Dawntrail Graphics Update - Eye Strain

Characters look so blurry to me after update, maybe other things do too but I can't stop but noticing how different my characters look ( too much blooming? ). This may be contributing to eyestrain. At any rate it completely ruined all my alt's appearances. This update was pointless and is so frustrating. Anyone who thinks it was "needed" for the character models themselves are people that seem to want FFXIV to look less cartoony and more realistic... for whatever reason. Bad design choices that have little to no actual impact on making the characters look graphically enhanced. No amount of fantasias can fix it to how it used to look -.- I have to start from scratch now.

The intensity of the lighting since Dawntrail has been absolutely terrible for me, especially in The Arcadion fights. I straight up couldn't even see the name tags of the party at one point in a large blob of red and white lighting. I didn't feel too well physically after clearing them for the first time either. I'm dreading running them again for this week. I wish that SE would at least acknowledge the problem even if they don't have a hard fix yet and show sympathy for their customers.

How I must suffer for that weekly raid blade... RIP, my poor eyes.

https://i.imgur.com/xkajSkC.png

Bump time? Bump time.


So far I've been evading the Dawntrail areas like crazy or only visit them at night in case I really need to go there. The level 100 dungeons as well as the Raids are impossible for me to do atm and I dont want to afk mid-fight and slow the group down because my eyes hurt or I have to throw up. So getting any of the tomes for gear is impossible as of now, essentially locking me out of the current content.

Still haven't played past MSQ92, every time I try it just makes me quit the game after 15 minutes

Almost a month from the release of DT and we still have nothing in terms of an official acknowledgement.

Come on SE, we're not asking for a quick fix here. Just throw us a bone for heck's sake.

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Originally Posted by Erinellza

How I must suffer for that weekly raid blade... RIP, my poor eyes.

https://i.imgur.com/xkajSkC.png

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I really hope that they fix this kind of thing. Atm I can’t play for more than 40-45 minutes in a row and no more than a few hours during a given day because the game gives me a headache and sometimes nausea and makes my eyes hurt and my vision blurry. I have been playing games for more than 3 decades and never experienced something like this. Sometimes, when there are wipes I have to leave groups not because I ran out of patience but because I just can’t look at my screen any longer. Savage is out of the question in those conditions.

I'm gonna hide this...it's from Stormblood alliance raids...I don't wanna hurt anyone's eyes looking at this but come on.
I also did Euphrosene...Menphina's arena was super reflective and actually painful to look at.

https://i.imgur.com/pzp9Psv.png

Bump. We will not be ignored.

Save us Yoshi-P

It does feel pointless. We can bump this thread for all eternity as was the case with some others running several years, with no result. I wish it was at least acknowledged.

I have unsubbed from FFXIV now, first time since 2.0 started. I just cannot play this game anymore with my eyesight problems.
It feels sad it's come to this for me, but it is what it is.

I have started to play GW2 and one bit of good news is that it doesn't hurt my eyes at all. Honestly I'm loving the open world content and how much more relaxing it is to play as it's not causing me migraines or headaches.

I still hope to come back to FFXIV in the future if the graphics issues are addressed.

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Originally Posted by SongOfTheWind

It does feel pointless. We can bump this thread for all eternity as was the case with some others running several years, with no result.

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I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, but seeing as things have been exactly the same for a month now, I've began preliminary investigations into contacting the EU about this health-related issue. If Square Enix wants to play hardball, then that's what they'll get.

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Originally Posted by Jeuno

I have started to play GW2 and one bit of good news is that it doesn't hurt my eyes at all.

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What do you mean playing a game for 15 minutes shouldn't cause people massive amounts of eye strain, migraines and general discomfort? Surely you jest.

Just logged in after the patch, no fixes/changes. 7.1 is my last hope. :(

Someone in JP thread mentioned it
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...18#post6551218

along with the mount tilt which personally makes me abit sick

Giving a bump as someone who isn't getting eyestrain from FFXIV but has a lot of experience with migraines, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Ideally if bright flashing lights and things are a part of the issue the solution would be some way to turn off or minimize abilities that cause such things. I know we have options to turn off player abilities, but ideally you'd want one for enemies, bosses etc (and your own abilities). Even some sort of mode that can lessen any bright areas such as shown in the post before me.

