Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[GreenLeafy]

I wonder what happened to the people that posted early on in the thread when DT first launched. Have you guys gotten used to the changes or has the graphics update just demotivated you from logging in whatsoever?
I ask because it looks like a lot of people didn't fanta into something else despite their grievances. Not trying to antagonize or belittle anyone; disliking the update is totally valid. Just curious where you all stand 2 months later.

Still dislike it , outright hate some parts. I don't really care for the character the same way I used to at all and in turn made me care about the game even less. At any point if I dared think, hm maybe its not that bad , I'd see myself do a jank face animation in a cutscene or look at a screenshot of the old version and am like , yeah nvm the new look is still terrible. I just really can't get over my miqo's face looking like its made out of plasticine and the eyes make me look stoned 24/7 when in the past they were bright and engaging. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So yeah the feelings I had toward it even from the previews before the benchmark ,which really solidified with the benchmark release , have not really changed - genuinely despise the new look.

Used to be more engaged in the conversation about it too but honestly seeing how they didn't even care to properly address mixed feelings toward this update for months and we have the miniscule amount of attention from just a mod post in a forum thread my good will towards anything they might do is non-existent. Especially after reading the recent Yoship interview of him addressing feedback toward the expansion as a whole. The underwhelming mixed bag DT brought along with this graphical update ended up pushing majority of the friends I had on the game away from it and basically agree we're never pre-ordering anything and might just straight up quit haha. Really the only reason I'm a bit torn on ending my sub is because I've owned a house on the game for 6 years and have become attached to it because of sentimental value and memories and only resub on a house demo timer... Heavily considering ending that soon tho. :/

[Alice9]

Still haven't gotten used to the changes to my Face 4 Fem Au Ra at all, and at this point I feel like I am not going to. I've tried different hairstyles, makeup, and even messed around in character creation to see if I could try to replicate a close look. A fantasia isn't going to fix a complete style shift.

I've heard some have said Face 4 Au Ra looks cuter now, but I don't want to look cuter, I want to look the same way I did before. It really does feel like there was some misguided attempt at making characters look more "conventionally" attractive and/or younger. But I didn't make my character based on attractiveness, I enjoyed the sharp-looking style of the face- that has now been rounded off and deprived of its identity. Not to mention how the jaw, eyes, and mouth of the face look nothing like it used to. The idea that a fantasia could/would ever have fixed a complete style like this is at best a poor joke and at worst, an insult. I wanted my character to look the same, just upscaled. I did not want what feels like a random mishmash of traits added onto the face that they were hoping would stick with players.

[Fhaerron]

It's a shame we cannot fully turn off DLSS/FSR.
So for now I have settled with FSR and 99%res scale which for some bizarre reason gives the most sharpest image out of all options. (I've injected extra sharpness trough the Nvidia control panel for FFXIV which helps to mitigate it some more).

I don't know what it is with the implementation CBUIII uses but it's the same on FFXVI demo, the same blurriness & softening.

Funny thing is with the FFXVI demo few hours after it came out some in the community already made a mod to fix it.

Anyhow there's not been a single word about any of this from SE side and I'm guessing they just won't do anything about it and we'll just have to stick it up.

[Shnrnr]

I wanted my character to look the same, just upscaled.

This, times 1000. If I could boil this entire thread down to a single bug report, it's this:

Steps:

• create a character with the following characterstics (race, gender, face, etc.)
• compare the results between Endwalker and Dawntrail

Expected Results:

• the DT character looks like a higher-resolution version of the EW character

Actual Results:

• the DT character looks similar to the EW character but with clear design differences between the [brows/jaw/mouth/eyes/chin/cheeks/etc.]

I understand that there isn't an easy fix, especially now that many new players have created characters that they must be happy with using the updated facial features. But I'll say it again: if I could turn off the entire graphics update just to get my character back, I'd do it.

