Dave's Head

[Top 4ce]

I've been working on skins lately and one of my major grypes is that Dave's head is too large and is a cube. Now I don't know how hard it would be, and this is minor, but a more realistic head shape would be very cool.

(following was made by Azurite and is used with permission)
Current head texture with a "nice" face:

Spoiler: Secret... AGENT MAN~

See how every head seems really wide? Real faces are an oval shape, and having a smaller and more rectangular front section would make heads seem more plausible.

For example here's the front face of my current project:

Spoiler: Dallas

(mind you this is very zoomed in)

To make the face realistic there's a lot of space around it that I have to fill in. It looks okay on the model, however it gives it a balloon head look.

So yeah, smaller rectangle heads is my first suggestion.

 

[EtherEel]

But but....

That would upset the weapons-linkage charts, and consume 537 block IDs, and cause Galactic Warming.... Oi vey! What a nightmare.
(I will not mention my "agree" token. d'Oh! -- I mentioned it, dang-it!)

If that is your "first suggestion", what is your second?

 

[Top 4ce]

But but....

That would upset the weapons-linkage charts, and consume 537 block IDs, and cause Galactic Warming.... Oi vey! What a nightmare.
(I will not mention my "agree" token. d'Oh! -- I mentioned it, dang-it!)

If that is your "first suggestion", what is your second?

Uh.. um... (Damn, I wasn't prepared for this...)

Lock-it launchers! A seeker missile launcher for Dave!

 

[Lecic]

I like the square heads, though.

 

[EtherEel]

I like the square heads, though.

Square heads are sssoooooo 2014.... Really, Lecic, do we need to revoke your "Cool-dude" card ?!

 

[NeonSturm]

NOOO .... this would kill all trials to make ultra-cute Anime-Girl-Heads!

Some peoples will rage, a revolution will start, SM would die

 

[Lecic]

Square heads are sssoooooo 2014.... Really, Lecic, do we need to revoke your "Cool-dude" card ?!

Square heads are fine. People are just using the wrong art style, is all. You can't put a realistic face on a square head, because people don't have square heads. You need to use a more cartoony art style for your skins. Dave looks fine with his square head, and you know why? Because his face doesn't look hyper realistic.

 

[Top 4ce]

Square heads are fine. People are just using the wrong art style, is all. You can't put a realistic face on a square head, because people don't have square heads. You need to use a more cartoony art style for your skins. Dave looks fine with his square head, and you know why? Because his face doesn't look hyper realistic.

The reverse is also true. I'm having a hard time making a realistic skin, and you know why? We don't have square heads. Instead of cartoony, why not realistic.

 

[Lecic]

The reverse is also true. I'm having a hard time making a realistic skin, and you know why? We don't have square heads. Instead of cartoony, why not realistic.

Because Starmade has a mildly cartoony art style. If you make something that conflicts with the established style, it's bound to look weird.

 

[CyberTao]

Because Starmade has a mildly cartoony art style. If you make something that conflicts with the established style, it's bound to look weird.

You have to admit the head is a tad awkward even with Default Dave's body. Maybe make it a little smaller and curve some of the sharp edges so it isn't as pointy (but is still clearly a cube).

 

[Lecic]

You have to admit the head is a tad awkward even with Default Dave's body. Maybe make it a little smaller and curve some of the sharp edges so it isn't as pointy (but is still clearly a cube).

Yeah, it could use a few slight modifications. I just don't want it to be a heavily curved cube/sphere.

 

[Keptick]

A super low polygon cuvier head would probably be better, I agree. Think Snake's head in the first Metal gear solid (ok, not as curved as that but you get the point).

 

[NeonSturm]

Just remember:

NOOO .... this would kill all trials to make ultra-cute Anime-Girl-Heads!

Some peoples will rage, a revolution will start, SM would die

Perhaps there could be flexible skins together with female bodies (and boobies :D) in a later stage of SM.

 

[Azurite]

Slightly Cartoony? The default pack is in HD >.>

 

[Top 4ce]

Because Starmade has a mildly cartoony art style. If you make something that conflicts with the established style, it's bound to look weird.

I totally disagree. Default is considered an "HD" pack in the norm voxel games. It's created with a sense of scifi realism. Cartoony doesn't describe SM's art style.

EDIT: Ninja'd lol

 

[Megacrafter127]

Slightly Cartoony? The default pack is in HD >.>

HD doesn't imply not-cartoony. Regardless, in this case the outcome is the same.

 

[Lecic]

And a cartoony look can't come in High Def?

Anyway, Cartoony might not have been the best term to describe Starmade's art style, but my point still stands- Starmade doesn't really look all that realistic, and it shows that when you try and put a realistic face on a square head.

 

[Azurite]

Starmade's art style in terms of player skins is sub-par in conjunction to the game's default texture pack, in my honest opinion. The default pack and the default Dave skin don't really match. In a perfect world, the game would either go the more pixelated route, to fit Dave's skin. Or Dave's skin would be made more realistic to match the texture pack.

That's just my opinion, however. And I think that is what Top is trying to say.

Really, Instead of asking for change, I'd sooner just make my own skins and see what happens. Which is what I'm doing.

 

[jayman38]

I have become a fan of realistic skins on square heads. Example skin in the link below.

http://starmadedock.net/content/han-solo-1.1958/

 

[kupu]

Dave's head size / shape isn't the immediate problem, nor does the model look wrong amongst the SM world.
What throws it all off is the fact you have familiar features drawn on a model where no correlating geometry exists ie, chin.

The skin shown is conforming to a traditional skull shape. The shape of eye sockets, the jaw, nose, etc are dependent on the skull shape. It's simply not been drawn as if the skull is cubic.

Starmade's art style in terms of player skins is sub-par in conjunction to the game's default texture pack, in my honest opinion. The default pack and the default Dave skin don't really match.

Herein lies my eternal struggle. I am caretaker and creator simultaneously.

I've been slowly replacing old artworks, creating new ones to solidify SM's direction and having to maintain some of our current assets to simply make do until we have the time allocated to overhaul it.

Slightly Cartoony? The default pack is in HD >.>

Little of column A, little of column B. The two are not mutually exclusive. The "default" designs are being translated into low res for those who didn't know.

As far as skins go (for ALL models), i'd like to personally change the defaults shipped with the game eventually.