Updated benchmark

[TabrisOmbrelame]

Au Ra
https://imgsli.com/MjY5MjYw/1/2

I'm sorry I laughed at this one. You didn't do it on purpose but the slight blinking make her look like : "Dude, are you for real ?". Still, that help a lot to see the change, thank you !

[Adaire99]

I don't really want to be someone who complains, but I feel like the updated benchmark was actually a downgrade for my Keeper miqo'te. I was looking forward to it, but now I'm disappointed and more than a little confused. I wouldn't normally make a post about it, but I feel like the change was pretty drastic

Current In-Game/First Benchmark/Second Benchmark


With the change to his lips, it feels like his resting expression has completely changed, and instead of a neutral/resting grumpy face, he's now constantly smiling? I tried looking at the other lip options, but it seems like they've also gained upturned edges.

Additionally, it feels like with every benchmark that Face 4 Miqo'tes become softer and rounder, and I wish I understood why. Face 4 was the only real sharp/angular face option for miqos, which is the entire reason I chose it, and I feel like it's losing its identity with every subsequent update. It was the perfect fit for a stoic, no-nonsense character, and now it just feels... well, a bit out of character. Overall, it seems like a pretty noticeable change between the first and second benchmarks, especially when I didn't think male miqos in particular were getting a lot of complaints when compared with Viera or Elezen.

As an added bonus, he's also gained a neck seam now!

[ashekandi]

I don't really want to be someone who complains, but I feel like the updated benchmark was actually a downgrade for my Keeper miqo'te. I was looking forward to it, but now I'm disappointed and more than a little confused. I wouldn't normally make a post about it, but I feel like the change was pretty drastic

Current In-Game/First Benchmark/Second Benchmark


With the change to his lips, it feels like his resting expression has completely changed, and instead of a neutral/resting grumpy face, he's now constantly smiling? I tried looking at the other lip options, but it seems like they've also gained upturned edges.

Additionally, it feels like with every benchmark that Face 4 Miqo'tes become softer and rounder, and I wish I understood why. Face 4 was the only real sharp/angular face option for miqos, which is the entire reason I chose it, and I feel like it's losing its identity with every subsequent update. It was the perfect fit for a stoic, no-nonsense character, and now it just feels... well, a bit out of character. Overall, it seems like a pretty noticeable change between the first and second benchmarks, especially when I didn't think male miqos in particular were getting a lot of complaints when compared with Viera or Elezen.

As an added bonus, he's also gained a neck seam now!

+1 to this... that was exactly my reaction. the change to the default expression and the mouth itself (also it seems like the eye shape 3 is smaller as well?) really is messing up the whole vibe of face 4. my character looks completely different to me now

[ttory]

https://imgur.com/nU0V7JU
In Dawntrail, several character(especially Lalafell and Mi'qote female)'s eye glow and lip gloss are too much. They must reduce unnecessary light effect.

[DrForester]

Miqote: "Can our fangs be longer?"
Devs: "Can do!"


Elezan: "Our nose is a off, can it be fixed?"
Devs: "You got it!"


Au Ra: "We have special eyes..."
Devs: "You have special eyes."


Hrothgals: "Can we get more than 5 hairstyles?"
Devs: "Piss off."

[AnotherPerson]

Miqote: "Can our fangs be longer?"
Devs: "Can do!"


Elezan: "Our nose is a off, can it be fixed?"
Devs: "You got it!"


Au Ra: "We have special eyes..."
Devs: "You have special eyes."


Hrothgals: "Can we get more than 5 hairstyles?"
Devs: "Piss off."

Hrothgar: Can male Hrothgars get their hunchback adjusted like male viera's posture fixes, or turned into a toggle for those who don't like the hunchback? At the very least to match female Hrothgar's straight backs?
SE: *silent*

Hrothgar treated differently and suffering in general it seems.

[Minali]

Hrothgals: "Can we get more than 5 hairstyles?"
Devs: "Piss off."

