Guild Wars 2

Hello, everyone!

I would like to open a thread that discusses in-game character creation option called “Physique”. The thread might represent wishes of many players who were not satisfied by the choices of particular race or gender physiques.

I was checking many similar threads (about particular in-game race or gender physique) created by other players, and talking to many players about “Physique” option. I summarized all the wishes, and I will share the details:

What I could learn from them, there is a lack of more fat (for all characters), more muscular (for female characters) and more slender (especially for humans and norns) body types. From the community’s perspective, making new physique options would improve the quality of character creation and great satisfaction among the creative people (especially people who create character biographies, arts or attend to role-play sessions, so that their characters are very compatible to their imagination).

As the new faces and hairstyles are being added, the players are very happy about that, so what would it be like, if they discovered that they just added new physique options? In my perspective, that would bring a high level of excitement (as the players used to tell me).

Note: The thread was not created for my own personal requirements. Making this, I might represent the community of all players who approve the idea.

I am very much for this! As someone who is very frustrated with my inability to tell lady norn and humans appart, I’d love to see some beefier options for norn ladies, would even make them more aesthetically similar to the norn dudes. I would definatly approve of some chubby or even fat body types for all races and genders would be cool with more variety!

Adding new physique options would mean they’d have to reskin all the existing armor skins to fit the new physique types, which would be a lot of work, which means Anet probably won’t do it.

If Anet does find the time for such an ordeal, I’d rather they work on an entirely new playable race, which would require a similar amount of work.

There already are plenty of fat body phisque options for humans and norn. For muscular women, again, look at norn. And for thin physiques, look no further than humans and sylvari especially.

What you’re asking for is already in the game. Maybe not for the race you like to play, but it’s there. In a way I’m happy that each race has their own set of physiques. It helps distinguish the races from each other. Norn already are basically just giant humans and that’s it. The fact that their women on average are more muscular than human females and their men fatter than human males makes them a little more distinguished from humans and a little bit more unique.

LucosTheDutch.4819:

Adding new physique options would mean they’d have to reskin all the existing armor skins to fit the new physique types, which would be a lot of work, which means Anet probably won’t do it.

If Anet does find the time for such an ordeal, I’d rather they work on an entirely new playable race, which would require a similar amount of work.

There already are plenty of fat body phisque options for humans and norn. For muscular women, again, look at norn. And for thin physiques, look no further than humans and sylvari especially.

What you’re asking for is already in the game. Maybe not for the race you like to play, but it’s there. In a way I’m happy that each race has their own set of physiques. It helps distinguish the races from each other. Norn already are basically just giant humans and that’s it. The fact that their women on average are more muscular than human females and their men fatter than human males makes them a little more distinguished from humans and a little bit more unique.

Do they not just have to set the rigging for the armours? I mean I’m just guessing here but I think it would make more sense to have them coded in a way so that you just need to adjust some variable points in a frame for all sets to fit the same bodytype…

Fat bodytypes? Where? I can count one single male charr type that can be considered sort of chubby, a unisex asura bodytype that is vaguely stocky, and perhaps a few male norn types with some sort of gut. Those do not constitute fat bodytypes. Fat means visibly larger and wider frame, an actual belly, perhaps even (gasp!) fat rolls, thicker (not because muscular) limbs, etc.

As for muscular, a slightly toned physique (which is mostly just texture btw) is the most you can get on norn women for example. Look at the males. They are HUNKS. That kind of muscular type is clearly lacking, and is what a lot of people would love to have. Think Zarya from Overwatch.

So, no, what they are asking for is not in the game, not to any significant extent. The diversity of the bodytype selection for humans of both gender options is laughable. Sylvari don’t fare much better. The norn gender disparity is ridiculous. Asura are sorta cartoonish rubber-limbed gremlins anyway, but they could also use a bit more diversity. The only race whose bodytype selection I’m pretty satisfied with is charr (though they could also use a proper fat option too).

SlayerGT.6805:

Do they not just have to set the rigging for the armours? I mean I’m just guessing here but I think it would make more sense to have them coded in a way so that you just need to adjust some variable points in a frame for all sets to fit the same bodytype…

If it were that simple, they’d be only too happy to offer more options (some for use with a makeover kit, some with an expansion). GW2 animations are more complex than in most other games, otherwise ANet would be releasing more armor sets more quickly with more deviation across the races.

I’d love to see truly fat and truly old characters, among other possibilities. I just don’t see it happening until there’s a GW3 (perhaps in 2034).

LucosTheDutch.4819:

Adding new physique options would mean they’d have to reskin all the existing armor skins to fit the new physique types, which would be a lot of work, which means Anet probably won’t do it.

