Dawntrail character graphics update - opinions, requests and discussion megathread

[Daralii]

The lighting oddities aren't limited to characters either. I don't understand what's happening to the Thaliak statue here.

[cutestfox]

Edit: Placeholder post for now, I'm going to work on my own big diagram image too

[Eien713]

Hello o/

I'm still thinking there is an issue with Miqo'te eyes. The two eyes don't look in the same direction. The main reflection points aren't symmetrical on Miqo'te eyes (this is also the case with Sun Miqo'te) :





I tried to correct it with Photoshop (the upper one):



I really hope we'll get a fix.

Same thing is going on with female Elezen eyes. It's probably what gave me the impression/feeling of my character being cross-eyed. I especially feel/see it with the left eye.

[CidHeiral]

There's definitely something going on with the lighting. This can't be the way my character is supposed to look in the light D:

Looking at her facial structure the shadow location seems correct given where the light is coming from. The shadows perhaps seem a bit more dark and harsh than they realistically should be, but they were made that way after the community complained they were too soft in the first benchmark so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[NaokiMiakoda]

I really HATE!! the graphic update.

now the chars look lifeless/soulless and like bored (sorry) s*x dolls.

the male chars look like they didn't sleep for weeks and smoked weed (did you see the BIG eye bags especially at elezen and male hyuran faces?!)

no character look like before (in a bad way!!). its not about shades, etc.... the SHAPE of eyes and lips were changed!
so the chars became something you NEVER would have created...

since the update I didn't log into the game, neither renewed my abo payment...

[Eien713]

Looking at her facial structure the shadow location seems correct given where the light is coming from. The shadows perhaps seem a bit more dark and harsh than they realistically should be, but they were made that way after the community complained they were too soft in the first benchmark so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Her face never looked like that before the update in the same area and light I took those pictures. In fact, before the update, she looked beautiful in almost any lighting. The only exceptions were very few weird lighting moments (sometimes in cutscenes) that affected the other races the same way and made them look horrible/deranged, like that certain spot in Old Gridania. Also, I find that the lighting/shading in the picture you picked clashes with the corners of her mouth.

[CidHeiral]

Her face never looked like that before the update in the same area and light I took those pictures.

That is because the game had an old and busted lighting solution falling on old and busted models. You're going to see shadows where there may not have been shadows previously because they are now being simulated properly.

To think about it another way, your character's head shape is similar to one of these makeup sponges. As you can see, shadows are forming opposite to where the lighting is coming from. If the pointed end were facing down and the light coming from a bit above them as in your image, shadows would naturally form in the lower half that slopes inwards and away from the light.



I'm not saying you're wrong for feeling any which way about your new character or the changes, but what you're seeing is just how light works. The debate here is more of an artistic one than any kind of graphical error. Do you have light work as it realistically should or do you have everyone stylistically illuminated at all times? Personally I prefer the first option but that's entirely subjective.

[Eien713]

That is because the game had an old and busted lighting solution falling on old and busted models. You're going to see shadows where there may not have been shadows previously because they are now being simulated properly.

To think about it another way, your character's head shape is similar to one of these makeup sponges. As you can see, shadows are forming opposite to where the lighting is coming from. If the pointed end were facing down and the light coming from a bit above them as in your image, shadows would naturally form in the lower half that slopes inwards and away from the light.



I'm not saying you're wrong for feeling any which way about your new character or the changes, but what you're seeing is just how light works. Light wasn't working normally in the old graphics because they were very limited in what they could do.

I get what you're trying to say, but it still looks off to me. Unnatural. The shadows in the picture make it feel like she's sucking in her cheeks or something. Or maybe trying to do a failed duck-face? I dunno, it's like the shadows shouldn't meet her upper lip at the points where they do. And the corners of her mouth have light on them when they feel like they shouldn't.

[GreenLeafy]

After I got through the MSQ with the new face (got sick of reglamming my masks at the last zone), I developed a strong feeling of disinterest in seeing any more cutscenes for the unforseeable future. I have no interest in playing the patch MSQ or anything else. The face is too strange, and it's especially bad when it emotes.

Lmao ,God , I gave it a shot to run with my new face too and gave up after 1 quest. Was running an old EW quest and experienced the new smirk emote on my character.


Compared to what it looked like in EW.


I just put the headpiece and glasses afterwards since I couldn't really deal with looking stoned out of my mind in every cutscene either since my eyes are extremely dull now aswell. And man its definitely not the same experience anymore and turned into every scene being comedy when I'm looking and smiling like this.

Those new mouth corners certainly are something..
I also really lost the attachment to seeing myself in cutscenes and only really look forward to how much more jank it could possibly get as it goes on purely for comedic purposes and at the very least get a laugh out of it all.

[CidHeiral]

I get what you're trying to say, but it still looks off to me. Unnatural. The shadows in the picture make it feel like she's sucking in her cheeks or something. Or maybe trying to do a failed duck-face? I dunno, it's like the shadows shouldn't meet her upper lip at the point where they do. And the corners of her mouth have light on them when they feel like they shouldn't.

There's certainly nothing wrong with feeling that way, especially after seeing her another way for so long. It may look like she's sucking in her cheeks because that's the same area where her face slopes sharply inward.



I see what you mean about the little illuminated dots in the corners of the mouth. Perhaps there's an issue with the geometry there that's catching the light in a weird way?