Pretty Female Characters

Hi everyone. I've been following Ashes of Creation's development for a long while, but this is my first post here, on a topic which I feel is important for an MMORPG: the appearance of female characters (character models, outfits, transmog, etc.).

I'm a woman, and I've been playing MMOs for longer than I'd like to admit. I used to love WoW (I started playing that waaaay back when it first released in 2004, when I was a child), and I've played FFXIV and plenty of other MMOs over the years. I've noticed a trend, at least for myself: I LOVE games that offer a lot of character customization and that have attractive character options. Otherwise, I just cannot enjoy playing my character. I'm rather traditionally feminine, and I like playing fantasy characters that match that sort of aesthetic, too.

The reason this is at the top of my mind today is that a friend of mine bought a copy of New World for me the other day. I hadn't tried New World---it didn't look terribly appealing and I hadn't heard good things. But I gave it a shot, and oh dear God, the character customization (or lack thereof) is absolutely horrifying. Freakish-looking faces, a hideous and totally bizarre female character model (had any of those designers even seen a woman in real life before to know how women stand, walk, etc.?), a lack of transmog (outside of purchased items), and a dearth of feminine outfits altogether.

Now, I know plenty of people are against the skimpy armour stuff (I'm not offended by it). But I'm not even talking about skimpy armour, really---just good-looking character options. I like playing pretty characters who are wearing pretty clothes. There. I said it. Maybe it's from my childhood days of playing with Barbie dolls. I don't know. But it's there, and honestly, I just can't get into games with ugly characters.

I've even played otherwise sub-par or janky games (like Conan Exiles) for way longer than most people would, just because of the character designs and outfits.

Developers and designers of Ashes of Creation: PLEASE include beautiful character customization options, feminine animation options, and flattering outfits. Please. If you do, I have a feeling this will be my new "forever MMO", someday.

(In case you're wondering why I stopped playing WoW and previous MMOs: I don't like when politics and real-world social issues get tossed into a game, e.g. WoW changing in-game paintings of women into fruit. I love FFXIV to a significant extent, but I can't entirely get into the anime-themed aesthetic. I prefer the traditional Western fantasy aesthetic---or something crazy like Warhammer Fantasy---and so far the few screenshots I've seen of Ashes' characters look more like what I'm going for.)

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Hinotori

Ashes has had some really nice sets in this regard. Some big dresses and showy formal wear.

The only problem so far is that it's been few and far between. We get maybe 1 pack a year where the female costume looks like a woman and not a carbon copy of the male armor and you can't tell the difference.

I get we're working on npcs right now for development. But I hope we see more cosmetics that cater to the feminine look in the future.

Arya_Yeshe

I absolutely loved that one

I mostly play as humans only btw

tautau

I think that you will be quite happy, @JessicaVS , with what you will be able to do with your character. Here is the wiki link to the Character Creator page: https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Character_creator

AoS plans to release the Creator Pre-release so we can play with it and design our characters (and share them) ahead of time. Also consider watching the monthly release of skins you can purchase to dress your characters, though there should be plenty of ones to earn in the game.

George_Black

Let's see how this thread goes in comparison to the last one.

Ninja Kitty

I agree with this sentiment. There's also something very satisfying about winning a pvp battle in a very cute girly outfit. And I also like changing my appearance on a regular basis to suit my mood. I also hope there is an easy way to customize outfits early on in the game with a lot of variety.

Halae

I feel you on that, Jessica. Some of the various games in the past have had potatoes masquerading as human beings, and it's rarely restricted to just the women. I was actually worried that it was going to be the case in AoC as well, but given the recent character creator updates, I'm not too worried. I'm personally less focused on the outfits than the faces, and back in 2021 the faces were... doughy, to put it diplomatically. I was just going to deal with it, since I was more interested in the game than the character visuals.

But, well, this years character creation updates have really blown my expectations out of the water. The recent Empyrean models in particular.
SSLivestream-2022-09-30-1%3A05%3A58.80.png

SSLivestream-2022-09-30-1%3A05%3A58.80.png

I don't play elves, myself. Don't really like 'em. But if this is the kind of art style we're looking at for the finished races, I've got absolutely no complaints about face customization.

LordPax

@JessicaVS I think you will be pleasantly surprised. While the anticipation is killing us all, this game is going to be a pleasure. I can see it being a "forever" game for a lot of folks.

Sengarden

With even the female Ren'kai Orcs (a common fantasy race that are traditionally quite brutish and masculine looking) looking surprisingly feminine, I think it's safe to assume there are enough voices in the studio to maintain that line of interest in character and garment development moving forward.

