Dawntrail Graphical Update - Au Ra Feedback

[smashBG]

You should edit for clarity and avoid idioms or other things that might not translate well, but otherwise Google Translate works. I posted on the JP thread and they seemed to understand well enough. You can also translate your post to Japanese, and then from Japanese back to English to make sure it doesn't get accidentally butchered.

[Doopliss]

Thanks guys. Can I just drop my English post into Google translate or do I need to simplify it? I won't have any ability to check the translated version for accuracy. It's not going to translate "scales" like weighing scales or something bizarre like that?

Also, I updated the repainted version of the benchmark image (and I'm just about to update it another time) and I think I got it closer to the shape of the eyeliner on the original - and for the eye itself, it actually seems to be the exact same shape on the angled shot if I take the outline of the original and place it directly over the benchmark image, so I'm not sure why it looks like such a different angle in the straight-on mirrored shot.

Overall I do agree with smashBG's advice. That seems to just be the route every ENG -> JP uses, and what the few JP -> ENG posters used, as well. Just like us, they'll likely be able to figure out any awkward translation using context clues. Most subtleties between languages get lost in translation, so it is best to simplify what you can.

I understand your worries about the use of scales, though... When I enter "scales" alone in google translate, it does seem to default to definitions for weighing scales. I tried some synonyms with little luck, as well. Typing in "fish scales," however, seemed to get me a translation closer to the intention...?

Entering "Uroko" or specifically "うろこ" into google seems to lead to the Japanese Wikipedia entry for the concept of scales on living things. However, I can't blame you if you don't want to risk typing "fish scales" into the translator every time in hopes of something more accurate, haha. And I figure attempting to just copy and paste the "more correct" characters manually after the translation would be difficult, since Japanese sentence structure is quite different from ours.

Perhaps something like "pattern" might be safer? I wish I could be of more help.

[Loggos]

Sometimes a good way to confirm specific words can be to look something up on Wikipedia (e.g., pull up an article on scales and then switch the langauge to Japanese for the corresponding JP article).
I know it's not foolproof and only works for individual words but perhaps you can check if certain keywords are right nonetheless.


Edit bc post limit (might turn this into an individual post later):

Since there's already a lot of feedback, you can probably find a post mentioning Au Ra and translate it to see if they talk about scales, and find what word they use.

I did that and got 鱗(dictionary link), which is the kanji for うろこ.



(I don't know if people need to crosspost to the JP thread, and I'm not really advocating for it, just giving some pointers)

Thank you that's a good piece of advice!

I'm not sure if it needs to be done either but I think it might be worth a try/not necessarily leads to negative outcomes at least (though I could be wrong).

My personal reasoning is: even if the devs read the English forums (or have people summarise/translate things for them) making it as easy as possible for them doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.
I feel as if we all more or less collectively agree that the English forums are rather chaotic right now, with individual feedback threads all over the place, making it hard to dig through all of them, and that the single feedback thread on the JP forum is a lot more orderly.
So even if they technically also go to the EN side adding some well-structured feedback to a well-organised place in ther native language (albeit auto-translate) might make things more accessible and reduce some of their work-load while also increasing the likelihood of being heard.

[lisaa]

This has been said a lot, but I just feel like leaving my opinion as well because I feel a bit conflicted (I apologize for grammar errors, English isn't my first language).



The reshape of the mouth makes it look like it lost something. The edges of the mouth are not as deep anymore. But what I feel it affects more is the smile.





I love my girl's smile. I feel like the change of the corners of the mouth, as well as the shape in general, makes it look less like a natural smile and more like a hard curve upwards, and that makes it feel like she is forcing a smile and doesn't even want to be there.

+1000 this

[SongOfTheWind]

Thanks guys. Can I just drop my English post into Google translate or do I need to simplify it? I won't have any ability to check the translated version for accuracy. It's not going to translate "scales" like weighing scales or something bizarre like that?

Also, I updated the repainted version of the benchmark image (and I'm just about to update it another time) and I think I got it closer to the shape of the eyeliner on the original - and for the eye itself, it actually seems to be the exact same shape on the angled shot if I take the outline of the original and place it directly over the benchmark image, so I'm not sure why it looks like such a different angle in the straight-on mirrored shot.

