Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
Even so, @Leiloni has just seriously said...
"This guy should have shoulderpads to make the armor look more masculine, and the colors of this armor are not feminine enough."
I feel like they have a much lower bar for 'unisex' than some of us.
If the style is the same for male vs female it's unisex.
Yes sorry, that's why I put it in quotes.
I mostly just wanted to understand your perspective to see if there was some chance I could agree with it, maybe I misunderstood you or something.
But you've made it very clear that you have opinions on the 'masculinity' and 'femininity' of shoulderpads, colors, and I'll also assume helmets and boots. So now I'm completely sure that I disagree with you and that I don't misunderstand you.
Again, I truly hope that you do get something you want. Unless that 'something you want' is to prevent male characters from wearing https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/gearset/dancers
In which case I must vehemently object.
I think armor should be designed in a way that makes sense for that piece of armor. This for example the male and female have different styles to fit each better, but it's still the same overall type of look -
But this one is the same and that's also fine. The outfit looks good on both of them and more importantly, makes sense for the style of outfit that it is -
This however doesn't make sense. The concept artist made no attempt to even show the female form. Her body looks exactly like the male in every way. No boobs, no hips. And why does one have a hood and one doesn't? I'd prefer the outfit for the female be more close fitting to actually show her body. Then some design elements make no sense for a female, such as the top coming down over the thighs and splitting in the middle. You see that in a lot of male armor but it feels too bulky and seems to have no purpose for the female. And the crisscross straps across the chest? That's uncomfortable with boobs and in real life, we avoid it when possible. Further, it doesn't seem to serve any purpose on this set for either of them.
As for your FFXIV Dancer outfit it's fine. The look in general is a bit too silly for my personal tastes, but the design makes sense for both.
There is something deeply wrong with you if you actually think there is some mystical ‘sweetness’ in the way women walk. If Intrepid puts a hip-sway bullshit walk in this game for female characters then I have no hope for anything in this game being good.
I think that armor looks appropriate for the female. It's armor, which primary purpose is to protect the wearer from injury and desth not to show off their boobs, tiny watse or big butt. Also not all woman have large breasts or have a "perfect female" form. I think the design artist is doing a pretty good job. I expect some armors will exsentuate the female form more than others.
When I watch a fantasy show and the female character has a tight leather piece on that pushes up her boobs and shows mass cleavage I roll my eyes. Its not practical, and solely their for eye candy.
Like I said before just because its a magical world doenst mean we should suspend all realism or practicality. Those armors look pretty practical for a fantasy game and I appreciate that.
Intreprid does not make the best shit
@B_B_Z not surprised at all that you would dodge my earlier post, given that you artistry tastes are only sided toward the side of practicality. This goes even further beyond the tight constraints of LotR fantasy, the exceptional fighters and casters did not wear absolutely everything.
People in most cases want their character to stand out, Intreprid is not showing that and with their recent Dwarf cosmetics revealed, we are pawns on a chess board, not characters who can potentially shape the course of the world.
It may potentially be the case that cosmetics designed post release are more expressive of unique player aesthetics.
This a great example of what not to do when designing armor!
The male character gets full body coverage with (presumably enchanted) thick cloth. It looks interesting AND practical!
And then they gave the female character a miniskirt and high heels and sheer cloth that looks practically vacuformed. It’s such an blatant double standard I’m shocked anyone would actually claim that’s a good standard to follow
I havent read your earlier post nor this most recent one. I read the first few sentences and wasnt jnterested and then saw you wrote me a 10 paragraph essay which I wasnt and still am not interested in reading.
I'll read and respond to which posts interest me, I have no obligation to read or respond to yours.
Have a good day.
living by ignorance automatically makes you right, so I'll applaud you for that.
Meanwhile AoC needs to make a good living off of a sub + cosmetics, you'd do well to remember that.
Completely disregarding and dispising any design that deviate from their ideal as if all designs should just be the way they want for the sake of things like "realism"(in a fantasy setting) with no possibility of variety and creativity.
Aren't we all sinners?
The second half has the sauce.
Aren't we all sinners?
I think this armor is great for what it is.
But, sure...
I wouldn't mind seeing some more feminine attire that my gender-queer male characters or non-binary or androgynous characters might also wear. In addition to my female characters.
I think...(?) I want outfits to be mostly unisex. I don't want my female characters to be forced into to an overly girly version of an outfit just because of the sex they were assigned at birth.
I'd much rather it be similar to what's implied by this month's armor... people who choose that armor set choose to be fully covered in plate. People of any gender.
But, we should also see sets similar to those examples from FFXIV, where people who want more revealing armor will wear the more revealing armor.
Also, we will be abe to mix and match the in-game attire, so... you should be able to be as feminine as you hope to be.
It's pretty much the same outfit - but it shows some midriff... on both.
I mean... I'm pretty sure boob sliders and hip sliders in Character Creator will change the silhouette of the female armor. Some women are petite and some women don't want to accentuate their boobs and hips.