If Anet does find the time for such an ordeal, I’d rather they work on an entirely new playable race, which would require a similar amount of work.

There already are plenty of fat body phisque options for humans and norn. For muscular women, again, look at norn. And for thin physiques, look no further than humans and sylvari especially.

What you’re asking for is already in the game. Maybe not for the race you like to play, but it’s there. In a way I’m happy that each race has their own set of physiques. It helps distinguish the races from each other. Norn already are basically just giant humans and that’s it. The fact that their women on average are more muscular than human females and their men fatter than human males makes them a little more distinguished from humans and a little bit more unique.

The body types that do already exist in-game are kinda different from each other, but that doesn’t mean that it’s already diverse. People come in a lot of shapes and sizes, and the current available options only ever really look sleek and not fat. Like yes, there are the bulkier options, but that’s pretty much muscle only. It’s either thin, wide shoulders/wide hips, or bulky.

I don’t think it would be too terrible for them to accommodate for other body types because they kinda just. lazily scale up the armors for bigger body types anyway, and this is especially apparent with the bigger Charr body types. They -can- do it, and they don’t do it too well, but they can.

“There already are plenty of fat body phisque options for humans and norn.” No offense but have you ever seen a fat person before. Not all of them are blocky boulders of gut, as you may have been led to believe.

Maybe it’s because in a world where people are active and running around and fighting and not eating modern refined foods and sugar, very few people are fat.

Bruno.3812:

Maybe it’s because in a world where people are active and running around and fighting and not eating modern refined foods and sugar, very few people are fat.

This just in, folks: capitalism invented fat people.

Smh

Bruno.3812:

Maybe it’s because in a world where people are active and running around and fighting and not eating modern refined foods and sugar, very few people are fat.

Thats not how this works. Thats not how any of this works.

Bruno.3812:

Maybe it’s because in a world where people are active and running around and fighting and not eating modern refined foods and sugar, very few people are fat.

To name a few fictional characters who are pretty much fat and active, running around and fighting:

- Mei-Ling Zhou, from Overwatch
- Roadhog, also from Overwatch
- Hunk, from Voltron: Legendary Defender

In a world where there are frog people who worship the sun, where russian-y mole people exist, beings of light and magic, and -dragons-, you’re telling me that fat people wouldn’t exist… Idk man.

And it’s not as if fat athletes don’t exist in the real world, either. They do sports like football, baseball, weightlifting, etc… Sports that, you know, demand them to be active.

Thanks for your input though

^^^^

Besides, have you ever seen a legitimately strong person? I’m not talking about the bodybuilder type, i’m talking about the actually, naturally strong body type.
There’s a very interesting post on Maui, from Moana, here: http://zabchan.tumblr.com/post/153960796879/maui-is-not-obese

I’d like this for male Norn, maybe! Instead of, you know… Abs, a little less abs, and a lot of abs.

SlayerGT.6805:

Bruno.3812:

Maybe it’s because in a world where people are active and running around and fighting and not eating modern refined foods and sugar, very few people are fat.

This just in, folks: capitalism invented fat people.

Smh

Interesting information I googled just now. Shows how much weight has increased in the last 150 years. Fat people back then were very rare and probably were old, rich and sedentary. What you see in game is more what people have looked like throughout history.

http://voxeu.org/article/100-years-us-obesity

I wasn’t aware tht GW2 is that big on historical accuracy? I mean, you can accept a body type on female humans that literally leaves no room for internal organs, giant horned furries and tiny science rats, but fat people? nooo, how ahistorical!

Idk man, this just kinda feels like you follow the “Fat people? In MY vidya gaem? NEVER!” sentiment, and that’s kinda not so nice of you, bucko

I’m all for more and more varied body shapes.
the muscled body for male humans has chicken legs, we a new one with beefier legs.
make norns need a more human proportioned body too. now only female norns can pass for humans, but not male ones.

Equilibrium.1035:

I wasn’t aware tht GW2 is that big on historical accuracy? I mean, you can accept a body type on female humans that literally leaves no room for internal organs, giant horned furries and tiny science rats, but fat people? nooo, how ahistorical!

Idk man, this just kinda feels like you follow the “Fat people? In MY vidya gaem? NEVER!” sentiment, and that’s kinda not so nice of you, bucko

Or it has to do more with the fact that our GW2 characters pretty much spend their entire existence doing cardio and strength training. I can’t imagine any substantial number of GW2 players being able to run for multiple hours on end in difficult terrains and the likes.

And because of this very fact, people say it kills their immersion when they see a panda-bear 7 foot tall norn male doing feats of acrobatics and sprinting around every second, or some twig-thin female one-shotting people swinging a greatsword twice her size.

But no, clearly this is just people being anti-fat instead of looking for an immersive experience, and demonizing that perspective without asking for why they feel this way is definitely helping your cause.

