Yoshida gives update on the benchmark/character creator

[Embran]

This was not in the message you linked. I encourage people to read the original, not tldr.

You are correct, fixed now. I misread it.

The text seems to indicate that the sculpts look bad as a result of poor lighting or lack of shaders. I conflated it with the part where Yoshida said things such as the lips ARE a result of outdated sculpting.

[lunartears]

I'm grateful for a speedy response and not having to wait until the next PLL for it to be brought up, but I am not entirely hopeful for my character.

Ultimately, I will wait until the new benchmark is released to have a more definitive response, but as of right now I feel that I will continue to have dissatisfaction

[Tethan]

I am cautiously hopeful. I really want everyone's concerns to be addressed and that we can all go into a new adventure in Dawntrail with our heads held high.

I am still a bit skeptical, specifically is he implying that the issues are only on the character creator or also the Benchmark real-time trailer? Because while the Benchmark trailer looks better, I still have big concerns for how my character looked. Then again, he mentions and acknowledges the "dead eye" issue, which is in both the CC and trailer, so maybe it is both? But that really begs the question of why they would release the Benchmark if it is truly so unfinished.

I guess all we can do is wait and see. Hope we can all be happy in the end.

[Doopliss]

This was not in the message you linked. I encourage people to read the original, not tldr.

This is an unfortunately generous tl;dr, so I'm +1ing your statement.

However, while their specifics are wanting, #2 does detail: "Naturally, these issues are steadily being addressed as we finalize our development of Dawntrail. However, these issues remained in the benchmark due to simple data-related errors or neglecting to reflect the upcoming changes to the benchmark environment."

One of their examples listed is also: "A.An issue with unimplemented high-resolution textures, including those for certain playable races."

This IS nebulous, as textures could range from faces to simple hairstyles, but it does mean the benchmark doesn't quite match the internal work.

Hopefully this is true, and not just placating us with supposed changes. This response seems more like PR control than it does reality, since some of the assertions by Yoshi do not match up with what was experienced in the benchmark, overall.

Like the character creator lighting vs. what you see in the benchmark itself. The benchmark run through IS the in game graphics. People's characters still look off in that. The neck seams still break/pop on it. I.E. the issues carry forward because they're really there, and it's not just a character creator or lighting issue.

I do hope everything he claims is fixed already really is fixed. It seems unlikely, if they could fix stuff like this so quickly, why was it an issue in the first place? But oh well. We'll see what happens. At a minimum he has enough faith in his team that they'll not only deliver us a second, better benchmark, but will have the issues fixed by release date, and hopefully that faith is not misplaced.

I'd really hate to basically be gaslit (or see others succumb to this) into thinking changes are better or issues that I've seen first hand aren't actually there. The whole, "You guys just didn't use the shaders right." casts several shades of doubt on this response.

I also do very much agree with you in this reading like PR. That's because it is, haha. I do think the hope is specifically in the fine print, though, since #3 mentions: "We will also continue to make adjustments which incorporate as much of your feedback as possible into the revision of the benchmark, as well as the release version of Dawntrail."

I don't think it's fair to ask players to sit and be satisfied with this, of course, which is why I fully advocate for feedback continuing. And this includes after the second benchmark is shown, should these strange feature changes still be present. I just think a bit of hope is helpful in getting through it--though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also still very nervous!

As a partial, little defense toward them, though--the actual benchmark simulation is still a simulation with its own custom lighting. It is possible that was rushed, too.


EDIT: oops, the tl;dr was fixed before my slow ass even posted this. my bad

[Hejligan]

This is good, but unfortunate that he did not mention the complaints about how certain models like eyebrows and eyelashes have been changed and how negatively that has been received.

Also I think people are being naïve who say that we should have given them the benefit of the doubt: I bet that the fact that people gave feedback played a part in this response. Indeed, if they already recognised the problems, they probably would never have launched them as a benchmark, and while we should trust them when they say that some issues were simple misses that went in to the benchmark, it is still highly probable that some were not. Developers need feedback, developers want feedback. Criticism is not the same as hate. I will never get the people who assume a kind of worshipful can-do-no-wrong attitude to developers, and treat those with criticism like some kind of ungrateful heretics.

[kuje]

What wasn't addressed however are the arguably more important issues, the smaller fangs for moon cats, the nose smudges for hellsguard, and a few others. Those are the kinds of issues where it's not technical it is artistic, and no fantasia will bring back the smudge if they don't make it an option.

Obviously nobody can say for sure until the updated benchmark is released, but I expect things like the lightened Hellsguard smudges (and smudgy Viera eyeliner for another example) to be included under this part:

An issue with unimplemented high-resolution textures, including those for certain playable races.

The same might apply to the nerfed Keeper fangs and the mouth scaling issue that was mentioned. I don't know if it'll address the smoothened-out fangs altogether or if that is the new intentional direction they elected to take, but it will very likely at least fix the near fangless female face 3/mouth 4 combo. So, don't lose hope just yet!

[Lyth]

Nice work. It seems like he's referenced a lot of the common talking points, which at least shows that they're processing the feedback coming in. The mouth scaling was an interesting point, as I was wondering if there was a slight mismatch with the textures on the models that might explain the slightly frowny expressions. Either way, we'll wait and see what they come up with. I think now's the time to get these issues ironed out with community feedback before they're permanent.

Elsewhere, I'm sure that General Discussion's usual audience is breathing a collective sigh of relief that they can eventually return to their usual memery without fear of it being scrolled off by graphical feedback threads.

[Sacae]

Has anyone checked the bones in the models used for the Hildebrand cutscenes and compared them to the new models yet? IIRC, don't they use the Hildebrand quests to test new graphics things?

[twobear]

I'm not ready for my guy to look even better.

[KaiDennDalk]

I didn't see anything about the nerfed keeper fangs, but we'll see what they cook

D. An issue with uncorrected scaling for the mouth of certain playable races.


This might be about it. All that's left for us is to wait for the updated benchmark and hope every issues are taken care of.