Graphical update/Benchmark feedback - Female midlander face 4

[Gemina]

I can't even disagree with you on this one, fully just de-aged 10 years.

Yeah... totally. Benchmark version looks pre-teen.

[ValG]

The lips for me is one of the biggest things I have noticed. The lack of pinks and reds and like you say the juicy full mouth has gone I do like some of the changes though like the ears not being pixelated and some of the eyes look smoother. And that hairstyle makes her look she has got cauliflower ears lol

Yeah, the clipping of the ears is quite bad but to be fair it was there before the update... Personally I don't mind it that much (didn't even noticed it until now actually).

[Swordsman]

I'm not sure if I like the changes either. Facial features look more broader in shape than usual - cheeks and jaws look rounder, nose bridge is wider, lips are puffier. Something just looks off about the new faces and I'm not really a fan of it.

[Ibbers]

It's really noticeable on mine. The expression has significantly changed.



Eyes look off. Top half is very dark and the edges seem to have more makeup. In the current game, the entire eye is bright and clear and the bottom edge of the eye is free of that black mascara.
The lips that were supposed to be flat became rounder. Also the lips became very blurry.
Face looks a little rounder but it might be a lighting issue.

Watched the updated model in motion in the benchmark, which supposedly has better lighting and I'm still not a fan.

Also OP, is it possible for you to change the title from face 4 to face 5 by going to 'Go Advanced' in the post settings? I feel like it could cause your feedback to be missed if they're collating thread titles for example. It also helps people who have similar issues find this thread.

[ValG]

It's really noticeable on mine. The expression has significantly changed.



Eyes look off. Top half is very dark and the edges seem to have more makeup. In the current game, the entire eye is bright and clear and the bottom edge of the eye is free of that black mascara.
The lips that were supposed to be flat became rounder. Also the lips became very blurry.
Face looks a little rounder but it might be a lighting issue.

Watched the updated model in motion in the benchmark, which supposedly has better lighting and I'm still not a fan.

Also OP, is it possible for you to change the title from face 4 to face 5 by going to 'Go Advanced' in the post settings? I feel like it could cause your feedback to be missed if they're collating thread titles for example. It also helps people who have similar issues find this thread.

Done! Thanks for the suggestion, I missed the option when I checked before.

Also, completely different expression now, way more sad...

Edit: for some reason the change in the title is only reflected on my original post...

[Ibbers]

Done! Thanks for the suggestion, I missed the option when I checked before.

Also, completely different expression now, way more sad...

Hmm seems like the thread title didn't change after all. I guess we'd need a mod to come down and change it for us?

[Gemina]

It's really noticeable on mine. The expression has significantly changed.



Eyes look off. Top half is very dark and the edges seem to have more makeup. In the current game, the entire eye is bright and clear and the bottom edge of the eye is free of that black mascara.
The lips that were supposed to be flat became rounder. Also the lips became very blurry.
Face looks a little rounder but it might be a lighting issue.

Watched the updated model in motion in the benchmark, which supposedly has better lighting and I'm still not a fan.

Also OP, is it possible for you to change the title from face 4 to face 5 by going to 'Go Advanced' in the post settings? I feel like it could cause your feedback to be missed if they're collating thread titles for example. It also helps people who have similar issues find this thread.

I am sorry, but with the exception of the lips, I see vast improvements here. Improved hair texture and facial shadows. Ears have more detail and don't look pinned on. The face is rounder and more feminine. Your face does appear sadder, and this might be due to a slightly different eye shape and lip shape. I can understand your issues here.

Also of note the details on the camise are improved as well. The buckles look more metallic and have better definition. I can also clearly see the lace holes on the sleeves and corset. The Midlander also has a more hourglass shape to her and has apparently received a breast lift to boot.

If this is what I can expect with my own Midlander, I will be quite happy. Especially knowing that the aetherial blue background is one of the worst to view your characters in comparison to the actual game.

[Rudje]

The face is rounder and more feminine.

This is the problem. If they wanted to add a more round/feminine face, they should have added a new middy face instead of changing the old one.

[Ibbers]

I am sorry, but with the exception of the lips, I see vast improvements here. Improved hair texture and facial shadows. Ears have more detail and don't look pinned on. The face is rounder and more feminine. Your face does appear sadder, and this might be due to a slightly different eye shape and lip shape. I can understand your issues here.

Also of note the details on the camise are improved as well. The buckles look more metallic and have better definition. I can also clearly see the lace holes on the sleeves and corset. The Midlander also has a more hourglass shape to her and has apparently received a breast lift to boot.

If this is what I can expect with my own Midlander, I will be quite happy. Especially knowing that the aetherial blue background is one of the worst to view your characters in comparison to the actual game.

I don't deny that there are graphical improvements here and there, but you have to understand that people have a certain perspective of their character (they are the ones who made the character after all), and that's the most important thing to them. It's not exactly rocks or flowers or other inanimate objects we're talking about here.

I feel like I can speak for many people when I say that preserving the feeling or vibe of their character is far more important, and it seems like a rather unpalatable thing to give up in exchange for slightly less pixelated hair strands or somewhat softer face shadows. We're not the developers, so we don't know how easy or hard it is to preserve our characters' facial features while still improving details, but it's not unreasonable to give them feedback to ask if they could try to make them look more similar. If it's too difficult or time-consuming, no harm no foul to the developers, but hey, at least we asked right?

Also just to be clear, I don't have a problem with the body shape or the clothes. It's just the facial features. And I'm not sure if you read my post in full, but as I've said, I've actually ran the benchmark in full to observe my character and the facial features were still off.

[Gemina]

I don't deny that there are graphical improvements here and there, but you have to understand that people have a certain perspective of their character (they are the ones who made the character after all), and that's the most important thing to them. It's not exactly rocks or flowers or other inanimate objects we're talking about here.

I feel like I can speak for many people when I say that preserving the feeling o vibe of their character is far more important, and it seems like a rather unpalatable thing to give up in exchange for slightly less pixelated hair strands or somewhat softer face shadows. We're not the developers, so we don't know how easy or hard it is to preserve our characters' facial features while still improving details, but it's not unreasonable to give them feedback to ask if they could try to make them look more similar. If it's too difficult or time-consuming, no harm no foul to the developers, but hey, at least we asked right?

I wholeheartedly agree with you. However, I don't see such drastic changes in the comparison pics you've provided to warrant that kind of impact. If you did not post a side by side with the differences pointed out, and instead showed me two separate images of your character, I could still tell it is her from one to the next.

Now if the changes were along the lines of this magnitude...



... I would have nothing but sympathy. This is pure, unadulterated, uglification. This is what I have been looking for with the majority of complaints about the graphical update, or what appears to me, to not be an improvement at all. I have definitely seen some of the latter where the current version looks better than the Benchmark. This is especially true with the male avatars.

Also just to be clear, I don't have a problem with the body shape or the clothes. It's just the facial features. And I'm not sure if you read my post in full, but as I've said, I've actually ran the benchmark in full to observe my character and the facial features were still off.

Yes, I always read the posts of people I respond to in full. I do offer my condolences if you are not happy with the update. However, I find your Middy to be very beautiful in both versions. You've done quite well with the options given to you.