Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[CuteBucket]

The new blurry lipstick also hit Female Au Ra face 3 real bad.


(old pic from the benchmark but they look the same in game now, so I haven't bothered taking more pictures)

Why do her lips look MORE low res and undefined in a graphics "update?"
Why was the shape so drastically changed? This is not "preserving the look of your characters," not even close.

So I don't like reading things like, "these issues are a result of the improvements made to graphical and computational accuracy, which have resulted in smoother visuals and a clearer representation of what was intended by the original data." It comes off to me like, "actually we gave the lips 3x more polygons, so it doesn't matter if you think they look like ass now because something-something better graphical and computation accuracy."

Like genuinely, if someone was given the left images as a model to work from and they sculpted the lips on the right? They did it wrong. Flat out. Sorry if that sounds mean, but it's the truth. They did a bad job. It doesn't look like the original--rather, it looks significantly WORSE than the original. They should have been told to go back and work on it some more, because this ain't it. Who looked through this and had to sign off on these changes? Some overworked intern who didn't get enough sleep and the office ran out of coffee? How was this in development for two years and so many faces look so wrong? I really question the management and organization of the team that was in charge of all this.

[Doopliss]

This is so specific but I think it was actually this part that filled me with some dread. I haven't seen this issue pointed out much on the NA forums, but the JP forums have a lot of screenshots where some eye type options' lashes straight up look like falsies falling off now. I think it's a little absurd they mentioned the possibility of straight up not being able to fix this for some options...? It's a small thing, but really bizarre to me, since the original models just didn't have this issue. And while I'm not personally affected by this problem, it doesn't instill confidence.

Wanted to add on to this because, while it's a small thing, I still can't believe they admitted they might not be able to fix this. I really know it's small but I still can't believe it. Why didn't this issue happen on the 1.0 models, which also had a higher polygon count?


This is just one of the examples of an eye shape option having this issue. Look at the inner ends of her upper lash line. They're facing the opposite direction and all bent and jagged-looking. It's really unfortunate for zoom-ins or people who like to take screenshots... It just looks unnatural and like she doesn't know how to apply mascara, lol. This really might not be possible to fix? Even though expressions are already currently broken?

Also, I noticed they mentioned some scars and beards looking too light on certain skin colors, but not makeup, so I'm going to quote the post I made in the JP thread for good measure:

またまたこんにちは、日本語が下手でごめんなさい。
最近、英語のフォーラムが少し整理されたので、この後はお邪魔するのをやめたいと思います。
しかし、この問題は私を不安にさせるので、ここでも共有したい。

ハイランダー♀のメイクは艶やかになり、最も暗い肌の色には奇妙に映るようになった。
私のイメージから、私が言いたいことが伝われば幸いだ。



髪の色の見え方にも問題があるが、それについてはすでに他の人が論じているので、私はメイクだけに焦点を当てることにする。
アップデート後、メイクはテカテカと反射するようになり、ごく限られた照明条件下でしかきれいに見えない。
残念ながら、ほとんどの場合、彼女の目を小さく見せたり、アイラインをグレーに見せたりしてしまう。

冒険家ポートレートの照明設定では、さらに不快に見える。


アイライナーを元のブラックマットに戻していただきたい。
また、必ず明るい肌色と暗い肌色の両方で調整をテストしてください。
この肌の色が一般的に選ばれる色でないことは知っているし、他のハイランダー♀にはこの問題はなかったから心配していたんだ。

しかし、他のキャラクタータイプでも同様の問題が発生している。
アップデート後、ミコッテ♀顔タイプ4とエレゼン♀顔タイプ1は、肌が黒いと眉毛が目立たなくなった。

ですから、もう一度言いますが、明るい肌色と暗い肌色の両方を調整時にチェックしていただけると大変ありがたいです。
お時間をいただきありがとうございました。

Please don't forget to adjust the contrast/glossiness on ♀ Highlander makeup for dark skin. I've tried everything I could--removing the additional facial feature option and messing with face paints instead--to try to make the contrast correct again, but I couldn't succeed. I don't want to lighten her skin because the part of the makeup causing the issue is baked into the face. It's making her eyes look smaller, which is the opposite of what eyeliner is supposed to do.

