Okay, so, I'm not going to download this mod because the direction just seems odd to me. However, I will commend the effort and offer some constructive criticism.
I would agree that having armor formed exactly like your breasts would never realistically be a thing, yet you see it all the time in fantasy games. Why? Well, only having about 12% of your employees that are women will do that... and, often, none of them work in concept/design department. So, you've got quite a few dudes designing armor and clothing for female characters. They're going to have a certain idea of how things "should" look without much experience. Thus, boob plates. I'll have you know that, yes, some friends and I have tried this concept in real life and our breasts have never been so bruised after 5 minutes of activity. Sure, it looks nice, but MAN does it hurt! Think of it this way, boys: form a codpiece to the exact form of your junk and run around for a few minutes and see how you like it. Pretty painful, I'd think. Stop with the boob plates!
That being said, the other extreme doesn't work, either. From the look of these armors, it appears to me like you took the male mesh, brought in the waist a little, and added some hip action. Sorry, that doesn't work, either. There's breathing that needs to happen, y'know. Sure, a lot of girls can get their chests fairly flat with the right workout gear, but there's still curve (Not to mention: when's the last time you saw any armor pieces on women's workout clothes?). There's just enough constraint to be comfy, but not enough to cut off circulation or inhibit breathing. That's where I feel these armor designs went wrong: ya cut off too much. Frankly, the design in the chests look a lot like someone's wearing one of those chest binders that FtMs slip on that makes their chest virtually disappear. Problem with that, though, is that too much constraint makes strenuous physical activity (like fighting) next to impossible because you can't breathe properly. Generally, those guys have to resort to dealing with dysphoria to put on a sports bra and super loose tanktop to get some good exercise.
So, how do we fix this? Well, the easy answer would be to hire more women in the design department (and in gaming companies in general), but that's nothing any of us can do anything about. For the purposes of the mod, though, there are a few things that can be done:
Cloth or Hide armors -- Maybe SLIGHTLY reduce the chest, but do not flatten completely like you did with the Imperial Light Armor. These are going to be more loose on the body and won't necessarily be all that constricting. Sure, the foresworn armor could use some extra pieces because Skyrim is COLD (We ain't in Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, or Valenwood with all them beautiful beaches, girls!). Hides are generally fine, don't change much. Scaled sets could use more coverage, but Ancient Nord should be left alone (it was warmer, then?). Unless you're gonna add some leggings, do not touch Savior's Hide! [Many women I know really love the femininity of it and the empowerment from wearing the piece. Leggings would be warmer, though.]
Leather armors - Again, a little chest reduction, but don't go totally flat. Even the Dawnguard armor should have a little curve in the chest.
^ Do not switch any of those to the male model. Realism is the goal and women would surely have armor that compliments their form but is practical as well. If things fit your form, you have a little more confidence... not to mention rehashing men's designs would be bulky and cumbersome on a woman.
Imperial armor - I actually thought you didn't really change that much. Bethesda's design reminds me of Captain Phasma's armor, which is probably the most practical female armor seen anywhere. Thus, having a slight curve to the chest and room to move a bit is practical and should fit with Imperial army standards.
Nightengale set - That "improvement" was not necessary. Vanilla design is actually perfectly fine.
Iron armor - For the love of the Divines, thank you for fixing that. The boob plate hurts the eyes... and my boobs.
Steel, Glass, Nordic, Elven, and Daedric - Leave more room in the chest and waist. Breathing and moving are important.
Stalhrim - It's fine. Don't need to change.
Dragonplate - Again, a little more in the chest and waist (think Captain Phasma), but it's okay to use the male model here. That's way more practical.
Dragonscale - Don't touch it. Contrary to what you might believe, it works like a fighting corset. For this, it's not that it's a corset but the STYLE of corset. Sure, many corsets are fashion and meant to be brought in at the waist quite a bit to further accentuate feminine shape (sometimes dangerously but we won't go into a discussion about Victorian-era corsets right now). However, FIGHTING corsets do accentuate the form AND provide freedom of movement with the support of the chest one would want in such a device. Dragonscale, though some uneducated few would disagree, fits this category of corset. It's fine, I promise.
Remember: realism is good, but I do not want to wear men's armor and look like an awkward crossdresser. Hope that provides some insight and aides in further updates to the mod. I really do wish you the best.
Tbh I wouldn't care whether I am looking like a man or not when the thing I wear is supposed to protect my life. And I don't recall women who participate in historic reenactments complaining about looking like men either. But I get it, it's fantasy.
