Character graphical changes are NOT in an acceptable state, please make it optional

[Tethan]

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone responding and contributing since the thread started. With the recent official response I hope we can all look forward to brighter days. Let us wait and see, and remember it is never to late to voice your opinions and concerns. Please, let's try to keep it organized and orderly.

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In the hours since the benchmark was made public, there have been numerous complaints made about changes to the characters. In this thread I want to compile some of these complaints and BEG Square Enix to either address this or make the character update optional, similar to how WOW did it back in the day. This is not only changes being made arbitrarily, not also clear technical shortcomings and downright Quality Assurance oversights. This is not acceptable quality for public release. Obviously the benchmark is a preview and things are still subject to change, but this is exactly why it is important we give our feedback.

We were told they would not change characters drastically, yet they have decided to make multiple changes for no clear reason. There are probably lots more, so feel free to contribute your own.

I'd place the issues into 3 categories:

Design choices

Uncanny skin textures
Faces look waxy and doll like, this is a rather big change and doesn't mix well with the overall graphical style. Of course this can be considered subjective, but there is a reason so many players are having such strong reactions to it. It simply looks uncanny to most people.


Translucency overtuned
Thread

Loss of highlights on hair when in direct light
If you are ever in doubt whether you are looking at live or benchmark, look at the hair. If there is a direct lightsource and you see a distinct highlight on the hair, that is live. If there are no highlights and it's hard to tell where the light is even coming from, it's benchmark.


Lack of eye shine
It seems that the static "eye shine" spot was removed, to be replaced by dynamic lighting. This is an issue as if the lighting is anything less than perfect (so most of the time) it just makes our characters look dead inside.

Lightning is only half fixed
While severe overhead/indoor lighting looks a LOT better, everywhere else on characters seems like a downgrade, causing features to be more washed out, hair in particular looks flat

Removal of bounce light making face more flat and jaws bleed into necks



Arbitrary and unwanted changes

Keeper of the Moon fangs downgrade
Thread

Highlights on hair changed for no reason
Thread


Vieras in general
Thread

Lala smudge stolen, presumably the culprit is M Viera face 3
Thread

Lip shape changed on many race/gender combinations
Post


Femroes also had their nose smudge stolen, when will this spree of crimes end?
Thread

Certain miqote hairstyles missing ear patterns
Post


Changed eye shape but not eye liner
Post



Poor quality

Au Ra scales artifacting/pixelation
Thread


Lips are a downgrade across the board
This one is honestly baffling. How this texture passed quality control is beyond me, and lip glossiness is now a thing of the past.
Thread


Horrifying female Elezen mouth rig


Hair/beard clipping


Forgot to update texture for bald characters
Post

Forgot to update textures on Au Ra horns attached to hairstyles
Post

Scuffed eyelashes on fem Au Ra
Post

Elezen ear translucency is apparently skintone agnostic
Thread

Forgot to update texture on bunny ears
Post

Forgot to update face paint
Thread


Note: I have used some pictures from the community to illustrate.

Now let me add my own:



Slider comparison

[Jeeqbit]

Meh, change happens. I really don't think any of this is gonna change at this juncture. You're almost certainly getting a free fantasia to find a look that you like. A new look for a new ten years.

[SpiritMuse]

I would like to add "Very dark shadows in the upper half of the eyes that blend in with the eyelashes and make eyes look half closed"

[ovIm]

Meh, change happens. I really don't think any of this is gonna change at this juncture. You're almost certainly getting a free fantasia to find a look that you like. A new look for a new ten years.

Here is the thing - this is the point where the community can, and should, provide feedback for the devs to hear. There are subjective issues with the new models, as indicated by OP, that need to be tackled before the expansion is released.

[ValG]

I definitely agree that the lips look worse across the board now. I also made a couple of posts, one about the bioluminiscent elezen ears and about face 4 midlander (which shows a lot of the stuff mentioned here plus heavier makeup for no reason).
The posts, in case OP wants to add them to the list (both have screenshots):

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...dlander-face-4
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...=1#post6437053

I don't think making the graphical update optional is realistic, but there are definitely areas that need more work, specially the lips, the skin and hair textures and the "aliveness" of the eyes.

[Zeastria]

They NEEED TO fix eyebrows too!!!!
Separate eyebrow colour from hair..do something T^T ( I dont wanna race change bc of this)!..
Like my black-haired viera ends up getting light GREY eyebrows in the update..like wtf!!!
WHERE IS MY THICK DARK EYEBROWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lunartears]

Meh, change happens. I really don't think any of this is gonna change at this juncture. You're almost certainly getting a free fantasia to find a look that you like. A new look for a new ten years.

A fantasia will only change the character more for some people.

[DynnDiablos]

This is what they've chosen to go with and it unfortunately won't please everyone. We are now just a little over two months to launch. They aren't going to overhaul the new designs and they aren't going to delay the game either just for this. While tweaks could happen here and there. We should have always expected there could be drastic changes to looks. But they have been very transparent in the upcoming changes. Not every character will end up a 1 to 1. Folks either accept. Change races. Or move on.

[DynnDiablos]

I definitely agree that the lips look worse across the board now. I also made a couple of posts, one about the bioluminiscent elezen ears and about face 4 midlander (which shows a lot of the stuff mentioned here plus heavier makeup for no reason).
The posts, in case OP wants to add them to the list (both have screenshots):

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...dlander-face-4
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...=1#post6437053

I don't think making the graphical update optional is realistic, but there are definitely areas that need more work, specially the lips, the skin and hair textures and the "aliveness" of the eyes.

You really think they are going to delay the game just because folks aren't happy with the graphics update?

[Salzkartoffel]

Let's just call it for what it is: This graphic update is a hot steaming mess. Not just small texture issues but anatomical ones, too. We have clipping issues and seam- issues left right and center. Hair textures got worse here and there looking like Playstation 2 design. It somehow looks like we've lost polygons in the making which is absolutely atrocious. The images from the Thread creator are a good example. I found some on my own as well.

Some examples which don't look serviceable at all. Plastic textures, flat textures which are bent into all directions to give the illusion of modelled hair. I didn't check other hairstyles because I got sad.