Gender Roles And The Classes

[Halinmonk]

Does it feel to anyone else like certain classes where meant to be played as certain genders? To me, it always felt especially like the Consular and Inquisitor and maybe Smuggler where meant to be played as women. That's just the feel I get from the classes in question :/

[CloudCastle]

I sometimes think the agent was "meant" to be played as a male, in the way the story fits a certain James Bond-ish archetype. I'm almost done with the class playing a female agent, and I have a low level male agent I've played a little bit.

 

When my female agent met Kaliyo, the conversation felt like stuff was "missing"....like I was looking through a mirror the wrong way or something. It was obvious that she was supposed to be flirting with the agent in that first conversation, but nothing but the vague outline of what was supposed to be there was there.

 

Then I met her with my male agent and I was like, "Ahhh..so this is what it's supposed to be like." Tons of sexual tension and dangerous banter back and forth. It felt like I was finally seeing the "real" conversation that it had been designed for.

 

Same thing happened at a certain point with a conversation I had with Watcher 2. The whole conversation felt forced and like they were talking about n-o-t-h-i-n-g. I sat there thinking, "something is supposed to be going on here that I'm missing...I bet this is where the male agent gets to 'black screen' her." Don't know if I'm right, but I guess I'll find out when my male agent gets there.

 

Smuggler works well I think with either gender.

Edited May 4, 2012 by CloudCastle

[DeutschGamer]

Does it feel to anyone else like certain classes where meant to be played as certain genders? To me, it always felt especially like the Consular and Inquisitor and maybe Smuggler where meant to be played as women. That's just the feel I get from the classes in question :/

 

Are you kidding me?

 

Smuggler is the class of Han Solo, the ladies man of the galaxy. Its pure male, we get tons more flirt options and classic smuggler speak than women do.

 

Consulars are meant for females though. I don't care about the voice actor, a peaceful scholar seems to fit the female more than the action-packed JK.

[bright_ephemera]

The Sith Warrior is really made for men. It's a bizarrely sexless sausagefest; women are a vanishingly small minority and they can't, ah, take advantage of the situation.

[Kalterien]

Given that SW has 2, count them 2, full romance options for the male provided you turn Jaesa, I'd say that that particular class was designed to be male. Half the time, I felt like I'm missing a little more something when I was playing on my female SW, heck, even that ONE scene that all warriors have an axe to grind with felt weird with the dialogue choices.

 

IA, which I haven't finished yet, does feel very James Bond-esque, and leans strongly to being supposed to be a male centric story.

 

Smuggler was designed to be the "Han Solo" clone so it would reason that it would be a male character, but as to the rest, and I've finished playing a female JC and watched my hubby play the male JC it's kind of up in the air.

[Halinmonk]

I feel like the smuggler was meant to be played as a female because of Corso, largely

[Khalhazar]

I have seen both male and female agent, and it works equally well for both. Perhaps a bit better for female because of the superior romance option. Same for the BH. I've only seen female SW, so can't compare.

[Birna]

I feel like the smuggler was meant to be played as a female because of Corso, largely

 

Corso is why I will never play a female smuggler again. That said, I think that class works pretty well as either gender. It IS the Han Solo class, though, so I suspect most people are still going to think of it as a "male" class.

[Mutive]

I feel like the smuggler was meant to be played as a female because of Corso, largely

 

I felt the same way. I mean, you can sleep with what, two of the chapter villains in that storyline as a woman? (While watching Corso flip out?) It definitely felt like it worked well with a female character for me.

 

Agree on agent, too, regarding that there are all these spots that you can just tell aren't quite right on a female agent. (Like the crazy chemistry with Kaliyo and Temple - who I suspect my female agent has slept with despite what the game has told me, and the bromance with Vector followed by kind of awkward come ons. Not to mention the ending...)

