Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Argantaelle]

Those all look fine to me, with maybe one out of the whole bunch being over-lit. Mostly they've just had that godawful grey overlay that used to make everything look bad removed.

I can't say that I agree with you. Some facial expressions turned out to be quite awkward, like the new version of the Warrior of Darkness when he stares at the red crystal. Sibold's facial expression changed entirely; instead of a stern young man, I see a constantly smiling person, which (imo) distorts the message of the story. Poor Granson just suffers from the issue with smiles we've discussed in this thread a lot.

I can't say that all the new facial expressions are horrible, but they need to be worked on to better convey the main message of a cutscene.

Also, almost all HW cutscenes are overexposed with unnecessary bright character lighting and weird shadows; sometimes it seems like characters are cut from paper and just slapped on the background without interacting with it in any way.

(very mild HW spoilers)

Just compare Alphi and Ga Bu. Ga Bu interacts with the environment; they cast shadows and reflect light, but Alphi looks like an apparition.

I've collected many similar screenshots. HW cutscenes leave much to be desired after the graphical update (ARR and SB are better). I assumed they just hadn't been touched by SE designers yet when I was going through the story on my alt about a month ago.

[Lorika]

I've collected many similar screenshots. HW cutscenes leave much to be desired after the graphical update (ARR and SB are better). I assumed they just hadn't been touched by SE designers yet when I was going through the story on my alt about a month ago.

Except that on PS5 :
- 5 ARR Cutscenes have unexplainable FPS drop (the same goes with 3 outpost)
- SB have 2 Cutscenes with unexplainable FPS drops

HW have 0

[Astronis]

I can't say that I agree with you.

That's fine.

Sibold's facial expression changed entirely; instead of a stern young man, I see a constantly smiling person, which (imo) distorts the message of the story.

Interesting, since I always interpreted Sicard to have a frequent self-satisfied smirk. Perhaps that's why my opinion hasn't changed much--I previously saw him as character that frequently smiles. Subjective opinions be subjective!

I assumed they just hadn't been touched by SE designers yet when I was going through the story on my alt about a month ago.

Very possible. Continuing adjustments to eyelashes notwitstanding, they have said the graphics update would be an expansion-long process.

IIRC the in-game reason is that he wasn’t stuck in the Lifestream as long as Y’shtola was, so he didn’t have the same problems as she did. He got to keep his sight, but lost the ability to manipulate aether. (Not sure if the fact that she was a caster and he wasn’t could have played a role in that as well…)

I'd love to see where this was pointed out in game. It's bugged me for ages and I apparently missed it both times I played through. I knew about him losing his aether manipulating ability, but not where he regained the color in his eye.

Regarding his appearance, I know it's a bit different, but I'm on record as viewing the graphics as an artistic interpretation of a 'Platonic ideal', so he's still well within artistic parameters of 'Thancred' so therefore I still recognize him as such.

[Turnintino]

I'd love to see where this was pointed out in game.

I don't believe they ever explicitly theorize (in the MSQ, at least) that he was less affected because of less time spent in the lifestream; it's just subtext. But I don't know if I'd argue his disability isn't equal to Y'shtola's to begin with, personally. They certainly both ended up not mattering equally, but I digress.

(And I agree that the eye color thing was bizarre too; not to mention that he wore what was basically a makeshift eyepatch over it for two expansions that one would think meant he maybe couldn't see out of it, but here we are. Maybe he was temporarily blind in that eye, but we weren't told in-game, either way.)

As for his face, I don't particularly care about Thancred himself either, but the differences shown still serve to highlight how Face 1 was changed.