Hello, everyone. Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida here. I'd like to thank everyone for your feedback on the first phase of the graphical update released alongside Patch 7.0. While we've received a lot of praise and seen some impressive screenshots, we've also received a fair number of comments regarding issues with the finer details of character models. Most of this feedback has come from our forums.
The Development team, Operations team, and QA team have carefully reviewed everyone's concerns, including posts made on various social media platforms, and held thorough discussions and tests to determine the best way forward.
Although I can't respond to every comment individually, I would like to personally provide an update on player character models. Namely, I would like to address certain bugs and feedback, then illustrate our policies and what items are considered spec. There is a lot to go over, and the discussion will involve some technical terminology, so I apologize for the length.
Rough Timelines and Policies for Upcoming Fixes
Independent of the specific areas addressed, we were able to divide feedback into several categories. I will provide examples of issues for each, as well as an update on the details and timeline of plans to address them.
1. Noticeable changes due to the improvement of polygons and normal mapping
As a result of the graphics update, the increased number of polygons and the improved accuracy of a form of bump mapping called normal mapping have caused character model parts to appear slightly different than they did up until Patch 6.58.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of the issues reported. These issues occur with specific race/face types and are not universal.
- The depth of the area from below the nose to the upper lip (the “philtrum”) has become more pronounced.
- B. The slight corners of polygons originally present disappear when viewed at a downward camera angle of approximately 45 degrees.
- C. Skin blemishes, redness, and pores are more noticeable with certain face types.
- D. Certain face types have thicker or darker colored lips.
- E. The corners of the mouth appear to be lifted or lowered with certain face types.
- F. The shape of polygons around the eyes, including the eyebags and inner eye shadows, appear slightly different with certain face types.
While these are just a few examples, we intend to make adjustments and corrections wherever possible in Patch 7.1. Our aim is to modify polygon shapes and normal mapping accuracy in such a way that our changes don’t appear drastic when compared to current data.
As noted previously, these issues are a result of the improvements made to graphical and computational accuracy, which have resulted in smoother visuals and a clearer representation of what was intended by the original data. However, differences─even if minor─can be seen when compared to Patch 6.58 and prior, and after extensive testing, we will do our best to fix these discrepancies.
2. Feedback on eyelashes and eyebrows
Most feedback received on eyelashes and eyebrows falls into the previous category, but we've found that many players are satisfied with the current resolution and shapes. Therefore, we will take caution when proceeding with adjustments.
Eyelashes in particular are being affected by several issues. With the improved accuracy of semi-transparent rendering, more light is transmitted, making eyelashes appear thinner. We also layered multiple textures in order to make up for their low resolution, but with the recent resolution increase, this resulted in darker eyelashes. When we decreased the number of textures to accommodate, noticeable differences emerged. It should be noted, however, this issue only affects a select few face types. As with the first category, we intend to address this issue in Patch 7.1.
3. Time-intensive adjustments
Among the items listed in points 1 and 2, some of the feedback-based adjustments we are considering for specific races and face types have the potential to drastically impact program processing or character facial expressions. This is not to say the adjustments won't be made, only that we will need extra time to make the necessary corrections.
Some examples of these issues include:
A. Inconsistent eyelash facing
This also concerns the eyelash issue, but specifically addresses feedback on how the direction eyelashes grow and are oriented has been affected. The graphics update applied to eyelids introduced higher quality polygons and normal mapping, which in turn caused some eyelashes to appear to face or grow in slightly different directions.
Correcting this issue will entail work of a considerably meticulous nature, and care must be taken to avoid introducing problems to facial expressions, such as having eyelashes appear to jump out or float during the movements. Taking these difficulties into account, eyelash adjustments may not be completed before the release of Patch 7.1.
Furthermore, there may be some cases where new problems occur no matter what adjustments we try to make, so please be prepared for the possibility that certain instances of this issue must be left in their current state.
B. Rounding of jawlines and changed smiling expressions
We have received feedback that the jawline for certain face variations is more rounded when compared to Patch 6.58. We found that the difference experienced in some cases could be attributed to the lighting update, but for others, there was a slight but definitive change to the curve of the polygons.
This issue is related to the factor discussed in point 1, wherein an increase in polygons has resulted in a smoother-looking jaw. Going forward, we will be making small adjustments to revert the affected jawlines as close as possible to their 6.58 appearance.
