Updated benchmark

I am definitely in the minority here, but I'm incredible unhappy with the new benchmark and much preferred the first version. (For the record, I had zero complaints with the first benchmark to begin with.)

The biggest and most glaring issue? How my characters, especially my dark-skinned characters, are washed out and ashy-looking.

No tweaks have been made to my characters; all benchmark images are based on their settings as imported from the main game.

FIRST BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/FVfRq3V/Synnove-Benchmark-1-0.png
SECOND BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/pXMBK35/Synnove-Benchmark-1-1.png

My Highlander's skintone has lost the bronze-ish tan she had in the original benchmark, and her lipstick has also gone from a lovely true red to a much more muted tone.

FIRST BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/mTFNqzN/Rereha-Benchmark-1-0.png
SECOND BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/bWxW0tx/Rereha-Benchmark-1-1.png

My lalafell is the most noticeably egregrious; I didn't even remember she HAD the nose smudge, it's been so long since I created her and you can't really tell it's there in the current game, nor could you really see it in Benchmark 1.0. But here it blatantly stands out because her dark skintone suddenly looks much less saturated.

FIRST BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/xgCz78M/Heron-Benchmark-1-0.png
SECOND BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/GCDVfJG/Heron-Benchmark-1-1.png

My Hellsguard is the most beautiful character I've ever created and I absolutely adore her ruddy skin and her blue eyes and I was taken aback by how washed out she looks in the benchmark. She looks sickly; her eyes and skin aren't anywhere near as vibrant, not even her hair.

FIRST BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/fS36YgW/Alakhai-Benchmark-1-0.png
SECOND BENCHMARK:
https://i.ibb.co/thhB2XQ/Alakhai-Benchmark-1-1.png

And my poor, poor Xaela. Her skintone was the perfect cool-toned brown in the first benchmark, but now it looks like a brownish grey and her hair is noticeably less purple, too.

I was really excited by the first benchmark because FINALLY, my girls all looked as vibrant as I had always imagined them to be, with their skintones finally as close as possible to how I wanted them to be. And now they just...don't. It's really disheartening to see my lalafell and my au ra look so washed out, I adored how much their darker skins looked in the original benchmark. I'm really hoping that the benchmark cinematic lighting isn't indicative of the final product come Dawntrail, but just a stepping stone on the way to a full fix.

https://files.catbox.moe/qqeo5d.jpg

There's improvements between this benchmark and the first pass! I like the lighting/shading, I'm happy that characters look less "waxy," and that the nasolabial lines were removed.

I went into this benchmark optimistic and pretty sure my issues were from textures or lighting. Unfortunately, not the case. Since Square is still asking for feedback, I thought it would be worth sharing the things that still stand out to me as worth a second look.


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

General comparisons: My WoL's face seems longer/his chin seems sharper. That could be because of the fisheye effect of the character creator though. Additionally, it looks like his nose (Midlander Face 5 Nose 2) maybe had its bump smoothed out between Benchmark 1 and 1.1 I am a little sad as I consider it a charm point.

https://i.imgur.com/hHuuQr1.jpeg

More granular things! Like many, my guy got hit by changed eye and mouth shapes. The eye change is surprising. His were already a round, open shape others seem to have been changed to. He looks like his eyes are half lidded or mid-blink to me now. I liked the old shape. His mouth follows the trend I've seen on other models just less pronounced (but more noticeable than in Benchmark 1). His upper lip/cupid's bow has been elongated and thinned, but the lips overall are more pulled in and puckered. I was attached to the pouty upper lip with the mouth line extending out past both lips that he had to begin with. Echoing everyone who had an issue with lip shape changes, I'd prefer the original.

I miss the brighter colors on eyes and hair, as well as less grayed out skin. My WoL is missing the contrast he had. While it was subtle, I definitely notice the difference. I'd love if skintones could look more like how they do now. While I have the option of taking my WoL a notch darker in CC with the free fantasia, many of my friends play as characters who are already from that furthest row of skin tones, and they don't have any fix for how washed out their characters look now.

