Viera Changes

[Luca_]

I hope this is not inappropriate to post, but I have compared the textures of old and new male viera face 3. I think it very clear where the changes are and I hope they can be addressed. I do not like the prominent chin and jowls look that the face never had this before, mouth and nose are shaded very differently.

I am a 3D artist, and I can see that face has been probably retopologized and certainly re-unwrapped, so I fully understand that features are not 100% analogous between the two textures, but it is still clear to see how changes were made.

Old <<<>>> New

snip

This is really interesting, thank you for sharing it and for explaining some of the modeling process!

I'm increasingly disappointed that what was supposed to be an upscale of existing features apparently became a full redesign, especially when male viera are some of the newest models. It's super obvious when looking at the actual textures.

[GodModule]

Vieras got hit the worst, but the male face 3 downgrade is especially grim

[SongOfTheWind]

Vieras got hit the worst, but the male face 3 downgrade is especially grim

Isn’t it also the one Erenville is using? I wonder how he looks now

[SongOfTheWind]

Isn’t it also the one Erenville is using? I wonder how he looks now

My pet conspiracy theory is that Viera changes were mostly tested/tweaked on him and for him. Given his promotion as a character. It seems to go inline with how Veena clan specific features got overlooked (beauty mark bugged on them only, eyes are not theirs anymore, all lipstick is bugged on light tones, etc). The darkening of nose also makes sense for him, as it prevents its over shining and is not prominent at all, afaict. I am not sure what the face structural changes are for though

[Tethan]

My pet conspiracy theory is that Viera changes were mostly tested/tweaked on him and for him. Given his promotion as a character. It seems to go inline with how Veena clan specific features got overlooked (beauty mark bugged on them only, eyes are not theirs anymore, all lipstick is bugged on light tones, etc). The darkening of nose also makes sense for him, as it prevents its over shining and is not prominent at all. I am not sure what the face structural changes are for though

It is possible. Dark faces benefit more from pigment variety to not look washed out or flat and the changes to jaw/chin are also less noticeable on very dark skin. Either way it is plain to see that there was not adequate care in recreating the old feel, for whatever reason.

[Loggos]

Isn’t it also the one Erenville is using? I wonder how he looks now

I was thinking about this the whole time because when I saw the DT trailer long before the arrival of the benchmark I thought I was going insane. To me his facial features in the CG trailer looked so different. It was specifically the mouth that I noticed because it was missing face 3's signature definition.

Then I saw him again in 6.5.5 and felt even crazier because he had the normal face 3 mouth. Then I compared him to the trailer model and I know there are always differences but I really didn't recognise his mouth at all. (Compare it to Graha's signature male miqo mouth that you can recognise even in the trailer.)

And it just hit me. I think for the trailer they actually used the new face 3 model for Erenville because in my eyes the mouth really resembles the new version.

So I guess...that's how he's doing...

[Tethan]

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CG trailers use different models from ingame, so that isn't it. I think he looks like a good representation of face 3 in CG quality in the trailer.

[Doopliss]

I was thinking about this the whole time because when I saw the DT trailer long before the arrival of the benchmark I thought I was going insane. To me his facial features in the CG trailer looked so different. It was specifically the mouth that I noticed because it was missing face 3's signature definition.

Then I saw him again in 6.5.5 and felt even crazier because he had the normal face 3 mouth. Then I compared him to the trailer model and I know there are always differences but I really didn't recognise his mouth at all. (Compare it to Graha's signature male miqo mouth that you can recognise even in the trailer.)

And it just hit me. I think for the trailer they actually used the new face 3 model for Erenville because in my eyes the mouth really resembles the new version.

So I guess...that's how he's doing...

Late--but if it helps--this is just because the CGI models are a different medium, created, shot, animated and presented in a different way. In fact, they generally don't have the most up-to-date models, because the animated trailers need to be worked on very early.

They even released a head-shot of his CGI model in a JP magazine, so you can view it more head-on:


I actually feel that he is very faithful to the impression of the current game model. Even his bunny nose is still there, but it's subtle, like the current iteration of the in-game face. Admittedly harder to see due to the type of lighting these trailers use. To be honest, seeing how perfectly they emphasized his face in the magazine makes me feel stronger that these new changes aren't exactly intended...

Fun fact that I think is still funny to this day: If you go back and watch the Heavensward trailer, you can see that all the dragons the Ishgardian Dragoons & Meteor are fighting are actually just Hraesvelgr painted red, because they didn't have any other significant dragon models to work with at the time.

[Aniise]

My poor, poor boy...what did they do to you.



<-Endwalker // Dawntrail ->

I'm a face 3 victim and I don't even know where to start with this. My sweet angel doesn't look like himself anymore. I gotta say, I love my characters with black eyes, but now that apparently all eyes no matter what color look totally devoid of any life, they make my boy look like Satan himself D: It's not cute anymore, it's just creepy.

Then there's the beautymark glitch that only a few people got. But I think this will be fixed. I HOPE it will be. Then the nose. It's like...not an upgrade but a downgrade. If they offered us new noses as options, fine. But please don't take from us what needed no fixing at all D: Same with the lips!

And the one thing that bothers me so much with this face...
THE CHIN. I don't know why but the chin seems so much more...prominent now and I hate it. Could be just me but...ugh...

I love face 3 as it is right now a lot. But the changes are...more than just weird to me. Male Vieras are so super ultra pretty right now and in the benchmark, they just...look weird. Female Viera too apparently, after all the screenshots I've seen so far.

I don't have a lot of hope for changes. They probably will only change the blatant mistakes, like the Female Elezen Mouth disaster. But let a girl dream :'(

[hot-chilis]

honestly the only thing that irked me personally was the lips.. why are the corners of the mouth so.
i don't know how to describe it...
"open"?
like they don't look like lips anymore. this goes for like every other race in the game. the lips just feel so uncanny.