[Prisoner]

I've played a smuggler to level 45, and that class plays really well with female toons. Even though Corso isn't my type (in fact, he's about the opposite of my type), I totally enjoy taking every single fling option (four so far) while simultaneously stringing him along and watching him explode in fits of jealousy. The glorious trainwreck of it all is extremely amusing. The voice acting is amazing too and at no time while I was playing did I ever think "Wow, this was really more designed for the boys." Plus the female smuggler gets to sex up two of the chapter villains if you chose and it's so freaking hilarious when you do (especially Skavik).

 

The trooper plays really well for female toons too, and for the most part I don't notice any big difference. But there were a couple of glaring moments that stand out where it's pretty obvious that they had the boys in mind over the ladies. The importance of Jaxo is one - and given the fact that until the 1.2 patch, you couldn't really get to know her enough as a female toon to really care one way or another about what happens to her at a key moment in the game. The lack of a fling with Jonas Balkar is another. I mean, seriously, ***? That just seems like laziness on their part. But otherwise, it seems pretty balanced so far, up to level 47 anyways - but I think a lot of that is due to the stellar voice acting.

 

But the Jedi Knight class? That really feels like they had the boys in mind much more than the girls. Everything from the fact that dude toons can have a fling before they even leave the starting planet while the ladies don't seem to get the option to flirt EVER (or at least until Doc shows up), to the animations when my character is talking in dialogue, to the robes that only look good on dudes with big shoulders, screams that they didn't put much thought in for the ladies. Which is a shame, really.

 

I have other toons but haven't played them high enough to tell.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Prisoner

[grania]

From my point of view they mostly all felt like they were meant for guys, except a couple maybe where I don't feel like I'm a man in a woman's body. Inq and Smuggler feel like it could go either way. The consular feels utterly sexless.

 

Of course the trooper feels the most like I'm playing a guy, I've always said the more manly I am the more Aric likes me. Even the actress delivers her lines as low as a female voice can naturally go. :| Then the female warrior whose husband does something a husband really ought not to do; just didn't feel like it had women in mind there. And I agree with everything that has been said about the agent - that pointless conversation with watcher 2 is a good example.

 

The flirts are pretty telling - if I feel awkward and embarrassed by the flirts I figure it's because the writer didn't have a very good grasp on the female perspective. But I understand, I'm not sure I'd pull off writing a very good male character either.

[Katahn]

I think girls get the better of the deal with the Sith Warrior and Sith Inquisitor - although only barely. Quinn is a fantastic match for any "loyalist" type warrior and that he's a healer is a real bonus for ladies when romancing him. Conversely males get two romance options, one for each alignment, and both are DPS. Not bad for a Juggernaut Tank, but I would think the healer would be a better option for the DPS Jugg or Marauders.

 

Inquisitor ladies get to romance the definitely-dark-and-very-sexily-voiced Andronikos where the males get a togruta with delusions of still being a jedi.

 

Bounty Hunter guys get Mako (a healer) to romance which is great for everyone but a mercenary healer. The ladies get the ranged DPS companion (forget his name - he's a crafting/mission bot for my Powertech). The only downside with Mako is she's basically LS so if you want to be a DS Hunter it can get rough.

 

Agents get a wonderful romance option with Kaliyo if male (and fairly dark) whereas females get Vector who has his own rather impressive charms. The Agent is based off of "James Bond in Space" so I'd say this tilts ever so slightly to the boys.

 

For the Jedi, based mostly on reading spoilers, I'd have to say the guys get the better deal on the romances. I think the girls do better with Aric as a romanceable companions than the trooper boys do with Ms Former-Imperial but I can't really call it. Smugglers... tilt slightly to the boys only because the clear inspiration for the class was Han Solo.

[grania]

to the animations when my character is talking in dialogue

 

Good point, I was noticing this on my knight as well, who by the way is body type 4. Now I don't personally have a bazoom as large as hers, but I've been friends with a few girls who do, and they never stood with their chests puffed out the way the femknight does.

