Could we get a confirmed list of requirements for potential future playable Species?

[Altyrell]

As the Title says, would it be possible to get a list of the requirements in determining which Species has the potential of being made Playable? Cause we already know that "Must be able to speak Basic" is one of the requirements, but what are the other ones? Some people have said that a Species must be Romanceable as a requirement but I remember (from back during the beginning months/before the game was released era) that the Romance Comment was simply a off-handed joke made during a side conversation at a booth during one of the early conventions. Edited May 14, 2015 by Altyrell

[branmakmuffin]

You know what the requirements are. We all know what they are. At this point, posts like yours are simply trolling.

[Anaesha]

As the Title says, would it be possible to get a list of the requirements in determining which Species has the potential of being made Playable? Cause we already know that "Must be able to speak Basic" is one of the requirements, but what are the other ones? Some people have said that a Species must be Romanceable as a requirement but I remember (from back during the beginning months/before the game was released era) that the Romance Comment was simply a off-handed joke made during a side conversation at a booth during one of the early conventions.

 

Even ignoring the other three.

 

Must work with existing armors

Must work for all classes + Companions

Must work for romances (meant as a joke or not it's important)

 

I think the Must speak basic is the only one that REALLY matters. I get annoyed talking or listening to the non-basic speaking comps I don't want my char doing that.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Anaesha

[OddballEasyEight]

Even ignoring the other three.

 

Must work with existing armors

Must work for all classes + Companions

Must work for romances (meant as a joke or not it's important)

 

I think the Must speak basic is the only one that REALLY matters. I get annoyed talking or listening to the non-basic speaking comps I don't want my char doing that.

 

Don't forget "must fit into the 4 character sizes" so they fit in the cutscenes without having to remake all the cutscenes.

This rules out wookies, trandoshians, jawas and other oft-requested species.

[Darth-Obvious]

As the Title says, would it be possible to get a list of the requirements in determining which Species has the potential of being made Playable? Cause we already know that "Must be able to speak Basic" is one of the requirements, but what are the other ones? Some people have said that a Species must be Romanceable as a requirement but I remember (from back during the beginning months/before the game was released era) that the Romance Comment was simply a off-handed joke made during a side conversation at a booth during one of the early conventions.

 

Seriously, you "had" to make this topic? There aren't enough current topics about species where it's become completely obvious as to what's required at this point?

 

First off you know Bioware isn't going to respond, so why bother asking? Second the only reason you're asking is to validate your own opinion which is just greedy and selfish.

 

You're so completely transparent in all of this. There's a specific species you want to see playable that multiple people have no doubt pointed out the problems in making them playable but instead of listening you just want to stick your fingers in your ears and shake your head because Bioware isn't responding directly to you. Well guess what there are always going to be things that people just know without the company making an official statement about it. For instance SWTOR is poorly optimized. Bioware has never officially said it, but we all know it don't we?

Edited May 14, 2015 by Darth-Obvious

[Anaesha]

Don't forget "must fit into the 4 character sizes" so they fit in the cutscenes without having to remake all the cutscenes.

This rules out wookies, trandoshians, jawas and other oft-requested species.

 

True true I forgot about that.

[Altyrell]

Ok for the record THIS ISN'T A TROLL THREAD nor is it meant to be one. I simply asked a freaking question, not trolling nor intending to troll, just a simple freaking question.

 

Seriously, you "had" to make this topic? There aren't enough current topics about species where it's become completely obvious as to what's required at this point?

 

First off you know Bioware isn't going to respond, so why bother asking? Second the only reason you're asking is to validate your own opinion which is just greedy and selfish.

 

You're so completely transparent in all of this. There's a specific species you want to see playable that multiple people have no doubt pointed out the problems in making them playable but instead of listening you just want to stick your fingers in your ears and shake your head because Bioware isn't responding directly to you. Well guess what there are always going to be things that people just know without the company making an official statement about it. For instance SWTOR is poorly optimized. Bioware has never officially said it, but we all know it don't we?

