Why do so many textures look like they are from a ps2 game?

[Zarkovitch]

Short answer? Because they were made to be playable on the PS3.

No way how do you know that!?

[Ursa_Vonfiebryd]

You're not likely to see a graphic overhaul anytime soon. At least not on a large scale. I play on console and even I have said multiple times that FF14's backgrounds and special effects are fairly mediocre compared to games like Defiance on the PS3, though to be fair that game's bread and butter is primarily open world combat (and riddled with stability issues); as is Neverwinter whose open world AND instanced content are far more detailed than the more impressive ff dungeons. The team's focus will likely always be new content but for specific items like Hiens coat, which is also a cash shop item I'm fairly sure if the community asks (on the support forum where they might actually see this) then small texture/render fixes can be made on a piece by piece basis. Its by no means ideal but its a start.

[Iromi]

I noticed the textures too..it looks outdated to me. My friends and I came back after a year and all of them were mentioning how outdated it looks.

and yeah the graphics in 1.x were more than fine.



It was the server check lag that made the game difficult to play. I played since the Alpha in 2010 and that was my main issue with it anyway. My PC had no issues running it, not to say others didn't , just speaking from my own experience

[CrystalRainbow]

Because in 1.X the Graphic looked like they where from 1080 TI and PS5....

AND NO ONE COULD PLAY AND YOU COULD ONLY LOAD 50 CHARATERS.

[Jonnycbad]

I hate to see what you guys think of WoW graphics, considering that's XIV's top competitor and that's from 2004

[Alexandre_Noireau]

I hate to see what you guys think of WoW graphics, considering that's XIV's top competitor and that's from 2004

Good appropriate FX and texture budget that works well with its art style and direction, also, very well optimized to arrive to the wider possible platforms, full of options and to top it all, it has modtools and support so players can enhance their experience even more. The graphics don't get in the way of the player experience and allow the world to live and communicate its intended messages and information to the player. You might not like the art style and designs in general (i dislike their cartoon/western style and color palette) but their graphics, over the years, have improved in quality and technique, and are already a trademark signature of their product and world... You cannot talk graphics without talking about everything else, graphics ARE that important.

... On the other hand FFXIV... Art style and design is amazing, and for my personal taste, the semi-realistic anime inspired oriental style is just perfect... Not over the top as korean generic MMORPGs nor uninspired and bland as western MMORPGs... But the graphics, sadly, get in the way of the experience at nearly every step. The engine is clearly outdated, but there are things, like the textures that can indeed be improved, also real anti-aliasing options (FXAA is a relic by now...) and the shadow shimmering that plagues overworld areas and even instances where shadows are literal squares of darkened colors more than true shadows...

People confuse good graphics with more graphics, or worse, confuse good graphics with photorealism, like if i put two slides together, one with pixel sprite game and one with top of the line ultra realistic full of cutting edge tech, most people will point the second as to have "better graphics." When in reality the "Better" part will only be clear after we see how the games behave, how the information is delivered, what are the art assets and designs you want to put in the game, gameplay experience is heavily affected by optimization, framerates and input delay, etc, etc, etc. Most people defending FFXIV graphics sadly have little to no knowledge of how graphics work, what they do, why are they so important and what defines them.

I truly think, this game graphics can enhance and enhance players experiences and reach new players, all while not hindering the experience for anyone. That's why we have options. That's why the game runs in multiple platforms. Problem is, because time restrictions, budget and a weird sense of "equality", PC is grounded to the level of performance of PS4 (PS3 limitations plague us till now) and as we approach the drop of 32bit OS, multithreading optimization should be the front priority and with it, comes an amazing opportunity to give us an enhancement in graphical options for PC at least, and also prepare some groundwork for PS5 which should arrive starting the next decade...

If anyone wants to learn a bit about graphics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyjyWUrHsFc&
In my personal opinion, one of the better youtube content producers out there. With an obvious focus on PC gaming of course. But all in this particular video applies to consoles too, even more today, as consoles are transitioning into dedicated gaming PCs basically.