All in all, I see my issues as subtle versions of what other folks picked up on as in need of further review. Eye shapes, lip shapes, and skin/hair/eye color. I expected this graphics update to be more of an update to textures and lighting, not a remake of the models themselves. I hope that eventual fixes will bring us closer to that. I love the game and the fun I've had with my WoL so far, and I want to keep playing with him looking like the little guy I've gotten attached to haha.

While I don't expect fixes pre-DT, I'm curious if they could implement a 6.x/7.0 appearance toggle for this expac as they iron things out. I wouldn't suggest this if I didn't know the game was still going to run sans-graphics update on PS4. If the team is open to that temporary fix, I think it would be worth considering so folks who need more refinement and folks who like all the changes are good to go when DT rolls out. Cheers!

Please pardon the image quality / my shoddy red lines / inconsistencies in lighting. I'm mainly talking about the changed shape of facial features, and I run the benchmark on my spouse's PC (I'm a console player)! I just wanted to get some thoughts/comparisons down while they're fresh in my mind (and sorry for the wall of text lol...jeeze)

With the updated benchmark, I was thrilled to see that the lighting and shading are much improved. However, I am disappointed that the changes that were made to F!Au Ra face 4 weren't corrected with this update. The mouth change is the worst offender, where it looks like there was no effort made to preserve the original mouth changes, but the subtle changes to the eyes and nose also contribute to the feeling of this no longer being my character.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...eecb9739df6c7&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...be2d22392ef95&
I assume the eye being more angular in the current version of the game is due to the lower poly count- however, it's a feature I think should have been better retained in the update, since face 4's more angular features are why many players pick it.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...bf1a31e8dbfb7&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...38e6e3bae0b32&
The new mouth looks like she's gotten lip fillers and is now stuck permanently smiling; the new dimples also contribute to the feeling that she's having an allergic reaction.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...c441f3625ebce&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...20ceba1470da6&
Please, never smile again.

Just going to add the biggest thing I noticed that was taken from us lalafell... our belly button

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

I originally posted this here (#35).

I have permission from faiarrow to repost their translated post regarding Hellsguard Roegadyn from the JP megathread.

(Original post in Japanese here [#1229]).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by faiarrow

Thank you for posting the updated benchmark.

Even though f!roe face 2 has been updated, I still have some feedback I'd like to give.
Here (#989) [Japanese; related to Benchmark 1.0] is a link to my initial feedback. Save for the shape of the nose all other issues have been ignored.

https://i.imgur.com/JuFXON0.png

①The f!roe pupils are now black. Black pupils change the impression of the eyes and that affects the whole face.

② The shape of the nose has been corrected, but the nose ash does not look nice at all even on the lightest skintone. It's odd that a very beloved feature of the hellsguard has changed. I think it would be more acceptable if this was an option in the character maker (to change it light/dark) instead. This image is my face 3 character. She's the lightest skintone you can get on a hellsguard and her mark is practically invisible.

https://i.imgur.com/YhV571E.png

③There are still issues with the eyebrows. The following post is a great example:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by azaleai

However. Femroe face 2 brow creases are still. completely and utterly painted on. There is NO data on the normal map, so the brow creases just look plasticy and wierd.

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

The complete and utter lack of any shadows on the brow give the impression of the forehead, brow ridge and bridge of the nose being a completely different shape - smooth and airbrushy.

---

Here's a screenshot of the eyebrows from the benchmark. It looks like my character has filled in the outline of their eyebrows, making them look too long.

https://i.imgur.com/eQpOuBR.png https://i.imgur.com/lUtcdAy.png

④ The philtrum is in an awkward position. From the side it looks OK but front on it's just two straight lines. That is not how a philtrum anatomically works, it should angle outward to meet the cupids bow of the lips.
https://i.imgur.com/pB1rkhC.png https://i.imgur.com/MGcq6zp.png

I understand that female roegadyn is the smallest playerbase... but these are things that can't be fixed with a Fantasia.

---

Some thoughts here:

Hair textures are incredibly improved.

