Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Comments
For example, FFXIV have a good mix between pretty armors, sexy armors, and protective armors. Players have the choice of what they are wearing the the glamour system. Everyone is happy. I think FFXIV is probably the best game at this day in term of fashion,
I think this isn't just about what we're wearing.
I do feel like the female mage we see in Ashes videos says here hips overly much.
Fine if that's the personality of that character but, for me, a bit to much to be standard.
Everquest Next had a feature called Heroic Movement. Which mostly referred to action moves like the ranger we see jumping and rolling in the Art of War vid.
I was always hoping they would include Villainous Movement, so we could have the option of being hunched over and dragging one leg behind us.
Some of us in fantasy stories are villains not heroes.
Some of us are more tragic than heroic.
It would be nice if there could be more choices than just walking sexy.
And I am honest: I am a male and I do like some sexy pixels in the games I play. Won't ever deny that. I'll even be somewhat sad if Ashes won't have any sexy clothing/armor. It doesn't have to be full bikini armor, but even that.. what's the harm?
I mean... Ashes of Creation is a fantasy game. Maybe I just didn't consume enough (although it's quite a lot) fantasy, but there always seems to be at least one character in fantasy that is quite revealing. So I kind of expect it to be a part of the genre.
And if we go for the immersive/realistic-approach:
- There is also clothing, that can serve the sexy needs
- It's fantasy... there is other kind of protection
- Common... Anyone really thinks a completely covering cloth or leather armor will protect you from foot-long teeth or a massive sword/hammer? It's basically the same as being naked!
work clothes (science)
social clothes (economic)
ceremonial clothes (religious)
combat clothes (military)
As long as they dont mix them up......do what you like.
Thats the way I see it.
I definitely expect to see ZERO armour rating on a string bikini.
Thats not to say it couldnt have an allure rating in the economic zone.
/shrugs
Everything has a time and place. Thats all I am saying.
by the looks of it, cloth armors will be fairly proper. remember the livestream? I think that armor looks fine.
Oh and btw, I could care less about either side, but I do agree with Dygz, give me my manly battle bikini! lol
This for me is pedo and slutty. Sure it's kinda kawaii but its too much nudeness for me to think it's proper. It's still 8 years old body half naked.
This is also slutty. Not sexy.
I hope most agrees with me on that. It seems both are TERA pictures (not on purpose, thats just my google images findings).
It's not that I have something against skin showing. For example this wizard outfit:
It shows a lot of skin , but yet is not so oversexualized like the first 2. It's all about balancing it out.
and this
But in all seriousness, I hope male customisation is as extensive as the female customisation. Often it gets overlooked.
I think we have completely different definitons of sexy, but that's just me.
Turning to history two hundred years ago they had to put skirts on piano legs just in-case they inflamed men. What is overly sexualised or not depends upon the point of view of the observer and their upbringing and the culture and society they live in.
As a female gamer too, I want to not just see that the only look I can get in games is 'hot thing' that is far beyond reality and doesn't give me choice.
I love dressing my toons up in hot skimpy or tight stuff 'sexy' stuff, just as much as I love dressing them up in full blown burkas or even spending a day following someone disguised as a bird, or pretending to be a tree.... sometimes a game is just that.
I AM fed up with the homogenizing of the idea of what's sexy or not, after having developed body dysmorphia I had to work a long time to 'fix' my brain and realise that what I thought wasn't sexy was.
But that's it. Just because it's not my idea of sexy doesn't mean that it isn't someone elses.
And yeah, I don't personally mind sexualisation of men or women.
I'm human. Humans love sex and that shouldn't be offensive.
And making clothes an almost non existant piece of string, well as has been said, as long as there's equality and they do it for all genders what's the problem.
The line is with the objectification and when people stop seeing people as people but the dolls in their imagination. When there isn't a choice for the gamer, but you're told, 'this is sexy' but again, as I trust that people are intelligent enough on the whole to understand the difference and censor themselves from acting upon any objectification thoughts in real life.