[Halinmonk]

I feel like Zash's interaction with the Inquisitor Character was designed with a female toon in mind. I just can't imagine it with a male...it seems out of place.

[Pythoris]

Strange, the Inquisitor role seems more like the ideal class for a male to me, romance-wise.

 

Andronikus Revel seemed too cookie-cutter as a romance figure. Oh wow, he's a dark pirate with a sordid past. A so-called sexy outlaw. That's never been done before. It seems like as a romance option he was just an afterthought. Heck, it seems like as a character he was an afterthought! I'd sooner romance Talos Drellik. At least he's funny, pleasant and interesting.

 

As for Ashara, this is the real forbidden fruit. A jedi and a sith!? In love!? Holy crap. I mean, Ashara truly sees herself as a jedi. And the Inquisitor is as sith as sith can get. So those two being in love is a huge no-no to both of ther cultures and ideals. My Inquisitor is somewhat light-sided. He's not cruel but he's still power-hungry, and he's really in love with Ashara. Also, Ashara keeps his heart anchored in the light, regardless of how deep it may stray into shadow. On the other hand, Ashara questions blind loyalty to the light now that she knows my Inquisitor. A true character development plot for both characters, unlike how it would be if a female romances Andronikus, who'd relish the ground she walked on regardless of whatever decisions she made.

 

lol Oh, don't mind me. Just my humble opinion. I just love the romance between my Inquisitor and Ashara. It's so darn cute, like a tiger being in love with a lamb. I hope the expansion for this game comes soon, I can't wait to see what the future holds for this romance.

[Prisoner]

Of course the trooper feels the most like I'm playing a guy, I've always said the more manly I am the more Aric likes me. Even the actress delivers her lines as low as a female voice can naturally go. :|

 

Personally, I didn't get that vibe from playing through the romance, which along with Garrus from ME 3, is probably my favorite Bioware hook up. I mean sure, he likes people who are professional and no bs who can stand up to him, but none of those are particularly masculine traits. My female trooper always felt entirely feminine to me, even with her curt animations and with her body type four she looked damned good wearing heavy armor. And I have to admit, that I've always loved Jen Hale because she so good at doing a commanding voice. I guess it's probably just one of those things where YMMV.

 

For the Jedi, based mostly on reading spoilers, I'd have to say the guys get the better deal on the romances.

 

It seems to me, from what I've seen of them so far that both female and male Jedi Knights get a better deal overall than male and female Jedi Consular's. I mean, Kira is pretty cool, cool enough that I can't wait to see how she reacts to a mostly darkside make JK. And Doc, from what I've seen, is pretty hilarious. Whereas the JC romances are just trainwrecks all around.

 

I mean, female JC gets a fling with a dude who dumps her for his holographic girlfriend (ewwww, but also sort of hilarious) and a guy who seems like a nice dude, but I hear is rather boring. Male JC gets Nadia, which after watching that on youtube, I have to admit that I was seriously disturbed by the whole thing.

 

Good point, I was noticing this on my knight as well, who by the way is body type 4. Now I don't personally have a bazoom as large as hers, but I've been friends with a few girls who do, and they never stood with their chests puffed out the way the femknight does.

 

Yeah, it's even noticeable with my JK which is a totally tiny body type 1. The way she stands half of the time (chest puffed out, hands on hips) and her gestures and stuff just look so weird half of the time.

[Mirandel]

From my point of view they mostly all felt like they were meant for guys, except a couple maybe where I don't feel like I'm a man in a woman's body. Inq and Smuggler feel like it could go either way. The consular feels utterly sexless.

 

....

 

The flirts are pretty telling - if I feel awkward and embarrassed by the flirts I figure it's because the writer didn't have a very good grasp on the female perspective. But I understand, I'm not sure I'd pull off writing a very good male character either.

 

Perfectly said! Agree with every word. Even in most fem-romances it's steel feels more like you play a man's role. Was it a problem to get more female writers?

