Feedback Request - Potential Dominic Change
Added 2024-03-21 17:17:33 +0000 UTCHey there, patrons. I have a poll to get some feedback on a potential character model change for Dominic.
I won't rehash all the character adjustments I've recently made or why I'm making them, but if you want more details, check out some of the recent game status updates plus last month's Behind the Scenes post.
It's come time to make revisions to Dominic since I need to create some of his new CGs, but I'm not super pleased with what I have to work with. Some issues:
His hair asset can't be made to hang naturally
His face is a little too generic for what I envisioned as a "leading man" type of appearance
His textures have baked in details like cheek highlights and poorly made nipples that I can't change
His skin materials aren't PBR, so the overall visual is less realistic than I'd like
There aren't any hair assets for his generation of Daz 3D figure that are comparable to the current hair, but there are for the newest generation, Genesis 9. I first attempted to use a tool to make a Genesis 9 copy of the original Dominic figure so that I could use a newer hair asset, but that didn't work out. Ultimately I tried my hand at just remaking him from scratch as a Genesis 9 figure.
Below I have some comparison pics of the original model and the start of a potential new one. I worked to maintain his body type and to keep his facial features close while giving him a squarer jaw and stronger brows. Here's a look at the naked models as well as both in Dominic's day 1 clothes.
Some things I already plan to change should I go with the new model:
New shaders for his hair to make it blacker/remove the gray highlights
Fix his belly button
Take a look at overall proportions
Adjust his dick since I just applied a default one
Please vote below if you're so inclined—since Dominic is a romanceable character and some players are already attached to him, I don't want to change him if the response is mostly negative. You can also select that you don't really have an opinion if you could go either way. And of course feel free to comment or DM me with more specific feedback.
Thank you in advance for your input!
Comments
I like new dominic, especially his new hairstyle. I know this is not the final version, but i appreciate the attention to detail. So excited for the next update!
DC
2024-03-27 22:11:05 +0000 UTCI appreciate that - I truly dislike how long it takes for each update since I know longtime followers like you have been waiting so patiently. I think in this case it wouldn't really delay much since Dominic has so few CGs compared to other characters. What takes longest is actually writing, so art stuff is more a way to get me inspired to write out dialogue. I perhaps put a little too much pressure on myself to make sure the wait for the story continuation feels worth it...
Danny Nym
2024-03-26 11:47:48 +0000 UTCWhile I really respect the effort and thought you put into remodeling the characters, I’ll be honest that my heart sinks whenever I see a remodel post 🥲 I know a remodel means that there’ll be a longer wait to play more of the story and experience more of the characters’ journey, which I’m really pumped for! You’re the artist and you have creative direction over what to prioritise. Just sharing how I feel as a longtime silent follower :)
pulchritude
2024-03-26 09:07:54 +0000 UTCI like the new direction you're going in. Especially his face! I'll admit that Dominic was one of the characters that I was attracted to the least. I love what you've done with him so far. He looks clean and fresh and fits well with the other updates you've made to the other guys already. I personally don't really have any complaints about the updated model for Dominic. I can't wait to see the finished product!
Kaiden Cearley
2024-03-25 19:02:08 +0000 UTCThe movie star look is meant to be facially. I conceived him as having an "average" body type since it's not super represented in the game, so I'll be keeping that as a design goal.
Danny Nym
2024-03-23 06:38:18 +0000 UTCHe has a lot of story coming up!
Danny Nym
2024-03-23 06:37:07 +0000 UTCI do enjoy the new direction for Dominic, especially the changes to the hair and face; the change I felt was definitely needed because it felt like he was sort of falling behind the rest of the cast. The only thing I'd say is I wouldn't mind a little more meat/muscularity on his bones, especially if you're trying to give him a look that's "leading man"
JT
2024-03-23 00:23:50 +0000 UTCIt looks like you got a LOT of responses to this Dominic post. Perhaps you might want to include him more in your future storyline. :) **
Tom Swift Sr.
2024-03-22 19:05:33 +0000 UTCI think the new models hair should be wavier / curlier, and the jaw is a little too square. But overall I like the direction
Hush Puppy
2024-03-22 04:00:42 +0000 UTCAfter reading the comments and taking a look at his face with fresh eyes, I definitely intend to narrow/round off his chin if I use a new model. My original idea for Dominic was for him to have a typical leading man look, but he decided to go into voice acting because he doesn't want to be typecast based on his ethnicity. So it's a case where my lack of 3D knowledge when I started making the game interfered with my intentions. But that said, I don't want him to have a face that's so typical it becomes boring, so if I go with a new model, I'll edit his features as deeply as I did going from version 1 of new Connor to version 2.
Danny Nym
2024-03-22 01:08:26 +0000 UTCI definitely want to source other body hair assets to experiment with. For this test I used what I had on hand, but I do like his original body hair distribution and would want to bring that back.
Danny Nym
2024-03-22 00:56:34 +0000 UTCThe new look is proportionally better. My hope is to see a treasure trail and pubes more like the original. We need more variety than just the twink vibe.
Steven Muchow
2024-03-22 00:38:01 +0000 UTCI agree with some of the other folks who’ve said his new body is an improvement, but his revised face seems a bit generic. I really like the fuller lips in the original Dominic. And his revised jaw seems overly square. In general I think it makes sense for him to be a bit of an unconventional leading man, given he’s mostly interested in voice acting.
RP
2024-03-21 23:54:57 +0000 UTCCompletely fair. I have some ideas of what to change to get his face closer to the original shape.
