Graphical update/Benchmark feedback - Female midlander face 4

[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.

[Ibbers]

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.

I would be hard pressed to tell the differences with unfamiliar faces too.

The thing is that these faces are what their creators have been looking at for years. For someone who's used to the seeing the same face regularly for years, subtle changes throw the perception of the character off, to say nothing of a combination of changes that alter the expression. I don't think the examples you give are analogous to the issue people are having. People have an emotional attachment to a character look that they created themselves and they spend far more time with the character than you or any other person. So their reaction to changes to their own character is going to be much sharper than other people and that's perfectly normal. 'Well I don't see the difference!' is going to be a given if you aren't the person who plays with that character every day.

It's not a question of beauty (at least for me, it looks like it might be the case for others), I find that many other players have beautiful characters, but at the end of the day I still wouldn't play as those characters. I hope that makes sense.

[Gemina]

I don't think the examples you give are analogous to the issue people are having. People have an emotional attachment to a character look that they created themselves and they spend far more time with the character than you or any other person.

I play the game too. I have for nearly ten years now. The strong emotional attachment to one's character is not a foreign concept to me. That is a huge reason why I will not use fantasias on my avatar even to change her eye color (I've been tempted to do so to make them blue instead of purple, but I just can't do it). This is also a reason why I tend to not favor certain pieces of gear that alter the choices I made to my character in the custom creator, but I still may use them from time to time because they are temporary.

What I am telling you is that based off of the images you have provided, these kind of changes would not make me feel the way you do. I am talking specifically to my own avatar. The only thing that is really going to do that are drastic changes that would make her not even look like the same character. That is what I would take issue with.

The other thing that I do take issue with is if the change seems to take steps backwards in terms of quality. An example of this is the post from Miki at the top of this page. While I can tell it is the exact same character, it is very clear to me that the original looks like the higher quality image. She is using the same face as my character so I can really tell the differences here. The only thing that looks better in the Benchmark is the parting in the lips has a natural dark shade instead of a white line.

These graphical updates should be unquestionably higher in quality, otherwise I have to ask WTF are they even doing and how much time did they spend on this? I/we should be awestruck by these images.

[Ibbers]

I play the game too. I have for nearly ten years now. The strong emotional attachment to one's character is not a foreign concept to me. That is a huge reason why I will not use fantasias on my avatar even to change her eye color (I've been tempted to do so to make them blue instead of purple, but I just can't do it). This is also a reason why I tend to not favor certain pieces of gear that alter the choices I made to my character in the custom creator, but I still may use them from time to time because they are temporary.

What I am telling you is that based off of the images you have provided, these kind of changes would not make me feel the way you do. I am talking specifically to my own avatar. The only thing that is really going to do that are drastic changes that would make her not even look like the same character. That is what I would take issue with.

The other thing that I do take issue with is if the change seems to take steps backwards in terms of quality. An example of this is the post from Miki at the top of this page. While I can tell it is the exact same character, it is very clear to me that the original looks like the higher quality image. She is using the same face as my character so I can really tell the differences here. The only thing that looks better in the Benchmark is the parting in the lips has a natural dark shade instead of a white line.

These graphical updates should be unquestionably higher in quality, otherwise I have to ask WTF are they even doing and how much time did they spend on this? I/we should be awestruck by these images.

So ultimately we've come down to arguing about subjective feelings. That's fine, but I think reacting strongly to a level of changing the expression and vibe of a character isn't really any less valid than not caring at all.

I apologize in advance if I got this wrong, but it seems like you're arguing that because you personally are not bothered if a character model change alters your character's expression and vibe, it's not reasonable for other players to do so?

[Gemina]

So ultimately we've come down to arguing about subjective feelings. That's fine, but I think reacting strongly to a level of changing the expression and vibe of a character isn't really any less valid than not caring at all.

I apologize in advance if I got this wrong, but it seems like you're arguing that because you personally are not bothered if a character model change alters your character's expression and vibe, it's not reasonable for other players to do so?

Not once did I say your feelings are not valid. I've offered my condolences for your dissatisfaction, expressed how I can relate to your feelings, and complimented the beauty of your avatar and your style. Yet, you can only take my statements as negative simply because they do not align with yours. That's how this goes, and that's how all these threads will go. Anyone who has anything different to say other than shunning these changes and updates will be deemed as a contrarian.

You're not in the wrong, but if I am not bothered by some of the updates, especially if feelings about them are subjective, then I am the one being unreasonable? Is the only way I can be reasonable is by joining the hate parade upset by these changes? That sounds a bit unfair.

I don't find anyone's feelings on this matter to be invalid. I have mentioned my fair share of criticisms regarding some of these updates along with theirs. All I am saying is that for me personally, the changes are not significant enough to disconnect my emotional ties with my own character.