No idea how feasible any of that would be, but I imagine discussing such possibilities might help narrow down what might help best and could be specifically asked for.

Bump. Plans are in motion.

It's pretty disappointing that they made a post to acknowledge some pretty mundane things but there has been not a word on this.

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Originally Posted by Rueby

I'm gonna hide this...it's from Stormblood alliance raids...I don't wanna hurt anyone's eyes looking at this but come on.
I also did Euphrosene...Menphina's arena was super reflective and actually painful to look at.

https://i.imgur.com/pzp9Psv.png

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For me the Nier raids at the worst offenders so far, especially the last two fights in Bunker and all of Tower.

Towers expanse of WHITE and BLACK and all the effect just have me nauseous the whole time. The last boss in tower is harder cause the shadows from the falling buildings don't seem to cast the same as they use to too.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...6b0bc99e28e9f&

Another flashbang warning...this time the explosions in Castrum Meridianum...I actually had to look away from my screen a few times and they were still on going...

Renewed my sub just to bump.
Trying to play but it's awful honestly.

This patch brought a constant shadow flicker to items and the edges of the screen. If I zoom in for any reason, the shadows flicker. Even if I zoom out but the camera is next to something, it'll flicker - side of the camera or items. I've tried changing the shadows options and none of them actually address the issue. This was not an issue in 7.0 or 7.01, and it hurts my eyes if it catches my eye for long. I don't know what changed, but it's really bad. :(

Hello, I came to also add that for me the game has become unplayable... I'm really sad, but the backgrounds and movement make me dizzy and I can't stand it much.
Also the night time somehow became TOO dark despite all my efforts on fine tune it... and it adds to my headaches/dizziness/vision problems

I had no issue playing the game for hours and hours before 7.0, and I've been trying ALL graphic settings combinations with no results :(

I just went to Yanxia to gather my custom deliveries since I can't do anything...

I noticed a weird blur when looking at the sky whenever I move...I'm standing in a huge patch of grass and everytime I move/or am in motion it blurs...going from sharp to blurry...?? I actually got a headache from this....

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Originally Posted by mayochup

The amount of bloom in the game got ramped up as well, and you can't even disable it (pre DT disabling glare in settings fixed it but that doesn't seem to work here). Been giving heavy eye strain and headaches, borderline unplayable for me. Would be great for a setting to disable it.

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This is one of my main issues. Turning off bloom would help a lot. I had it turned off before Dawntrail but now I can't do it anymore.
And yes, it was glare but it's called bloom in other games. Kind of confusing.

We need TURN OFF buttons for several things: bloom, graphics upscaling, mount tilt, wet surface effects (bring it back)!
The so-called "graphics update" is more like a graphics downgrade because we have less options now. :(

I'm basically just paying for a forum sub at this point.

Bump.

I don't have this issue, but +1ing for the people who do. A graphic update shouldn't be causing health concerns like eye strain, headaches, or motion sickness for so many. Please consider this issue a priority.

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Originally Posted by Rueby

I just went to Yanxia to gather my custom deliveries since I can't do anything...

I noticed a weird blur when looking at the sky whenever I move...I'm standing in a huge patch of grass and everytime I move/or am in motion it blurs...going from sharp to blurry...?? I actually got a headache from this....

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I have noticed the same issue today when I was gathering some materials at my Island Sanctuary. It is really perceptible in grassy fields and tree branches. When I'm moving, the leaves get really blurry and with more contrast. When I stop moving, they get more sharp but also lose some contrast, like the leaves are not casting shadows properly. It seams like the TAA is causing the Ambient occlusion to glitch somehow. It is really distracting when you intermittently mash the walking button, because the whole image kind of flicks.

Bumpity bump.

To the top. My sub isn't very useful right now..

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Originally Posted by alikan

I have noticed the same issue today when I was gathering some materials at my Island Sanctuary. It is really perceptible in grassy fields and tree branches. When I'm moving, the leaves get really blurry and with more contrast. When I stop moving, they get more sharp but also lose some contrast, like the leaves are not casting shadows properly. It seams like the TAA is causing the Ambient occlusion to glitch somehow. It is really distracting when you intermittently mash the walking button, because the whole image kind of flicks.

