New Benchmark (June): Au Ra Feedback

[Tarath]

The updated benchmark is without a doubt a much needed improvement from the previous one, but I can't deny that I'm feeling a bit disappointed that many of the concerns brought up previously weren't addressed. The new environmental lights definitely helps define the shapes of the face more, most notably the nose in my case, but it's clear that the new sculpts were left untouched for this update. EDIT: I'm blind


I'm not found the the plump lips, wider face, and the nose is especially wide between the eyes which drags the eyebrow texture down to it.

When he blinks, all the skin up to the eyebrows get dragged along which I find to be rather uncanny. This doesn't happen in the current version. In the benchmark however, it does happen to the other male Au Ra faces too, albeit not as prominent.


Aside the uncanny blinking and the eyebrow texture, I do like the changes made around the eyebrows. Toning it down a bit makes it look less swollen, and helps the eyes become more visible from certain angles. However I'm still not a fan of the new fuzzy eyes which makes him look more dozy and bored, rather than having a sharp, piercing gaze.

Neither am I a fan of the new scale texture. The skin colour I chose was done so to match with the slight tint of orange present in the scales, but the benchmark scales took a different direction making them look much more lifeless and dull. Can't say I like how the edges of the scales have been shaved off as it helped give depth. And though the edges have been cleaned up since the previous benchmark, they're still noticeable pixelated.


Additionally there seems to be a piece of scale growing underneath the spiky scales on the side of the face. I assume it's always been there and can now be seen due to the scales floating more from the face.


The spikes attached to the jawline is also floating, creating another gap. The spike is also made much larger which I guess to match the size with the other jaw options. An odd decision in my opinion, but I personally don't mind it.


Lastly the glove is still clipping through the hand.



To me it feels that the development team underestimated the amount of work this graphic update would take, and it shows where they had to cut corners. I understand it's a tough task and a lot of what they have showed us so far is beautifully done. I'm not expecting any more changes to be made for Dawntrail release, however I do hope that all the feedback being posted here gets taken into consideration once time allows it.

[mk-sein]

First things first, I'm really grateful that the benchmark was updated! I think it was a huge upgrade and I'm really happy with how bright colors are now. Backgrounds look gorgeous now.

I play a female Au Ra, face 3. I'm very happy that her eyes don't look lifeless any longer.

That said, I personally don't like how big and blurry the new pupils look. It makes her eyes look less focused, in a way, and hides a large part of the iris.


She has also gained some pretty intense eyebags, though this change doesn't bother me.

My main issue is with my character's mouth. The corners of her mouth got turned down, so she has lost her permanent smile. As I picked this face + mouth shape specifically because I wanted her to look warm and friendly, I'm disappointed with this change.
Here is a neutral expression in live vs a neutral expression in CC/Benchmark.
And a detailed look:



A further issue is how the light makes the mouth look at times.
Here is a screenshot from the April benchmark. The lips look fine here.
In comparison, here is a screenshot from the new Benchmark. The lower lip looks bigger on her left/our right and almost like it extends past her upper lip.
This issue is not exclusive to the Benchmark trailer. It happens in several light conditions in the new character creator, too. Examples here:






It leads to a very odd-looking shape, as if her lower lip were significantly wider than her upper lip.


To me, the mouth shape changing so that her slight smile is lost is the biggest issue. It's one of the reasons why I picked that specific face so losing that is disappointing.

Overall, I am thankful for this new Benchmark because it did address a lot of issues present in the last one (lifeless eyes, skin looking like plastic, strange lighting and colors, etc). Unfortunately, it seems like most model changes, apart from things that were actually broken (like Elezen and Lalafell mouth rigs), are here to stay. I am still very much looking forward to Dawntrail and the graphics update but I am sad that my character will lose part of what defined her.

Thank you for all your hard work, and thanks for reading.

[Tarath]

but it's clear that the new sculpts were left untouched for this update.

I stand corrected, the face and nose have been slimmed down. I guess I blinded myself too much with artefacts such as face scales still floating from the previous benchmark. The face is still wider compared to the current version, but honestly I'm pleasantly surprised and welcome the adjustments.



My criticism remains, however as long as the small oversights gets fixed, I'll be happy with my character. As much as I would love to have the old eyes and scales back as well, I'm starting to lose hope there.


On a different note, the shadow cast from the horns and clothes are pretty low res and jitters quite badly under harsh light. Hoping it's another oversight and gets looked into.