 

Ok, so which Species is it that YOU thijnk that I want added? Cause I mean you so clearly and obviously know for a fact, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you are 100% certain to know exactly what I am thinking. By the way, that was sarcasm because i, AM NOT asking nor requesting a specific species nor did I ask or mention any specific species in this thread. I, truthfully could give a rodent's behind whether we got any new species beyond the incoming Togruta, because for all I care, they could announce that after Togruta they won't be adding any new playable species and you know what, I would be perfectly on that decision.

 

The ONLY thing I was asking was for a concrete criteria that others can say "these are the actual criteria the Dev Team uses when determining the viability of a Species being made playable" and not have people assuming that they, themselves, know the exact criteria.

[XiamaraSimi]

Don't forget "must fit into the 4 character sizes" so they fit in the cutscenes without having to remake all the cutscenes.

This rules out wookies, trandoshians, jawas and other oft-requested species.

 

Every single time someone starts demanding to be able to be a jawa i get a image in my head of a cut scene where it pans dramatically over to the desk the player is standing behind, where just the tip of its jawa robe is showing

 

As for wookiees, play Dragon Age Origins, and get the Shale golem companion, and giggle at the conversation screens where her head is cut off...

[DOHboy]

Ok for the record THIS ISN'T A TROLL THREAD nor is it meant to be one. I simply asked a freaking question, not trolling nor intending to troll, just a simple freaking question.

 

 

 

Ok, so which Species is it that YOU thijnk that I want added? Cause I mean you so clearly and obviously know for a fact, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you are 100% certain to know exactly what I am thinking. By the way, that was sarcasm because i, AM NOT asking nor requesting a specific species nor did I ask or mention any specific species in this thread. I, truthfully could give a rodent's behind whether we got any new species beyond the incoming Togruta, because for all I care, they could announce that after Togruta they won't be adding any new playable species and you know what, I would be perfectly on that decision.

 

The ONLY thing I was asking was for a concrete criteria that others can say "these are the actual criteria the Dev Team uses when determining the viability of a Species being made playable" and not have people assuming that they, themselves, know the exact criteria.

 

the only one that matters....The species they think they can implement and make money on.

[ZionHalcyon]

Any thread asking for confirmation of anything from the developers is laughable.

 

Don't you know who runs this game?

 

Its the G_D BioWare; they don't confirm spit until its a day away from hitting test center.

[Anaesha]

Every single time someone starts demanding to be able to be a jawa i get a image in my head of a cut scene where it pans dramatically over to the desk the player is standing behind, where just the tip of its jawa robe is showing

 

As for wookiees, play Dragon Age Origins, and get the Shale golem companion, and giggle at the conversation screens where her head is cut off...

 

http://i.imgur.com/1vCiRAO.jpg

[branmakmuffin]

The ONLY thing I was asking was for a concrete criteria that others can say "these are the actual criteria the Dev Team uses when determining the viability of a Species being made playable" and not have people assuming that they, themselves, know the exact criteria.

There doesn't have to be an actual "Princess Leia kiss test" to realize that the romance option precludes every current non-player race I can think of except Voss, which people say won't work for other reasons, and Togruta, which apparently are on their way.

[Malastare]

would it be possible to get a list of the requirements in determining which Species has the potential of being made Playable? Cause we already know that "Must be able to speak Basic" is one of the requirements, but what are the other ones? Some people have said that a Species must be Romanceable as a requirement but I remember (from back during the beginning months/before the game was released era) that the Romance Comment was simply a off-handed joke made during a side conversation at a booth during one of the early conventions.

 

No.

 

Ignoring the very strong possibility that this thread is more concerned with gathering ammunition for arguments than getting honest information, the truth of the matter is that there very likely are no concrete rules on what can and can't be used. The selection is likely a discussion, weighing positive and negative factors. Some rules probably are strict, others can be bent.

