7.1 - More Wuk Lamat

[TBerry]

She like appeared briefly twice or so in the trailer and at least once she wasn't focused on.
Get over yourselves.

[CNitsah]

She like appeared briefly twice or so in the trailer and at least once she wasn't focused on.
Get over yourselves.

I'm gonna quote myself

As I said a few month ago, the story was probably already set, but there is a possibility that they might have tweaked what they could. Like WL would still be there but they but other characters getting the spotlight during the quests, without totally removing it, or reworking the script. We still don't know. This whole thread is kinda making a moutain of one screenshot. The complete absence of W.L. was something that never was going to happen in 7.1, and those who thought so are delusionnal.

[Daralii]

She like appeared briefly twice or so in the trailer and at least once she wasn't focused on.
Get over yourselves.

From the PAX Australia interview linked earlier in the thread:

The other factor was Wuk Lamat. She’s a very complex character, and she even has a bit of a complex about herself. Unfortunately, we didn’t delve very far into the background of why she had those feelings, so it appeared as if she left a negative impression. We accept that feedback. I feel a little sorry that we weren’t able to properly depict her. We may have been able to make her more straightforward, so we’re pushing her in the forefront as this character. But again, we’re going to be reflecting that learning into [content patch 7.1] and onward, we’re hoping that we can show more of what makes Wuk Lamat so great, and I’m hoping that we can regain from there.

https://checkpointgaming.net/feature...-of-dawntrail/

Since she was almost completely absent from DT's marketing, her importance being downplayed in the patch trailer(s) wouldn't surprise me at all.

[ZephyrMenodora]

Since she was almost completely absent from DT's marketing, her importance being downplayed in the patch trailer(s) wouldn't surprise me at all.

I'm sure if they had an honest trailer featuring 90% Wuk, instead of misleading us with footage of our WoL and the Scions, a lot less people would have bought this.

If this was a standalone game and had nothing to do with my MMO character it would have been an easy skip.

[Lunaxia]

From the PAX Australia interview linked earlier in the thread

For the record I haven't even played DT and have no skin in this game, WL is honestly small potatoes in my mind compared to the grander problems the game has but browsing through the thread and seeing this comment made me do a double-take.

The first half is PR speak for "we acknowledge she comes off as shallow" which is a start, but the second part is incredibly telling and for the first time pointedly highlights the pivotal mistake they've kept making since Endwalker, only this time to disastrous effect: trying to force an impression of a character or storyline on the player instead of telling the story and letting players judge for themselves.

It shouldn't be "we're hoping we can show more of what makes Wuk Lumat so great", but "we're hoping we can show what we think makes Wuk Lumat a great character." It's not up to them to decide how players receive her; they can take feedback and revise the character to be more appealing if it's in their interest to do so, but objectively forcing the notion she is without taking in player perception and autonomy is not only ignorant and a little arrogant, but it's only going to raise hackles and foster even more ill will.

I think this is what I find so frustrating about the current climate of diversity awareness in video games. Diversity is incredibly important, and we absolutely need more representation and opportunities for minorities, but making an obnoxiously over-exposed token character with a "love me" sign on their back is not the way to do it. If anything it's disrespectful, given that it others them from other characters that get treated with the nuance and humanity that makes them genuinely endearing and does far more harm than good in engendering acceptance in the gaming community.

[PorxiesRCute]

For the record I haven't even played DT and have no skin in this game, WL is honestly small potatoes in my mind compared to the grander problems the game has but browsing through the thread and seeing this comment made me do a double-take.

The first half is PR speak for "we acknowledge she comes off as shallow" which is a start, but the second part is incredibly telling and for the first time pointedly highlights the pivotal mistake they've kept making since Endwalker, only this time to disastrous effect: trying to force an impression of a character or storyline on the player instead of telling the story and letting players judge for themselves.

It shouldn't be "we're hoping we can show more of what makes Wuk Lumat so great", but "we're hoping we can show what we think makes Wuk Lumat a great character." It's not up to them to decide how players receive her; they can take feedback and revise the character to be more appealing if it's in their interest to do so, but objectively forcing the notion she is without taking in player perception and autonomy is not only ignorant and a little arrogant, but it's only going to raise hackles and foster even more ill will.

I think this is what I find so frustrating about the current climate of diversity awareness in video games. Diversity is incredibly important, and we absolutely need more representation and opportunities for minorities, but making an obnoxiously over-exposed token character with a "love me" sign on their back is not the way to do it. If anything it's disrespectful, given that it others them from other characters that get treated with the nuance and humanity that makes them genuinely endearing and does far more harm than good in engendering acceptance in the gaming community.

I was with you until you got to the diversity rant. What about Wuk Lamat makes her an "over-exposed token character"?

Being female? There's so many other female characters in this game, that doesn't make sense.

Being Turali? Being from the location the new expansion is set doesn't make her a "token".

Unless you meant... but no, it wouldn't make sense to call her a token based on the identity of only one of her localized voice actresses. That would be silly.

[Turtledeluxe]

She like appeared briefly twice or so in the trailer and at least once she wasn't focused on.
Get over yourselves.

I'm kinda of this opinion as well because I actually do think they listened to feedback here. The entire trailer is focused on other characters, her appearance is deliberately minimized with zero voice acting. Some people complain no matter what.

That said, I think we all know she's provably going to be in the MSQ to some degree. But I don't think it's time for outrage yet. Maybe they edited her down. We just don't know.

[Daralii]

I'm kinda of this opinion as well because I actually do think they listened to feedback here. The entire trailer is focused on other characters, her appearance is deliberately minimized with zero voice acting. Some people complain no matter what.

That said, I think we all know she's provably going to be in the MSQ to some degree. But I don't think it's time for outrage yet. Maybe they edited her down. We just don't know.

Given that DT's marketing focused on Krile, Erenville, the WoL, and even G'raha, I'm extremely hesitant to trust the trailer to be representative of the final product.

[Iscah]

Given that DT's marketing focused on Krile, Erenville, the WoL, and even G'raha, I'm extremely hesitant to trust the trailer to be representative of the final product.

Wik Lamat had to be absent from a lot of the marketing because they hadn't revealed female Hrothgar yet. It's highly unlikely they were deliberately trying to mislead the audience.