nyaawn

[nyaawn]

yes, yes

#FFXIV #yep that shot really isn’t flattering lmao

[nyaawn]

#yeah #true story #FFXIV

[nyaawn]

Graphics Update & Derplander's face: A Research

or My Shallow Attempt to Make Sense Why That DT Derplander's Face Look So Oddly Different. For Science.

(Ok I know the benchmark has been out for more than a week and a lot has been said about it, but I was busy and only had time to mess around with it recently. Tho actually no I didn't have time and I really should sleep rather than spend my remaining braincells mulling over freaking fictional character's face. But pesky part of my brain would keep bothering me about it otherwise. So let me try putting my finger on it)

On last Live Letter broadcast they open with benchmark trailer. I thought, "Oh nice. Since I also play a Derplander I can just watch their trailer to see the graphic update on his fac---"

.

.

.

"... ...... .....Who is that?"

This Derplander was so confused and as Derplander main I was left deeply concerned.

What the heck happened?? Is it the update? Is it the new hair? Hair change can change his face so much? Why he look so off? Whhhyyyyyyyy-------

Benchmark downloaded, I embarked to find the truth *insert dramatic bgm here*

First thing in my mind, well we see that in livestream, of course streaming quality would made it look bad. Hence I start with running the benchmark right away with default character setting. The result, now I have better image quality, I can clearly see his skin texture etc and he does looks better, but still so different than what I used to. Oh dear am I doomed with this graphic update.... Well let's see how he fare in character creator next. I put in the usual Derplander/Ardbert face setting: Hyur, Midlander, medium build, Face type #5 or #7.... Hmm wait they touch up Face#7?

Yep, Face#7 isn't simply 'Face#5-with-stubble-slapped-on' anymore. There's plenty of contouring going on now. It's like make up, tho irl people use it to look flawless, here they use it to make him more flawed lol. Frown lines, dark and bright smudges to increase the rugged appearance. That highlight on his forehead almost distractingly so. It sure make his brow bones look like they jut out a lot more. Maybe that's why his forehead look so bright and prominent in that trailer? But all in all they do give the face more dimension and suitably older without changing the face model itself, which is smart. Other than contouring, they only change the eye shape a bit with sharper corner. Oh and thicker eyebrows, for some reason...

Alright, that cover the face type. Moving on with the rest of his face: Eye#1, Nose#1, Lip#1. No big change with them, at least none that I can see. Next, color: eyes blue, no lip coloring. Done!

The result... is still the Derplander that I know and familiar with. Older and more rugged, yes. But that's him alright.

WAIIIIT,,,, everyone else complain that their character look off in Character Creator but look alright in benchmark cutscene, why I'm the opposite?? I think he look okay in CC but look different in cutscene. Wth happened here?

Still scratching my head, I throw him into benchmark and...

Oh. Oooh, I see now.. Apparently, they didn't use that setting anymore...

I made wrong assumption that they use Derplander usual character setting as default WoL like in previous benchmarks. Then further assumed the change I saw was chiefly because of graphic update. But as you can see, for default they use different nose and jaw. Add those to the change with face type I mentioned above. It's not that the DT trailer Derplander's face feel different. It is different face.

*headdesk* OKAY PROBLEM SOLVED I GUESS (ﾉಥ▿ಥ）ﾉ彡┻━┻

.........

Naaah, I already staring at his face for so long only to reach such anticlimactic conclusion. Let's stare some more! *sunkcostfallacy*

Well, ignoring the new hairstyle and its floating sideburns (kek), now they use jaw#4 and nose#5, I think? And tho it can't be seen clearly in that gif quality, they also change his eye color. Before I thought it's just because of lighting, but they really change them to green hue rather than his previous blue (you got Mako-juiced bro?). I think I understand why they made those change tho. When paired with his old face, that new hairstyle can make his lower face look strangely short/squished (which was my concern when they unveil that hair in cg trailer. Even in real life that kind of hairstyle could mess with head balance). Hence the change to wider, longer jaw. And to balance that jaw, bigger nose. Dunno what with his eye tho.

