7.0 Graphic Update - Elezen feedback

[Gasian_Gaond]

Part 4 of feedback:

"In seeing all of this unfold I've been dismayed to notice a lot of the unique charm of faces across the board being airbrushed away, from subtle shading in eye areas on various viera faces, to expressive and quirky default expressions being toned down and made more average in Elezen girls and Miqo girls, to wrinkles disappearing from older faces, to facial topology that created personality via cast shadows being rounded and smoothed and lightened into nonexistence. The result is consistently a more calm, mature, generic look. A lot of female characters' makeup has turned weirdly harsh, sharp-edged, and dark so that it more closely resembles stage makeup, both eye and lip. Then the awkwardly single-toned skin tops things off with me left feeling that very few looks are 'upgrades' even when the owner is happy with the result.

A couple side notes: Something odd is happening to the hairline on this style near the middle? Looks like an error. My racial gear necklaces have changed from a visible leather texture to some unidentifiable line-y texture?

We know they're listening and I appreciate that."

End feedback

[juicybug]

The biggest thing they're missing on all skin tones is natural contouring, it's all very flat now & in the update & the shiny rubber look makes skin tones even more hollow looking.

[Len_]

I'm sorry if my feedback isn't as detailed as others with drawovers and such but I just wanted to speak up. I haven't seen a lot of feedback regarding the specific features my character uses.

Many subtle changes result in a face I didn't recognize as the same person.

<Mouth Type 2>

The lip shape change is so obvious I don't know what else to say. The top lip contour has completely changed.
Where the lips meet has become more of a straight line and the top lips lost plumpness.
The slight cleft in the bottom lip contour has been rounded out.
The original lips are a really beautiful shape, please preserve them.
I miss the option to give a high gloss effect on the lips by changing the lip color. In the new character creator it applies only matte color to the lips.
I would like it if the shine was still an option, even without having to add extra color.

<Face Type 1, Jaw Type 1>

The high cheekbone and shadow contour that previously gave a more gaunt/hollow cheeks impression is now gone.
The jaw, chin, and lower half of the face overall looks more plump and rounded out.
The combined effect is that the character looks 10 years younger than he does in the live version.

<Eyebrow Type 2>
The eyebrow shape is different. I noticed on all the eyebrows for this face (Wildwood Face 1) the outside edge of the eyebrow has a "notch." Where the hair texture seems to have a small gap in the bottom.
It seems like a copy-paste error.
The inside part of the eyebrow is also no longer tapered but I personally do not mind it.
The eyebrows, while different, I don't think are detrimental to recognizing the face.

<Eye Shape Type 4, Iris Size Large>

The eyes I would describe as looking too "young." The dark circles under the eyes align differently to the bottom of the eye, which may be making them appear de-emphasized.
It seems like the upper eyelid, inner brow and eyelash contour has been lifted, or changed in a way that makes the eyes overall look bigger and gives a more alert expression.
This undermines the tired, placid expression that appealed to me when I created him.
Not specific to my character but I noticed that the sclera of the eyes seem unnaturally bright in some situations. Even when the face is in shadow the whites of the eyes pop out and it looks odd almost like the eyes are glowing from within.

To be completely fair, I can kind of see the appeal of this young fresh-faced twerp I see in the benchmark but it just simply isn't the face I know anymore.
I think many people who chose to play male Elezen embrace their more harsh features and I don't appreciate changes that result in him looking de-aged and "prettified" overall.
I think these subtle changes would be nice additional options to add to suit other tastes, not as replacements.

[Iscah]

Further to my post the other day, I did an edited version of the benchmark screenshot:



To repeat the notes on the image:

Issues with the benchmark appearance:

• eyebrow position and thickness (type 4) has changed and altered the character's expression
• sharp crease under the lower eyelid (note the changed angle of the tattoo under the eye)
• dark shadows under the eyes
• scar looks flat

Adjustments in the lower picture:

• eyebrows shifted (still not quite right)
• erased shadows under the eyes
• slightly darker shading line on edge of scar

In the process of doing this, as I mentioned in the notes, I noticed that the shape of the face around the eyes has clearly been altered and it's not just a matter of different lighting, because the tattoo now has a sharp bend under the eyelid. I can't find any angle where it does that on the original model.




I'm still not keen on the shifted art style, but the edits at least bring it back to looking mostly like the same face.