We need to compromise as a player base

[Fuyume]

It's hard to know if the light is reflecting like that because in both pics 2 and 3 you have a light source shining directly on your character (sun and the CC studio light) and picture 1 doesn't. Try changing the skin color one tone down in the character creation. It may make it a lot close to the OG. The problem too is the hair isn't the same, and where the hairline starts/recedes does changing the perceived facial structure of an individual so this one is harder because there are more variables to take into account.

Confronted with this situation I would definitely try a darker skin tone and make a comment about how the lighting is reflecting the skin as others have, but I would still feel the update was a net benefit and not asking for rollbacks and delays as some people seem to be.

Even in the current game I can make my character look downright awful in really bright lighting conditions.

Okay, I have recreated the screenshot of the CC as closely as possible in the live game (unfortunately doing the same for the mid trailer screen is more difficult).
Live

Benchmark


Her face is undeniably more round and less angular than in live and it completely changes her visual personality. And her cheeks are still puffed out and she still has unnecessary dimples added when compared to live where there are no dimples and no puffy cheeks. She looks like a softer character, but she's a DRK. I designed her originally to reflect that. And she still looks like she's holding air in her cheeks.

ETA the two images edited right next to each other for easy comparison:

[Ath192]

Okay, I have recreated the screenshot of the CC as closely as possible in the live game (unfortunately doing the same for the mid trailer screen is more difficult).
Live

Benchmark


Her face is undeniably more round and less angular than in live and it completely changes her visual personality. And her cheeks are still puffed out and she still has unnecessary dimples added when compared to live where there are no dimples and no puffy cheeks. She looks like a softer character, but she's a DRK. I designed her originally to reflect that. And she still looks like she's holding air in her cheeks.

ETA the two images edited right next to each other for easy comparison:

Here you go, I plugged into photoshop and boosted the brightness by 50% and sharpened the picture to mimic more HDness feel free to recreate if you need to verify this.



While the changes are there and subtle the mouth mainly, I see the same softness come out in the photoshopped picture than the graphics update, her cheeks, because they are brighter now, seem more puffed out too. The original picture is just darker so it gives it a more edgy vibe/makes the face look slimmer.

Adding even more brightness = even more puffed cheeks

[Fuyume]

Here you go, I plugged into photoshop and boosted the brightness by 50% and sharpened the picture to mimic more HDness feel free to recreate if you need to verify this.



While the changes are there and subtle the mouth mainly, I see the same softness come out in the photoshopped picture than the graphics update, her cheeks, because they are brighter now, seem more puffed out too. The original picture is just darker so it gives it a more edgy vibe/makes the face look slimmer.

Even more brightness = more puffed cheeks

And as I've said in several places now, I could maybe live with the weirdly round face (it is in fact more round which is shown when she looks over her shoulder on the chocobo in the original comparisons), maybe even the super pout (yes I am in fact attached to her current mouth shape considering I've had it since HW launch), but the dimples are honestly too far. It makes her feel like an entirely different character. And I've already hamfisted an excuse for her to change races once for her lore, I can't do it again without invalidating everything I've ever written for her, so a free fantasia isn't going to help me. They changed the entire vibe of the face just by changing the mouth.

Edit because I hit the post limit and can't reply, her face does not look round and puffy like that in ANY of the hairstyles I actually use; I haven't used this hair since HW but I had to use a base hair to get a comparable shot or else not being exactly the same would be used as the excuse. I've used Early to Rise, Styles for Hire, this one in my profile picture (my friends call it the Duran-Duran hair because Durante so I don't actually remember its name), and Gyr Abanian Plait. And in none of them did her face look this extremely round.

[RhaesDaenys]

And as I've said in several places now, I could maybe live with the weirdly round face (it is in fact more round which is shown when she looks over her shoulder on the chocobo in the original comparisons), maybe even the super pout (yes I am in fact attached to her current mouth shape considering I've had it since HW launch), but the dimples are honestly too far. It makes her feel like an entirely different character. And I've already hamfisted an excuse for her to change races once for her lore, I can't do it again without invalidating everything I've ever written for her, so a free fantasia isn't going to help me. They changed the entire vibe of the face just by changing the mouth.

The other guy beat me to it, but Au Ra face 4 has always, and I mean ALWAYS been round and puffy like that. Your hairstyle masks it a lot. The only change that looks odd is the lips. I hope they fix that.

[Ath192]

And as I've said in several places now, I could maybe live with the weirdly round face (it is in fact more round which is shown when she looks over her shoulder on the chocobo in the original comparisons), maybe even the super pout (yes I am in fact attached to her current mouth shape considering I've had it since HW launch), but the dimples are honestly too far. It makes her feel like an entirely different character. And I've already hamfisted an excuse for her to change races once for her lore, I can't do it again without invalidating everything I've ever written for her, so a free fantasia isn't going to help me. They changed the entire vibe of the face just by changing the mouth.

You don't need to re-write her. All you need to do is accept the fact you are seeing a more high definition version of herself, and besides graphics fidelity she is the same person. I don't know about you but when I put glasses on in the mirror I see a completely different person. Its still me, but HD and quite frankly I prefer my softer look without the glasses haha, you see less flaws.

But perhaps this is a good indication more mouth types are needed in the character creator and perhaps a cheekbone slider in a future release.

[Fuyume]

You don't need to re-write her. All you need to do is accept the fact you are seeing a more high definition version of herself, and besides graphics fidelity she is the same person. I don't know about you but when I put glasses on in the mirror I see a completely different person. Its still me, but HD and quite frankly I prefer my softer look without the glasses haha, you see less flaws.

But perhaps this is a good indication more mouth types are needed in the character creator and perhaps a cheekbone slider in a future release.

I couldn't reply yesterday because I hit the post limit, so apologies for the delay in a reply. But putting glasses on in the morning does not add dimples to a previously dimpleless face. And every mouth has it so there's nothing I can change with a fantasia to fix it. If I wanted her to have dimples I would have used face 2 when I made her (which, ironically, has lost its dimples with the update), or have described her with dimples in any of the things I've written about her.


I have an edit ready to go if this update goes live with no changes. It's not her, but neither is her face with no tweaks. Again, if we wanna talk about compromise, I'm willing to compromise the face shape and the lips being fuller (even if it's pushing a beauty standard that I don't appreciate), but adding a whole new feature (dimples) to a face that never had it is where I draw the line.