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I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure this happens because of graphics upscaling. I recently bought Horizon Zero Dawn during the Steam sale and it has graphics upscaling too, so I tested it and I had the EXACT SAME issues when I turned it on (blur when moving, especially noticeable on trees, grass, ground textures)! But in that game, we can turn it OFF and that's what I did. Boom, all of the issues were gone, just like that! :D The fact that we can't turn it off in XIV is unacceptable!

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Originally Posted by Erinellza

I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure this happens because of graphics upscaling. I recently bought Horizon Zero Dawn during the Steam sale and it has graphics upscaling too, so I tested it and I had the EXACT SAME issues when I turned it on (blur when moving, especially noticeable on trees, grass, ground textures)! But in that game, we can turn it OFF and that's what I did. Boom, all of the issues were gone, just like that! :D The fact that we can't turn it off in XIV is unacceptable!

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The graphics update implemented TAA scaling which is known for creating image ghosting. It is really noticeable to me when you rotate the camera around your character, but also really noticeable in foliage. SE seems to really struggle with this implementation. FF7 Rebirth and FFXVI has really bad image ghosting as well.

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Originally Posted by DynnDiablos

The graphics update implemented TAA scaling which is known for creating image ghosting. It is really noticeable to me when you rotate the camera around your character, but also really noticeable in foliage. SE seems to really struggle with this implementation. FF7 Rebirth and FFXVI has really bad image ghosting as well.

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And it was never fixed in those games? Then we are screwed, tbh...

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Originally Posted by Erinellza

And it was never fixed in those games? Then we are screwed, tbh...

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People who get screwed over because of that probably just returned the games or stopped playing them. But I don't want to do that with my MMORPG. So I'm hoping the fact this is a live service game will have an impact on things.

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Originally Posted by Erinellza

And it was never fixed in those games? Then we are screwed, tbh...

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They're a mere multi-dollar company and can't spend money learning how TAA works. I assume modders fixed it for 7R(and will whenever that XVI port comes out) since turning off mandatory graphics settings is usually something done very quickly(there's a special place in Hell for games with chromatic aberration that you can't turn off), but even if it was possible to do that for an MMO, it would be very risky.

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Originally Posted by gllt

People who get screwed over because of that probably just returned the games or stopped playing them. But I don't want to do that with my MMORPG. So I'm hoping the fact this is a live service game will have an impact on things.

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That's horrible. :( I don't want to quit XIV either. I just want the pre-DT settings back and keep the new stuff optional. SE should stop forcing graphics settings on us.

If a Square ignores it but an external tool fixes it, I know what I'll be doing.

Really wish FFXIV would stop becoming a Bethesda game though where the modders are expected to do everything.

I asked around abit since for the first time ever I actually got a headache from this blur-sharpen everytime I move. This never happened to me before in any game....
It seems to be the Graphics Upscaling
set it to FSR - 100 (it disables it apparently)
Edge Smoothing (anti-aliasing) - Avoid TSCMAA that kinda introduces the weird blur effect..
Radial Blur disabled...

I honestly just stopped playing after I got a headache after gathering in Yanxia, it was so awful when there's so much grass...I noticed it in limsa how the stars and everything else blur when moving but I thought I was imagining things...

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Originally Posted by Erinellza

I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure this happens because of graphics upscaling. I recently bought Horizon Zero Dawn during the Steam sale and it has graphics upscaling too, so I tested it and I had the EXACT SAME issues when I turned it on (blur when moving, especially noticeable on trees, grass, ground textures)! But in that game, we can turn it OFF and that's what I did. Boom, all of the issues were gone, just like that! :D The fact that we can't turn it off in XIV is unacceptable!

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Glad to know there is a fix to it, but saddly I'm on PS5 and the graphics upscaling is always on, regardless of mode you choose. They should add the option to turn it off. I would gladly take a little more blur to those flickers.

What is going on? savage has come out and they still haven't taken off the forced bloom and glare on everything??
im so frustrated

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Originally Posted by Rueby

It seems to be the Graphics Upscaling
set it to FSR - 100 (it disables it apparently)
Edge Smoothing (anti-aliasing) - Avoid TSCMAA that kinda introduces the weird blur effect..
Radial Blur disabled.

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Switching to FSR makes everything "grainy" for me (I have an Nvidia card). It's like small vibrating pixels everywhere. It gives me a headache too so it doesn't change anything.
I'd rather endure the blur for now, I can't even play for more than an hour without getting sick, so whatever...