Non-binary option for characters, please?

[NanaWiloh]

It's true. In 100 years from now, they will see you as the couragious warrior who fought for more gender neutral terms and applaud you for such bravery among a crowd who mostly doesn't give a shit.

Their going to remember this as the Gender generation were everyone was concerned about their privates or someone elses. Get enough of this Gender BS in the news I really wish people would let it go..

[Jandor]

I'd really rather not have the option.

[Vaelin]

I'd really rather not have the option.

That’s good for you. If only life was that simple for everyone we’d live in a world where we were all cut out clones of each other and despised anything out of the box.

More options > always good. How does being restrictive help anyone? It doesn’t, it only excludes.

[Risvertasashi]

More options > always good. How does being restrictive help anyone? It doesn’t, it only excludes.

While this is a nice ideal, the pragmatic limitations are on the technical side - and are probably the biggest reason your request is unlikely to see fruition. From a technical standpoint, options are anything but free. Particularly when it wasn't in the original design spec. (Perhaps in the next FF MMO?)

[Iscah]

If they implemented it, it might have to be a local setting that only you see.

Not because of any prejudice but because even if they wanted to do it, it would depend on whether it can be fitted into the existing programming - and the character data which seems to be pretty set in stone as to how many “display instructions” it sends to other players. It’s the same reason why we’re unlikely to get any other changes/improvements to the character creator options, or emotes detached from their strict race/gender variants, unless they do a major overhaul of the system.

At this point the character information would be something like “this is a [male] [Hyur]” and the system is programmed to look at the [male/female] to determine whether to insert “he” or “she” into the dialogue or chatlog messages.

In which case it’s likely that they can’t change that instruction to be “this is a [male] [Hyur] who uses [they] pronouns” (ie. adding an extra piece of information that the system wasn’t designed to handle, and doesn’t know to look at) and it would need to be implemented by changing what gets put in the male/female slot. Which probably means changing that top-level “choose your race and gender” page to have multiple additional options (probably needs six: male model/male pronoun, male/female, male/neutral, female/female, female/male, female/neutral).

And it’s probably not even as simple as just adding those options, because the current male/female instruction would be transmitted as a simple binary 1/0 (no pun intended) and changing that to transmit one of six different options would make it a three-digit binary number instead of one. Which again means changing the amount of character data transmitted, which might not be doable within the current programming.


I’m not saying all this because I don’t think your suggestion is a good one, just that it’s likely to be not as simple as “add an extra option!” when people have been wanting all sorts of extra options for years and none of them have been (can be?) implemented.

[Vaelin]

You make very fair points, that’s an argument against any “simple” implementation I understand, it can be far more difficult then it seems. However even for now if all that’s happened from this discussion is the conversation is brought to SE’s attention, that’s a good step in the right direction. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was my fabulous non-binary Roegadyn!

[kamenkuro]

This is highly unnecessary. They have enough work as it is. This would not gain them anything substantial. The group this appeals to would not be a large enough group to warrant the work put into something like that.

[Solarra]

I don't see any harm in having more options. If I understand correctly this is only ever going to affect the user, other players won't even see it. If it makes people feel more comfortable and represented in the game, then I think that would be a good thing.

Regarding 'they' being confusing, it really isn't; there are occasions in normal conversation where you will use it, probably without thinking or noticing.
I inherited my FC and the application form at the time didn't ask about gender. I never changed the form, so we have several members who simply never told us. I used to say 'he' or 'she' according to the avatar, but I've stopped doing that. Guys playing female avatars seemed especially likely to find it odd/objectionable. So, rather than risk getting into deep conversations about why I thought someone was female/male, I now keep it neutral and say 'they'. So far, nobody has been confused.

[Vaelin]

This is highly unnecessary. They have enough work as it is. This would not gain them anything substantial. The group this appeals to would not be a large enough group to warrant the work put into something like that.

I’ll assume you aren’t part of such a group as I am, so it’s predictable that you’d find it “highly unnecessary” if that’s the case. I’m a paying customer, so I have just as much right as you and the next player to voice my wishes and preferences for the game. If more people like me raise their voices to it, they would indeed gain something substantial from it. Our support and loyalty. I’d recommend this game to everyone if they had an option like I and others want for, so while it could take some work, it wouldn’t be fruitless.

[Gemina]

Keep this thread far away from the No Bullshit channel on youtube. It and the OP would be torn to shreds.

Self-expression is not the issue. The reason why left-leaning SJW snowflakes catch flack for their "self-expression" is because it is no longer of the self when you expect society to conform to and share your idealism. I mean, it's crystal clear when you make comments like this:

I spend an ungodly amount of money on Fantasia due to being pretty fed up of being referred to as male or female constantly in basically every cutscene. (I probably shouldn’t have said that, you’re making a killing off me Square, I’ve probably funded all the expantions at this rate)

It isn't SE's fault that you constantly fantasia. However, they do benefit and profit greatly from players such as yourself who just can't seem to be content with any choice they make long term. If it really is about self-expression, then why does SE have to do anything when you can simply start up another character of the desired race/gender/whatever if you don't want to fantasia all the time? You're bothered by the use of pronouns in cutscenes, when you can simply ignore them.

Think about it. Nothing in the game says my version of the WoL is an orphan, or a moon child, or a drinker, or a gambler, or a tree hugger. However, when I come here on the forums and tell people that is what she is, that is self-expression. What you desire is akin to me coming on here and saying SE should make the game so it acknowledges those traits about my character. It isn't realistic, and the abundant idealism of left wingers is a HUGE reason why they get the rug slipped from under them.