Hummingways - The best choice for the next playable race

[Balipu]

Sorry OP, but in my opinion hummingways would be kind of lame. I would prefer a beast race which doesn't resemble a little girl's first pet (i.e. bunny, hamster, guinea pig, kitten or lapdog). Ach well, it's a Japanese game so expecting anything other than cute would be futile.

Exactly. We will inevitably get something cute. At least with Hummingways we can get a race that looks less human than mi'qote and Au Ra. Sure, it is a compromise, but that makes is the best choice. Nobody is left completely unsatisfied.

[Reinha]

Nobody is left completely unsatisfied.

Well, except the people who want to who want a big and fierce race (females being big and fierce too!) that isn't a copy of anything existing. "Bestial" can mean a wide range of things, from plushie looking hummingways to flesh hungry werewolves. A race being non-human doesn't necessarily mean that it meets everyone's expectations of a beast race.

Hummingway would please the players who love small cute things like lalafells and moogles, so I suppose it would add variety on that end of the spectrum. The other end (tall, muscular, not as doll-like females) only has roegadyn at the moment so there is room for variety on that end too. No matter what kind of race they bring out next, some people are definitely going to be left unsatisfied. However, if they keep catering to only one type of player over and over while ignoring the other, there is good reason for complaint.

[Balipu]

Well, except the people who want to who want a big and fierce race (females being big and fierce too!) that isn't a copy of anything existing. "Bestial" can mean a wide range of things, from plushie looking hummingways to flesh hungry werewolves. A race being non-human doesn't necessarily mean that it meets everyone's expectations of a beast race.

Agreed, but big fierce and inhuman races would be too much like beast tribes. I would welcome a werewolf race, and I would welcome a vampire race even more, but that likely won'

[Balipu]

"Bestial" can mean a wide range of things. A race being non-human doesn't necessarily mean that it meets everyone's expectations of a beast race.

Agreed, but big fierce and inhuman races would be too much like beast tribes. I would welcome a werewolf race, and I would welcome a vampire race even more, but that likely won't happen. FF XI survived for 10 years with only the original five races so I fear we won't get many new ones. We know that the japanese player base prefers cute races. Most of the criticism against Au Ra is that they aren't different enough from current races. That is why I decided on Hummingways as a compromise.

I could see maybe Dwarfes added as a very human looking, but tough race. The Cait Sith also exist in my head as a new race with the Ixali/Amalja skeleton, huge fangs and full body hair but I don't think players would accept them. Another idea of mine would be scaled humanoids with antlers, but NPCs wouldn't accept them.

[Zyrusticae]

Well, except the people who want to who want a big and fierce race (females being big and fierce too!) that isn't a copy of anything existing. "Bestial" can mean a wide range of things, from plushie looking hummingways to flesh hungry werewolves. A race being non-human doesn't necessarily mean that it meets everyone's expectations of a beast race.

Hummingway would please the players who love small cute things like lalafells and moogles, so I suppose it would add variety on that end of the spectrum. The other end (tall, muscular, not as doll-like females) only has roegadyn at the moment so there is room for variety on that end too. No matter what kind of race they bring out next, some people are definitely going to be left unsatisfied. However, if they keep catering to only one type of player over and over while ignoring the other, there is good reason for complaint.

Well, I would argue female Highlanders are pretty far in that end of the spectrum as well.

I personally would have really liked something akin to the female Iksar from EQ2 (yes, specifically them and not the males) as I feel like they fit that 'cute' and 'bestial' yet also 'fierce' mold quite well, but we'll never, ever get anything that inhuman as playable in a Japanese-developed game. Ever. Not happening. Never ever. Seriously, if you can ever point to a single Japanese game where such a thing is even possible, I would be utterly shocked (and unfortunately it would likely be an exception that proves the rule).

The closest we'll ever get is something that is both cute and visibly not-human. Hence this thread. Personally, I'd really like to see a race that fills the niche lying somewhere in-between Lalafell and Miqo'te (and please give them actual anatomy and not popoto-anatomy like Lalafell).

[Mimilu]

Here is a list of past FF races that I think could work nicely in XIV:
- Burmecians and Cleyrans from IX
- Garif from XII
- Hummingways
- Hypello from X
- Lilties from Crystal Chronicles
- Moogles from XII and Tactics series
- Moombas from VIII
- Nu Mou from XII and Tactics series
- Qu from IX
- Viera from XII and Tactics series

[Kye]

Yes please! We need another cute race! And not another human+
Hummingway please!

[TinyMonster]

I'd love to have the Hummingways as playable race! Even though I am an Au Ra right now, I love small races!

[Galaticus]

I personally would like to see Viera, the concept art looks promising.

[Mimilu]

I personally would like to see Viera, the concept art looks promising.

Supposedly, the reason they didn't continue with the Viera was that there were some fans were worried that they were a one-gender race (which they are not) or that the males and females didn't get along. :B
Personally, I don't think they need to carbon-copy XII's Vieras, just get inspired by them. >w>