It's not very noticeable but there's one more change they made, however it's one I completely onboard with: His skin color. After giving his CG counterpart a tan (hooray!), finally they also give his in-game model a (veeeeerrry sliiight) tan (still HOORAAY!). I've been saying for years that he look too pale. WoL supposedly running around under the sun all the time, why in tarnation he was still as pale as milk. This time, though I only eyeballed it, from various comparison pic I think I can say with some confidence they had moved quite a few step down that skintone table:

I would prefer they also take a step to the right (which is the skintone that I give to my own WoL, and even with that I still often think mine's too pale. But to change it I need to pay for another fanta, so I left him be), but hey baby step. At least he's more strawberry milk now rather than just milk.

Anyway, others might not think he look that different from before. But maybe since I played with him for thousand and thousand of hours, even a slight difference can cause uncomfortable sense of wrongness. This is also the case for numerous players who complained that their WoLs looks off, I guess. Though their case certainly isn't a dumb character setting mistake like mine, that graphic update sure can change character's vibe. Fortunately after scrutinizing it for some time, I think I can live with it? At least for most part..

The update change lighting and texture across the board, and maybe some modeling too? For characters, one of most visible overhaul is their skin. In that skin, well, look even more like skin, for better or worse. In face type#5 /#7 that Derplander use, his laugh lines and sunken cheek are fairly discernible now.

Same chara setting, very similar angle and lighting, across different builds. With the new lighting shadow falls more naturally, in effect giving a rounder, less dramatic impression. But more than that, those visible facial lines along with further detailed eye wrinkles make him seem a looot older. While the guy in the left might go "I'm going on an adventure!", the man in right look tired of all worldly affairs..

That said, I don't mind it that much. I want my WoL to look older with time, so I'm okay with this. Players who also use this face type but don't want their WoL to suddenly turn into middle aged man might feel different, however. Not to mention the more realistic facial lines could push it towards uncanny valley. Will need some time to get used to it, that's for sure.

But one graphic update quirk that I'm less enthusiastic with is: eyeline. I wonder, it seems there's something going on with how this new lighting interact with eye area, in that when eye rim fall under shadow of something the eyeliner immediately goes wild:

See his left eye? Nothing else change here, just his hair. But when his eye fall under shadow of sidebangs, bam. Thick eyeliner make its glorious appearance and suddenly he look super evil (Tho to be fair this shot is hardly flattering and most WoLs I saw look highly menacing there. It's just those dark rims brought him an extra malm). Maybe this is why many Viera players complained about weird eyelines? Thankfully in other lighting/ non-closeup those eyeliners seems to go away. In other scenes all version of him looks okay enough.

.............

So TL:DR I made mistake assuming the odd difference I saw was because graphic update, while in reality it's because they use different face setting altogether. I think I'm going to be fine just using Derplander's old setting going forward as thankfully the update didn't change him too badly. Imo for most part I think the new graphic looks superb even.

But yeah that eyeliner man. I hope they can tell it to chill down a bit. I'm looking forward to the further adjustment they said they'll do. Hopefully Derplander can retain his fairly nice guy, slightly derpy look that we know and love, and less looking like a guy who's ready to start his villain origin story.

........or maybe he already started? 🤔

oh well thanks for glancing at my TED talk. Ima going to sleep now...

#random ramblings #much longer than I thought... #FFXIV #FF14 #ffxiv benchmark #FFXIV Dawntrail #hasn't check my alt miqo yet kekkk

[nyaawn]

That’s sooner than expected..

#FFXIV #random ramblings #I dont know if I should be happy or sad #its good theres more to play #but by the mothercrystal TIME I NEED TIMEEE SOBS #*try to summon alexander to stop time so I can do everything I need to do* #but work is endless OTL....