As a moon miqo:
Eyes actually appear duller and milky (?) in some lighting environments like she is going blind in the new 1.1 benchmark.
The highlight itself, is actually blurrier and less sparkly in bench2 than in bench1 as if a smudge tool was taken to it.
order: Live | Bench1 | Bench2
https://i.imgur.com/Z7TTMIv.png
https://i.imgur.com/3vI6qIa.png

Milky eyes does carry over into the actual accompanying cinematic as seen in benchmark freezeframe shot at the end:
order: Bench2 | Bench1
https://i.imgur.com/PIptPiD.png

The texture of the iris is... weird, but in the cinematic it is fine. The lines in the iris (idk what they are called) are too uniform, like a stuffed animals plastic eye, but its only noticeable in the character creator.

order: Bench2 | Live
https://i.imgur.com/vitRbyz.png

The mouth shape is pretty different especially in regard to the top lip. She has less heart shaped lip type than before and the neutral curve is more of a slight frown. She looks annoyed/unimpressed/mad compared to before.

Order: Live | Bench2
https://i.imgur.com/ajsEpNy.png

My female miqo's eyes look... less pronounced due to the milkiness of the pupil, which in turn muddles the color contrast so the eye color feels wrong too.

Lowering contrast helps with the milkiness and other overly bright entities but going below 30 will definitely make the image weird.

Will post pics later but as a male viera main this is so much better! There are small things like brow fullness/richness, black hair issues, but overall I’m very happy with the viera changes and looking forward to DT like I was before the OG benchmark. The initial one was so rough on my boys (mostly face 3’s) but they have been resurrected lol

*Lash fullness returned for the most part, (brows better but not as good as current)
*Lip shine and shadow adjustment is closer to current
*Dirty nose mostly gone - with a bit of the previous sharpness actually restored as well, thankfully, so they didn’t seem so wide, dark, and flat (ideally would’ve liked to see a toggle or slider or leave it untouched for variety.)
*Awful shadowing on lower faces fixed
*Eyeshine is much improved which is so helpful in making them look more similar to their usual selves (i.e. alive).

Once again beautiful bun faces reign supreme \(^ - ^)/

If only my middies got this treatment as well lol. My fem face 1 looks like she hasn’t slept since arr. I’d love to see longer lashes, mouth fixes, and those weirdly enhanced under eye bags gone forever. My male face one needs his brows back and a bit more face fullness or something... but they weren’t hit as hard as my viera to begin with.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pyshiro

Just going to add the biggest thing I noticed that was taken from us lalafell... our belly button

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

---

potato jokes aside, that's ...an odd choice. Why would they remove that?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RhaesDaenys

That depends on the characters skin tone. The paler you are the more apparent it is.

---

How is their skin tone making the barrel in the background green?

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



I'm reasonably pale but me and my barrel look less green.

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

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boblawblah

potato jokes aside, that's ...an odd choice. Why would they remove that?

---

Not quite sure... especially since you can still see the vague man pecs so it's very :shrugs:

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


Compared to the last benchmark, the distortions around the top of the nose and chin are toned down, and the hair is a massive upgrade. Unlike the first bench, I'd consider the game playable in this state, though I need to adjust skin tones on pretty much all my characters regardless of race.


With that said, I still prefer the current game. On live, the eyes are more detailed than everything else, which draws the viewer's attention in and gives the overall face a focused look. But in the benchmark the detail on the philtrum and chin shadows is excessive and distracting, especially on low shadow settings, where it just kinda looks bad. The eyeshadow, especially in the outer corners, isn't as intense. The bottom lip still needs to be smaller.



https://i.imgur.com/yLnvFgL.png
On my viera I have more or less the same complaints, especially on the lower eyelid.

https://imgur.com/NU87RdF.png

Ngl, when I saw the one on the right in the first Benchmark, I was worried. Now though, I'm over the moon thrilled with how great she looks. My Viera might be the biggest success story in Benchmark comparisons.

https://imgur.com/U6gehaz.png
I thought Elezen was a massive improvement last time and this time, it's unreal. For me at least, this is an immensely wonderful change and I couldn't be happier. I hope everyone gets to feel that way about their characters eventually.

