(12-22-2014, 11:07 PM)Flickering Ember Wrote: For all we know though, Final Fantasy XIV's target audience, Japan, could think it is amazing. I mean, I am disappointed but I was expecting for them to be pretty. My honest impression is that the Japanese players probably wouldn't like any race that wasn't pretty. Judging from anime and Japanese RPG's, they don't really do sympathetic non-pretty characters. Attractiveness goes a long way towards a character's popularity.

(12-22-2014, 11:24 PM)Zyrusticae Wrote: This is why I am utterly convinced that just throwing on a couple of non-human features on top of a human template is laziness.

(12-22-2014, 09:03 PM)theincubuslord Wrote:

(12-22-2014, 08:44 PM)Ashren Snow Wrote: Given the major theme of the expansion is "Dragons" it is entirely unlikely they are anything but Dragonkin, or at least have an appearance inspired by Dragons. That being said, I don't honestly think that the Males look anymore "fierce" than the Females do. The biggest differences are of course the much larger horns and the fact that the Males have that sort of bearded-dragon thing going on in place of having facial hair. Considering it is supposed to replace the aesthetics of having a beard, I can understand why they didn't give it to the females as well. It would be like adding the mutton chops/goatee option that the Miqo'te Males have to the Miqo'te Females. Other than this I suppose the only thing that makes the Males more fierce looking than Females is that the Males seem to have a permanent look of being pissed off.

Well, that, and the fact they are alot taller and alot more muscular than the females.

(12-22-2014, 11:24 PM)Zyrusticae Wrote:

(12-22-2014, 11:07 PM)Flickering Ember Wrote: For all we know though, Final Fantasy XIV's target audience, Japan, could think it is amazing. I mean, I am disappointed but I was expecting for them to be pretty. My honest impression is that the Japanese players probably wouldn't like any race that wasn't pretty. Judging from anime and Japanese RPG's, they don't really do sympathetic non-pretty characters. Attractiveness goes a long way towards a character's popularity.

But this is a fallacy.

Puppies and cats are universally loved and adored for their cuteness. They are not even remotely human.

For an actually extant race example, Asura are also super-cute and very obviously not human:


Argonians can be made very cute as well:


Attractiveness does not require humanity whatsoever. We find pleeenty of things attractive that have only the barest similarities to humanity (as in bilateral symmetry, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.). This is why I am utterly convinced that just throwing on a couple of non-human features on top of a human template is laziness.

(12-22-2014, 11:40 PM)Flickering Ember Wrote: The Western idea of beauty can often times be much more rugged, even for females.

(12-22-2014, 11:31 PM)Ashren Snow Wrote: Also in response to posting a few comments and reviews from across the internet. Pretty much have to agree with what Kage said, people who are unhappy are much more vocal than people who are not. Notice how only the first few pages of this thread had anything positive to say about the race and than the last 15 or so pages have been people arguing and being negative? Would you dare to try and say that the handful of people in this thread responding speak for the entirety of the RPC or the FFXIV community as a whole?

(12-22-2014, 11:40 PM)Flickering Ember Wrote: While I agree, they are cute, I don't know if a lot of other people would find them cute. Neither of those races were made for Japanese audiences in mind. The Japanese concept of cuteness is different. I don't want to generalize too much because I don't live in their culture. But going off of all their forms of entertainment that I have gotten to interact with, beauty plays a very important role. The Western idea of beauty can often times be much more rugged, even for females.

(12-22-2014, 11:31 PM)Ashren Snow Wrote: People tend to be far less critical of what Male characters look like in video games because it's incredibly difficult to go wrong with them. If male characters almost all look the same, or fit into certain stereotypes or follow certain societal standards nobody really gives a shit. If the same thing happens with Female character models people lose their freaking minds over it.

(12-23-2014, 12:51 AM)Zyrusticae Wrote:

(12-22-2014, 11:31 PM)Ashren Snow Wrote: Also in response to posting a few comments and reviews from across the internet. Pretty much have to agree with what Kage said, people who are unhappy are much more vocal than people who are not. Notice how only the first few pages of this thread had anything positive to say about the race and than the last 15 or so pages have been people arguing and being negative? Would you dare to try and say that the handful of people in this thread responding speak for the entirety of the RPC or the FFXIV community as a whole?

This is a really poor argument.

