# Olympian Fuglyness: Oblivion's incredibly unattractive faces **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 13, 2009, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893 "2009-09-13T05:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/1 "2009-09-13T05:59:32Z")
Oh _God_. I started a new game and almost jumped out of my seat. I thought it was my first surprise battle, but the… the THING… just stood there, looking at me. And then I realized that monstrosity was _me_! My avatar, the stuff of legends and prophecies, the one destined to save the world! Why, oh why, then, does he look like he was molded from rotten play-doh and crossbred with decomposed vomit-men by MJ’s plastic surgeon? Half of the races look like they came out of Faces of Meth and even the females are no better. They look like emotionally traumatized cockroaches. How do these things _reproduce_? I see why I’m locked up now ☹ I’m too scared to actually play the game for fear of seeing a mirror, or god forbid, an errant body of water. What can I do before I get my first full-face helm? Are there any guides that give you the proper slider ratios (out of the ten billion face possible facial configurations) to produce something – I don’t want to ask for too much – something mildly humanoid, something that wasn’t a mad scientist’s failed experiment? Please help. I hear great things about this game and would love to give it a chance! ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/2 "2009-09-13T06:05:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Please help. I hear great things about this game and would love to give it a chance! It doesn’t sound like you are giving it much of a chance at all. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/3 "2009-09-13T15:01:05Z")
[Mod it](http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/) with better faces. That’s what you always do if a game has a feature you don’t like But I’ll agree with Covered\_in\_Bees that it seems odd that you put so much stock in what your character looks like in a first person game. It makes it hard to believe you aren’t just looking for things to dislike, instead of giving it a fair shake. ETA: Sorry I’m too sick to do the searching for you. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/4 "2009-09-13T15:18:29Z")
Nah, I was just being dramatic. I’ve already spent the whole night playing the game, but would still like to find a way to make them less ugly… if possible. I’m playing on the PS3, unfortunately, so mods are a no go. On the plus side, I managed to make the character’s skin so bright it glows and you can’t really see the face. Good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/5 "2009-09-13T16:31:43Z")
Stop whining. Play game. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/6 "2009-09-13T17:51:25Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > [Mod it](http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/) with better faces. That’s what you always do if a game has a feature you don’t like > > But I’ll agree with Covered\_in\_Bees that it seems odd that you put so much stock in what your character looks like in a first person game. It makes it hard to believe you aren’t just looking for things to dislike, instead of giving it a fair shake. First off, the fact that it’s a first person game (much fo the time, anyhow is one of the big reasons it’s importat. If I’m just remote-controlling a figure, it’s not real to me. I’f I’m running around with my face in his face, I become the character. Second, Bethesda Softworks is the biggest collection of madmen this side of Arkham. yes, they’re brilliant, but they inevitably create some incredibly insipid flaws in their works, no rational reason. There are rocks in oblivion which take up ten times the horsepower than PC and NPC faces (which are freakish). There is no excuse for that kind of crap. They nearly managed to hit the worst area you can n the Uncanny Valley Scale. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/7 "2009-09-13T18:42:53Z")
Screenshots? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/8 "2009-09-14T00:08:02Z")
Alright. Just to prove this isn’t hyperbole… [Dark Elf from Warcraft](http://web.mit.edu/kayla/Public/Backgrounds/Warcraft%20III%20-%20Night%20Elf%20Box%20Cover.JPG) vs [Dark Elf from Oblivion](http://i29.tinypic.com/123upgp.jpg). How would you like to be [locked in a cell with her](http://i25.tinypic.com/2nqznli.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/9 "2009-09-14T00:10:57Z")
That _is_ hyperbole. The Warcraft picture looks specifically made for a wallpaper and the Oblivion images were specifically created to be ugly, not an NPC, who would be more representative of how the characters look. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/10 "2009-09-14T00:13:57Z")
I dunno. If you ask me, that PC is a certifiable Miss Oblivion compared to the NPCs out there. Not that that’s saying much… ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/11 "2009-09-14T00:45:14Z")
Stop whining. Play game. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/12 "2009-09-14T01:29:01Z")
Been playin’. Nothing else to do but post while waiting for the sun to go down. And I thought I was ugly _before_ vampirism took hold! ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/13 "2009-09-14T03:16:48Z")
If you think Oblivion characters are ugly, just wait until you play Morrowind. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/14 "2009-09-14T03:29:44Z")
I hear whining. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/15 "2009-09-14T18:37:33Z")
[Actual Warcraft Night Elf:](http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs21/f/2007/298/a/9/World_of_WArcraft_Elf_by_HitokiriPineapple.jpg) [Actual Oblivion Dark Elf](http://www.notmydesk.com/npc/necro.jpg) Just to clear things up for folks following along at home. Polygons vs. oddly slanted eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/16 "2009-09-14T19:12:17Z")
There is a mod to beautify the characters. That’s all I can be bothered to say on that. On a different subject: It IS a good game, but you have to spend some time modding it until it IS good. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/17 "2009-09-14T20:06:56Z")
You only have to spend time modding it to make it good if you’re ultra superficial like the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/18 "2009-09-14T20:09:05Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > You only have to spend time modding it to make it good if you’re ultra superficial like the OP. Well I came to the game late (after playing FO3) so I already had a lot of people’s opinions about the game swimming around in my head. So I did some modding so that I could _begin_ a better game than the original. If it’s free (and legal) to Mod the game, why the hell not - if it means you get to play a better game (that you paid for anyway). So I hardly think it’s superficial. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/19 "2009-09-25T07:43:29Z")
Whoa. [This gallery of faces](http://forums.3dtotal.com/showpost.php?p=731067&postcount=1) made me completely re-think this whole thing. Apparently the Oblivion face editor is a lite version of a powerful face modeling program, and on the PC at least, it’s capable of some incredible faces. “[Emperor Barack](http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o41/AshleyT99/EB3-1.jpg)” is especially awesome 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893/20 "2009-09-25T08:03:13Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Whoa. [This gallery of faces](http://forums.3dtotal.com/showpost.php?p=731067&postcount=1) made me completely re-think this whole thing. Apparently the Oblivion face editor is a lite version of a powerful face modeling program, and on the PC at least, it’s capable of some incredible faces. > > “[Emperor Barack](http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o41/AshleyT99/EB3-1.jpg)” is especially awesome 😃 Yup. The program turns a mugshot into a 3D face (although it does work better with a pair of photos, one from the front, one from the side). The only problem is that there’s no way to create that 3D face, save it and then import it in Oblivion : you have to write down all the slider values and then input them yourself in the character generator, which can be a huge pain in the ass because moving one slider automatically adjusts 5 \*other \*sliders. There might be a way to input the numbers directly, either by fudging the data in a savegame or editing a race’s default slider settings, but I didn’t really investigate it much - I was happy with my sort-of-all-right Wood Elf’s mug by then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympian-fuglyness-oblivions-incredibly-unattractive-faces/509893.md?page=2)