[Argantaelle]

And the last post for today. This is a character update done right. This is the same face structurally and fundamentally; the only changes are the loss of frowned brow texture (maybe because of lighting) and eyes (pupils moved up and are almost covered with the upper eyelid; it's a common issue with male Au Ra eyes).

Full-face


Three quaters

It's amazing that the least popular Au Ra face got the best treatment. I want to thank whoever was working on it. You did a great job.

P.S. I'm tired. I spent way too much time posting all this crap.

[cutestfox]

I wonder what happened to the people that posted early on in the thread when DT first launched. Have you guys gotten used to the changes or has the graphics update just demotivated you from logging in whatsoever?
I ask because it looks like a lot of people didn't fanta into something else despite their grievances. Not trying to antagonize or belittle anyone; disliking the update is totally valid. Just curious where you all stand 2 months later.

Still hating it every single day
Still wearing the mask

[Aurumis]

This, times 1000. If I could boil this entire thread down to a single bug report, it's this:

Steps:

• create a character with the following characterstics (race, gender, face, etc.)
• compare the results between Endwalker and Dawntrail

Expected Results:

• the DT character looks like a higher-resolution version of the EW character

Actual Results:

• the DT character looks similar to the EW character but with clear design differences between the [brows/jaw/mouth/eyes/chin/cheeks/etc.]

I understand that there isn't an easy fix, especially now that many new players have created characters that they must be happy with using the updated facial features. But I'll say it again: if I could turn off the entire graphics update just to get my character back, I'd do it.

Same, if I could get the old graphics back for my character? Hell yeah give me back the pixelated hair or the poligons, I don't care. I want my miqo to look how he is supossed to be. Not what they did. I just want them to give me back the old features, it's not so much to ask. The people who like the new ones keep it but give me back MINE, let me CHOOSE at least. I just want my WOL to look like before... I don't even have motivations to do gpose or anything, for what I would do photos or screenshoots anymore? he is not him, at all

I'm so tired of this shit. If they don't fix the models I'm going to drop the game after my sub ends... sadly I subscribed for 3 months but once is gone if my character is not the same... well. No more of my money to them.

[aiqa]

So for now I have settled with FSR and 99%res scale which for some bizarre reason gives the most sharpest image out of all options.

The reason for that is: FF14 is using FSR1, and FSR1 has buildin sharpening. With 99% resolution scale you almost don't get the disadvantange of running in lower resolution, but you still get the "advantage" of the sharpening filter. It's a bad way to apply shaperning though, if you want to increase sharpening you are better off setting resolution scale to 100% (which disables FSR) and increase sharpening through some other means.

[Isurith]

Still sad about the changes, just not active here anymore because I'm not very hopeful in any change coming, or if they come, they'll be very minor tweaking. I hope i'm wrong tho.

I was an avid gposer before, and I'm not motivated to it anymore. Maybe it'll come back after a while when the acceptance stage of grief is settled. But for now I'm still missing how my char was looking before (except for the scales and horn, they're gorgeous now).

[Mr_Gucky]

I've heard some have said Face 4 Au Ra looks cuter now, but I don't want to look cuter, I want to look the same way I did before. It really does feel like there was some misguided attempt at making characters look more "conventionally" attractive and/or younger. But I didn't make my character based on attractiveness, I enjoyed the sharp-looking style of the face- that has now been rounded off and deprived of its identity. Not to mention how the jaw, eyes, and mouth of the face look nothing like it used to. The idea that a fantasia could/would ever have fixed a complete style like this is at best a poor joke and at worst, an insult. I wanted my character to look the same, just upscaled. I did not want what feels like a random mishmash of traits added onto the face that they were hoping would stick with players.

100% agreement. I have the same disaster with my female Au Ra (face 4 mouth 3) which I have already explained in countless posts. The face was softened to make it look cuter.... For whatever reason? The free Fantasia is useless for me, there is no face which I like. And I don't accept that after 4 years I have to play with a completely different character. Since DT, my Au Ra has been wearing a mask so I don't have to look at this shame. If something doesn't happen, I'll have to think about whether I want to continue my subscription.