Look, most every other feature of the expansion is pretty much getting universal praise wherever you look. It's only the Au Ra who are getting much in the way of criticism, and that says something. Not only that, it's in such sheer volume that it is pretty much impossible to avoid.

The official forums are going to be chock-full of negativity, yes, but this isn't necessarily the case for the entire rest of the Internet.

(12-23-2014, 12:51 AM)Zyrusticae Wrote: This is because there is a ubiquitous trend to make the male characters capable and "badass" while the females are made to be doted on and fawned over.

Quite frankly, it's condescending and super-irritating to be relegated to that kind of role again and again and again and again, so yeah, people (women mostly) WILL lose their shit over it, because it's blatantly and unequivocally sexist.

(12-23-2014, 01:13 AM)Ashren Snow Wrote: Say what you want, I still think you're wrong on this one. Just because a vocal few are angry and protesting it does not mean that the majority of the playerbase are either excited about it or just don't care.

Quote:Oh, look... another "human-with-ears-and-tails-tacked-on"! Now with random scales!

Guess I'll be hanging on to that Fantasia and waiting for 4.0.

Quote:Where people actually expecting Tauren/Panda/Bangaa type races given Yugiri's model?

Utterly ridiculous.

(12-23-2014, 01:19 AM)hauntmedoitagain Wrote: Who's forcing you into that role other than yourself? It's about how a character acts, not how they appear that defines them in that way. Looks can be incredibly deceiving, or so the cliche goes.

Anyway, I am a lady and personally? I love the Au Ra women, enough so that there is high probability I will be making one the moment Heavensward is in my hands. What she'll be exactly I cannot say, but I do know that as with all my characters, she won't be a delicate pushover in the slightest, rest assured.

(12-23-2014, 01:19 AM)hauntmedoitagain Wrote:

(12-23-2014, 12:51 AM)Zyrusticae Wrote: This is because there is a ubiquitous trend to make the male characters capable and "badass" while the females are made to be doted on and fawned over.

Quite frankly, it's condescending and super-irritating to be relegated to that kind of role again and again and again and again, so yeah, people (women mostly) WILL lose their shit over it, because it's blatantly and unequivocally sexist.

Who's forcing you into that role other than yourself? It's about how a character acts, not how they appear that defines them in that way. Looks can be incredibly deceiving, or so the cliche goes.

Anyway, I am a lady and personally? I love the Au Ra women, enough so that there is high probability I will be making one the moment Heavensward is in my hands. What she'll be exactly I cannot say, but I do know that as with all my characters, she won't be a delicate pushover in the slightest, rest assured.

(12-23-2014, 01:28 AM)Zyrusticae Wrote:

(12-23-2014, 01:13 AM)Ashren Snow Wrote: Say what you want, I still think you're wrong on this one. Just because a vocal few are angry and protesting it does not mean that the majority of the playerbase are either excited about it or just don't care.

Just for my own amusement, I checked the official forums.

This post got 19 upvotes (not including my own, for obvious reasons ):

Quote:Oh, look... another "human-with-ears-and-tails-tacked-on"! Now with random scales!

Guess I'll be hanging on to that Fantasia and waiting for 4.0.

This post immediately following it has 17 upvotes:

Quote:Where people actually expecting Tauren/Panda/Bangaa type races given Yugiri's model?

Utterly ridiculous.

And of course, note that upvotes require less effort than actually making a post and that they do a fairly decent job of showing the general opinions of the lurkers.

Also note that the thread is 36 pages whereas the Astrologist thread is 10 pages, the Machinist thread is 14 pages and both are largely devoid of negative feedback, mostly praise and declarations of excitement mixed in with speculation.

At least for Western players, the Au Ra are getting a very mixed reaction.

(12-23-2014, 01:19 AM)hauntmedoitagain Wrote: Who's forcing you into that role other than yourself? It's about how a character acts, not how they appear that defines them in that way. Looks can be incredibly deceiving, or so the cliche goes.

Anyway, I am a lady and personally? I love the Au Ra women, enough so that there is high probability I will be making one the moment Heavensward is in my hands. What she'll be exactly I cannot say, but I do know that as with all my characters, she won't be a delicate pushover in the slightest, rest assured.

I want a muscle slider.

WHERE'S MY BLOODY MUSCLE SLIDER?! D:<!