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Uniform Updates for the Star Army of Yamatai

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Still not a fan of it, but I don't feel strongly enough to try to shoot it down. I just won't ever spend my money to get character art in it.
 
Especially since Yamatai wasn't the only nation fighting the NMX. Just as an example, do you really want a random Lorath spy to be able to pull an old NMX outfit out of storage, recolor it, and walk around looking like a Star Army soldier.
 
Coveralls aren't a Mishhu-specific garment. In a way, the NMX wanted to be the "Player 2" version of Yamatai. Like almost everything in the humanoid uniforms of the NMX, it was copied from Yamatai and Nepleslia. Did we reject peaked caps like the Type 36 Officer Cap because Mishhu used peaked caps? No. We just used them in our colors while the Mishhu used their own color scheme. Same deal here.

Also, the coveralls are different in several physical design aspects: they use different
  1. boots (Star Army boots don't have laces)
  2. belts (Classic Star Army of Yamatai belt with gold buckle)
  3. shoulders (Star Army one has shoulder straps)
  4. front closure (wraparound zipper vs buttons)
  5. insignia (Star Army of Yamatai hinomaru and STAR ARMY cap)
  6. colors (green vs light gray), and
  7. Star Army soldiers actually wear things under them (uniform or at least an undershirt).
I thought about changing the collar too, but this is really the best collar for this type of garment in my opinion.

The most similar thing about them is the thing we can't change ICly: both forces used Nekovalkyrja soldiers during the war.

What I'm saying is the garment is just your basic generic coverall. There's nothing about it that makes it particularly Mishhu (or Yamataian) instead of, say, Nepleslian, in looks. And that's okay. And it's still also different enough (see the list) to distinguish it from its Mishhu-made cousin.
 
What uniform to engineers wear when they're going their work? Fairly certain the duty uniform would be a no cause it would get really messy if they were dealing with anything mechanical.
 
I think Matt has hit on another good point. Yamatai is supposed to be high tech, super science - even space opera-esque. Coveralls feel too... utilitarian, down to earth. For lack of a better word, Nepleslian. The NMX can get away with it, because, when it comes down to it, lots of us either don't care, or just don't even notice changes to the NMX, but Yamatai has an image that is VERY firmly ingrained in anyone who spends much time there, and this just doesn't feel like it fits.
 
Look...every space opera has guys in coveralls, including Macross, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica. And almost every real-world military has some form of them too. Utilitarian is the point. They're simple, effective, and comfortable. Sure, tight is right in Yamatai but these are something to wear over that tight, colorful stuff to keep it clean. I don't have anything better to use for a "casual tactical" uniform. It provides a solution for me and the Star Army. The coverall I made fits exactly with what I want for the Star Army's legions, plus it works for pilots, engineers, mechanics, etc. The old field uniform was ugly and too hard to draw consistently. On the other hand, Lexxy's artwork is beautiful, the design is easy to replicate, and I've worked hard on converting the old image into something for the Star Army, saving us money by not commissioning a new one. Unless someone comes up with something better to replace it, I think I'm going to stick with it. The SAoY needed something like this for a long time and I'm glad and satisfied to finally have something suitable in place.
 
Well, since you're pretty adamant about using the coveralls and it's your faction, go ahead. I don't think a lot of people will use them in character though, but I could be wrong.
 
Kai said:
it needs more leg pockets.
Click to expand...
So far I've not been able to come up with ones that look like they're supposed to be there, I'll give it another try.
 
I get the coveralls are meant to be utilitarian, I don't think you're getting what I'm saying. It has nothing to do with coveralls not working, or being common, it has to do with image. Yamatai is sleek, glossy, all speed and dangerous looking power, without the bulk and fluff that other factions have. The ships look like blades, and for a long time, the bodysuit was the standard, and THAT is the image I wish we could preserve a bit more. I'm fine with not going out of our way to go back to the old stuff, I get that part, but actively moving away from such a powerful, distinct image seems like a bad thing.

If nothing else, look at it from a reputation/morale standpoint. Everyone in the galaxy KNOWS how a SAOY ship looks, and know that even the small ships pack a big punch, and it's largely based on that image. That exact same concept comes into play with uniforms for soldiers, and it's remarkably hard to look sleek and dangerous in coveralls.
 
Except Star Army of Yamatai has been using coveralls on and off since it was created. These ones below only took a back seat because power armor became common and were used as late as YE 25. If I added more pockets and closed the collar they'd be basically the same (not counting the add-ons like the chest armor and pads). So it's not like this is a new or unusual look for the Star Army.

 
But rectangular gold buckles are a thing in the Star Army of Yamatai going back to its beginnings. It's a tradition as much as the light blue-gray color pants and the V-shaped cut of the bottom of the shirts (which Nepleslia inherited from us in their marine uniforms)! I understand why you'd want something less flashy, but I'm going to need a nice looking new belt design before I change that. As usual, it will fall on SARPers to come forward with suggestions.

Coverall leg pockets: Maybe I can show pockets with just zippers, like this. Thoughts?
 
Coveralls are looser than jumpsuits and usually worn over other clothes, so I went with that term. Plus the illustration is based on the WW2 tank coveralls I linked earlier. Type type 36 coverall is general purpose, but it's basically what you might expect a motor pool mechanic to wear. They also could easily be described or used as flight suits, except that the Star Army has flight suits already (which are of the pressurized variety) so using the same term could create confusion.
 
I think simple details like zippers for pockets is a great idea. Have you thought about maybe trying to shift this creative energy towards designing stuff for other factions? I know you want to keep your faction fresh as new stuff keeps emerging elsewhere but a lot of people don't seem to appreciate/want new uniforms/accessories or Nekovalkyrja bodies and I bet you'd get a much more positive response out of helping design stuff for factions in much greater need of fleshing out in general. At least if you first what people needed. Maybe there's some type of tech that could be made that's a joint effort by Yamatai and another faction or maybe even a uniform a possible multi-faction organization could wear? Do we have any multi-faction organizations? If Yamatai enters into an official alliance maybe one could be made.

Doshii Jun said:
They look less like coveralls than desexualized bodysuits. Which is fine in my book.
Click to expand...
You disappoint me. This is distinctly not the Yamatai I have come to know and love and that deeply disturbs me. Sexualization is a cornerstone of Yamataian identity. To live is to sexualize.
 
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