Guild Wars 2

Before I write the following I’d like to state in advance that the OP’s question is offensive to me. Which hopefully gives you an idea of whether or not you’d like to read what I have to say.

I’m not upset with the OP themselves, more so that they have the nerve to ask such a question. Let me be clear I’m not trying to be rude to the OP with what I have to say because they seem to have a good understanding of what is and isn’t okay. I’m only upset with the fact that the question even has to be asked.
This is a video game. I don’t know how many times I have to remind people of this. Men and women aren’t perfect in real life. Although creating a standard that isn’t possible to achieve isn’t necessarily a healthy idea, the vast majority of people who play these games understand that. The vast majority also want their characters to look good. There are some who prefer their avatars to look hideous, and all the power to them. That’s the will of preference. But the fact of the matter is, most of us want our characters to be attractive and sexy comes in kind with attractive. Not all men have 6-packs and hulking bodies and I can almost certainly assure you most of them wouldn’t want to wear any kind of armor/clothing that reveals any great deal of skin. But there are plenty of revealing male armors in this, and many other video games. Women on the other hand, enjoy wearing some what (and on the more free-spirited individual, very) revealing clothing. I don’t think it to be very far from the truth with these breast highlighting outfits as women in the actual world are comfortable wearing yoga pants which aren’t a whole lot different in the sense that they’re figure hugging and don’t leave a lot to the imagination.
I just wish that people would stop having to ask questions like these when it’s not supposed to have an effect on anything other than whether you choose to wear it or not. So the breasts are a highlight of the costume, then you might be surprised to learn that not only are they beautiful there is a form of art known as body painting that utilizes them in a similar way. The male outfits aren’t significantly less revealing so I don’t see what the fuss is about. If I saw a man in a outfit that complimented his figure by revealing his muscle mass I can’t say I wouldn’t turn my head, so… Why the double standards?

I already stated that I’m buying these, but I thought I’d leave some more thorough feedback in light of the fact that Danicia mentioned she’ll compile this stuff for the artists to read, and a lot of the people posting here are requesting (demanding in caps?) changes.

A re-release without the blue or with it dyeable:
Personally, I think the blue is fantastic. That, combined with the nice details like the curved tips on the shoes, really makes these sets unique compared to what’s already in the game. I don’t know how seriously you guys will take these requests and honestly I don’t care about issues like whether there are two versions of this armor or not. But I’ll just ask that you do not change the versions you’ve released, as done with the Flamekissed set. I bought that set and had it taken away, for reasons I understand and can’t really disagree with. But please don’t make this kind of thing the norm. Considering community feedback is really great for improving the direction of future work, but there are so many players out there who don’t come to the forum to request alterations, who love the product as you’ve released it. I’ve already purchased 1600 gems and spent 800 on the medium set for my thief. It is amazing. I plan to very soon use the other 800 on the heavy set, and will certainly be buying another 800 gems for the light set some time in the near future, probably when I hit another elementalist kick. Some people are recommending that you make changes like switch the medium and light sets, because in their opinion the light seems more appropriate for medium. When you consider these things, please keep in mind the people that have already forked out their support for the armor skins as they currently exist.

That is all, and once again, I think you’ve done a really nice job with this set, please keep it up!

The blue thing makes it an armor rather than revealing a skin, sort of like latex/spandex/tight dress. If it shows your character’s skin tone, then yeah, it is revealing, As it is now, it’s just like your char wears a bathing suit.

The male armor never reveals enough imo.

The gem store armor highlights a big problem for me. I DO NOT want to permanently overwrite an armor set I’ve spent a lot of time and gold making. The armor and build system is inflexible as it is because the investment required to change a build. GW1 had a separate slot you could place costume skins on and remove at will, they also acted like the achievement armor; you could get them multiple times if you wished.

I get this system probably makes them more money. The inconvenience rigidity of the system however keeps them from getting mine, and others, money.

