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Parth Makeo · **01-20-2017, 12:35 AM**

A lot of the positive parts of Roleplaying is that people use their imagination, and there is never anything wrong with using a different model to adjust say height or race. There shouldn't be an issue. I do have a mild nit pick with people who decide to say they are a different gender of their model (like female but said they are male)

Aside though it really should be creative if you do that. I personally think the models are just enough for RPing with the sliders that at times it feels right, but i understand if people want them to be a foot bigger or smaller. I should actually get heights for my characters.

Virella · **01-20-2017, 09:52 AM**

(01-19-2017, 04:33 PM)Aya Wrote:
(01-18-2017, 04:42 AM)Virella Wrote: And Aya, I really thought she was a midlander all along, so there you go, the proof it doesn't always really work
Haha! Maybe it doesn't work in the sense that "not everyone will know about it" but it does work in the sense that you do not mind that interpretation, (I presume!) and should it come up importantly I could easily correct it, and should it come up in conversation Aya would just presume it was an unimportant mistake

I wouldn't say I mind it, but I do feel it is a poor choice onto representing your character as the race (or clan) they are meant to be. Especially because unlike all the other races, midlander and highlanders do look distinctly different in regard of frame of body they are given in game.

For me it is sticking a dog label onto a cat and then getting upset people see it as a cat and not a dog. Thankfully you don't seem to do that though, what I have to give you kudos for.

Anyhow, opinions differ after all, and well, at the end of the day, everyone's going to use whatever model, race, lore or whatever suits them best even if some might not agree with it. Some people will roll with it, others won't. As long people aren't mean about it OOC? Eh, who cares.

But I do feel, especially with the hyur clans, if you do the swap and try to represent the other clan, you should except some people will throw comments at your character or muck up their clan. Because well, a highlander doesn't look like a midlander and visa versa!

Cailean Lockwood · **01-20-2017, 10:07 AM**

I know I've said this a handful of times before on this forum, but I am of the mind that people can RP whatever they want. Want to be a dragon in disguise as a Garlean lalafell who is possessed by a Voidsent and has vampiric tendencies? Go ahead! Do whatever you like! And hopefully you will find some fellow RP'ers who accept whatever you RP and that you have fun together!
HOWEVER! You should never assume people will accept what you RP if you step out of the lore. There are people who would never even acknowledge your existence if you RP as a character who is something else than what the lore has established. Some people will even harrass you, but that is NOT okay and you should blacklist those people immediately!

It's all about mutual respect in the community. Have all the fun you want, but don't force it on other people unwanted. And likewise, people shouldn't force you to RP something you don't want to.

Making a Wildwood and call it a Duskwight... that's lightweight. Anyone having an issue with that are most likely doing it just to be nitpicky a-holes.

Kilieit · **01-20-2017, 10:33 AM**

(01-20-2017, 09:52 AM)Virella Wrote:
(01-19-2017, 04:33 PM)Aya Wrote:
(01-18-2017, 04:42 AM)Virella Wrote: And Aya, I really thought she was a midlander all along, so there you go, the proof it doesn't always really work :P
Haha! Maybe it doesn't work in the sense that "not everyone will know about it" but it does work in the sense that you do not mind that interpretation, (I presume!) and should it come up importantly I could easily correct it, and should it come up in conversation Aya would just presume it was an unimportant mistake :)
I wouldn't say I mind it, but I do feel it is a poor choice onto representing your character as the race (or clan) they are meant to be. Especially because unlike all the other races, midlander and highlanders do look distinctly different in regard of frame of body they are given in game.

For me it is sticking a dog label onto a cat and then getting upset people see it as a cat and not a dog. Thankfully you don't seem to do that though, what I have to give you kudos for.

Anyhow, opinions differ after all, and well, at the end of the day, everyone's going to use whatever model, race, lore or whatever suits them best even if some might not agree with it. Some people will roll with it, others won't. As long people aren't mean about it OOC? Eh, who cares.

But I do feel, especially with the hyur clans, if you do the swap and try to represent the other clan, you should except some people will throw comments at your character or muck up their clan. Because well, a highlander doesn't look like a midlander and visa versa!

Highlander male faces that look under 40 when.

