[Player Feedback Request] Niküa Race - Feb 2022

Roshen

Hello glorious community,

We’d like your feedback regarding the look and feel of the Niküa race. We shared our most recent art of this race during the January Development Update livestream.

As a reminder, your feedback matters to us! For example: during Alpha One, players felt the Dünir race did not meet their expectations of a dwarf. Due to that feedback, we made adjustments to the Dünir race as mentioned in our September Development Update last year.

Niküa Art







Niküa race discussion from January Development Update livestream.

To help guide the conversation, here are a few thought starters:

• What do you like about the current art direction of this race?
• Is there anything you dislike about the art direction for this race, and why?
• What are your thoughts on what was shown during the livestream for the Niküa race?
• Are there any specific Character Creator customizations you would like to see for the Niküa race?

Don’t feel limited to the questions above. Please, share anything you’d like about the Niküa race design.

We’ll be leaving this thread open for your feedback until the end of the day on Thursday, February 24, 2022, so that we can begin compiling a report for our development team.

Everyone here at Intrepid Studios looks forward to reading all the great reactions to our latest character designs!

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UPDATE: Hi again friends! Thank you all for taking the time to stop by and share your thoughts on the male Niküa! We had a blast reading through your thoughts and comments! We created an awesome report with the feedback you gave us for the design team!

Your thoughts and opinions matter to all of us here at Intrepid and we appreciate you all very much! ^_^

Taiphee

In my opinion, I don't see any issue with all the races so far.... I like the variety in their design and I look forward to seeing their final designs

DeeBee

I love the traditional dwarven look more (Dunir) however i do think its great that you're giving us a choice.

Phoochie

The Niküa race seems to resemble the Dünir race based on height and body shape however they do have a more tribal look to them which leaves me wondering what their background would be based on game Lore.
Not sure if there is some relation to the two races and later on took separate paths and evolved with slight differences.

Gaul_

It's hard to say without seeing a full range of customization options but I definitely think the Nikua are missing some style element.

Maybe something lore-based? For example, if the Nikua value craftsmanship so highly then why is this character wearing fairly rudimentary adornments? Perhaps these options should be more finely crafted.

Dwarfkin

I like the proportion differences between Dunir and Niku. I'd like to be able to make them plumper as well.

OliverKingg

I think they need something to look more special. Maybe some kind of wooden jewlery implemented in their hair and beard.

Miss Xani

I Freakin love the Nikua, Of course I'm a big fan of the traditional dwarf look I can totally see these guys surfing a wave or cracking coconuts in their beach hut village. Nice to see a spin on dwarves.

Dygz

I think this appearance is fantastic.
In keeping with my epiphany about the Vek looking more like Trolls than Orcs (which is OK) and correlating that with some people saying the original Dünir looked like Gnomes and the Niküa look like Halflings....

It really feels like we should just do away with the names Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc... and just stick with the cultural names: Kaelar, Empyrean, Niküa, Vek, etc.

I think what may be problematic (theoretically) is whether or not it's possible to create similar facial features with a Dünir. Seems likely that there would be some "European-appearing" Dwarves who choose to assimilate into Niküa culture and some Polynesian-appearing Niküa who choose to assimilate into Dünir culture.

Serena Venport

I absolutely love what you've done to this race, I feel like it hasn't been done before. A seafaring coastal dwarven/halfling looking race. I can see this race being one of the lesser popular races but will surely stand out for those that play it. Hopefully a wide range of tattoos can be applied to the Nikua.

Argentum401

I like the designe so far, but maybe tone the musle a bit down. In Most Fantasy storys dwarf are to dense / heavy for their size to swimm. If the Nikua are a coastal race, biologicaly not being Abel to swimm seems like a terrible prerequesit for seefarers.

Altii

I feel like legs-torso ratio is a bit off and it needs slight readjustment like making legs longer and torso a bit shorter... And maybe "beefing" up legs a bit

chaoko954

I was expecting to see some Niküa dwarves with a bit more of Vietnam / Indonesia / Philippines flair.
I see you guys so far are showing more pacific Islander style. Will there be more variations?

KRissCHu

As with the Dunir, the butt seems a tad flat, and maybe the legs can be a bit thicker, but other than that this is perfectly fine,

SikariZen

I like this one quite a bit but I feel like the head is a smidge too big.

