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I’m disappointed at how much XIV has declined since it relaunched with such positivity for ARR. Gender-locked gear is still coming out on a regular basis, it’s obvious that male costumes are being phoned in while the female ones are generally unique and cute, and now we’re going back to gender-locked races after all the work that was done. For lore. Even though the lore is already established and ignored for other races.

It really doesn’t feel as though they actually want me as a customer any more in the slightest.

Which is just as well. Unsubscribed last year along with most of my FC and if this recent Fan Fest was meant to get me hyped to come back and preorder the special edition expansion, it’s failed. A surprise monstrous ‘male-only’ race for Tokyo Fan Fest isn’t going to change anything if the team is so dead set on its path to cater to one audience and one audience alone.

“haha why would people expect male viera?? they aren’t lore friendly LMAOOOO" 

 -a male miqo'te

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blue I can’t believe SE did male characters such a disservice by robbing them of those ultra cute thigh-highs so I took matters into my own hands.

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WELL SHIT.

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First comic of the new year!! yayyy and it’s this?? ww. I always felt the Garleans could have used more effective strategies..

#yes good

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The thing is, I agree that there's an imbalance in glamour gear between the genders, but whereas you're upset that there's no male equivalent for female gear, I'm upset that female gear can't be worn by male characters and vice-versa. Honestly the only reason my character has a female base is because I can't wear the clothes I want him to wear, as my character is essentially a drag queen. Hildebrand is the only character in game that's been able to cross dress, and that's unfair.

I completely agree with you. I try to keep it separate from the general topic of equal glamours because a lot of gamers get upset at the idea that a man might be comfortable wearing a skirt (even though we already can), but the simple solution of just letting everyone wear everything (with the addition/removal of a breast covering when needed for the sake of the game’s rating) would be a huge improvement. There are lots of people with female characters who would love the more masculine looks we get on the handful of male-only items too. With all of the different body shapes and character designs possible, I don’t know why they made gender the final barrier to letting people choose their own looks freely. It seems so… arbitrary?

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New optional items in the FFXIV cash shop. For female characters. Again.

I woke up this morning to a tweet announcing another batch of FFIXIV Mog Station optional items had been released. Hurrah!

My excitement was shortlived. Once again, the only new content in the update is exclusive to female characters. I already moaned about this with the Edda costume we got last time, and I won’t repeat the same points now; it’s clear that male characters (and by extension, the ‘female gaze’) are not important any more. Even when they do add male-only items, they’re partial reskins or incomplete outfits (plain shirts with no matching pants instead of unique dresses are a popular choice recently).

I’ll go ahead and update my master post about this issue too. I’ve honestly lost all my faith in the FFXIV dev team.

#ffxiv #ffxiv glamour #ff14 #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14

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Now updated with all of the locked Mog Station gear listed in its own section to break down Square-Enix’s attempted ‘solution’ to their apparent difficulty with giving male characters their own clothes to wear. And even if the optional paid items are included, male characters still have less glamour - not to mention optional hairstyles.

Male Final Fantasy XIV characters have fewer glamour items than female characters

Summary

I’m unhappy that I pay the same subscription as someone with a female character, yet the game’s design team continues to produce more female-only items than male-only equivalents. Every time this topic is brought up we hear the same arguments from those happy with the current situation and nothing changes for the better. I felt it was time to gather all of the information together in one place. 

Current number of additional in-game pieces of equipment to which female characters have access compared to male characters as of fall 2017: 21

I have excluded hairstyles and gender-locked outfits which do have a male-only equivalent from the list, as those issues are beyond the scope of this campaign. There is also one item identified by Terrini where the female version is one garment while the male version is split across two. This is why there are 22 locked items listed in my detailed breakdown below yet the total above is only 21.

Another issue outside of the scope of this post is outfits where the male version is a plainer reskin of an existing garment while the female version is something unique and special. This is also happening more often than it should (the recent Halloween event was an especially egregious example) and it’s something the design team need to put more effort into avoiding. However, it’s still better than getting nothing at all.

Timeline

The reason that I am making this post now is that the problem is a recent one which is worsening over time. Final Fantasy XIV’s gender problem did not exist before A Realm Reborn and it’s been growing gradually in every recent major patch. 

Keep reading

#ffxiv #ff14 #Final Fantasy XIV #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv glamour

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Edda’s outfit is released, once again leaving male characters out in the cold

I am writing this from a position of exasperation so please forgive my negativity in the main tag. It’s unbelievable that it’s September 2017 and I’m still complaining about Square-Enix’s constant inability to grasp the idea that online games are inherently more fun when their entire playerbase gets access to new toys, rather than an arbitrary portion of it.