Hrothgals and -guys getting the short end of the stick.. What else is new.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love their general design, can't wait to play them! They are in general all I wanted and more! However, it is very painfully obvious how low priority Hrothgar have been (both genders) and continue to be. It's not like we're demanding special treatment - we're talking about giving Hrothgar the bare minimum literally any other race in this game has. No other race has race exclusive hairstyles limited to their face types, and they have certainly more than three to choose from. (Considering two are just the other two with minor changes on both guys and gals.. no, I don't count them as an extra hairstyle.)

Their awesome claws are also still attached to their gear. The claws exist, their position on the fingers exist, "Racial features" as a category exists. Making them a toggleable option in the character settings shouldn't be the rocket science when all parts required for this processs are right there. The claws for the Hrothguys would need some adjustment, they look kind of glued on atm, but just give them the claws from the ladies and we're good.

Also, what AnotherPerson said: Seeing several Hrothguys without a hunch in the trailer, and Hrothgals without hunch to begin with, feels really bad. It's in the game, apparently it works, so why not let us choose? Why not add a toggle for this as well, for both genders?

From day one of debates about Hrothgals there have been plenty of people voicing concerns the devs might do the same mistakes they did with the guys all over again, for years, before it was mentioned there would be a chance of getting them. And yet here we are... Considering they do indeed listen to feedback, after all this is why we got another benchmark, it is painfully obvious when ALL complaints about one race are ignored entirely, since Shadowbringers. After years they finally started adding new hairstyles to the guys - why are they limiting them for the girls now yet again? There is really no other reason for this than just poorly covering up how bad they messed up the first time, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

In other mews: I don't blame the devs for it, I didn't see anyone pointing it out and I can barely believe I missed this despite making at least a dozen Hrothgals, but they have seamlines on the arms and the neck.

[SeaSalt-IceCream]

Sorry to other players out there this post might be a little annoying and a bit gushy, but I really wanted to express how thankful I am for the development team.

I thought about posting on the JP forums, however I cannot read or speak a lick of Japanese and I knew if I used google translate my message would probably be lost in translation. I hope that if I post here one of the english community team members or any bilingual JP devs can read this and pass it on! I thought about adding another thread but I felt awkward making a new thread just for something I wanted to say.

I am sincerely grateful to all the hard work the development team did in addressing player concerns and feedback. I posted on the forums here with feedback on my character - which i wouldn't really have considered overly helpful however I tried anyway in the hopes someone would understand what my problem was, however I didn't really think anyone would address my complaints about my character because I knew they were very subjective taste, I did what I could in the character creator to adjust how I liked, however I couldn't fix his facial expressions - the way his eyes and mouth looked and every time he smiled in the benchmark I felt uneasy and unsettled.

I'm so grateful to you (the development team) that overall my concerns were addressed, I did have to make some changes based off the updated lighting to his skin and eyes, however to me this was absolutely fixable with a fantasia, and I'm happy my midlander is not only the same as he was, but vastly improved! I can't wait for Dawntrail now! I know you guys have received a lot of negative feedback and its so very close to launch and it would have been extremely disheartening to hear the harsh comments on your hard work. I didn't want to add to the voices but I'm so glad that you took that feedback and worked on addressing player concerns without taking offense or resentment to the players and it means the world to me. I know how difficult it would have been this close to launch having to address as much as you could while still having your other work on top of that. To the person who redrew the eyes and lip textures especially, thank you so much.

I have been playing as the same character model since the launch of A Realm Reborn, I thought the changes I didn't like was just going to have to be a bitter-pill I'd swallow cause overall this update would be beneficial for the health and future of the game going forward. I'm no longer disappointed or sad, I'm excited for Dawntrail and I hope you have a successful smooth launch ahead!

Please know I'm so thankful and I won't forget what you did any time soon.

(Also I'm very sorry to the other players reading this, I hope you skipped over it and ignored it. I just was so happy when I opened the new benchmark and played the trailer everything looked awesome and I wanted to express gratitude.)

[SquidzureDragoon]

Overall, I am happy with the changes, but I will say that in the updated benchmark, they took away the only I liked: my bunboi's lil nose fuzz. Now he just has a hyur nose and he doesn't look like my bunboy. I tried other noses, as well, but none of them (for Rava, at least) have the little dark patch of fuzz no matter the lighting or angle, and that's kind of heartbreaking to me since it's similar to au ra limbal rings and moonkeeper fangs: a unique racial feature.