[V7.0.0] Gender neutral commander - not really a bug but don't know where else to file this

[juslovemusic]

Full disclosure - I am a biological male. It occurred to me while playing through the tutorial in the first milestone 7 experimental build that the commander appears in the early scenes and is fairly obviously male. Since this is meant to be the player character's "avatar", it seems appropriate to either remove the commander from the scene visually or somehow make them gender ambiguous. Maybe place them heavily in shadow or something, but it seems much harder artistically to me to show them at all without biasing toward gender - but y'all are pretty good at this!

The reason I think this matters is that female players who want to see themselves as the commander have no chance to fully do this when they show up as a man at the very beginning of the game. Given the commander is relatively ambiguous during most of the rest of the game (to the extent I've played in much older builds), this feels fairly achievable and eliminates this drop in immersion. I also get that the setting is in the past and that the likelihood of the commander being a woman is low, but it is still a game, and we are assuming the role behind each of our desks at home, regardless of who we are.

I really hope this isn't a controversial request, as that truly is not my intent. I think a change here can positively impact other players if it is updated. It is also understandable that this may not be a priority or even feasible right now, given the focus on a 1.0 launch. Still, it would be a really good change toward maintaining immersion for all players of the game.

Edited February 17 by juslovemusic

[Chris]

13 hours ago, juslovemusic said:

Full disclosure - I am a biological male. It occurred to me while playing through the tutorial in the first milestone 7 experimental build that the commander appears in the early scenes and is fairly obviously male. Since this is meant to be the player character's "avatar", it seems appropriate to either remove the commander from the scene visually or somehow make them gender ambiguous. Maybe place them heavily in shadow or something, but it seems much harder artistically to me to show them at all without biasing toward gender - but y'all are pretty good at this!

The reason I think this matters is that female players who want to see themselves as the commander have no chance to fully do this when they show up as a man at the very beginning of the game. Given the commander is relatively ambiguous during most of the rest of the game (to the extent I've played in much older builds), this feels fairly achievable and eliminates this drop in immersion. I also get that the setting is in the past and that the likelihood of the commander being a woman is low, but it is still a game, and we are assuming the role behind each of our desks at home, regardless of who we are.

I really hope this isn't a controversial request, as that truly is not my intent. I think a change here can positively impact other players if it is updated. It is also understandable that this may not be a priority or even feasible right now, given the focus on a 1.0 launch. Still, it would be a really good change toward maintaining immersion for all players of the game.

Thanks for the suggestion. No, I don't see this as a controversial request. We've tried to leave the Commander's identity ambiguous where possible, as you've already noted. Which specific places make it obvious the Commander is male? You're not mixing up the General and the Commander, are you?

That said, I don't think we've got much scope to fix things up prior to launch - but you never know.

[Skitso]

44 minutes ago, Chris said:

Thanks for the suggestion. No, I don't see this as a controversial request. We've tried to leave the Commander's identity ambiguous where possible, as you've already noted. Which specific places make it obvious the Commander is male? You're not mixing up the General and the Commander, are you?

That said, I don't think we've got much scope to fix things up prior to launch - but you never know.

Phase 1 intro screen at least I think...

[juslovemusic]

23 minutes ago, Skitso said:

Phase 1 intro screen at least I think...

Yes, that's the only one I've noticed. The screen at the end of the tutorial after defeating the General's troops. The Commander actually looks a lot like the General from behind, but the Ops Director and Chief Scientist refer to them as the Commander when discussing the backup base.

[fusion-waffle]

In addition to Phase 1 intro screen,  maybe one or two of the scenes in the campaign victory sequence depict the commander with a beard.  Not in that first victory scene, illustrating everyone in the operations centre celebrating (great drawing, really matched my mood after winning a campaign & the scene makes me laugh), but some of the latter ones.

[Ruggerman]

I am old school Military, there were no Females in combat units in the 80's, and that is how I will run my game, Player Choice...!!

[Alienkiller]

Sorry Ruggerman, you are wrong. There are women Fighting Personal in several Countrys, beginning in the longtime History in Japan as Ninjas and hidden in China. About 90 Years ago then it comes fully in China 1930s against Japan and Russia in the End 1930s / Beginning 1940s against Germany. That´s Facts, where Women were already in the Fighting Parts of Mililtary / Ressistance. 

You see Women are longer in Fighting Forces then we expect. But the Western Military Members forget very often. There are much more cool Facts from the Western Military, which base on Women Pioneers (like that the American Airforce get trained from them in Biplanes in the 1st WW or the Stukas for the German Airforce in 2nd WW).

 

Edited February 17 by Alienkiller

[Ruggerman]

Well it looks like you have never served with women, in any Army, Good Luck with that, as if you had, you would know, when it come down to the wire, only figjhting fit men can carry the load to do the job, Women do have vital rolls in the Military, but not in Hand to Hand Combat engagements, Armies are not about individuals, they are about training a group up to a standard, and keeping them there, Strengh, Stanina, Mental awareness, and Command and Control,

Yes you can get a hand full of very Capable women, to fit in to small groups, and they can proform at a very high level, but we are talking about individuals, and not about large Military units.

There is also something to consider, the long term affects of combat on humans, as after WW2, a lot of men came home with PSTD, and thankfully the women were there to bring up the next generation of children, what sort of world would we be in, if both the men and women, had metal issues, so it is also a cultural reason to protect those who will protect our culture for the next generation.

I am not puting women down, as I have worked in the Military with women, and in certain rolls there are none better, but not in combat rolls.

You must have your reason for your opinion, as so do I.

This is after all is just a computer game, so if you wish to put females in your squad, that is choice, so Please Enjoy the game the way you want...!!