am more than happy to acknowledge stuff I like, but I have no intention of being silent on this topic because people like you get vexed over it.

That doesn't look too bad, maybe you'd like it better with the white lashes off? Because with the lighting in the benchmark it does give sort of a strange jarring look.

It's not the lashes which are jarring to me, as it's more concentrated to the lower half of the face. I don't think the issue is actually too pronounced if you are aiming for a more boyish look to them, but I'm not really.

[Yencat]

It's not the lashes which are jarring to me, as it's more concentrated to the lower half of the face. I don't think the issue is actually too pronounced if you are aiming for a more boyish look to them, but I'm not really.

Yeah I see, there's not a slimmer jaw either that makes it look less round and boy-ish?

Either way, it's a shame you don't like them as much as you were hoping you would.

[Vahlnir]

SE obviously spent a ton of time on male Viera and the quality of their customizations so all of you screaming on here really need to take a seat. SE isn’t going to delay their release simply because your nitpicking about the posture or facial hair and they didn’t spend the last year working on them to start from ground zero.

Male Viera isn’t what you expected in your head? Well play another race. I’m so glad the official forum reaction doesn’t equal the true fan reaction which is overly positive. Seems the forums is just a place for people to scream and complain and hate 24/7

There's a little thing called constructive criticism. That is all I'm seeing here, along with some humorous posts. The one with Shaggy about killed me. lol