Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Cherrizini]

Here's a comparison of a completely stock character - Ardbert, who can be perfectly recreated since he's just standard Hyur options. You can see the shape of the eyes, nose, and mouth are markedly different(The eyes especially are much narrower). Also the lighting is very underwhelming in the new one lol. First pic is from my first playthrough back in 2021, second is from today:



Watching it flip between images is even more dire: http://www.iankunx.net/ardbert comparison.mp4

Really feels like absolutely no attempt was made to retain continuity of features. My WoL is similarly messed up of course. I'll probably post more images of him later but right now it hurts too much to look at him. -_-

While I'm on the subject of old versus new, another thing that's completely broken are Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus' eyes. As before, first is old, second is new. Emet's glow is completely gone and Hythlodaeus' eyes also seem to lack it for the most part and aren't even the right color:









That needs to be fixed. Maybe they're leaving it until they update their models but uh. Going off of my WoL and Ardbert and everyone else I'd really rather they never update them and just fix their eyes. There's also the absolutely insane lighting difference in the scene now. Which isn't the cause of the eye issues, Emet just doesn't glow at all. I'm not sure if Hyth isn't at all or the color is just set completely wrong.

Oh man, I am sadly on the minority here. I like the eye changes, but I perfectly understand why people miss the old ones and I think they should just stick with the ancient glowy eyes just to set them apart from midlander/elezens.

[CuteBucket]

While I'm on the subject of old versus new, another thing that's completely broken are Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus' eyes. As before, first is old, second is new. Emet's glow is completely gone and Hythlodaeus' eyes also seem to lack it for the most part and aren't even the right color:









That needs to be fixed. Maybe they're leaving it until they update their models but uh. Going off of my WoL and Ardbert and everyone else I'd really rather they never update them and just fix their eyes. There's also the absolutely insane lighting difference in the scene now. Which isn't the cause of the eye issues, Emet just doesn't glow at all. I'm not sure if Hyth isn't at all or the color is just set completely wrong.

This is just heartbreaking. I hope they never touch Emet and Hyth's actual 3D models, because what little they've done to "improve" the graphics here is awful save for the hair textures being better. All of the moody lighting of the scene and the eerie but beautiful glow of the Ancient's eyes are gone. The lighting is just so flattened now. Ugh.

[riani]

don't have anything constructive to add, comparisons and breakdowns and whatnot (I have doubts whether they can really recapture the old models' vibes, even with the promised revisions), but I guess I'd like to express that I've found myself feeling increasingly detached from my characters on account of their modified appearances also. Even taking into account my initial disappointment, I didn't actually think it would affect me to this extent...

Same here.
I've also stopped coming to this forum, 1) as I tried not to get reminded of the changes and to get used to the character, and 2) as I don't believe they will make drastic changes, especially to a less popular race that has just a few feedbacks.
But I never got used to it, don't have the inclination to snap screenshots during cutscenes anymore and still miss my old impression... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯RIP


(Same cutscene, gone back to the same facial settings except skin color)

[CuteBucket]

snip

Oh, the eyes got hit really bad here... So much more noticeably smaller.
I really don't understand why they added such dark shadows over the irises in so many races. It really makes every character it hit look some flavor of dazed, stoned, bored, or tired compared to the previous vibrant eyes. Like I just don't understand who looked at that and thought, "Yeah, that looks much better now."

[noumen0nn]

Same here.
I've also stopped coming to this forum, 1) as I tried not to get reminded of the changes and to get used to the character, and 2) as I don't believe they will make drastic changes, especially to a less popular race that has just a few feedbacks.
But I never got used to it, don't have the inclination to snap screenshots during cutscenes anymore and still miss my old impression... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯RIP


(Same cutscene, gone back to the same facial settings except skin color)

This is another great example of why Yoshi P's explanation of "oh we didn't mess up it's just the higher polygons" is total hogwash. I could MAYBE believe that for the messed up eyes and lips, if I were feeling generous. But the face tattoo? The cheekbones? The beauty mark under her eye that looks like they said "eh, close enough"? They must think we're stupid or something.

[Heavenchild]

I read that they want to fix some things. That's why I want to speak about this lip problem again.
The shape is sadly completly different and changes the whole expression of the face. I really hope that they can do something about it.

What bothers me most are the missing mouthcorners and the bulging upwards. Before it was just round and cute.
For me, the cute mouth was a very important point when it comes to face 2. At the moment this feature is missing.



