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We would higly enjoy open gender options

Dear dev team,
please give this at least a neutral consideration for a moment.

There are many In-Canon species with more than 2 Genders:

Bynars are described within the TNG Episode they first appear in to be neither male nor female.
Co-Joined Trills are clearly socially somewhere in between sexes. As we see in TNG when Beverly deals with a gender swapped lover. As we see in DS9 with Dax and now even in Discovery with their latest Trill.
J'naii have transformed themselves into an androgynous race that views binary people as lesser in a clever social commentary given in TNGs episode "The Outcast"
Vissian had co-genitors who provided a 3rd gender necessary for reproduction.
Rigelians According to Phlox statements made in the same Episode have possibly 4 genders.
Q can be whatever they choose obviously! They only choose binary options for our monkey brains.
Even Species 8472 is described to have 5 genders within the very same Voyager Episode.
The fact that we see the Founders in gendered form at all is clearly for our viewers minds as well.

There is even more in Beta sources, like Andorians having 4 genders necessary for procreation as seen in the DS9 novel Avatar, Book Two.

Lastly social as opposed to biological gender, for humans, has lately evolved past the binary constraints.

Now even if we disagree on whether any of this is necessary, it will help plenty of players to implement some solution here.

All we really want is a 3rd "Other" or "NB" option, with a Textbox and unlocked costume options.

We understand that this is actually a lot of work with the current database entities and costume options. Issues with the body models might also arise, but we'd be fine having them as a sub option. It must be doable.

We surely forsee people making fun of this, running around as "Attack Helicopters" and "Snowflakes", but who cares, when it will help thousands of other players none the less.

Hell some will just love it for my Alien Bridge officers, some of which who really should not be binary.

We expect bugs, surely but there are costumes that disable entire limbs, so I doubt people will complain.

Please consider it. If not for the disenfranchised players who really would enjoy this, then for the positive Press and interest in the game it would generate.

Thank you.
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    puppylee#1758 puppylee Member Posts: 9 Arc User
    As a nonbinary person irl, I would absolutely like to have this option in game as well.
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    megamarv#9506 megamarv Member Posts: 25 Arc User
    There are only 2 genders in the human species - that is scientific fact. However, some people have attributes of both - hermaphrodites & trans-sexuals. So I suppose it's equally scientific that they're non-binary. Let's not include all the nonsense "cis" terms & stuff though. If non-binary is added to the game to be more inclusive to hermaphrodites & trans-sexuals, that's fine. But the game shouldn't be playing identity politics. It's a sad state of affairs if a game gets press for this sort of thing - a game should get press for being a good game or having new gameplay features.
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    canidbeast#5862 canidbeast Member Posts: 1 Arc User
    Star Trek has always been pushing the limits when it comes to equality stuff (I think TOS had first interracial kiss in prime time?). However, if it is lore there's multiple genders, why not? I always get confused why there's no female gorn, nausican, or lethean. (Jem'Hadar makes sense though.)
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    parklinparklin Member Posts: 2 Arc User
    edited February 2021
    The male/female switch to me is more about the visible features of a character anyways. Andorians (AFAIK) have 4 sexes, and need all of them for unassisted procreation... etc. Why not get rid of the gender/sex option alltogether and chose whatever parts you want on your toon from the 'body' menu during char creation instead? Of course that would need some rewriting and remodelling as some stuff clips like hell already and even more so if all clothing options would be avaidible in all costume slot types... (there are clear problems as it seems to combine uniform parts with civillian/combat armor ones for example.) So maybe.. scrap all the devisions and pour it into one, big, steamy, melting-pot?
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    parklinparklin Member Posts: 2 Arc User
    Why not get rid of the option alltogether and chose whatever parts you want on your toon from the 'body' menu during char creation? Of course that would need some rewriting and remodelling as stuff clips like hell already and even more so if all clothing options would be avaidible in all costume slot types... (there are clear problems as it seems to combine uniform parts with civillian/combat armor ones).
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    eazzieeazzie Member Posts: 4,001 Arc User
    This subject matter has already been discussed ..... https://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1258712/gender-change-tokens

    Outcome ..... Too hard to code. So no point in discussing further.
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    puppylee#1758 puppylee Member Posts: 9 Arc User
    Looks like that post was saying no about Gender Change tokens, not about an additional option. So that suggests to me that there may yet be a point in discssion.
    That being said, while normally I'd try to refute 'too hard to code' given Cryptic's activity lately, I'm sadly inclined to agree that it might actually be beyond their meagre capabilities.
    They can feel free to prove us all wrong, however.
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    eazzie wrote: »
    Outcome ..... Too hard to code. So no point in discussing further.

    Change tokens are to hard to code, same thing we hear about race reroll for years. This thread said nothing about the feasability of a third "open" gender.
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    Let's not include all the nonsense "cis" terms & stuff though. If non-binary is added to the game to be more inclusive to hermaphrodites & trans-sexuals, that's fine. But the game shouldn't be playing identity politics. It's a sad state of affairs if a game gets press for this sort of thing.