Admittedly I didn't care for my look in the new benchmark while watching it stand alone, but putting a few old BM screenshots next to new BM screenshots and it's not to bad, in fact I like it more with each moment. As someone who liked the old one there are still some points I like better in the old BM, like her hair color, love the brighter color while still being a med/deep red. If I lower the color it becomes to dark of a red, and if I rise it, it becomes to light/pinkish, so stuck here for now. otherwise I do feel she looks better in the new one and will only continue to do so as time passes.

Put new on the left and right so both lighting options can be seen next to the old one. I still look meh in blue light in option 1, but option 2 is great.

https://i.imgur.com/p1SvdQ7.jpg

All other pictures are old BM left, new BM right. Didn't put as much effort into matching them up perfectly, but I think it's close enough.

Limsa Day.
https://i.imgur.com/nNV10g8.jpg

Limsa Night.
https://i.imgur.com/cbwRrwn.jpg

Grid Day.
https://i.imgur.com/pZJ3DQj.jpg

Grid Night.
https://i.imgur.com/s6BPtVW.jpg

Ul'Dah Day.
https://i.imgur.com/g0YsA2E.jpg

Ul'Dah Night.
https://i.imgur.com/Jzkt91N.jpg

Room face close up.
https://i.imgur.com/DsfBLGJ.jpg

Over all, I still love how she looks and will continue to play as her.

Other than a couple minor things, my Lala definitely looks more like herself in the new benchmark.

https://i.imgur.com/nJ9JSMW.jpeg

And my Highlander got even better! Everything that changed on her was a plus.

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

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fawkes

https://i.imgur.com/CwiHnSv.gif

My eyelashes have been slightly reduced from v1 to v1.1.

And I guess the face marks and nose smudge are a little darker maybe.

---

Your miqote looks super cute but i hate that they toned down the lashes :(

So generally speaking, I think my characters look great. I only have one complaint about my elezen dude:

https://i.imgur.com/D0kZYkV.jpeg

Now grant you, this neck seam/surprisingly sharp adam's apple is still miles better than the current elezen neck seam, but ideally there'd not be a seam at all, you know? Still, that feels pretty minor overall.

I am much more concerned about my face 4 hyur dude's problem:

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

So his facial hair is much lighter/thinner than in the current game, and I don't love it. I could live with it, though, if it didn't ... turn black at certain angles, in certain lighting:

https://i.imgur.com/1gZbGqs.png

That straight up looks bugged to me. Especially since other times he's close up and in shadow, it looks like how I think it's supposed to:

https://i.imgur.com/UJe1F3m.jpeg

Right now I'm crossing my fingers that it's just that one specific scene and that one specific set of lighting messing it up, but since it looks so, so unintended, I really needed to wave my arms about it somewhere.

Some pros in my opinion: Visible upgrade from current ingame graphics, more HD than previous benchmark, Mooncat fangs returned!! Improved mouth shape using emotes compared to current ingame, my character's face (Moon Miqo face 2) has nostril textures now! Less "waxy" in some lightings like Thanalan compared to previous benchmark. Lip gloss reacquired.

Some cons in my opinion: I liked the softer eyebrow shading of the previous benchmark better. I preferred the darker upper eyelid makeup of the previous benchmark and wish it was an option to toggle on in the new one. The pupils seemed a little darker in the previous version too, and I felt it gave a nice "black cat with big round void eyes" sort of look (and I actually liked less eye shine). Not sure if it was intentional or just missing shading, but I also liked how the iris colors popped more in the previous benchmark, like they were faintly glowing -- the new irises are a bit dulled from shading at some angles, and have uncannily distinct "lines".


