How customizable should Klingon foreheads be?

[USS_Parallax]

These things are key. I don't really want a selection of like 20 Klingon foreheads. How about a forehead generator? Something with bars and points to drag and stuff. Where we can control the number of ripples, the smoothness, where and how many bumps, etc. Basically the Klingon forehead would likely be one of if not the most customizable body part. :P

[Dahakra]

These things are key. I don't really want a selection of like 20 Klingon foreheads. How about a forehead generator? Something with bars and points to drag and stuff. Where we can control the number of ripples, the smoothness, where and how many bumps, etc. Basically the Klingon forehead would likely be one of if not the most customizable body part. :P

Lolz, you crack me up sometimes bud :D As far as I know, Klingon bumpy heads are as unique as fingerprints. So I'd expect there to be great variety there.

- Dahakra

[TreffnonX]

As far as the species creator allows you to go i'd say. We have however barely seen any ridges, only once or twice in the species creater and maybe the first gameplaytrailer (but not sure about that).

[Sckullzy]

These things are key. I don't really want a selection of like 20 Klingon foreheads. How about a forehead generator? Something with bars and points to drag and stuff. Where we can control the number of ripples, the smoothness, where and how many bumps, etc. Basically the Klingon forehead would likely be one of if not the most customizable body part. :P

I have to say even though I don’t know how feasible it is I love this idea. It could be like the liquefy effect on photoshop. It would be hard to implement and probably a drag on the engine but if they found a way to make it work it would be awesome.

[BreachAndClear]

I figure we'll get a selection of pre-set ridge patterns, and then from their be might be able to determine how pronounced or recessed our selected design is.

[Sckullzy]

I figure we'll get a selection of pre-set ridge patterns, and then from their be might be able to determine how pronounced or recessed our selected design is.

That sound about right. If they allowed user designed skins you risk a lot of the things you see with in game tags.

[LordDave]

I figure we'll get a selection of pre-set ridge patterns, and then from their be might be able to determine how pronounced or recessed our selected design is.

Yeah, my guess as well.

[MajorD]

Since facial features will have height and depth, also angle, as well as be able to be slid around, there should be ways to adjust Klingon foreheads to make them unique. Although, that won't sufficiently express forehead variety on its own, there is a certain element of lineage in forehead characteristics. I hope they do put in plenty of variation or a capable variation parameters so new foreheads can be generated procedurally in some manner. This would be extremely useful not just for Klingons but all species with notable facial structures. .

[BreachAndClear]

WoW had very limited customization

e.g. pick a face, pick a hair style, pick facial hair, pick skin tone, pick hair color. You're done!

Even with such a mindlessly simple system I do not recall ever coming across another individual that looked identical to me (unless they're running around in the same armor), or even close enough to me such that it was any sort of bother. Even with those limited choices, the possible number of combinations was immense. If someone was running around with the same hair style for instance, it wasn't a bother because the avatar, as the sum of its parts, had enough different to be unique and distinguishable.

If they even gave us 30 patterns (and this is a generous number), the ability to make it very pronounced or unpronounced (barely noticeable), I think it would be enough. With all the other possible customization options: hair styles, hair color, the bizarre eyebrows, skin hue, nose length, nose width, height, head shape, facial hair, etc. If someone is running around with the same forehead as you, you probably won't even notice.

[USS_Parallax]

WoW had very limited customization

e.g. pick a face, pick a hair style, pick facial hair, pick skin tone, pick hair color. You're done!

Even with such a mindlessly simple system I do not recall ever coming across another individual that looked identical to me (unless they're running around in the same armor), or even close enough to me such that it was any sort of bother. If someone was running around with the same hair style for instance, it wasn't a bother because the avatar, as the sum of its parts, had enough different to be unique and distinguishable.