But yes, generally speaking, it would be cool to see more formal or at least non-armored garments to wear in-game. Part of an immersive fantasy world is not having 80% of its characters dressed like "adventurers" 24/7. If I go into town to craft, am visiting an inn, selling goods at my stall, just doing regular everyday activities, I might not want to have all my armor on or a weapon at my hip.

Giving us a wide variety of options for one-click-equip clothing sets that are not only sold in the shop as extravagant outfits but also included as craftable every-day clothing, simple formal wear, or pretty dresses that tailors can learn to make would be a great outlet for materials and a way for players to express themselves without having to spend a bunch of money on a super fancy looking costume.

Manueljf

Jessica. From the couple human races models and elves models that we saw in previous updates I think you will be pleased with the result.

Depraved

JessicaVS wrote: »

Hi everyone. I've been following Ashes of Creation's development for a long while, but this is my first post here, on a topic which I feel is important for an MMORPG: the appearance of female characters (character models, outfits, transmog, etc.).

I'm a woman, and I've been playing MMOs for longer than I'd like to admit. I used to love WoW (I started playing that waaaay back when it first released in 2004, when I was a child), and I've played FFXIV and plenty of other MMOs over the years. I've noticed a trend, at least for myself: I LOVE games that offer a lot of character customization and that have attractive character options. Otherwise, I just cannot enjoy playing my character. I'm rather traditionally feminine, and I like playing fantasy characters that match that sort of aesthetic, too.

The reason this is at the top of my mind today is that a friend of mine bought a copy of New World for me the other day. I hadn't tried New World---it didn't look terribly appealing and I hadn't heard good things. But I gave it a shot, and oh dear God, the character customization (or lack thereof) is absolutely horrifying. Freakish-looking faces, a hideous and totally bizarre female character model (had any of those designers even seen a woman in real life before to know how women stand, walk, etc.?), a lack of transmog (outside of purchased items), and a dearth of feminine outfits altogether.

Now, I know plenty of people are against the skimpy armour stuff (I'm not offended by it). But I'm not even talking about skimpy armour, really---just good-looking character options. I like playing pretty characters who are wearing pretty clothes. There. I said it. Maybe it's from my childhood days of playing with Barbie dolls. I don't know. But it's there, and honestly, I just can't get into games with ugly characters.

I've even played otherwise sub-par or janky games (like Conan Exiles) for way longer than most people would, just because of the character designs and outfits.

Developers and designers of Ashes of Creation: PLEASE include beautiful character customization options, feminine animation options, and flattering outfits. Please. If you do, I have a feeling this will be my new "forever MMO", someday.

(In case you're wondering why I stopped playing WoW and previous MMOs: I don't like when politics and real-world social issues get tossed into a game, e.g. WoW changing in-game paintings of women into fruit. I love FFXIV to a significant extent, but I can't entirely get into the anime-themed aesthetic. I prefer the traditional Western fantasy aesthetic---or something crazy like Warhammer Fantasy---and so far the few screenshots I've seen of Ashes' characters look more like what I'm going for.)

what is a woman?

Strevi

JessicaVS wrote: »

I'm a woman, and I've been playing MMOs for longer than I'd like to admit.

Trying to read too fast made me see

"I'm a woman, and I've been for longer than I'd like to admit."

Why do you have to say such things?

McCrunchy

Depraved wrote: »

JessicaVS wrote: »

Hi everyone. I've been following Ashes of Creation's development for a long while, but this is my first post here, on a topic which I feel is important for an MMORPG: the appearance of female characters (character models, outfits, transmog, etc.).

I'm a woman, and I've been playing MMOs for longer than I'd like to admit. I used to love WoW (I started playing that waaaay back when it first released in 2004, when I was a child), and I've played FFXIV and plenty of other MMOs over the years. I've noticed a trend, at least for myself: I LOVE games that offer a lot of character customization and that have attractive character options. Otherwise, I just cannot enjoy playing my character. I'm rather traditionally feminine, and I like playing fantasy characters that match that sort of aesthetic, too.

The reason this is at the top of my mind today is that a friend of mine bought a copy of New World for me the other day. I hadn't tried New World---it didn't look terribly appealing and I hadn't heard good things. But I gave it a shot, and oh dear God, the character customization (or lack thereof) is absolutely horrifying. Freakish-looking faces, a hideous and totally bizarre female character model (had any of those designers even seen a woman in real life before to know how women stand, walk, etc.?), a lack of transmog (outside of purchased items), and a dearth of feminine outfits altogether.