Current ingame -- Benchmark 1 (April) -- Benchmark 1.1 (June)

https://i.imgur.com/9gOShNv.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/dMTXZmr.png
https://i.imgur.com/bH6QENw.png

There are a few good things about the benchmark and some bad... for me the bad is my girl just doesn't look the same. Her face doesn't give the same expression, The first image is Currently how she looks in game the other is the benchmark, the expression mainly THE EYES are just wrong, before she looked relaxed and now well looks like she scared (or been through some stuff which yeah warrior of light and all but ugh I hate it) I feel the makeup/eyeliner we can toggle on is lighter and caused her to lose a great deal of look to the eyes, as darker liner really can make white eyes stand out, with it more muted looking a bit gray in the eyeliner/makeup it loses the effect it had.

Also even turning gamma down my hair still isn't jet black like it use to be it drives me nuts, years and years of playing and now I might just have to completely make a new character as I just can't take the look of her eyes.

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

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

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fawkes

How is their skin tone making the barrel in the background green?

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



I'm reasonably pale but me and my barrel look less green.

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

---

I've got a sin-eater-pale character and its not that green, that's super weird.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GrizzlyTank

OLDhttps://i.imgur.com/jHCHu8w.png
NEWhttps://i.imgur.com/ZhZcYQi.jpeg

Face 3,
Jaw 3,
Eyeshape 3, size small
Eyebrows 1
nose 1
mouth 1

Eyes are less sharp, harder to spot the pupils and the iris is slightly larger.


The eyelid is rounder in the new one

The eyebrows hangs lower now, has less curve, ends earlier and lacks the tiny spacing on the outer part.

---

I use those eyes too I used them due to the shape and now well.... they look nothing like they did, they used to look a lot sharper and it's a reason I chose them, really come off too soft looking now

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...e65e3316ccac1&

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by programcanaan

The Viera Face 4 mouth changes are probably one of the most severe examples of forced changes (unwanted ones at that). If they wanted to introduce new looks they should have expanded the options instead of replacing current ones.

And it's not just the mouth being wider, thinner etc. The whole shape has literally changed.

---

Yes, viera face four now has the largest set of lips in the entire game. I tried them on and it looks.....well...opinions`?
https://i.imgur.com/04Pzzun.png
https://i.imgur.com/XgffdtE.png

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sjofn

I am much more concerned about my face 4 hyur dude's problem:

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

So his facial hair is much lighter/thinner than in the current game, and I don't love it. I could live with it, though, if it didn't ... turn black at certain angles, in certain lighting:

---

I think the beard is broken, it hasn't been updated like the rest so it's acting weird. I have the same problem too for my character, and some other faces.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by moodud

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPJ4Ytza...name=4096x4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPJ4xwZb...png&name=small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPJ0zlSa...name=4096x4096


Some updated beards for reference:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPJ-o8Cb...name=4096x4096

---

Hope we get the fixes before launch :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PomPon

Some thoughts here:

Hair textures are incredibly improved.

As a moon miqo:
Eyes actually appear duller and milky (?) in some lighting environments like she is going blind in the new 1.1 benchmark.
The highlight itself, is actually blurrier and less sparkly in bench2 than in bench1 as if a smudge tool was taken to it.
order: Live | Bench1 | Bench2
https://i.imgur.com/Z7TTMIv.png
https://i.imgur.com/3vI6qIa.png

Milky eyes does carry over into the actual accompanying cinematic as seen in benchmark freezeframe shot at the end:
order: Bench2 | Bench1
https://i.imgur.com/PIptPiD.png

The texture of the iris is... weird, but in the cinematic it is fine. The lines in the iris (idk what they are called) are too uniform, like a stuffed animals plastic eye, but its only noticeable in the character creator.

order: Bench2 | Live
https://i.imgur.com/vitRbyz.png

The mouth shape is pretty different especially in regard to the top lip. She has less heart shaped lip type than before and the neutral curve is more of a slight frown. She looks annoyed/unimpressed/mad compared to before.

