New character creator

[whoopeeragon]

By the way, have we ever seen anything about highlander females yet? Are they even gonna be in?

As far as I'm aware, there's only ONE concept art of them, in the PDFs:



The bottom left one is it.

[Venat]

Looking good square, keep it up.

[Zantetsuken]

One thing the engine really seems to be missing is specular highlights in the shaders. (from some shots, it looks like there might be a bit, but only confined to a fresnel falloff)

Without those surface highlights, hair and leather all look rather dull and flat. Even skin ends up looking more like clay than real skin.

Compare the Miquote skin with Vaan from FFXII



Notice the little white dots on Vaan's nose and cheeks? Those little highlights (though faked via textures) helped to give some life and dimension to the character's skin.

This is the Alpha, and I'm sure there is much still in progress, but I hope by the end, we will have dynamic surface highlights (subtle ones) that will really make the visuals shine.

[Lirion]

Why did you do that? Now people gonna say ARR looks like a PS2 game. :P

[Spy]

One thing the engine really seems to be missing is specular highlights in the shaders. (from some shots, it looks like there might be a bit, but only confined to a fresnel falloff)

Without those surface highlights, hair and leather all look rather dull and flat. Even skin ends up looking more like clay than real skin.

Compare the Miquote skin with Vaan from FFXII



Notice the little white dots on Vaan's nose and cheeks? Those little highlights (though faked via textures) helped to give some life and dimension to the character's skin.

This is the Alpha, and I'm sure there is much still in progress, but I hope by the end, we will have dynamic surface highlights (subtle ones) that will really make the visuals shine.

[Niqote]

Why did you do that? Now people gonna say ARR looks like a PS2 game. :P

Hardly, I don't see chunky assed pixels on the Miqo'te like I see on the female hyur Vaan.

Edit: I'd like to point out I am refering to the edges of his hair, skin and clothing... that and it is common knowledge that FFXII's ratios screw up on many newer televisions effectively killing what detail there was in the game.

[whoopeeragon]

By the way, have we ever seen anything about highlander females yet? Are they even gonna be in?

To follow up from the concept art, the new RPGamer interview kinda implies that female highlander will be in it.

MAC: In adding female Roegadyn and male Miqo'te into Final Fantasy XIV, how are you going to explain adding them in? Any other new changes to the races in game?
NY: The lack of female Roegadyn and male Miqo'te was a problem from the beginning. Rather than emphasizing the reason for introducing them, we're seeing it as a way to start fresh with every race having a male and female option available. While we are not considering new playable races until future expansion packs, A Realm Reborn will feature many more options for character customization.

[Shougun]

To follow up from the concept art, the new RPGamer interview kinda implies that female highlander will be in it.

I think they where referring to the alpha. Which I believe all races will be available in the benchmark/character tool - but perhaps not the alpha.

[Zantetsuken]

Why did you do that? Now people gonna say ARR looks like a PS2 game. :P

LOL

Well, considering that FFXII is one of the best looking PS2 games of all time, aesthetically speaking - it would be quite a compliment.

Also, the ARR engine is absolutely amazing and is more than capable of generating something as primitive as specular highlights. My comment was more a point of curiosity as to why they haven't done it yet.

But I'm sure they have a long enough list of things to work on first.

Hardly, I don't see chunky assed pixels on the Miqo'te like I see on the female hyur Vaan.

That was actually a deliberate effect they were trying to create. Those aren't 'chunky pixels' it's a textured 'painterly' look.

In fact, FFXII's textures were just as high res as FFX's (if not more) and you don't see any pixels on those either.

[gahoo]

I think you are possibly seeing an unlit room/face in shadows more than it not being in the code yet. The screen shots in the outdoor starry night scene have more side lighting and highlights on the face.