Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida, aka Yoshi-P, has posted an update on the revamped Dawntrail benchmark that will replace the first one launched last month. May 23 is the tentative release date for the new benchmark but Yoshi-P notes it is not a confirmed date and it could end up launching later that week.
The lengthy Lodestone post also went over the reworks the development team has been implementing based on player feedback from the April benchmark’s character creator. On the docket first was fixing the environmental parameters that didn’t reflect Dawntrail’sgraphical updates and were impacting character appearance. According to the post, elements like lighting, positioning of light sources, and weather fall under this category. Yoshi-P’s final inspection of the team’s updated environmental parameters is scheduled to begin tomorrow, May 3.
The bugs and data processing issues discovered via screenshots submitted by players are also being addressed and are a couple of weeks from completion. Yoshi-P expects final reviews of those elements to begin on May 16.
While his post was meant to keep players updated on progress for the new benchmark, it’s important to mention that these improvements aren’t limited to just the benchmark software. The graphical enhancements and adjustments coming to the new benchmark are also being inserted into the launch version of Dawntrail. This would probably explain the team’s sense of urgency as the new expansion’s July 2 launch date is fast approaching.