Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Daralii]

do we know conclusively if they updated the elpis npc models? if they have, then I'm not as worried about emet-selch as I could be. however if those still aren't updated, I'm nervous. any npc with a distinct lip shape is one i worry will get nerfed by the update...

They've changed the Ancients' eyes a couple times, but I think that's it. They almost completely lost their glow in 7.0 unless they were in complete darkness, then 7.1 changed it so that there's some vibrance in lit areas but still less than 6.X.

[Argantaelle]

The servers went live.

None of the issues I've posted multiple times were addressed. The eyebrows are still transparent, Raen scales are still dirty, and the second Au Ra male face still has its ugly new mouth.

Well, I expected nothing, but still SE managed to disappoint me even more. Good job!

It's especially funny because the first benchmark was released about a year ago. For a year players (at least some of them) have been trying to make their voices heard.

P.S. Smiles are still terrible (especially if a NPC is talking with a smile on their face); I've checked a few. I wonder if SE did anything at all.

This is still bad (minimal ARR spoilers)

P.S.S.
When I was looking through cutscenes to check on Thancred (he hasn't changed sadly) and Aymeric, I noticed that the eyes started to look more lively. It almost seemed like SE decided to combine both reflective light and hard-painted highlights. But I might be mistaken, of course, future testing is required.

Praise the Twelve, Aymeric looks like himself (the only drastic change is his ears).

[Heavenchild]

Male Midlander young face has still skin issues aka dirt on their cheeks, female Aura face 2 still has wrong mouth shape, Dunesfolk still has much more dead washed out eyes than before DT. All bad as before. Well...
Did someone notice any change?

*edits:
Things I saw:
My lalafels smile seem to be worse than before, compared to how it was pre DT.
It used to be just a cute wide : )
Since DT it became weird because the mouth corners became very sharp while smiling. Now they are sharp AND bending. xD
I just want the : ) back. :c

I am not sure but I think they changed something on the mouth from aura face 2, but yeah, it's still the wrong shape und the lower lip is still bending unnaturally upwards, instead of being just normally round (pre DT it also was normally round).

Something positve:
The new texture of the magitek jacket is really nice imo. : )

[Hatsuoki]

The only thing I can confirm right now is that the male midlander face 6 "simper" is where I can notice change but literally only in the eyebrows. The eyebrows don't dip unnaturally anymore but the lip shape and the mouth expression are unchanged and uncanny.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the eyes stay quite wide when doing the expression compared to 6.58

Edit: I take it back...eyebrows are still weird during "scoff"...it's more likely nothing changed.

[Cherrizini]

I do not see any changes to vieras. The nose is still really dark, and lips still look weird.

[Tahli]

Very unhappily reporting in from the Miqo'te Face 2 Eyebrow Thread.

There are no changes to this face's features. The only difference I can tell is that the shadows on the face were adjusted a little; toned down and slightly more saturated in color. Without the much preferred changes to our eyebrows though, why even bother giving out the free Fantasia? It's a waste when they refuse to actually make changes to the features that we ask for.

[Aniya_Estlihn]

The tail is supposed to be coming out of the patch on the lower spine, but instead that patch is far above where it should be

The scale patch has always been above the tail, they were never connected. I know this as its puzzled me since they were introduced in Heavensward, its just a scale floating above the tail with no rhyme or reason.
You can load up any benchmark from Heavensward all the way to Dawntrail to see this same scale configuration, its nothing new.

[Jatoi]

AAAAAAAH SHE WAS RIGHT

Did I gaslight myself? My god, why have that there--

My brain is eating itself.

[Aniya_Estlihn]

AAAAAAAH SHE WAS RIGHT

Did I gaslight myself? My god, why have that there--

My brain is eating itself.

No worries. Its been there all this time and now you too can suffer in the knowledge that for some god awful reason, they thought a 1-2in gap above the tail made sense artistically ><
I have been so annoyed by this detail for years, but clearly its intended. lol

[Jatoi]

No worries. Its been there all this time and now you too can suffer in the knowledge that for some god awful reason, they thought a 1-2in gap above the tail made sense artistically ><
I have been so annoyed by this detail for years, but clearly its intended. lol

( God, how awkward that looks. It's like an itch I can't scratch. )

I always drew the tails coming out from the patch, no wonder it felt so jarring when I noticed the gap.

On a note that doesn't feel so strange, some of the NPCs listed on the page before don't feel so plasticy and the textures aren't smudgy either ( skin isn't barbie smooth now ).