Sumskilz's Unit Creation Blog

[Achilla]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Some faces that I created for our ethnically Persian units:

I’d like our units to be as diverse as possible when it comes to faces. So my approach will be to create a number of regional/ethnic face sets rather than having the typical generic European or Middle Eastern faces.

Here is a WIP of a Fatimid “captain” that I may or may not end up using:

The point of posting him is just to show what can be accomplished by combing pieces from previous units and then doing some light retexturing. In this case, he is made by combining pieces from the Haras al Sudani and the Arab cavalry unit posted further up the page.

That's absolutely fantastic! I don't know why, but this set of faces looks much more natural ; you can even sense the warrior spirit behind them. There is something that makes them look unique but balanced at the same time ; not out of place, but yet intriguing.

I don't know how much time was put into them, but this is a real gem!

[Walkman810i]

Yes the faces are really nice. I too would like to know how much time approximately you spent on doing those faces because I've always been curious about it.

[sumskilz]

Yes the faces are really nice. I too would like to know how much time approximately you spent on doing those faces because I've always been curious about it.

Thanks. I think it took about fifteen hours, so about three hours per face including the time it takes to adjust the model. In many cases I create the model first and then create the texture to fit it. With faces, I create the texture first and then adjust the model to fit the texture. I usually don't exactly know what the face will look like until I put it on the model. That's when they sort of come to life to me. I get a sense of their personality and I adjust the model to fit that. It might sound weird but I have to go by the imaged personailty I have for them or I'll never be able to decide on anything.

For example:

When Absinthia first saw this guy he commented that "he looks like a very dangerous man" and was like yeah, that's exactly what I was going for with him.

I don't know why, but this set of faces looks much more natural

There is slightly more variation between them and I think I just get a little better with each set I make. I always have to resist the temptation to try to rework what I've already finished in order to bring it up to the standards of my latest work.

[sumskilz]

Most of these have already been in previews, but here are some sub-Saharan African faces:



I have a lot of European face textures finished already, but I've been working on the Fatimid faction so I have gotten around to finishing the models.

[gustave]

The first one looks a bit too white imo, it may look strange if they all use the same bodies. However, the others are amesome and very realistic. Great job !

[Achilla]

The first one looks a bit too white imo, it may look strange if they all use the same bodies. However, the others are amesome and very realistic. Great job !

I'm more than sure it'll look quite different in the game itself. And I doubt it's 'too white'. That's overgeneralisation, it has lighter tone for a reason.

[sumskilz]

I'm more than sure it'll look quite different in the game itself. And I doubt it's 'too white'. That's overgeneralisation, it has lighter tone for a reason.

For that guy, I was thinking of some of the people who live in the Sahel region who have some typically sub-Saharan features and a bit of a North African look as well.

Daby Touré for example:


Or this Fulani man:


I think Gustave meant "too light" rather than "too white" and he was talking about the practical issue of unit making where each head needs to match every possible body combination. This is one reason why most units have relatively the same skin tone within them. In a case where the only other part of the body showing is the hands, it's easy to make a different set of hands to match each face because they don't take up much room on the texture. That is what I did for the Al Haras al Sudani unit I made. If I make a unit that has more skin showing though, I will have to match the skin tones more as Gustave pointed out.

[JonathanB]

Absolutely amazing work! You do have the skills!

[Bernem]

Those faces look great, they remind me a bit of M&B

[gustave]

I think Gustave meant "too light" rather than "too white" and he was talking about the practical issue of unit making where each head needs to match every possible body combination.

Indeed ! My english is bad and sometimes I don't choose the right words...Keep up the good work !

[Meister Röhrich]

Fantastic work, those units look way more lively and natural than vanilla's, almost photo-realistic in an adequate environment! (Btw, just humbled over name Haras al-Sudani, I know it's petty but shouldn't it be Haras as-Sudani?)

[sumskilz]

Fantastic work, those units look way more lively and natural than vanilla's, almost photo-realistic in an adequate environment! (Btw, just humbled over name Haras al-Sudani, I know it's petty but shouldn't it be Haras as-Sudani?)

Thanks.

I'm fairly certain the name is correct because I checked it with Jermagon who is a native speaker of Arabic and it also fits the same grammatical pattern as most of the other unit names he gave us. I think I have seen as used interchangeably with al, so I wonder if it is a dialectal variant of the same definite article or if it has a different meaning.

[Meister Röhrich]

Hmm, ok, this could indeed be a matter of dialect, I'm learning arabic for about four months now and one of the first rules I had to learn was the assimilation of the "l" from the article "al" when standing before specific letters like z or s, but this could maybe differ from region to region like it is very often in the arabic language and as Jermagon is a native speaker I think we can trust him more in this issue. Where does he come from?

[tibu17]

sumskilz this faces to middle eastern and Sahara Nubian are good.
Fantastic!!!!!

[VINC.XXIII]

Please take the face of Ahmadinejjad like iranian face...its a great man you know.

[predadan79]

Verry good job m8, I almost can't wait to play the game!!!!

[sumskilz]

Thanks guys.

Please take the face of Ahmadinejjad like iranian face...its a great man you know.

Oh careful, don't make this place like the political mudpit. Ahmadinejad est très controversé, but I get what you mean. I agree that he has a very classic look. I think one of my Persian faces looks a little bit like him actually, but I wouldn't want it to look exactly like him since our time period is a before he was born.

Fatimid shields, y'all.



EDIT: They will look a little different in the game because I only create normal map textures for the leather, not the paint, which makes them look more natural. Also the yellow on the lower right will be slightly sparkly because the paint used had small flakes of gold mixed in, but I will have to add that with the alpha channel.

[VINC.XXIII]

Of course, Sumskilz,I agree.
http://img188.imageshack.us/i/dangerousman.jpg/

A french actor(algerian or marocan ascendency) looks exactly to this "dangerous man", save his skin color less brown , and this actor ever have roles of dealer, corrupt policeman...

[crazyguy1916]

Spectacular work! I can't wait to see some more previews

[PyrrhusofEpirus]

Always love your work, sumskilz. As others have said I think it's your faces that stand out; they have a real personality that I haven't seen anywhere else. I also like the fact that you are making some proper Islamic units - no-one has paid much attention to these in the past.

Good luck with all your work.