One of my alts is supposed to be a teenage highlander (or halflander, I'm not totally sold either way) boy... but I had to put him on the midlander model to make him give the right impression. Personally, I'd fantasia him into a highlander as soon as they added a face that looked even slightly like it belonged to a 19 year old. >_<

For now, while I'm forced by CC limitations into making compromises, it makes more IC sense for him to be mistaken for a midlander than it does for him to be mistaken for a middle-aged man. He's supposed to be tall, but baby-faced. And at least I can easily frame screenshots to make him look taller than he is - not so easy to use camera tricks to make the current M highlander faces look youthful.

I guess it's the same regarding OP's dilemma... if the Wildwood scar patterns are closer to the "first impression" you want to make with your character than the Duskwight skintones/etc, then it's an acceptable compromise IMO.

Caspar · **01-20-2017, 10:54 AM**

The character models tend to reflect the lower and upper ends of a race's height spectrum. With this in mind, I occasionally mention mine is slightly higher than is typically possible, which inches faintly in the direction of gigantism. Though, ultimately, "giant" for Lalafell really doesn't matter to most Spoken so I like to suggest it's only noticeable when they see Virara among other Lalafell. It helps that most players seem to favor making theirs as short as possible, making this difference in height not as exaggerated as it would really be (about a full head over average-small Lalas.) but still visible.

Virella · **01-20-2017, 11:06 AM**

(01-20-2017, 10:33 AM)Kilieit Wrote: <snip for length>

I understand the dilemma yeah. I know someone who actually uses a female highlander model to represent an underaged male highlander. They still sometimes get the confusion, but the character has a male name, doesn't look super feminine (because you can make super androgynous highlander ladies), and has it their search info.

That said, shark face doesn't make them look utterly old? Then again if you're looking for a super young appearance aka midlander and elezen super boyish face, then yeah, you're out of luck with male highlanders.

Anyhow, I personally feel you're best off picking the race you're meant to represent to avoid confusion, especially if you do not want that confusion to happen IC or OOC. Because it is bound to happen at some point. Most people I've known who picked another model while still roleplaying x do know this and they handle it gracefully when it comes up IC or OOC.

However I've seen people handle it very badly as well. Not so much about the topic at hand in this case, but rather about what Parth Makeo described above.

Corelyn · **01-20-2017, 11:41 AM**

(01-17-2017, 06:43 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: Plenty of people roleplay things their model can't really do. Like my main character's supposed to be a pureblooded Garlean. The thing to keep in mind is to avoid the clearly racial/tribal characteristics. But also I mean, it's not impossible that there could have been mixed blood or recessive traits. I don't think anyone's going to be so strict as to metagame and tell you you're the wrong tribe OOCly.

Same! Corelyn is also a Pureblood, but hides her third eye for paranoia issues, so Highlander it is for her, typically (though if we got Garlean models YEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIII).

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **01-20-2017, 12:00 PM**

(01-20-2017, 11:41 AM)Corelyn Wrote:
(01-17-2017, 06:43 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: Plenty of people roleplay things their model can't really do. Like my main character's supposed to be a pureblooded Garlean. The thing to keep in mind is to avoid the clearly racial/tribal characteristics. But also I mean, it's not impossible that there could have been mixed blood or recessive traits. I don't think anyone's going to be so strict as to metagame and tell you you're the wrong tribe OOCly.

Same! Corelyn is also a Pureblood, but hides her third eye for paranoia issues, so Highlander it is for her, typically (though if we got Garlean models YEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIII).

I'd really consider switching if we ever did. Part of me would miss the current design I have now. Also because I like thinking that Franz is big and buff, even at nearly 7 fulms tall. (If Cid can be buff, why can't other purebloods?!)

Aya · **01-20-2017, 12:42 PM**

(01-20-2017, 09:52 AM)Virella Wrote: I wouldn't say I mind it, but I do feel it is a poor choice onto representing your character as the race (or clan) they are meant to be. Especially because unlike all the other races, midlander and highlanders do look distinctly different in regard of frame of body they are given in game.

For me it is sticking a dog label onto a cat and then getting upset people see it as a cat and not a dog. Thankfully you don't seem to do that though, what I have to give you kudos for.

