Covert headgear that hides hoods without showing a helmet/circlet

[Iryfindel]

There are a lot of chestpieces in the game that you can't use if you don't want a hood to show. We already have pieces of headgear in the game that hide hoods when they are equipped. The "Pragmatic Master's Helmet" is one of the smallest, most inconspicuous helmets to use if you want hoods to disappear. However, even this helmet shows a minimalistic circlet on your character's forehead. While this may work in some occasions, there are occasions where, or classes on which, wearing a circlet makes little sense.

 

It would be much appreciated if, after all this time, we could finally get a piece of covert headgear that a) hides hoods and b) doesn't show a helmet or circlet. This would effectively function as the hood toggle that has been requested since the start of the game.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Iryfindel

[ceryxp]

I am not against the addition of a covert head piece, but it would not completely fulfill the functionality that people desire with a hood toggle.

 

The problem with a covert head piece is that there are a number of cutscenes wherein one's head piece is hidden. I frequently use circlets to hide the hood on a chest piece and during those cutscenes, when the head piece is hidden, the hood returns. The same problem would affect a cover head piece. Even though the head piece is invisible the game would still remove it during those cutscenes.

[Iryfindel]

The problem with a covert head piece is that there are a number of cutscenes wherein one's head piece is hidden.

 

You make a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I guess the only way to solve this issue would indeed be to create a true hood toggle. Automatically hiding all hoods during such cutscenes wouldn't be the way to go, only further limiting an already limited situation.

 

Then again, personally, I would rather they revert this change and not have the helmets automatically hidden during these cutscenes. Oftentimes you play a character in which non of the smoochy-stuff is happening and for those it makes no sense to hide their helmets. Similarly, I often record my conversations and would like the option to record both with and without helmets so I can have the helmet showing for the portion of the conversation that don't involve the romantic options (e.g. during a public meeting before you step aside with your LI).

Edited December 23, 2020 by Iryfindel

[ceryxp]

You make a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I guess the only way to solve this issue would indeed be to create a true hood toggle. Automatically hiding all hoods during such cutscenes wouldn't be the way to go, only further limiting an already limited situation.

 

Then again, personally, I would rather they revert this change and not have the helmets automatically hidden during these cutscenes. Oftentimes you play a character in which non of the smoochy-stuff is happening and for those it makes no sense to hide their helmets. Similarly, I often record my conversations and would like the option to record both with and without helmets so I can have the helmet showing for the portion of the conversation that don't involve the romantic options (e.g. during a public meeting before you step aside with your LI).

 

They have basically said that there is no chance for a hood toggle, one that allows us to set the hood as up or down, but something that has been asked is if they could add an option that would work like the setting that is applied to Twi'leks and Togruta. The same setting that removes all hoods from any outfit that they wear. I am unsure if they have ever addressed that specifically, or if the issue is that there is no way to make that setting a toggle, but it does seem that a circlet, or a covert head piece if added, is and will remain our only option for hiding a hood. Unfortunately.

[Jesseriah]

If it works, I'll support it.

[SteveTheCynic]

They have basically said that there is no chance for a hood toggle, one that allows us to set the hood as up or down, but something that has been asked is if they could add an option that would work like the setting that is applied to Twi'leks and Togruta. The same setting that removes all hoods from any outfit that they wear. I am unsure if they have ever addressed that specifically, or if the issue is that there is no way to make that setting a toggle, but it does seem that a circlet, or a covert head piece if added, is and will remain our only option for hiding a hood. Unfortunately.

I think there's some confusion that arises because there are two different things that people call "hood toggle":

* A hood up/down toggle

* A hood show/hide toggle

 

The up/down toggle is clearly a lot of work because none of the hooded gear in the game, neither the hood-up types nor the hood-down types, has the geometry mesh and texture data necessary to support the other position, and the hood-down types *also* have the problem that there might not be any mesh in the part of the back that's covered by the hood. It would have been perfectly possible as a designed-in thing at the very beginning of the development process, but retrofitting it nine years after release is just a non-starter.

 

The show/hide toggle is less clearly "a lot of work". In essence, all the code and mesh infrastructure for hiding the hood on any hood-up armour already exists - the geometry mesh for the hood can disappear, and we know this because it *does* disappear on Toggies and Twi'leks, and also when you wear a "Hides Hood" helmet.

 

Compared to modifying the meshes of every single piece of hooded gear and adding a toggle checkbox and hooking it to a new mesh-hider, adding a toggle checkbox and hooking it to an *existing* mesh-hider that is known to work correctly(1) is self-evidently a lot less work. It also has less impact on the cost of future hooded chest armour development.

 

(1) I don't recall ever seeing anyone complaining that the hood on armour set X doesn't hide correctly.