7.0 Graphic Update - Male Highlander Suggestion

[potatsdevourer]

(I indeed have bias towards male Highlander and how my character looks right now. I would not deny that)

Thank you for the benchmark that not only gauge capability of our PC, but also the theoretical look of our character in the future.
I definitely had fun trying to see around our character model in the new environment.

During benchmark character creation I played with male Highlander, face template 2 (Hildibrand!), eyebrows 3, eyes 6, nose 6, mouth 4, jaw 2.

○ What I think good improvement from pre-Dawntrail version
1) The skin and the pores are so clear to see. So far satisfied since it has more detail that previous version.

2) The ears are behaving like in real life, which is slightly translucent when light pass through.



△ What I think need improvement or rather backtracking to pre-Dawntrail

1) What apparent to me instantly was how high the eyebrow paint placement is. Apparently this is wide-player issue and not only male Highlander specific.
Please consider moving the face paint back to the original place. (left: live version, right: benchmark)


2) It looks like the waterline on the eye is blackened with eyeliner. But it seems to be light dependend since eye on the right side has lighter waterline.
I would suggest lessening the eyeliner on that, if possible.


3) The eyelashes hide too much the eyeball (and pupil and iris). As of now it is harder to read expression from the eyes, in combination with lack of light on the eye.
Suggestion would be to:
a) revert the eyelashes to the current version;
b) making clear definition between iris and pupil; and/or
c) adding back the static light to the eye.

[potatsdevourer]

4) This is also the part of the face where I notice instantly. In current live version, the cheek has less fold definition, giving it more youthful look.
In benchmark version however, the definition is more prominent, and with the wrinkled eyebrow and sunken eye combined makes the face looking older.
Please consider lessening the definition on the cheek to the live version of the game.

To further drive the point, when the cheek is covered with mutton chops, character looks younger in comparison to the bare face.

EDIT: And to even further showing, here is comparison picture with face painted to only show the contrast. Please consider smoothen that part out!


5) Nose part will be divided in two feedback:

a) The nose bridge (the long vertical part of the nose) on benchmark version looks straighter and wider than the current live version.
Personally I picked nose #6 because there is defined curve between the base to the tip of the nose and it is noticeably slimmer than the other option.
Please add back the curvature.
b) The dome part of the nostril on benchmark version has more defined line in comparison to the live version.
It would be nice if the definition is lessened, similar to problem at 4) which gives older impression.

[potatsdevourer]

Final words:
All in all my character looks aged so much with the benchmark version, which is not something I am looking forward.

Also please consider adding eyebrows to male Highlander, if the eyebrow face paint won't be fixed.
It is actually rather common demand, and look at all the Highlanders avatar they have. Almost all put facepaint eyebrow anyway.
There is consideration that support this idea although lore states that male Highlander shave their eyebrow to intimidate their opponent:

a) not every male Highlander is from Ala Mhigo, thus different culture have different practice, and thus shaving eyebrow practice is not universal.

b) certain character from Endwalker which uses male Highlander model already has eyebrows, which means it is possible for the player if the problem is technology wise.

c) letting male Highlanders having actual eyebrows open up the face paint slot for something else they can use and customize i.e. eyeshadows, blushes, war paint, Halloween, etc.
This is especially important when character can only have single face paint.

d) attracting possible player that are repulsed by the idea of lack of eyebrows.

Personally, I would approach the solution by adding eyebrows to the already existing eyebrow face paint.
Reason being, most male Highlanders that already wearing painted eyebrows should be already fine with the placement and the width of the theoretical eyebrows.
It looks like good start before tweaking furthermore.

Thank you for reading this long message. Obviously some of these suggestion won't get through but atleast it is something to be considered,
especially the new graphic update affects lots of people who already bonded with their character through MSQs.

For the other, feel free to add more suggestion on other face since I have not scrutinized it as much as Face template #2.

[potatsdevourer]

Finally got the face model from live server in the benchmark environment (thanks Hildy! Always to the rescue!)


I cannot make it more clearer than this: new male Highlander face template #2 looks way older than live version.
While it might has to do with artistic direction, please still consider smoothing out the line and bumps on the cheek and brow ridge to more similar to the live version.

As of now male Highlander have four face template: 1 and 3 I would consider on the older spectrum, while the 2 and 4 on the younger spectrum.
I would like to keep the youthful look of my character like Hildibrand gives.

[Kileen]

Thanks for this post, very respectfully and fairly put, and I agree on all points, particularly with the eyebrows and contouring of the face. I also think there's less shading above the eye and below the brow that is contributing to the unnatural appearance of the brow face paint.

Here's mine, and I'm a bit frustrated with the the outcome. I know I can use a fantasia, but I would prefer to keep my WOL's same face.

[Priddy]

Thanks for this post, very respectfully and fairly put, and I agree on all points, particularly with the eyebrows and contouring of the face. I also think there's less shading above the eye and below the brow that is contributing to the unnatural appearance of the brow face paint.

Here's mine, and I'm a bit frustrated with the the outcome. I know I can use a fantasia, but I would prefer to keep my WOL's same face.

I saw your post on Reddit, and I am glad you posted it here, because it's definitely the most blatant example of issues with eyebrow face paint placement with the new graphics.

[potatsdevourer]

Thanks for this post, very respectfully and fairly put, and I agree on all points, particularly with the eyebrows and contouring of the face. I also think there's less shading above the eye and below the brow that is contributing to the unnatural appearance of the brow face paint.

Here's mine, and I'm a bit frustrated with the the outcome. I know I can use a fantasia, but I would prefer to keep my WOL's same face.

Thank you for the contribution. I personally suspect (and take this with fat grain of salt since I have no experience with 3D) the problem is that the team decide to be less dependent on shading and instead on the interaction between environmental lighting and face shape.
So when faced with less favorable lighting, the face show less definition. My character for example in favorable lighting seems to be much better on benchmark.

And yeah. From the image it is apparent that there are less shading as well on the below-browridge-above-eye area on benchmark version.
If I need to make opinion on that, I do like the live version more since it gives this hunter's eye vibe which I chose in the first place.
The benchmark version is also nice, but the vibe is different--it gives me friendlier vibe. I am getting used to it, tho!

Related to that: apparently someone suspect that the problem is that the skin is too translucent that it washes out all the shading/details from the face.
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...y-is-overtuned

[Darkstride]

Thanks for this. I had tried attaching pictures in my original post regarding the botched eyebrows, but it wasn't working lol.

[Kileen]

And another:

[IMG][/IMG]

It does feel like his 'Superman' jaw got nerfed a bit.

[RValmont]

Sorry, this is just a cry from the heart. This is terrible...!


Please do something about this, there is nothing left of my character except his nickname..!
https://ibb.org.ru/1/IJkes0
https://ibb.org.ru/1/IJkyoK