One of the most welcome features in FF14 Dawntrail is its dramatic graphics update. From the world at large to the characters, clothing, armor, and weapons within, basically every part of Square Enix’s beloved MMORPG has been given an upgrade in the new Final Fantasy 14 expansion. Yet with those changes come issues – in particular, some of the finer details on player character models are a little out of place, or don’t look quite how they did previously. In a new blog post, game director Naoki Yoshida outlines plans to rectify these over the coming patches.
Final Fantasy 14 players spend an awful lot of time with their characters. Whether you intend it at the outset or not, your chosen Warrior of Light will inevitably become incredibly important to you as you journey through the numerous expansions that have made FF14 into one of the best MMORPGs of all time. So while seeing our WoL get a glow-up in Dawntrail has been quite exciting, it’s also come with a number of gripes and qualms that, while small, can be incredibly distracting if you’ve spent hundreds or thousands of hours with the character.
“While we’ve received a lot of praise [for the 7.0 graphics update] and seen some impressive screenshots, we’ve also received a fair number of comments regarding issues with the finer details of character models,” Yoshida writes. “Most of this feedback has come from our forums. Although I can’t respond to every comment individually, I would like to personally provide an update on player character models.”
The full post is certainly extensive – Yoshida himself warns that “the discussion will involve some technical terminology.” Among the issues, the team is aiming to address many problems with “adjustments and corrections wherever possible in patch 7.1.” These include noticeable changes caused by the increased number of polygons – Yoshida gives examples such as a more pronounced philtrum; more notable skin blemishes, redness, and pores; thicker or darker-colored lips; and distinct eyebags or inner-eye shadows.
FF14 patch 7.1 should also address some other issues that the team “failed to discover” prior to launch, such as beards and scars appearing lighter on certain face types or skin tones; Au Ra scales having rough silhouettes; overly dark nose tips on certain Viera face types; floating hair that isn’t correctly attached; and glowing mouths on certain NPCs. “There is more aside from these,” Yoshida says of these bugs, “but we are aiming to implement as many fixes as we can in patch 7.1.”
Also planned for patch 7.1 are tweaks to eyelashes and eyebrows to address situations where they appear darker or thinner. Yoshida notes, “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.”
He also explains that correcting a separate issue causing eyelashes to face in inconsistent directions “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.”
Similarly, Yoshida acknowledges that some jawlines appear more rounded now, and highlights feedback that some smiling expressions “feel different from how they were before.” He explains that work on this requires corrections to the bone data of models, and that care must be taken to ensure that other expressions aren’t affected in the process. “We will proceed as quickly as possible, but ask for your patience with what promises to be a time-consuming task.”
A small number of issues have also been caused by processing effects. These include horns appearing to glow red on Au Ra characters (despite the fact they have no blood vessels, as Yoshida notes) and face paint appearing to stretch or smudge during certain facial expressions. These require more involved implementation and testing requirements, and “will most likely be addressed in patch 7.2 or later.”
Finally, Yoshida addresses some items that the team “would like to consider spec.” That’s to say that, although they might not exactly resemble the way they looked before, the team is happy with the change or has decided that attempting to adjust it would create separate problems. As such, these shouldn’t be expected to change, although Yoshida says, “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.”
FF14 live letter 83 is set to take place on Saturday September 28 from Tokyo Game Show 2024. There, we’ll get our first full look at everything coming in patch 7.1, which is expected to include the first part of the new alliance raid series and potentially a 24-player savage encounter. For more details, check out our FF14 Dawntrail combat interview with Naoki Yoshida at Gamescom to read about his plans.
Have you checked in on your FF14 Island Sanctuary since the launch of Dawntrail? If not, you’ll want to do so – and be sure to claim your FF14 free Fantasia as well.
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