New 7.1 hairstyle looks nothing like the winning hairstyle from the 2023 contest

[amis-amai]

Chiming in again to add as well regarding games managing textured hair using similar methods to FFXIV. Guild Wars 2, which has been brought up a few times in the thread, is honestly a great example. GW2 lauched in 2012, one year before FFXIV: ARR in 2013, and has not had any sort of high end graphics update since then, still working with the same engine, shaders etc since its launch. In the Path of Fire expansion in 2017, GW2 added SEVERAL textured and afro styles to the game and to great success:




Screenshots don't give you the full impact, but in 3D view and inspecting them in game, they DO use the same flat texture method that a lot of hairstyles in FFXIV use, but stacked, rotated and layered on top of one another. Not only that, but on the more styled hairs seen there, the textures are actually different to appear more velvet-esc in regards on how light bounces across the hair (unlike the more defined highlights which can be seen typically in caucasian hair). Literally it's been shown that velvet textures can now be done in game, as shown on several of our new glamours (SCH AF gear for one, having a LOT of velveteen fabric).

So to say in the least, it's entirely not impossible for such textured hair to be implemented, perhaps with a little more effort on the devs side, but still no excuse regardless. Moreso as someone else pointed out earlier in the thread, some bushes and shrubs in this game literally have more detail and depth than what they did to this hair.