Slightly younger, older Noct
…can you tell? Probably not.
I keep trying to use Avatara to make the older version of Noct. look a bit closer to his younger self. Remove the beard and the grey is the first step. Can’t do anything about the older skin texture. But they change his face so drastically in some other areas and the character editor is too limited to have a large impact on it. Some of the other changes they seem to have done include:
—nose is different shaped, especially the nostrils and tip shape (larger)
—eyes are more tapered on outer and inner corners and eyelashes are less thick which gives the older eyes a more faded and less of an “eyeliner” look.
—the eyebrows of older Noct. are bushier and don’t taper to thin lines at the outer edges. Guess there were no tweezers inside the Crystal.
—the jawline and maybe cheek area is a bit different and chin isn’t as tapered/is slightly more square
—I think older Noct’s lips are a bit wider (longer) although it’s not too obvious.
This all results in an “older” face that looks more angular and a bit longer/larger I think. So I tweak the editor slider numbers constantly. With all that effort, certain expressions and conditions can look a bit more like the younger version, but mostly it’s the no beard, tweaking nose shape and changing the eyelashes and eyebrows that make it feel different at all. I often feel like the editor sliders hardly do anything, really. Too bad Avatara/Comrades didn’t have the younger hair, it’d be easier to compare.
I don’t really care 98% of the time. But it still occasionally irks my sense of “world consistency” when they expect you to believe that a 20ish year old man would have an entirely different facial structure 10 years later. It’s not like “older Noctis” lost 50+ pounds and/or is 70 years old with an enlarged nose from alcoholism. Then again, maybe the only available drink in the Crystal was celebratory wine. Who knows. 😛
I really like how you edited him, he really is now looks like his 20y.o(but a bit more adult). Personally I am more fan of his 20y.o. look and I felt almost same – like Noctis changed race in his 30 y.o. and completely looked different. Also need to say that developers made his skin fully new, sure it has similar look but they did it more pink and on some areas under eyes are with bruises. As example Somnus is using Noctis’s 20 y.o. skin and Noctis 30y.o. head shape so in sum it more looks like younger Noctis then Noctis 30. So skin also has some influence. And I agree about brows, nose and etc. Just maybe I would more like if he has in his 20 more thicker brows but since they already decided to give him thin brows – why not give him same in 30 y.o. It really gives feelings that Noctis always used tweezers. And funny thing – since developers give his 20.y.o. skin to Somnus – now it is so funny that guy who lived 2000 years ago had tweezers and cut his brows:) For me better was give Somnus thicker brows but leave 30 y.o. with thin, cause Noctis is living in modern times.
I also had little feelings that in 30 Noctis with beard looked much older then 30(especially because of his beard and a bit tired look).
The guy in the pics doesn’t look too bad. Generally speaking, of course. I actually preferred Older Noctis for some reason. Maybe because he looked ‘wiser’ or ‘calmer’, or maybe because he’s closer to my age so I can identify with him easier.
Teenage or young adult protagonists are all the rage in JRPGs, so when you finally play as a real adult (30~ years old) it’s actually kind of refreshing.