Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Astronis]

Is anyone else experiencing a pixelated effect around the character models (and in general, like on the floors and such) now? I'm using NVIDIA DLSS for context.
It's especially noticeable when the camera is zoomed out, and I can really only see it in gpose/cutscenes. Is this a universal result of the update or is it just me?

I notice it when depth of field is on in gpose and cutscenes, but not otherwise. I don't recall seeing it before tbh.

[Jaltaer]

I didn't ever expect to post here but since there has been confirmation people's comments here regarding the update are actually being seen, I figure I will throw my 2c in. Sorry in advance for the length.

I play female Au Ra face 2, which as many others both here and elsewhere have pointed out, seems to have ended up with some of the worst results with the graphical changes.

For reference, I use the following features:
Eyebrows - 2
Eyes - 3
Nose - 5
Mouth - 3
Jaw - 2

I took comparison screenshots with various lighting from both the Endwalker and final Dawntrail benchmarks, and have tried to match the angle as best as possible.

The biggest point of contention for me, and many of the other Face 2 players I've talked to, is without a doubt the mouth.

Link to image slider comparison



Overall, the mouth seems to have been made much narrower. The definition between top and bottom lip has been softened, removing much of the cute cupid's bow appearance. The dimples have been completely obliterated, and the mouth corners overall seem to have been greatly softened. The transition from lip color to skin is far less gradual and now very sharp, which diminishes the mouth corners even further.
All of this contributes to the narrower appearance, and gives her resting expression a sharper, meaner look. I am sure I'm not the only face 2 player who chose their face because it had a softer appearance, so this change is very jarring.

And... the smiles. I used to love seeing her smile, it always had a very gentle but mischievous air to it. Now... I don't even really know how to describe it, but I genuinely flinch and try not to look whenever cutscenes have her smile. It has a very forced and uncanny look to it, likely a result of the narrower and sharper appearance of the mouth overall.

Dawntrail's creepy tiny-mouth smile vs Endwalker's softer one...



(sorry about the enormous differences in lighting, I had to dig very far back in my screenshots folder for the EW pic)

[Jaltaer]

Hit the character limit, oof...

Other, more minor gripes I have:

Eyes: While I understand why the false catchlights were removed, as a result her eyes still have that "dead inside" look that was previously addressed and promised to be fixed. Even when the new catchlights do appear, the effect is too subtle, and in 90% of the cutscenes her eyes end up looking empty and hollow.
I do like the changes to the limbal rings however, although the tone seems slightly off after the update. They look much more natural now, and blend into the iris smoothly. In my case at the very least, they do seem to retain their glow in certain lighting - I've actually found it to be a bit *too* much in some scenes.



Nose: While I feel there has been little noticeable change to the shape of her nose itself, the philtrum is now pronounced to a genuinely distracting degree - it was actually one of the first changes I noticed and had an initial negative reaction to.

All in all, overall I am really disappointed with these changes. The character I've grown attached to over the past 3 years hardly looks like herself. Gposing and taking screenshots in general is one of my favorite parts of the game, but I've found that I have very little desire to do so now. I do think it's a bit ironic that for the expansion that was presented as the "lighter-hearted vacation" expansion, she ended up looking like she aged 10 years and lost her will to live in the time between Endwalker and Dawntrail.

I sincerely hope the dev team takes some of these points into consideration. If nothing else, I know I and many other Face 2 players would appreciate any changes to the mouth that brought it closer to its original appearance.

[Rueby]

I notice it when depth of field is on in gpose and cutscenes, but not otherwise. I don't recall seeing it before tbh.

Perhaps one of you could write a bug report for it and see if maybe they accept/fix it?

Edit: Nevermind I read other posts