 

From what we have heard so far, they look something like this:

 

• The species must fit existing body models. This wouldn't mean that they would need to use every body shape, but that the shapes they do use would need to conform to the existing dimensions. There are quests/achievements/datacrons that limit how much they can diverge with body shape. For example, I believe if wookiees were implemented with the same dimensions as Bowdaar, at least one datacron would be inaccessible. If jawas were implemented, many datacrons would be inaccessible and some quests would be impossible to complete.
  
• The species must work with existing class voices. This is a more specific version of the "must speak Basic" rule. We've heard zero indications that Bioware ever plans to record a new set of class voices (for every class) just to support a new species. So, the species would need to work what what exists. This might be able to be bent by using real-time modification to support something like the Kel Dor.
  
• The species must be able to use existing equipment. Bioware seems unlikely to generate new models to support a single species. So, while Selonians might fit the normal body shapes, their tails would not worth with a lot of equipment. Even exaggerations are a problem. While a Rakata or Fleshraider might appear to work with normal body models, their head shapes will interfere with many pieces of armor (even more than Twi'leks and Togruta).
  
• The species needs to be able to properly support both male and female members.
  
• The species should have an appearance which is capable of displaying a range of emotions. Again, a great counterexample are Jawas.
  
• The species must be approved for all classes by LucasArts. This might be able to be bent a bit, in that there is code to restrict species from classes, but Bioware is unlikely to pick a class that could only be used for half the classes. For example: Wookiees are currently restricted from being Force users. In other cases, races have particular restrictions that prevent them from integrating with the story or game mechanics. Yoda's species cannot be examined or even named. Jawas cannot have their faces shown.
  

 

Additionally, there are a bunch of things that Bioware clearly wants a species to have, even if they aren't requirements:

 

• The species should have a decent variety of customizations beyond equipment. Sorry Jawas.
  
• The species should fit into the lore of the game. This is a point against the Voss, but clearly not a hard restriction.
  

 

I could probably fill in more details with more time, but that's a good start. I'm totally sure you're not going to try and twist this to aggressively argue for/against some species you're emotionally attached to.

[Darth-Obvious]

Ok for the record THIS ISN'T A TROLL THREAD nor is it meant to be one. I simply asked a freaking question, not trolling nor intending to troll, just a simple freaking question.

 

People call it a troll thread because it's completely pointless, and you're not asking a simple question either.

 

Ok, so which Species is it that YOU thijnk that I want added? Cause I mean you so clearly and obviously know for a fact, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you are 100% certain to know exactly what I am thinking. By the way, that was sarcasm because i, AM NOT asking nor requesting a specific species nor did I ask or mention any specific species in this thread. I, truthfully could give a rodent's behind whether we got any new species beyond the incoming Togruta, because for all I care, they could announce that after Togruta they won't be adding any new playable species and you know what, I would be perfectly on that decision.

 

Nice try genius, but the fact that you made the thread to begin with and are now passionate in your response shows that you do in fact care.

 

You have a specific species in mind that you want to see that people have told you isn't doable. If that wasn't the case you'd have no reason to make this thread because based off what you said you don't care enough about it.

 

The ONLY thing I was asking was for a concrete criteria that others can say "these are the actual criteria the Dev Team uses when determining the viability of a Species being made playable" and not have people assuming that they, themselves, know the exact criteria.

 

Once again, not everything needs a dev response. This goes back to you being greedy and selfish trying validate your own opinion. Like I said before, people know that the game is poorly optimized, we don't need an official statement to confirm that. We don't need Bioware to confirm that certain certain weapons, armor sets, etc, are coming to the game when the SWTOR Miner posts them on Twitter months in advance.

 

The cutscenes in this game are all framed at a specific X and Y positions. We don't need a response from Bioware saying that's the case, because that's how cutscenes work in video games in general.

