Graphical Update Thread: Midlander Hyur

I've liked the graphic update so far. Most character look great, but I couldn't avoid and see that Hyur Midlander Face 5 and Face 7 specially make the character look older than it is in the current patch.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes.../blog/5375893/
I made a imgsli to compare it: https://imgsli.com/MjU1NjA1
https://imgsli.com/MjU1NjEw

I leave this thread open to share your thoughts on the midlander race

Edit: I edited this pic putting face 5 eyes and leaving the stubble for face 7, this is how it works in patch 6.5, face 7 just adds a stubble. https://ibb.co/T1S8wKm https://ibb.co/T1S8wKm

Like with most comparison posts I can see a difference but it just looks like a massive improvement in my opinion.

I will say though that I like that you included a slider to change between the two, it helps to really see the difference so props for that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CVXIV

Like with most comparison posts I can see a difference but it just looks like a massive improvement in my opinion.

I will say though that I like that you included a slider to change between the two, it helps to really see the difference so props for that.

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I just added another sli. Overall I really like it, but preferably I'd prefer if they adjusted the eyebrow lines and not make him look older than it is right now :'(

My problem is that with my Midlander is that they've really diminished the look of my eyebrows and facial hair.

https://imgur.com/a/VYjvbSW

I do use Face 5 and it does look a maybe a little bit older but the eyebrows and facial hair being so different make it hard for me to compare other features.

Here is the imgsli comparison: https://imgsli.com/MjU1NjE2

Posted it on another thread, but I'll drop it here as well. The stubble on face 7 just does not work with light haired characters, now.
https://i.imgur.com/hHC3B5J.png

Even in the benchmark lighting, it's basically non-existent. Seems like they matched the shade closer to your hair color, which just makes it kind of pointless to have unless your character has dark hair. Huge bummer.
https://i.imgur.com/1Wf6doh.png

they took away my cheekbones, I'm genuinely upset about it

I feel like their idea of improving the graphics was just to make everything smoother... and they sacrificed a lot of detail that made the different faces distinct to achieve their goal

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...f1bfecabff6ee&

darker skin does show detail better because of the higher contrast between shadows and highlights, but it's still not enough

also changed the lips because they looked off with the update

edit: I do like the edit with the changes, but he is just not what I wanted my character to look like. Right now I feel the update made him look more feminine/beautiful.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Endemerrin

Posted it on another thread, but I'll drop it here as well. The stubble on face 7 just does not work with light haired characters, now.
https://i.imgur.com/hHC3B5J.png

Even in the benchmark lighting, it's basically non-existent. Seems like they matched the shade closer to your hair color, which just makes it kind of pointless to have unless your character has dark hair. Huge bummer.
https://i.imgur.com/1Wf6doh.png

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Yours looks better on the benchmark. Tho, despite I like blonde stubble I don't think they should change that, or at least make the stubble customizable. I just compared face 5 and 7 in-game and face 7 only adds stubble, I don't know why they went with this change in the benchmark. I hope they revert the eye and eyebrows frowny lines.

yeah I also noticed the cheekbones with a face 3 midlander I made once :'<

I feel like I lucked out in that I don't mind face 5 looking a bit older for my guy specifically, and I don't mind his features being softened a little (even though I prefer harsher shading to define things like brows or noses stylistically). I came out more unscathed than my partner who plays as m!elezen. That said, there's still some things about the lighting that are really weird with darker skin tones. of course, it looked better in the trailer than the CC, but even just comparing between the CC....

https://imgur.com/a/DWDbRkR

(in case that link embed doesnt work, here's the image https://imgur.com/a/DWDbRkR )

like, the weird points of light at either side of his lips dont make sense to me, and he is overall a little more grayed out to the point where I'm going to consider taking him a shade darker and seeing if I like that more. (but that doesnt help anyone whose characters are already on the darkest settings they can use)

having seen a lot of other folks' characters now it seems like a lot of the warmth got removed from darker skin tones. like, even the red-aspect of purple-y toned au ra and elezen. its weird.

