Change for the Better:Discussing Character Looks since Alpha

[VelkynKarma]

Yeah they don't really have a huge difference, just a little bulkier in the chest/arms is all. And it wouldn't surprise me that there'd be a lot of QQ over the 'gayness' of the BE male models, so maybe that could be part of it. At the right angle, it's sometimes hard for even me (with a male be as my main) to tell the difference between the male and female npcs. But I know I read somewhere that the models were too slim for their frames, and it kept poking through. Now if only I could remember where I read that...

~VelkynKarma

[Chrizesu]

Yeah they don't really have a huge difference, just a little bulkier in the chest/arms is all. And it wouldn't surprise me that there'd be a lot of QQ over the 'gayness' of the BE male models, so maybe that could be part of it. At the right angle, it's sometimes hard for even me (with a male be as my main) to tell the difference between the male and female npcs. But I know I read somewhere that the models were too slim for their frames, and it kept poking through. Now if only I could remember where I read that...

~VelkynKarma

I still think Burnin looks like a chick at angles. Could be the robe and long hair though.

[Karathyriel]

If you ask me, I always thought that female trolls and orcs weren't looking as if they were the same race as their males.
I think the changes on the tauren lady are cool, I like them better now.

If I could have a saying, the old female troll would have made it into the actual game. They are awesome!

About the changes of the blood elf, I'd say, we all play heroes and nobody wants to play a whimsy hero.

I always thought it to be stupid to have just one body model for each race. I think, it would have been cool to have a thin, a muscular and a fat body to choose from. Mages, who only read books all day, look like going to the gym every day always seemed odd to me.

But what caught my eye was this:

Beast Tracking - Hunters can find and follow a wide variety of animal tracks, allowing them to locate their elusive prey with ease.

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could really see tracks other classes couldn't and follow them? Hunt down that alliance player in the barrens? Follow the tracks of a lion you want to tame before finding him? Maybe even losing the track when going over rock or through water?
*closes eyes and dreams* Think of the epic scenes on a PvP realm when you have to run to the river, run through the water and hope to shake of that hunter who is tracking you while a smiles as he follows your tracks that he can see as clearly as if you had built a 8 track highway. Maybe even have a "move careful" mode to make the track harder to follow? *sigh*

[Chrizesu]

About the changes of the blood elf, I'd say, we all play heroes and nobody wants to play a whimsy hero.

Lies!

*insert picture of female blood elves here*

[Karathyriel]

...whimsy hero.

Not HEROINE

[Chrizesu]

...whimsy hero.

Not HEROINE

Now that's sexist. >>

[Karathyriel]

No, it's not.

It just means that heroes have to be muscular, good looking guys and heroines have to be attractive, curvy ladies. That is, what makes it fantasy, you know? You can tell who is the bad guy just be looking at them.

Try to imagine they'd do a remake of Conan, the barbarian and they would cast Elijah Wood to play Conan and maybe Roseanne Barr as Valeria.

*shakes in disgust, trying to get the pictures out of his mind*

It's got nothing to do with sexism, it's something about expectations. There are some things you won't expect to happen, like

• an ugly hero who survives
• the hero's love interest isn't stunningly pretty
• the villain getting away with it
• the villian just going to jail instead of being killed by the hero who is never gonna be charged for murder
• the hero actually being charged for cold blooded murder
• the hero's gun going out of ammo (unless it supports the story)
• policemen (or something similar to police) that show up in time
• to not hear sirens 2 seconds after the villain is dead
• to see the hero succeed in his first attempt without being tortured or humiliated by the villain and
• a villain who doesn't talk for hours about his plans to the hero he's going to kill anyway, giving said hero enough time to free himself and kill the villain instead.

That is just how Hollywood works. And by the amount of money they make, they must be doing something right in giving us what we actually want to see, right?

[Chrizesu]

No, it's not.

It just means that heroes have to be muscular, good looking guys and heroines have to be attractive, curvy ladies. That is, what makes it fantasy, you know? You can tell who is the bad guy just be looking at them.

Try to imagine they'd do a remake of Conan, the barbarian and they would cast Elijah Wood to play Conan and maybe Roseanne Barr as Valeria.

*shakes in disgust, trying to get the pictures out of his mind*

It's got nothing to do with sexism, it's something about expectations. There are some things you won't expect to happen, like

• an ugly hero who survives
• the hero's love interest isn't stunningly pretty
• the villain getting away with it
• the villian just going to jail instead of being killed by the hero who is never gonna be charged for murder
• the hero actually being charged for cold blooded murder
• the hero's gun going out of ammo (unless it supports the story)
• policemen (or something similar to police) that show up in time
• to not hear sirens 2 seconds after the villain is dead
• to see the hero succeed in his first attempt without being tortured or humiliated by the villain and
• a villain who doesn't talk for hours about his plans to the hero he's going to kill anyway, giving said hero enough time to free himself and kill the villain instead.

That is just how Hollywood works. And by the amount of money they make, they must be doing something right in giving us what we actually want to see, right?

I like it when the protagonist and the antagonist fall in love.
Them are big words thar crizzles.

Especially when they're both male. So shoot me.

I actually also love reversed gender roles. Girly heros and manly heroines!
Hey, the chick with a big gun is still hot in my mind if her boobs actually don't impede her movement.

And actually, in women's studies, they would tell you there is sexism there.

[Kayb]

you know thats a good idea about the bodytypes. mages are less likely to be ripped with muscle than a warrior is, it would make sense to have variations to the models in this way. might not apply to all races though... i mean, can a gnome get any thinner or bulkier than they are already? and i can't say i can really see a thinner tauren male...

an interesting idea none the less

[Saturo]

you know thats a good idea about the bodytypes. mages are less likely to be ripped with muscle than a warrior is, it would make sense to have variations to the models in this way. might not apply to all races though... i mean, can a gnome get any thinner or bulkier than they are already? and i can't say i can really see a thinner tauren male...

an interesting idea none the less

I think it would be similar to Guildwars then, where each class has a uniqu model. The Necromancer is thin, and stands in an odd way, whereas the Warrior is more muscular.