The first thing I'd say to anyone out there who would feel either upset or hurt about mis-identification is that you should make your character as easily identifiable as possible.Â But I don't think that is the case, it certainly isn't with me, and that isn't at all a tone I see in the OP.Â So yes, if getting upset is an issue, you should be using the most obvious model possible.Â

From my own perspective its absolutely not a matter of "getting upset".Â I might be disappointed but not upset if someone insisted upon treating Aya as a Midlander in every way, that's the situation that I have created!Â But, I think that it would make no material difference whatsoever.Â

Which brings me to my second point, that I simply have to offer disagreement on the merits.Â A Midlander and a Highlander are not at all like a dog and a cat.Â They share exactly the same skeletal structure and anatomy.Â They share the same biology, and physiology.Â Given that their pigmentation variation is also identical, they are not even as dissimilar as two different breeds of cat or dog.Â

What most sets Highlanders and Midlanders apart are matters of stature and physique.Â Highlanders tend to be taller and more muscular than Midlanders, but the musculature is not even an entirely primary characteristic.Â A sedentary Highlander is going to be fat.Â And some Midlander men are going to be broad-chested and cut.

This brings to my most important contention: the apparent differences between the two clans are largely the result of limitations in the game engine, rather than actualities within the game world.Â We see every Highlander literally having the same body, and the same for every Midlander.Â This is not representative of what our characters experience and observe. Within the IC world the variation will be more similar to our own, and these supposed distinctions would very quickly blur.Â

Some Highlanders due to a combination of facial features, build, accent, and so on, will be obviously Highlanders.Â The same will be true for some Midlanders.Â But, for those in-between the distinction will be blurred. They may appear more-or-less similar to one "ideal" form or the other, but it will not be entirely clear what their ancestry is (any more than ethnic descent can always be clearly observed in reality).Â

I do not feel that playing a Highlander with a Midlander model is anything at all like placing a "dog" label on a cat.Â The model's themselves are suggestive at best, and if anything I suspect this arrangement provides a better idea of Aya's form than if I had simply stuck with the Highlander model (though I am definitely open to disagreement on that!)

In my mind Aya's appearance did not change with the model switch.Â Was the Midlander look closer to that vision?Â That's questionable.Â Was the aesthetic closer (due largely to the ever-preset clenched fists of the pre-c-pose Highlander female), definitely.Â I still feel there is some value in that.

There is also evidence that this is the way it is intended to be: just to mention a couple of well-known female Highlander characters (if the Lorebook is to be trusted): Yda and Minfilia.Â I would say that both appear more similar to Aya's Midlander model, than to her old Highlander one.

In the end though:
Will everyone be accepting of the discrepancy, maybe not... but I don't think the ramifications, even on IC interactions with such recalcitrant individuals, would be invalidated or slighted [You just play along as best you can!].Â If the OP feels that his Duskwight is better represented by a Wildwood model, I'd still encourage him to go for it Smile

Sophia_Grave · **01-20-2017, 02:26 PM**

(01-20-2017, 12:00 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote:
(01-20-2017, 11:41 AM)Corelyn Wrote:
(01-17-2017, 06:43 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: Plenty of people roleplay things their model can't really do. Like my main character's supposed to be a pureblooded Garlean. The thing to keep in mind is to avoid the clearly racial/tribal characteristics. But also I mean, it's not impossible that there could have been mixed blood or recessive traits. I don't think anyone's going to be so strict as to metagame and tell you you're the wrong tribe OOCly.

Same! Corelyn is also a Pureblood, but hides her third eye for paranoia issues, so Highlander it is for her, typically (though if we got Garlean models YEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIII).

I'd really consider switching if we ever did. Part of me would miss the current design I have now. Also because I like thinking that Franz is big and buff, even at nearly 7 fulms tall. (If Cid can be buff, why can't other purebloods?!)

I'd probably switch too! But I wonder, do most people use Highlanders for pureblooded Garleans? I see a lot of Midlanders used as Garleans (I use one myself). And then there's Lucia, who's definitely using the Elezen rig with modified ears. But that can be SE just using what's on hand until they make a concrete decision, like they did with pre-reveal Yugiri using a Miqo rig. Hrm. Not that it matters much in the end, I suppose.