Looking at these, the place where the neck joins the head looks strange to me. Like the neck is flaring out as it goes up. That's probably minor, but I'm not sure why that looks different, unless it's caused by shadow that's no longer there on the updated midlander. It makes the head look different in comparison.

It's amazing how little things can make a character look so different.

Quote:

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having seen a lot of other folks' characters now it seems like a lot of the warmth got removed from darker skin tones. like, even the red-aspect of purple-y toned au ra and elezen. its weird.

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I think that's part of what makes some midlanders look older, because the skin doesn't look as bright.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eohippus

I feel like I lucked out in that I don't mind face 5 looking a bit older for my guy specifically, and I don't mind his features being softened a little (even though I prefer harsher shading to define things like brows or noses stylistically). I came out more unscathed than my partner who plays as m!elezen. That said, there's still some things about the lighting that are really weird with darker skin tones. of course, it looked better in the trailer than the CC, but even just comparing between the CC....

https://imgur.com/a/DWDbRkR

(in case that link embed doesnt work, here's the image https://imgur.com/a/DWDbRkR )

like, the weird points of light at either side of his lips dont make sense to me, and he is overall a little more grayed out to the point where I'm going to consider taking him a shade darker and seeing if I like that more. (but that doesnt help anyone whose characters are already on the darkest settings they can use)

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The highlights on the darkest skintones look kind of greasy to me and the shadows are not prominent enough so the face loses a lot of depth.

https://i.imgur.com/U6EZ2i3.jpeg

I think he looks much better now. I also tried with other cosmetics and the new hairstyle and I loved it.
But I wished that also the bodymodels would get a real improvement.

In general, I'm super happy with how my character looks in the benchmark, but my complaint is the stubble for face 7. In the benchmark it's barely noticeable compared to the current game. Not really a complaint but the character also looks a bit older than he does in current patch.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GLN1VBRX...jpg&name=large

I primarily play hyur midlander. I'm happy with how my dude looks but my chick looks a bit odd within the creator itself, though that may just be down to lighting as she looks a lot better during the actual benchmark test.

It seems to me that the designers paid attention to isolated details of the characters' faces, individually analyzing eyes, nose, mouth, jaw, etc.
However, they forgot to analyze the entire work, the final face and how far it is from the original face. This can be seen in the links below. When seen up close, the face doesn't look that different, but from afar, when you look at it as a whole, it doesn't appear to be the same person.
I can't recognize my character after 9 years of playing Final Fantasy XIV. I'm very sad about this.

https://imgsli.com/MjU1ODQx

https://imgsli.com/MjU1ODQw

https://imgsli.com/MjU1ODM4

Maybe they haven't updated facial hair for face 5 and 7 yet? It seems so non-existent that I can't believe that it's intended.

I have the same face type as your character and the same has happened to me. I think because they have rounded everything off and got rid of the sharp edges it has taken away the cheek bones. Also the lighting changes make a huge difference as well. Sadly I think that's why mouth 1 now looks like it has no upper lip. The eye brows as well look weaker and smaller due to making them softer. It's so sad but I hope square enix take this feed back and make some improvements. Ultimately they have made the face seem more fat, soft and rounder than it's original counterpart.

I like the changes EXCEPT the shape of my boy’s eyebrows are different now, and those were a really big charm point for me. I like that they look sculpted, but now they’re thin and lost their shape. I chose them specifically because they had a different shape compared to the other options. I tried all other options just in case but it looks like they changed the ones I chose to match the other ones.

Current:

https://imgur.com/GFgSL5L.jpg

Benchmark:

https://imgur.com/s0NFlc5.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by posona

I like the changes EXCEPT the shape of my boy’s eyebrows are different now, and those were a really big charm point for me. I like that they look sculpted, but now they’re thin and lost their shape. I chose them specifically because they had a different shape compared to the other options. I tried all other options just in case but it looks like they changed the ones I chose to match the other ones.