 

Anybody who's worked on mods for games like Skyrim could easily tell what sort of complications would arise from making a player character taller or shorter, or what it takes to make existing armor sets fit a new mesh/skeleton, or what's required to map/rig animations to a skeleton.

 

This whiny cry baby mentality of yours is completely pointless when we live in a point and time where more and more people are studying game design, or more and more people know how to manipulate software.

[Malastare]

There doesn't have to be an actual "Princess Leia kiss test" to realize that the romance option precludes every current non-player race I can think of except Voss, which people say won't work for other reasons, and Togruta, which apparently are on their way.

 

There are plenty of races that fit just as well as the Voss and Togruta:

 

Nautolan: Humanoid faces from the nose down, eyes are weird but not romance-incompatible.

Chagrian: As humanoid as Togruta

Devaronian: Only issue is a lack of female examples

Pau'an: Granted, the teeth might be an issue.

 

A few that you can probably argue one way or another:

 

Bith: I mean... it sorta works

Duros: Works better than the Bith...

Sullustan: There's no accounting for taste.

 

And a few human-variants:

 

Arkanians: White humans

Zeltron: Pink humans

Hapan: Prettier humans

[Henge_Wolf]

Don't forget "must fit into the 4 character sizes" so they fit in the cutscenes without having to remake all the cutscenes.

This rules out wookies, trandoshians, jawas and other oft-requested species.

 

This is the big one, imo. I actually love listening to Qyzen talk, so the "must speak basic" requirement grates a bit. Same with the romance angle, I don't use it even when I have the option (though my heart melted when my female jedi kissed the female scientist on Makeb ) so overall no loss there either.

 

But the size thing. It just won't work. It's one of the major sacrifices for making a game with an engaging cut-scene based storyline. There are other reasons why big/small characters are dumb (think giant speeders for wookies and tiny ones for jawas), but this is the dealbreaker.

 

Just the facts as I see it.

[xyrmagus]

Not going to lie, I'd pay a silly amount of money to be able to play as a Voss...

 

(If there's one thing that will motivate them, it's money!)

Edited May 14, 2015 by xyrmagus

[OddballEasyEight]

This is the big one, imo. I actually love listening to Qyzen talk, so the "must speak basic" requirement grates a bit. Same with the romance angle, I don't use it even when I have the option (though my heart melted when my female jedi kissed the female scientist on Makeb ) so overall no loss there either.

 

But the size thing. It just won't work. It's one of the major sacrifices for making a game with an engaging cut-scene based storyline. There are other reasons why big/small characters are dumb (think giant speeders for wookies and tiny ones for jawas), but this is the dealbreaker.

 

Just the facts as I see it.

 

Yup... just try to imagine your character the size of a Wookiee or a Jawa for the next 10 cutscenes.

 

I bet you'll have a headless wookiee and a lot of "empty" cutscenes with the jawa...

[OranoQuanteras]

For example: Wookiees are currently restricted from being Force users.

Is this restriction exclusive to TOR?

The reason I ask is because... http://www.starwars.com/databank/gungi

[Isaacone]

Not going to lie, I'd pay a silly amount of money to be able to play as a Voss...

 

(If there's one thing that will motivate them, it's money!)

 

I would too. Thats really the only species that I want to play as.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Isaacone
Fixed a typo. said class when I meant to say species

[wjrasmussen]

As the Title says, would it be possible to get a list of the requirements in determining which Species has the potential of being made Playable? Cause we already know that "Must be able to speak Basic" is one of the requirements, but what are the other ones? Some people have said that a Species must be Romanceable as a requirement but I remember (from back during the beginning months/before the game was released era) that the Romance Comment was simply a off-handed joke made during a side conversation at a booth during one of the early conventions.

 

Personally, I think anything that could be a companion should be a playable species.

[TheSeventhJedi]

I dunno - even if it is a troll post, it'd be interesting to see a definitive list beyond the obvious. For instance, we're getting Togruta, so the clipping thing might not be a deal breaker. Maybe if we had a gold post saying once in for all what was on the wall of crazy, and what was in the garbage, it might make Cel Cawdro's actual good thread more interesting.

