Benchmark/Graphics Update - Show your WoL's before and after

[lunartears]

Following others' posts, I decided to edit my OP post with a list of things I noticed about my own WoL:

Like others have posted after in this thread, I also feel that my character's features do not resemble the original image I had in mind.

- Eye shape has been altered, giving a different resting face
- Removal of the eye light means that I can no longer achieve the "stare" I once liked in certain angles
- New eyes appear to be staring soullessly as opposed to the pleasant resting stare that I felt with the original
- Eyes are more further apart
- Eyelashes appear different, less sharp. Feels like my character has lost eyelashes too, which is bizarre as I already use the least voluminous option.
- The natural subtle "ring" eye glow has now changed into "too glowy", affecting both light and dark environments.
- Upper and lower eyeshadow feels different, feels like the fade of the upper eyelid has been altered and less visible and the bottom eyelid is less noticable entirely.
- The eyebrows are darker than the hair and much more visible, this is not something I wanted with my character as I wanted to conceal the eyebrows with the bangs and white hair.
- The nose appears more wide and bumpy as opposed to triangular.
- Lack of lip gloss makes lips appear more and lips are notably much more plump (especially upper lip) whereas my original image was for her to have thin concealed pale lips.
- And in conjunction with the above, the mouth shadow removed means that the original idea for "less lip, more mouth" on my character can no longer be achieved.
- The face feels more rounded and less sharp yet the chin makeup looks similar from the side, so I have to assume it's the cheeks or another part that's causing this.
- I personally do not like the new horns/scales, I prefer the reflectiveness of the original and feel that the texture has been made less dynamic. I also feel that the more vibrant blue exclusive to F Au Ra seen in certain lighting has been lost.
- Skin texture is very unpleasant, somehow giving the impression of a sickly flat look
- My character's hair appears to look a little different, but I think it is because of the facial changes rather than the hair itself.
- Shadows in the original added more shape to the facial structure

As a whole, I feel that my character may have relied on the old engine for her appearance and does not work in this more realistic upgrade. In particular, the excessive matte lips have taken away from my personal favorite aspect of playing my race: the distinct eyes. My eyes firstly focus on the giant lips and then the other features. And there is no way I can change this as it is now, I am using the palest option possible. I do want my WoL to be pretty, but this isn't my idea of beauty. And it certainly does not look any better in the benchmark, especially on the boat scene.

It may seem like a bit much, but as others have said before me when you spend so much time with your character, you notice their traits even down to the smallest things.

[Azhyk]

I posted prior regarding my WoL, but thought to try and take some more screenshots today and attempt to get as close to replicating the lighting as possible in each.

My main gripes are the too darkened shade near the top of the iris' beneath the eyelashes - it gives the eyes a weird sleepy(?) look and overall the vibrancy of the eye color is lost. The pupils seem a little less sharp, but that might be due (again) to the color vibrancy change.



A second issue is the corners of the mouth - something face 4 has dealt with a lot. It's most prominent in the aetherial sea lighting (and more so with a frontal picture), but the way the corners have been lifted slightly give this off-putting start to a grin...? This one could honestly just be the janky lighting in that area, though it does concern me if similar lighting is used elsewhere in the game.

A small concern I have is regarding the way the shadows fall. I know they cascade and look better overall, but at some angles it looks as if the nose just disappears partially due to no shadow falling hard enough to define it? (I can live with this, but something I noticed. It seems to affect the general structure of the face though, making some features not look as defined as before.)



Other minor nitpicks are the eyebrows being thinner (I picked the thickest options I could both times). The tattoo color - the yellow - is thinner as well, attempting to pick a deeper shade to match the original honey yellow starts either blending into the skin or turning orange.

Overall, the times he looks closest to what I figured an updated appearance would be is during certain animations when the eyes are up and able to catch lights in them. Since the normal catchlights are missing - or at least on face 4 they're so far up in the shaded part of the eye that the lighting is not catching it! - the eyes look dull. I know male miqo already suffer from their posture; the dipped head doesn't help when trying to see their face and their eyes in particular which accentuates the "soulless" look with the lack of catchlight.




I had to do a lot of screenshots angled from below to get the glimmer of light in his eyes. Otherwise they look very flat.

[Clover_Blake]

I'm just here to enjoy the new facial expressions.



(She used to be innocent, I swear.)

[SkankyRoe]

I don't understand why they would purposely dull a races' defining trait. I hate the way his nose looks now.

Agreed, I want my prominent snoot back.

[Aelin_Ashryver]

I had to make my viera in the benchmark use a shade brighter for her hair as it went from a deep reddy brown to just brown but after making that adjustment I am quite happy with her.

I have in both pictures moved so the light is hitting her face head on, which means her eyes don't look so dead as it would were it not the case. I would like to just keep that twinkle in her eye even in dim lighting.


Current





Benchmark

[Vurtney]

Left Old, right new. A massive facelift. The shadowed stain is barely visible but i don't mind whatsoever. It should be there as a paint option for those who wants it (because it's basically paint, volcanic ash)

[Egggi]

I'm unhappy with what's happened to my F Au ra. She looks more like a doll with the shape of her lips very much changed, more narrow but overly full and thick, looks like she's puckering. Combining that and the dimples make her cheeks look puffier. I liked face 4 for its angular looks and that's just gone. And the skin looks like she's had bad sunscreen applied. she looks even more like a dead fish than before in the pupils/eyes, limbal rings are pretty much gone. They did say the point was to preserve the feeling and spirit of our characters, right? I'd like my serious and capable look back.

[seolhyun]

before/after of some of my chars. i think my midlander was the most improved. no more crazy eyes. miqote and viera seem mostly the same just smoother i guess?

[potatsdevourer]

I might have voiced distate on the update but under ideal lighting (which I expect when gposing as well) I prefer 100% the benchmark one.
Feels like mom that able to love the face of her kid again.
(But please fix the face paint problem and the washed out face feature in the environment)

[ToadBoss]

Honestly im disapointed. After getting over the first chock and trying to rescue my beloved bun boy i had to give up and experiment with other races. You have done such a good job with the Miqote but ALL options for Viera eyebrows are too thin And the beautifull eyelashes and makeup that made my characters eyes pop even on a distance are watered down and just look dull now. The face looks flat too. I can come over mutch of it but the eyebrows are completely unfixable and his new eyes looks so plain and boring in the benchmark in comparison with his current form. Didnt think i would wait for dawntrail with a sad feeling inside my chest but now i do. Please... at least, save the eyebrows and make them darker. make them pop like before.