A good idea indeed, Kayb.

[Karathyriel]

I like it when ...
I actually also love...

But it's not about your personal preferences or your taste. We're talking about creating something that millions and millions of people will like and even those, who don't really like it, can accept. This is about creating something that many will pay for, not few will like.

Don't get me wrong here. I absolutely respect your personal taste, even if I can't say it doesn't give me the creeps, but that is another story and of no interest here.

And actually, in women's studies, they would tell you there is sexism there.

Yeah, maybe they would. And hey, maybe they're right! Being a macho is part of being male. All mamals have the male as the dominant part. Maybe society and it's rules changed that with our behaviour but it doesn't change our DNA.

So, if you feel better, I'd admit being a sexist, macho pig. But that doesn't change what Blizz is giving us in any way. Love it or leave it. But you won't change it.

[Rexham]

I don't mean to completely derail things on details, but both elephants and hyenas are matriarchal, as are toothed whales, I believe.

[Chrizesu]

I like it when ...
I actually also love...

But it's not about your personal preferences or your taste. We're talking about creating something that millions and millions of people will like and even those, who don't really like it, can accept. This is about creating something that many will pay for, not few will like.

Don't get me wrong here. I absolutely respect your personal taste, even if I can't say it doesn't give me the creeps, but that is another story and of no interest here.

And actually, in women's studies, they would tell you there is sexism there.

Yeah, maybe they would. And hey, maybe they're right! Being a macho is part of being male. All mamals have the male as the dominant part. Maybe society and it's rules changed that with our behaviour but it doesn't change our DNA.

So, if you feel better, I'd admit being a sexist, macho pig. But that doesn't change what Blizz is giving us in any way. Love it or leave it. But you won't change it.

I think you completely missed the joke in there, and one of the things I love about blizzard is for the genre they seem to try to avoid being stereotypical. While Azeroth is based off of machoism fantasy, not all females have oversized boobs. They're actually typical sizes on b.elves and humans.

I believe actually some of the machoism in games will continue to decrease as companies recognize the growing female customer base.
Also you should know, some of Square Enix's games popularity comes from their characteristic beautiful/pretty male characters.
Not just final fantasy, though the new ad for the title they're supporting currently is a perfect example of them using aesthetics for marketing.


Past human cultures weren't all male based either, but the ones who boasted male military just happened to take over.

[Kalliope]

But what caught my eye was this:

Beast Tracking - Hunters can find and follow a wide variety of animal tracks, allowing them to locate their elusive prey with ease.

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could really see tracks other classes couldn't and follow them? Hunt down that alliance player in the barrens? Follow the tracks of a lion you want to tame before finding him? Maybe even losing the track when going over rock or through water?
*closes eyes and dreams* Think of the epic scenes on a PvP realm when you have to run to the river, run through the water and hope to shake of that hunter who is tracking you while a smiles as he follows your tracks that he can see as clearly as if you had built a 8 track highway. Maybe even have a "move careful" mode to make the track harder to follow? *sigh*

*runs from half a dozen horde farmers as she follows King Krush's tracks in Sholazar*

I'm with you, Kara; I loved tracking down Shango before I knew his set spawn point.

[VelkynKarma]

I don't mean to completely derail things on details, but both elephants and hyenas are matriarchal, as are toothed whales, I believe.

Very true. Also, a LOT of animals have a 'prettier' male than a female (brighter plumage, crazier fur, etc etc etc) because they need to impress the lady so she'll choose them as a mate. The female tends to have more say in a lot of animal breeds just because she controls the next generation's creation.

BUT TO GET BACK ON TOPIC! I agree that it'd be nice to choose model types. For some races (like trolls or orcs) I imagine that, even if studying arcane/necromantic arts, the culture just forces physical activity on them regardless--I could see 'buff' mages or locks there. But Blood Elves seem very much like a shortcut society that won't do anything more than they have to, so I imagine its magic-users would focus more on magic first, physical build second. (Besides, have you seen how blood elf females hit things with staves? It's like they've never been trained in their lives!)

I'd also like to be able to choose VOICES for characters too. Srsly. Each race seems to have 2-3 voices for each gender it cycles through for its npc's. I'd like to be able to pick one of those just to make my chars a little different. Even if they have the same jokes, flirts and other phrases, the fact that it's a different voice means it's not 100% the same person.

~VelkynKarma

[Sochi]

I would love the be able to track in that manner. To be able to see where a certain creature or player had gone, awesome.

Hey, Blizzard! Bring this around for us, please?

[Vephriel]

That is quite an awesome idea. Perhaps they could leave a trail that slowly dissipates so if you're not right there tracking it you could lose it or something?

[Karathyriel]

That is quite an awesome idea. Perhaps they could leave a trail that slowly dissipates so if you're not right there tracking it you could lose it or something?

Exactly what I am talking about.
Though, it will be more usable on other factions players, as mobs usually partl the same area and stay in vicinity.

And the game mechanics are already there, as footprints in snow or sand are working exactly like I think tracks should.

[Chrizesu]

Very true. Also, a LOT of animals have a 'prettier' male than a female (brighter plumage, crazier fur, etc etc etc) because they need to impress the lady so she'll choose them as a mate. The female tends to have more say in a lot of animal breeds just because she controls the next generation's creation.

When I read this the first thought that came into my mind was a blood elf guy dancing like a bird of paradise.

[Karathyriel]

HEY!