Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

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My WOL used to have thicker eyebrows and straight eyelashes. Her eyebrows look not good now.. Please return what they looked like before.

I want to participate in the discussion, but I don't know how to share images. The insert image doesn't work for me.

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Originally Posted by Cherrizini

I want to participate in the discussion, but I don't know how to share images. The insert image doesn't work for me.

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As far as I know you need to upload the image to another site, they don't host images here. Imgur is free and doesn't require an account, simply drag and drop. Hit the ... menu in the top right of an image and copy the BBCode (Forums) link and paste it here.

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Originally Posted by Cherrizini

I want to participate in the discussion, but I don't know how to share images. The insert image doesn't work for me.

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Everyone gets some upload space on the FFXIV website:

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/my/image

Upload your pictures, click to preview it on the page, right-click and "copy link" then use that link with the forum's "insert image" button.

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Originally Posted by illiere

You've been incredibly transparent and forward with the information around the update, It's been great to see.

Also, a note to people in this thread. The Graphics Update was always advertised as a rolling update over the 7.X patches. Areas/environments, gear, and NPCs in particular were always stated to be addressed over patches, so if an object or an environment or an NPC isn't updated yet, it's not an issue with the Graphics Update or the Devs being 'Lazy'.

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I'd like to note that they have actually not been transparent regarding the update. The whole reason there has been such an outcry from veteran and new players alike stating that there hasn't been proper care for the developer intention with the character update issued THIRCE by the development team re: working hard to keep the same impression prior to the first benchmark and here within is because they saw their characters changed or outright butchered for the sake of polygon unification. Even on the JP forums there have been posts with multiple interviews and videos linked with timestamps about what had actually been discussed and just how many months there were between updates, and the actual information we got prior to the bench was truly spartan.

It also didn't help that they only showed the primary 'first face' that would load for each race in a single clan for most of the update shots, complete with mismatched lighting that masked a lot of problems we then found out with the benches and now the live game.

(Hellsguard and Duskwight shaking hands right now for feeling utterly miserable we didn't get to really see our 'updates' until the bench..)

I'm glad there are definitely people out there who did win and got a glow up, but as someone who lost my character heading for 10 years of playtime since I began my journey with her as a hellsguard femroe, who has seen what feels like the complete loss of racial uniqueness and traits due to the changes, it's hard to have faith that things were actually done with care. I try to believe and have faith it was not the design and art team's intention, but after providing months of feedback (since October 2023! When I first saw the eyes were being made what they are now) to have nothing done regarding it and seeing more popular races "fixed" (barely) or adjusted when just as valid feedback was given from our player base was soul crushing.

The development team are only human, yes, but they're also working for one of the most financially successful MMOs and companies in the industry right now. The fact that there was less open transparency about this update and questions to the playerbase than the downgrade 1.0 > ARR had is honestly wild.

i just wanted to link this here. although previous lighting was a little dull, the new lighting engine completely forgoes the light reflecting from the blue floor to the character's faces.

not only that, but the moment the crystal tower is supposed to light up... it's so underwhelming in the new lighting. i hope they fix it.

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Originally Posted by faiarrow

The development team are only human, yes, but they're also working for one of the most financially successful MMOs and companies in the industry right now. The fact that there was less open transparency about this update and questions to the playerbase than the downgrade 1.0 > ARR had is honestly wild.

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This is what particularly gets me, too. The proportional accuracy in features retained for the downgrade from 1.0 -> 2.0 was honestly really impressive! In such a short amount of time, too! Nobody complained about their character looking different, just lower poly and lower res. Why is the accuracy more difficult to keep in the upgrade? That doesn't make sense to me...

Also--full knowing I'm going to sound like an ass here--I admittedly rolled my eyes at them claiming faces had "proportions fixed" (???) like there is a singular perfect ratio of proportions all faces are meant to have. Then particularly went to single out female Au Ra--who now look more homogenized than ever--when male Au Ra exist and have some of the least realistic head proportions by design.

It is truly incomprehensible for some people that some feminine options are allowed to be unconventional-looking. Are we going to pretend the face with horns that look like fins was given a "fishy"-looking mouth unintentionally? God, I hope they change ♀ Au Ra Face 2 back (with maybe an option to have an even more narrow mouth like the update forced on people).

A huge thing I loved about FFXIV is how intentionally imperfect all the faces looked. They have deliberate character to them, and that remains in-line with each new race added. It's unlike any of the other 3D MMOs I've played, and I imagine it's part of why roleplaying and character writing is so popular in this community.

It's also why I have so many characters of different races and genders, too, and never used a fantasia on any of them during my 10 years of playing... If I wanted my characters to all look samey and like they had plastic surgery, I would have turned to mods years ago during their bizarre boom in Shadowbringers.

Are there any plans to enable RTX for those who have it?

Viera - Veena Face 03

These issues are prevalent in most of the viera faces. I think they are most noticeable in face 2 and 3, but I will focus on face 3 since that is my character face option.
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1.- Eyebrows
Eyebrows are non-existent if your pale veena has light hair.

2.- Nose contour is too dark.
I believe this one in particular should be a facial feature. It is already an option for face 1 male viera. The nose contour was perfectly fine, so I think this should be a feature rather than implementing it on ALL viera faces.

3.- Eyeliner and eyelash shadows are TOO dark.
Female viera makeup was already beautifully done, they did not need more eyeliner. The eyeliner change along with the new eyelash shadows make the eyes look smaller.

4.- Mouths lost the faint smile.
This is one of the most noticeable changes in face 3. All the mouth options make your characters either look sad or angry.

6.x | 7.0 comparison
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Originally Posted by Doopliss

Also--full knowing I'm going to sound like an ass here--I admittedly rolled my eyes at them claiming faces had "proportions fixed" (???) like there is a singular perfect ratio of proportions all faces are meant to have. (snip)

A huge thing I loved about FFXIV is how intentionally imperfect all the faces looked. They have deliberate character to them, and that remains in-line with each new race added. It's unlike any of the other 3D MMOs I've played, and I imagine it's part of why roleplaying and character writing is so popular in this community.

It's also why I have so many characters of different races and genders, too, and never used a fantasia on any of them during my 10 years of playing... If I wanted my characters to all look samey and like they had plastic surgery, I would have turned to mods years ago during their bizarre boom in Shadowbringers.

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I agree completely. The “flaws” that were erased in the update were never mistakes, they were important parts of our characters’ faces. It’s frustrating to see people claim that our characters have been “improved” or “fixed” just because they conform more closely to conventional beauty standards, at the cost of the features that made them unique.