Leo Paul.1659:

My question is, why are they calling the zodiac armor the most “daring” they’ve created to date? :/

Cuz it’s pretty daring to make something extremely awesome and then ruin it with a single bad decision. :P

The Zodiac skins are just way too ugly to me. Because of the blue “skin” there is no way you can combine parts of those skins with other armors. So ANet, why not just remove that ugly blue skin and make the armor less revealing all around… would look much better than in it’s actual state. If you don’t wanna remove that blue skin then at least give the helmet the actual face of the character wearing it and not a standart one…

Eh, idk. I respect that some people like revealing armor like this, but I also respect that armor like this also can have a very negative cultural effect for women since it furthers the perspective of women as sex objects rather than people.

However, I’m at least happy that the male armor is really revealing as well and I like that there are options for female characters to have non-sexualized armor sets. In the end, there should be choices and I’m glad that GW2 makes those available. Still, it would be nice to see more non-sexualized options available.

Looks like Anet made a completely new set, not based on another set, so now people need something new to whine about. Let’s whine about it being sexy and skin-tight \o/

I really like these sets. I’m not sure if I’m going to use any of them because I’d have to see if they fit on any of my characters, but I’m gonna check it for sure. And if you think it’s too revealing, nobody’s forcing you to buy it. But I take it that you also never go to a swimming pool where people wear even less clothing?

I honestly couldn’t be happier with my armor selections. This is how my ele looks in zodiac armor, with tier 3 cultural shoulders, gloves, and boots, and helm unselected.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh no

SpellOfIniquity.1780:

I’m only upset with the fact that the question even has to be asked.

I was about to write a long-winded post that is basically this line. You summed up my thoughts on this subject perfectly.

Look at all these people wishing they were a blue Sylvari.

My 3 plants scoff at you posers!

Sylvari master race

Reveals too much blue…

If only the blue skin (or whatever it is) wasn’t there. I would then buy it. The amount of blue (which sounds like it can’t be changed) is really unappealing (to me anyways). Guess its another one to skip.

For future armor: Id like to request an armor design based off of charr/asura 1st, then human/sylvari/norn dead last.

Thank you.

I like these new armors.
I bought the light version and will probably buy the other ones.
I LIKE the blue skin and all its effects.
I had bought the light flamekissed armor and it was changed to something i don’t like.
Arenanet,please,don’t do the same thing and don’t change the zodiacal armors look (there is no “good reason” this time).
Many people have bought it because they like how it looks (it is unique,doesn’t look like any T3 or else).
Those who don’t, just don’t buy it.
I wouldn’t want to have bought gems with real money to have the skin i purchased changed for the second time.If it happened,i would never buy anything anymore.

Gesamtkunstwerk.6590:

I honestly couldn’t be happier with my armor selections. This is how my ele looks in zodiac armor, with tier 3 cultural shoulders, gloves, and boots, and helm unselected.

Thanks! That looks fantastic, I was wondering how it would look without the helms (I don’t like the way they hide your hair with various panels and cloth bits when you wear most helms so I nearly always leave helms off).

It’s just a tight blue jumpsuit, not skin :P

Oh my ….
I thought Anet armour design hit new lows with the flamekissed release ..

The only constructive thing I can say, is delete the entire mess and start over.

Why yes it does!
It reveals the entire universe!

Alright. I did end up buying the set.
It looks decent, except for the Boots – what are those sharp things supposed to be?
The blue color and effect is nice, but I’m willing to bet I’ll get tired of it rather quickly.

Nick.6972:

Alright. I did end up buying the set.
It looks decent, except for the Boots – what are those sharp things supposed to be?
The blue color and effect is nice, but I’m willing to bet I’ll get tired of it rather quickly.

What dye did you use? looks really good on it.

Choice is great and all.

Too bad that those of who play a female mesmer, necromancer, or elementalist don’t have much of one when it comes to armor. It’s all dresses, frills, garters, and harem pants. We don’t even have the option of simple pants or something like a basic jacket. You’re either half naked or dressed like a 14 year old.

