Gender/Color Locking is NEVER a Good Idea

[Label07]

You should always allow for some customization even if its a basic 5 or 6 choices with two different voice actor/actresses, so players can create what they want to play for X class/operator.

From what I've seen and one of the criticisms from MMOByte, the only healer so far is basically a Paladin; Wingrave. I also agree with their standpoint, when I play healer in most games where I have a choice, I choose a female to heal. If I want to tank or dps, then a male character.

If there are going to be gender locks, create one for each "operator", male & female for each. All you would have to do is change the name moderately to accommodate this. Wingrave + Winnagrave. Nissa + Nisso. Silo + Sila. Etc.. It's low effort but you get the point...

As for color. Let the player choose what they want to play as...Wingrave forced as white, Silo forced as black, etc. etc.

[Anzer]

They're each characters with backstories. In the context of this game, your suggestion wouldn't make sense even if I agree with you.

[Label07]

Backstories can stay the same what would it matter if they were male/female, any color?

[Anzer]

Originally posted by Label07:

Backstories can stay the same what would it matter if they were male/female, any color?

You caught me, the devs are lazy and don't want to do any work.

Heck, they didn't even want to make this game, they just want to laze around all day sipping juice from their cups with those long crazy straws while scrolling through Netflix without settling on something to watch before finally going to sleep at the end of the night after responding to 1 random comment about how excited someone is for the new game.

This isn't a Bioware game, sorry to disappoint you.

[Label07]

Doesn't mean it can't be remedied. Sooner or later...

[GotTheJuice]

I'll never understand why people care, do you go on warframe and complain Excalibur has a male body type? play the game or don't, there's plenty of games where character customization is a feature.

[Label07]

Originally posted by GotTheJuice:

I'll never understand why people care, do you go on warframe and complain Excalibur has a male body type? play the game or don't, there's plenty of games where character customization is a feature.

It is what it is. Ultimately the devs can choose to implement or not.
That said. Are you for or against this suggestion? (even if it doesn't apply to you)

[GotTheJuice]

I don't mind either way, I play plenty of hero based games and MMOs, if theres a reason to make multiple characters I usually play both genders depending on a theme im going for. There are heroes or classes I wont play in some games because I think the hero is lame, so i play a different one lol

[Brain Slurry]

Originally posted by Label07:

Backstories can stay the same what would it matter if they were male/female, any color?

So that one hero can be discernible from another. And because backstories denote individuality. And if John the paladin can look exactly like Suzy the ranger then you're destroying that.
Allowing that much player choice in appearance paradoxically works against the concept of actual personalities with backstories. You're taking away the hero's visual personality by giving control over it to the player. This can work in single player games with only the main character losing their visual identity but not in a game where the player will be playing numerous different heroes. The heroes need to be visually distinct for the player to attach each of them to their specific backstories. Otherwise separate personalities and backstories wouldn't even make sense.
I hear your cry: "But I could give each one a separate look to fit their backstory." Sure, maybe you could, but I don't think most would mentally do that. You'd have to look at your stable of heroes and think, "OK, who was this hero again?" And the fact that it's multiplayer means other players will want to be able to discern your hero from a glance as well. When you're playing a hero-based multiplayer game and can't tell those heroes apart by their appearances then that can be something of an annoyance in assessing team composition.
And lastly, if they made the change you're advocating, then the only thing you'd be collecting would be backstories and their accompanying move sets. Which would be rather bizarre and give the player less reason to bother. Nobody collected pokemon for the descriptions of their habits in the wild. And nobody I know wished they could alter their pokemons' appearances. (you can apply this to GI Joes if you prefer) And make no mistake, this is a collect-all-the-heroes game. And there's nothing to collect anymore if you remove character specific appearances.
Again, this all assumes the framework they've set in place with heroes instead of classes. If they moved to a class-based system, which they really can't because they've already gone too far down the hero path, then what you suggest might make more sense.

[Tzunny]

+1, Agree.

[Label07]

I think what I'm proposing is being lost on some...Full customization would be ideal. More options is usually better than fewer.

We know what the current characters look like. I'm suggesting they make an opposing gender for each one that doesn't differ too much from what the original looks like while obviously being masculine or feminine depending on gender. While providing the player the choice to choose skin color.

This is why I suggested names that are so close to the current characters. Supposed to be like a mirror. Think of it as fraternal twins of opposing genders.

[GotTheJuice]

I think you're just not understanding the concept of set characters with set back stories, this isn't an MMO, this isn't an single player RPG, its a character/hero based co-op PvE grinding game. If the character you like isn't the gender you prefer and that's a deal breaker for you then don't play that character. Its like not wanting to play the smeagul lord of the rings game because smeagull isn't a female (it does look awful as a game though lol). Or overwatch because tracer isnt a man. In the end i don't see how its such a big deal for people, if you're going to play the game long term there is no way you're only playing one character anyway. If you could customize everything about your character there would be no point in having heros or champions in the first place, just pick your generic customizations and then pick an ability set and thus making the world more lifeless with no world building.

[Label07]

"Making the world more lifeless and no world building", how exactly? Please do explain...

This suggestion has zero bearing on you as it seems you are okay with set genders/colors. Why are you here then? To state the obvious, what the game current is...I understand what the game is offering for classes/champions. The whole point of thread posts to elicit a change from the devs.

There is NO reason to not want more customization or two genders for each class.

I don't think you understand what the point of this thread is. RE-read my comment above yours... @GotTheJuice

[GotTheJuice]

If they remade Lord of the Rings and swapped all the genders and races around it would be an entirely different set of movies, more customization is not always a net gain, they obviously didnt make the game the way you want and no ammount of ignoring the stance they made for the game to push your own is going to change it, I don't see why you bother

[Label07]

Originally posted by GotTheJuice:

If they remade Lord of the Rings and swapped all the genders and races around it would be an entirely different set of movies, more customization is not always a net gain, they obviously didnt make the game the way you want and no ammount of ignoring the stance they made for the game to push your own is going to change it, I don't see why you bother

Just like your comment, if it doesn't apply to you, why are you here?

Change doesn't happen by being silent...

[Loom]

Originally posted by GotTheJuice:

If they remade Lord of the Rings and swapped all the genders and races around it would be an entirely different set of movies, more customization is not always a net gain, they obviously didnt make the game the way you want and no ammount of ignoring the stance they made for the game to push your own is going to change it, I don't see why you bother

Did you watch rings of power? lol

I dont mind set characters in a fresh new game with its own lore, there will be skins so eventually people will look very different from each other