Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Argantaelle]

Well, in a day I won't be able to post anything or even upvote other people's comments on FFXIV forums because my character has been logged out for 14 days already and I cancelled my sub. So I'd like to share my final thoughts about the infamous character update.

I have a feeling that people who got hit the hardest with character changes are kind of roleplayers — not the "roleplayer" type so popular on forums and Reddit, but roleplayers who like to immerse themselves in their characters. They might be engaged in RP events or not (I never participated in one, for example). But they usually enjoy making little stories about their characters, thinking about their background, their preferences, maybe some kind of character development since ARR until EW, etc. They create their characters to make a certain impression, and facial features are very important in making this impression (a hardened veteran, an enthusiastic adventurer, a sarcastic stranger with a heart of gold, etc.). FFXIV is a MMORPG that promotes this kind of behaviour, considering the focus on the story and the large number of cutscenes.

If a person is content with slapping on their humanoid-shaped mannequen for raiding gear 2B bottoms or Healer's Culottes, they won't object to any visual changes as long as their character stays hot. If for a person the main criteria is cuteness, they can use a free fantasia to change their face or transform into another, more cute race without a doubt.

But if a person is attached to their character, if they designed them with the intent of making a particular impression, if they played the same character literally for years and never used fantasia, any changes in face shape and expression would be difficult to endure. Especially if the changes are to the worst or the design team just put this race/gender/face combination to the end of the queue and probably didn't have enough time to do the job thoroughly (like with male Au Ra, who literally missed jaws when transformed or had their faces warped beyond recognition using certain emotes).

So the question is if the roleplayers are important enough to the FFXIV team to make character adjustments. So far, there hasn't been any reaction from the FFXIV team, so, I'm afraid, their answer is clear enough.

[Aurumis]

So the question is if the roleplayers are important enough to the FFXIV team to make character adjustments. So far, there hasn't been any reaction from the FFXIV team, so, I'm afraid, their answer is clear enough.

The team usually answers this things in liveletters and such. So we just wait. They didn't say much when rothgar girls and bunnies were asked everyday until liveletters brought the topic.

[GreenLeafy]

So the question is if the roleplayers are important enough to the FFXIV team to make character adjustments. So far, there hasn't been any reaction from the FFXIV team, so, I'm afraid, their answer is clear enough.

The worst part of it all imo. Its those types of people that really rallied and gave them free marketing whenever the big hype boom happened in SHB. All the WoL art you would see on socials of those same people invested so deeply into this game they wanted to share it through all means of creative output with the world. The landscape paintings from Eorzea , the people writing the stories expanding the narrative of their WoLs even further , even including some for beloved NPCs! And now people like that who didn't luck out with the mess the character update has are just thrown on the road - Thanks for the free advertisement , you don't matter anymore.

I can't even fantasia , people know me for the character I have been for years and even they don't see him as the same person anymore because my face changed so much with the update. From him I made a whole new character of my own that carried me through the development of my art career which is now just -poof- disappeared. Lives only in the Endwalker benchmark and the thousands upon thousands of screenshots from his journey.

Sigh , Idk , even after going through the entirety of DT I just couldn't get over the changes. Marketing misdirection with DT story , false promises with character update attention , half the gear in the game still looking the same as it did before , lighting issues across the board. All of that kinda just trumps the handful of good things I enjoyed from this expansion which is a shame.

But as you said aswell , their answer to all of those has been clear enough.

[Aurumis]

The worst part of it all imo. Its those types of people that really rallied and gave them free marketing whenever the big hype boom happened in SHB. All the WoL art you would see on socials of those same people invested so deeply into this game they wanted to share it through all means of creative output with the world. The landscape paintings from Eorzea , the people writing the stories expanding the narrative of their WoLs even further , even including some for beloved NPCs! And now people like that who didn't luck out with the mess the character update has are just thrown on the road - Thanks for the free advertisement , you don't matter anymore.

I can't even fantasia , people know me for the character I have been for years and even they don't see him as the same person anymore because my face changed so much with the update. From him I made a whole new character of my own that carried me through the development of my art career which is now just -poof- disappeared. Lives only in the Endwalker benchmark and the thousands upon thousands of screenshots from his journey.

Sigh , Idk , even after going through the entirety of DT I just couldn't get over the changes. Marketing misdirection with DT story , false promises with character update attention , half the gear in the game still looking the same as it did before , lighting issues across the board. All of that kinda just trumps the handful of good things I enjoyed from this expansion which is a shame.

But as you said aswell , their answer to all of those has been clear enough.

we don't have answers yet, they are still fixing things with graphics, it's not as easy as you might think to change an entire game with a new look, just have hope and continue with your feedback and opinions on the matter, like how obsessed hrothgar girls and bunny boys were asked over and over and over and over again until they finally did it.