Viera Changes

[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.

[Tethan]

Hey, I'm really sorry to bother you, but this is exactly the kind of stuff I've been wanting to see so I'm really curious. I'm familiar with retopologizing, but only through hearsay. I've no real 3D knowledge. But what does "re-unwrapped" mean? And, very sorry for the stupider question, do these textures mean they actually have more of a hand in how three-dimensional shapes are perceived than not?

To put very simply and to clarify, retopologizing is when you redo the actual mesh and "flow" of polygons on a 3D model. The shape stay mostly the same if you do it correctly, but it is a way to increase or reduce the amount of polygons on a model. For the purpose of the update and unifying all faces, I think every face has been retopologized.

Unwrapping is when you take the 3D model and "cut" it to be able to lay it flat for the purpose of texturing. You can think of a piece of clothing like a tshirt, it is a 3D shape you can wear, but if you cut along all the seams, you can lay it flat, because it was made from a flat piece of cloth. When you change the mesh (the 3D model) too drastically, you may be forced to redo the unwrapping and so also redo the textures, as the old ones are no longer compatible with the new UV maps.

How important textures are for the appearance of 3D object vary a lot, but very strangely, with the new light it actually matters more. The old rendering style had some very subtle but ever-present shadows and bounce light that emphasized the shape of the model:



It seems that the new rendering style is not able to recreate this for whatever reason. 3D features are only emphasized when in direct light, but when in shadow, everything becomes flat and it relies 100% on the textures.

[Doopliss]

Thank you very much for the easy-to-understand explanation. I'm not sure why, but knowing a little bit more about what sort of things can cause these changes makes me feel a little more sane, lol.

[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.

[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.

[Roda]

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.

Like a LOT of the new lips are giving me Peggy Hill vibes.


Very flat and extending all the way around the corners of the mouth

[Aniise]

Fun fact, I showed my older sister who has no connection to this game or games whatsoever the screenshot comparing my characters old vs new looks. I asked her to tell me which of them looked better to her without telling her which was the new and which was the old one.

She said that the lips of the Benchmark screenshot were the first thing that she noticed. It reminded her of Insta-Makeup. x_x
Like the full, matte lipstick all the instagirls use lmao. She also said the 6.0 Screenshot looked way more natural and pleasing to her which is...interesting, since it should be the other way around.

So I guess we can all agree that the mouths/lips are the biggest problem right now and need an overhaul.

[GodModule]

My main issue with viera are the eyes. They give me GTA Remastered vibes

[Sutausagi]

I paid extra 2 subs when bunny bois first came out now I am considering unsub them after the changes

Not really a big fan that the new model just makes them look way softer...?

Before


After


I understand that most people may prefer a softer look but I really think that we should have options that make them look a bit more fierce

And my other bunny boy just completely lost his brows which the vibe look completely lost

Before


After


Was very excited about the graphic changes but now I don't know anymore