[Altyrell]

I dunno - even if it is a troll post, it'd be interesting to see a definitive list beyond the obvious. For instance, we're getting Togruta, so the clipping thing might not be a deal breaker. Maybe if we had a gold post saying once in for all what was on the wall of crazy, and what was in the garbage, it might make Cel Cawdro's actual good thread more interesting.

 

Exactly cause before Togruta was announced, Clipping (to players) was possibly a deal breaker (or on the list of things that the Devs look at when determining whether a Species is playable or not) but with the Togruta being announced, it gives rise to the possibility of Chagrian and to a lesser extent Nautolans. And what we might think is "obviously on the list" like how some believe Romance as being on the list of determining factors even though back towards the beginning of the game, it was revealed that was a joke even though some claim that it is still a factor. So like was asked, having a list made by a Gold it would help narrow down people's hopes & narrow down Cel Cawdro's epic thread on what Species really has a chance and what ones don't.

[Sala]

Requirements are as follows.

 

It will have to be alive/living.

It must have skin.

It must have eye's.

It must have some sort of mouth.

it must have some sort of appendages/limbs.

[Darth-Obvious]

I dunno - even if it is a troll post, it'd be interesting to see a definitive list beyond the obvious. For instance, we're getting Togruta, so the clipping thing might not be a deal breaker. Maybe if we had a gold post saying once in for all what was on the wall of crazy, and what was in the garbage, it might make Cel Cawdro's actual good thread more interesting.

 

........................

 

http://torwars.com/2013/01/18/torwars-dev-watch-1182013/

 

Making an alien race fully human playable is a huge amount of work, at least if you want to give players the level of customization options that they have come to expect. It takes a lot of work to make all of the customization options work together and look good, while still ensuring people still can find looks that are unique to each other.

 

The Togruta provide a unique problem in this regard, in regards to the tentacles. Yes, the Twi’leks have tentacles too, but they are typically behind the player, whereas the Togruta’s canonically drape across the front of the character. This means that they struggle to work with the existing animations and gear without clipping — indeed, the first screenshot you see for Ashara if you google her is one with her chin ridiculously clipping through her tentacle. While this may be acceptable for a companion who is frequently offscreen while fighting, or NPCs who we can dress and pose carefully, its much more problematic for player characters who need to be able to wear anything and perform any animation and still look good. (The Twi’leks clip somewhat as well, but much art was tweaked to make this a lot less prevalent than it otherwise would have been)

 

I’m not trying to pour cold water in the species discussion. Quite the opposite – if the Cathar do well, I hope to expand your options even more, and we should know the answer to that ‘soonish’. I just don’t want anyone to think that just because an alien is currently in the game as an NPC, that it is trivial to turn it into player art — it’s a TON of work to do that, and do it well.

 

Here's the thing. It's not impossible to make anything in the game playable. In the PC version of GTA5 you can easily turn yourself into anything that exist in the game like a chicken, cow, whale, etc, and still play the game (sort of) but here's the thing for SWTOR, GTA, Skyrim, or any other game, and that is does the game still work as intended with those changes and the answer is no.

 

- Could species like Wookies, Jawas, etc, function properly in the game as it is now without Bioware having to do a massive amount of work? No.

 

- Can something like the Togruta? Yes.

 

You wanna know what the requirements are for future playable species? It's one thing, one simple thing. Would the species require Bioware to go back and alter any cutscenes? If the answer is yes then they're never going to be playable. It's that simple. Bioware Austin as it is right now is never going to spend the time, money, and resources that would require Wookies to become playable on a new species because there's no way to turn a profit on that investment. It currently is not possible for something like Wookies (Trandos, Jawas, etc) to return a profit on their resource investment. There's always going to be something else (Story Content, etc) that has more potential to make more money than a playable race that would require a huge amount of work.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Darth-Obvious