Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Astronis]

https://imgur.com/a/m1iAXp6

Far from a perfect 1:1, still wanted to canvass some opinions - hopefully it is fit for this purpose - on the shape of the eyes. Has it changed or am I hallucinating things?

There is probably a very minor change in the shape of the eyelids. The shadows beneath the upper eyelids are making any minor difference look like a more involved change than it is. Without a true one-to-one though it's hard to say how much different, just that the shadows are definitely exacerbating it.

[Argantaelle]

https://imgur.com/a/m1iAXp6

(...) on the shape of the eyes. Has it changed or am I hallucinating things? A few other aspects seem to be tweaked also...

Yes, many facial traits have been changed, including the shape of the face, eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth. The eyes have become less wide and open, the tip of the nose moved a little bit lower, and the lower lip is completely different. You are not imagining things. Yes, your character's face has been changed. Even though every single change isn't that drastic, there are lots of them, and thus she looks different.

[Heavenchild]

I still miss the face of my Lalafell sooo much. His eyes had so much more life and the simper mimic was always a cuteness overload moment.
Now he looks dead and often kinda creepy. Is there any hope that they fix how they ruined Dunesfolk? :/

Female Aura Face 2 is in my personal opinion an insult. Really an insult to every player who loved the individual look of this face. For me the
new one is a face 5 option, while face 2 is missing. At this point, (if they want to fix this) they need to make the old one an additional face option.
Otherwise they piss off all the people who use that 'face 2' since it's the different DT version.



Please bring my potato back to live. :'C

[Cygnia]

Thank you to those that responded; apologies for the irksome question, however I'm not particularly good at pinpointing and articulating whatever might be niggling my brain when it comes to analyzing faces, especially stylized ones. Helps to have keener eyes and minds on the case.

[Astronis]

Thank you to those that responded; apologies for the irksome question, however I'm not particularly good at pinpointing and articulating whatever might be niggling my brain when it comes to analyzing faces, especially stylized ones. Helps to have keener eyes and minds on the case.

No worries! Definitely not imagining it, all of the faces have changed, some more obviously than others, and tiny changes do add up.

[RedLolly]

I still really like the Lalafell I made with the latest freebie after really examining my Midlander character verses old images of that face and starting to hate it. She's as similar to my first avatar (and playing on PS3 potato graphics mode) from ARR I could recall, so time probably helps me not be weirded out.

I realized my old Elezen fave is gone, too. The eyes no longer have that almond shape with notable upper eyelashes, and the mouth is less thick and smiley.

It's so strange. It's truly across the board and it's *so subtle* that we really only see it because we're so attached. It's like uncanny valley kicks in or something. I wonder if the devs can even get it right no matter the effort.

[Astronis]

I wonder if the devs can even get it right no matter the effort.

They got it right for my WoL, but honestly, they probably can't for everyone.

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

Unless they expand their CAC system to give more options that includes the old version, or an updated but faithfully recreated like some we've seen been made in mobile version alongside DT iterations? Nay, impossible.

At this point it's just egregious enough they might as well come out and say it's a design change than trying to appease 1 side while pissing off others' that may have been happy with their brand new cake(s). Round and round they go, with Fantasia/patch to try to dampen the outrage perhaps.

[RedLolly]

Unless they expand their CAC system to give more options that includes the old version, or an updated but faithfully recreated like some we've seen been made in mobile version alongside DT iterations? Nay, impossible.

At this point it's just egregious enough they might as well come out and say it's a design change than trying to appease 1 side while pissing off others' that may have been happy with their brand new cake(s). Round and round they go, with Fantasia/patch to try to dampen the outrage perhaps.

We've had so many issues with DT, too, that I feel like "Graphical update messed with created character appearances" mostly got buried.

[Argantaelle]

I wonder if the devs can even get it right no matter the effort.

Oh, they definitely can, but they won't, because costs will be too high.

P.S. I've just checked smiles across male faces, and all the issues I pointed out in this series of posts still persist. Many male smiles are uncanny, and if the smiling facial expression is combined with lip movement, it's just creepiness incarnate.

The list of "graphical upgrade" losers (all faces belong to male characters):

Midlanders: faces 4, 5, 6.
Highlanders: faces 1, 3.
Elezens: faces 1, 2 (to the lesser degree, but still U-shaped).
Roegadyns: faces 1, 4.
Au Ra: faces 1, 2, 4. The 3rd face has the best smile + lip movement combination, but still there is room for improvement. The 2nd and the 4th faces are the worst.
Viera: face 2.