Thancred's new face

[TBerry]

Is it Thancred, though?

[xbahax92]

why are people so obsessed about such things? it's a npc, why does it even matter

[Merrigan]

why are people so obsessed about such things? it's a npc, why does it even matter

I don't know. Actually I can understand the attachment to the NPC, but clearly complaining when the difference isn't that crazy... Anyway.
Let's just say that this forum is becoming more and more like a complaints office. And the graphical update is pretty typical:

‘OMG my character has an eyelid angle that is 0.5% more oblique than in the previous version I WANT AND I DEMAND THAT IT GO BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS’.

You've clearly got a lot of people whose main concern is that the game shouldn't move at all, otherwise it'll go to shit. Just a reminder for fans of the character: this is not ‘your Thancred’. He's SE's character, he belongs to the whole community, and many are happy with the change. The majority don't even seem to care. Sorry for the rudeness of the message, but the importance given to certain details is creepy, there's no other way to put it.

[Khryseis_Astra]

I don't know. Actually I can understand the attachment to the NPC, but clearly complaining when the difference isn't that crazy... Anyway.

Because his brows, eyes, nose and lips aren’t absolutely and completely different in those pictures a few posts above yours…

Let's just say that this forum is becoming more and more like a complaints office. And the graphical update is pretty typical:

‘OMG my character has an eyelid angle that is 0.5% more oblique than in the previous version I WANT AND I DEMAND THAT IT GO BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS’.

It’s been pointed out in other threads on this topic, but some people are better able to discern differences in facial features than others. The changes that people are complaining about aren’t minor. If someone gave you a nose job and facelift, you might think it looks like “a better version of you,” but other people will notice you obviously had some work done. Now imagine someone gave you plastic surgery against your will and you woke up to find yourself with an entirely different face!

We were told the goal was more HD versions of our characters. That isn’t what happened. Actual shapes of facial features were changed. Any one part of the face changed in isolation is one thing, but when multiple changes are done to multiple facial features, the result is a different person. And there is a ton of visual evidence to support that. The one I always bring up is the comparison of 8 different eyes shapes for one of the races, that was homogenized to the point that there’s barely any difference between them anymore.

Again, maybe you don’t have the same level of visual detail as some other people do, but that doesn’t mean they’re overreacting just because you don’t notice it. A big selling point of this game is the ability to create your own unique character(s). Anything that completely changes “the look and feel” of them, especially when we were assured that would be preserved, is obviously and justifiably going to lead to complaints, which the devs asked for and are acting on.

[Merrigan]

It's not a question of being sensitive to the difference, but of accepting a fairly simple fact: a graphic update is necessarily accompanied by changes. It was announced as such (and not simply as an update to move towards HD: adding polygons implies different angles, curves and textures, it's compulsory). It's impossible to do otherwise, mainly because even if SE had kept the same face there would have been perceived differences because of the luminosity.

So don't worry: I can see the differences and it's because I can see them that I can say that in the vast majority of cases (not all) they are minimal. So yes: there is an over-reaction, and when you see the way some people here express themselves about the NPC (I repeat: there's no such thing as ‘our Thancred’), it's quite telling. It's like those fans who force their idol to wear a specific outfit or they'll go on hunger strike.

I usually avoid reacting, firstly because I don't really want to confront people about their character by individualising them too much - but it's honestly annoying. In the case of characters it has little impact; in the case of NPCs like Thancred, those who advocate standing still at all costs are the same ones who are causing SE's inability to make the Scions evolve, on pain of a space backlash.

[Khryseis_Astra]

It's not a question of being sensitive to the difference, but of accepting a fairly simple fact: a graphic update is necessarily accompanied by changes. It was announced as such (and not simply as an update to move towards HD: adding polygons implies different angles, curves and textures, it's compulsory). It's impossible to do otherwise, mainly because even if SE had kept the same face there would have been perceived differences because of the luminosity.

Oh I get that, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t have changed anything, but one would think with adding polygons you would get greater control over angles and curves than the old system! If you can’t accurately render shapes better with the newer system, how is it an upgrade exactly? They straight up make straight lines out of curves that were there, widened some philtrums and narrowed others, sucked away everyone’s top lip, etc. If the very round buttons on a coat suddenly turned into squares rather than circles, would people still think that was an improvement, because it’s more HD? For me it’s all about the shapes. I can’t fix the issues I see by changing the lighting, and even if I could, we can’t control that when our characters go through the cutscenes.

Just looking through people’s pictures of their characters, it looks more like a rushed job or just plain lack of quality control, than any technical limitations. And maybe too few hands being assigned to the work, because one of my main issues is how decidedly Roe-like my Highlander Hyur has become, especially around the nose and brows.

[Daralii]

Oh I get that, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t have changed anything, but one would think with adding polygons you would get greater control over angles and curves than the old system! If you can’t accurately render shapes better with the newer system, how is it an upgrade exactly?

Because there are more triangles. More triangles is always better unconditionally.

[Boblawblah]

but it's honestly annoying. In the case of characters it has little impact

that is your opinion, if us voicing our concern is so annoying, feel free to not read it.

[Rueby]

So don't worry: I can see the differences and it's because I can see them that I can say that in the vast majority of cases (not all) they are minimal. So yes: there is an over-reaction, and when you see the way some people here express themselves about the NPC (I repeat: there's no such thing as ‘our Thancred’), it's quite telling. It's like those fans who force their idol to wear a specific outfit or they'll go on hunger strike.

Thing is, idols are 'real people' and Thancred/NPCs are fictional. Don't get it too twisted.
We can love and affectionately call Thancred 'ours' and when you take it literally that's a you issue. This isn't a declaration of ownership.

Sure, it's minimal for you and you can accept it, I'm happy for you.
It's minimal and it bothers me or someone else and people are voicing their opinion.

For me my issue with it is the grossly defined philtrum (fetish) that they slapped on literally everyone including Thancred
I'm guessing it's because they unified the meshes which is probably the cause of most of the issues people have with the benchmark and the graphical update.

Very much like rebooting a beloved series, alot of care AND attention to detail should've been given. Why are alot of philtrum shapes/definition changed when some characters didn't even have it? For a decade? Alot of the graphical update was sloppily done and that's why almost every part of the forums CN, EN, JP, even KR people were complaining. If they had done a good job and it was 'minimal' I doubt all these people are collectively...overreacting.

I guess it must be hard being constantly annoyed at everything online if you go around taking anything someone says too literally or be bothered that someone out there might somehow not be feeling exactly the same way you are. Sorry you feel that way, can't be easy. My condolences.

[Turethir]

https://x.com/ChilledFoodTin/status/1859711690365075809

Lots more support and agreement in this thread (and the quotes). Keep it coming, and don't let the issue die! <3