Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Rolder50]

You know, with the vast majority of these side by side comparisons, I really can't see the difference.

[Kiara_Mela]

I've not seen anyone mention it yet, but Keeper of the Moon female face 3 used to have an area of freckles / redness across the upper cheeks and nose that I thought was really cute, and that's gone entirely with Dawntrail. The new face 3 has extremely "flat" skin with no texture or colour variation that tends to make it look like I'm wearing heavy makeup, especially combined with what they did to the eyes that made the mascara look significantly more pronounced (unclear how much this is the eyelashes vs the change to eye shape?). This has been by far the most significant change for me, in terms of how my character feels, and I really hope it can be fixed. I miss my cute freckles!


(face 3, jaw 3, eye 6, eyebrow 2, nose 3, mouth 3)

My face stripes are also pulled back a little and fade out on the end, which I dislike for reasons similar to disliking the attempt to reduce the cute fangs. I'm a cat, my cat features should be front and center, y'know? Like the freckles / skin texture variation, they add character.

All of the above contributes to a sense of my face being physically flatter -- I can't tell whether this is an actual geometry change or just there being a lot less shading and variation highlighting facial contours.

My face also feels rounder, but while there's been a small geometry change there, most of the effect there comes from the lighting no longer casting shadows on my jaw in the same way, making it look significantly rounder from the front. This seems like probably the same underlying issues as the face flatness thing.

I don't super love the eye shape changes or the lil mouth dimples, but plenty of others have gone into the issues there already.

Also you can't tell in the aetherial sea lighting above, but my hair colour used to have an orange tint to it under most lighting conditions, but is now chocolate brown. It doesn't seem possible to get closer than this to the colour I used to have, unfortunately.

On a positive note, the high resolution hair texture is really nice, it looks a lot better than the old one.

[Astronis]

We would like to thank everyone for their feedback regarding the graphical update.
The Development team has been carefully reviewing this thread and many others, including bug reports and concerns raised outside of the official forums.

We are currently working on an update based on the feedback provided, as well as preparing to share details about our planned course of action.
As these are undergoing thorough final inspections, we expect to make an announcement in late August.

Thank you all for your patience as we continue fine-tuning the graphical update.

I hope that in all this, "leaving everything alone for the people who are absolutely in love with what is currently in game" is on the table. Because let me be honest--I would not forgive SE if they changed my character at this point.

[Doopliss]

Since I'm a little more awake now and fully prepared to continue appearing as a huge asshole, I wanted to add a general statement: They made a promise to their customers pre-update that they would keep the impressions as close as possible to the original versions.

They have made no such promise about keeping the initial batch of post-update impression differences. In fact, they stated the opposite in the final benchmark update post on the lodestone; they had plans set in motion, since then, to continue making adjustments to the post-update versions of characters. That is another big reason why the situation differs between the two "sides", and, again, why they are attempting to amend it.

The best case scenario would be to add more options. However, I do not blame them for prioritizing corrections first.

That being said, myself and many others do not actually want things outright reverted. We just want our characters to look like themselves and to keep the diversity of options we had before, but with the higher fidelity models.

[Astronis]

Since I'm a little more awake now and fully prepared to continue appearing as a huge asshole, I wanted to add a general statement: They made a promise to their customers pre-update that they would keep the impressions as close as possible to the original versions.

They have made no such promise about keeping the initial batch of post-update impression differences. In fact, they stated the opposite in the final benchmark update post on the lodestone; they had plans set in motion, since then, to continue making adjustments to the post-update versions of characters. That is another big reason why the situation differs between the two "sides", and, again, why they are attempting to amend it.

The best case scenario would be to add more options. However, I do not blame them for prioritizing corrections first.

That being said, myself and many others do not actually want things outright reverted. We just want our characters to look like themselves and to keep the diversity of options we had before, but with the higher fidelity models.

Given that this is a feedback thread, for opinions on the character update, and I have posted several times that I love it, I think it is fair to let SE know that anything that jeopardizes what I vastly, vastly prefer to the original, is worth stating. I would be happy if you were happy. I would be livid if in order to make you happy, what was given to me was taken away. SE needs to know that.

[Doopliss]

Given that this is a feedback thread, for opinions on the character update, and I have posted several times that I love it, I think it is fair to let SE know that anything that jeopardizes what I vastly, vastly prefer to the original, is worth stating. I would be happy if you were happy. I would be livid if in order to make you happy, what was given to me was taken away. SE needs to know that.

Genuinely asking; what are you afraid of them changing about your character?

EDIT: I know I'm often a dickhead here but I promise I don't mean this as a "gotcha". I genuinely do want to understand. Sorry, just felt like clarifying because I know how I can come off.

[Astronis]

Genuinely asking; what are you afraid of them changing about your character?

