Dear Yoshi-P (and whoever else it may concern),

Fair warning: I write this very late, but the topic struck me and upon seeing your request for feedback, I wished to throw my two gil into the lot. I apologize if I lose my train of thought in places, as it has been a very long day.

No doubt you have many opinions, several of which lie in favor of implementing a service that would allow one to change their character's appearance (race, gender, etc.) after the initial re-launch. I can also understand your concern as a world-builder how such a thing could be explained within the realm's own existence - I only gather this from your attention to detail with how you will incorporate 2.0's changes. Having played other MMOs (including FFXI at NA launch), an idea struck me:

Break it down into different options that may be purchased after certain cool-down periods. Name Change (bribing a bard can do wonders), Makeover (it's perfectly normal to try a new hairdo, or have your face reconstructed after being sat on by a gobbue), or an Extreme Makeover (cast away an illusion of you by the Traders).

In another MMO, I had twenty characters on my main account. Thankfully, it is a much smaller game, but it was bothersome to go through the game 10+ times because I realized my character looked goofy to me after a point. As many others have stated, sometimes you get tired of staring at the same...character...every....time....every...year..... After all, no one has had the same hairstyle since they were five, correct? No disrespect meant toward those who are still rockin' a mullet, but....many of us craved a change after a while, if you understand what I am trying to convey.

Once in a while, it's nice to change things up. No one must use the option, but nor should anyone abuse it. It would be nice to give a female Roegadyn a try, but what if I find I miss being an Elezen? Am I forever stuck and forced to start completely over? If I may speak plainly, some people would sooner quit than delete and start a character all over again after a year or more of work; lost time can never be retrieved and often makes us ill because of it. But if you provide an option - one they were willing to pay for after the initial re-launch - to make their embodiment of their accomplishments someone they are happy to see when they log on... Why not give them the chance?

I like the idea of an in-game area to explain away the "simple" changes like a salon/barber shop. As for changing race and/or gender.... Well... That may be trickier to explain. As a writer, I always enjoy seeing how game designers take a more creative approach to solving problems such as these. I certainly look forward to how you all will do it - if you go that route at all.

Thank you for your time, and please know I appreciate all of the hard work and effort you and your team are putting into this game. I would not guess this is the same game from a year ago (it was enough to bring me back from quitting cold turkey, after all).

Sincerely,
Ny