Could atroxes be made viable for female players please?

Hi. I can't play atrox characters, and since I consider atrox the optimal breed for a few professions, nor can I play those professions. I'd feel gimped the entire time. I realise all breeds are viable for all professions but my personal preference for a few (enfo, soldier) is atrox and so I can't roll any of those, though ironically they'd probably be my favourite profs.

Why can't I roll an enfo? Because I'm female, a pretty important part of my identity, and while I'd be willing to play a physically asexual character and just handwave that her gender identity is female, the atrox breed has no remotely female or even agender faces. Which is odd, because being physically asexual doesn't mean one can't have a traditional binary gender identity - and many atroxes seem to, what with the extreme, practical-joke level masculinity on display in their head rotation. Why do no atrox heads offer longer, traditionally feminine hairstyles?

I'm a woman, my gender identity is female and I don't like portraying myself to be other than that, so I can't play atroxes. I realize you can always have a helmet, but under it there's a (pretty damn gross) extremely masculine face. It's incredibly off-putting.

Could there please be even just one remotely feminine looking atrox head on offer?

I realize it might seem pretty damn strange for someone to be so fixated on being able to present their correct gender in a game, but all I can say is people have different priorities. I need my character's presentation to mesh with my presentation in real life in order to feel comfortable playing as her.

You are honestly the only woman I have ever heard of complain about how Atroxs look. Even my mother has an Atrox Enfo and she called it 'Hairyfairy' of all things.

Maybe you should just, I dunno, not play an Atrox instead of asking for something so unlikely to happen?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raggy

Maybe you should just, I dunno, not play an Atrox instead of asking for something so unlikely to happen?

---

I didn't think it was unlikely to happen when I posted. Why do you think it's unlikely? It's a very obvious piece of missing content. Atroxes are supposed to be asexual, do you think it makes sense that every single one of them would present as male?

Just wear a swim suit with afro-color wig. Hey it's twisted sister.

Well, I'm female too and play atrox. And a couple others as well, so atroxes are in fact viable for female players. Maybe just not to you.
Even though I have to admit it was sort of weird in the beginning moving such a big thing around, after having played petite female chars for so long, but I got used to it.

As Raggy already said, it's pretty unlikely to happen that Funcom will actually make an atrox head with .. long hair.

Also.. why would you feel gimp with a fex/solitus soldier? They're doing just fine, believe me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raggy

You are honestly the only woman I have ever heard of complain about how Atroxs look.

---

I have 0 atrox chars, yes I think they're ugly but it's mostly due to their size cluttering up my screen. Never liked playing gigantic races in any mmo =)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Baby

Well, I'm female too and play atrox. And a couple others as well, so atroxes are in fact viable for female players. Maybe just not to you.
Even though I have to admit it was sort of weird in the beginning moving such a big thing around, after having played petite female chars for so long, but I got used to it.

As Raggy already said, it's pretty unlikely to happen that Funcom will actually make an atrox head with .. long hair.

Also.. why would you feel gimp with a fex/solitus soldier? They're doing just fine, believe me.

---

Yes, "viable for female players" was a poor choice of words. Viable for people who care about their gender presentation and don't happen to identify as male is a better choice of words, but a less snappy title.

It's not just size. Atroxes were designed to work the mines; I'm fine with them being muscle-bound hulks regardless of gender. I just don't like that their faces and hairstyles are all distinctly, to the point of parody, male. I'm not a male, so I don't want to play as a male-presenting character.

As for why I'd feel gimped, just because stats-wise, atrox would be my choice for a few profs. I consider it the best choice for how I like to play, so being unable to choose it would make me feel gimped if I played as a solitus <insert common atrox prof here>. Other breeds being viable as these profs doesn't change that I feel atrox would be a better choice, stats-wise, for me. I don't mean to create an argument about breed efficacy in any profession; my concern is just that I personally want to play those profs as atrox but can't.

For me the choice is between presenting as my correct gender, or getting (in my opinion) better stats in an MMO. Or not playing certain classes in that MMO. The way I see it, adding some androgynous, agendered and feminine heads to the atrox breed would completely eliminate all such issues and to be honest it's kind of stupid that such heads haven't been around from the start. It was a cool, novel idea to have an asexual race; but as far as I'm concerned atroxes are asexual only technically; they all present as extremely traditionally male so they might as well all be male. The game doesn't match the story.

And you can identify with a race of genetically modified, notum infused nanobot wielding maniacs?

Or a race of Humans so far gone from the idea of the word 'Sapian' that they are literally a new species, who have lived through extreme virus bombardment and proxy experimentation?


You're 'identification' doesn't match the story.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Clamperouge

It was a cool, novel idea to have an asexual race; but as far as I'm concerned atroxes are asexual only technically; they all present as extremely traditionally male so they might as well all be male. The game doesn't match the story.