Danny Nym
2024-03-21 23:46:51 +0000 UTCI think rounding his chin out more is something I'll do if I go with a new model. The smirk is a facial expression pose rather than built in, but the fullness of lips can definitely be adjusted. As for body hair, I'm going to look around for more assets since while I don't mind how it currently looks on the new figure, I would like to get closer to his original hair distribution.
Danny Nym
2024-03-21 23:43:09 +0000 UTCMy immediate thought is to narrow his chin as I probably went too far into the square jaw territory. Dev Patel is a good reference point that I can use. I also had various other actors like Sendhil Ramamurthy and Avan Jogia in mind, and looking at them I think what I really wanted was a more distinct brow line and the squarer jaw wasn't necessary.
Danny Nym
2024-03-21 23:39:34 +0000 UTCThanks for saying this. I'm riding a line of wanting to keep visuals at a certain parity while also not wanting to upset people who've been playing since the beginning. I appreciate that many people still have faith in the work even if at first my decision gives them pause, as you said.
Danny Nym
2024-03-21 23:35:17 +0000 UTCThat's a keen observation since I started with an Indian female figure since no male Indian figures were available to me, then edited in masculine features. If I were to proceed with a change, I'll be changing up the body in particular to dial a lot of that out.
Danny Nym
2024-03-21 23:31:36 +0000 UTCAppreciate the feedback, and I'm glad Dominic grew on you. I will definitely be going super granular with the facial features if I proceed with a new model like I did with Connor. I have ideas already for what to change.
Danny Nym
2024-03-21 23:29:23 +0000 UTCIt definitely helps, thank you!
Danny Nym
2024-03-21 23:26:49 +0000 UTCWould prefer the new body with the original face
Seaton
2024-03-21 22:14:29 +0000 UTCDominic is my favorite character, so this is really tough for me! Generally, I like the build of the new Dominic, but the new face is missing something. One thing I noticed is that the original has much fuller lips and a slight smirk to them; the new one doesn't. I think that is something I would like to see continue with the new Dominic. Also the chin is a bit rounder in the original and I also would like to see that carried over to the new design, The nipples are definitely an improvement and I see you added more hair to his chest -- Indians often are very hairy. I prefer the less hair, but I think the more hair is more realistic. When doing his belly button, how about making it an "outie"? I don't think you have any characters with outie belly buttons, so that would be a nice distinction. I'm a little confused from the way you wrote it, but I definitely like the original cock and balls than the ones currently on the new version. Again, it's one of those things that make the character physically unique. **
Tom Swift Sr.
2024-03-21 21:51:12 +0000 UTCI like the body model changes, but something feels off in the face. I kinda liked that he was a more 'unconventional' leading man type, and I think the stronger jaw makes him more 'conventional' in a less interesting way? Like, the original model had a leading man energy in the way of, say, Dev Patel in his leading man indie work, whereas now he looks like he's closer to starring in a Marvel movie which isn't wrong, but it's a definite vibe shift from the original
Omnia
2024-03-21 20:39:25 +0000 UTCDominic’s one of the guys I immediately latched onto & I’m so excited to see how his story plays out. In my opinion the most important thing is for you as a creator to be able to work with his model in a way where you don’t feel like you’re compromising your vision because of posing/asset difficulties. Totally honestly most of the character revisions have given me pause at first, but once I interact with them in-game it totally works. For me the writing is what informs the majority of my attraction to a character and all of the redesigns/refinements have 100% meshed well with the way you’ve written the guys. Long story short, love OG Dominic, I’m sure I’ll love Dominic 2.0, do what you need to do to bring him to life in a way that does justice to your writing & allows you to show him off to his full potential.
Fenlan
2024-03-21 20:28:02 +0000 UTCI don't know what it is, but yeah, I agree
Omnia
2024-03-21 20:13:40 +0000 UTCThe current Dominic is distinctive - the proposed changes take that away and in my view make him more feminine. Not a positive move at all.
Stephen de Launey
2024-03-21 18:59:05 +0000 UTCI originally wasn't a big fan of Dominic, in fact ignored a good portion of his dialogue when the orientation update was released. However, that completely changed by the release of the afternoon hangouts, He skyrocked to being one of, if not my favorite among the guys. I've been absolutely loving the direction of his story. The main reason I wasn't interested in Dominic originally was his look, I always felt his hair causes his body portions to feel off in CGs. That being said when you started editing some of the guys looks I was hoping that Dominic would get the same treatment so I'm quite happy that day has finally come. Looking at the revised version, I'm 50/50. On one hand I really love the new texture and the hair looks amazing. However, when I look at him it don't see Dominic. He looks and feels like an entirely different character. I think I would be more on board if he had facial features that felt more reminiscent of the OG design, similar to how things went with Connor's revision. Granted this is just my initial analysis, maybe after giving it some time I'll feel differently. Regardless, its a great design in general, excited to see the end result!
E-jay35
2024-03-21 18:45:12 +0000 UTCI like the original Dominic a bit more because he has a more distinct body type, face, and body hair. That said, I do like the new hair and I think him being more leading man is likely the right direction given his focus on acting. The work is still well done, but I hope that helps.
DB
2024-03-21 18:14:42 +0000 UTCIs it really bad of me to say the new model looks a little less ethnic in the face?
SBBD
2024-03-21 17:32:47 +0000 UTCNew Dominic much hotter!
Sprinklers
2024-03-21 17:28:47 +0000 UTC
