Dawntrail Graphical Update - Au Ra Feedback

[Asamigami]

Now, to be honest, not AS bad as I expected after seeing some other examples. At least from this angle, from the front the face is way more round. The first time I looked at her, I did not recognize her as my own character in the new benchmark(the char is almost 6 years old, with barely any changes since creation). The lighting did not fix the things I outlined below:
The most critical thing is the unnecessary cheek puffing and general face geometry changes, which makes it look like she's constantly keeping air in her cheeks and it really rounds the face shape. It changed the angled look it had which was the sole reason for picking this face.
In my specific case limbal rings look fine, but some other examples do have them blend too much. The eyes also look way more like dead fish eyes than before, but again, at least in my case the contrast of colors helps, but it's not the case for everyone.
The mouth looks way different now, which is fixable a bit(with fantasia, and not fully because the lower lip shape and overall width was changed, and the other options change the upper lip shape or don't match the width so I can't get it right with those either), but it still looks way less defined than before. The latter is an issue across the board for every race.
The eye shape was also changed, and there is no option that looks like the old one, either the shape does not match or width. It is a slight change but it does make the character look and feel very different. Now instead of sharp eyed look I have a indifferent soft one.
It's very disheartening that, even with a free Fantasia, I won't get my character back because the options for it are just gone. I can salvage it, sure, but in the end it will be just salvage.

[Alice9]

Just adding my feedback to the mix:

I didn't think it would be that bad, and then I looked- it is very bad. The new facial structure of face 4 is almost completely unrecognizable to the original version. All the sharp and angular features that defined the look have been lost.

- The facial structure overall is softer, cheeks are insanely puffy, and the chin is oddly fat. It looks as though I've had an allergic reaction to something.
- The eye shape is notably different and softer, the signature "sharp" stare is no longer present. The pupils are too big, look dead and out of focus, and the limbal rings are still not nearly as bright as they should be (you have to go for specific, high contrast colors if you want them to stand out now). The eyes look out of place in the skull.
- The lips are *completely* different. They are fatter, and overly puckered up, it looks like I am always pouting. This is probably the change I dislike the most as it looks nothing like the original. The mouth protrudes strangely from the face, giving the jaw an odd and noticeably different look and angle.
- The scales on the face are duller looking, they look oddly lopsided and lumpy. Personally at least, I'd still prefer them to be sharp.
- Overall the skin and face look more like porcelain. It appears unnatural from most angles and borderline uncanny valley in others, even outside of the character creator and within the benchmark itself.
- Colors are off, while to be expected with a graphical update like this, it has made pale skin tones look notably worse and unnatural, especially when combined with contrasting dark or bright makeup, which blended perfectly originally. Now it seems very out of place.

I appreciate all the work that goes into such an ordeal as this graphical update, but while it of course it is likely easier said than done- I simply wished for an upscale of *my* existing character with the same features that I have come to know and love. Currently, this is an unwanted and surprisingly drastic transformation into a completely different looking character that is no longer my own. It feels almost insulting to have a character for this long and have it be changed this dramatically into something I can hardly recognize. Please make some adjustments to make these changes more in-tune with what we already know.

[Idril]

Hi !

Aora face 2 was unplayable for me before, big lips + the horn = just a big fish. And I was sad because she got a lot of potential !

Now she got a beautiful face, love it so much ! the corners of the lips are much better in the benchmarck. Don't let dimples come back please T.T Sweet smile, sweet lips, sweet eyes, georgous ! She is so perfect ! I'm verry happy about that Now I want to play her, its become my dream face for aora ! ♥

edit : the face 4 is become strange for me (in 7.0) because this face inherited the old problems of face 2

[Nebty]

While I can probably get used to most of the changes - and ngl I love the new eyes - I just cannot handle the change to Face 2's mouth.





SE stole her dimples and put them on Face 4, and it makes her smile look so unnatural now. It used to be wide and genuine but now her mouth protrudes oddly and it looks like she's sucking on a candy or something.

I'd be fine with the new mouth as an option but I'd really like the old one back please.

[Mr_Gucky]

After 4 years of of being happy with my Au Ra, now she stands upon the edge of a knife.