This week, the big FFXIV anniversary livestream took place, and one of the surprises was an update to the Mog Station cash shop. A female-only glamour set of a gorgeous gothic-styled dress, hat, boots and gloves. There were also some scythes for a handful of jobs, but the clothing was the big deal (and if you don’t main one of the jobs which can use the scythes, you’ll never see them anyway).

Edda’s new outfit was originally added to the game one year ago in patch 3.35, if I recall correctly. Since that time, there was demand for her outfit to be made available to players, and that demand was answered three days ago with the Mog Station update.

Meanwhile, players with male characters have been asking for a male-only equivalent to the female-only Gold Saucer bunny costume since February 2015. That’s over two and a half years of waiting. The outcry first came up before the Palace of the Dead was announced. It was before Heavensward was even released, and now we’re several months into Stormblood. All that has happened since is that 1. we were repeatedly told they would work on it and that it was underway; 2. they released another 5-piece bunny costume for female players as an alternative to the original one instead. We still don’t even have the bunny ears themselves, and those could have been easily adapted to fit the male character models at any time. The second set’s ears were also locked, even though the problem was widely known well before work was started on it. The lack of consideration is absolutely pathetic.

The gender bias actually originated a year before the bunny costume made Square-Enix’s ingrained preference towards catering to one half of its playerbase clear. Patch 2.2 back in March 2014 first introduced the ‘gender gap’ in glamour options, and it’s been growing steadily ever since. You can read the full history which I’m in the process of updating here, if you’re bothered by it too and the implications it has for anyone playing a non-cute gender/race combination. How long will it be before they start cutting corners for female Lalafell, Elezen, Highlanders and Roegadyn too in order to save time adapting models for races with different proportions?

In any case, the continued failure on the part of Square-Enix to address this problem resulted in me feeling as though I had been slapped in the face when the announcements went out that yet another desirable female-only item with a unique aesthetic had been added to the game with no equivalent for male characters: a matching gothic ‘Avere’ outfit or even the tattered robes from Nybeth Obdilord, anyone? It’s not as though the dress is significantly less masculine than the Indigo Ramie Skirt of Healing my male character is currently wearing in the first place, and the gloves, hat and boots could all have been interesting glamour choices for players with male characters who use the Mog Station to augment their wardrobes.

I feel sidelined every time I log in at the moment because the Edda costume is right there on the launcher. The players I know with female characters are hesitant to get excited about it too, either because they find the gender locking stupid too or because they don’t want me to feel even worse about being considered an inferior class of customer to them.

The double standard is plainly here to stay, no matter how many times the community reps post soothing (but ultimately meaningless) statements about how the team is ‘working on it’. The Aymeric outfit was released male-only even when it could easily have been worn by female characters and the entire reason that was done was to placate the angry fans, yet they still couldn’t resist unlocking the hairstyle for female characters too, despite no reciprocation when things are the other way around. Minfilia’s hairstyle is staunchly female-only even when the game sorely lacks interesting updo styles. Edda’s accessories are female-only even when there’s nothing inherently gendered about them, taking existing unisex FFXIV gear design and model shapes into account.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of players outside North America or Japan are also still waiting for their chance to get the ‘Eastern’ Monkey King-themed items that were originally added to the game at the start of April, 157 days ago, and many players in Europe are still waiting for outfits from the previous campaign a year before with no indication of when the issue will be resolved. We all play together on the same servers, but some players are definitely considered more valuable to Square-Enix than others.

It’s a hard time to be a glamour fan in Final Fantasy XIV. I’m feeling less and less confident that it’s a series I want to continue to support.

#FFXIV #ff14 #Final Fantasy XIV #final fantasy glamour #Final Fantasy 14

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Update: Amazingly, this particular issue has now been addressed with patch 3.25.

The gender requirement for the following items have been removed:

Expeditioner's Moccasins (previously male-only) Dhalmelskin Moccasins (previously male-only) Expeditioner's Thighboots (previously female-only) Dhalmelskin Thighboots (previously female-only) Expeditioner's Gloves (previously female-only) Dark Dhalmelskin Gloves (previously female-only)

I’m shocked - in a good way! We still have a long way to go but this is a positive sign that the staff have been listening to all of the complaints. 