    Sure, that's why I avoided that all together. NB or Other is fine. Who cares what you identify as. Hence Textbox, you could write co-genitor or zhen (for Andorians).
    Or you'd write genderfluid or you'd write attack helicopter.
    Point is it doesn't matter. It's a tiny point in the bio and unlocked costumes.
    Politics are for twitter, 4chan and people who think their opinion is important somehow.
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    parklin wrote: »
    Why not get rid of the option alltogether and chose whatever parts you want on your toon from the 'body' menu during char creation? Of course that would need some rewriting and remodelling as stuff clips like hell already and even more so if all clothing options would be avaidible in all costume slot types... (there are clear problems as it seems to combine uniform parts with civillian/combat armor ones).

    I mean why not. You make your own lore anyways.
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    megamarv#9506 megamarv Member Posts: 25 Arc User
    Actually, maybe the most sensible thing would be to give different gender options to different races. For example, Andorian Captains would have a choice of 4. That would fit the ST universe without breaking canon.
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    angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,001 Arc User
    > @megamarv#9506 said:
    > Actually, maybe the most sensible thing would be to give different gender options to different races. For example, Andorian Captains would have a choice of 4. That would fit the ST universe without breaking canon.

    The four genders in Andorians is however not canon 😱
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
    "No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
    "A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
    "That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    angrytarg wrote: »
    The four genders in Andorians is however not canon 😱

    While it is the only non Canon example I gave, I'd still like the Option.
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    trillbuffettrillbuffet Member Posts: 861 Arc User
    eazzie wrote: »
    This subject matter has already been discussed ..... https://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1258712/gender-change-tokens

    Outcome ..... Too hard to code. So no point in discussing further.

    Most of this stuff is just people trying find a way to either fit in with some crowd or get attention. The brain in some cases can't even code this stuff its like people sit around making up some kind of new sexual lifestyle. So yes I am a gummyasexual I can only perform these acts while I have a mouth full of gummy bears.
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    angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,001 Arc User
    > @trillbuffet said:
    > Most of this stuff is just people trying find a way to either fit in with some crowd or get attention. The brain in some cases can't even code this stuff its like people sit around making up some kind of new sexual lifestyle. So yes I am a gummyasexual I can only perform these acts while I have a mouth full of gummy bears.

    That's not at all how this works. In regards to STO, they simply state that they would like a neutral option next to male or female to add to character customization.

    And on the topic of gender, it has nothing to do with sexual lifestyle or performing acts. People are born with a biological sex, but associated with this sex are societal expectations, or 'roles', which basically is 'gender'. These expectations often conflict with reality and cause grief to people, thus they seek to liberate themselves from these archaic restrictions.
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
    "No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
    "A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
    "That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
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    spiritbornspiritborn Member Posts: 4,264 Arc User
    edited February 2021
    From what I've heard said about gender options a "neutral" option would be also be too hard to do for the same reasons as gender change, that being that too many things in the game have been programmed with only 2 gender options in mind and it would be too much work (for the returns) to redo all of that. Now I'd love to see a "neutral" gender option as well but it seems like it's not in the cards at this moment.

    This also applies to getting rid of said options.
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    eladonwarps#6040 eladonwarps Member Posts: 231 Arc User
    If they can faction unlock ships, which according to Devs on streams and Social Media was a manual process individually, I seriously wonder why they can't manually unlock the few pieces of fashion that are locked to specific genders. Many fewer parts to change.

    It wouldn't undo the whole game, but it would be a start. I know I personally would immediately buy several outfit items from the Z store, starting with the Formalwear, so I can put some of my butches and enbies in a suit.

    It's not like we're asking to rewrite dialogue and rerecord voice acting for custom pronouns. Most of the dialogue is written without assuming player character gender anyway, and that's one of STOs strengths.
    Call me "El," she/her only. I love my wife and I don't care who knows it!
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    snowwolf#0563 snowwolf Member Posts: 1,018 Arc User
    None of this is going to put more money in the bank, so why spend all the effort.
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    eladonwarps#6040 eladonwarps Member Posts: 231 Arc User
    It could lay the groundwork for a future gender (and/or race) change token they can monetize.

    The loadout and trait QoL change late last year likely wasn't an immediate money maker but I think satisfied players do spend more, and that's pretty important.
    Call me "El," she/her only. I love my wife and I don't care who knows it!
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    None of this is going to put more money in the bank, so why spend all the effort.

    First of all it would bring positive user reception, secondly this predatory thinking is what hurts free to play titles and games as whole. Just stop.
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    Most of this stuff is just people trying find a way to either fit in with some crowd or get attention. The brain in some cases can't even code this stuff its like people sit around making up some kind of new sexual lifestyle. So yes I am a gummyasexual I can only perform these acts while I have a mouth full of gummy bears.

