Updated benchmark

[Minali]

I really want to like the new changes, everything is better than the old look, but 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.
It's similar in face 2, although a little bit less bad. Face 1 and 4 seem fine in comparison.
That issue was already visible in the last benchmark but there it seemed to be limited to heavy high contrast light. Her mouth still looks a bit awkwardly "pinched" in the shadows now, too. (Also checked the benchmark trailer, it's similar there.)

Here is a screenshot from the new Benchmark in two different light situations. Will edit in a screenshot from the current game in a few minutes for comparison.





I know the lighting situation at the lower half of her face was always not exactly ideal, but this is, uh, harder to ignore.

I don't know how this could be fixed, I suppose it would require more adjustments to these super soft pinched corners of her mouth and who knows what else this might effect in terms of emotes and stuff, but if there is anything that can be done about this, I'd appreciate it. Switching faces wouldn't help because this issue exists on almost all other faces, and it would also come at the loss of her face markings and all. I'd prefer avoiding this.

Edit: Added new screenshot. All screenshots (benchmark and game) were made at a gamma rate around 20-ish.

[Soxforrow]

I really want to like the new changes, everything is better than the old look, but 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.
It's similar in face 2, although a little bit less bad. Face 1 and 4 seem fine in comparison.
That issue was already visible in the last benchmark but there it seemed to be limited to heavy high contrast light. Her mouth still looks a bit awkwardly "pinched" in the shadows now, too. (Also checked the benchmark trailer, it's similar there.)

Here is a screenshot from the new Benchmark in two different light situations. Will edit in a screenshot from the current game in a few minutes for comparison.



I know the lighting situation at the lower half of her face was always not exactly ideal, but this is, uh, harder to ignore.

I don't know how this could be fixed, I suppose it would require more adjustments to these pinched corners on her mouth and who knows what else this might effect in terms of emotes and stuff, but if there is anything that can be done about this, I'd appreciate it. Switching faces would make her look a lot less like herself and also mean losing her markings. I'd prefer avoiding this.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING the corners of the mouth are completely off for our face now!

[Minali]

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING the corners of the mouth are completely off for our face now!

The corners are even like this when the mouth is wide open; wasn't the case in the other benchmark. Not by a lot mind you, barely noticing compared to, well, the open mouth, but it feels to me like they made these corners "static" in some way and I really can't see a reason why, it wasn't like this in the old model. (And yes, I went to a mirror to check how my own mouth behaves in various expressions, including an open mouth. And I'm not the youngest person anymore, my mouth corners show small signs of aging, and these "folds" are still "gone" when I open my mouth real wide. :P )

I wonder if this impression of them being so strange compared to the older model is them being so round and soft, like two stuffed pillows on top of each other instead of fairly thin sinnews and muscles or so.

I swear all the criticism i read in here boils down to "Return to arr 2.0 graphics".

Maybe work on your reading comprehension then? I specifically mentioned the mouth, not the whole face. I love her eyes, I love her hair, I love her "everything else but the mouth". And I sure as hell don't want to go back to 2.0 graphics.

[SarahDesdemona]

Yeah, the Au Ra fem face (speaking for face 4) has def got a weird thing going on with the lips. It's in the benchmark too which means it'll be in game, so that worries me. Everything else I'm giddy with or will learn to love, but the mouth issue makes us look weirdly skeletal or like we got lip fillers.





Miqo mouths got pulled in and Femra mouths got pushed out lol
Hopefully it's something that'll be addressed if not by launch then shortly after.

[Soxforrow]

Honestly everything about the graphics update environmentally etc looks great, like really great, but our faces are looking rough

[Minali]

snip

Added a comparison screenshot of how my Miqo'te face 4 mouth looks in the game at the moment. Should make it easier to spot the difference. The lighting in the new benchmark character creator is still a bit brighter, but I tried to get it as close as possible. (I am amazed how many weird weathers Central Thanalan has for a desert place. The one "clear skies" lately was around night... xD )

[cutestfox]

Added a comparison screenshot of how my Miqo'te face 4 mouth looks in the game at the moment. Should make it easier to spot the difference. The lighting in the new benchmark character creator is still a bit brighter, but I tried to get it as close as possible. (I am amazed how many weird weathers Central Thanalan has for a desert place. The one "clear skies" lately was around night... xD )

It is on all the mouths for face 3... it's way too much