Current:

https://imgur.com/GFgSL5L.jpg

Benchmark:

https://imgur.com/s0NFlc5.jpg

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I like the graphics update overall, but I have the same complaint as you. I use the same eyebrows on my Face 1 Midlander male. The eyebrows are a lot thinner and more sparse now. I wonder if it's the result of the new shader making hair look lighter.

Before and after: https://i.imgur.com/k7wzm1U.jpeg

Other than my gripes with the eyes being a bit different, my hyur looks really good!

https://imgur.com/TZUOFwll.png
https://imgur.com/yqLp9jwl.png
https://imgur.com/7xbTpDhl.png

Didn't really like the sharp edges on the lips and wanted to see him look quite worn in-game anyways.

(Though now come to think of it, I might have to play with the skin tone a little to match the original more, though it'd be a bit tricky for me. Hmmm...)

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Originally Posted by Miketsu

I like the graphics update overall, but I have the same complaint as you. I use the same eyebrows on my Face 1 Midlander male. The eyebrows are a lot thinner and more sparse now. I wonder if it's the result of the new shader making hair look lighter.

Before and after: https://i.imgur.com/k7wzm1U.jpeg

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I’m glad (and obviously sympathetic!) someone understands where I’m coming from. I feel kind of bad complaining about it because it’s such a minor complaint but those eyebrows have a lot of personality to me and I hate seeing that taken away. :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by posona

I’m glad (and obviously sympathetic!) someone understands where I’m coming from. I feel kind of bad complaining about it because it’s such a minor complaint but those eyebrows have a lot of personality to me and I hate seeing that taken away. :(

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Waauuugh... It's not the same for me because I don't have a Face 1 male Midlander, but my best friend's played one for 10 years. I do think the impression of the face is still very cute/handsome, but those slightly thick, sculpted eyebrows had such a boyish and slightly stuffy charm!! I was so sad to see her character without them!! She was more okay with it than me, though, haha. Still, I hope they correct it...and give this face some of its eyelashes back, too. I noticed they were significantly shortened, and no longer have a tint that matches the hair color... I'm being nitpicky, but I just like these tiny details. :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Doopliss

Waauuugh... It's not the same for me because I don't have a Face 1 male Midlander, but my best friend's played one for 10 years. I do think the impression of the face is still very cute/handsome, but those slightly thick, sculpted eyebrows had such a boyish and slightly stuffy charm!! I was so sad to see her character without them!! She was more okay with it than me, though, haha. Still, I hope they correct it...and give this face some of its eyelashes back, too. I noticed they were significantly shortened, and no longer have a tint that matches the hair color... I'm being nitpicky, but I just like these tiny details. :(

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Yes! My boy’s lore is he’s from a wealthy political family in Garlemald and he’s extremely particular about his appearance, hence the sculpted eyebrows. (Does he shape them like that? Probably. I mean look at them!) He’s definitely still cute, but the more natural look doesn’t suit his personality at all. (He also uses the Styled for Hire hair currently, and you know that hairstyle takes like 30 minutes to do every morning, come on.) So yeah, I’m sure I’ll get used to it if it’s not changed back, but it definitely looks to me like they purposely shaded the eyebrows to make them thinner. At the very least I’d rather they stay thick and dark.

I will mourn your friend’s eyebrows with you, but I’m glad they’re not as bothered as we are. lol

https://i.imgur.com/COxNbVj.jpeghttps://i.imgur.com/c7kd3iB.jpeg

I really don't like the 'texturing' they applied to every hyur female face's cheeks. It looks like freckles, or a rash. I hope it's just the lighting causing the nose to look a bit Michael Jackson.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SaskiaLox

I really don't like the 'texturing' they applied to every hyur female face's cheeks. It looks like freckles, or a rash. I hope it's just the lighting causing the nose to look a bit Michael Jackson.