I think that this game is well on track to dealing with this right, giving everyone choice to wear or dress up however they want to. Covered or not.
I could be wrong. maybe we're going to get one body type with only one costume type.
Ah who knows
Waffle over
Sexy is ok. Less threads is ok. Less threads to the point of having nearly nothing at all? Ok! As long as you cover up the vital parts and make the costumes look as tailor made for the body as possible. Everything goes wrong when you add naked for the sake of just being naked. Everything goes wrong when the piece of armor looks like a one-size fits all Halloween costume.
As long as there is a real purpose behind why it shows that much skin, I'll defend it to my grave EVEN if I might not chose to wear it myself.
Just a few quick thoughts on things people usually bring up:
Bikini: I would never go swimming irl in plate armor. In a siege for armor? I'd probably wear some more. Also, a bikini in metal so swim with? No thanks. Keep the bikini appropriate to it's intended function and all is good in my eyes.
Cleavage: I'm proud of my boobs irl, I am proud of the characters I make. No need to hide, no need to flaunt just for the sake of showing. I'd sport a nice sexy cleavage in the summer when it's hot and hide in an oversized knitted sweater in the winter. It's all about how classy and confident you can look while sporting either one of them. I always get as much cosmetic items anyways, trust me to change it up with the seasons!
Maid costumes: Totally ok as long as we stay clear of the cheap halloween section down aisle 5. Make the dress look like something someone honestly put in time, and effort in and it will look nice. Also, I like maidcostumes because that means the males get that sweet sweet butler outfit : F
High heels: YAAAAS, so much yes. I have a weakspot for shoes. High heels being my "I can't resist this" thing. Don't ask me how many I own irl. Not all outfits look good with heels so lets get some flats in there aswell.
Now, one of the reasons I play games is that I can be something that I can't be irl.
I can walk in heels, I can run in heels, but I can't swing a sword in them. Let me swing a sword in heels in the game!
Another point is that I can dress my characters up in a way I would never dress myself up in. Taking it to realistic is for -me- like losing a bit of the charm of not being irl anymore.
The key and red thread in my statements is "variation" and "options" I respect those who don't share my view and hope they get to wear their preferences. If my they are allowed to stare another way, just like how it is irl~
Edit: I'm all for having my char looking skimpy as long as I don't look "cheap" and I could make the choice to look that way myself. Let me show legs and beewbs!
Would I dress up my healer in that? YES!
This aswell. I would just skip the hat and maybe put on some shorts...
Example of cheap one-size-fits-all crap I can't defend.
https://images.gutefrage.net/media/fragen/bilder/cosplay-maid/0_big.jpg?v=1302344850000 <- would defend that concept thou..
Now, having said that? Let's explore gameplay from my little pea brain. You see, a very odd thing happens when I create a character. She decides what she'll be. It's frustrating; I think I've made this great Ranger who's gonna be a cool chick in lots of dark leather carrying this awesome bow while her stalwart wolf hunts with her ... and I end up with a character who thinks less leather is very good, thank you so much, and you know, we should really carry a knife as well, and wolf? Pft. We need a cat companion! Oh, and you were thinking dark colors? Really? Bright colors. We won't hide ourselves!
And so it goes. Yes, yes, my husband laughs at me. But this is just the way it is. Such is my life.
What's all this mean? This means I would dearly love choices -- for both male and female characters. I'd like to have options where my Mage wears full formal robes because she's a bit stuffy, and my Thief distracts people because she shows hints of her ... bounty ... while she's picking their pockets. I'd love the same type of choices for male characters; I mean, bare chest for my perusal? A harness and that's it, for my eyes to feast on? Ok. I'm all for that. Additionally, these pesky characters I keep creating all, also, have their own tastes in partners, and their partners' appearances are a goodly part of those tastes.