[nyaawn]

Hmm that new ffxvi keyart look very familiar somehow, I wonder wh—

Oh. Ooooh....

#FFXVI #FFXIV #random ramblings #ngl I stared at it for 10 min feeling almost certain I had seen it b4 but it cannot be #their pose also similar to xiv promo art where WOLs fight ifrit kek #xiv dna is all over it eh #and not just because its the same artist lol #I hope there’s mechanic where Clive have to put up barrier or wipe #for maximum callback

[nyaawn]

*side-eyeing that new FFXVI trailer super hard* ....So that ‘this new DLC won’t change the ending’ comment is bullshit, right?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhtt.....?

(in other hand, hey they use the Awakening trailer song! That song lives! Glory to Soken!)

#FFXVI #Rising Tides #random ramblings #ffxvi spoilers #I don’t even care anymore to be mad if we have to pay for true ending #just save little bro please #stop killing your characters squenix please (T0T ) #the dlc out 18 april btw #meanwhile I haven’t even finish ffvii rebirth aaaaahhh

[nyaawn]

That FFVII Rebirth opening

#FFVII Rebirth #random ramblings #like #they put that as opening??? LOL wtf #well well whatever wackery they gonna pull I'm in bring it #I only got to play a bit I really need to sleep sigh #but so far so goood #also HD TOWN FINALLY #and of course my directionally challenged ass got lost lmao #but seriously its great #also also 4 hours in and I still playing cards #they wasn't kidding about minigames in this game #this going to be a long playthrough

[nyaawn]

#true story #cat pics and game stuff

[nyaawn]

I never thought I would live to see Sephiroth shilling udon, not to mention shilling udon in big fox tail and ears, with official approval from Square Enix no less

"Cloud, I want to ask something of you..... would you like to eat donbei udon?"

I'm dying

(watch the one-winged udon seller in full glory)

#FFVII #FF7 #Final Fantasy VII #Sephiroth #ff7 rebirth #ffgraphics #what crazy timeline I just fell into #tho tbh this is a better career path for you Seph #since ffxv cup noodle era squenix and nissin really become bff aint they #also somehow with porsche? #I want to be fly in the wall when their marketing team planning their collab

[nyaawn]

#life goal #so peaceful #cat loveee

[nyaawn]

#true story

[nyaawn]

#FFVIIR #FFVII Rebirth #this game is so extra i love it #imagining cloud silently passing that shade to aerith from offscreen

[nyaawn]

Cat + Moogle + Cloud = Cutest murder totem <3

#FFVII Rebirth #FFVII #Final Fantasy VII #ffgraphics #Cloud Strife #Cait Sith #Moogle #I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS #awww #awwwwww #and that Mog short confusion like “Here hold this” “Eh? Eh what is-- Oh. Ooooh Okay~" #awwww again #ok my demo dl finish soon ima stop gifing now

[nyaawn]

Smug Cloud.

#FFVII Rebirth #FFVII #Final Fantasy VII #Cloud Strife #ffgraphics #yea yea it sure looks cool and all but #would be funny if the last bullet smack him right on face after that #and that one graze your neck dude it did dont blame it on graphic glitch!

[nyaawn]

Confident good boy is great

#FFVII #FFVII Rebirth #Final Fantasy VII #Red XIII #Nanaki #im so happy this game looks properly silly

[nyaawn]

Get in loser, we're going to Nibelheim.

#lol #still 1 hour left for me till the demo downloaded sobs #why i cant cast haste on my internet why #oh well its 50 gb i cant really blame it... #FFVII Rebirth

[nyaawn]

Square Enix and spoiler-filled trailer, name a better worst couple

#random ramblings #FFVII Rebirth #FFVIIRebirth SoP #XVI team trailers made me lower my guards #do they really need to show all that? DO THEY?? #ARRGHH #oh well its too late hopefully I can scrub my memory latter #now the demoo come to meeee