That said, many of the jaw's polygons are linked to the bones or rig of the character model─what you might call the body's “bone data”─and even minor tweaks could cause problems with the data for changing facial expressions. This will require a lengthy process of careful changes and testing, and it is likely adjustments won't be completed in time for Patch 7.1.
We have also received feedback that “smiling” expressions for a number of races feel different to how they were before, and a fix for this issue will be included in our planned adjustments. As outlined with the jaw issue above, however, this will entail corrections that link to the “bone data.” Tweaks to adjust smiling can potentially affect other expressions, requiring we spend sufficient time verifying a problem-free solution.
We will proceed as quickly as possible, but ask for your patience with what promises to be a time-consuming task.
C. Special processing effects
While not an excessively large amount, there are a number of issues which can only be resolved with new programming fixes. These cases will most likely be addressed in Patch 7.2 or later due to program implementation and testing requirements.
Some specific examples include:
This issue is the result of processing improvements that enhanced body textures by having sunlight and other light sources permeate, be absorbed, or be diffused when contacting skin. While the process itself functions correctly, the fact that Auri horns have no blood vessels does indeed make for a strange sight when permeating sunlight creates a reddish glow. We plan to expand the processing parameters to account for this hiccup, but it will take some time. We apologize for this oversight.
- Face paint appearing stretched and smudged when making certain facial expressions
This issue is mainly a result of increased polygon count, but as face paint shares the same texture across every race, it is not possible to make changes that target specific expressions of specific races. We are currently seeking an alternative solution, and apologize that a fix could not be found in time for Patch 7.1. We ask for your patience as we continue to work on this issue.
This is only a partial list, but rest assured that we are planning to address as many of your concerns as possible. Although it may take some time, we will be working hard to implement all the necessary adjustments and added processes.
4. Issues to be fixed
This section covers the issues that we failed to discover, that are being observed in situations such as layering, simply on account of there being such massive amounts of data to review and process. It is impossible to provide a comprehensive list, but below are a few examples.
- Beards and scars appear lighter on certain face types, when paired with specific skin tones (processing issue).
- The scales on the faces and bodies of Au Ra have a rough silhouette in certain areas (visible at higher resolutions).
- Hair floats slightly in certain areas (polygon surface joining adjustment error).
- The mouths of certain NPCs appear to glow (data issue).
- The nose tips of certain Viera faces appear extremely dark (adjustment oversight).
There is more aside from these, but we are aiming to implement as many fixes as we can in Patch 7.1 for the items you have raised in your feedback that have been determined to be bugs. We apologize for the delay in discovering these issues.
5. Items considered spec
Lastly, I will discuss the items that we would like to consider spec. While there aren't many, this covers those effects that had been achieved by hand, and were updated to undergo proper processing to produce natural results.
A good example are eye highlights. In response to feedback from benchmark 1.0, the highlights were adjusted to be stronger when a light source hits the eye. While it is possible to increase the strength by changing the values, this would result in eyes glowing whether it's day or night, resulting in an unnatural look, and so we ask that this be considered spec.
While highlighting by hand has its merits and looks good in certain situations, in others it looks bad, with oddness in dark scenes and mismatch between light source and highlight in screenshots. The quality would be uneven.
That said, we have received reports where one eye isn't being highlighted even though there appears to be a light source. We are currently taking a close look at the processing, and reproducing the issue as we try to determine if the cause might be something like the shadow cast by hair or headgear. For this, we are also investigating areas such as the placement of lighting during group pose.
In addition to the above, due to the big upgrade to FFXIV's lighting, shadows that were previously not accurately rendered have become clearer. As a result, even if nasal cavities and the like are the exact same shape pre-6.58 and post-7.0, they may appear different depending on such things as camera angle, weather, and lightning. We also ask that you consider these cases as spec, and thank you for your understanding.
We apologize for not being to respond to all your feedback individually. We are also aware of and are giving considering various items that we couldn't cover above, and we will endeavor to answer your passion to the best of our ability. Even regarding items that are spec, although it may be difficult at this time, in the future we will look into adding more character creation options, among other things. It will be a long-term undertaking, but we will continue in our efforts.
That concludes this report. My apologies again for the delay, and thank you for your continued support!
Naoki Yoshida
FINAL FANTASY XIV Producer & Director