I know this is a niche issue but please do not forget this. She genuinely feels "unplayable" right now.

[noumen0nn]

Hey sorry to reply to this a second but I'm literally just now realizing: is the new philtrum and cupid's bow not aligned correctly with the nose in the update? I know human faces are inherently asymmetrical, so I'm not sure if this could be an angle thing or lighting thing or something else? Is that possible here...?

I drew a quick, shitty line in MS Paint through the center of the cupid's bow because I couldn't be bothered to open CSP anymore, but I hope this shows what I'm seeing?


EDIT: God maybe it is just a trick of the lighting now that I look again. I really can't tell. I keep looking at the line on the second image and not being certain it's the center, since the top of the lips are, ironically, more blurry in the new version...

No, it's aligned properly. Her head is tilted at a very slight angle in this screenshot is all, it might just be more noticeable since the midpoint of the philtrum is easier to see when it's thinner

[Argantaelle]

Well, it seems like the players will have to go through another lottery round, and there are chances that the previous winners are going to be the losers in the second one.

To avoid this, I'd like to ask about more transparency. I know that SE's modus operandi is to cover everything in thick fog, but maybe it's worth to make a kind of promotional topic on forums with before/after pictures and give players an option to provide their feedback before the changes are done?

[Moonfallen]

I'm not sure how to feel about the announcement to be quite honest. As much as I want them to make changes and fixes I still wholeheartedly think before they made any changes that the character creator should have been updated before all this. I don't want them to make changes and then the people happy now lose the changes that they love because that isn't updated. I really hope they save everything they have now before they make changes that way when the character creator is updated everything is there, new and old (fixed). I honestly think the character creator being updated should be more of a priority before trying to fix the issues with faces. If it means that I have to wait longer for the adjustments to faces then so be it. Update the character creator first before messing with faces again.

[Luluna]

I know it will not be a popular thing but I feel if they had left the newer races and updated the CC a while ago it might have been a lot better. They could have added them later on.

I am unsure how this will work for people as surely if it is changing again players will need a fantasia....I have had a few since the update but it will need to be addressed.

[HeyMcFly]

Give Thancred his original face back

[Rueby]

Give Thancred his original face back

This, also please don't touch Zenos' face, I look at what happened to Thancred and feel nothing but dread for my favorites.

Not only did my character change which caused enough grief, but now I dread what they'd do to NPCs that I love way more than my character. It concerns me and honestly instills fear/distrust in me.

[Visthra]

Hey sorry to reply to this a second but I'm literally just now realizing: is the new philtrum and cupid's bow not aligned correctly with the nose in the update? I know human faces are inherently asymmetrical, so I'm not sure if this could be an angle thing or lighting thing or something else? Is that possible here...?

I drew a quick, shitty line in MS Paint through the center of the cupid's bow because I couldn't be bothered to open CSP anymore, but I hope this shows what I'm seeing?


EDIT: God maybe it is just a trick of the lighting now that I look again. I really can't tell. I keep looking at the line on the second image and not being certain it's the center, since the top of the lips are, ironically, more blurry in the new version...

Sorry but anyone who says these new philtrums are normal are just objectively incorrect. I’ve never seen a single person in real life have the wide-ass unnatural philtrums we have in DT. It looks completely insane, and I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about it.

And that’s not to mention the Pizza Hut logo upper lip some people have. If you stop and really think about some of these (completely unnecessary) changes, you realize how weird this entire situation with the graphics rollout is. The work was outsourced, that’s the only logical explanation.

[Rueby]

Sorry but anyone who says these new philtrums are normal are just objectively incorrect. I’ve never seen a single person in real life have the wide-ass unnatural philtrums we have in DT. It looks completely insane, and I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about it.

And that’s not to mention the Pizza Hut logo upper lip some people have. If you stop and really think about some of these (completely unnecessary) changes, you realize how weird this entire situation with the graphics rollout is. The work was outsourced, that’s the only logical explanation.

My mother doesn't have a defined philtrum...alot of chars had 'subtle' philtrums, some I think barely any, but now philtrums are cranked to 11, if you didn't have it, now you do. Wide philtrum? Nah squished pronounced one.

This is an entirely different mouth shape...