3.2 patch notes appear to confirm the glamour inequality isn’t over

The final version of the the 3.2 patch notes have gone live and confirm that there are ten new items for female characters while male characters get eight.

Male-only equipment:

Expeditioner’s Coat Uraeus Body Armor Dhalmelskin Coat Expeditioner’s Kecks Uraeus Breeches Ramie Kecks Expeditioner’s Moccasins Dhalmelskin Moccasins

Female-only equipment:

Expeditioner’s Tabard Gryphonskin Breastguard Ramie Tabard Expeditioner’s Pantalettes Gryphonskin Pantalettes Ramie Pantalettes Expeditioner’s Thighboots Dhalmelskin Thighboots Expeditioner’s Gloves Dark Dhalmelskin Gloves

Am I complaining over something trivial? Yep. Am I going to stop until Square-Enix fix this issue? Nope. Why are gloves gender-locked? Why does the number of female-only glamours with no male-only equivalent only keep increasing?

#Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #final fantasy glamour #ff14 #ffxiv

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3.2 patch notes appear to confirm the glamour inequality isn’t over

The final version of the the 3.2 patch notes have gone live and confirm that there are ten new items for female characters while male characters get eight.

Male-only equipment:

Expeditioner's Coat Uraeus Body Armor Dhalmelskin Coat Expeditioner's Kecks Uraeus Breeches Ramie Kecks Expeditioner's Moccasins Dhalmelskin Moccasins

Female-only equipment:

Expeditioner's Tabard Gryphonskin Breastguard Ramie Tabard Expeditioner's Pantalettes Gryphonskin Pantalettes Ramie Pantalettes Expeditioner's Thighboots Dhalmelskin Thighboots Expeditioner's Gloves Dark Dhalmelskin Gloves

Am I complaining over something trivial? Yep. Am I going to stop until Square-Enix fix this issue? Nope. Why are gloves gender-locked? Why does the number of female-only glamours with no male-only equivalent only keep increasing?

#ff14 #ffxiv #ffxiv glamour

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I’ve just been temporarily(?) banned from the official FFXIV forums so please forgive my lack of ability to continue with this campaigning for now. I believe it was because I posted in a now-deleted thread to calmly challenge someone’s assertion that all Japanese players were racist so I cannot imagine it will be held against me permanently, but if it is then I wish my fellow players good luck in the fight for glamour equality ;*(

Edit: The ban has now been lifted. I’m pretty confused; guess I’d better behave from now on!

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Details of the new FFXIV Scion costumes (they’re all gender-locked)

The new Scion costumes are now available on Mog Station so I quickly checked the requirements. They’re all the same price other than Minfilia’s which is significantly more expensive (it includes a special hairstyle). I don’t believe any of the clothing can be dyed.

Minfilia’s attire (female-locked)

Antecedent's Attire Modern Aesthetics - Scion Special Issue (Hairstyle)

Thancred’s attire (male-locked)

Scion Thief's Tunic Scion Thief's Halfgloves Scion Thief's Gaskins Scion Thief's Armored Calligae

Y’shtola’s attire (female-locked)

Scion Conjurer's Dalmatica Scion Conjurer's Chausses Scion Conjurer's Pattens

Yda’s attire (female-locked)

Scion Striker's Visor Scion Striker's Attire

Papalymo’s attire (male-locked)

Scion Thaumaturge's Monocle Scion Thaumaturge's Robe Scion Thaumaturge's Gauntlets Scion Thaumaturge's Gaskins Scion Thaumaturge's Mocassins

Urianger’s attire (male-locked)

Scion Chronocler's Cowl Scion Chronocler's Ringbands Scion Chronocler's Tights Scion Chronocler's Calligae 

Technically this means that male characters received 13 new items (3 sets) while female characters got 7 individual items (3 sets), though the Minfilia outfit is the only truly unique set and it includes a special hairstyle.

I’m not going to add these to my running total of male/female garments as they’re premium items and not available in-game by normal means; I don’t accept a solution where players with male characters have to pay extra to work towards equality. However, I’ll add a note to my original post.

#ff14 #ffxiv #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #ffxiv glamour

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Patch notes confirm that the new Gold Saucer bunny costume is female-only as expected

The final FFXIV 3.1 patch notes are up and they confirm that the gender-locked clothing issue is still ongoing as we all suspected.

Those with female characters will be able to access a new five-piece bunny costume as well as two female-only glamour pieces.

