Character graphical changes are NOT in an acceptable state, please make it optional

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Originally Posted by Vespar

Im not saying this fixes everything, but if you have an Nvidia GPU, do yourself a favor and download Nvidia Geforce Experience. Once that's installed, Use Alt+Z while in the benchmark and add some game filters. I notice a massive improvement, by making just a few tweaks to Brightness/Contrast, Color & Sharpen. (Sharpen seems to remove the weird faded/haziness in the game by itself)

https://i.imgur.com/VbUrIVH.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/2apbvbM.jpeg

Results:
https://i.imgur.com/bT9L7gy.png

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Using this feature myself on many, many games :) Good of you to point it out.

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Originally Posted by Salzkartoffel

Let's just call it for what it is: This graphic update is a hot steaming mess. Not just small texture issues but anatomical ones, too. We have clipping issues and seam- issues left right and center. Hair textures got worse here and there looking like Playstation 2 design. It somehow looks like we've lost polygons in the making which is absolutely atrocious. The images from the Thread creator are a good example. I found some on my own as well.

Some examples which don't look serviceable at all. Plastic textures, flat textures which are bent into all directions to give the illusion of modelled hair. I didn't check other hairstyles because I got sad.
https://i.imgur.com/vGI9Htx.png
https://i.imgur.com/HVxyR38.png
https://i.imgur.com/Pph3rBZ.png
https://i.imgur.com/ehvdEFV.png

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complaining about hairstyles, which look bad already since 10 years lol
HD texture definetly didnt make this worse, it was bad from the beginning

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Originally Posted by ValG

I definitely agree that the lips look worse across the board now. I also made a couple of posts, one about the bioluminiscent elezen ears and about face 4 midlander (which shows a lot of the stuff mentioned here plus heavier makeup for no reason).
The posts, in case OP wants to add them to the list (both have screenshots):

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...dlander-face-4
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...=1#post6437053

I don't think making the graphical update optional is realistic, but there are definitely areas that need more work, specially the lips, the skin and hair textures and the "aliveness" of the eyes.

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I don't think the subsurface scattering on the Elezen ears is too strong at all. It's pretty in line with how I'd expect them to behave.

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Originally Posted by Eluvyel

I don't think the subsurface scattering on the Elezen ears is too strong at all. It's pretty in line with how I'd expect them to behave.

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The effect showed in the inn picture definitely feels like it's too much, at least for me. Also, it's not only the strenght of the effect, but the color not matching the actual skin tone that's the problem too.

Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te fangs are WAY too short. The males got shortened, and some of the females might as well not have fangs anymore. It was our defining feature! Seekers got the cat eyes, Keepers got sharp fangs! They've really downplayed our biggest defining feature.

https://i.imgur.com/3KSc7xp.jpeg

(updated with same gamma on both)

"Black" skin got lighter again, even if slightly, and it's like all hair color have been washed out.

(already lost the black skin back in 1.0, now we can't even have black hair)

While I think some of the complaints are a bit dramatic, I do agree that the lip shape changes are unfortunate.

https://i.postimg.cc/nzQ6h0b7/flat-lip.jpg

They've become much flatter and lost their depth.

The :3 shape needs restoring to bring this in-line with the original designs. It's a subtle but meaningful change.

Otherwise, I'm happy with my character. I think Viera got the worst of this update - they seem rather odd looking across the board.

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Originally Posted by Jijifli

WoW doesn't let you use the old models, and haven't since I believe Legion.

It was a WoD only moment. The only way to play the old models is to play classic.

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WoW also didn't upgrade/update its engine with WoD. It literally just made new character meshes, textures and rigs.

Dawntrail updates the entire way shaders are handled and objects and characters respond to lighting (which is also higher quality), and how shadows are cast in turn. Asking for an option to choose the old characters is like saying "just give us the option to flip a switch on a fundamental engine-level alteration."

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Originally Posted by EliaStormblade

WoW also didn't upgrade/update its engine with WoD. It literally just made new character meshes, textures and rigs.

Dawntrail updates the entire way shaders are handled and objects and characters respond to lighting (which is also higher quality), and how shadows are cast in turn. Asking for an option to choose the old characters is like saying "just give us the option to flip a switch on a fundamental engine-level alteration."

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That is correct, they have new lighting. But that is not what I wish to revert. I'm talking the old meshes and texture. This is not just a problem of lighting, but they fucking just added more polys and just made everything rounder without sculpting shit. New lighting is something I am fine with, but the way they altered the faces of especially m viera is just not it.

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Originally Posted by ValG

The effect showed in the inn picture definitely feels like it's too much, at least for me. Also, it's not only the strenght of the effect, but the color not matching the actual skin tone that's the problem too.

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I have to respectfully disagree. That is EXACTLY how cartilage behaves in that scenario. Here's some other examples of SSC from RDR2 and Uncharted. It looks identical IRL but I wanted to stick with video games. Just hold a flashlight to your finger, it's the same effect. If anything, it's kind of toned down.

https://i.imgur.com/2T2CjEe.png