---

True, or if you wanna get technical big muscles and facial hair are generally traits of males, a consequence of androgens, male sex hormones. :p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Baby

{removed}

---

{removed}

The reason Atrox are judged as "male" is down to a person using stereotypical gender cues from the appearance of the person.

Atrox are a genetically modified artificial lifeform that cannot procreate, someone judging that they don't look female is like saying "I want to use the fish, but I want it with bigger wheels" Fish do not come with wheels.

Then again think about how in-depth character creation is in modern mmos and why is that exactly, then think about you calling the idea of making characters more customizable a bad thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pafpuf

Then again think about how in-depth character creation is in modern mmos and why is that exactly, then think about you calling the idea of making characters more customizable a bad thing.

---

The ship is sinking, and as it is doing so of all the voices to cry out, this idea would be the equivalent of shouting "could we have some toilet paper to match the decor?"

Ok, I really enjoyed this thread, so here's a semi-serious response:

1. (Me)
wtf :p

2. (Lore)
Taken from the Anarchy Online page,
"The first Homo Atrox is born. This gene-modified human breed is designed specifically for work in the notum mines. Bred with incredible strength and stamina, the atrox make up most of the work force in the Notum mines. The atrox is androgynous, but is predominantly built using male genomes to ensure denser muscle tissue and higher stamina. This results in harder features and often facial hair. They are often viewed as dumb, and most colonists consider them lesser citizens.

The atrox is incapable of reproduction and must be cultivated in tubes. "

This relates to item 2.

3. (Lore interpretation)
The reason you think of Atrox as appearing masculine is because it shows all the physiological features, face and jaw included, of a human heavily exposed to testosterone. Maybe it's better to think of it as sterile or impotent rather than asexual. Regardless, it doesn't appear this way by accident. It's very deliberate and consistent with the story and environment.

4. (Practical application)
Maybe NM is best for my profession, but I don't want to appear as a pale, skinny, weak neurotic dude. Then I don't play that, or I use a cub graft, or I name myself "Beefcake1238." The beauty and immersiveness of the game lies in having aptitudes and alignments with significant effects.

5. (Mostly unrelated)
If you accept the social standard, Enforcer is a predominantly male profession, given they are BIG (male) and have huge upper body strength (male), are absurdly aggressive (male), and have male pronouns in their fear description (male). This is tempered by point 6.

6. (Caveat to 5, and possible solution your problem)Biancha is probably one of the best pvm enforcers in the game, and is set as a BIG solitus female. If you're worried about being a good pvm enfo, don't worry about being trox.

7. (Tumblr)
If we're playing the gender expression card, I want my self-identified transethnic pansexual otherkin orientation expressed in my solitus female, which I feel reflects our society's stereotypes of weak women. Also, her butt is too big and objectifies women. If we're not playing this card, go to point 8.

8. (Actual answer)
Possibly the most simultaneously horrifying and hilarious sight is a trox wearing stereotypical female social clothing, such as tutus and thongs. If they add female heads for trox, it'll be an extension of this. I don't think you want what you think you want.

9. (Lulz)
Given point 8, bump for adding female solitus heads to Atrox models.
Maybe we can get lipstick and updos too. :D
Oh god I can't stop laughing

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raggy

If she is a new player, the last thing she should be worrying about is the look of Atroxes.

---

I let myself get irritated by the join date, you're probably right.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by difs

it's obvious the game is going down because we don't have an unisex atrox with long hair

---

Which reminds me.. don't we actually have one? I think there's this one with a ponytail?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sromp

9. (Lulz)
Given point 8, bump for adding female solitus heads to Atrox models.
Maybe we can get lipstick and updos too. :D
Oh god I can't stop laughing

---

I was just thinking of braided hair with pink bows in the ends. Kinda like a viking woman..

Discuss the suggestion on its own merits (as the remaining posts do) and leave out the personal comments and gender-related snarking, please.

I think the bigger mistake is assuming those professions need to be rolled as atrox :p

No profession in the game is particularly gimped as any breed... besides NT maybe. but even that doesn't matter.

Ok I still think no, but lets play this one out.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...o.jpg~original

This is a screen shot of a visual bug from 2004, so it is possible, even if accidentally to have a soli head on an atrox body, but like good science the question isn't "can we" but "should we"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Anarrina

Discuss the suggestion on its own merits (as the remaining posts do) and leave out the personal comments and gender-related snarking, please.

---

Should have deleted the entire thread as trollbait.

the reason Atroxes "look" male is because it's the androgenous hormones that create muscle bulk and the large size of them.

You'd never realistically have a feminine looking atrox because in any kind of genetic modification the hormones needed to create smooth skin and feminine features would have been suppressed.

Good luck with this but if it ever makes it in game I'll be right pissed since there are a hundred better uses for the Dev's time.