[NSFW] STEP Female Body Replacer

[kryptopyr]

From these compares two really stand out above the others: WoS and Mature Skin.  I like the skin tone from Mature Skin slightly better; it seems a bit less shiny than WoS (though WoS does not look particularly shiny compared to some of the other options).  However, I think that WoS actually has nicer shadowing on the abdomen.  The abs are nicely defined, but the sides (under the rib cage) don't appear as sucked in as Mature Skin does.  Mature Skin also has very heavy shadowing above the clavicles.  The face is what really decides it for me, though.  I really like the face from WoS.  Calling it "zero makeup" seems to be a bit of a misnomer, but it's still a much more natural look than Mature Skin. 

 

I think either of these would work well for STEP, but based on these images my vote goes to WoS.

[TechAngel85]

I think we can pick the top three and then move on to in-game compares of those. These seem to be WSCO, Mature Skin and WoS.

 

Another idea:

I think what would be a good idea is to make an official recommendation; however, leave the choice up to the user as we do with other mods that have additional options. If all three mods work near flawlessly on the setup we end up with then giving the user the choice based on their personal preference would be best. For example, if Mature Skin won out; however, the other two work just as well on the body mesh we end up with then we could put Mature Skin up as our official recommendation. Then on the Mature Skin mod page, mention the option of the other two for those users that have a preference for one of those. If they all work on the body mesh, then I see no reason why this couldn't be done.

[DoubleYou]

I really don't like leaving the decision up to the user in a guide. I think the very definition of guide says that users can opt for different choices. Supporting multiple choices gets tedious. Users can simply refer to this thread to see the other options.

[TechAngel85]

I really don't like leaving the decision up to the user in a guide. I think the very definition of guide says that users can opt for different choices. Supporting multiple choices gets tedious. Users can simply refer to this thread to see the other options.

What you're saying is perplexing my brain...it's contradictory. "Don't leave the choice to the user. Users can opt for different choices" ... What is tedious about it if the alternative mods are simply mentioned on the mod page?

 

It shouldn't be an issue and exactly how many people are going to search the forums to find this thread?  haha! Very few... It's better to tell them which options work rather than getting dozens of posts about "this skin isn't working". If we tell them what is known to work on the guide then we're circumventing a lot of these troubleshooting posts. This should be the point of the guide when user preference varies so greatly...(such as with skin textures(some want dirty some want pretty) ) and it's the reason some choices have already been left up to the user on some mods in STEP because the choice ultimately doesn't affect the game and all choices are essentially STEP friendly.

[z929669]

I am for deciding upon a total solution for the guide. Users will do as they want regardless, and those that don't want to think will appreciate that the choice has been made for them.

 

RE the textures in the compare. I think that XCE has some indisputable inclusions (scars and warpaint). I don't thin that WSCO offers anything that we don't already have when we use XCE, FemFeet, STEP hair mods, and a texture replacer. This leaves WoS and Mature Skin. I do really like Wos, but it is just not very realistic. Mature skin does not have any makeup. It makes the skin look weathered and chilled. This includes the face. I imagine that people in Skyrim get a lot of icy wind in the face and lots of reflected sun from the snow. That and the fair skin of white people in cold climates (i.e., they don't really get a 'tan') all lends to Mature Skin's look. Rosy, cold cheeks and weathered skin and a body with blemishes, not just dirt. MS wins for me in the department of realism, but WoS is more 'beautiful'. Thus. MS wins for me.

 

I will post my exact recipe for this tomorrow (today) so that you all can test it in your own game.

 

I still want to try out alt3rn1ty's UNP mod just for kicks. It is neatly packaged and he offers some sound advice.

 

I will post the results of the male body compares tomorrow or the day after once I get all the screens done.

[plaGGy]

Okay, want to test this aswell. Whats your installing/loading order for MS?

Still using XCE as a base?

 

 

I will post my exact recipe for this tomorrow (today) so that you all can test it in your own game.

 

I still want to try out alt3rn1ty's UNP mod just for kicks. It is neatly packaged and he offers some sound advice.

 

I will post the results of the male body compares tomorrow or the day after once I get all the screens done.

Nevermind, should read those things closer in the future

Edited May 4, 2014 by plaGGy

[plaGGy]

double post

Edited May 4, 2014 by plaGGy

[kryptopyr]

 I do really like Wos, but it is just not very realistic. Mature skin does not have any makeup. It makes the skin look weathered and chilled. This includes the face. I imagine that people in Skyrim get a lot of icy wind in the face and lots of reflected sun from the snow. That and the fair skin of white people in cold climates (i.e., they don't really get a 'tan') all lends to Mature Skin's look. Rosy, cold cheeks and weathered skin and a body with blemishes, not just dirt. MS wins for me in the department of realism, but WoS is more 'beautiful'. Thus. MS wins for me.

"Mature skin does not have any makeup."  What?  Are we looking at the same images?  Both the lips and eyes have much heavier makeup in Mature Skin than in WoS.  I agree, though, that the skin is too smooth and perfect in WoS.  This might be appropriate for nobles, but not for common people and others that need to work outside in this harsh environment.  On the other hand, Mature Skin's blemishes are perhaps a bit too apparent.  I think it's worth looking at the "no moles" version of MS.  The issue is that every female in the game will have the exact same pattern of blemishes and moles.  In particular, there are a couple of spots on the face that are fairly obvious and become even more so when you start seeing them on everyone.

