Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Router]

Not my image (credits to the JP forum), but I think this perfectly demonstrates one of the biggest downgrades of the graphical update (F1 Midlanders):

[GreenLeafy]

Anyone has pictures of bun boy ears? I looked on my alt today and for some reason they seem really...flat and one dimentional...

...the difference in texture between ears and hair is so noticable too. The fur looks blurry and low res compared to the hair...

I'm pretty sure that a lot of viera players chimed in about this during the Benchmark and it seems to simply not have been adressed since then. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Silaryn]

Sorry if this has been answered already but how are people downloading the EW benchmark? The links on the EW benchmark page all download the DT benchmark.

[Roido_Avingu]

Sorry if this has been answered already but how are people downloading the EW benchmark? The links on the EW benchmark page all download the DT benchmark.

I kept the Endwalker benchmark on my PC when it was first available, and never got rid of it. So if you want to re-download it, you're out of luck I'm afraid.

[Daralii]

Sorry if this has been answered already but how are people downloading the EW benchmark? The links on the EW benchmark page all download the DT benchmark.

Someone found out that download links for all the old benchmarks are in the promotional site code. I was able to download Endwalker's on June 30th, so they aren't dead.
https://archive.org/download/ffxiv-official-benchmarks/

[Moonfallen]

Anyone has pictures of bun boy ears? I looked on my alt today and for some reason they seem really...flat and one dimentional...

It doesn't look so in pictures but only when you spin the character around to look at it, the top fur bit stuck to the pink flap (??) I'm finding a hard time explaining it and gpose isn't cooperating with me. I don't really play him often so I never noticed this....the difference in texture between ears and hair is so noticable too. The fur looks blurry and low res compared to the hair...

I was running around staring at bunny players and I know exactly what you're talking about. If you look at some Au'ra players tails you will see the same thing of them being flat and one dimensional. It's not as noticeable on Viera NPCs that I could see, but I was also only in the newer zones. Just some thing on player characters look very flat and they didn't look like that before. :/

[Silaryn]

Someone found out that download links for all the old benchmarks are in the promotional site code. I was able to download Endwalker's on June 30th, so they aren't dead.
https://archive.org/download/ffxiv-official-benchmarks/

Thank you!

[Moxxi]

Thank you Daralii for the link with the endwalker benchmark. I didn't get to take enough photos for comparison.. and now that i got to do that... Yeah some of the choices i had taken just before the update don't match up to why i picked them.
I'm a face 2 roegadyn and using eye shape 3, mouth shape 2 and eyebrow shape 2. The rest are not as noticeable to point out in images below..







I don't know how to make good gifs. But from what i noticed the lips went from top being fuller to bottom being fuller and slightly wider while philtrum don't line up.. The front view also make the corners appear to form a smile now, may be a subtle thing only i notice.
Others have mentioned the eyebrows being thinner while either the shape of the eyes,the eye texture or a combination make them look slightly smaller or more tired. There is also the wrinkling between the eyes and nose that is a bit less visible, and i think overall from comparing the front view it seems the face got squished a bit unless it is just the angles being slightly off..
I still... really really miss the feel the old eye textures gave, like i went for a white shade for a reason. Oh also a fair amount of the unique roegadyn hairstyles no longer fit the skull, it looks like you are bald and wearing a wig, i don't know if other races have that same issue with their unique styles.

Other than that there are positives like overall smoothness even tho i know others seem to dislike that some of the angles on the nose got softened.. but you can't tell me the old ears look nice with those hard edges x'D In certain lighting eyes to me look better too, like there is some bumpiness that make them less flat and i do like shadows better now compared to before yet can see that a lot of locations need lighting fixes to not cause certain oddness.

[Kaziek]

Not my image (credits to the JP forum), but I think this perfectly demonstrates one of the biggest downgrades of the graphical update (F1 Midlanders):

Man it really does hurt to see. It's unfortunate that the comparison is so low quality, but I think even through that it's pretty obvious to see how different they are from each other. At this point I'm pretty resigned to dealing with it since it seems like SE as usual doesn't really care if it's not an overwhelming majority that is upset with something.

[faiarrow]

Others have mentioned the eyebrows being thinner while either the shape of the eyes,the eye texture or a combination make them look slightly smaller or more tired. There is also the wrinkling between the eyes and nose that is a bit less visible, and i think overall from comparing the front view it seems the face got squished a bit unless it is just the angles being slightly off..
I still... really really miss the feel the old eye textures gave, like i went for a white shade for a reason.

Yeah, the missing normal map for Face 2's brow is a huge problem, we've just got random baked in shading that looks like an unfinished contour because the actual 3D data for lighting isn't there. (Excuse the JP on these - it's from my bug reports and other feedback posts)







I'm never over face 3 getting straight up yassified. There is no other way I can describe how butchered this is... (6.5 - Bench 1.1 - 7.0)



Fun fact: roegadyn jewel eyes still exist... on female highlander face 4 and male roe face 2.



(7.0 healer quest NPC)


(I don't have a 7.0 shot for this but they do still have the coloured pupil, saturation is just out the wazoo as is most things since 7.0 in comparison.)


I still think the horrific unification polygon problem re: emotes is pretty egregious... her nose gains a full inch and her entire *SKULL* moves up and back to make /shocked.



Great update, CU3. Fantastic damn update.
Give me my characters back please lmfao.