Friday Facts #40

[Malkasphia]

I love the new model however...isn't the backstory for the main character that he is a captain of earth's fleet and got separated/marooned on the alien planet...but now he is preparing the fleet to come and colonize the planet?

It would be cool to see him in military outfit to match this...but I understand the friendlier appeal of the new model

[Pigeon039]

If we have colonists later shouldn't we have a female model, although it would proberly only matter for when you have no armor but even with iron armor even your character will be like the Pyro from tf2, impossible to tell what gender. Although it all matters if they think adding different a female model is worth the time and effort.
Edit: spellcheck...

[kovarex]

I love the new model however...isn't the backstory for the main character that he is a captain of earth's fleet and got separated/marooned on the alien planet...but now he is preparing the fleet to come and colonize the planet?

It would be cool to see him in military outfit to match this...but I understand the friendlier appeal of the new model

Well, we have been talking about the story and endgame goal a lot, and all I can say now is, that it will change.
Saving the human world is too lame goal for Factorio

[Nova]

One problem for this whole thing about a female character: It's hard to distingush a female from a male character.
Why? Because most females don't have breasts the size of basketballs [citation needed] and most military or industrial uniforms don't care about showing much cleavage. You won't find the typical female armor from fantasy role playing games in the real world, because the huge open areas of unprotected flesh are a big security risk. And Factorio is realistic. (Well, it's not cartoonish. For example, the assembly machine and the refinery look more steampunk and realistic than the typical RPG. Using a iron plate and two cables to make an electronic circuit is NOT realistic, but you get the idea.)

The game will maybe get a female player model, but I wouldn't give it much priority. Make the first model without a gender and than add two (or more, whatever) in the beta.


Oh, and I like the model in most parts. Looks pretty realistic with big pockets and bags. The player has to survive attacks from gigantic insects, so he should be quite armored. I don't like all the skin-tight armors from other games. Not enough protection. (Oh, and I like the welding helmet for the armored model. Looks very nice.)

Well, we have been talking about the story and endgame goal a lot, and all I can say now is, that it will change.
Saving the human world is too lame goal for Factorio

Please, one thing: Don't have one million open questions at the end of the game. Some are okay, but most things should be answered. Many games I did play just feel like they stopped at the last part of the story and never finished it. And don't forget to explain the biters / creepers. Why do they attack us? Yeah, we pollute their planet, but is there more? Why do we think we have the right to go to their planet and just use it? The colonists are Americans, are they?

[Turtle]

And don't forget to explain the biters / creepers. Why do they attack us? Yeah, we pollute their planet, but is there more? Why do we think we have the right to go to their planet and just use it? The colonists are Americans, are they?

I was thinking about this: What if the natives were somewhat normal (and maybe peaceful) and our pollution mutated them into what they are now, biters/worms. So maybe at the start, you can stand right next to a soon-to-be-biter and it wouldn't attack. I'm picturing some animals like deer, horses, zebras... basically animals we don't really consider dangerous. Obviously they we're on an alien planet, so they would be different animals. When we start to build things and create pollution, they mutate and become aggressive towards us. I suppose the mutation can be contagious to spread biters throughout the map. They are attracted to pollution because they feed on it and want more and more and more.

[ssilk]

You know, I hate forums. I am disgusted by the whole idea of forums. But you guys actually do manage to get me write a reply.

Excellent, so the very first thing you write is an insult to all of us here, and then you continue to attack someone for asking about a female character too even to the point of being sexist and completely disregarding the female part of the playerbase.
Please, ssilk or anyone from the dev team, could you delete the comment? Factorio has a very nice community that does not deserve to be tainted by such hate-overflowing rants.

The community showed more than often in the past, that it can handle that.
For me it is not an insult, it is an opinion from someone, which is quite relaxed - in opposite to Rahjital . That's my opinion as forum member.

[THENIRL]

Wow, very excited for the new player model and animations, it really needed it! You guys have yourselves a wonderful, well-deserved rest!

