Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Aco505]

Edit: Hang on, the Seeker lion tails were also shared. Sorry about neglecting that, I tend to get locked into my own perspective. Both Miqo'te types could use some more options mentioned in lore.

Correct. The leonine tail that is supposedly a characteristic male Seeker trait is also available for both clans.

dilated pupils aren't striking enough on their own when they can be compared to large Hyur-like eyes.

I often see this comment and cannot really agree. Would we say that the eyes in the iconic Puss in Boots plead image (or any other cat on catnip for that matter) are not striking?

Though is there a lorebook or something that says Keepers have fluffier ears and tails?

Apologies, it seems I confused fluffier ears with larger ears although I swear I have heard it before...

Regardless, the descriptions from the character creation for the clans that you quote clearly state specific physical characteristics for Keepers that... do not really exist in game. There is no darker fur, larger ears or longer tails options exclusive to them... just like there are no exclusive faint eye colors for Seekers.

both can have peach or brown-toned skin

Seekers cannot have a skin tone reminiscent to the blues or grays Keepers have whereas Keepers do have some browns and can in fact choose to have dark brown skin.

[lunartears]

It still hurts that I fell in love with this game and wanted to play it as my "forever game" but I had what I loved (the character graphics) taken away the following expansion with no resolution. I was in my honeymoon phase during EW so I know that contributes but even as that was fading and I logged on for crafting/gathering I still had that desire.
I still play this game when a patch comes out but I miss the way I felt before. I wish there was a compromise, an option or just that the update was kept in development for longer.

[Tahli]

I often see this comment and cannot really agree. Would we say that the eyes in the iconic Puss in Boots plead image (or any other cat on catnip for that matter) are not striking?

I would say no, they aren't. They're cute, but they're not nearly as uniquely striking as Seekers' sharp slit pupils.

Regardless, the descriptions from the character creation for the clans that you quote clearly state specific physical characteristics for Keepers that... do not really exist in game. There is no darker fur, larger ears or longer tails options exclusive to them... just like there are no exclusive faint eye colors for Seekers.

We're both pretty much in agreement there. The points I was making, though, was that yes, they both should get extra options for traits specific to their clan that build off of their lore. To add to that, you could read the Keeper's descriptions and take the reverse into account for Seekers, like letting them also have smaller cat ears, or short bobcat tails.
My other point was that there already are shared traits between them that can be used to make a Miqo of mixed heritages.

Seekers cannot have a skin tone reminiscent to the blues or grays Keepers have whereas Keepers do have some browns and can in fact choose to have dark brown skin.

While there is some overlap in similar skin tones, both of them do have unique shades that the other cannot access. Some Keepers may be able to be blue or grey, but only Seekers can access the sunkissed tans that most people seem to prefer.


But unless you're also saying Keepers should be able to have slit pupils, it's not really a fair thing for Seekers to get fangs, too. A Keeper can be brown-toned (albeit a cool brown) with a lion tail and a Seeker can have black hair with a long sleek tail, but Seekers are iconic for their slit pupils, and Keepers are iconic moreso for their fangs. As you know, our fangs are so important to us that we even fought tooth (ha) and nail to have them restored when the first DT benchmark filed them down to nubs.

[Sui-Kune]

For visibility, and a reminder:

Just because we're quiet, doesn't mean we're content or have given up. It only means we've said what needed to be said (plus no updates).

[Pyrrhica]

After I took a break for 6 months, I returned to the game and noticed something on my character. Her face was different from what I've remembered. The most noticeable parts are the eyes, the mouth (especially the philtrum area) and the nose bridge. (I have some pictures before/after, albeit not the best quality since I had to crop them.)

It saddens me because I wanted my character to look half Asian, half Slavic, using eyes 3 and the 7.0 graphical update was FLAWLESS. The other face options aren't as good as they change my character's face entirely.

I wish they could revert it back to 7.0.

[Doopliss]

I can't speak for all of the issues you pointed out above, but in the case of her eyes looking different to such an extreme: It's because they broke eyelid tracking in 7.2 and for some reason have not fixed it since.

[Daralii]

I can't speak for all of the issues you pointed out above, but in the case of her eyes looking different to such an extreme: It's because they broke eyelid tracking in 7.2 and for some reason have not fixed it since.

I was going to post some sarcastic response, but then I started counting the months since 7.2. Christ.

[Apeachs]

What graphics update are they even talking about? DX12? Vulkan? I logged back in after the patch hit and barely noticed a thing.

[Loggos]

It's been 1 1/2 years and I still haven't gotten used to the changes. I miss my old characters' faces (detailed break-downs: 1, 2) and I would instantly take them back even if it meant giving up better textures and lighting.

In fact, looking at old screenshots I still prefer the old textures and lighting because they looked internally consistent. They were not as high-fidelity but they felt like a deliberate stylistic choice that worked.
(I legit think the hair looks better on the left. Not only does the more crude texture look more like actual 3D strands, the colour is also richer and more saturated.)

There have been some tiny changes to the female aura face 4 since I've made my post but the overall issues are still the same. I am particularly bothered by the continued puffiness of her face, both wrt her resting face as well as her facial expressions (which look so off now). Even under bad lighting it was never like this pre-DT. Whereas post-DT I can see the puffiness even when the lighting is good.

7.4

[Winyumi]

At this point, really hoping the character creator in 8.0 is vastly improved with lots more options and fine-tuning.