I'm not sure what that has to do with the design of the armor.
Moving on. Just as people were screaming against greatswords, and advocated for two-handed swords instead, arguing with semantics and calling upon realism, we all saw the sword on the recent update. It looked great, it looked big, and whoever got offended for feeling momenteraly inadequate gave me a delight.
I am sure there will be attractive designs for heavy, robe, leather for the ladies to dress up nicely and many male characters will wear them as well.
And whoever here arguess against this will rage and then forget all about it.
And I will say this once again. I am glad that so far the monthly cosmetics, that can be purchase with real money, will look worse than ingame armors. I will never understand why ppl fomo over them....
They are solid designs for NPCs and will make the world look better than all other mmos.
My problem is that 99% of MMO's who get lazy (yes it's a lazy choice not to properly design and fit armor for a female and a male separately) and make unisex armor merely make armor for the male and then make a slightly smaller version for the female. We've seen plenty of that here already, it was an issue in New World, and plenty of older MMO's have done it as well. We end up with less variety and less choice, not more.
The armor is going to fit the character model the same for every character regardless of how you big or small you make your toon. This armor doesn't fit her is the problem. It's bulky and too big instead of more form-fitting.
Dont bother Leiloni. Political agendas should be obvious by now in this thread. That, and some people are very prude. But dont worry too much about those npc designs.
Seriously? You're the only one who is trying to make this thread political. Please just stick to arguing what your preferences are and drop the white knight culture warrior BS. Yeah I am being blunt here, but you seem like a person who appreciates being blunt.
Last time I was given a villainous. How did you get white knight culture warrior from all this?
Yes I am serious. I have heard all weird attacks on feminine looks from heels to armor is armor.
Have you not read every single post in this thread, including the latest gem by dygz, who went through the most round-about way of showing some support for feminine design?
Unlike the other threads that drag on forever, this one has true importance and I've read every response.
Yes I am serious that people here dismiss views that want both male and female designs in a videogame, under the pretext of realism. Btw, go and look into the drawings in the classic D'Artagnan novels. The musketeers there wore boots with heels and in many movies and other pop culture media there are female queens and warriors wearing armors with boob plates, not just male equipment.
If you are blind and want to keep mute as well on this issue, do so, it's ok, you dont even have to blush and say "yeah Im blunt, with your permission".
Yes I will speak out and directly. And if I was a woman I would ask for intrepids intentions on ingame heavy robe and medium design on this months Q&A.
And you may think that I care for politics, but you havent said a word about those who call others names for having a different view.
Are you afraid of the many? They are an easier target from the one that stands strong. Dont take aim at me when you feel "blunt".
Anyways, back on topic:
Yes I have read all the posts (skimmed some admittedly), and like anybody else here, I can only speak for myself and my own preferences.
I completely disagree with the premise that feminine looks on armor must include high heels or cleavage/boob windows or showing thighs or be super form fitting to show curves at the cost of the efficacy of the armor, or the other examples that have been linked here. All that stuff can look amazing as clothes and light armor, and I have no problems with costumes like that existing in the game for women and men. Just not as something you would wear as heavy armor and in many cases not as medium armor either. As town clothes, sure, go absolutely nuts in evening gowns, or as a guy if someone prefers to look more like Jimin from BTS I am totally cool with that too.
The same thing goes for the men obviously. A few pieces of metal and leather covering the groin, head and wrists, showing off an impressive figure (Conan), doesn't suddenly make it heavy or medium armor either. It's light armor at best, and even that is being generous to the term "armor".
I completely understand the pop culture influence here, from movies, anime, games and drawings etc. I don't blame people for wanting it either. I get it and there's no judgment from me. But I don't like it for armor sets in this game, including on other people, so I push back against it. I think it looks stupid in pop culture too. I don't like Stufferton either. I don't think it fits the game at all, and it shouldn't have been included. Same thing.
I want feminine options for the armor designs. You dont because it looks stupid and not realistic.
Nobody will ever convice the other side, and I dont care much for the "stupid" or "weirdo" insults going around in this forum, directed at girls wanting to look good.
I find the arguments regarding realism as nonsense since it's a fantasy videogame. They are alrdy doing it in other media, ofc they should be in games. And I am against silencing those views especially when talks of "sexualization" come to the conversation.
I find all that as misguided activism since as you have seen in the news, real issues trouble real people. And I spoke against that.
There is no wrong or right about revealing armor in a game, based on logic.
There is a right and a wrong about the way people go about their views and their judgement of their opponents.
And that's all there is to it.
You are misrepresenting my stance.
I don't mind feminine options for armor. I reject the notion that femininity is defined so narrowly that it must include stuff like boob windows or bare midriffs or high heels, that significantly reduce the efficacy of the armor in combat.
Here's a great example with several pictures of female plate armor: https://armstreet.com/store/armor/female-armor-kit-made-of-blackened-spring-steel-dark-star
It's not over the top feminine no, but still clearly made for a woman.