Please just give us a non-graphics update option for DT

[Cyrtip]

I don't think they should do this. Normally I'm all for options, but this would be very detrimental. Not only is it a spit in the face to the countless hours spent on every detail, it will take away assets that could be worked on something new/better. Also, the game file size would double and a lot would not be able to handle it. My hubby's PC barely handles this and a lot of PS4s barely handle this too.

I'd personally love to use an option to revert the character graphics changes, even if no headgear, hair, head fashion accessories, or eyewear released after 6.58 appears visible on my character.
The reason the face replacements look so different (and were even made) is because the replacement heads are all morphs of the same mesh (to cut development costs and save time) as opposed to the 6.58 heads which were all unique.
If using the old characters with 0 support were an option (just like Hroth, Viera, and old hats ), I would get a character that does not look bad, and the developers would get an easier job. The old character models would also be a fraction of the size of the old graphics in totality.

[Enclavex]

all we are asking is to bring back the old graphics for our characters, not the entire game.. surely that wouldn't double the size of the game files?

You're still creating 2 art pipelines. Any equipment you wear and any hairstyles and fashion accessories and facewear needs 2 versions, one low res garbage version and one updated version.

A feature like this will absolutely result in less new content, it's not going to happen and it shouldn't happen.

[caffe_macchiato]

Obviously it's great that Square Enix finally overhauled models, but the fact that they needed to do this shows the kind of state the company is in. This should have been done years ago. Final Fantasy XIV has been sold to people as a sub-par product for too long and people got too used to it. Now all of this company's bad decisions are coming to light just as shareholders are backing out and begging for a change. Square Enix is in its worst crisis since FFXIV 1.0 and The Spirits Within before that.

I mean, look at this. They obviously had to re-make every model from scratch to support new rigging. But now it looks too much like devs are racing to catch up before getting yeeted by shareholders. And it looks sloppy.



I'm not going to hate on the developers because at least they're trying. But Square Enix needs more than just a restructuring and it doesn't look like Takashi Kiryu is giving the company what it needs. The dev team needed way more than 300 people and they needed this yesterday.

[Loggos]

You're still creating 2 art pipelines. Any equipment you wear and any hairstyles and fashion accessories and facewear needs 2 versions, one low res garbage version and one updated version.

A feature like this will absolutely result in less new content, it's not going to happen and it shouldn't happen.

Why would you need two pipelines for the equipment? The bodies have stayed the same even after the update as far as I know, so you wouldn't have to model two versions? Many people would primarily like the old faces back. If that could be achieved then I can imagine barely anybody would complain about getting high res armour, fashion or accessories. As for facewear, since face shapes are more or less the same new facewear should still fit onto new models?

[Enclavex]

Why would you need two pipelines for the equipment? The bodies have stayed the same even after the update as far as I know, so you wouldn't have to model two versions? We would just like the old faces back. Nobody would complain about getting high res armour, fashion or accessories. As for facewear, since face shapes are more or less the same new facewear should still fit onto new models?

At the very least you're going to have to have 2 pipelines for stuff that goes on your head even if you're not wanting low res gear in general. Would you be cool with half the number of hairstyles being released? Maybe the answer for you is yes but I'd argue you're in an extreme minority.

[Saitress]

I'd be happy if they fix the DirectX critical error that appeared after this graphic update and i'll be able to play again

[Loggos]

At the very least you're going to have to have 2 pipelines for stuff that goes on your head even if you're not wanting low res gear in general. Would you be cool with half the number of hairstyles being released? Maybe the answer for you is yes but I'd argue you're in an extreme minority.

I can't speak for others but I'd be willing to sacrifice new hairstyles for getting my old char, though that's just me.

But I genuinely wonder, have the skull shapes changed so much that it would take two whole pipelines to adjust a hair model to fit the old skulls? They need to be adjusted for the different races too after all. Would that be such a big extra step?

[Enclavex]

I can't speak for others but I'd be willing to sacrifice new hairstyles for getting my old char, though that's just me.

But I genuinely wonder, have the skull shapes changed so much that it would take two whole pipelines to adjust a hair model to fit the old skulls? They need to be adjusted for the different races too after all. Would that be such a big extra step?

Like I said, you might be willing to cut the hairstyles in half but I'm certain you're in the extreme minority in that.

Also it only takes very minor changes in skull shapes to make things look weird, they'd absolutely need to have 2 pipelines otherwise you'd have people coming in here complaining that some hairstyle that they like looks off on their character when they use the old face. There's a reason that they didn't make the old graphics and the new graphics a toggle, it just adds more work for them and most people would like resources to go to new content.

[Loggos]

Like I said, you might be willing to cut the hairstyles in half but I'm certain you're in the extreme minority in that.

Also it only takes very minor changes in skull shapes to make things look weird, they'd absolutely need to have 2 pipelines otherwise you'd have people coming in here complaining that some hairstyle that they like looks off on their character when they use the old face. There's a reason that they didn't make the old graphics and the new graphics a toggle, it just adds more work for them and most people would like resources to go to new content.

Well but then that could still be the compromise the devs offer: old models but at the cost of new hairstyle updates.
If they want the new stuff then they'll have to toggle to the new model.
Then we'd at least have something. That would be more than we have now in that particular regard because at the moment it's nothing.

You worry about people complaining if they don't get future hair styles. I suppose you fear a "give them an inch and they'll take a mile" type of situation?

But this is an all-or-nothing perspective I personally disagree with. I think a compromise/the middle ground can be a viable option.

Right now even more people are unhappy because they don't have the old character models anymore. I think people, who'd be unhappy about old models not getting new stuff, would always inherently be a subset of that group. It will most likely not be 100%.

So regaining access to old models, even if there's no new stuff for them, would probably already decrease the number of unhappy people.

The other alternative could be a thorough character creator overhaul with more options, esp. since the CC is terribly outdated for a modern day MMO, as well. I think this is an area which ressources need to be allocated to anyway. Imo 8.0 is really (too) late for that endeavor. That would be around 2027 if I'm not mistaken.

[Doopliss]

sorry to be simple and bitter, but, really cool "upgrade" for my dark skinned highlander

lol. lmao.
especially +1ing this option right now

EDIT: i do want to add that i know they're going to keep making changes, but god it sucks to have to deal with something that just feels way worse and unfinished for potentially several months. i had fun with gpose once. u_u