Custom Faces in Armed Assault

[houdini]

Did you know that Armed Assault allows for custom faces in game? Well, actually, this is an old capability from the OFP days, but many new players are unaware of this small, yet definitive, capability.

This post will help you get set up with your very own custom face!

1) First, have a look at this BIS forum topic that sort of explains it all: BIS FORUMS: Custom Faces

2) If you're not willing or able to make your own, never fear! There are plenty of folks out there who are hard at work, even as I type:

Here's a RAR file with the default faces from the game (free registration required at Armed Assault Zone): BloodOmens ArmA FacePack v1

3) Over at Armed Assault.eu, they've been collecting custom faces in an image gallery...just pick the one you want and save it to your computer (I'll tell you what to do with it in a bit): Armed Assault.eu - Custom Face Gallery

If you decide you've got the photoshopping skillz and want to have a go at it, you can start with this face template that I mugged from the BIS forums:



Here are some basic guidelines for using your custom face in a multiplayer session:

1) Standard square dimensions divisible by 8: i.e. 64x64, 128x128, 256x256, 512x512, etc
2) File size less than 96kb (some say 97kb, some say 100kb...keep it less than 96kb for safe measure)
3) .jpg or proprietary .paa file (.paa file greatly increases file size and is not recommended)
4) Save the file in the My Documents/ArmA Other Profiles/USERNAME directory as face.jpg
5) Select your custom face under your character selection screen. Even though the custom file is saved as face.jpg, in-game you select "CUSTOM" under the face options.

Known Issues:
1) If you can't connect to a MP session with a custom face check the above file dimension and size requirements. The server will tell you that you've been kicked for an invalid face file.

2) If you still can't connect to a MP session (after #1 above was checked), then you may be trying to connect to a server that's imposed a further size restriction on client-side information. You may want to create a backup face.jpg file that is scaled down or re-compressed to meet a 40kb size requirement and try again. I've never had a problem with this, but worth a try anyway.

3) If you connected to an MP session but the skin is missing (your character is completely white), then you haven't met the size requirements above. Never seen this in person, but I'm sure it happens.

4) The skin is there, but it looks washed out or pale. Consensus is that its due to your ATI card. NVIDIA seems to display custom faces properly. Some have tried darkening the skin texture in PhotoShop, but all this does is make your custom face look too dark to all the NVIDIA users out there you're trying to impress. I wouldn't recommend this...besides you can't even see your own custom face on our servers since we don't allow 3rd person view. Another option that seems to work is to save the face file as a .paa file. Apparently, this cures the "pale face" syndrome but greatly increases the file size and requires you to decrease resolution. Just let your buddies enjoy your funny looking mug and get on with it.


O.K...if I've forgotten something, I'm sure one of you wiseguys will let me have it....so until then:


let's see your face!

[Jeepo_SAS]

hmmm, i downloaded one from armedassault.eu.....but its is just plain black! Not meant to be!....

[houdini]

Originally Posted by Jeepo_SAS

hmmm, i downloaded one from armedassault.eu.....but its is just plain black! Not meant to be!....

Some of those custom faces are larger than the requirements I listed above Jeepo. Check to make sure the face you downloaded meets the requirements. If not, you'll have to resize the picture using a photo editor.

[Jeepo_SAS]

I cant get the faces to work, spent an hour one day, they all the wrong size+dont no how to resize em!i got em from that armaassault.eu site, all 512 x 512, but i cant dl them, have to save em, and saves as 400 x 400 etc.!

[WhiskeySix]

hmmmm... so how do you see the custom face in-game?? how do you test it? I see it in the edit-profile window, but that doesn't help much - I want to see it with the sunlight and HDR effect

[WhiskeySix]

oh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNqlxFHTzPs

[WhiskeySix]

posted this in the 12th forum, but figured I'd post it here as well:

Originally Posted by WhiskeySix

here's what I ended up with - this gonna be an issue?




jk - Suggest you guys go w/ the 'what's obscene' rule of "we know it when we see it" for the custom faces... wouldn't expect many problems.


anyway - here's what I REALLY ended up with....

The tattoo's are pretty easy - just find the face template and draw on the arm. The Sunglasses are a pain because A) you need separate textures for the part of the glasses covering the face and the part of the glasses covering the part of the eye that blinks... getting those to match is a PITA B) The eye area of the texture gets stretched really funky, so to get the glasses to look square on the 3d model you have to draw it very non-square in 2d. Finally, C) they're basically painted on, so getting them to look 3d took quite a bit of trial and error.

Here's a few things that will help...

First, here are two custom missions that you can use to view your creation: missions.zip (2kB). Extract this to your My Documents\ArmA Other Profiles\me folder, then in game, access them via the single player missions. One mission has you as a sniper to better see your face. The other has you as GI, where your sleeves are rolled up.

Once you load a mission, you have to go to the "tactical view" (Numpad Del and/or double-tap Space). to see yourself. Use Num-/Num+ to zoom in and out. The tricky thing is that the available zoom depends on the weapon zoom you have when you enter tactical view. If you've got a sniper rifle and are looking through the scope when you go to TacView, you can zoom all the way in (how I got these shots). If you're not zoomed in, or using an iron-sights weapon, you wont be able to get a good view of the face...


Second, here's a more accurate wireframe:

Use that to see what part of the texture is mapped to which part of the 3d figure.

[peardog]

I really like that Whiskey.. Specially the Sunglasses..

[BigGaayAl]

I like the zombie in the first pic lol .

[jex]

Does anyone know how to get a .paa file to show - .paa's are needed as people with ATI cards see jpg images all washed out. By converting it to a .paa it looks the same to all but then how do you use it??

[Gillespie]

Not sure. I know .paa files are usually found in .cpo folders within the game folders (sort of like .zip/.rar files, but you have to use a CPO extract program).

So users would have to download modified files for those to show up? Not sure.

[Gillespie]

I fiddled around for a while and made this:



I tried to put my own face into the game, but it looked all weird and I didn't have the patience to figure out the wireframe, so I just took a pre-existing ArmA face and added some Wiley-X eyepro and some gloves from Blackhawk.

[vanity11]

Can you take a picture of someone's face and use that for the character? If so, how much would it cost for someone to do that for me?

[=Sarc=]

Originally Posted by vanity11

Can you take a picture of someone's face and use that for the character? If so, how much would it cost for someone to do that for me?

Yeah, you just have to edit the photo to fit the texture template. I doubt anybody would take money to do the job or would charge far too much to make it worthwhile.

[jex]

However the shape of the arma heads is set, meaning if u have a different face shape, it'll look all weird. You'd need someone to 3d model your head for it to work right