Now, I know plenty of people are against the skimpy armour stuff (I'm not offended by it). But I'm not even talking about skimpy armour, really---just good-looking character options. I like playing pretty characters who are wearing pretty clothes. There. I said it. Maybe it's from my childhood days of playing with Barbie dolls. I don't know. But it's there, and honestly, I just can't get into games with ugly characters.

I've even played otherwise sub-par or janky games (like Conan Exiles) for way longer than most people would, just because of the character designs and outfits.

Developers and designers of Ashes of Creation: PLEASE include beautiful character customization options, feminine animation options, and flattering outfits. Please. If you do, I have a feeling this will be my new "forever MMO", someday.

(In case you're wondering why I stopped playing WoW and previous MMOs: I don't like when politics and real-world social issues get tossed into a game, e.g. WoW changing in-game paintings of women into fruit. I love FFXIV to a significant extent, but I can't entirely get into the anime-themed aesthetic. I prefer the traditional Western fantasy aesthetic---or something crazy like Warhammer Fantasy---and so far the few screenshots I've seen of Ashes' characters look more like what I'm going for.)

what is a woman?

I'm not a biologist

BlackBrony

I hope we have the option to have a buff woman and a super skinny man. Like maybe a mage make that looks fragile because it has magic, or a barbarian that looks huge, even if it's a woman.
I always hated that you have this super looking fragile woman and it's a freaking warrior, makes no sense.

Chocometeor

Well that reminds me of the Post with ''More Dresses'' i would like to see more ''Feminine'' outfits too. I mean people will say ''You cant fight in those CloThEs'' but it for a RP perspective it would be awesome to have more Feminine and/or Casual Sets.
(Even for Fighting its a FANTASY game. if you can shoot Laserbeams you can also wear the Armor you want tf..)
These days people are starting to get angry and freak out if they see a Womans cleavage or a Belly-Window or something like that its just sad ;(

(And yes i would like to see more revealing outfits for MEN and Woman too just make it the same so no one is offended again)

Strevi

Izzetin wrote: »

I mean people will say ''You cant fight in those CloThEs'' but it for a RP perspective it would be awesome to have more Feminine and/or Casual Sets.
(Even for Fighting its a FANTASY game. if you can shoot Laserbeams you can also wear the Armor you want tf..)

I love pretty women.

If anyone kills a pretty woman, he should get more corruption than if killing an old ugly witch.
Also pretty women should deal less damage to make us want to help. ^^

CptBrownBeard

Strevi wrote: »

I love pretty women.
If anyone kills a pretty woman, he should get more corruption than if killing an old ugly witch.
Also pretty women should deal less damage to make us want to help. ^^

Hey now, let's not discriminate. The homely honies need love, too.

Mr_MaDrupalow

Strevi wrote: »

I love pretty women.
If anyone kills a pretty woman, he should get more corruption than if killing an old ugly witch.
Also pretty women should deal less damage to make us want to help. ^^

Hahaha love that comment

Mr_MaDrupalow

JessicaVS wrote: »

Now, I know plenty of people are against the skimpy armour stuff (I'm not offended by it). But I'm not even talking about skimpy armour, really---just good-looking character options. I like playing pretty characters who are wearing pretty clothes. There. I said it. Maybe it's from my childhood days of playing with Barbie dolls. I don't know. But it's there, and honestly, I just can't get into games with ugly characters.

I've even played otherwise sub-par or janky games (like Conan Exiles) for way longer than most people would, just because of the character designs and outfits.

Developers and designers of Ashes of Creation: PLEASE include beautiful character customization options, feminine animation options, and flattering outfits. Please. If you do, I have a feeling this will be my new "forever MMO", someday.

I think with Intreprids housemade caracter creation tool you will be served very well !
The sheer amount of customization options is overwhelming, and that was already at the showcase where it still was in it's early stage.

"The character creator (or character customization system) allows players to define the look of their in-game characters, hired NPCs; and potentially creatures raised by the animal husbandry profession.[2][7]
Character appearance can be adjusted through a wide range of presets and sliders.[2][7][8]
Character blending provides easy to use customization by morphing together two or more character presets.[9]
Character sculpting allows detailed customization of every aspect of the body.[10]" - AoC Wiki

About the cosmetics I'm sure, you will be served very well aswell !

"Costumes are not gender or race locked, but can adapt based on a character's gender and race.[9][10]
All hoods and headslot items, whether part of a complete costume or individual gear, will have the option to be shown or hidden on the character by the player.[11][2][12]
Cosmetics can be used by all races but there may be slight variations to make them work with the body builds of each race.[13][14]" - AoC Wiki

It all will be flexible and customizable !

