Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Iscah]

Maybe they can add the faces from the mobile version back into the base game? Pretty please? Don't replace the current ones that people apparently like, just add the other version as well.

I have on multiple recent occasions tried to take my alts out again because I miss them, and instead got jump-scared when they got closeup shots. Including my Elezen who I had almost convinced myself looked good in Gpose.

[CidHeiral]

I'm doing the new event quest and remembered about this, since it just gave me a perfect example:

Thank you for the example. I can see how that looks a little odd but I wouldn't say they look bad since that is to be expected depending on the eye color and different lighting conditions. The same thing happens in real life.



I understand that some people want the eyes to be glowing in all lighting conditions and they're entitled to that opinion but I have to respectfully disagree. I think it looks pretty awful and I much prefer how the eyes are handled now. They look infinitely better the vast majority of the time in my opinion.

And I'm posting these separately since it's not specific to eyes, but in the christmas event and new year event the lighting on character's faces in cutscenes was also a mess:

This I'm a bit confused about because the pre-update light and faces did exactly the same thing.

Lighting coming from above or an angle generally isn't going to be as flattering as direct light.

[Sairaag]

I'm honestly quite curious to see my main in the mobile version. Same familiar face but a bit more polished, like it was supposed to be in this graphics update. It's just too bad for me that it's mobile, my eyes can't handle the small screens for long and I probably wouldn't get to bring over my glam and haircut collection, either.

[Heavenchild]

Thank you for the example. I can see how that looks a little odd but I wouldn't say they look bad since that is to be expected depending on the eye color and different lighting conditions. The same thing happens in real life.



I understand that some people want the eyes to be glowing in all lighting conditions and they're entitled to that opinion but I have to respectfully disagree. I think it looks pretty awful and I much prefer how the eyes are handled now. They look infinitely better the vast majority of the time in my opinion.




This I'm a bit confused about because the pre-update light and faces did exactly the same thing.

Lighting coming from above or an angle generally isn't going to be as flattering as direct light.

Honestly I really don't care 'how' some stuff looks in real life. This is a fantasy fiction game I and like when things in games are just looking good. : )

*edit: The woman in your first picture actually has an eyehighlight. And our NPC Hyr had not. He just had dull eyes during those szenes. Always reminds me of robots/eye diseases :c

[Circonflexe]

I have the impression that for many weeks now, the approach to convincing each other that one is objectively right to like or dislike the new graphics has been coming up again and again in this thread.

That simply won't work. If you like the update because the lighting looks more realistic, you're probably right - and if you don't like the update because the characters have been changed, you're probably right too.

The only thing I can say about the status of the lighting is that there are good reasons why games and films generally don't work with realistic lighting, but rather with real or virtual softboxes and other artificial lights. The realistic lighting in FFXIV looks a bit like shooting a film today with 80s lighting - doesn't sound like a good idea to me. You could like it, but you don't have to.

[Luluna]

I am still struggling with my Midlander...the face I am using does not feel like my character. I hardly ever do gpose now and have used a few fantasias trying to convince myself that face 1 midlander eye bags do not look too bad but they do lol. The mouths look angry like as if they are biting down. I think they need to try and address this. I am thinking of going onto my cat girl but why are their eyes so faded? On the moon cats I noticed it more they are hazy >.<

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

Any bets they’re throwing old faces into mogstation eventually? Lmao.

[Hatsuoki]

Any bets they’re throwing old faces into mogstation eventually? Lmao.

They'd still have to fix the expressions tbh. If I could ask for absolutely anything, I'd ask for an offline version for ARR-EnW with the old graphics. Then I'd move on and treat DT onwards as a different game and I could always go back and see my favorite characters once more.

Edit: To be clear it has nothing to do with DT, I simply said ARR-EnW because it was the end of a 10 year story.

[Circonflexe]

I'm not really that harsh in my judgment of DT - I really like some things, but that makes it all the harder not to be able to enjoy it all because it just feels pointless and bland without the characters that I once created with conscious decisions about their appearance.

It may even be that some of my characters would objectively now be more likely to win a mainstream beauty award than before, but I don't create characters to win a mainstream beauty award.

Back to topic: I wouldn't say that the game would be better without DT per se - the option to switch to a "legacy-graphics-setting" would do the work for me.

[CidHeiral]

Honestly I really don't care 'how' some stuff looks in real life. This is a fantasy fiction game I and like when things in games are just looking good. : )

The game has always had a more true to life lighting solution, it just did a poor job of it before the update due to technical limitations.

*edit: The woman in your first picture actually has an eyehighlight. And our NPC Hyr had not. He just had dull eyes during those szenes. Always reminds me of robots/eye diseases :c

I would be surprised if a single tiny catchlight was the difference between OP thinking those eyes look good or bad, but I can't speak for them.

I have the impression that for many weeks now, the approach to convincing each other that one is objectively right to like or dislike the new graphics has been coming up again and again in this thread.

Assuming you're referring to my post, to be clear while I enjoy the discussion I'm not trying to truly convince anyone of anything, for the most part I'm responding to people who responded to my positive post about the eyes. Everyone can like or dislike whatever they want.