Lack of playable races...

[Valeron]

I don't know about you, but I care about looking fucking fabulous. And that is of ultimate value to me. If I can't look fabulous, I'll be very upset : (

haha

personally I think the amount of races they have is fine, I would like to see more differentiation between them though

[Stormcall]

haha

personally I think the amount of races they have is fine, I would like to see more differentiation between them though

Yeah, they all look so similar, especially once they have gear on. I mean, if you're in WoW, and you see 3 dudes strolling down the streets of Org, you know immediately that one of them is a Tauren, one is an Orc, and one is a Panda. Or go take a walk through GW2, and just try and confuse a Charr with an Asura...

[Edge-]

personally I think the amount of races they have is fine, I would like to see more differentiation between them though

Pretty much my feelings. I'm always a fan of more races, but I'm fine with 2 flavors of human, 2 flavors of elf, a dorf and a big human.

[Lathais]

There is no reason to care about anything besides gameplay.

So, I suppose you'd be happy if Rift had 8-bit graphics, all armor/weapons looked the same and everyone rode horses instead of different things. While we're at it, let's make towns all menu based, since that doesn't affect gameplay, you could still talk to all the questgivers/merchants just by selecting them from a list instead of walking up to them. It would not affect the actual game play while you were out in the world or in dungeons/raids at all.

[Fencers]

haha

personally I think the amount of races they have is fine, I would like to see more differentiation between them though

Sort of what I was driving at. There seems to be more than enough races. I suspected the issue was one of duplication. As in 4 of the Rift races are basically mirrors- Kelari, High Elf, Mathy, Eth.

So I ask to what effect or end are more races desirable? Would it be simply greater model variation, racial distinction via gameplay, quality/fidelity of character models, etc.

Maybe it isn't a problem with the number of options, but the options themselves. (I.E. Kelari look stupid.)

I don't know about you, but I care about looking fucking fabulous. And that is of ultimate value to me. If I can't look fabulous, I'll be very upset : (

You're such a girl.

So, I suppose you'd be happy if Rift had 8-bit graphics...

Well as long as the gameplay could be expressed accurately then I would not care if the game entirely text based. Or if Rift was mostly theoretical actually.

Gameplay before all things. There is never an exception.

[Kelimbror]

*SNIP*

*satire*
Better yet, just don't have avatars at all. Make everyone a colored block with no animations. Make all enemies other colored blocks. Make the world just one differently colored mass of a 3d studio mesh. None of that is imporant, b/c you can still push buttons to kill things.

We don't need stories, or quests, or anything to make someone invested/involved in a game because you can still push buttons and things 'die' (in this case let's just make them disappear).

Who doesn't want to play Block World, where you as a green block can slay other green blocks by using your 'cast block' ability in a macro while standing on another green block. It's all the hipster rage these days. MMOs are so tacky with their extravagance.

*satire*

[Lathais]

*satire*
Better yet, just don't have avatars at all. Make everyone a colored block with no animations. Make all enemies other colored blocks. Make the world just one differently colored mass of a 3d studio mesh. None of that is imporant, b/c you can still push buttons to kill things.

We don't need stories, or quests, or anything to make someone invested/involved in a game because you can still push buttons and things 'die' (in this case let's just make them disappear).

Who doesn't want to play Block World, where you as a green block can slay other green blocks by using your 'cast block' ability in a macro while standing on another green block. It's all the hipster rage these days. MMOs are so tacky with their extravagance.

*satire*

I guess some people would be happy with that, but definitely not the majority. Which is why it should be important to everyone in an MMO, because looks are how a lot of people decide what game they want to play. More people to play with is better. If the game was not as nice as it was and did not have all the options, then you'd have noone to play with. Also, now that it is F2P, what would you sell in the cash shop since cosmetic things do not affect game play? The game would make no money and go under......but only gameplay matters

[Fencers]

*satire*
Better yet, just don't have avatars at all.

A game doesn't actually have to exist as a video game. It can be entirely in what is called a "paper playthrough" from a DD/T. It's like a proof of concept that the gameplay systems would work or flow in such a way as desired by the game designer.

If A, B. If C, D or E, IF D, K, etc.

Everything else is merely dressing/fluff. It's merely entertainment at that point where visualization comes to play. Sometimes the visualization is needed to express the gameplay- such as in Jumping Flash! or something. But otherwise, not really needed.