Only about female animations idk

If hugging is concidered as one of it then they will have some

PS : Conan Exiles is sooo nice ! Both the Gameplay and the Aesthetics [Especially the buildings (Yamatai, Arggossian...)]

JessicaVS

Thank you all for the great replies and for the links to various screenshots and the character creator! Things definitely look like they're going in great direction.

Mr_MaDrupalow wrote: »

Only about female animations idk
If hugging is concidered as one of it then they will have some
PS : Conan Exiles is sooo nice ! Both the Gameplay and the Aesthetics [Especially the buildings (Yamatai, Arggossian...)]

For sure---I love Conan Exiles, even with all its bugs and oddities, largely because of the amazing aesthetics. What I meant by "female animations" is basically "animations using a feminine character model". For example, in Conan Exiles, the male and female character models move differently. In New World . . . not so much. I can hardly bear to see my New World character standing there with her legs spaced apart like she's mimicking a Wild West gunfighter or something. Basically, I just like female character models to have realistically feminine animations. (I feel like that's something Conan Exiles and FFXIV do well.)

Izzetin wrote: »

These days people are starting to get angry and freak out if they see a Womans cleavage or a Belly-Window or something like that its just sad ;(
(And yes i would like to see more revealing outfits for MEN and Woman too just make it the same so no one is offended again)

Yes. I've never understood that mindset of being offended by cleavage or skin. I mean, sure, gratuitous stuff (e.g. Tera) isn't my kind of thing, but going too far in the other direction and hiding feminine features (e.g. New World) is bizarre.

Strevi wrote: »

JessicaVS wrote: »

...I've been playing MMOs for longer than I'd like to admit.

Why do you have to say such things?

I prefer to live in denial and believe that I stopped aging at 20.

Sengarden wrote: »

It would be cool to see more formal or at least non-armored garments to wear in-game. Part of an immersive fantasy world is not having 80% of its characters dressed like "adventurers" 24/7. If I go into town to craft, am visiting an inn, selling goods at my stall, just doing regular everyday activities, I might not want to have all my armor on or a weapon at my hip.

Giving us a wide variety of options for one-click-equip clothing sets that are not only sold in the shop as extravagant outfits but also included as craftable every-day clothing, simple formal wear, or pretty dresses that tailors can learn to make would be a great outlet for materials and a way for players to express themselves without having to spend a bunch of money on a super fancy looking costume.

I completely agree! Honestly, I feel like that sort of thing is financially beneficial for developers, too, because there are players like me who will play endlessly to collect all the transmog appearances, etc., especially if a lot of those outfits are just for show. The absurd degree of effort I have went through in WoW and FFXIV to acquire "non-adventuring" outfits is testament to that.

Halae wrote: »

I feel you on that, Jessica. Some of the various games in the past have had potatoes masquerading as human beings, and it's rarely restricted to just the women. I was actually worried that it was going to be the case in AoC as well, but given the recent character creator updates, I'm not too worried. I'm personally less focused on the outfits than the faces, and back in 2021 the faces were... doughy, to put it diplomatically. I was just going to deal with it, since I was more interested in the game than the character visuals.

But, well, this years character creation updates have really blown my expectations out of the water. The recent Empyrean models in particular.

The Empyrean model looks great! I hope there are some friendlier face options since she looks a bit peeved, but I love that art style. The headdress is neat too, very "Warhammer dark elf-like" in pointy style. I often play elves (yes, I'm that unoriginal), so I'd definitely play an Empyrean.

tautau wrote: »

AoS plans to release the Creator Pre-release so we can play with it and design our characters (and share them) ahead of time. Also consider watching the monthly release of skins you can purchase to dress your characters, though there should be plenty of ones to earn in the game.

I can't wait to see that!

Natasha wrote: »

Ashes has had some really nice sets in this regard. Some big dresses and showy formal wear.
The only problem so far is that it's been few and far between. We get maybe 1 pack a year where the female costume looks like a woman and not a carbon copy of the male armor and you can't tell the difference. But I hope we see more cosmetics that cater to the feminine look in the future.

Those dresses look amazing, and are exactly the sort of cosmetic outfits I'm talking about. I'd love for the game to include more appearances like those, too.

Strevi

JessicaVS wrote: »

...I've been playing MMOs for longer than I'd like to admit.

Why do you have to say such things?

[/quote]

I prefer to live in denial and believe that I stopped aging at 20.

[/quote]
You want tab targeting or action combat?

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