If they even gave us 30 patterns, the ability to make it very pronounced or unpronounced (barely noticeable), I think it would be enough. With all the other possible customization options: hair styles, hair color, the bizarre eyebrows, skin hue, nose length, nose width, height, head shape, facial hair, etc. If someone is running around with the same forehead as you, you probably won't even notice.

You must play as a female troll with one of those ugly faces nobody uses because it's stupidly ugly. I've seen my clone dozens of times.

[dryzabone]

I am rolling Federation myself, but i will "customize" quite a few Klingon foreheads in pvp.

[BreachAndClear]

Then look to SWG. The only time I've seen "clones" (and they weren't EXACTLY the same, but nearly indistinguishable at first glance) it was pretty much only the Rodians and Mon Calamaris, as they seemed to have the least amount of customization options.

[Sckullzy]

A lot of the customization may be done with sliders. So once you pick a Klingon forehead there may be a slider to work with as far as depth and shading but actual ridge design might require something like uploadable skins which is taxing on any system as large as a full MMO.

[achudnow]

This is the most likely senerio and avoids the jokers out there who would try to write some explitive-deleted on thier avatars forehead. Safe and sane Kingon foreheads, I say!

[wootage]

Wait, how many options do you really need?

1. A mile of bad road.
2. Classic Moonscape.
3. Newly cooled lava rock.

I think that should cover it :P

[Deyvid]

Klingon foreheads should be highly customizable. Aside from family resemblance, such as Worf and Kurn having similar forehead ridges, no two Klingons should have the same general ridge pattern (unless they are specifically related by blood).

I'm hoping and trusting that Cryptic will give us a lot of variation to work with, regarding ridge types, and how pronounced they are, and how "busy" the forehead is, so that we can make fully bumpy/ridged foreheads like the Klingons of TNG/DS9, or the less pronounced (protruding) and less complex forehead patterns similar to the Klingons of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, or more soft and subtle so we could make a Klingon-human hybrid like K'Ehleyr, or B'Elanna Torres.

With enough sliders for height (how much of the forehead is covered with ridges), width (are the ridges mostly in the center or extend the complete width of the forehead), complexity (is it just a few bumps/ridges or many), and how pronounced (protruding, or deep/shallow the ridges are) we should be able to make rather unique or at least not-super-common set of forehead ridges.



One of my concerns regarding the Klingon foreheads, is how much of their forehead ridges will be actual polygon geometry (real bumps on the 3D model) and how much of it will be just part of the texture (painted on with colors to simulate highlights and shadows). If you watch the character creation video, and really look at the forehead of the Klingon shown, there is basically one big ridge running vertically across the forehead (real 3D geometry) and the rest is just a few lines painted on the texture. That was somewhat disappointing as a representation of how Klingons would look in the game.

If I remember correctly, later in the video when it starts showing off some of the customizable options, I think it starts showing actual 3D geometry on the foreheads for the Cardassian, and some of the other "alien" looks, so if those races / features can have actual 3D geometry and adjust how much it protrudes then the Klingons definitely should, which makes it even more odd for the "pre-made" or "official" Klingon character, a race known for bumpy foreheads has one vertical ridge and then just painted texture.

In that Ask Cryptic that was focused on character creation I asked about the Klingon foreheads ridges, and whether they will be mainly actual geometry / polygons or mainly painted on textures, or a combination of both -- but they chose not to answer that question.

One thing that helps me remain cautiously optimistic is the screenshot of the NPC Klingons, since they appear to have actual bumpy polygonal foreheads, so the PC Klingons should too -- but then again those NPC Klingons looked like cookie-cutter clones from the neck up so maybe the NPCs would have more polygons since they would be duplicated over and over without much variation. It'd be nice if Awen or Zinc or someone could set the record straight for us about how bumpy will the foreheads of Klingon players actually be.

[Qnaz]

No restraints in my opinion. They should be as customizable as the color of eyes or sizes of noses. I would hate to see someone rolling by and say hey I'm a ridge style 2 also.