Lupin - make it a playable race!

[silverlunarfox]

That's not a Viera.

This is my response ^^

[Abriael]

We already have a massive thread about this, so what made you think we needed another?

And no. The whole story is about humanoid races vs beastmen. The warrior of light belongs to the former. The wolfheads to the latter. There won't ever be beastmen warriors of light and they're not going to change the whole story to add a race that wouldn't be popular anyway.

[xXBigBroxX]

@Abriael Lmao, so you're going to discredit the fact that there are separate tribes among the beastmen who actually work alongside the human-like races? While yes there are hostile tribes who oppose humanity, it's not as black and white as you put it. Qiqirn can be seen in Limsa and Ul'Dah as traveling merchants, an Ixali can be seen conversing with another NPC within the Arcanist guild.
While I may not be a fan of the Lupin model, I wouldn't immediately cast out the idea of a playable beastkin/beastmen race completely. And while a few couldn't care less about having one, let alone another race period, the masses seem to be clamoring for a beast race at this point. To say it wouldn't be popular, is more of a personal opinion than a fact.

[Clethoria]

To say it wouldn't be popular, is more of a personal opinion than a fact.

It may as well be fact. JP/EU like waifus and host club husbandos.

[Abriael]

@Abriael Lmao, so you're going to discredit the fact that there are separate tribes among the beastmen who actually work alongside the human-like races? While yes there are hostile tribes who oppose humanity, it's not as black and white as you put it.

There's a very large and wide difference between "working alongside" and not being seen as alien in nature, and that is expressed a ton of times during the story. I never once mentioned hostility in my posts, so your argument is moot.

the masses seem to be clamoring for a beast race at this point.

You're mistaking the same few people posting on this kind of thread over and over with some kind of mass. This is a common mistake, but still a mistake.

To say it wouldn't be popular, is more of a personal opinion than a fact.

All instances of the census show extremely clearly than the less human a race looks, the less popular it is, as roegadyn aptly demonstrate below with their whopping 4%/6%/4%. The same kind of surveys on other games (like WoW for instance) show similar results. Other options that mix the iconic factor with the sexy/cute/handsome factor are obviously where the money is for SE. If they even care to implement a new race at all at this point, that is, which definitely is not a given. And by "this point" I mean two years down the line, when the game will be even more mature and requiring more "aids" to retain subscriptions and create new ones.

[Evergrey]

-snip-

Don't rain on others parade just because you don't agree.
Just let people enjoy and wish for what they want.
Or are you gonna tell them about Santa aswell?

[Abriael]

Don't rain on others parade just because you don't agree.
Just let people enjoy and wish for what they want.
Or are you gonna tell them about Santa aswell?

Sorry (not sorry) to rain on your parade, but this is a discussion forum. The "general discussion" at the top of the page should be enough of a hint for you to understand that it's made for discussion. If you want to express your wishes without anyone discussing them (and that includes negative discussion), a blog or a tumblr with locked comments are what you're looking for.

[Ogulbuk]

All instances of the census show extremely clearly than the less human a race looks, the less popular it is, as roegadyn aptly demonstrate below with their whopping 4%/6%/4%. The same kind of surveys on other games (like WoW for instance) show similar results. Other options that mix the iconic factor with the sexy/cute/handsome factor are obviously where the money is for SE. If they even care to implement a new race at all at this point, that is, which definitely is not a given. And by "this point" I mean two years down the line, when the game will be even more mature and requiring more "aids" to retain subscriptions and create new ones.

Yet the last races added to WoW were werewolf, goblin and a big panda. You know why? Because they realized that the "pretty/human" base was already over-served. As a game dev myself, I would consider it a waste of resources to invest more in an already over-served segment of the player base. Attracting players that have not been catered to would be a way more wise investment of my time and resources. However, it also has to be a skeleton that can easily get gear migration from other races and wear helmets with little or no modification.

You're mistaking the same few people posting on this kind of thread over and over with some kind of mass. This is a common mistake, but still a mistake.

I would say that knife cuts both ways. Few people posting against it over and over on this kind of thread are not a real opposition either.

[KisaiTenshi]

We already have a massive thread about this, so what made you think we needed another?

And no. The whole story is about humanoid races vs beastmen. The warrior of light belongs to the former. The wolfheads to the latter. There won't ever be beastmen warriors of light and they're not going to change the whole story to add a race that wouldn't be popular anyway.

I think that's the point.

There hasn't been a lore explanation for Roe, Lalafell, Hyur and Elezen's lack of any animal ears or tails, but clearly the Roe and Miqo'te have a colored nose option, the Elezen and Lalafell have long ears, and the Hyur and Miqo'te have the same height as the teenage Elezen. Even the Imperials are just a taller Hyur.

So put two and two together. They all evolved from the same species at some point.