Order: Live | Bench2
https://i.imgur.com/ajsEpNy.png

---

You're using the same face and eye model and I love that we can see here pretty well whats my issue with the eyebrows..
I didn't like the change in the first benchmark because the eyebrows look kinda "chopped" off at the end - but at least the front part to the nose stayed the same.
Now with the new benchmark they also changed that part which makes the previous "soft looking" eyebrows more tilted and "sharp" :c

I also noted the "milky" eyes and was pretty confused about it

I did not get to compare with 1.0 but I compared 1.1 vs live; https://imgsli.com/MjY5Nzcw/0/1

https://i.imgur.com/KTerrRb.gif

I think his eyes look a bit dead.. eyes lips and nose are different shapes as well. I explained it in another thread but eh. i suppose it's a work in progress (I hope). It's an improvement from 1.0 so that's good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aph

I did not get to compare with 1.0 but I compared 1.1 vs live; https://imgsli.com/MjY5Nzcw/0/1

https://i.imgur.com/KTerrRb.gif

I think his eyes look a bit dead.. eyes lips and nose are different shapes as well. I explained it in another thread but eh. i suppose it's a work in progress (I hope). It's an improvement from 1.0 so that's good.

---

The eye reflections are lightsource dependant. Your lightsource is on his left which is why on the frontal shot there's no glow but on the side shot there's significantly more glowing.

Just in case the SE team only see this thread due to the billion of other threads:

Thank you for the Benchmark changes.

Unfortunately, it seems that there are still existing issues in the design of Au Ra. It seems Au Ra changes were largely ignored.

1. The pupils are too big/dilated. They were small originally. This changes the look of the character. It also blends in too well with the base colour of the iris which is a bigger problem for male Au Ra than female. Please change this back or add an option for the pupils to be big or small.

2. The colours of the umbral ring are more darked and cannot be easily replaced. My character was directly imported, and the colour is significantly darker. This colour can no longer be replicated as there are not many colours for blue. This blue was important as it represented the colour we’ve seen come up in the story multiple times with significant story relevance.

3. The lips are no longer upturned at the corners. This makes the characters expression change from slightly happy to neutral or expressionless.

4. The eye liner is less harsh. The eye liner above the eye lids has been reduced and changes the look of the eyes for many faces.

There are more issues, but I feel these are most pressing for my own Au Ra.

Before and after Slider: https://imgsli.com/MjY5Mzcx

https://i.imgur.com/K9GCWP6.png https://i.imgur.com/J2MfzES.png

If you're interested in the story relevance I'm pointing at in point #2 (posted in another thread by SchwarzwaelderTorte):

https://i.imgur.com/D03eWSX.png

Posted this in another thread but just adding mine to the pile in the hopes the feedback will actually be passed on. :rolleyes:
Far away:
https://i.imgur.com/QR6GGru.gif

Close up:
https://i.imgur.com/wI50jfB.gif

The main gripes being the eyes shapes being more rounded rather than angular/sharper.

The eyebrows being less defined on lighter hair tones when mixed with certain hairstyles makes it look like you have no eyebrows.

The upper eyelashes being trimmed, I would like to see it similar to how it is in the current game as the change makes the eyes look rounder as well.

I think these issues might seem miniscule up close but as soon as you zoom out they become more pronounced. This is Viera face 1

I like the benchmark update - the lighting, especially, is 100 times better and more pleasing to the eye. I play a male Viera (Rava). My main issues with the 1st benchmark were the flatness of the face, the dead eyes, and the weird lip colour/lipstick. Thankfully, these aspects have been updated. However, one thing I actually *enjoyed* in the 1st benchmark was that for the face I use (male Viera face nr 3) they darkened the nose shading. But in the updated benchmark, I was disappointed to see that it's practically gone now. It's barely visible on pale characters, let alone on darker-skinned ones.

