Updated benchmark

[SherlottaEryut]

Just found an article explaining it all good!

[Brynne]

I've only just downloaded it (Bit late hah)
Is there a way to port my character from game to the benchmark? I can't remember the exact settings / skin tone etc
Sorry

You go on your PC to where the game saves character data (usually in Documents/My Games somewhere) and copy the Character .dat file that is associated with your character. Then go to where the benchmark saves character data (same directory, different folder) and paste the character data there. Rename it so it follows the benchmark character data format, and your character is now in the benchmark.

Just found an article explaining it all good!

Excellent lol they probably explained it better than I did.

[lunartears]

I'm not really feeling very excited for Dawntrail due to all of this. Excuse the "doomposting", but I don't feel very optimistic about the "future tweaks" at all right now. I understand developer time (I'm not asking for an immediate resolution, I know that isn't realistic) but everything feels a bit too ambigious to feel confident about. Especially when Au Ra essentially wasn't even touched (outside of limbrals) in the 1.1 Benchmark. I worry that even if the tweaks do come my character is just permanently going to have her likeness destroyed.

I just feel so disappointed following the PLL, seeing all the new places to explore and what's coming - I just don't think my experience in Dawntrail is going to be as enjoyable when I wasn't as fortunate and got very clear changes like enlarged lip size forced onto my character. I think it's great for those who are content and happy but it personally feels crushing.

I also disagree with the sentiment of Fantasia or "getting used to it", there is no way to look similar to as before if you are using very specific settings.

[Glenfiddich]

You took the words right out of my mouth. I agree with almost everything you wrote.

This where I think differently.

Especially when Au Ra essentially wasn't even touched (outside of umbrals) in the 1.1 Benchmark.

I wish they hadn't touched my Miqo'te at all.

[DemiBajamut]

I like a lot of the changes made in the updated benchmark version, however, there are there are still two issues I have with the changes: I don't like the change to the mouth and nose. My character's face is Face 2 for Male Viera.

The mouth, specifically the lips, appear to be a different shape and more flat and wider. I picked the smallest mouth option (4) but it looks like the size of the current Endwalker default mouth option (1).

The nose looks much more human-like instead of being more rabbit-like. They've made the part in between the nostrils wider. I picked the most thin/small nose option (3) but once again it looks like the current Endwalker default nose option (1).

I hope these changes can be fixed because it would be very unfortunate if Viera lose some of their rabbit-like feeling to become more human-like, that's how I feel anyways.

[Dragondancer]

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...pe-still-F-ed.

Adding a link to this thread about the problems with male miqo'te faces. My feedback is a reply to that about facial structures changed to make male miqo'te face 1 look moronic and vacant, scars too long, and eyes better than the first benchmark but still lacking the current shimmer and turning lifeless and dead as soon as you zoom out even a little.

Black hair is also washed out.

I do want to thank the devs for putting the moonkeeper fangs back, but there is so much that is still wrong as if it got translated into a bad copy.

[Plushy]

Excuse the "doomposting", but I don't feel very optimistic about the "future tweaks" at all right now.

Not to make you more sad but they never promised or said they would do future tweaks, only they would fix issues and make adjustments IF "necessary" in future patches.

I think if you try to look at it from SE PoV you might understand the spot their in.

Right now there are 3 groups.
Group 1 - that wants everything reverted back even the imperfects

Group 2 - that want changes in certain areas to look closer to 6.58

Group 3 - that's happy with the changes

No matter what SE does, one of these groups are going to be disappointed.

Group 2 I personally think is the most difficult to please because every last one of them wants only certain things changed.
For example, for simplicity say you wanted the lips to be back to how they were. Well someone else likes the lips but wants the eyes to be back to how they were.
Everybody wants something different and it's just kinda impossible to please everyone, this on top of goal post moving.

For SE it's pretty much leave the characters as is or further change the characters and then disappoint the people that already like the changes and most likely still don't please the people that wanted changes because it's not how they wanted it and at that point SE is left with group 1,2 and 3 not happy and now they'll have even more complaining, with people that liked the updated characters in the same boat as all of you.

Character updates is always difficult because characters are going to look different, it's just a fact. With more polygons, better lighting, shadows and textures the characters would never look 1:1 the same as their 6.58 even if they tried.
(Like imo your new au ra looks pretty much identical to your 6.58 au ra). But to you it looks different.

At this point I think it's better to just either make a new character or just try to get use to your new look in-game where you can dress them up and see them in varied lighting.
I don't see SE making anymore changes to characters other than bug fixes when they have other things to work on for the rest of DT and changing characters in the middle of the expansion is a terrible decision when people might have already gotten use to their look, it always installs a sense of unease if SE is fine with just casually changing peoples characters making people think their characters are never safe with the look you gave them.
The only decision to do is to add more options down the line, not revert years of work.

[faiarrow]

Not to make you more sad but they never promised or said they would do future tweaks, only they would fix issues and make adjustments IF "necessary" in future patches. (...) At this point I think it's better to just either make a new character or just try to get use to your new look in-game where you can dress them up and see them in varied lighting.

I mean this as respectfully as I can given how angry I am, especially having seen your posts get torn apart on the Japanese side of the forums from you sharing a slew of SNS links of people happy with the changes without their permission in a feedback thread just because you're happy with the update, but you do not get to police any of us who are dissatisfied by saying something as bold as 'make a new character'.

Directly from Yoshida himself:

As always, we will remain open to feedback even after the updated benchmark update and Dawntrail have been released, and will also continue to address any issues or necessary adjustments in future patches!

(There is no "IF" in there. Direct quoting is your friend.)

This is the very same man who has told us between two PLLs and a Fanfest:




And in an interview with Real Sound just in March of this year:

「『FF14』ではフォトリアルを目指すのではなく、これまでプレイヤーのみなさんが『新生エオルゼア』から10年間、一緒に歩んできたキャラクターたちの印象が変わらないということを絶対的な前提にしながら、テクスチャの解像度を上げたり、マテリアルのシェーダーを更新したり、全体的な雰囲気としてのグラフィックスアップデートによって「自分のキャラクターが総合的にパワーアップした！」という印象をいかにして持ってもらうか、が大切です。」

"Rather than aiming for photorealism in FF14, the absolute goal is that the impression of player characters, whom many have walked with for the past 10 years since 'A Realm Reborn', will remain the same. By increasing the texture resolutions, updating material shaders, and updating the graphics to create an overall better atmosphere it is important that the players can get the impression that 'my character has been absolutely powered up!'"

We are allowed to be upset. We are allowed to be angry. More importantly, we are allowed to keep sharing feedback as it is what the development team wants.

Rock, hard place, I know, but they honestly could've avoided this if they've been way more upfront and transparent about the work done when making such sweeping statements to a playerbase who have characters they've played upwards of 14 years if they came over from 1.0. It was insulting to hear in the PLL the special attention paid to things like rock textures and placement of rocks when they know that there is a large number of the playerbase upset with the character side of the updates.