Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Hejligan]

I just wanted to highlight further with the use of this GIF just how profoundly different my character has become.



As you can see, her eyes have essentially been "lifted" and opened even more, despite already being quite large, giving her a really fierce stare, rather than the softer look of before, in fact I would go as far as saying that this change actutally has changed the very centrepoint of the eye itself. On top of that, it also brings them closer to the eyebrows, which makes her look angrier still. It is not easy to see in the picture but eyefolds have been reduced or hidden behind the eyelids, making her expression fiercer still.

Also note how the entire upper face has been changed, and a lot of detail has been made away with, removing some of that soft chubbiness of the cheeks that females Miqo'te tend to be known for.

Her mouth has also been significantly flattened and stretched.

For 9 years my intention with my character has been the one I created, this is not it.

I am trying to play the game but I am legimately finding it hard to continue. I say that with a very heavy heart, since I love this game. But so much of this game is interwoven with my character for me.

[Daralii]

Further complaining about eyes with an NPC example:

Why is there that much skin between her eye and the eyelash? This just from the camera looking down at her from an angle during a cutscene.

[Rueby]

Did anyone mention/notice how horrible dark skinned characters look in this graphical 'upgrade'?
Take Lyon for example




His skin has this strange sheen that looks like legit wet clay and he's got dents for abs (which were there before but this details it in a really bad way)...There's a too much detail on the collarbone area for every single character it downright looks abit gross. I don't know what's going on with dark skinned characters but Fran looks downright horrific. I'm scared to check Gaius up. I don't really have screenshot to screenshot as alot of my old shots were lost when my SSD ripped.

I honestly think the old graphics had some charm. These feel oddly flat. I hope they improve on that or do something to remedy dark skinned characters to make them look less clay/plastic like.

[azaleai]

Another thing that's been bothering me about the update is the hairs... updated resolution is nice (and much needed imo) but erm...



Why are some hairs super siny, while others are practically matte by comparison? they look as if they're using completely different shaders.

In game dev we have a thing called a 'style guide' that all artists have to adhere to to make sure all elements made by different artists look cohesive together - uniform colours and formats, tri counts and texture density. These don't look like they belong next to each other. I would say it looks like the top two are from one game and the bottom two from another, but top right has some really bizarre things going on near the plaits so the top two don't really match each other either.

I know the hairs were made at different points over the past ten years so you could expect them to look a little different, but surely with a large graphical update that would be a prime time to make them look more uniform, not less... If I had to guess, I would say it's likely the gloss/roughness or specular values are the mismatch. Which is something that a style guide should cover, or an internal review team should be putting the hairs next to each other to compare.

My hair is somewhere in the middle, it's got some shine to it in some lighting but it certainly doesn't match the first hairstyle here. But when I stand next to a friend who uses the Both Ways hairstyle (top right) it looks... pretty flat.

[Ashenfall]

Your experience echo’s mine so closely. I didn’t play au’ra, but I think a lot of people used to choose miqo face 4 as the tomboy, less feminine option too. They changed it so much though, and needlessly I think. Completely restyling the eyelashes, or putting permanent lip gloss on weren’t necessary changes. It seems like it was their intention to make the less conventionally feminine faces look like pretty dolls with this update. I’m really frustrated by that outdated mentality. With multiple faces to choose from, why do they all have to be the same style?

I’ve also lost all motivation to play. Haven't logged in since early access and have barely touched dawntrail. I also used to just enjoy spending time in game because I felt such a connection to my character. I don’t anymore and it’s very demotivating.

Ironically, I would've expected that female seeker face 1 would already be a generic cat girl kind of face. My original intention was to make my character doll-like, with big eyes and long lashes and other smaller, soft facial features. Instead, she looks like an exaggerated, uncanny wax figure with most of her delicate, feminine aspects gone. I'm guessing that wasn't the developers' intention, since female keeper face 4 seemed to have the reverse situation. Seeker Face 1 and Face 3 have similar facial features, too. I don't understand how they translated Face 1 to feel so different. Why can't they make even the most generic cat girl facial features cute and feminine?