[SilentSam]

So erm just to re-emphasize something from my last post (which seemed to have kicked the usual beehives... sigh): I was mostly pushing towards keeping the gender neutral/ambigious model (though not just neutral in name only, like Steve). This can probably be achieved with the current WIP model with only very minor alterations IMO. As far as I can tell this the following goals:

• Minimal development impact
• Doesn't exclude women gamers
• Doesn't make "an issue" out of the gender - it's just there and it can be whatever you want it to be

Everyone happy, right?

One thing I am specifically notarguing for is skimpy armor and pink bow ribbons - I don't think anyone wants that.

[FishSandwich]

One thing I am specifically notarguing for is skimpy armor and pink bow ribbons - I don't think anyone wants that.

I wouldn't mind it. ;D

[Tardan]

The gender debate is still very wrong. Why no one calls for a female model for the WIP model? Why only a male model or neutral model? Think about it.

Besides, if it really has what is supposed to be neutral, then simply makes a robot and not a sexless people.

btw: I challenge any Basketball bust, no pink armor. But we see the face, what can be changed and stature. Please but not a doll!

[Nova]

Why no one calls for a female model for the WIP model? Why only a male model or neutral model? Think about it.

Because let's face it: Over 80% of the player base and all (but one?) of the developers in the field of programming and graphics is male. Also it's harder to make a neutral model because you can't use reference material. The number of gender neutral people is pretty low.

[SilentSam]

Sure, it's the easy thing to do, but it's not the right thing to do.

And frankly, in this case the right thing also happens to be pretty damn easy as well. This isn't a fully voice-acted RPG for which a female character would require months of additional VO work.

And of course having a female-only character would be just great but seeing how the gender issue is apparently still not unlike pulling teeth, I'll take a reasonable compromise over the status quo.

[Sander Buruma]

I'd be happy with an option to choose between a male/female avatar, as long as they are presented in a dignified manner (ie. the female avatar is not a barbie doll with a few ribbons for clothing).

[RawCode]

i just see no reason, why game must have female\child\gay\allien\babtist avatar.
Just as i dont understand why games like mass effect or dragon age implements "romance" including gay choises.

This is not "rant" after felale character other stupid options will be requested

[Gammro]

You're now going into slippery slope fallacy area.

People(in this case women) want a sprite they can identify with. The game in it's current form has a gender-neutral sprite. You can make it anything you want to be. The proposed new sprite is just male. I can understand people requesting the addition of a second sprite or a more neutral sprite, because in some way is the new sprite regression.

Nobody said they would boycott the game if there won't be a female sprite, but it's a request. And you can think that request is stupid, just like I thought some of the requests were stupid in the suggestions forum(some enough for me to warrant a reply, but let's not get into that).

Thing is: people have preferences, and people don't request a big titted barbie doll, but a female sprite the female part of the players can also identify with.

As far as the (optional) gay/alien romance subplot in Mass Effect: it was something the developers wanted to do, so I don't see why they shouldn't have. The only thing I think they shouldn't have done is the ending of ME3.

[Nova]

Choosing between a male and a female character is very important for Mass Effect and a key element for the game. Removing it there would change the feeling of the game.

Maybe we will get some kind of "Choose a starting character with small differences, like '+5% energy from every solar array' or '-5% biter HP' and play the game with him/her"...

[cube]

The model might not be gender neutral, but the sprite will be. From the top-down perspective and at 16px height you wouldn't be able to notice any boobs even if it was Lara Croft. The story so far says only that you are a human (IMHO, it was android last year), so don't fret about this.

aka13, please try to keep it down a little bit.

[Frostbrynger]

Personally I think this actually looks pretty neutral. I saw lots of women in protection-suits in my life and they actually look a lot like this. To be fair, without introducing codpieces for men and giant breats pieces for women it's actually pretty difficult not having a gender-neutral character model. The protection armour equalizes any difference.

[Thourion]

... From the top-down perspective and at 16px height you wouldn't be able to notice any boobs even if it was Lara Croft...

This comment made my day

[Seelo]

Am I a damage to the community by thinking that old "power ranger" model was cute, and has become somewhat cannon? I'll simply miss it when it's gone. (Modders, I am looking at you to make old ranger available even after introduction of a new model )

Anyway, can't wait to get my hands on multiplayer. Maybe by teamwork I'll finally progress to oil processing and further without getting eaten by the biters.