I recommend DeepL over Google translate

[Iscah]

I did an extra zoom into the benchmark face in different lighting and now I'm thinking the difference in eye shape may go - figuratively and literally - deeper than I had realised, and the eye shape is very deep-set.

I don't know for certain whether it has been changed or whether it was always like that and the very black eyeliner concealed the exact shape of it.

If it has actually changed, that might explain why it is looking narrower from straight-on but not from below.

[Fawkes]

Sometimes a good way to confirm specific words can be to look something up on Wikipedia (e.g., pull up an article on scales and then switch the langauge to Japanese for the corresponding JP article).
I know it's not foolproof and only works for individual words but perhaps you can check if certain keywords are right nonetheless.

Since there's already a lot of feedback, you can probably find a post mentioning Au Ra and translate it to see if they talk about scales, and find what word they use.

I did that and got 鱗(dictionary link), which is the kanji for うろこ.



(I don't know if people need to crosspost to the JP thread, and I'm not really advocating for it, just giving some pointers)

[Cucoo]

hey there! this is for male au ra face 4 feedback:

I think the face texture might not be completely aligned on the new sculpt and is just a bit more obvious with new lighting. This is more prevalent to the lips where there is a harsh distinct bright line of color before the lip sculpt crease and the darkened lip coloring.

EW 6.58


DT 7.0


Here is close up


And i attempted to draw a line to show the distance between the lip crease:

[CecMiller]

This is a fantastic, detailed post that I would honestly recommend cross-posting to the JP thread if you ever feel like you have the time and energy. I feel that it would be well-received there. I also think male Au Ra get overlooked a lot in comparison to female Au Ra (although I do think female Au Ra very much do deserve the amount of attention they're getting in this case).

I also have a male Raen alt with the same face as yours and I disliked these changes too, lol, so I have some bias here.

In vein of that, I also wanted to share that, due to the pupil size change in male Au Ra--and how much smaller their eyes are compared to female Au Ra--the balance of their eye colors change quite a lot when you have limbal rings, when compared to the live version of the game.

Live:

Benchmark:

(Sorry for the uneven cropping)

Of course, I like the general fidelity increase in the eyes, and I think the gradient impression is very nice. However, in the current game, the color balance between the orange and yellow is more equal, with the orange color's larger spacial coverage being evened out by the glow of the yellow limbal ring. Meanwhile, in the benchmark, the orange is much more dominated by the yellow on all fronts.

That's not to say the pupil increase doesn't change the impression even without limbal rings, though. I personally feel that it does.

I think because the pupils have become larger, some of the eye colour isn't presented as clearly as before.

The solution here would be to revert the pupils to being smaller or, even better, adding the option to make the pupil large like it is the benchmark or have it small as it currently is (and should be the default).

The intention of the devs was always to maintain the character image from 6.58 relatively intact and making the pupils bigger is a change which doesn't really accomplish this. Best case scenario is they make everyone happy and add the option, but I'll still be left wondering as to why the change was made in the first place when its very evident in situations like this.

[Morravn]

Reposting what I posted in https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...08#post6439108 in the hopes it'll get seen. Hope that's ok:

Just wanted to add my thoughts in the hopes that it'll get changed.

I use au ra face 4, mouth 2, eyebrows 3.

The shape of the mouth has completely changed, and it makes the character's whole face look different.

https://imgur.com/a/OgUjRo4

This makes it look like she's gone for a lip filler. It makes her face look puffy and fake. Honestly, it makes me feel kind of icky, because it's like she's been edited to adhere to some kind of doll-like beauty standard - like she's been made to seem more cutesy and rounded, as if a load of botox and filler has been forced on her.

Additionally, the angle of the eyebrows has been relaxed, making her look less stern.

https://imgur.com/9dKm71X

Also, her nose (nose 1) has been turned up.

Essentially it feels like the lips, nose, and eyebrows have been switched to another kind - the lips most of all. I'm very unhappy. I don't want to play a softened, beautified version of my au ra who's pouting at me all the time. I want the shapes of her features to remain consistent with those I originally chose.