Seriously, you are calling this a graphic update?

[Caesius]

It doesn't even matter if an observer finds the face "improved" as a straightforward preference. The exact details of the face create a particular identity and personality, and we have "known" our individual characters for years. We know what they look like and whether they smile or frown at rest. The benchmark has in many cases changed that in ways we cannot fix, and the exact character is lost.

The replacement person might be prettier but we just want the same person back.

I definitely understand the sentiment, but at this point I don't think it will be possible for them to adjust the graphics update such that everyone's WoL looks as they did before, and even if they could they won't because it would result in people using a fantasia now only to find later that the graphics have been updated again.

It's a matter of setting realistic expectations and focusing on giving feedback that the devs can actually act upon. They can't do anything to bring the same WoL back, but they can make improvements to help us fall in love with them again.

[TotomiTomi]

Rather bold of you to make a request on a thread with such a disrespectful title. Not liking the result is one thing, but c'mon, people worked hard on this update.

[Aword3213]

Rather bold of you to make a request on a thread with such a disrespectful title. Not liking the result is one thing, but c'mon, people worked hard on this update.

work smarter, not harder

[TotomiTomi]

work smarter, not harder

Being rude is highly likely to get you ignored, at best, in virtually any situation. Not exactly working "smarter".

[Bellsong]

Rather bold of you to make a request on a thread with such a disrespectful title. Not liking the result is one thing, but c'mon, people worked hard on this update.

Worked the souls right out of some WoL's eyes apparently lmao

[ana_naa]

The changes that have been made in this update are not things that can be tweaked. They're often issues with the basic shape of the face, or the same type of alteration has been made to all four choices, or the difference between choices is just as much of a problem as the difference between old and new design.

It doesn't even matter if an observer finds the face "improved" as a straightforward preference. The exact details of the face create a particular identity and personality, and we have "known" our individual characters for years. We know what they look like and whether they smile or frown at rest. The benchmark has in many cases changed that in ways we cannot fix, and the exact character is lost.

The replacement person might be prettier but we just want the same person back.

Thanks, for commenting what I wanted to say. I'm the one who saw my character the most and it is I who notices the difference the most. And even using Fantasia, won't get back to the character I loved. I know everyone can't be satisfied, but I can't help but be upset. Just really hope she comes back.

[Eris249]

Hair looks so terrible it's as stiff as a board and doesn't move at all. The new graphics look way worse than they did before. They need to fix the hair not movement right away.

[ana_naa]

Rather bold of you to make a request on a thread with such a disrespectful title. Not liking the result is one thing, but c'mon, people worked hard on this update.

Is it that rude...? No offence, but I'm not an English speaker and I don't really get how much rude this is. I greatly appreciate the hard work of the developers. Took a lot of screenshots and moved here and there to get used to the changed graphics, so I see how much effort it took. Since developers can't see everything on the forum, I just wrote down a title that would attract their attention. Could you help me a title that can attract attention but will be less hurtful? And please stop fighting you two.

[Loggos]

I'm gonna be honest I'm also...not impressed at all. I guess if you showed me screenshots of the old version and the new version side by side I'd notice a difference but I've been playing for some time now and I'm simply not perceiving the update except for my character.

At no point did my train of thought even wander to "oh wow the game as a whole looks better now". I know it's there and I'm sure others are seeing it but the improved textures of tiles and wood etc. just don't stand out enough to me to grab my attention. I mostly focus on characters, esp. in cutscenes, so I allocate all my attention there.

I also noticed that some things haven't actually improved (according to my subjective judgement)? For example, lips, while having a finer texture, have no shine at all any more. They look dull to me?
The older lips might have been more crude in terms of texture but they still looked more aesthetically pleasing to me personally because they had a stronger stylised shine and more definition.

I feel like in the old version the graphical limitations forced the team to adapt a more stylised, less realistic art style and now they have fallen down the trap of "realistic = better".
But imo more stylised and less detailed styles have their own merit. Something doesn't look inherently better if it looks more naturalistic. (On the contrary, sometimes more is less and comic-esque/manga-esque styles can be just as pleasing because they force you to really focus on what makes something look good.)

Yes, technically a lot of the textures are more realistic now but to me it also feels like they "rendered" the life out of their style.
Kind of reminds me of when 3D movies render every single pore on a cartoonish character and it just looks off and doesn't fit the character design at all.

Sorry for the negativity, I know the devs worked hard on it.
And I also want to give credit where credit is due. They did actually slightly adjust the mouth shapes of some au ras so they do listen to feedback and it must have been a tough crunch. So I really appreciate their effort.

But I also can't lie. In terms of results the update just doesn't convince me and for me personally it wasn't worth it.
(No this does not mean I call for a roll-back of the update. I know it's worth it for others and I'm glad for everyone who is pleased with the new looks.)

[Lambdafish]

I definitely understand the sentiment, but at this point I don't think it will be possible for them to adjust the graphics update such that everyone's WoL looks as they did before, and even if they could they won't because it would result in people using a fantasia now only to find later that the graphics have been updated again.

It's a matter of setting realistic expectations and focusing on giving feedback that the devs can actually act upon. They can't do anything to bring the same WoL back, but they can make improvements to help us fall in love with them again.

I would say there are definitely places that need work that is actually achievable by the devs, and I don't actually think its a huge list of issues. The common consensus I'm seeing is the eyes and the lips aren't shaped the way they used to be, and there's a feeling of vacancy on certain eyes. That and colour shading on hair and scales.

Even if they just fix the eyes so they aren't vacant, and lip shape is correct for the idle facial expression, then I think people will be more receptive to specific tiny changes.