    Get off youtube and go outside.

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    snowwolf#0563 snowwolf Member Posts: 1,018 Arc User
    None of this is going to put more money in the bank, so why spend all the effort.

    First of all it would bring positive user reception, secondly this predatory thinking is what hurts free to play titles and games as whole. Just stop.

    If they'd want positive user reception they'd fix bugs that have been around for months, some even years. But they aren't willing to spend the resources just to do that, so they don't really care about user reception. They care mostly about money in the bank.
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    trillbuffettrillbuffet Member Posts: 861 Arc User
    Most of this stuff is just people trying find a way to either fit in with some crowd or get attention. The brain in some cases can't even code this stuff its like people sit around making up some kind of new sexual lifestyle. So yes I am a gummyasexual I can only perform these acts while I have a mouth full of gummy bears.

    Get off youtube and go outside.

    I hear ya so I will turn off the heat so you do not melt anymore.
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    edited February 2021
    I hear ya so I will turn off the heat so you do not melt anymore.

    Son I am straight, white, have a beautiful girlfriend, no kids and a good paying job. If the only answer to me telling you that you are sheltered and that you need to leave your echochamber is a snowflake joke you're barking up the wrong tree.
    Also you got some catching up to do cause 2016 was over 4 years ago.
    Post edited by gminfly#3704 on
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    snowwolf#0563 snowwolf Member Posts: 1,018 Arc User
    westmetals wrote: »
    Whether or not a small number of people want this is beside the point. Is it popular enough that monetizing it would actually be profitable (above and beyond the cost in programmers' time to make it happen) is the question. And I honestly don't see it being THAT popular.

    Plus, there would be an issue with getting it to work properly. I have a character that I renamed (with rename token) six years ago whose old name still appears in certain menu headers, etc.

    That's because of how hard-coded things in this game are, you can't actually change the name of the character. You simply change the display name, deep down in the code. Your character will always have the original name you'd create it with.
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    snowwolf#0563 snowwolf Member Posts: 1,018 Arc User
    westmetals wrote: »
    westmetals wrote: »
    Whether or not a small number of people want this is beside the point. Is it popular enough that monetizing it would actually be profitable (above and beyond the cost in programmers' time to make it happen) is the question. And I honestly don't see it being THAT popular.

    Plus, there would be an issue with getting it to work properly. I have a character that I renamed (with rename token) six years ago whose old name still appears in certain menu headers, etc.

    That's because of how hard-coded things in this game are, you can't actually change the name of the character. You simply change the display name, deep down in the code. Your character will always have the original name you'd create it with.

    That's kinda my point. If they can't make a rename work properly, what makes anyone think they can do a species or gender change?

    Yeah. Just getting the "sub-factions" to work properly is apparently a pain in the butt.. The game is hard coded to be blue vs red.

    Male and Female.

    Etc Etc.

    Messing with something like this, considering the spaghetti code of the game. I believe it's way too much a risk for the developers for very little gain. I doubt there would be much money from it, you can always make your own gender etc in the biography.
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    gminfly#3704 gminfly Member Posts: 38 Arc User
    westmetals wrote: »
    westmetals wrote: »
    Whether or not a small number of people want this is beside the point. Is it popular enough that monetizing it would actually be profitable (above and beyond the cost in programmers' time to make it happen) is the question. And I honestly don't see it being THAT popular.

    Plus, there would be an issue with getting it to work properly. I have a character that I renamed (with rename token) six years ago whose old name still appears in certain menu headers, etc.

    That's because of how hard-coded things in this game are, you can't actually change the name of the character. You simply change the display name, deep down in the code. Your character will always have the original name you'd create it with.

    That's kinda my point. If they can't make a rename work properly, what makes anyone think they can do a species or gender change?

    Yeah. Just getting the "sub-factions" to work properly is apparently a pain in the butt.. The game is hard coded to be blue vs red.

    Male and Female.

    Etc Etc.

    Messing with something like this, considering the spaghetti code of the game. I believe it's way too much a risk for the developers for very little gain. I doubt there would be much money from it, you can always make your own gender etc in the biography.

    You don't really know any of that :)

    I remember digging in the client to find that they key lists of boffs, player and ships by name instead of giving them an autoincrementing ID.
    Yet they have missed the foresight of checking for capitalisation on a key that does not filter caps. Hence why you can break your game to the point where you need to start in safemode to change your ships name or safe loadouts by just naming your ship after your toon with different capital letters.
    This just bad planning and old code but your player name does not just magically hardcode itself. You have no access to the code, you have access to the DB.
    So on the one hand yeah, the game has problems due to age but I believe they can add LOV entrys for say a 3rd gender and maybe you don't see the reward but others do.

    I agree it might be hard but so is any change to an 11 year old deadline ridden game codebase.
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    snowwolf#0563 snowwolf Member Posts: 1,018 Arc User
    I remember digging in the client ---

    That's in violation of the terms of agreement...

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