No satire.

[Kelimbror]

It's merely entertainment at that point

Which is arguably the point of playing video games, which in turn creates the chicken and egg dilemma. It comes down to your ideology, natch (using this 'word' b/c I haaaate when you do it ).

Just the idea that we call it a game as opposed to a program is a signifying marker of its purpose. So while the gameplay might be everything, or come before everything ideologically, it's literally not everything. Being a game comes before gameplay, otherwise there's no distinction between programming modules...just a series of user inputs and data processes.

[Fencers]

just a series of user inputs and data processes.

That's what they are!

I sorta hate that video games are called video games actually. It has bothered me for some years now and I even wrote a few diatribes on the subject back on the old ILVG forums.

Also I don't even believe that the pursuit of entertainment within the medium is worthy or respectable. I feel the term video game is somewhat incorrect or faulty in a way. /another subject

However, on topic. More race choices certainly wouldn't have any adverse effect. Though I say 6 races would be fine from a vanity standpoint if the races were just better done- models, animation, diversity, etc.

Rift is sorta drab looking.

[Lathais]

A game doesn't actually have to exist as a video game. It can be entirely in what is called a "paper playthrough" from a DD/T. It's like a proof of concept that the gameplay systems would work or flow in such a way as desired by the game designer.

If A, B. If C, D or E, IF D, K, etc.

Everything else is merely dressing/fluff. It's merely entertainment at that point where visualization comes to play. Sometimes the visualization is needed to express the gameplay- such as in Jumping Flash! or something. But otherwise, not really needed.

No satire.

Well, I'll just say that I am glad the majority of players and game designers do not think like you, otherwise, games would all be bland and boring looking.

[Shoridayo]

I don't mind the lack of races. The Lore explains it pretty well, and since the Lore in Rift is pretty interesting, I'm okay with it.
As long as the female models look good, I don't really care.

[tru]

Honestly i miss things like only horde having shammys and alliance only having pallys. Race I dont care much about as long as they dont start letting any race go to any faction. Everything is so bland in games these days when it comes to race. You got the big guys the humans the little people and some kind of elf.

on topic
Rift could use some more options sure but lore wise what would you even add? What is there to add? And would it really be worth that much to you to take time away from say content development to have another skin of a person/thing?
Not trolling but while the bare character texture/model looks pretty decent gear design is horrible in that game. I think you are asking for the wrong thing. I found rift fun for a while but a new race would be the last thing to get me to want to go back.

[Pachycrocuta]

Well, I'll just say that I am glad the majority of players and game designers do not think like you, otherwise, games would all be bland and boring looking.

I would have to agree with Lathais on this.

[Recondition]

Honestly i miss things like only horde having shammys and alliance only having pallys. Race I dont care much about as long as they dont start letting any race go to any faction. Everything is so bland in games these days when it comes to race. You got the big guys the humans the little people and some kind of elf.

on topic
Rift could use some more options sure but lore wise what would you even add? What is there to add? And would it really be worth that much to you to take time away from say content development to have another skin of a person/thing?
Not trolling but while the bare character texture/model looks pretty decent gear design is horrible in that game. I think you are asking for the wrong thing. I found rift fun for a while but a new race would be the last thing to get me to want to go back.

Well we can find a new race when we go to a new plane or a new continent for example. There aren't any lore options that we know of but it's a given that Telara is a vast place we've just scratched the surface of.

[MikeBogina]

Realistically having multiple sentient races on one planet doesnt make sense. Each race developed in certain environments as well. Dwarves of the mountains, Elves of the forest, Bahmi of the islands and humans in the normal farmland.

The 2 factions are also very humanish and would never accept other races, especially since the others are minions of the dragons. Maybe a 3rd faction of beast folk could happen lorewise.

Also and lastly, 6 races and 6 planes. Dont expect to see a new race until they make a new plane.

[Clymene]

Realistically having multiple sentient races on one planet doesnt make sense. Each race developed in certain environments as well. Dwarves of the mountains, Elves of the forest, Bahmi of the islands and humans in the normal farmland.

The 2 factions are also very humanish and would never accept other races, especially since the others are minions of the dragons. Maybe a 3rd faction of beast folk could happen lorewise.

Also and lastly, 6 races and 6 planes. Dont expect to see a new race until they make a new plane.

You do know the Bahmi are from the plane of air.