BASE GAME/NO BENCHMARK

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...762&height=357

BENCHMARK 1

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...7d6da5d6562ef&

BENCHMARK 2

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...940b654d15fc4&

Nose shading is practically gone. And not only on dark skin. Here's my friend's Viera, same face:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...343f26ad01195&

Here is my female Viera character for comparison (note how much lighter the nostril area is):

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...96e6715ba02f6&

I am aware of the fact that some people complained about the nose shading being "too dark" in benchmark 1 - however, getting rid of it/making it barely visible is not the way to go. I love how Viera are designed as a race and their noses are a unique racial trait - if one wishes to remove that trait, then they are no longer Viera, but simply a Hyur with bunny ears. To me, it's the equivalent of getting rid of the scales on Au'Ra or removing fangs from Miqo'te.

There is a nose shading toggle for face 1 - I think the solution for this nose fiasco would be adding a nose shading toggle for ALL faces, both Rava and Veena.

I think it's imperative to take into consideration how character-building shows on darker skin. A lot of details disappear or are barely visible once you choose anything that's not pale skin.

I'm grateful to the development team for all of the effort that was put into updating the lighting for the benchmark, character creation, and the game itself. It is a major improvement on the visual quality of my skin.

I am, however, very disappointed that none of the other issues that I had with visual changes were not addressed. I am somewhat lucky that the changes made to my appearance are seemingly easy fixes, and I am hopeful that with the continued disappointment that the team decides to make these adjustments.

These are the issues that I still have with Miqo'te (F) Face 3:

• The eyelashes on Eye Shape 3 are too dense on the inner eyelids (by the nose), and it causes my eyes to appear much more round as others have noted. The previous eyelashes were less dense and swept towards the outer eye, making the shape of my eyes more apparent.
• As others have notes, the corners of my mouth look unnatural as if I am pursing my lips; this appears to be the case on every mouth option.
• Facial Feature 1 (bushy eyebrows) paired with Eyebrows 2 are wider, shorter, and do not fully taper off on the inner brow.
• Facial Feature 4 (nose scar) has been moved to be significantly lower than it was before.

Here are screenshots and a slide comparison for review:
https://imgsli.com/MjY5MzUx

https://i.imgur.com/Gzksqw0.png
https://i.imgur.com/GM62cLD.png

Thank you again to the development team for all of your hard work, especially so close to the launch of the expansion. My hope is that your leaders provide you with the opportunity to address the issues that we have with preserving our beloved characters.

I'm also pleasantly surprised by this updated benchmark! Looks way better than the first release, good job and thanks to the development team. <3

These caved-in dimples with Keepers (F) Face 3 (and others, but especially 3) are my main remaining issue. They severely alter the feel of characters, making their faces look unnaturally plasticky, as if they had a faceful of make-up or as another user put it "a bad face lift". They used to look more natural. This seems like a pretty common opinion, so I've gathered some posts about this:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Minali

I really can't get over how much my face 3 Miqo'te looks like she had a bad face lift in the lower half of her face as soon as she isn't in shadow. It looks like her mouth is squished inwards or something and the lighting react with a high contrast in light and shadow to make it more obvious.
https://imgur.com/8WINmm4l.jpg
https://imgur.com/okZtMyTl.jpg

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by cutestfox

It is on all the mouths for face 3... it's way too much
https://i.imgur.com/hf3z3UW.png

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Soxforrow

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING the corners of the mouth are completely off for our face now!
https://i.imgur.com/r6F7Rmc.png

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Loops

• As others have notes, the corners of my mouth look unnatural as if I am pursing my lips; this appears to be the case on every mouth option.

Here are screenshots and a slide comparison for review:
https://imgsli.com/MjY5MzUx

https://i.imgur.com/Gzksqw0.png
https://i.imgur.com/GM62cLD.png

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Here's my own set. Current patch | Updated benchmark.

https://i.imgur.com/ciixPC8.png
https://i.imgur.com/VxpOXpL.png

(Also, it seems longer eyelashes near the nose aren't a thing anymore. Kinda makes me sad, they look more like fake eyelashes now.)