WuqingYe

Love it! I would personally (with both Dunir and Nikua) beef up their legs just a little more I know sliders will be present but maybe just for the "average build" shown you could give us the meaty flanks for both dwarven races xD

ilisfet

Kanye West
Dunno if it's possible to have a muffin top (protruding belly) and abs.
Use of bone as accessories reinforces the tribal/nature theme of this sub-race.
Hair and beard design is reminiscent of seafaring professions, says they live in a very humid climate.
Short, as typical dwarfs must be.

Cheery8Cola

only thing i can say is... i BEG that they give them maori tattoo options... its probably already planned due to the Polynesian relation but it needs to be said

arsnn

It would really help to see those races dressed in some basic armour, because thats actually the state we will mostly encounter ingame.
Feedback will probably be different.

ShadowVen

What do you like about the current art direction of this race?
This is hard one for me. The modelling looks great, but until I see the customizations available for this race during character build, I can't answer right now. If there wont be "islander" influence customizations (piercings / placements, markings, hairstyles with floural etc.., I believe it will look too much like dunir.

Is there anything you dislike about the art direction for this race, and why?
In its current state, to me it looks like a shorter and less buff Dunir. I do however like the skull structure difference, but thats the only difference i see currently without customizations.

What are your thoughts on what was shown during the livestream for the Niküa race?
Artists are doing amazing job on models. Theres no question to how much talent and skills you guys have. Continue the amazing work.

234Graph

THIS LOOKS GORGEOUS.

Lark Wyll

This version looks more appealing then the Amonbald model showed on stream. I'd like to see options for Dwarven body hair on the character creator for Nikua male/female. So much of what makes Dwarves iconic is their body hair. The Sphynx dwarf look is cool for Nikua but it would be nice to be customizable in that way so you aren't funneled into playing Dunir if you want more of a traditional look.

Side note, one reason I likely would not choose a Nikua to play was in Alpha 1 testing the size of their buildings and structures were so small and cramped for a player's camera that it was claustrophobic entering them and looking around. I'd like to see their structures increase in width dramatically (maybe not height), so you don't feel like a sardine in them.

Snale

I like it, but if I had a slider for muscle tone I'd lower it a bit up top and raise it higher on the legs.

Adonex

• Outside of my appeal, so little comments.
• Would like to see plenty of tribal tattoo options representative of their community and nature centered culture (Think Samoan or Viking)

Happymeal2415

I like where these are going. I was thinking they'd be mini versions of mark hunt.

Goalid

With the Niküa, it look like you're going for more of a hobbit look, with Polynesian influences. I'd want them to be distinguished from the Dunir, as I'm looking forward to the lore behind why the Niküa branched off from the Duzenkell dwarves, that the Dunir more resemble. I'd like to have the Niküa a bit shorter than the Dunir on average, along with a bit smaller frame. Also, the Dwarven front flip we saw in A1 seemed out of place for a Dunir, but would be perfect for a Niküa. Last, I'd like to see differences in beard styles, this seems very similar to the Dunir beard.

Lavitz Slambert

Pretty happy with this outcome. I didn’t know how we were going to do a different type of dwarf, but it’s great to not be white-washing everything.

MindFork

Looks pretty good! Waiting for more

Sorf

I'd like to see more rugged looking dwarves, but I view them as a mountain/cavern dwelling race. I think Steven mentioned during the stream about arm/body hair and I think that should be a thing, I dont imagine dwarves using laser hair removal
I think of solemn looks from a tough life, clan runes, scars from clan squabbles and absolutely zero table manners, not miniature instagram influencers.

Happymeal2415

Sorf wrote: »

I'd like to see more rugged looking dwarves, but I view them as a mountain/cavern dwelling race.

Those would be the Dunir. These are the beach ones

captivated

Really awesome! At the beginning I thought I'd never play a Nikua, simply because there are Dunir dwarfs. But you made the race interessting by letting them look a bit more halfling like whilst the dunir resemble classic fantasy dwarfs! Perfect. Really good move of you guy! It's really good that the sub-races look more different then it seemed before. Really love the Nikua now!

Edit: Please add some sort of Nikuan HAKA WARDANCE! How awesome would that be.