[Gwena]

It is largely a matter of opinion, but I do agree that some classes can be seen as more for one gender than the other.

 

Personally, I find that a lot of people think Consulars (and Inquisitors, I suppose) are better suited to being played as female characters -- due to said people having an aversion to males in "lower robes", or a belief that the peaceful mage-ish thing is more suited to females -- but not necessarily by female players. Though I don't think the Consular class favors either gender, really. Each gets one romance option, and both come late in the game. Iresso may come before Nadia, but, well, let's just say that he is not one of the more beloved romance options for the ladies playing the game. And as far as flings and flirting goes, both genders seem to be rather . . . monk like. xD

 

I do agree that Smuggler, IA, and SW are designed with a bias for males, simply because they each have two full companion romance arcs available. That said, as a female player I plan to get all three to 50 eventually. Sure, some interactions on my Smuggler seemed like they would have been funnier or more flirty as a male character, but it wasn't a big deal to me. Plus, the Corso romance was really cute and though some may hate it, it is one of the more popular romance options for females IMHO. It really depends on how you want to play your character, though.

[elliotcat]

I feel like smuggler was designed for guys, because of Risha.

 

 

Prim princess-without-a-kingdom whose defenses you have to break down and then she loves you? Sounds familiar!

 

 

I think it was designed for people who wanted to basically be Han. Personally I liked playing a girl because I DIDN'T feel like I had to be Girl Han Solo, but that's just my $.02.

[Katahn]

For Inquisitors if you are playing to the classic darksided alignment it is considerably easier to build affection with Andronikos than it is Ashara. Ashara is a lot more challenging to preserve a pure-darksided character with while building affection without having to resort to handing over a lot of gifts. So while I concede she can be seen as the more interesting character by some I found her to be rather unbelievable as a companion for my rather psychopathic and sadistic sith assassin. My judgement that romances work out a bit better for the girls as inquisitors is based purely on the ease of building affection while playing to the archetypal alignment of the class.

 

Sith Warriors do a lot better in this regard with the fact that they have two romance options and one for each of the major alignments. Vette is great for a grey or lightsided warrior and she's funny, spunky, sassy, and did I mention funny? Meanwhile darkside Jaesa is easily a match for even the most psychotic of darksided warriors. Quinn is the sole option for the ladies and while he can work quite well for a darksided warrior he has his own problems that I can't discuss outside of the spoilers section. So the guys do win here, for sure.

[grania]

I liked Vette. I never got the sense that the actress assumed she was talking to a guy, she conveyed the "little sister" vibe very well.

[Birna]

Man, I never felt like my JK was supposed to be a dude. I found nothing at all odd about the way she stands or gestures, apparently I am super masculine in real life?

 

It IS dumb the dudes get a fling on Tython and the ladies get a ... slumber party or something. And it is 100% bullcrap that my lady JK got a bunch of DS points for making kissy face with Doc while the male JK can romance Kira without any. But neither of those things made me think "man, this would be better as a dude." JK is probably one of the classes I have no interest in even trying as a dude, even!

[Fordel]

The IA, while not bad as a lady, really does feel like it was built for a male lead. There are a lot of moments so far on my lady Agent where I feel like I am just missing 'stuff' in convos. Little gaps where you know the male Agent is probably having a moment.

[elliotcat]

I liked Vette. I never got the sense that the actress assumed she was talking to a guy, she conveyed the "little sister" vibe very well.

 

This, 100%. My SW is only level 10, but playing a LS girl warrior is so fun with Vette. Sometimes both she and my warrior will strike a "girl power" type pose and it's just so fun. She's really the perfect compliment to a woman LS warrior, imho.

[bright_ephemera]

She's really the perfect compliment to a woman LS warrior, imho.

 

Oh, yes, Vette's little-sister act - and I actually got to go party with her! - was just about the only girl bonding a female SW gets in the entire campaign. I guess I don't know how friendly DS Jaesa would've gotten...