Benchmark/Graphics Update - Show your WoL's before and after

[lunartears]

I already posted this in the Viera-specific thread, but I guess I'm just not done having a sook. This isn't the same character. She looks ridiculous - waxy, pale, and like she's had lip fillers. "Just run the benchmark" doesn't fix it, either - she looks extremely uncanny in action.

Same situation on my Au Ra, the lips almost look like a duck's beak.

[KawaXIV]

I'm really happy with the outcome, like really really happy. Of course, this is not the hairstyle this character usually uses as you can see to the left what the forum avatar pulled from lodestone, but I had to pick something that is available in the benchmark character creator. The only tweaks I made were that I dropped the lighter eye by 1 shade and tweaked the lip colour a shade darker and a shade more purple than the original slot.

This is probably best case scenario, compared to a lot of other people whos WoLs look more significantly different from before. Of course, there are some differences here like eye shape and size and stuff like that, but I feel like it's an improvement in my case anyway.

I have tried my best to match lighting between old and new here, and in some lightings the difference is less flattering, but the original tended to look a little iffy in certain lighting angles anyway, and I feel like there are more photogenic angles now than before even if some scenes, like the blue character select screen zone is unflattering.

I really do want to see some adjustments for all the rest of y'all who are much less satisfied. I feel for you honestly and I'm truly not here to be contrarian. I do hope they can satisfy people while not causing much of my result to change, I could foresee being disappointed if further tweaks came in and undid this for me.

[Becken]

Heres mine (granded its on a very low end pc)
https://imgsli.com/MjU1NjI5

[RylaiShendelzare]

Its like a different person entirely.

[neriyon]

Graphics update stole his optimism and hope for the world, now he looks very tired and kinda dead inside.



Original on the left, benchmark on right. While I can live with most of the changes (like rounder nose and more yellow tinged skintone), I'd appreciate if someone could return the light in his eyes and maybe get that upper eyelid go up a bit so he doesn't look mere seconds away from falling asleep. Maybe give the corners of his lips a little lift while you are at it.

[GoatOfWar]

I don't wanna invalidate how people feel, but I honestly think there's a lot of overreaction. Most of these comparisons look mostly same and people are acting like everything's been changed. There's def some issues like the sudden loss of glossy lips and some other things but most of your characters still look great. At least to me. I think it'll be something we just get used to.

I don't really think anyone particularly cares whether you think their character looks great or not, it just does not look like their character anymore.
I don't care how you feel about my character, i did not make my character for you. You won't be playing as my character.

[Denishia]

While the benchmark character creator did look different and washed out, in the benchmark trailer itself my WoL looked exactly as she should to the point that I felt no discomfort. The eyes are especially improved- my only complaint on a feature that I think has been lessened by the graphic update is that my Hellsguard FemRoe's ash smudge on her nose is discernibly lighter. The lip colors are horrendous on darker skin tones- these new textures aren't 100% what I'd want but they are also more useable.





I love the detail of how even in shadow the face is clearer- and the bit of translucent ear.

[Roda]

Alright i've finally gotten around to making a comparison sheet of all my characters!


Hyur: This one is actually great. No notes. (ok one note, underneath that lipstick is THE CRUNCHIEST lip texture i've ever seen.)

Elezen: the nose is less defined and the lips are way less plump. that's a whole different face! Love the backlight scattering though! (also fix whatever's happening when she opens her mouth wide)

Lalafell: The skin tone is too light (I can bump it one square darker, but RIP those who were originally the darkest skin tone) and the nose patch IS ON here, just not at all visible. Not sure how I feel about the lips. they seem tense? Love that the ear tips are darker though, and the eyes look great!

Miqo'te: The lips feel different, they are pinched together now instead of allowing a tiny gap between them that I miss. The nose smudge is less prominent in direct light which is disappointing, and the nose itself has weaker geometry along the ridge. :T There is a lack of shading as the lips approach the inside of the mouth which makes them look a lot more flat than they really are. The waterline is MUCH smaller, and the shape of the eye corners seem less stylized to be feline (In the original the inside dips down more dramatically while the outside tilts up a bit) ALSO GIVE ME BACK MY BIG POINTY FANGS!!!

Roegadyn: Missing the gradient on the lipstick so it looks less detailed, and the nose smudge is faded/washed out Otherwise pretty faithful!

Au Ra: Put her back in the oven y'all, she's not done cooking. What are those lips? Who do those belong to? Where's the lipstick's transparency? Why is the skin so light and washed out? The pupils are too big. There's artifacting on the neck scales. The horns look good! But the hair horns are lighter now. I could deal with the eyes being softened, but those lips NEED a second pass.

Viera: Nose smudge is darker, which i VERY much appreciate. The lips are different which I do not appreciate. They're missing shading to accent the pointy middle bit of the upper lip. The bottom lip's border does not flow well and makes it look bulbous. In the original it didn't seem like the pigmented part of the lips extended out to the corners of the mouth, and instead had a more fleshy part of the face skin acting as those farther parts of that structure, now the lip line stretches all the way to that point which gives them a different feel. The divots between the inner corner of the eye and the nose are also less highlighted but that might be a lighting issue. (Why do all these lighting scenes default to being fully backlit with no front facing light?!) And the skin feels overall less grey and more lifelike, which WOULD be great... if I hadn't specifically chosen the most grey option to try and get that colorless and ash-like tone :P. I do appreciate the eye change!! ♥

Over all my characters didn't get hit TOO hard by any major changes which I'm thankful for, but the Au Ra and Elezen are my two biggest cases of "what happened here??" >.<

[Oizen]

Looking pretty good I think

[AdventZero]

Wasn't happy with my original screenshots, so I went and made a new set this time having one in each lighting and area. Left = old, right = new.

Character Blue Screen.


Limsa Day.


Limsa Night.


Grid Day.


Grid Night.


Ul'dah Day.


Ul'Dah Night.


Indoors. top old, bottom new.



Overall I'm very happy with how she turned out. I always hated how her lips seemed to always turn shades of purple in most lighting, namely blue lights like the character screen or any allagan places. So I'm very glad to see the new lighting at least leaves them red shades at all times. Only thing I'd want changed is better lip shine, aside from that, though, I'm very happy and ready for DT to land.