Male characters will only receive two male-only glamour pieces. No bunny ears for the guys!

I have updated the original post with the new information. I still don’t know the full details of how the Minfilia costume will work.

#ff14 #ffxiv arr #ffxiv glamour #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14

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Another update from the FFXIV community representatives about the imbalance in gender-locked clothing

Zhexos posted on the official Final Fantasy XIV forums a little earlier to advise that there will be more Scion costumes added to the game than just Minfilia’s; it sounds as though they have changed their original staggered release schedule to add them all at once to help pacify the customers with male characters who are getting tired of being overlooked.

Of course, this doesn’t really solve the main problem (it’s unlikely any of the costumes will be gender-locked for male characters... and they’re not as unique as Minfilia’s). But Zhexos also took it upon himself to add some extra text specifically addressing the complaints that have been made on the English-language forums.

English: “We're fully aware of the situation where we're short on male outfits and discussing with the dev. team. “

“So hang tight, and keep those great suggestions coming!”

It’s interesting to compare the different wording between regions, setting aside the standard part of the message explaining that the Scion costumes were being made available. Please forgive my terribly rough translation (it’s very late in the day).

Japanese: “Thank you very much for the ongoing feedback. It's not just Japan; people across the world are telling us about equippables for men too! Owing to demand, there will also be Thancred, Papalymo, Urianger, Yda and Y'shtola optional items on sale at the same time as Minfilia's. Please wait with anticipation!”

The community team themselves have no power to actually make any changes, so I’m grateful that they’re taking the feedback on board (and being more tactful than with the previous response). That the Japanese response specifically mentions that it’s a widespread issue while the English one directly addresses the concerns we have raised makes me feel that the issue is being escalated properly within the company and talked about internally. 

Now we just have to wait and see when they will follow through and start treating everyone equally. Hopefully, the female-locked additions we’re expecting in 3.1 will mark the last time players with male characters have to feel neglected during a new patch. 

#ff14 #ffxiv #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #ffxiv glamour

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Hard to disagree with that. This whole thing was caused by insensitivity in the first place and it’s a trend that’s continued every time S-E takes action. I felt bad when the item designer came on during the live letter and exacerbated the problem further (twice over) despite the matter having been raised in the Q&A thread; he was so enthusiastic but I just felt annoyed with him for ignoring the issue. 

I want to believe that the sustained annoyance from the English and Japanese sides of the fanbase will eventually amount to something, though ;_;

(Maybe if we get people with female characters to start a campaign for more male eye candy they’ll have more luck than the players with male characters...)

One of the Final Fantasy XIV community reps has posted in the latest thread about the preferential treatment enjoyed by female characters here.

They have confirmed that the Minfilia outfit is female-only once more, but assured us that male characters can expect some Scion outfits of their own soon as well (though they haven’t said they will be male-only Scion outfits, so it’s possible the ongoing imbalance will still go unaddressed).

It’s only responding to one of the problems, but it’s a great time to join the debate and share your views. I feel as though all of the fuss we’re making is finally getting through after the months of silence from the staff.

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One of the Final Fantasy XIV community reps has posted in the latest thread about the preferential treatment enjoyed by female characters here.

They have confirmed that the Minfilia outfit is female-only once more, but assured us that male characters can expect some Scion outfits of their own soon as well (though they haven’t said they will be male-only Scion outfits, so it’s possible the ongoing imbalance will still go unaddressed).

It’s only responding to one of the problems, but it’s a great time to join the debate and share your views. I feel as though all of the fuss we’re making is finally getting through after the months of silence from the staff.

#ffxiv #ffxiv glamour #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #final fantasy 14

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The FFXIV community team is aware of the problem

Since not everyone reads the official forums here’s the latest in the ongoing campaign to highlight the problem where male characters have access to less clothing than female characters in Final Fantasy XIV. It’s not much of an update but it shows they’re listening; let’s hope that the development team come to understand that all characters should be treated equally.

The game’s US community team showed the new Gold Saucer outfit from the Live Letter in today’s Duty Commenced live stream. I felt it couldn't hurt to ask about it.

Community Team: On the forums we previously mentioned the bunny ears would be unisex. I do not know if this has changed after that announcement. Me: Could you relay the fact that players with male characters really really want the same number of equippables as those with female ones to the devs, please?  We're 16 down already. Would be ace to have some recognition that there's an issue there. Community Team: We heard you + others on the forums and let the dev. team know.

#too shy to tag this small update but I guess some people might be interested