It’d be a tremendous development effort for something that arguably kills immersion for many, and quite frankly, wouldn’t see as substantial of a return as other major developments such as new wardrobe armor options (non-outfits) which require rigging as well.

Granted, we’re already in Anime Wars 2 with the sheer number of absurd particle effects, glowing items, and wings running around the game so perhaps there’s some justification in saying it’s not even worth trying to care anymore…

exercice isnt enough to lose weight. if you still eat a lot and lots of fat you’ll still be fat. so even if our characters run all the time it’s very likely we can have thicker body shapes. besides if someone wants to have a character like that, why not letting him/her?

You know what kills my immersion?
Tiddy in plate armor bouncing. Not fat people. But I haven’t seen a thread complaining about lack of realism in regards to metal jiggle physics yet, have you?

I wouldn’t mind new body types. I don’t see why we’re flinging around shots like ‘fatphobe’ though. That seems like a quick way to get the thread locked.

Do you want pro-fat people complaining we don’t have fat bodies? cause this is how you get pro-fat people complaining we don’t have fat bodies.

SlayerGT.6805:

@DeceiverX dude if you want “immersion” i think you should play call of duty lmao

Like did you seriously just claim having fat people as powerful heroes ruins immersion while we have had a dragon that was a literal entire jungle and plant people growing on trees and whole continents sunk and raised by magic and…. honestly literally anything you look at in this game?

But noooo inclusivity of this particular type, this one thing, is what would kill the immersion for “many”, ok

I mean yeah nice try bringing up other “unrealistic feats”. You, and apparently many, must have poor imaginations if those bother you too, and in that case you’re, again, playing the wrong game.

Or maybe you’re just fatphobic.

Uh…….

Exercise is pretty much the only way to lose weight, just saying, particularly cardio.

Unless you eat an exorbitant amount of very unhealthy food for the sake of gaining weight, you will get thin doing the amount of running and fighting our characters do.

I’ve already had this discussion before in another thread where someone brought up the sumo lifestyle as a means of suggesting it’s totally reasonable for very overweight individuals to be physically fit; turns out they’re actually terribly unhealthy in general aside from flexibility and strength (neither of which when exercised do anything about body fat) and specifically try to gain weight.

Proper example? Olympic athletes and other endurance performers often eat thousands more calories a day than what a normal human of their stature requires in other professions. Calories are a measure of energy which if we don’t consume or our metabolisms do not waste, get stored into fat.

Frankly, I don’t really care, personally, but a ton of people care about an immersive experience – it’s kind of the purpose of popular ENB’s like SweetFX and the likes, why people care about cosmetics, why people have complained about voice-acting quality which in most games doesn’t even exist, etc., and apparently me even raising that there’s a valid point in this reasoning makes me less of a person with a poor imagination and also a “fatphobe” which isn’t even a thing. I’m not afraid of fat people; two of my closest friends are obese and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest because they’re great people.

And despite being overweight they also recognize the fact that their low metabolic rate which made them husky out of the gates (nature’s a jerk – I can sympathize; I also have a chronic disability with no cure which has put me at a very large disadvantage, fun fact) isn’t solely to blame; they know kitten ed well if they worked out a ton they could lose it, because that’s how science works, and elect not to, because it’s their life and they’d rather spend their time doing other things, and that’s totally cool with me if they’re content with their decisions.

I’m not saying it’s easy to get in shape from being at such a disadvantage, either. It isn’t. But the sheer amount of exercise our characters do justifies a counter-argument on the conceptual level.

Plastering me with negative labels because I just disagreed with you doesn’t help you, or whatever you’re trying to advocate for, either. Frankly, it almost invalidates it when you default to name-calling.

Sarrs.4831:

I wouldn’t mind new body types. I don’t see why we’re flinging around shots like ‘fatphobe’ though. That seems like a quick way to get the thread locked.

And like everyone’s opinion, this is a valid stance you’re more than welcome to have. I decided to argue the contrary because considering the contrary is a part of critical thinking essential when making decisions or suggestions to make improvements or why people may disagree.

Frankly, I’m certainly not reporting what he said because I’d rather people see the post content for what it is and make their own judgments. Though I’m of the nature where I value free speech in its purest forms and only believe in involving authorities when things get way out of line and/or very targeted personal attacks solely designed to make the person feel bad. A false label of something that isn’t even a word?… It’s more comical than anything. Let the rest of the world be the judge of its value or merit of the accusation. I’ll gladly concede when my biology is wrong.

