Setrace, sixchange, and the character's face : V

» Fri May 18, 2012 7:06 am

So I've been running some experiments with setrace and sixchange and seeing what happens. I've noticed a trend, but one that is inconsistent at best.

Try this.

Take a character, set it to be a different race. Likely, the face will not change. If going from humanoid to khajiit, it will look especially horrible.
Now, set it to another, different race. Suddenly, the face conforms to the race! (you can get hilarious cat-painted faces if your starting race was khajiit).
Interestingly, sometimes it seems like this conforming face is the 'default' face for the race. Othertimes, it seems like it uses the racemenu parameters but puts it through the proper racial filter.
Switching back to your starting race restores the face to its original settings.

This also works if you've done the six-change command. After 2 race-swaps, the face will be female until switching back to the start.

BUT

About 25% of the time this not the case - changed characters will lose their head, or will lose their original race settings. (For example, old ladies usually end up looking very young after this process - but not always!)

Has anyone else been screwing around with these commands? A shape-shifting item would be really fun in this game.

» Thu May 17, 2012 10:27 pm

Your characters are losing their heads because your not using player.setrace the correct way.
This has been gone over already

The Art of Race Mixing:
http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2614

Getting around showracemenu stat resets.(Gamefaqs Skyrim PC message board)
http://www.gamefaqs.com

I'd post the full links but according to the Terms&Conditions I apparently can't post deep links.

These are all my racial hybrid methods so far:

Spoiler

2+ Race Hybrid

1. use showracemenu, select primary race. Settings don't matter, they'll all get changed in step 2.

2. setplayerrace , choose a facial preset(the presets will be from the second race).
The eyes/hairstyle/facial hair/eyebrows/warpaint/makeup will then be from the second race. So when you return to the original you still use those options instead of the original ones.

2.5 (OPTIONAL) setplayerrace <3rd/4th/5th race>, adjust haircolor/complexion/skin color. Do not touch the preset slider again.

3. setplayerrace , make any final adjustments to your face and finish/name your character.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3-5 race hybrid
1. Create a character like normal or with showracemenu. Set the face up how you want it and finish.

note: Nord can't be your primary race because they always become headless from setplayerrace.
In a 3+ hybrid nords can still be used for complexion(so step 4 or 5)

2. Change to the race you want the eyes,hair/haircolor, facial hair,and warpaint/makeup by using setplayerrace .

3. Enter showracemenu, but do not touch the race(this will break the loop). Make adjustments to the above settings.

4. While in the race menu enter setplayerrace a the third race that you want the skin tone,complexion, and haircolor(hairstyle/facial hair is locked to what race 2 had).
At this point you lose camera control.It sways back and forth slowly around your face.
Note: You can finish this step here or keep going.

5.Optional, Repeat step 4 with a 4th race. This way you could have the complexion of one race and the skin tone of another. Note: You can finish this step here or keep going.

6.Optional, Repeat step 5 with a 5th race.
Note: You can finish this step here or keep going. I wouldn't recommend more than a 5 race hybrid( since race 3-5 only have access to skin tone/complexion/and haircolor.)

7. Use Setplayerrace and return to the second race and fix your hairstyle,facial hair, and eyebrows(don't reposition them). Press R and name/finalize your character.
I recommend this step for stability reasons.

8. Use Setplayerrace and return to your original race, save the game, load a different file(preferably of the opposite gender so that your new character isn't stored in memory), then load your hybrid race file. If you still have your head you did it right. Enter/leave 1st person, just to confirm that you still have a head.

Your warpaint may change to some combination of 2 different warpaints when you load. One will always be red and the other will be the color you choose. You may end up with 2 you didn't choose, one from the list of warpaints available to the first race and one that seems random.
You can get some unique 2 tone warpaint styles this way.
To avoid this don't select any warpaint.
Sorry, this is a side effect of 3+ hybrid races. Though it may not happen, you won't actually know until you reload your save.

If you want a human race with non-glitchy elf hair imperials work best, atleast for female characters. Imperials seem to have a similar shape to the elf/orc hair meshes. Bretons look bad with elf/orc hair.

Beast races only work well with beast race complexions, but can have non-beast skin tones/hairstyles. As a secondary race the don't work well(you'll have a set of floating eyes over brown eyes). Use only as race 3-5 unless both primary and secondary races are both beast races, or the secondary race in a 2 race hybrid.

Nords are also only good for race 3-5, or race 2 in a 2 race hybrid. Oddly Nord vampires don't suffer from the headless glitch, but normal Nords do.

------------------------------------------------------

Alternate 3-4 Race Hybrid(no secondary race)
1. showracemenu

2. select the race you want to end up(select any other race and scroll back to the race you want)

3. use setplayerrace to change to the race you want to make a hybrid with. At this point you lose camera control.

4. Change skintone and or complexion(everything else will be the same as the original races options)

5. Setplayerrace for a third race, for haircolor/skin tone/ complexion

6. Setplayerrace for a fourth race, for haircolor/skin tone/ complexion. 5+ race hybrids are is pointless.

5. Change back to the first race with setplayerrace and make the final changes.

6. press R and name your character and your done

This results in the original race with the skintone/complexion/haircolor of the other race. This method is like skipping to race 3 in a 3+ hybrid, so you keep everything else from the original race. This method gives you the most control over facial structure.

Note: I left out the methods I didn't come up with.

sixchange can be used on race 2-5 in a hybrid, though it's only real use is for opposite six argonian haircolors, just make sure to change it back again before going back to your original race.

» Fri May 18, 2012 11:28 am

people post "deep links" all the time here, particularly to Skyrimnexus. I wouldn't suggest linking to Gamefaqs directly though. Whatever they have on their forums there may be catching. :-(