Maintenance for the week of September 9:
• PC/Mac: No maintenance – September 9

Is the character creation tool bugged, or what's wrong with the game?

  • ZioGio
    ZioGio
    ✭✭✭
    This is why I rarely play a human character in a video game with fine-tuned character creation options. The end results always look off. I don't have that problem with non-human characters.
    PC NA
  • SydneyGrey
    SydneyGrey
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Those lines that extend from the nose to the corners of each mouth are less apparent in the character creator. It looks like that's the biggest difference right there.
  • Donari
    Donari
    ✭✭✭✭
    I know that when I made my Imperial nightblade I was very happy with her looks, even in game. I'd gone for a somewhat rounded face, and got it. Then after a patch something went awry. Her face got gaunter, and her eyes slightly crossed (yes, the cross eyed bug was noted by many people; she got a pointy chin and chiseled cheeks on top of that). I don't seem to have any screenshots of before, which makes it very hard to define what's changed.

    But rather than a rounded face, now I have someone configured more like Lucy from the "Timeless" tv show but without the delicate beauty. I thought it might be the Brassy personality but the changes persist even with no personality selected.
  • Bonzodog01
    Bonzodog01
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think you will find that the creator also automatically runs at the highest graphical settings it can, whereas you may have lowered the graphical settings a bit for the actual game, resulting in a slightly different appearance. I found a few MMO's do this - the character creation screen shows what your characters would look like at ultra-high, with maximum shaders etc, whereas most people run a bit lower than that to get optimal FPS.
    Xbox One - EU - EP/DC
    Trying and failing to hold the walls of his Templar house up since 2015
  • JWKe
    JWKe
    ✭✭✭✭
    Had to necro this because im not sure whether to laugh or cry.
  • Lake
    Lake
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    She went to the doc for some nasolabial line fillers.
  • SirCritical
    SirCritical
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Man, the girl is just changing her mood, what's wrong with it?
  • Octopuss
    Octopuss
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Man, the girl is just changing her mood, what's wrong with it?
    PMS simulator, eh?
  • Coatmagic
    Coatmagic
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    It can be a bit of a pain with the 3 strikes you're out creation but what I normally do when creating a new character is roll it up, log it in, run around ~ if it looks off; rinse and repeat. Eventually you get a 'feel' for it, though to be fair some races are harder than others... Breton is one of the harder ones to get just right, imo.
  • bellatrixed
    bellatrixed
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    I just went through this with a new character. In game on the left, character creation on the right. I lucked out in that I like the in game version more, but... it looks nothing the same...

    unknown.png
    ESO Roleplay | RP community for all factions/servers/platforms
  • Slack
    Slack
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Try to switch graphics quality to high when creating a character.

    I did the same when I had my old graphics card and it saved me from this frustration
    Edited by Slack on May 11, 2018 8:18AM
    PC EU
    Betty Breeze - Magwarden
    Hunts S'hitblades - Stamplar
    Aschavi - Magplar
  • dsalter
    dsalter
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭
    lighting and rendering issues, the char creator has darker background but candle lighting, and several objects to load (tho a decent computer bypasses that problem) but the thing is, that kind of lighting only appears in specific story or player home scenarios.

    same is true for when char creator is in cold harbor, its to dark but lighting from surrounding is all you get to see details, skewing the final result.

    my solution? improve the creator so that is a plainish area with lighting similar to broad daylight in the overworld. hell allow us to select choices of "area" so we can see lighting at its best, one of bruma in daylight, one of coldharbor, one of morrowind ship and one of a candle filled room so we can flick between them to make the perfect look.
    Edited by dsalter on May 11, 2018 8:25AM
    PLEASE REPLY TO ME WITH @dsalter otherwise i'm likely to miss the reply if its not my own thread

    EU - [Arch Mage Dave] Altmer Sorcerer
    Fight back at the crates and boxes, together we can change things.

  • DanteYoda
    DanteYoda
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭
    Octopuss wrote: »
    If the main problem is the game's lighting system, then it's due for some major rework asap.

    5YN36S8.png


    At this point I don't feel like wasting anymore time on this :(

    From looking at your pics it seems the in game character is having nose structure issues.. if you look closely the second picture the nose area has sunk into the face a bit hence the ugly look.. also the eyes changed color..

    I noticed my ork has the same issues.. i pulled my orks nose out but in game she looks like a PuG dog..
    Edited by DanteYoda on May 11, 2018 10:07AM
  • klowdy1
    klowdy1
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Everyone is saying it's the lighting, but really your face gets all smashed up when your ship wrecks on your way to Morrowind. Just destroyed.
    Edited by klowdy1 on May 11, 2018 10:33AM
  • VexingArcanist
    VexingArcanist
    ✭✭✭✭
    The game lighting is utter crap in this game. The difference in the creation room and the actual game is vast. On the PTS the creation lighting makes your character look even BETTER. Sadly it's left there, on the creation floor.

    I could go on about the absolutely ABYSMAL lighting at most if not all outfit stations.
  • Ajaxandriel
    Ajaxandriel
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    To sum up what people found out :

    Light
    giphy.gif
    Lighting-Comparison.jpg

    Focal lenght
    Jhalin wrote: »
    different focal length

    160721_Focal-Length-Test_DSC8154-Bearbeitet_v2net.gif

    I'd add

    Angle

    The character selection screen display our characters a bit "en contre-plongée" (if someone knows how to translate that? it's like when the camera is on the ground looking to the sky = the horizon line is low)

    It means that in Selection menu, one will see a bigger part of the chin and neck, nostrills, etc.