At the end of the day, the nail in the coffin is development resources are more responsibly put towards improving the game and improving revenue on those mechanics within the game (which are currently in desperate need of attention). As said, this would be a huge task given ANet’s past stances, and I’d rather see the integrity of gameplay as a whole be improved over something which only truly influences a small portion of players which could potentially cause revenue losses in the end.

DeceiverX.8361:

Exercise is pretty much the only way to lose weight, just saying, particularly cardio.

lolwat

+1 for the topic at hand though, would love more options if feasible.

Well there is a difference with fat characters and big characters.

What some players are asking for are fat Physique and not big and strong physique. They want to be able to make a character who realisticly would die of heartattack after 20 yards.

I am not gonna lie, I would have created a fat character if I could but mostly for fun.

Hello, everyone!

I also would like to remind you of slender body types. Now I will run for my personal wish (as well as you all have your own ones), since the topic became a bit wide, especially about fat body types:

Slender body types for humans and norns:

Starting from the female characters, there is a lack of option that could let us create a character that both doesn’t have big top or big bottom (or basically they call it banana body type). I mean like – I chose the slimmest body type I could, but the top is still visibly too big, especially in some of the clothes it’s very displaying, which is unfortunately quite shameful for me. There is also an option that is kind of “banana body type”, unfortunately, that one has a slightly big stomach, and I thought that I had no other choice, so I chose the slimmest one.

The male ones are not a big deal (in my perspective), however, they could use a bit of decreased size of their shoulders (as a new option, of course) or whatever people complained about.

Muscular bodies for female characters:

As some of the people here (in this thread) happened to mention female characters from other games, like for example Zarya from Overwatch (the character who theoretically lifts 512 kilos), it truly made me think that that would be a great idea. More visible muscles, wider shoulders and bigger arms could be appreciated. I am convinced there were many female characters in Guild Wars universe that looked quite heroic in those years of war.

Fat body types:

There are many games that represent ancient or medieval times, in which there were obese bosses to defeat. For example (from one of games), a monk that lived on the top of a monastery has a huge supplies of food up there. Most of his time up there, he just ate and drank as much as he could. He became obese and huge, which was quite an improvement for him in combat. He could shake the ground and take many hits on himself (even from a blade). It’s all fictional fantasy, and Guild Wars is a part of it, so creativity is quite fun and excitement. :-)

Edit: I also want to add that Star Wars The Old Republic actually contains slender, muscular (for female characters) and obese body types, as well. Many players use those.

to reply to DeceiverX,

I would just like to add that, some people are built, naturally, to be bigger. No matter how much exercise you do. People’s bodies function differently, and the way our bodies store fat differ from person to person. Like… just because you do a ton of exercise, it doesn’t mean that you’ll have a flat stomach or that you’ll have a six-pack.

Honestly, having literally -everyone- be restricted to different kinds of flat stomachs and six-packs -is- what’s unrealistic. I don’t know if you’ve gone outside much, but people vary, a lot, in shapes and sizes. Even when you go to the gym, the place where people do exercises, and the cardio you’ve been raving about… the people who go there, their bodies are going to be different from one another.

If we were to drop that label you aren’t particularly fond of, it’s still pretty much a thing. People default to thinking that people with a bit more weight on them are unhealthy, and lots of people would just bombard them with “tips” so that they’d look less like they look now. I know this firsthand. I would like to ask you not to treat the word ‘fatphobe’ as meaning, literally, being afraid of fat people. You know better than that. Thinking that the very existence of them, in a video game, mind you, to be baffling—that -is- kind of… you know, not very good. Like, you can bring up all these points and stuff, but in the end, you’re saying that fat people wouldn’t be realistic and wouldn’t belong here, which is… misinformed, to say the least. It might also be beneficial to you if you were to maybe think about it a bit more, why you were called that. Reflecting upon things might help you understand things a bit better, and maybe show things in a different light.

“That’s just how science works” I regret to inform you this, but… The science you talk about, is a bit more complicated than a generalization like that. Not the same thing works for everyone. A person can do as much exercise as they want and not lose weight, and that’s not because they’re not trying! Bodies work differently. The science out there, the information exists and it’s for the general population, but, not every single person that belongs to that population is the same and would respond the same way to what you’ve been suggesting. You may know a bit more about how that science works if you think more about what other people are saying, maybe. Information from just one source about a thing like this leads to having limited knowledge of things, it might be a bit helpful if you consider the side of others

Of course free speech is important, and yes, what everyone says matters. I agree with you on that. That doesn’t mean that that free speech doesn’t come with responsibility, though. You’ve been arguing about, basically, how fat people wouldn’t exist in this universe because, to you, that makes sense. You’re -free- to say that, yes. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s kind of unfair to fat people, though. And now that I’ve provided you with some science—which you seem to be really into, which is why I’ve decided to share it with you—maybe you could think some more about it