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

[twobear]

If they do decide to do something I at least hope they don't withold the update from everyone. Seeing how my character looked with the changes is the first thing that's actually gotten me excited for Dawntrail.

[Doopliss]

If they do decide to do something I at least hope they don't withold the update from everyone. Seeing how my character looked with the changes is the first thing that's actually gotten me excited for Dawntrail.

I suspect that this feeling is the main reason there are many people butting heads on this matter. Again, as someone who admittedly doesn't want these character changes at all, I fully believe, realistically, they're going to push out this update on time in one way or another. I don't believe a rollback is happening.

Instead I'd just like to reiterate on a point I attempted to make earlier: I just ask that you try to look at things with empathy. From your icon, I think your Seawolf is very handsome, and I don't doubt the update makes him look even cooler.

However, I just ask that you consider there are some people who had that same level of excitement as you do now suddenly stripped away in place of fear, because their characters weren't as lucky. They're small things, but would it not make the anticipation even a little worse for you if his smile caused his brow bone to clip into his eyes? Or if his hair suddenly had more gaps in it? Or if it now felt like he was forced to wear deep lipstick and eyeliner no matter what you do?

I apologize if these come off as attacks, I only mean to ask them as small, random references for consideration. When I say "far more people likely enjoy how their characters look now, than those who like the changes" I mean that the former sentiment includes even those who do like the changes, if that makes sense.

The changes everyone's asking for, would, ideally, keep characters you believe look beautiful in the current update looking beautiful after any changes. Especially if you think there aren't many differences. We just want all cases to be able to keep the facial features and impressions they have now, so that even those you feel are silly can go into a new adventure with excitement alongside you, rather than against.

Currently, I'm very much not eager to play my characters in a state I feel downgraded them, which is how I assume you'll feel if they need to take things back a notch temporarily. But, I mean...I'm willing to deal with it if we're communicated with for once. If they're listening, and caring, and if it's going to take longer than 2 months, I want to know, and I want updates. I think we all do.

Nobody wants to wait through silence during several month patch cycles just hoping and guessing.

[twobear]

I suspect that this feeling is the main reason there are many people butting heads on this matter. Again, as someone who admittedly doesn't want these character changes at all, I fully believe, realistically, they're going to push out this update on time in one way or another. I don't believe a rollback is happening.

Instead I'd just like to reiterate on a point I attempted to make earlier: I just ask that you try to look at things with empathy. From your icon, I think your Seawolf is very handsome, and I don't doubt the update makes him look even cooler.

However, I just ask that you consider there are some people who had that same level of excitement as you do now suddenly stripped away in place of fear, because their characters weren't as lucky. They're small things, but would it not make the anticipation even a little worse for you if his smile caused his brow bone to clip into his eyes? Or if his hair suddenly had more gaps in it? Or if it now felt like he was forced to wear deep lipstick and eyeliner no matter what you do?

The thing is, I absolutely want things to be fixed; at the very least, I don't play any of these races, so why wouldn't I. But we now seem to be moving into an even more dramatic phase where the entire thing should be abandoned or started from scratch because of very minor changes that hopefully can be fixed. Or the frankly disingenous argument that you can find particular lighting angles where the models don't look amazing (disingenuous considering how easy it is to find bad lighting environments currently).

Not that it's especially relevant but I think my own character has received bigger changes from the update than most of the characters getting posted. They've really changed the roughness of Roegadyn skin, and the way the lips look now makes his mouth a little wider than before. I'll probably swap to one of the slightly smaller mouths. I might even change the skin tone slightly because of the way it looks under the new light. But I don't want those taken away and replaced with a more conservative update across the board, as some people now seem to be suggesting. Yes, to a certain extent there is a 'reinterpretation' of the character going on, but I don't see how you can avoid that when you're doing a major visual overhaul. It's still my character just because he no longer has skin like a pumice stone.

Basically I hope that the developers are able to see that the things that are needed are minor changes and don't abandon what I think is by and large very good work.

[SongOfTheWind]

The thing is, I absolutely want things to be fixed; at the very least, I don't play any of these races, so why wouldn't I. But we now seem to be moving into an even more dramatic phase where the entire thing should be abandoned or started from scratch because of very minor changes that hopefully can be fixed. Or the frankly disingenous argument that you can find particular lighting angles where the models don't look amazing (disingenuous considering how easy it is to find bad lighting environments currently).i

I find it interesting how this “being dramatic” argument is coming solely from players who are happy with the changes and wish for them to be pushed forward no matter what. If you are not an affected party the least you can do is to not minimise or dismiss other people concerns and emotional response.

[Mosha]

I find it interesting how this “being dramatic” argument is coming solely from players who are happy with the changes and wish for them to be pushed forward no matter what. If you are not an affected party the least you can do is to not minimise or dismiss other people concerns and emotional response.

Abandoning or starting from scratch is indeed a dramatic solution to the problem.

[Scintilla]

I find it interesting how this “being dramatic” argument is coming solely from players who are happy with the changes and wish for them to be pushed forward no matter what. If you are not an affected party the least you can do is to not minimise or dismiss other people concerns and emotional response.

Given that I will be changing features on one of my Viera's and a possible full race change on the other (Elezen will be the choice if I do), it would be lying to say I wasn't affected. Yet here I am agreeing that some posters are being dramatic

[Doopliss]

...The thing is, I absolutely want things to be fixed; at the very least, I don't play any of these races, so why wouldn't I. But we now seem to be moving into an even more dramatic phase where the entire thing should be abandoned or started from scratch because of very minor changes that hopefully can be fixed...

I understand where your anxiety is coming from, and I think it's as valid as anyone else's. I just ask that you stop trying to bring others down in your framing. And anyway, I do agree, all the changes and bugs are little things. It's just that there's so many of those little things--some appearing intentional and some appearing not so--that it feels like so much altogether; at least from the perspective of an individual. It does make me worry for the larger state of the expansion.

Again, though, just to throw out my two cents: this close to release I really don't think you have to worry about them throwing it out. They definitely aren't going to when the game is already being sold with new spec requirements and nobody has any faults with the environments. More than anything, though, your response only makes me more strongly feel that we really need to demand for more clear communication from the team. It is so rare they respond to anything directly anymore; you just have to wait and see. It feels ridiculous when we don't have any precedent for something this large.

I don't like guessing what they're going to do. It sounds like you don't either. Are they just going to ship the characters out as is, which, even ignoring the facial feature changes, includes many objective, unprofessional looking errors for several races? Will they just use the heads from NA Fanfest instead and call it a day? I remember in the first 10-year-anniversary roadmap stream, they said they'd be showing us the character graphical improvements every step of the way, but it turns out that only meant a whopping 3 times?

Environment, gear, etc, are all fine. Even a lot of the lighting making some characters uncanny as hell just has to do with the way character mapping interacts with the light. Hrothgar interact with it way more nicely than any of the new human-shaped head models. But them not letting any of us know why things are like this is only going to continue making people worry about the worst possible conclusions on both sides.