We need to compromise as a player base

[NanaWiloh]

It is completely untrue that in-order to improve graphics, characters have to look unrecognisable.

This isn't an issue with lighting. Sure, it may have to be re-baked, but characters look completely different because in many cases their facial structure and features have been changed.

There have been so many video game remasters in the past where the graphics have been vastly improved, but characters have still looked like themselves, just an improved version of themselves. You can't tell me that for some reason that isn't possible in this case.

Hehe HD remasters. Prime example of devs changing more then they reveal.

[LilyEmber]

The people who create this game are artists. And critique is essential to art. Otherwise they won't improve or expand. Sure, they don't have to listen to us at all, but they should be open to critique. They understand what this game and the characters mean to a lot of the players. A lot of us are roleplayers and identify greatly with our characters little quirks and unique physical features. ie. miqo'te. Seekers get cat like eyes, Keepers got cat like teeth, but then they went and filed them down. The fangs were a Keeper unique physical feature.

[Souljacker]

The people who create this game are artists. And critique is essential to art. Otherwise they won't improve or expand. Sure, they don't have to listen to us at all, but they should be open to critique. They understand what this game and the characters mean to a lot of the players. A lot of us are roleplayers and identify greatly with our characters little quirks and unique physical features. ie. miqo'te. Seekers get cat like eyes, Keepers got cat like teeth, but then they went and filed them down. The fangs were a Keeper unique physical feature.

It's not just that, SE is often (rightfully so) credited with crafting some of the most detailed and beautiful worlds ever to grace a screen. You log out of here and log into WoW, and the difference is like night and day. And no it's not 'art direction' - SE's engine is just better. Always has been, even since XI it had a more realistic, alive-looking world.

So when we see these visual downgrades it's not unreasonable to ask WTF? Why are we losing details? What is the reason behind some of these changes? Is it because of Xbox? Are we back to Ps2 Limitations?

What's going on? I think it's valid criticism and valid concerns.

[Vrankyl]

While I agree there are some things that need to be fixed, like some of those poor Male Au Ra folks.... I don't even know what happened there I will say a lot of this is an issue of people just being jarred out of it. Those of us who the character doesn't belong to don't see the difference because this is not a character we've stared at for years. The more you are acquainted with something the more even the slightest change becomes jarring. At the same time a lot of people are just going to have to accept this is what it will be or quit.

This is the exact same thing that happened in WoW when Blizzard updated the character models. They too said they tried to keep things as close to the original as possible but as some have showed just by adjusting lighting in Photoshop it makes a huge change in some cases. This is unavoidable. And like with WoW and Blizzard, it'll be an accept it or don't but this is what is going to happen. There is no keeping the old.

[Mosha]

I Feel a lot of these are just people forgetting the DT Benchmark uses new lighting and shaders. Yeah, it's going to change how your character looks.

[Bun_Vivant]

I Feel a lot of these are just people forgetting the DT Benchmark uses new lighting and shaders. Yeah, it's going to change how your character looks.

And how many people have properly calibrated their monitor? I did that last year (using a Datacolor SpyderX Elite, because I was doing some photo editing) and the difference it made in how the game looks was striking. The game looks different on my spouse's OLED monitor as well.

Obviously, things like lip shape aren't very monitor-calibration dependent. But the overall "look" of a real portrait definitely is.

The point here, though, isn't that people shouldn't be unhappy with how their character looks on their monitor.
The point is that your character may look very different on your monitor compared to how it looks on a properly-calibrated monitor -
and I expect the devs are using properly-calibrated monitors. This may be a source of some of the complaints.

[Vrankyl]

And how many people have properly calibrated their monitor? I did that last year (using a Datacolor SpyderX Elite, because I was doing some photo editing) and the difference it made in how the game looks was striking. The game looks different on my spouse's OLED monitor as well.

Obviously, things like lip shape aren't very monitor-calibration dependent. But the overall "look" of a real portrait definitely is.

The point here, though, isn't that people shouldn't be unhappy with how their character looks on their monitor.
The point is that your character may look very different on your monitor compared to how it looks on a properly-calibrated monitor -
and I expect the devs are using properly-calibrated monitors. This may be a source of some of the complaints.

They were also likely designed at a very specific graphic setting too that the devs use that will vary based on the individual PC/console, and not to mention individual driver settings too. Granted that doesn't erase everything people are complaining about and are right to ask for, like Keeper fangs back and some of the scale issues and the like. But a lot of the complaints are very much lighting/shader and display option subjective. At least I have to assume that is the case because so many of these before and afters have me sitting there going 'They are literally the same just upscaled'.

[DekaiTsuna88]

I Feel a lot of these are just people forgetting the DT Benchmark uses new lighting and shaders. Yeah, it's going to change how your character looks.

It's.. not. Literally the all character models had changes. Some race and face combination fares better, while some others looked like the person handling the rework doesn't even look at the original as reference or something. A lot of unnecessary changes were introduced. A change in eye texture or lips shape is not about lighting and shaders.

[Mosha]

It's.. not. Literally the all character models had changes. Some race and face combination fares better, while some others looked like the person handling the rework doesn't even look at the original as reference or something. A lot of unnecessary changes were introduced. A change in eye texture or lips shape is not about lighting and shaders.

Where did I say "all" in my statement?

[cutestfox]

Its not shading and lighting, that's just a cope
the face has experienced severe damage in all lighting angles, camera angles, expressions