Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Iscah]

I hope the mention of skin color in some translations doesn't mean that they'll open up skin colors across a races 'main' and a 'sub'.

What does that mean?

[sintea]

What does that mean?

Oh I was just going by how the races are represented on character selection where the alternative variety isn't immediately obvious by the listing and hidden behind confirm button but yeah, I used weird wording for it.

[Mouthbone]

I hope the mention of skin color in some translations doesn't mean that they'll open up skin colors across a races 'main' and a 'sub'. Big fan of there being some distinction between them still, as much as it has been a struggle to upkeep with the questionable character graphics updates.

At the moment, clan differences are so minor that only very dedicated players keep track of what the differences are
Removing the restrictions would simply allow the players to make more unique (if only slightly) characters and wouldn't really affect the game negatively, just like the glam unlock
Why would you want less variety?

[Astronis]

At the moment, clan differences are so minor that only very dedicated players keep track of what the differences are
Removing the restrictions would simply allow the players to make more unique (if only slightly) characters and wouldn't really affect the game negatively, just like the glam unlock
Why would you want less variety?

I don't want them to remove one of the clan differences just because you can't tell the difference between a Wildwood and a Duskwight.

In some cases variety leads to a visual mess that paradoxically gives the impression of overwhelming sameness; it becomes clutter rather than variety within an aesthetic. I would like it if the skin colors were loosened up into a color picker within their current spectra though. My WoL's skin color has never been quite right, but the 'right' color is in between two of the swatches so I can't use it!

[Mouthbone]

I don't want them to remove one of the clan differences just because you can't tell the difference between a Wildwood and a Duskwight.

I can tell the differences, I still think it's stupid
Why can some vieras have bushy brows but some cannot? It's a really weird thing to gatekeep
Why can't we have mixed clan characters? Mixed race characters exist, so why is it such an outlandish concept that people of different clans but of the same race would make a baby? lol
It's really ridiculous that 100% of the playable characters in this game are purebred

[Astronis]

Why can some vieras have bushy brows but some cannot? It's a really weird thing to gatekeep

The devs want a certain aesthetic. They want player races and clans to mean something visually. I happen to like it too. I don't want everything to be shoved in a blender and then hit puree. What tends to come out in that case is viscous grey goo.

[Doopliss]

I do agree that it doesn't make any sense that 100% of player characters are supposedly non-mixed by default, and in general I am for people being able to express themselves through customization more. However I do believe Astronis is right about what the outcome would likely be in this case.

For example: If anything, looking at the uh...third-party community of this game has only proven that point more true to me. In theory, having unlimited customization (as is such the case via third-party tools) allows more uniqueness, but the vast majority of adjusted character sculpts have tiny faces, large, low-set eyes, full heart-shaped lips, extremely similar makeup styling, and so on and so forth between both feminine and masculine models. Bodies both thin and large are still bombshell hourglass figured; pale unblemished skin is the default. Etc.
(This is not an invitation to continue talking about third-party stuff in this thread BTW; I just wanted to give an example of an outcome).

Realistically, if they unlocked race-specific & clan-specific skin tones we would probably just stop seeing green-skinned Roegadyn altogether, if you know what I'm saying.

That being said, I do think more skin tones in a general approach is objectively a good thing...

[Aco505]

I do agree that it doesn't make any sense that 100% of player characters are supposedly non-mixed by default, and in general I am for people being able to express themselves through customization more. However I do believe Astronis is right about what the outcome would likely be in this case.

For example: If anything, looking at the uh...third-party community of this game has only proven that point more true to me. In theory, having unlimited customization (as is such the case via third-party tools) allows more uniqueness, but the vast majority of adjusted character sculpts have tiny faces, large, low-set eyes, full heart-shaped lips, extremely similar makeup styling, and so on and so forth between both feminine and masculine models. Bodies both thin and large are still bombshell hourglass figured; pale unblemished skin is the default. Etc.
(This is not an invitation to continue talking about third-party stuff in this thread BTW; I just wanted to give an example of an outcome).

Realistically, if they unlocked race-specific & clan-specific skin tones we would probably just stop seeing green-skinned Roegadyn altogether, if you know what I'm saying.

That being said, I do think more skin tones in a general approach is objectively a good thing...

Agreed. More options is great but I also think that mixing and giving everything to everyone without much thought could dilute things too much. For instance, we could still have something like eyebrow thickness and more type options that are different per race, gender or face type without having to borrow them from one another. Although I wonder if the devs would be up to this since it would require more work.

[Alice_Rivers]

Rather than blurring an already indistinct line between clans among races, I think there really should be more options and MORE differentiation.

[MoonNoire]

This is how I'd tackle the character creator expansion from a "FFXIV is a cash cow for the company and we do not want to invest money into it" perspective

• Skin tones remain the same to preserve subrace identity. Eg for Viera: Veena skin is pale, Rava skin is dark. But they are expanded to allow for more choices within the same palette. This circumvents problems where people want to make, say, a dark-skinned character, but the exact hue they'd like isn't available atm.
• Hair and eye color are completely unlocked and turned into an RGB picker. The game is already built to support this.
• New subrace-exclusive option: pupil shape. Each subrace gets four different pupil shapes the other doesn't get, making them look more different with a simple texture change.
• Expansion to the face paint system. They are turned into decals that can be placed not just on the face, but the body itself, similar to tattoos. The number of tattoos that can be used is increased to three or four, allowing for instance having eye shadow, a facial tattoo and a body tattoo at the same time. Event quests and (let's be real) the online store now regularly feature new paints, ranging from tattoos to makeup options.
• Hairstyle implementation is much, MUCH, MUCH faster, with each large patch including at least four new options, not including online store purchases.

I'd also want gender unlocked animations as a toggle option within each race, but that could be a problem with the sexual dimorphism between Au Ra, Hrothgar and Roegadyn. I'm tired of women always getting all the cute versions of emotes (/visage is a travesty)