Was This Graphical Update Necessary?

[cutestfox]

Maybe not necessary for looks but with updating the facial animations it is, they can make our characters much more expressive in cutscenes now, we've seen that a bit in the benchmark, and they're probably still work on iron out how the new rigging is affecting character appearance like how the mouth sits when idle and things like that.

Was that really necessary?
There are so many great expressions in this game already, and even *more* when you've seen what people have been able to achieve with the current rigs
I don't know anyone who thought "60 bones" needed to be added to a resculpted face

[Ancalagon_Blacktalon]

I don't agree.
There are thousands of screenshots out there where people have used methods to upscale the current textures on their characters without *any* other change and they look beautiful
That's all that had to be done

so you haven't noticed that we have three facial expressions and four animations in cutscenes? people around EW's release were memeing about how our WoL can only express anger by clenching their fist ad-nauseum.

How about yoshida saying in a live letter that the bespoke animation of Estinien in an optional cutscene cost them a ton of money to do? In what way is that even remotely sustainable for anyone?

What about the numerous face and body sculpt mods out there? The demand is there among the playerbase too for more than just "pretty lights" and "nicer textures", it's like 75% of the screenshots you see in most social media.

[Evergrey]

so you haven't noticed that we have three facial expressions and four animations in cutscenes? people around EW's release were memeing about how our WoL can only express anger by clenching their fist ad-nauseum.

How about yoshida saying in a live letter that the bespoke animation of Estinien in an optional cutscene cost them a ton of money to do? In what way is that even remotely sustainable for anyone?

What about the numerous face and body sculpt mods out there? The demand is there among the playerbase too for more than just "pretty lights" and "nicer textures", it's like 75% of the screenshots you see in most social media.

Warrior of Light: /nod

[twobear]

Necessary? No. But welcome.

[KonaMochi]

As someone who's been with xiv long enough to still have screenshots from the ps3 version- yea, it really needed the update.

Somethings like newer races and newer hairstyles got updates overtime. But ALOT of things still use ps3 era textures. which is why ALOT of gear still looks crustier than a sandy beach
towel in June....

[cutestfox]

Antialiasing: Extremely necessary
Higher resolution textures: Very necessary
Improved lighting: Highly necessary

Outright changing face sculpts: no

[4clubbedace]

Antialiasing: Extremely necessary
Higher resolution textures: Very necessary
Improved lighting: Highly necessary

Outright changing face sculpts: no

increased polygonal strcture of the face with new mesh and bones would, by neccesity, require new sculpts

[cutestfox]

increased polygonal strcture of the face with new mesh and bones would, by neccesity, require new sculpts

You can improve topology and remove the nasty low poly edges without redesigning or re-rigging the face
Gposers have created the most beautiful expressions with the current system that would have been a dream to have ingame
The current system was not deficient to the point that this needed to be done

[Fawkes]

increased polygonal strcture of the face with new mesh and bones would, by neccesity, require new sculpts

New sculpts don't have to look different, though. My character's mouth looks mostly the same. Other's have entirely different lip shapes, and differently shaped lipstick too.

[Evergrey]

New sculpts don't have to look different, though. My character's mouth looks mostly the same. Other's have entirely different lip shapes, and differently shaped lipstick too.

I can't say anything about why the colors are different.
But just like how each face have a different shape. Why else have multiple faces to choose from, right.
So if one face already have a base shape that works more with the update less had to be altered.
Where other faces might've not been so lucky with how they were originally shaped.

My theory at least.