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That was the first thing I noticed as well

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yencat

https://i.imgur.com/x0b2ZBk.png

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I thought they were freckles at first, but who only has freckles in a tiny cluster on their cheeks and chin and nowhere else? And why randomly add them at all?

Hopefully it's something they're willing to take another look at.

So, I saw the post from Yoshi-P and I'm glad they're addressing the texture issues and lighting concerns. I hadn't posted on here yet because I wasn't entirely sure how to give constructive feedback on midlander face 6 and honestly posting on the forums scares me but also I can't very well say I'm unhappy with the end result if I don't try to give some form of constructive feedback so bare with me!

https://imgur.com/a/aljvgjK

Here is the fix, left is what my wol looks like currently, the middle is what I loaded into the benchmark, and the right is what I did editing with in the benchmark.
As many people suggested the creator's lighting was old and didn't work with the next character textures. So I did some tweaks in the creator, fixed his skintone (I added more pink tones to his skin, i gave him large iris size instead of small). I gave him makeup - added some pink blush and lipstick in order to try and get some blood flowing in his cheeks.

However nothing I could do could fix his eyes, eyebrows and smile because the lip and eye shape is different and the eyebrow texture seems too thin and doesn't go far enough across his brow and the smile animation in every instance the mouth looks off - wider I guess?

This made something that I considered a charm-point into unsettling and creepy? Of course I'm really struggling to explain how exactly its not right if its an animation or shape issue I honestly don't know about face modelling to tell - which is why I refrained from saying anything here, but I'm hoping some screenshot examples maybe someone with more know-how than me might be able to discern why the problem is.

Current:
https://imgur.com/f4fInlZ
Benchmark
https://imgur.com/gu81qfI
Current:
https://imgur.com/7a3Pjvb
Benchmark
https://imgur.com/BYbT4aH

(Sorry I hope the screenshots explain better than I am, I realise this isn't the most constructive feedback)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SeaSalt-IceCream

...So, I saw the post from Yoshi-P and I'm glad they're addressing the texture issues and lighting concerns. I hadn't posted on here yet because I wasn't entirely sure how to give constructive feedback on midlander face 6 and honestly posting on the forums scares me but also I can't very well say I'm unhappy with the end result if I don't try to give some form of constructive feedback so bare with me!...

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Although they use a different face, user Tamlen gave a great breakdown for some feature changes in another thread, that appear to apply to many of the male Midlander faces and which might be a part of what's affecting his impression (Benchmark version on the right):

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tamlen

https://i.imgur.com/SQQRKDJ.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/3nGkNHr.png
Here SE made the nostrils bigger, the philtrum smaller, the lips no longer have the tubercles, the oral commissure is less pronounced/barely visible, the bridge of the nose has changed entirely, the nostrils are wider and rounder, epicanthal folds were shortened and receded.
Here's another picture of the same face, both using nose 6- before and after 7.0's changes.
https://i.imgur.com/YQAij3L.png
Some races have a nose that was taller before and gets noticeably shorter after, or the opposite issue of this image.

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The epicanthal fold change is particularly very noticeable on most male Midlander faces to me. That, along with the change of either where their eyelid rests, or the position of their pupil, gives them a more "vacant" feeling expression all around. The new rigging has also been reported to be buggy in many places.

They point out even further details on their own post, such as the eyelash changes and details for other races, but I did not want to force too much of this user's personal voice on a thread they are not involved in of their own accord. Though I think their detailing is very beneficial.

If this appears to be out of etiquette for the forums, I apologize and will delete this post. In spite of how often I've been posting lately, I'm still quite unused to these things, haha.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Doopliss

Although they use a different face, user Tamlen gave a great breakdown for some feature changes in another thread, that appear to apply to many of the male Midlander faces and which might be a part of what's affecting his impression (Benchmark version on the right):

If this appears to be out of etiquette for the forums, I apologize and will delete this post. In spite of how often I've been posting lately, I'm still quite unused to these things, haha.