I don't mind slight adjustments to the original features, but I don't want them to look uncanny or swollen either. I'm just now starting Shadowbringers and whenever I see her new face in cutscenes, my eyes keep straining to look at her, as if I'm manipulating myself to like it. And I guess I'm getting used to the new emotes, but I still want the old facial animations, which enhanced my character's cuteness factor.

Of course I want to keep playing for the story, but I play this game especially because I'm attached to my character. I spent hours on creating a character I liked and never used any fantasia for her face. I already tried other customization options but there really are none that would fit this character. I already invested so much into her and just want my character to be cute and pretty.

I've been seeing players in the JP forums growing frustrated and hopeless by the lack of communication from the devs. Sorry for the rant, but I'm also feeling the same and wish to be heard.

[Cheapshot]

Did anyone mention/notice how horrible dark skinned characters look in this graphical 'upgrade'?
Take Lyon for example




His skin has this strange sheen that looks like legit wet clay and he's got dents for abs (which were there before but this details it in a really bad way)...There's a too much detail on the collarbone area for every single character it downright looks abit gross. I don't know what's going on with dark skinned characters but Fran looks downright horrific. I'm scared to check Gaius up. I don't really have screenshot to screenshot as alot of my old shots were lost when my SSD ripped.

I honestly think the old graphics had some charm. These feel oddly flat. I hope they improve on that or do something to remedy dark skinned characters to make them look less clay/plastic like.

It’s because they’re using white light reflections on skin. Everyone looks either wet or waxy. A bit of white light reflection might make sense on a lip or maaaaybe the tip of a nose, but the whole body? Very odd choice. A lot of odd choices in this graphics update.

[Doopliss]

Did anyone mention/notice how horrible dark skinned characters look in this graphical 'upgrade'?

Another thing that's been bothering me about the update is the hairs... updated resolution is nice (and much needed imo) but erm...



Why are some hairs super siny, while others are practically matte by comparison? they look as if they're using completely different shaders.

My female Highlander is suffering from precisely both of these issues. It even affects the baked-in eyeliner. The contrast is really scuffed 'cause of it.


Sorry to post it again, but it makes her feel practically unplayable and makes me feel so sad, haha. I also feel admittedly scared about it even getting improved since it often appears that tones this dark are rarely checked on.

[Iscah]

I just wanted to highlight further with the use of this GIF just how profoundly different my character has become.

As you can see, her eyes have essentially been "lifted" and opened even more, despite already being quite large, giving her a really fierce stare, rather than the softer look of before, in fact I would go as far as saying that this change actutally has changed the very centrepoint of the eye itself. On top of that, it also brings them closer to the eyebrows, which makes her look angrier still. It is not easy to see in the picture but eyefolds have been reduced or hidden behind the eyelids, making her expression fiercer still.

The most bizarre part of the changes is how wildly inconsistent they are in what has been altered. My character has the opposite issues to yours, with eyelids lowered and losing all the quiet confidence of her previous expression.

Full face image is a rather large size so I'll hide it:

Eye shape:


It did get accepted as a bug report so I will have to wait and see what adjustments they make, but the face has more issues than just that.

[Halfheart]

I've noticed that my Hrothgal eyes are *very* reflective. It's not as noticeable with bright eyes but with dark eyes it is very apparent. There should be some reflectivity to them, but they are almost mirrors and fairly distracting.

There are the spots from the various light sources (too many, but that's another issue) but it seems like the entire floor is reflecting in the eyes. It could be something else, but that's how it appears.

This image is straight on at night (stands out more at night imo), the "floor" reflection takes up half the eye.

Tilting the camera and looking up at the character causes the "floor" reflection to move out of view and they almost look normal

Tilting and looking down at the character causes the "floor" reflection to take up the entire eye.

A shot during the day, the eyes are very reflective and it's harder to pick out the "floor" reflecting in them, but it's still there.

[Einnecy]

My biggest grievances with the update are as follows:

1. The iris and pupils need adjustments.
On my female au ra the pupils are too large.


2. Despite the new faces which allow for better and more expressive emoting, a lot of the emotes look duller.



3.The mouth. I'm not even going to elaborate on this one.
3.5. The mouth shine. Please for the love of the Twelve and everything on Etheirys make it a toggle.