Leo Paul.1659:

Nick.6972:

Alright. I did end up buying the set.
It looks decent, except for the Boots – what are those sharp things supposed to be?
The blue color and effect is nice, but I’m willing to bet I’ll get tired of it rather quickly.

What dye did you use? looks really good on it.

Abyss Dye.
Midnight Fire dye makes the skirt even more darker.

CC Danicia.1394:

videoboy.4162:

Danicia!

Do you think there’s any chance the art team would make a version of this armor without the blue in it? I absolutely love the detail that they put into the rest of the (Light) armor, but I want to still be able to see my character.

(And if you can’t/won’t answer, could we get an Art person in here?)

You’re right, I cannot offer an answer on this. That being said, the reason why the discussion should stay constructive is because I am actively collecting feedback (positive & negative). So. I will put this in my feedback.

To be perfectly honest, as a male Sylvari Thief constantly beaten with resizing and clipping issues and unable to make full use of their bioluminescence I really dislike Medium armor. Zodiac armor would of been the first Medium Armor in the entire game that I liked a lot if only it showed skin instead of the blue.
Not only would it look cool but the cloth around waist fits correctly, which is something that’s nearly nonexistant currently to male Sylvari. To me the entire set looks like a massively missed opportunity to save Medium tier players from the trenchcoat epidemic. It would be great if another version was made like it w/o the blue.

Here’s a question.
Would you consider buying the new armor if you could change the blue tone to a different color?

what about the blue parts?

my only request is to make the light blue parts dye-able, everything else is perfect… and is not that i dislike the original color, but it doesnt combine well with other colors, I wish i could have that same skin effect on purple for my mesmer for example or in black for my thief

Sky Dye. I think.

Nick.6972:

Sky Dye. I think.

Thanks I’ll try it out!

It is a shame that most of the pictures and people I’ve seen wearing this armor have turned off the helm. I think the mask-style is a detriment to the armor. I think either being able to buy pieces of the armor or removing the mask on the helm would be the right answer.

The Sky Dye is weird though, it looks exactly like the original blue tone on the armor in the customization panel, however when you’re playing the game it looks a bit whiter. May be just my settings.

Going almost topless with Na’viesque glow should be alright with Tyrian Folks. Please don’t complain. We all like chest orbs, men and women alike – Women like to show them and men like to see them.

However, on a very serious note, ANET needs to review the leg-pieces of this armor. The leg pieces really make the butt look rather big compared to the upper body. I’d love to see a bit trimmed from the leg armor.

Again, another medium armor set with a dress..

Gettin real tired of your medium dress based armors, Anet.

I would say that a huge number of players such as myself love to mix match armor, in the passed I’ve bough armor from the shop for 1 part of it that I like (the rest sits in my bank) but the fact that this armor has this blue attached to it makes it difficult to use this way… I would love to use the heavy pants on my guardian… But not changing the blue prevents me from doing this. Undyeable parts is a big turn off for me.

I tried mixing it Phalanx armor and Primeval armor – it just doesn’t fit with anything else.
I think the Armor is designed decently, however not being able to color it differently is not a good idea. It will get old quickly.

If we could change the blue color to something else keeping the “star” effect, that would be perfect.

TehPwnerer.7215:

Leo Paul.1659:

My question is, why are they calling the zodiac armor their most “daring” they’ve created to date? :/

Because they think that everything they do is revolutionary. I think the new armor looks like crap and once again, won’t buy it. It really is starting to irritate me how 90% of patch notes are nothing but gem store bull——.

Maybe once they start adding armor sets to the, idk, actual game, I will be a little more receptive.

This is why I prefer Sub games. The stuff you end up wanting is generally found in the kitten game when you pay up front. Wish people saw this, f2p games are incredibly not fun because they design around trying to be people to buy stuff.

Gulesave.5073:

On the male-vs-female discussion: yes, they show skin on guys, but not in areas that are popularly eroticized like a woman’s chest is. Male characters are deliberately desexualized in a jarring and downright surgical way, (their entire pelvic area is emasculated more than a Ken doll’s).