    This, combined to hard light and shadows will make any beauty into ugliness :lol:

    Example - token editor (left) / selection menu (right)
    altary13.jpg

    On the contrary, the camera in game is set "en plongée" (levitating from the air and pointing to the ground = the horizon line is high)

    It means that one will see mainly the forehead in the characters' face.

    Example - in-game, back light (left) / front light (right)
    altary14.jpg


    Deformed perspective

    The game camera is so weirdly-eye-fished that the image on the borders of the screen is aberrant

    Compare
    - up : in-game centered character (Inventory open) with back light
    - middle : in-game centered character (Inventory open) with side light
    - bottom : in-game bordered character (Escape menu) with side light
    altary15.jpg
    She looks like...leant and bent

    One can notice this while screenshotting parallel lines. Look at these poor benches on the left :lol:
    screen36.jpg
    TESO:Triskelion - forum RP, guilde francophone
    Ajaxandriel - haut-elfe gardien 50 ;
    Altarya - haute-elfe templière 50 ;
    Angelith - elfe des bois gardienne 50 ;
    Antarius Scorpio - impérial chevalier-dragon 50 ;
    Artémidore de Corbeaulieu - bréton lame noire 50 ;
    Azothos Sadras - elfe noir sorcier 50 ;
    Celestras - haut-elfe sorcier 50 ;
    Diluviatar - elfe des mers sorcier 50 ;
    Dorguldun gro-Arash - orque sorcier 50 ;
    Hjarnar - nordique sorcier 50 ;
    Jendaya al-Gilane - rougegarde chevalier-dragon 50 ;
    Sabbathnazar Ullikummi - elfe noir chevalier-dragon 50 ;
    Selvaryn Virotès - elfe noire lame noire 50 ;
    Tahajmi - khajiit sorcière 50 ;
    Telernil - haut-elfe templier 50 ;
    Zadzadak - gobelin nécromancien 50 ;
    Zandoga - rougegarde chevalier-dragon 50
  • Violynne
    Violynne
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    If you really want to see your character change looks before your very eyes, use the light Almalexia gives you.

    Talk about a difference!
  • Lysette
    Lysette
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Well, female Nords are not that easy to sculpt in the creator. Mine has the same problem - looked ok in the character creator, much better in the character selection screen and not nearly as good in game. But it is changing dependent on time of day, weather and lighting conditions. Well, so what, my Nord is anyway kind of a tomboy and does not have to be a barbie.
  • myskyrim26
    myskyrim26
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    I create a character, make screenshots of all sliders, start a game and examine the result. I'm starting on Firemoth island, so there's an quick opportunity to see if I like the face indoors and outdoors. If something is wrong I create a new one and correct features I don't like. And try playing agan. Don't really like this way of creating...
  • MonkLoHan
    MonkLoHan
    ✭✭✭
    Octopuss wrote: »
    How is it that characters in Skyrim look pretty much the same regardless of lighting then?
    No, I think something's not entirely as it should here.

    I totally agree with you on this. But, I think the problem really only occurs with female Redguard characters in ESO. Redguards in Skyrim were BEAUTIFUL, but in ESO, after the creation, they all look terrible. I mean, no where near what they looked like in CC.

    Have you had the same issue with other races in the game?
  • VexingArcanist
    VexingArcanist
    ✭✭✭✭
    myskyrim26 wrote: »
    I create a character, make screenshots of all sliders, start a game and examine the result. I'm starting on Firemoth island, so there's an quick opportunity to see if I like the face indoors and outdoors. If something is wrong I create a new one and correct features I don't like. And try playing agan. Don't really like this way of creating...

    I've started doing this on the PTS rather than have my Live deletes always consumed and holding my creations hostage.
  • Octopuss
    Octopuss
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    New year, new bump.
    I created really nice badass Imperial female character, and when I logged in for the first time I almost threw up.

    Seriously, do something about the renderer or whatever game system is responsible, because this sucks some humongous ass!!!

    @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom
  • Ardaghion
    Ardaghion
    ✭✭✭
    If you look at my signature you'll see shots of most of my characters from the character creator. The "room" where you create your character has changed with the chapters and each room has had different lighting, FOV and rendering levels. I think all of my shots are from the Elswyer chapter.

    I don't currently have many in-game shots or a shot from the character chooser of each character but I've found that the character chooser has the worst rendering, lighting and FOV. In-game isn't too bad but I would say the "best" or closest to the character creator rendering is when you see your character face on when entering the menus. There's an obvious change in rendering and lighting.

    I'll try to get comparison shots to match up with the images in my sig, I would like to really see the difference between the different renderings. Although, looking at the shots I should probably get headshots from each rendering, probably on a single character.
    Edited by Ardaghion on January 3, 2020 4:08PM
  • Eiagra
    Eiagra
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Going to agree with those pointing out the camera focal lengths. I've tried getting good screenshots zoomed in of my character and wasn't really satisfied. I have to zoom out for it to look more natural. Having a second camera (i.e. account in 1st person mode) can point out some flaws as well (especially the texture resolution in some cases).
          In verity.
  • notvenousdrake
    notvenousdrake
    ✭✭✭
    Seeing this makes me realise how lucky I got with my dark elf necro she looks like a whole snack
  • ZOS_RogerJ
    ZOS_RogerJ
    ✭✭✭✭
    Greetings! We've closed this thread given its age, and given that some information may be out of date. If you wish to continue discussing this topic, please create a new thread.
    The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited - ZeniMax Online Studios
    Forum Rules | Code of Conduct | Terms of Service | Home Page | Help Site
    Staff Post
This discussion has been closed.