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
It looks like Intrepid went more with this look:
Rather than with these from Samoa for example (or with the Maori):
But if you just google Polynesian people, both images show up. Even if they kept it strictly Polynesian, apparently east and west Polynesia are also culturally quite distinct.
It's a huge area, bigger than some continents, with a lot of different people and ethnicities. It's no wonder people expect different things when they hear/read Steven saying the Niküa are Polynesian based in cultural influences.
Pros
Cultural features i,e hair, accessories and jewellery.
Chest fuzz! Perhaps just have a preset slider of no-low-moderate-dense body hair. If you wanted to customise this further we could limit the areas hair is grown to mimic trimming somewhat. But not essential.
Cons
I think the bald model looked a bit sparse for me, but I think you forget that once you add all the features it really builds the character. Of course plain bald models are going to stand out to all the character we have available.
I think I would like to see their legs a little stockier, maybe even bigger feet! Bigger thighs, beef up the backside a bit I think that shorter races like the Nikua and Dunir want to feel a bit thicker, even if the Nikua will be a tone down from the Dunir.
I have noticed that the back of the legs seem to be missing the muscle definition we see on the body front/back and some on the front of the legs. I think across for muscular builds we could see more definition in the legs. But of course we should have the flexibility to be *less* muscular or even more gluttonous in terms of physique as a choice.
In what way do they look African American?
I really like all the work you put into this. You have some great feedback and great job on fan art =D. My only concern with this is it seems we're getting away from the fantasy realm and too close to the real world. Yes, I agree with certain influences and ideas, but when it comes to the beards and such, I think we need to remember this is also a fantasy race that is from the Dunzenkell. I think Intrepid should stick closely to its lore and fantasy like racial features, in addition to having the features/ideas of an islander of what we'd expect from living in a particular biome/habitat. Overall, I really enjoyed your post!
Now that I think about it, I think the nose shape and the skin color gives me that vibe actually. This guy looks to be more related to Kanye West than to Dwayne Johnson or Jason Momoa.
I see a little bit of Tiger Woods in the eyes though.
Change their body mass around so that their lower bodies are thicker than the upper. It makes sense for the Dunir to have broad shoulders and massive arms because of their work with stone and anvil. Nikuea should have stronger legs and midsections due to their island life. I'd also suggest giving the option for bow-legs to resemble life on the water. I don't think you'd be able to get away with wider feet due to people already saying they look like a halfling, but that would be another great attention to detail.
Overall, I can't complain about how they look. They are still amazing character models.
IMHO, we need more lore to be on the same page with the art direction the Niküans are headed in. I think you’re realllly close to a great unique race! simply making them pop somehow despite their diminutive size will make them shine and more sought out!
The coin is a rite of passage. SO BE IT.
The only thing I thing I may change with them currently is their leg proportions, other than that I think they're borderline perfect so far 😍
Well also the hair texture and style. Not really something you see with Polynesians. The model is well done but it has more in common with the models we've seen already for the Vaelune, and doesn't really represent what they've stated the Nikua are supposed to be.
•Nothing really, sadly
Is there anything you dislike about the art direction for this race, and why?
•I dislike the Niküa race looks, it doesn't speek to me at all. It looks like a short human, not interesting, not impressive and I won't play one.
What are your thoughts on what was shown during the livestream for the Niküa race?
•Boring race that looks boring.
Are there any specific Character Creator customizations you would like to see for the Niküa race?
•There needs to be something special with all races more than hight imo. Niküa are very boring looking with nothing special about them. I would like to see something that makes them different more than a short human. But the best to do at this point is probably make you choose wild looking haircuts/beardstyles, uniqe assesories in the hair/beard, piercings and tattoos/paint all over the body.
•Anything more than that probably goes against lore of what a Niküa are and looks. But for me to find them interesting they would have to make them really different, maybe more like short trolls, greedy looking, long ears and nose, like a dwarf-like goblin, or even like a dwarf-monkey type race with fur and tails.
However the abs are quite large and torso looks too barrel like for hunters. The legs are a bit short and slim.
My suggestion would be shorten the torso and compact the abs more. Make the thighs longer and buff up the whole leg. More butt for extra thick thighs or bring in the waist to cut the barrel look.
I’ve seen calls for more plumpness in the dwarves, which would be an awesome addition. It would definitely add to the Polynesian motif, muscles hidden under fat or thick limbs with less definition.
Don't forget that they all get a racial bonus of starting out with ukuleles and high cooking skill.
Further, the musculature seems too pronounced almost: they're "beach dwarves", I think the term was: their main source of food ought to be fruit and fish, right? So hunting and gathering. While certainly less bulkier than their cousins, I'd not imagine this type of muscularity for fishermen (entirely based on them not working stone or ore).
The last point is the photos shown the male really, really looks like he has ab "HGH belly" - that is the distended, but still muscular, belly you see in open bodybuilders on the Olympia stage. It comes from too large internal organs, and looks horrible.
But I love the direction: the skin tone, the facial structures etc.