I've also noticed these dimples have the unfortunate side effect of giving all mouths a more serious/angry resting pose, as seen here (besides the changes to lip shape):

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PomPon

The mouth shape is pretty different especially in regard to the top lip. She has less heart shaped lip type than before and the neutral curve is more of a slight frown. She looks annoyed/unimpressed/mad compared to before.
Order: Live | Bench2
https://i.imgur.com/ajsEpNy.png

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I said this in the previous thread in relation to many aspects now improved, but I'll say it again here because it still applies to the dimples: they make characters resemble some models I've seen who try to look like dolls, to the point of sometimes getting uncanny, which feels very unfitting here compared to the previous dimples.

Loops' comment just before mine mentioned these dimples too, but also other issues that are worth bringing attention to.

I am sincerely happy for those who are happy with the new version and their characters really look beautiful and similar. I'm reading the forum and I see that there is really good progress *la la, buns, and a few other things*, but what about Rooegadryns, Auras, Hyurs? Here, for example, this is my hyur I'm not happy. I'm just disappointed already. Why are some races literally ctrl c ctrl v with improvements, and some * like Hyur 1* literally with a redrawn aesthetic. Excuse me, but for me to say that their task is to keep the same characters as they were all the time - it's just a lie now. This one is a brazen lie. As similar as possible, this means that you copy, add polygons and that's it. But the company decided to create aesthetics from scratch for some races. Why the new lighting looks even uglier, *see screenshot, in some places * than what was in ARR? I really appreciate and respect developers, and I wish them to work in the most comfortable environment and without crunches, and therefore I do not offend anyone in any case. I think it's very stupid that they released such a large-scale graphic update and literally a few months before the release they started to receive feedback. Imagine if they released a released benchmark last summer and accounted for all feedback feedback. No crunching, redrawing, and so on. Good luck to Everyone, hehe :3

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...fdc86adcae075&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...bf011e154eb5b&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...2c8c5a772adc9&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...39bf02509e0e7&
Is this twins? They have something in common, nothing more. And it should be like Alphinaud and Alisaie :3

My only problem is that black hair ain't black, its dark blue.

Okay...

Generally, I'm very happy with the changes at least for face 3 on male Viera. I definitely prefer the way their eyes and lips look in the new benchmark over live.

My only point of concern, really (and it was already pointed out by other people as well, so I'm just adding my vote into that pile), is that the bunny nose became nearly invisible on them. It was already barely there on this face, and in the new benchmark you need to actively squint to see it, especially on darker skintones.

It's not a change I can't deal with, so it wouldn't be the end of the world for me if it stays this way, but I also think it's a shame to take it away, as it's a feature that is intergral to this race identity. Especially when there's face 1, and also female Viera who have their fuzzy bunny tip perfectly intact (as they should).

https://i.ibb.co/ZhKbH4Y/1.png

https://i.ibb.co/9rNnWL7/2.png

Regarding the benchmark cinematic: Elja still looks like black hole incarnate, but it's not as bad as it is in live, so I'm content.

https://i.ibb.co/ynQ5ygW/ffxiv-04062024-180413-049.png

https://i.ibb.co/7rbKHmS/ffxiv-04062024-180523-761.png

https://i.ibb.co/NZ25pV9/2024-06-04-181723.png

ерthe same character huh?
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...f403729472c8b&

I like the hyur updates - My feedback for other races are linked: Au Ra and Viera

The only weird thing I found what that it is most prevalent with light colored eyes (in almost all Midlander faces) look like they are looking up and to the side. Not really sure if it an issue, but thought I would report it anyway.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-gm?authuser=0

Just gonna repost part of what I said in the Au Ra thread:

I’m still very disappointed in the way Au Ra pupils have been made larger, as it completely changes the way the characters’ expressions look. Now so many Au Ra have a really unfocused and listless look to them. Our characters are canonically supposed to be fierce warriors, they should look alert and ready for action, not zoned out.

Personally, if I was given a choice of changing only one thing about the updated graphics/models, it would be to restore Au Ra pupils to their original size. They’re just way too large now and it completely changes the look of the characters.

It's so weird but across the races Face 4's seem to have taken the most dramatic changes. I can see it really clearly here on your au'ra that the whole head/face is squashed vertically by like 5%. My miqo has the same problem. T____T