Honestly, I don't believe they will change anything substantial about my character. But it IS different from the original and there HAVE been complaints about specific points that I prefer in the new version from people who preferred those things in the old version. Most specifically, some weight around the nostrils and how the current version has a bit more thinness around the cheeks that make him look a smidge older than the original. Though if they were being extremely picky about "impressions" from the original, they might do something subtle that would remove the current impression I get from the character that adds some emotion to him that the original lacked all in an effort to return the "impression" back to the original.

And no worries, I took you as being genuine.

ETA: To be clear, I think there are a few things outstanding that still need to be tweaked. Seeing the fiveheads on some NPCs is proof enough of that. But I do fear too much fiddling will take away from the good stuff they've already added, and this isn't the benchmark anymore, this is the live game. That matters.

[Rueby]

Well, alot of people are livid that what their characters used to look like got taken away in favor of changes. My character changed in a way that I really dislike and while I'm sure people love the changes exist, I also would like options to return my character to how she used to be and restore the charming features I loved about her.

I'm sick of the whole 'I'm gonna be happy at your expense' or you're essentially collateral damage to 'change'...I hate the whole idea that this update split people up into two camps, those who love it and don't want to change it and those who hate it and miss their characters.

It doesn't have to be this way...Please push for more options. I loved my character dearly, and the graphical update changed her in ways that I really don't like, the facial expressions are buggy and downright uncanny. I miss her subtle gentle smile. I don't want to take that away from people who love the characters currently. Give us options that are accurate to the original. No one should feel like the character they loved and did the story with is gone. Even those who love the update.

[Doopliss]

Honestly, I don't believe they will change anything substantial about my character. But it IS different from the original and there HAVE been complaints about specific points that I prefer in the new version from people who preferred those things in the old version. Most specifically, some weight around the nostrils and how the current version has a bit more thinness around the cheeks that make him look a smidge older than the original. Though if they were being extremely picky about "impressions" from the original, they might do something subtle that would remove the current impression I get from the character that adds some emotion to him that the original lacked all in an effort to return the "impression" back to the original.

And no worries, I took you as being genuine.

I see...that is understandable, and all in all, I hope that you can still have your character looking a way you like. Since he's a Highlander (Face 2, right?) that means he was originally a 1.0 model--which means his normals were especially rough-looking like my Elezen's--and I would hope they wouldn't revert those. I believe those are what mostly add a lot to the new definition around the cheeks and such.

From what I saw for Face 2, I'd assume most major changes would be some brow bone options that got changed to rest a little too high...and perhaps the lip shape would have more definition returned, like hopefully all races, after getting them "straightened out".

Ideally, I don't want you to be unhappy either. I believe most adjustments (well, I hope, anyway) would be for the more substantially changed options, such as certain eye, nose, and lip shapes becoming far too different from their original counterparts.

Of course, I don't work for SE so I can only hope for the best. Similar to you though, I admittedly like a lot of changes for my Elezen and would be sad to see her return entirely to her "downgrade from 1.x" form. I just want her lips to return to the frowning shape that face was known for, for example, lol, because otherwise the impression remains the same (for my selected options; I know some others with this face weren't so lucky). I also have a lot of problems with how current colors are displayed now, but I consider that a different issue.

Sorry to ramble...I just wanted to say I basically kind of get it, and wanted to be potentially comforting.

Here's hoping they do the real miracle and announce more options in the August announcement.

[Astronis]

Give us options that are accurate to the original. No one should feel like the character they loved and did the story with is gone. Even those who love the update.

Please! Yes! All the options!

I see...that is understandable, and all in all, I hope that you can still have your character looking a way you like. Since he's a Highlander (Face 2, right?) that means he was originally a 1.0 model--which means his normals were especially rough-looking like my Elezen's--and I would hope they wouldn't revert those. I believe those are what mostly add a lot to the new definition around the cheeks and such.

Yes, Face 2 Highlander, and...it's been obvious for years to me that there were things about it that must have been hacked to bits getting it from 1.0 to 2.0, and at least one of those things is something 7.0 has very obviously corrected for me. So yeah, would be very upset to lose that correction!

Ideally, I don't want you to be unhappy either. I believe most adjustments (well, I hope, anyway) would be for the more substantially changed options, such as certain eye, nose, and lip shapes becoming far too different from their original counterparts.

I would hope, yes. It's just this thread is VERY long, and not very many people who are explicitly pleased with the changes post in it. Because that's what happens, happy people stay quiet, unhappy people make noise. So I feel like I have to make a little noise on behalf of the happy people.


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This is my WoL, and this is me stating I AM VERY HAPPY WITH HIM as he exists now!

Sorry to ramble...I just wanted to say I basically kind of get it, and wanted to be potentially comforting.

Here's hoping they do the real miracle and announce more options in the August announcement.

No worries, I appreciate it. Fingers crossed for said miracle.