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Thanks! Honestly yeah this is probably it, when I first looked at my wol in the benchmark all I could think of is that he looked "Undead and soulless" Which - is not constructive at all, so I refrained from posting.

I hadn't seen many people comment on midlander 6's face so I did want to like show examples of changes in case it was missed but overall I have the same complaints I think.

Honestly I didn't notice much difference. at least not in my character.

Nothing that really sticks out. It's pretty similar, perhaps a bit more smoothed out. But not in any noticable way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wolfry

Other than my gripes with the eyes being a bit different, my hyur looks really good!

https://imgur.com/TZUOFwll.png
https://imgur.com/yqLp9jwl.png
https://imgur.com/7xbTpDhl.png

Didn't really like the sharp edges on the lips and wanted to see him look quite worn in-game anyways.

(Though now come to think of it, I might have to play with the skin tone a little to match the original more, though it'd be a bit tricky for me. Hmmm...)

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He looks great!

I dislike the changes on my female midlander. :(

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...0d3a2c539056e&

A. I do not like the freckles they have added to her face. She is not supposed to have freckles. Please remove them or make them toggleable!
B. Her lips have changed to be considerably less interesting. The longer line on her upper lip was her charm point. In general there were more curves and grooves in her original lips.
C. Her nostrils are bigger and wider. It makes her nose look more bulbous. I think this is a lighting issue because at 3/4 angle it looks okay.

Also, I believe this is already being addressed, but I think the permanent catchlight needs to stay. This is an anime game so I don't think the new eye lighting is necessary!

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...5b1e82540c352&

Thank-you for your time.

I just found out the existence of this thread today & wanting to contribute my own. Normally I'd just link my own post from another larger thread (it's quite long so I'll keep it hidden):

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Originally Posted by Rein_eon_Osborne

The overhaul definitely upsets me in plenty ways. OP have raised many of my current issues so I'm just going to add my comparison pics plus few comments on my own.

First, the pics themselves.

Today (taken in Aesthetician, and changed hairstyle because unlockable hairstyle aren't available):
https://i.gyazo.com/9c432b0e8610f24c...eb66a5e38e.jpg

And this is from Benchmark (copied 1 to 1 from saved appearance feature in login screen):
https://i.gyazo.com/be47da47a188f63a...c4eb450e15.jpg

I... am speechless. He's a totally different character.
[-] Waxy/"Ken doll" skin texture. Quite possibly due to the skin translucense issue.
[-] His cheeks. The addition of nasobial folds immediately destroys his 'youthful look' and now he's like 15-20 years old to the future lol. Additionally, these same folds seem to also look more prominent on darker skin tone so my man is more affected vs those who has lighter skin tone.
[-] His lips, particularly the philtrum (upper lips) are thinned beyond recognition. Today we have "Average, Fuller, Puckered, and Thinner". In the benchmark it becomes "Thin, Fuller, Puckered, and Thinner".
[-] His eyes shape. Today's he's got a rounder shape. In the benchmark the shape is more oval/flat, completely butchering his 'Mr.Goodie two shoes/Innocent'-looks.
[-] Eyes are also missing today's catchlight texture would left him looking 'soulless' in places without proper lighting.
[-] His nose bridge. Benchmark's version shrunk it. I don't remember wanting a plastic surgery lol. I'm not sure about other nose options but those wouldn't alleviate how his face contour has been forcefully changed.
[-] Inconsistent shade of color on skin, lips, & hair. It looked like the only way for me to get what I wanted is to make them darker by 1 square but this might also impose an issue to my already established glamour aesthetic on him over the years. As a gpose & glamour enthusiast, this is a HUGE impact.
[+] Upside? His stubble now follows his hair color proper instead of staying black all the time. Might still want to make them look more defined though 'cause at the moment they look like some dried crusty something plastered on his chin.