As some have criticized, the mouth is the biggest problem. The shape is now completely different (smiling more), much more pouty, and the lip textures are glossy, even with lipstick off. The lower lip in particular stands out more.

Due to the changes in the benchmark, she loses what I find so great about face 4 :

A serious and cool character running around as a Reaper, Gunbreaker and Machinist.




Her apperiance is much softer now. She has lost her soul. I am speechless and shocked.






I don't blame anyone who is happy with the appearance of their character at the benchmark. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen for everyone.

The best solution would be to make the old style as an optioal option in the character editor. Alternatively, if this is not possible due to the technical limitations, it should at least be possible to have the old lip shape and a matte lip color to choose from.

[execlinca]

Hi !

Aora face 2 was unplayable for me before, big lips + the horn = just a big fish. And I was sad because she got a lot of potential !

Now she got a beautiful face, love it so much ! the corners of the lips are much better in the benchmarck. Sweet smile, sweet lips, sweet eyes, georgous ! She is so perfect ! I'm verry happy about that

Honestly, I way prefer face 2 as it is now, but... this is kind of a cold take? If you say it was unplayable before, I have to assume you don't play a face 2 femra as it is.

I'd be happy switching to face 2 now, the horns are stunning with the update and I do prefer the new mouth... but for everyone who got used to their characters who were made with face 2 originally and have spent years with them, I wouldn't want to say "no, your version you had for years sucked, I get a new toy now". I feel strongly that people who already have characters they're in love with that no longer look recognisable should have their opinions prioritised in the dev's eyes at least. I just feel it's a bit insensitive in this scenario. I would take these people getting their characters to look familiar again over me liking the face that I didn't pick in the first place.

[KaijinRhada]

For the most part, I'm quite happy with how my character turned out with the changes. I am however chiming in as another voice in the patchiness around the scales with darker skin tones.

You can see a bit of pixels around the chest plates on the right image, and in the Benchmark screen (bottom centre where the neck scales are at full size will be the easiest to spot):





And here's a collage of various areas affected by this as well (I didn't check the legs, but there may be some there too):

[LansEvernovice]

Outside of the larger dark pupils present for every character I'm really sad the nose scale "wings"/pinchers seems to have been made smaller. Also a shame the nose in general seems just like a normal human one now, I liked the more straight/sharp impression.




Worst offense is that the light male Au Ra Raen scales are too dark with the details sharpened making it all look cluttered and busy! It also doesn't match the much lighter horns.

I also miss the slight contour that helped to frame the face and scale shapes even more (though this detail I can understand not everyone will miss.)



Currently the slight upward tilt of the corner of mouth no.4 creates a very charming shape when seen from frog perceptive, benchmark mouth is too shapeless.

[Egggi]

I've never had a reason to post on the forums before, but I'm not very happy at all. I've been trying to keep it positive but I just cannot lie to myself about what I'm seeing. My character has been laid to waste and looks like a very different person.

Her lips have been narrowed/rounded/filled, with dimples giving her a cutesy porcelain doll look, removing the wider, balanced look that I liked about her lips before. Her lips make her cheeks look puffed out like she's got something stuffed in them and she's puckering to keep it in. They've given her a white cast like someone's put low-quality sunscreen on her. Her pupils are notably wider, and the limbal rings have all but disappeared, it's like she has a lazy eye or something. If anything she looks MORE like a dead fish in the benchmark than she does in the current patch.

This is not the character identity I had in mind when I made her. I chose face 4 because it had a look that I felt would be more adaptable to the atmosphere/mood of more scenes than the others. Her serious and capable look has been replaced with one that's dead, brainless, with a touch~ of cute doll. I can't simply fantasia the issues with her face away. No face/race is Jin Valentyne to me in emotional sentiment, aesthetic, or feeling, and that's not for lack of trying. I shouldn't have to compromise on my character in race choice nor who she is in an RP sense because of some minor changes to critical details that have a net negative effect on the character aesthetic I've become attached to.

[mazravxiv]

I only have one Au Ra character and I generally thought he had an upgrade but that drywall skin... I'm sure others have brought it up already but it's particularly bad on mine. You can see it on his forehead and cheeks pretty clearly.



And the scales on the face haven't been upgraded, and the face paints are very pixellated. The lower lip lighting wasn't consistently great throughout the benchmark. So... he looks strange.