This is really the gist of it for me. I LOVE that the male version attempts to be as skimpy. Gold Star for trying. So many gold stars. Glad my male characters will get one whole bared nipple if I ever decide to drop 800 gems just to see a hyper blue version of half their chest and upper stomach, I guess.

But that fails to match the vast amount of bared skin, and the specifically placed nature of it, of the female version. My god, why even have fabric on the design of those tops at that point? Oh argue all you want that the blue effect isn’t skin it’s just a cool fabric bodysuit that happens to reveal every joint and the cleavage line like a mystical spray tan, ~educate me~ about how unenlightened and puritanical I am for not understanding that sexualization and fetishization of certain female body parts by western culture is just like, a construct man, don’t get your panties in a wad; while you then continue to perpetuate those trends and try to tell me I’m getting just as much fanservice from half a bared male chest (hint: I’m super not). kitten chaps or maybe some cupped ball design (can you imagine blue balls with those little doilies underneath? hahaha, oh man), and you’re getting warmer.

I guess at least this armor feints at covering the nipples via a texture rather than drawing attention to them with a megaphone like the watchknight design. It’s the small victories.

Also, in the name of desiring some relative practicality, it’d be nice if someone could design female chest armor that actually looks like it would support the breasts instead of being designed around a ‘cupped hand to the underboob’ aesthetic. Is that the only way they’ve interacted with boobs? Doesn’t have to be structurally sound but between this and the single bikini string at the shoulderblades thing going on with the light flamekissed/feathered I’m just feeling like someone doing these designs has never had to deal with a real pair of breasts. I’m all for skimpy, but take a note from the winged female light armor which actually looks like a top and not a taped-on applique.

Dark Catalyst.1028:

You’re either half naked or dressed like a 14 year old.

They’re one and the same these days.

The only thing that the Zodiac armor reveals is the ability of Designers to make the same crap armor that I don’t want over and over and over again…

How effin hard is it to design medium armors that don’t look like dresses? I mean, it must be the hardest thing to do after programming pet AI seperate from mob AI.

Nick.6972:

Alright. I did end up buying the set.
It looks decent, except for the Boots – what are those sharp things supposed to be?
The blue color and effect is nice, but I’m willing to bet I’ll get tired of it rather quickly.

good colouring..like that, the blue no longer looks like skin!

Dahkeus.8243:

Nick.6972:

Thank you Arena Net.
Now, how about adding a new armor set that is acquirable without gem store or long grind?

So…you’re asking for the devs to give you an exclusive new armor set, but with little to no effort or contribution to the game’s financial well-being?

=/

Or like more dungeons, and less gem store or ascended crafting i think is what he was asking for… while a dungeon grind is long, it isnt nearly so bad as the others.

As to the topic. As usual, check Norn female shoulder size before releasing please. Or just change the norn female model so that it doesnt use norn male size and placement for shoulders and weapons… norn female light armor looks so next to impossible to get right because of this alone, not for lack of nice skins. The medium and heavy suffer worst for this btw… the light is barely within limits.

As to the skin itself, the undyable, unhideable blue is kind of off the reservation, but you are heading in the right direction… remove the blue, the mask, cover the boobs just a very little more (and have a chat with whoever did the nipple thing because it’s wrong on so many levels… size, placement, the fact that its there at all…take your pick), and then make it something i can get without the gem store or vision crystals etc…

Nipples can not be seen.

Lol @ people qualifying these sets as “sexy”
You probably don’t have breasts so it’s harder for you to understand how this is plain wrong. And then try accusing people of being prude.. it’s not about that. It’s about the shape, the incorrect anatomy… it’s badly made, it’s cheap and it’s a shame it was made by anet. Don’t try to make our criticism any less valid than the one about the blue skin.