(the upper pictures are from the internet, the lower ones are from me)

[Argantaelle]

Same here.
I've also stopped coming to this forum, 1) as I tried not to get reminded of the changes and to get used to the character, and 2) as I don't believe they will make drastic changes, especially to a less popular race that has just a few feedbacks.
But I never got used to it, don't have the inclination to snap screenshots during cutscenes anymore and still miss my old impression... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯RIP

I'm so sorry for you. Your character seems to collect all the issues with the universal mesh: smaller and darker eyes, pupils less contrasting, darker irises, different eyebrows (many of them are placed lower now), swollen cheeks, a thinner upper lip combined with the enlarged lower lip. Also, the mouth of many races seems to blend with the skin less naturally; their contours are too defined, and it looks strange (not all people are fond of permanent makeup).

At the end, she looks like an entirely different person with a different personality (I don't know; somehow many changed faces look more arrogant and annoyed.)

UPD: I was checking my post to see if there were any mistakes, and I was surprised to see how the lips on our characters's portraits looked very much alike: the small and insignificant upper lip and the huge triangle lower lip with a highlight on it.

----
Someone posted a link to one of Mr. Yoshida's interviews, and it seems like the lack of time is the culprit (as far as I can see, there are no spoilers).
https://www.famitsu.com/article/202409/16065

Google translate:
"This is the case with every expansion pack, but the actual development period for the expansion pack itself was less than a year and a half, so we had to create it in parallel with the current update, and this time we also had a graphics update, so it was really tough. There were many small mistakes and we caused trouble for the players, but when the early access ended, we gathered all the staff together and expressed our gratitude by saying, "Thank you!"

I don't understand why there was the need to rush in the first place (a new expansion, a new gender/race combination, and the large graphical overhaul mean an immensive amount of work). It caused unnecessary stress on SE workers and many strong and not very positive emotions in players. If SE took their time and listened to the feedback (at least in the graphical update part), everything would have been so much better.

It's not the first time they are rushing things (EW story comes to mind; it feels like it's two stories loosely slapped one on another, and the resulting gaps are filled with boring and long intermissions).

[Gaddes]

Same here.
I've also stopped coming to this forum, 1) as I tried not to get reminded of the changes and to get used to the character, and 2) as I don't believe they will make drastic changes, especially to a less popular race that has just a few feedbacks.
But I never got used to it, don't have the inclination to snap screenshots during cutscenes anymore and still miss my old impression... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯RIP


(Same cutscene, gone back to the same facial settings except skin color)

I feel your pain... I used to make a lot of video edits with my WoL, but I've held off on them to wait and see if anything will look remotely better in 7.1 because right now my character is so different :C


The one wearing the allagan circlet of fending is from EW:

[Loggos]

I'm so sorry, this really is a completely different character. Their faces and the personality conveyed by them are nothing alike to me tbh...

[riani]

snip

Yes, they've 'changed your actor' too.

The thing is I wasn't even mad at the general changes, because I knew and somewhat accepted after a time that I wouldn't get the exact face back, just maybe the 'impression'. I was only really disappointed by the eyes. But the live version hit hard, especially with the animations, and since then I don't like how characters lost their unique or tomboyish or whatever feel too or that I have a new resting bitch face syndrome.

It really makes every character it hit look some flavor of dazed, stoned, bored, or tired compared to the previous vibrant eyes.

This is another great example of why Yoshi P's explanation of "oh we didn't mess up it's just the higher polygons" is total hogwash.

At the end, she looks like an entirely different person with a different personality (I don't know; somehow many changed faces look more arrogant and annoyed.)
I don't understand why there was the need to rush in the first place (a new expansion, a new gender/race combination, and the large graphical overhaul mean an immensive amount of work).

Thank you, guys.

Reflecting on the mesh change -
Since then I looked it up if it would be possible to get closer to the original impression in my case only with texture changes. It can be done to an extent, but not without changing the other eyes with the same face, that are closer to the original feel. So these textures (like the eyeshadow with my eyes) and the tattoos got mapped differently on the new mesh. These last ones were confirmed bugs too - my tattoo was confirmed to sit above the eyes where it shouldn't and there were other bug reports too, like how the eyebrows tattoo sat awkwardly. (I don't know if this one was resolved, but mine has been sitting in the 'planning to address' pile for more than 2 months now.)
So I assume the broken texture- and tattoo maps show too, that there were some messed up changes in the shapes.

And I agree, they shouldn't have rushed through it. They didn't even have the time to look at the tattoos whether they sat right or not.
(And I think the shape changes wouldn't have been this big of an issue if we were expecting them...)


All in all, I doubt they will change many things if they don't rework the mesh (and why would they?)... (Like my eyes, they definitely won't change the texture even, if it breaks 5 other shapes with the same face...)
And this doesn't bode well with the fact that there are more of us who feel the new characters aren't worth screenshotting or videoing because they just feel... less.

(Soooo, will I be browbeaten to use a third-party tool, just to feel better about my character, and that I don't have to look at a resting bitch face all the time? I shouldn't be, it's illegal...)