Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Argantaelle]

Is there...hope?

I'm afraid they are talking about environmental graphic improvements for 7.3 content only, like fixing floating rocks or something of the kind (just a regular pre-patch QA routine). Mr. Yoshida wants to say that 7.3 is almost ready and is going to arrive on time.

[NightHour]

Yeah and hopefully they don't wait another 4+ years to make actual improvements like when the 3 was phased out. And if FFXIV doesn't phase out 4 psn will urge them to anyway.

Indeed.

I honestly feel like the game could look and feel better if it didn't continue to support a platform that's almost a decade and a half old.


I don't want the game to look like Cyberpunk or anything, that's unrealistic for an MMO but I do feel it could look better.

Saw this post and it made me realize, the bodies of the characters seem to have higher quality on mobile. When are we getting that in the actual main game?

The mobile game doesn't use the ancient Crystal Tools engine like the main game does.

[Minepa]

I mean I'd argue I'm one of the more nitpicky ones (I've been upset about femroe eyes since, check notes, October 2023,) but a majority of my feedback has been Japanese-side because it's allowed me to be much more direct in a field they definitely are observing given the amount of posts that get culled by mods there you don't see it. I would've been enjoying an anniversary this upcoming moonfire with Sko being around since 2015 this year but instead I'm still fighting hard to actually have my character back.

80-90% of the way as things are since 7.2 is just awful.

Mobile IS updated; it uses unreal engine for a start, it's not just a texture glow up there are new polys on the models and even corrected normal maps over what we had in 2.0-6.5 models. They have some aspects of the DT GFX update in their stylings—because the project is supervised and approved by CS3/SQEX—but for the most part they stuck to their Chinese and Japanese page only PR confirmation that character graphic accuracy was going to be a key focus bringing the game to that platform. Something they deliberately omitted from the English page about the game.

Seeing my character actually exist still in a mobile game in what I'd argue is a 99% capacity vs a 90%, 1 year after Benchmark and DT release, and OVER a year since I first pointed out the eye issue, is frustrating as hell.

I respect your efforts to post on the Japanese forums as well. The Japanese forums are clearly having many posts deleted by either the devs monitoring them or someone with moderator/administrator privileges, even when the posts aren't extremely aggressive, harmful, or insulting. The threshold for post deletion feels overwhelmingly lower compared to the English forums and even discriminatory. I'm also continuing to fight mainly on the Japanese forums regarding the graphics updates since Dawntrail (characters, landscapes like the Abalathia's Spine cloudscape, etc.). I'm envious of the mobile version's design.

[Rawazh]

Now that i've seen that the mobile version of a lot of characters is way more faithful to the pre 7.0 version, do you think it would be ok to ask SE to take a closer look at it? why not implement those models in the PC game?

[noumen0nn]

Now that i've seen that the mobile version of a lot of characters is way more faithful to the pre 7.0 version, do you think it would be ok to ask SE to take a closer look at it? why not implement those models in the PC game?

Yes, we should be demanding that they do. The mobile version is proof that the graphics can be updated without sacrificing the original impression, and Dawntrail's own update was a complete failure in that regard. I've been showing the mobile graphics comparisons to friends who aren't in the loop inn order to spread word. Keep bombarding them with feedback and criticism until they are forced to listen.

[Daralii]

Yes, we should be demanding that they do. The mobile version is proof that the graphics can be updated without sacrificing the original impression, and Dawntrail's own update was a complete failure in that regard. I've been showing the mobile graphics comparisons to friends who aren't in the loop inn order to spread word. Keep bombarding them with feedback and criticism until they are forced to listen.

I'm sure the mantra will become "It's because Lightspeed gets to use Unreal instead of being chained to Crystal Tools" or "It's because the main game is being held back by the PS4" instead of entertaining the thought that the artists dropped the ball and can't, won't, or aren't being allowed to fix it.

[Astronis]

I'm sure the mantra will become "It's because Lightspeed gets to use Unreal instead of being chained to Crystal Tools" or "It's because the main game is being held back by the PS4" instead of entertaining the thought that the artists dropped the ball and can't, won't, or aren't being allowed to fix it.

It's a bit of all of it at the end tbh. They've spent the resources and manpower updating the mesh to be based on one base with added bones, that provides part of the "can't". They've already stated reasonings for the "won't" (and possibly "aren't allowed to") several months ago (at least in regards to some features)--quite a lot of people are pleased with the current results and quite a lot of other people have never known anything else because they are new players. SE values the opinions of happy customers and new paying customers as well as the opinions of older, displeased customers. SE has to balance the concerns of all of these players.

There are still a few things on some of the current faces I think could stand to be tweaked, but they're not going to go back and seriously change them or replace them with the mobile version's, risking the disruption that would cause to new (and new-ish--it's been a year) players.

[Rawazh]

The goal is not to ask them to replace them, is to ask them TO ADD the options here
Many people asked several time to have the choice between the pre 7.0 face and the new one, maybe the best compromise is to add the mobile version ?

They made deliberate choices about many faces no one asked at all, many stopped to play because of that - "don't worry we'll stay as close as the original as much as possible" and they failed tremendously, we just have to see how many posts there is on JP forums and here still talking about it!

This is starting to be tiring, no one asked for the graphic update, they decided to do that, good for them, but why are we paying the price ?
I never asked for my character to be smoothed as fuck, to answer a beauty criteria only because the culprit behind those changes, likes it ?

It's beyond me that the mobile version treats the game and it's players way better than the main one - are their goal to kill the pc game so that people migrate on the mobile? Would make sense.

[lunartears]

I only want the old EW face back. I have no idea how Au Ra will look on the mobile game but the original is irreplacable for me.

[TheDustyOne]

The mobile game doesn't use the ancient Crystal Tools engine like the main game does.

Crystal Tools was only used with 1.0, the main game uses a custom engine that borrows the render engine from an early version of Luminous. The reason for the body's low poly count is just good old PS3 limitations that Square decided to not update with the graphical changes.