Metaphorically however, the explanation is much simpler
Lalafell = Dwarf
Miqo'te = Any "half" animal race ( very common, usually cute )
Au Ra = Any "half" demon/dragon/succubus race (less common, usually meant as an evil counterpart to the Half-animal)
Hyur = Your plain ol' Human
Elezen = Clearly not an elf.
Roegadyn = Giants

Of the non-playables that aren't beast tribes, you have the Padjal which appear to be Hyur with Horns ( this is a due to an aetheric connection to the forest, if you play the WHM storyline.)

We've also seen child versions of Elezen, Miqo'te, Au Ra, Hyur. We have not seen any Roe or Lalafell children (though there's been references at least to Lalafell children.) There's also been references to half-breeds (half breed of what though?)

It is easiest for Square-Enix to give us more races that are in the half-animal category because the modeling requirements already exist for the Miqo'te, and largely the hair modeling is the only thing that changes with the Au ra. The horns aren't simply a "hat".

That said, we need to think bigger, or smaller. Another race that shares the Lalafell or Roe gear would be more likely than another race that shares the Hyur-Miqo'te-Au Ra gear set.

Thinking about this a little more, aren't the half-bunny race (Viera) more like the Elezen in stature? I believe we got the Au Ra instead because the modeling requirements were easier (simply put, the Miqo'te gear is exactly the same) where as the feet of the Viera would require having permanent highheels.)

You can't use it as a lore reason when SE was clearly thinking about it until they decided that the playerbase just prefers 'hyurs' (aka Roes are the least played so obviously beastly types are not desired)....

Nevermind the fact that maybe Roes aren't the beastly look people want. They decided to make Au Ra Concept still a realization. Maybe not an actual player race but maybe they can in the future. But that 'lore' excuse is not one that really makes sense when they even -considered- it.

I think the problem with the Roes is that they need to fill a gap in the size chart. Every MMORPG has one "buff" race and one "dwarf" race version of a human. If they didn't have them, then the elezen become the tallest, and a buff highlander Hyur are still diminutive to a Elezen.

Part of this is that the modeling requirements for the cutscenes does not allow for simple "magnet stretching" that you'd see in like Aion. This is because the models in FFXIV are actually layered (also results in the "missing underwear" problem of some clothes if the camera clips through it.) If you've seen how readable the emotions are in faces during the cutscenes.

One of my friends said that the card-throwing scenes in the Hildibrand sidequests on her lalafell, the card actually does moves downward across the face and then back up towards Hildibrand or Briardien's forehead.

If for example, you create a new race, that means you have to go back through all the cutscenes where the Warrior of Light Avatar interacts with something (even as much as where his/her eyes are looking) to make sure it doesn't look awkward.

Hence we will likely not get Lupin as a playable race simply because the vast majority of the game can't model a non-human face. Look at Cait Sith's facial animations to see how awkward it looks. It doesn't appear that the Lupin in the game have any emotive options with their face because their mouths do not work that way. Their mouths move like the beastmen mouths which is mostly in head movements.


I think we need to also look back at the original census:


There is a split down the middle for Japan, but EU and NA are reverse of each other for genders, which means you absolutely can not create a single-gender race.

[Ootarion]

We already have a massive thread about this, so what made you think we needed another?

And no. The whole story is about humanoid races vs beastmen. The warrior of light belongs to the former. The wolfheads to the latter. There won't ever be beastmen warriors of light and they're not going to change the whole story to add a race that wouldn't be popular anyway.

Okay, I feel I should point out the flaw in this logic, no offense to you but you might not be aware. First of all the game isn't about "Beastmen vs Humanoids" it is about the player character working to protect the world from forces of Darkness, namely the Ascians, it just so happens to also include SOME of the Beast Tribes summoning Primals (since a Primal has a detrimental impact on the world around it) but it isn't ALL beast tribes doing this, the Lupin certainly haven't, not to my knowledge. Furthermore, not all the members of the Beast Tribes that HAVE summoned a Primal, are stupid enough to be like their bretherin and summon one. FURTHERMORE even Non Beast Tribe races have actively Summoned Primals, for example Ysayle Dangoulain (Lady Iceheart) could turn herself into a Primal form (Shiva), and Thordan plus his Knights of the Round ALSO turn themselves into Primals. So do not think for one second that it is a game of Humanoids vs Beastmen when it clearly isn't. Furthermore ALOT of what goes on in A Realm Reborn is you fighting humans, the Garlean Empire for example right up to the Ultima Weapon fight.

PS: Incase you have forgotten, there was an Ixali who had the Power of the Echo. This power is a power that is linked to the Mother Crystal aka Hydaelyn herself. So CLEARLY if SE wanted to, Beastmen could be playable races, as one of the most PIVOTAL powers of the Warrior of Light is useable even by Beastmen. Also Humanoid is not exactly the right word to use in this case, as most if not all the Beast Tribes are bipedal. Furthermore, many members of the Beast Tribes are actually peaceful, friendly even, and you can even ally yourself with them.