A gem of a finding though... let's have a closer look to his stubble.

Today:
https://i.gyazo.com/1f296cb89e291bc6...634d86b503.png

Benchmark:
https://i.gyazo.com/d77b44368fb40cd7...befe319781.png
"Oh my-- what the-- omg honey what happened to you???"

Yeah... so what's with that oddly cut stubble underneath his chin?

Oh yeah! Did I mentioned of having to change his hairstyle? Yes I did! This is what he looks like proper:
https://i.gyazo.com/14d775aee6ff8b83...164cd23f06.jpg

Please also, add the option to use the unlockable hairstyles in the benchmark. Look at how much of a missing hairstyle has ripped him off his character(s).

I should also add that I DO NOT enjoy playing any other character/race/gender than this character I have. Outside the inconsistent color shading, Fantasia will NOT alleviate my issues.

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Overall? I'm very disappointed with how this turned out. It feels like they've taken 3 steps forward but then do a 15 steps backward after.

EDIT: I know lighting are also a prominent issue. But look it this way: if I keep my man's youthful appearance, then even under a bad lighting I will still see him looking youthful. In /gpose, I can tweak that lighting around to produce a fantastic shot. However if they insist on 'aging him 15 years to the future', then my man will not look youthful even under a good lighting. He's already a different character. I want them to fix BOTH the model and lighting. Telling me "Oh it's just lighting." will not fix the fact he's going to look 15 years older -everywhere-. Not even good lighting will preserve his youthful appearance.

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But then I figured it would be nicer to elaborate further with more comparison pics:

Taken in the Aetherial Sea instead. Note that while his eyes doesn't look dead in this particular ss, that is to show that the catchlight is dependent on the environment:

Figure 1
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...249&height=625

The quoted post already covers the pros and cons. But I really would like to reiterate that I severely dislike the new nasolabial folds as it destroys his youthful look. I would be fine if those only become prominent when doing certain emotes. Alternatively, add an age slider.

The ear looking less jagged in DT quite possibly the result of more poly being added, which is lovely.

Figure 2
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...ality=lossless

Face paint is applied to make it easier to see his eyelids on one side. I only did the tracing on right eye but left eye also suffers from similar issue of "having its poly upped but failure to keep the old eye shape". I'd really like to keep his old eye shape.

Additionally, they did make the eyelid less thicker & his sclera is also brighter in benchmark, but I'm indifferent to that.

Figure 3
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...ality=lossless

The tracing shows that his lips are re-sculpted from heart shaped to bow shaped. Additionally, his upper lips and the tips also look less defined. I severely dislike this change.

Figure 4
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...ality=lossless

Another re-sculpt spotted. Nose bridge is thinner in benchmark. Nose trills are also shrunk. That being said, I do like the new, better shadows. I'd like to keep the old shape and the new shadows.

Overall, I think it'd be great if they just add more options.

Overall, I'm okay with his appearance, since there hasn't been much change. But I do hope this is one of the bugs being addressed that they mentioned haha!
Face 6 has some serious glitching going on. At first I thought it was my sister's laptop.

https://i.imgur.com/ia3goOn.png

But my friend tested it on their end and oh boy, it's present still.
Edit: you might need to open images full size to see these properly, since they're larger than the first.

https://i.imgur.com/rrITF3l.png

Not as noticeable in other lighting, but definitely still there.

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

You can clearly see its just the face, as the neck and the rest of his body seem to be fine ( minus whatever is going on by the necklace ) and cuts off at the seam. Would love to know if anyone else is seeing this on face 6.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SaskiaLox

I really don't like the 'texturing' they applied to every hyur female face's cheeks. It looks like freckles, or a rash.

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Looks like they fixed it, I'm so glad!

https://img.finalfantasyxiv.com/t/46...jpg?1717144805