Isn’t it interesting how often the response to criticisms such as the armor bingo card boil down to “but I have to keep using these tired offensive cliches because creativity”? Are they even listening to themselves? Why not take it as a challenge? “How can I create beautiful and original character designs without falling back on tropes that thousands and thousands of artists have used before me?” Now that would be creative.
Defending your “right” to use offensive tropes in character design (or writing, or whatever your creative endeavor of choice) isn’t “artistic integrity”. It’s laziness.
Yup. This^ Pretty much. Emphasis mine.
Whenever someone uses those arguments I’m all like:
I’m excited for this game. I really am. It has things you can do and mechanics in it unlike any other mmorpg that I personally at least have witnessed (such as [x], and that’s just a few). And I’m not going to gloss over the fact that I have seen female armor in it that literally covers the avatar from head to toe. (see link again, for example) It also has a mechanic that allows for the conversion of stats from one armor to another, allowing you to keep a look without sacrificing stats.
But I’m also not going to gloss over the fact that I’m pretty sure that costs you, though there’s a slight chance I’m wrong. Or that nonprotective ridiculous and ridiculously gratuitous “armors” are ever present in this game anyway. (Something I shouldn’t be surprised about, seeing as how the makers of Rift had a hand in this game.) Or that they have the oddest shoot-self-in-foot ad campaign for a game that turns around and has more than one (which, sadly, is saying something for mmo’s these days) sensible armor for females, or turns around and has a trailer like this that helps showcase that they can make females who aren’t pulling you out of the story with incongruous scanty dressing.
But the biggest offense about the armor pictured above? Aside from the fact that it arguably bingo’s? Arguably twice at miniumum? Probably definitively if we could look at a 360 model?
That’s right. If you want to support the soon-to-be-f2p-when-released game by giving them at least a hundred of your dollars, and you happen to want a female bodied toon, then bad news if you want one that’s sensibly armored. Your “I supported this game before it was even officially released!” banner will be an infamous overglorified bikini armor. Stones and Glass Phoenix that you don’t use nearly as often bedamned.
I just…
I’m sending them an email over my discontent. Likely it will fall on deaf ears, but maybe the sound of my money going back into my pocket as well will help…
Now I understand that the MMORPG market is a highly lucrative, but also incredibly competitive one – but seriously guys – alienating women by making all their costumes softcore porn material is not going to help you!
Particularly when your MMORPG can be summed up as “basically like most other MMOs”.
Pretty much all their material seems to highlight the massive disparities between male and female character’s attire, but the one that struck me most was on the PVP was “world changing”:
Is there some massive war being fought over the morality of women wearing pants into battle? Is there some great institution which outlaws worthwhile armor and pants for women in this strange world?
I love how the female version has no face plate, just in case there was any confusion about the gender beneath the armor – we have to see those full lips.
Actually, if the corset’s made well enough… it’d stay on like that. Made out of relatively sturdy material (leather?), laced tightly enough, it’d stay on. Made to measurements, it shouldn’t even be all that uncomfortable… but not battle-worthy.
Her corset may stay in place, her boobs, though… I doubt it.
It looks like a decent corset/cincher alright, but too small for her cup size, IMHO. Too little coverage in places where it matters. There are so many ways in which a boob can pop out of there!
More info on corsets and boob physics in costuming HERE. Pay special attention to the corset drawing in the bottom right corner of the infographic. That’s what I’m referring to above.