I wouldn’t buy it any more if it didn’t have a blue skin because I don’t want my character to have gigantic inflated unrealistic anatomically incorrect balloons like I keep repeating.
Also adding that once again they don’t care about the non-humanoid races and half-kitten their models.

kimeekat.2548:

Gulesave.5073:

On the male-vs-female discussion: yes, they show skin on guys, but not in areas that are popularly eroticized like a woman’s chest is. Male characters are deliberately desexualized in a jarring and downright surgical way, (their entire pelvic area is emasculated more than a Ken doll’s).

This is really the gist of it for me. I LOVE that the male version attempts to be as skimpy. Gold Star for trying. So many gold stars. Glad my male characters will get one whole bared nipple if I ever decide to drop 800 gems just to see a hyper blue version of half their chest and upper stomach, I guess.

But that fails to match the vast amount of bared skin, and the specifically placed nature of it, of the female version. My god, why even have fabric on the design of those tops at that point? Oh argue all you want that the blue effect isn’t skin it’s just a cool fabric bodysuit that happens to reveal every joint and the cleavage line like a mystical spray tan, ~educate me~ about how unenlightened and puritanical I am for not understanding that sexualization and fetishization of certain female body parts by western culture is just like, a construct man, don’t get your panties in a wad; while you then continue to perpetuate those trends and try to tell me I’m getting just as much fanservice from half a bared male chest (hint: I’m super not). kitten chaps or maybe some cupped ball design (can you imagine blue balls with those little doilies underneath? hahaha, oh man), and you’re getting warmer.

I guess at least this armor feints at covering the nipples via a texture rather than drawing attention to them with a megaphone like the watchknight design. It’s the small victories.

Also, in the name of desiring some relative practicality, it’d be nice if someone could design female chest armor that actually looks like it would support the breasts instead of being designed around a ‘cupped hand to the underboob’ aesthetic. Is that the only way they’ve interacted with boobs? Doesn’t have to be structurally sound but between this and the single bikini string at the shoulderblades thing going on with the light flamekissed/feathered I’m just feeling like someone doing these designs has never had to deal with a real pair of breasts. I’m all for skimpy, but take a note from the winged female light armor which actually looks like a top and not a taped-on applique.

people really do not look at the armor in this game do they? the vast majority of armor covers up almost everything, male or female. The issue is people actually pursue the naked armors.
As far as the issue of functional armor, its a fanatasy game, none of the armor is functional. Shoulderpads that would stab you in the head. Norn running around with heavy armor in the freezing cold that has the least coverage. being able to run in armor that would weigh a literal ton.

Its all magic armor, you can magically change any armor to have the same function as any other armor, arguing for logical armor rules, is a bit pointless.6

light armor
11/43 armor is more racy than what women wear in the streets of NY
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Human_female_light_armor

medium armor
4/43 racier than normal women
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Human_female_medium_armor

heavy armor
6/43 racier
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Human_female_heavy_armor

the vast majority of gear is fairly covered up. The racy gear is purely optional. Entirely too much of this debate is wrapped up in what people think other people are wearing armor for.

When you buy the armor it is only usable for 1 character or is it account wide?

One character.
/zodiacarmor

Really? It makes you blue and ethereal. You going to whine about Dr. Manhattan, too?

Paulytnz.7619:

Nick.6972:

Paulytnz.7619:

Honestly people how many sets can you wear at any given time anyway!? I don’t know which game, or who/where it was ever said that MMO’s HAVE to periodically bring in new wep/armour skins. Even having 7 alts and my main I can’t see myself using ALL of what was made available at the start of the game. Mind you I understand how most of what there are does not look so great, but still…

All the new armor sets are only available in the gem store, that’s the problem.

I don’t see it as a problem. They need desirable things in the gem shop to entice people to spend money and these are obviously one of the better ideas for that end.

PS, not ALL new armour sets are gem store only – ascended is an example that comes to mind.

The problem is end-game was supposed to be “all about collecting rare weapon and armor skins”. Since almost all new weapon and armor skins have been added to the cash shop instead of the actual game, essentially end-game is purchasing new stuff from the cash shop. That’s an exciting end-game, isn’kitten