Swanmay · **01-20-2017, 02:34 PM**

Rosalie is canonically a Duskwight, but they lack that eye makeup feature that just tied her whole look together so I opted for a Wildwood model. I'd say it's more than reasonable, especially in the case of Elezen, due to the fact they look so similar.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **01-20-2017, 02:42 PM**

(01-20-2017, 02:26 PM)Sophia_Grave Wrote:
(01-20-2017, 12:00 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote:
(01-20-2017, 11:41 AM)Corelyn Wrote:
(01-17-2017, 06:43 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: Plenty of people roleplay things their model can't really do. Like my main character's supposed to be a pureblooded Garlean. The thing to keep in mind is to avoid the clearly racial/tribal characteristics. But also I mean, it's not impossible that there could have been mixed blood or recessive traits. I don't think anyone's going to be so strict as to metagame and tell you you're the wrong tribe OOCly.

Same! Corelyn is also a Pureblood, but hides her third eye for paranoia issues, so Highlander it is for her, typically (though if we got Garlean models YEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIII).

I'd really consider switching if we ever did. Part of me would miss the current design I have now. Also because I like thinking that Franz is big and buff, even at nearly 7 fulms tall. (If Cid can be buff, why can't other purebloods?!)

I'd probably switch too! But I wonder, do most people use Highlanders for pureblooded Garleans? I see a lot of Midlanders used as Garleans (I use one myself). And then there's Lucia, who's definitely using the Elezen rig with modified ears. But that can be SE just using what's on hand until they make a concrete decision, like they did with pre-reveal Yugiri using a Miqo rig. Hrm. Not that it matters much in the end, I suppose.

Back in 1.0, Nael and Gaius used Elezen male models as their base. From what we've seen of the Garlean NPCs without helmets on, mot are of about Elezen height with a more Hyur-shaped head + third eye, save for Cid who used a short Highlander model in 1.0 and now is completely custom. We'll hopefully get some better views in 4.0, but I don't forsee Garlean as a playable race ever because of their generally poor aetherial manipulation skills.

Corelyn · **01-20-2017, 03:00 PM**

(Edited for weird double-post edit? Damn you, WebSense! J'accuse!)

Corelyn · **01-20-2017, 03:03 PM**

(01-20-2017, 02:42 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote:
(01-20-2017, 02:26 PM)Sophia_Grave Wrote:
(01-20-2017, 12:00 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote:
(01-20-2017, 11:41 AM)Corelyn Wrote: Same! Corelyn is also a Pureblood, but hides her third eye for paranoia issues, so Highlander it is for her, typically (though if we got Garlean models YEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIII).

I'd really consider switching if we ever did. Part of me would miss the current design I have now. Also because I like thinking that Franz is big and buff, even at nearly 7 fulms tall. (If Cid can be buff, why can't other purebloods?!)

I'd probably switch too! But I wonder, do most people use Highlanders for pureblooded Garleans? I see a lot of Midlanders used as Garleans (I use one myself). And then there's Lucia, who's definitely using the Elezen rig with modified ears. But that can be SE just using what's on hand until they make a concrete decision, like they did with pre-reveal Yugiri using a Miqo rig. Hrm. Not that it matters much in the end, I suppose.

Back in 1.0, Nael and Gaius used Elezen male models as their base. From what we've seen of the Garlean NPCs without helmets on, mot are of about Elezen height with a more Hyur-shaped head + third eye, save for Cid who used a short Highlander model in 1.0 and now is completely custom. We'll hopefully get some better views in 4.0, but I don't forsee Garlean as a playable race ever because of their generally poor aetherial manipulation skills.

I CAN DREAM! *flips an entire castrum*

Of course, I'd probably have to retcon Corelyn's height if we ever got legit Garlean models. She smol. :>

(Not even sure how this post edit made me double-post but uh... my bad. >_>)

Seriphyn · **01-20-2017, 08:54 PM**

I thought Yda and Minfilia had Midlander models even though they were Highlanders because in 1.0 there just wasn't female Highlander models.

Also, the female Highlander-model Scion (the archer) is actually a Midlander according to the lorebook.

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Using a different model in game vs roleplay

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes