Females and the reverse armor rule

[aion_andon]

Amish armor ftw!

[Laelia]

Originally Posted by Yame

I just wanted to throw my opinion out there regarding this issue and maybe hear what other people have to say:

As a female player, I abhor the reverse armor rule in MMOs. I imagine most of you know what I'm talking about, but for those who don't what I am referring to it is the tendency of armor to cover less and less as it goes up in level. This of course seems to apply almost solely to female characters if it occurs at all.

This is relevant here because looking at NCsoft's previous work in this area (*cough, cough* Lineage), I see exactly what I wouldn't want in a game. Just to be clear, I'm talking about playing a character that has to fight mobs while wearing next to nothing: some high heels, a thong, fishnets and some nipple tassels. With Aion, at first I saw no reason to fear, as the female armors did not look too far from their male counterparts (although I would prefer that they looked the same, like in WoW). But I'm seeing that as higher levels open up, some more... "showy" female armors are showing up. I hope that this isn't a trend that will continue, and that Aion will choose the integrity of real armor over these sorts of overt sexuality.

At least armor graphics will be customizable in Aion, where you can choose to use the looks of a previous piece with the stats of a new piece if you don't like the looks of the new one, so this isn't a game breaker. Still though, I'd be disappointed to see Aion go on L2's path in this respect.



(BTW, just to put things into context, I'm not saying this as some prude feminist. I <3 hawt chix and I am very much used to baring my own midriff and dealing with other women baring theirs IRL, but I think that having to go into battle half-naked in an MMO ruins immersion and flat out makes no sense unless you look at it from a very sexist perspective)

exactly my point of view. just that even as a girl i sometimes get distracted by the nakedness and breast sise of female characters , lol. Wow isn't too bad for that matter but in Guild Wars i developed a breast obsession haha. Not saying they were too revealed in there yet the sise... that doesn't seem quite right if you ask me breasts shouldn't distract you from the game, unless its your gf's!
I think the industry should start including the view of female players slightly more , as they are becomming more and more, and from my experience girls like to be sexy but not almost naked.

[Caim]

I personally don't mind the skimpy female armors, but I am a dude, so it's kind of a given. The armor customization system will work in both the favor of people who don't like to bear it all and against them at the same time, because lets face it, there are going to be people who use it for the complete opposite reasons, and there are probably going to be a fair amount of them running around the joint. Any way you look at it, at least you know both the revealing armors and the conservative ones will all look good. It is NC Soft after all, lol.

Originally Posted by Corvus

i dont mind the females characters running around half naked, i just wish you could do the same thing with male toons. i would totally run into battle with a plate mail thong and nipple clamps but noooo, i have to be covered from head to toe. booo!

I couldn't agree with you more. If I were able to go bear chested and wear nothing else but some camo pants, I'd be compelled to make an assassin named Rambo.

[eVenom]

When guys play girls characters, this is the big problem cause they are called perverts or that they are desperate to see almost naked chicks walking around in game. It ****es me off, since it's not true (alot of guys don't like being the typical strong, beefy guy).

I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just hoping it's not as often.

[Hellriser]

Originally Posted by Mark

Armor can be unrevealing and still sexy.

Word! And this doesn't apply in MMOs only. The unrevealing sex appeal is really what separates the beautiful women from the gorgeous ones imo.

[Cojiro]

I with the girls on this one. I don't play games for eye candy. I like my women to be...ya' know...real. And like other people said, it makes no sense. Wearling less armor wouldn't be a good thing practicly.
While we're on it, guys who bother female charactors in MMOs are hilarious. You will NEVER score that way.

[Drache]

Originally Posted by Delthis

Yeah, I agree as well. It does seem rather stupid for someone to go charging into battle naked (unless they are searching for a death wish ).

I also think that if they make armor less revealing, perhaps it would deter immature people from playing as well. *shrug*

Exactly what I think about the issue. They don't need half naked female characters in a game to make it appealing, it only attracts the immature who like to use a game to get their jollys.

[Hellriser]

Originally Posted by Drache

They don't need half naked female characters in a game to make it appealing, it only attracts the immature who like to use a game to get their jollys.

What happened with the old no. 1 favorite: porn? :|

[Fleiva]

About armors: You're able to use the stats of a set with other's looks by mixing them.

About breasts: You're able to customize breasts in Aion, make them as small as you want if you find them distracting.

[Denmaru]

Originally Posted by Hellriser

What happened with the old no. 1 favorite: porn? :|

Huh? I thought the internet is for porn?

Anyway, the thong of invulnerability is really... strange. But it's a game... Sometimes, I can't help but stare, but thankfully, I always have this thought at hand: There's no way in hell that she's as hot in RL as she is in the game. You can bet she lives far away from you, and a woman (I'm a bit too old now for "girls") that doesn't meet these 2 mentioned criteria is probably taken by now, and trying to "get her" would only make you look like an idiot.

I'm also for a bit more realistic armors, but clothes can stay this way since they aren't supposed to protect you in the first place.

[Frein]

Originally Posted by Yame

With Aion, at first I saw no reason to fear, as the female armors did not look too far from their male counterparts (although I would prefer that they looked the same, like in WoW).

I would like to introduce you to Warrior's Embrace and Elemental Rockridge Leggings.

I don't think this much of an issue in Aion so far. It seems like most plate for females has a weak spot around the thigh area but otherwise looks much like male armour. I think it's very tasteful yet sexy, perhaps even cute in a way as it reminds me of a skirt design.

[Kaey]

I agree. I prefer my character to look somewhat restrained. And lol @ online breasts.

[eVenom]

And it doesn't help that with the less armor you have, the less coverage you have. Doesn't make sense to me, but I guess its for looks. But the typical mmo has guys looking tank and girls looking skimpy. Basically Men=more tank, girls=more "sexy"

[Yame]

Originally Posted by Celestin

Age of Conan is a bit different. It has a more survivalist feel and when you're trying to eek out a survival, going naked every once in a while is something you'll have to get used to.

But to be on topic, first off, I'm a guy and I have to say, lighten up a bit. I mean I don't approve of the thong and nipple tassel thing, but I don't see anything particularly wrong with armor that has a bit less than more. It's just eye candy. And I know that. I won't make a pass at you in game just because you're wearing a plate bikini, and even if it is objectifying, I know the differences. In real life, I'll accord you with the respect you have earned. That's right, earned. I have the respect in myself and yourself to not bend over just because you asked.

I guess, to be more accurate, I'm sick and tired of this stuff being brought up with just about every applicable game I have played, ever. It was particularly bad with Oblivion when a whole bunch of women got all ****ed that male characters tended to have more strength and endurance while female characters tended to have more wisdom and personality. I mean sure personality was pretty useless and wisdom is not as useful as endurance but all these women got all upset that the women in Oblivion were being pigeonholed as weak. It was the most ridiculous **** ever. Some guy very eloquently responded, though, with something along the lines of "what's your problem? I'm the one who should be ****ed. While your being stereotyped as intelligent and witty, charismatic and eloquent, we're being stereotyped as stupid brutes who need help putting their shoes on the right feet every morning."

-- Edit

I really don't know why the synonym for angry that starts with a 'p' and rhymes with 'hiss' has to be censored. Really makes my post look that much more angry and that much less eloquent.

I have to agree with the nudity in AoC being different from this. Also when you see that something like this applies to both genders, then it's not sexist. I have no complaints regarding nudity, I'm not a prude or a soccer mom or whatever, but everything has a time and a place, and BDSM wear has no place in battle, especially when females are the only ones who have to wear it.

Now, to the rest of the post... first of all, I don't need to lighten up. It's not like I'm angry! I'm pretty happy right about now, I just felt like voicing my opinions and concerns. I think it's a different thing from Oblivion issue you mentioned. The Oblivion differences are based on gender differences which have a basis in real life. The reverse armor rule has none! If it did have a basis in real life... well, we'd be in heaven with the amount of hot chicks running around in thongs regardless of the context.

Originally Posted by Fleiva

About armors: You're able to use the stats of a set with other's looks by mixing them.

About breasts: You're able to customize breasts in Aion, make them as small as you want if you find them distracting.

This is true, but it still wouldn't solve the problem. Say, all end-game female sets are ultra-skimpy. It would be a terrible bother having to switch the graphics to lower-level ones and not get the opportunity to show-off the nice high-end armor that I earned! Or, even if I decided to keep the skimpy graphics, I'd look at all the guys and their epicness, and look at myself and my ****tiness, and I'd just feel... bad.

And in regards to breast size, I want to make my character's breasts as big or as small as I want without having to worry about the armor showing too much cleavage. It's not like I don't want my character to be sexy. I mean, think about yourselves as guys and what kind of character you'll make in Aion... I bet if it's male, he'll be big and bulky and strong-looking. But that doesn't mean you want him to walk around shirtless when he's actually wearing some pretty epic gear.

[Xander]

I'm male, but I play both male and female characters in game.

I have to say, I kinda like the skanky armor. I think it's funny to see the Aion melee classes in high heels. Although it's not impossible to look great in totally covering armor, it does sort of reduce the curves sometimes I don't have a problem running into battle in a bikini either - we've got priest and cleric classes that are using magical buffs / heals. I'll take blue sparklies over full plate

The most important thing is to have enough choices that you can find a great looking armor set of eiter type - skanky or amish.

There was never enough armor choices in Guild Wars, and too many look-alike sets.