I miss the days when Mage Armor was +4 to AC, but I am sure there is a reason they lowered it by 1 point. It doesn't bother me to see the glow, but I wouldn't mind it not showing up until combat. Pretty sure it isn't showing up in cinematic scenes, but I am usually playing armor wearers.
That would actually be a good guideline for designing long lasting VFX.
If it's so distracting that it needs to be completely switched off during dialogue, it's too much.
The effects are just as annoying while exploring or simply looking at your characters, or trying to get screenshots.
They lowered the AC by one point because they also lowered mundane armors by roughly 1 across the board.