[skaryzgik]

Looking at their respective pictures from the third set, which is more suitable for looking at makeup, MS has much heavier eyeliner, and a much darker tone of lipstick than WoS. I think MS may also be wearing significantly more blush, but, not being overly familiar with the effects of The Elements on skin, some of that might plausibly be due to that. But if you look closely at the eyeliner, I'm pretty sure that can't be from The Elements. That's got to be makeup, and it is much heavier eyeliner than WoS. However, it is better camouflaged/obscured by the dirt, making it much less obvious if you're not looking closely.

 

So if you're not looking closely, you might think MS has no or little makeup, however, I'm reasonably sure she is actually wearing a lot more.

 

As far as the shine on WoS, I would like to see a comparison of MS and WoS in different lighting conditions. WoS doesn't look *too* shiny in *these* pictures, but I'm not sure how much of that is because she's standing right next to SG. Also, I'm guessing these were taken in middle lighting conditions. I am a little nervous what the shine might be in more light. Certainly still much better than, for example, SG, but if it's still too much, that would tip me in favor of MG, despite how much makeup she is wearing.

 

I could try to get the pictures, but I'm still working on the core install (I'm mostly hanging out here during breaks between attempts/sections), and I'd also have to learn how to actually make the screenshots. It would probably be a few days before I could get them, and this discussion seems to be moving much more quickly than that.

[hauntmedoitagain]

The clean, no mole variant of Mature Skin is imo the best choice for female skin textures that actually fit into the world of Skyrim. SG, WoS, etc. just lack the detail and sense of realism.

[TechAngel85]

FemFeet is included in both XCE and WSCO. You're mentioning it separately which makes my think you're using it separately. If we use either one of those as a base, then including FemFeet separately would be redundant.

 

As far as bases go, XCE and WSCO should be identical in the shape and size because they're both using vanilla as a base for their mods. WSCO does have UNP options though. XCE simply has a few extra mods incorporated into it than WSCO at this time. XCE might be the better option for STEP right now; however, I will be keeping my eye on WSCO and offering up suggestions to the author (if he/she ever returns). I predict that if the author will take the right steps and make the right choices, then WSCO could be a complete mod for STEP; eventually replacing all mods for both male and female with one install. It has a lot of potential, but needs a bit more work to get it there.

[z929669]

Yeah, I suppose Mature Skin does have eye and lip 'makeup'. But I guess I am referring to the makeup 'base' as real makeup. The powder or skin-colored base makeup. This is what most women I know refer to as 'makeup'. Eyeliner and lipstick are too, but mature skin just has 'darker' eyes and lips from my biased perspective :P
 
Mature Skin just has less of a made-up look. I think it is a bit more ragged in a believable way with much less shine or 'glow'. Different lighting could be tested, but we already have examples on this thread of SG in sunlight, and I am confident that mature skin will look even better in sunlight than WoS, SG and WSCO based on that.
 
RE WSCO versus XCE as a base: I say this updated XCE compilation, since it includes all of the beast race textures we are using as sell as the vampires (but using a piecemeal approach may be best, depending)
 
Here is the recipe to get the Mature Skin variant I am showing above (All mods should be installed just before Natrual Eyes in Sec H):

[*]Install STEP:Core [*]Remove XCE bundled mod we are currently recommending

[*]High Resolution Scars [*]XCE - Scarface [*]FemFeet (we only need the meshes) [*]Mature Skin (consider using Alternativ body and face textures UNP)

[*]UNP Textures [*]UNP Normals (we do not need femalebody_1_msn.dds)

[*]Diverse Muscle Tones

[*]We only need toned4_1_msn.dds from Diverse Muscle Tones 5-1a High Vanilla ... rename to femalebody_1_msn.dds, or ... [*]... install DMT, which is not that simple really

Results may vary depending upon body presets used. I use a Nord female above with a weight of 0.50 and my own custom look presets.
 
It would be great if others could test the look for other races, as I am not sure how this all looks on anything but the Nord female. I want to better understand the limitations of these changes and interactions with other race assets and even NPCs.

 

... let the real testing begin.

[EssArrBee]

You can get the UNP Base Underwear Body here. It's an optional file from Exeter's UNP Armor meshes.

[phazer11]

It's a pity development on Real Girls Realistic Skin is probably not going to happen anymore, it's quite possibly my favorite texture mod (it has a fairly noticeable neck seam though which the author was working on, it only for UNP, UNPB, UNPB-BBP, and SeveNBase sadly. I mean you can tell they actually have pores in their faces and such. I switched over from Mature Skin about a year ago and haven't looked back, the author also gives a rough VRAM amount the textures will eat up.

[crime_syndicate]

I think the creator of Mature Skin has an update in the works. Not to mention, detailed as Real Girls may be, as the mod authors said in the description (apparently they changed it since) it can actually actually look too detailed and even dirty on some ENBs (probably sharpening related I guess ?). And it's only compatible with UNP-based stuff, unlike Mature Skin.