I would love these choices to be well-founded within the world we inhabit. As a parent of daughters, the Lolita/Lolly crap hurts my soul. The over-sexualization as the only striking feature of a character leaves me turned off; I'd rather encounter characters who're more than the hoochy-mama crap they're wearing. But that's just me.
Bottom line? It would absolutely break immersion, for me, to have the KR "standards" of dress in this game. I don't need women in Maid costumes, tyvm, and not a single one of my characters (ok, maybe the Thief) would consider that worthwhile. They'd much prefer being known for their skills, their abilities, and their development.
Ok, I'll retype it. *grumps*
First let me begin by stating that I'm female; about as female as it's possible to get. As a female, I revel in being female, but I also know that sometimes, what's "hidden" is more tantalizing and appealing than what's displayed for everyone's perusal.
Next? A very odd thing happens to me when I create my characters. It goes something like this: I think I'm creating this really cool Ranger chick, dressed in rich dark leathers, carrying an awesome bow, hunting with her beloved wolf companion. What ends up happening is she's created and develops a mind of her own. Rich dark leathers? Please. That's so cliche. How about a bright orange? And wolf companion? Hello? Did you not get the memo? I prefer CATS! Oh, and that bow? Yeah, that's useful, but I'd really prefer a dagger or two in my boots, tyvm.
*sigh*
In short, each character I create becomes her own person, so to speak, with her own thoughts of how things will be. For this reason I'd much prefer that we have options in clothing. However, the Lolly/Lolita crap that's so prevalent? Well, all I can say is, as the mother (and step-mother and grandmother) of daughters, that offends me on so many levels. Further? I'd like to see stats added or taken away for these choices. If my Cleric wants to wear something a bit more revealing, she takes a reduction in her Defense. I think that's eminently logical.
But it's still about choices, and also about immersion. I mean, do I want to be moving in a world populated by characters in Maid's uniforms? Not really, no. While the Thief archetype in my mind thinks it's useful to have a distracting outfit, the better to rob you, she also thinks it's just flat-out stupid to walk around in something that shows your whooo-haaaa. Just sayin'.
Further? I'd love these same types of choices for male characters. I mean, I'm very much all for seein' a well-developed male chest! And abdomen, and legs, and ... well. You get the picture. Same stat reduction, but same choices.
This truly isn't a woman-only question; it's much more than that. It's about being able to develop a character that lives in that world, rather than developing a character that looks cool while kickin' arse. The character can fit within the world, still choose to be more or less revealing, without caving in to the influx of "slutty" apparel.
But that's just my opinion.
Also, you are right, that is TERA. about that, have you seen the castanic female armors? some have even less
I don't want to see a female tank wearing fuck all armour because it doesn't fit the fantasy of a tank. On the other hand though, I can see a mage/magic user wearing more revealing clothes and I feel that would fit the class fantasy.
That being said, despite what I want, giving players the choice of how they look, a transmog system like WoW is the best option. Player choice is always preferable.
Has me thinking about Power Girl and Batman who use the symbology on their chests to distract criminals.
Blessings from the gods protect the Cleric...that's miracles for ya.
And, yeah, what's happening with her hands while folks' eyes are distracted?
Especially if it's a Cleric/Rogue.
I sometimes play sluttily dressed males in MMORPGs. And my male Tauren in WoW only wears kilts for leg armor. My female ratonga in EQ2 is a slave whose can only wear a scarf and jewelry for armor...her main armor slots are just starting rags.
Slut can also be a cool character choice - especially if the RPG includes social skills. I prefer flirting to overcome conflicts, rather than combat.
Same reason why I have that level 80 ratonga in EQ that adventures in starting rags.
Dress your character the way you feel like it !
Don't like skimpy armor because it's not real armor ? don't wear skimpy, just do NOT try and ban skimpy armor from the game, and guess what your full plate armor is not real either it's all pixels.
If I want my character to look like this:
That should be my choice !
You want to wear full plate that is your choice !
This is a topic where japanese games are far ahead of us, they do not let cultural or sociopolitical bullshit dictate what can and cannot be in a video game.