I also don't agree with the dragon scale corset. I'd rather not expose my upper rib cage as the whole point of wearing a chest plate, to begin with, is protecting your ribs from being smashed by a hammer or a mace.
I was actually just getting on to ask for a heavy armor only version. I've already gone through using the CBBE body slider to fix the breast/waist/etc. sizes and shapes to be realistic with the various clothing and light armor meshes but the heavy armor has been a hopeless cause. There is just only so much flattening and reshaping you can do (that iron armor is just... So... SO horrifyingly bad).
I want a balance between feeling feminine and feeling protected, ya know? I want it to be a more realistic (to an extent, obviously. Daedric armor isn't practical for either gender and I don't believe it necessarily should be. It is a fantasy.) and realistic doesn't mean erasing the existence of boobs.
Pampered Duchess, you posted this five years ago. I have come here in search of a mod that does just what you have described. As I pay my respects to this one, which all the comments say is dead, I am now filled with new purpose as I continue my search. Idk if you still even come here, but thank you for showing us the way! :)
?So, how do we fix this? Well, the easy answer would be to hire more women in the design department (and in gaming companies in general), but that's nothing any of us can do anything about.
They can't hire people that aren't applying for the job. Game design is predominately a male interest.
As someone who wore a FtM binder for a couple years....you are absolutely correct. If you look up information to prepare to use one you'll find that it is EXTREMELY NOT recommended to do any exercise or even sleep with one on (I did it once because I was having a bad dysphoria episode and it ended up okay, but it's not something I'd do very often). It can even be dangerous to wear one in hot weather (though as you say, Skyrim doesn't have to worry too much about that). Still, there are some that can give a very similar effect while being looser usually with some kind of elastic on the bottom hem. Basically to say, your feedback on that front was good, but if you're willing to suspend your disbelief and Skyrim has elastic, it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. Not to mention it can be kind of fun if someone wanted to RP as a trans character.
I like a lot of these designs, but having another mod more like what you described would be nice as well.
Hey I was an user of this mod recently but had to uninstall it due to a problem. Every time I went closer to the arvak skull in soul cairn of Dawnguard DLC the game always crashed. I had to uninstall every mod one by one to see which mod is conflicting. After uninstalling your mod the game stopped crashing. I don't know if anyone ever faced this situation. A fix of this would be appreciated : )
I feel like this really needs to be a FOMOD installer so we can pick and choose what we want. It's been 4 years since this was updated so I'm assuming it's dead; just sayin'.
If you're looking for a FOMOD, I'd suggest Practical Female Armors (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2628?tab=description), I found it a few days ago and it does pretty much what Realistic Female Armors says it does without all the extra unannounced changes and with (so far) fewer bugs. It also does have that FOMOD you're looking for.
I second this. PFA makes the best changes without making any unnecessary ones. The only problem is that it doesn't cover the Dawnguard armors - but this mod doesn't do much to improve those anyway (I can't believe their vanilla meshes are so bad and a benevolent mod author hasn't saved us all from them yet).
I second this. PFA makes the best changes without making any unnecessary ones. The only problem is that it doesn't cover the Dawnguard armors - but this mod doesn't do much to improve those anyway (I can't believe their vanilla meshes are so bad and a benevolent mod author hasn't saved us all from them yet).
I've used this mod for quite some time, but wasn't really happy with some of the changes it made. The changes to the actual armor were great, but it also makes several other changes that aren't mentioned anywhere in the mod description, two of those being extreme changes to the Imperial armor and changing several of the female clothing options to be pants and shirts instead of dresses. The changes to non-armor clothing was the part that I really didn't care for.
For anyone who's looking for a mod that'll still make the armor more realistic but doesn't want all the other unannounced changes, I highly recommend Practical Female Armors (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2628?tab=description) I started using it a few days ago and it's a huge improvement. My ladies have their usual dresses back and the 'fine clothes' users don't look like they're wearing horribly cheap 'medieval' costumes anymore. Practical Female Armors is also a FOMOD which allows the user to pick and choose which armors to install, so if you like the original Ancient Nordic look (like I do) you don't have to sacrifice it to make the rest of the game look better. PFA also comes with the added benefit of not adding buggy Ancient Nordic Helmets that can't be worn.
Overall, I like the premise of this mod, but I think PFA is a much better executed version.
Any chance you'd be willing to do a heavy armor only version? I've already used the CBBE body slider to fix the breast/waist/etc. shapes to be realistic with the clothing and light armor meshes. The heavy armor has been a different story. No amount of boob squishing and reshaping can save the look of those stupid things. That iron armor. *Shudders*
Completely disregarding the "but the boobs" comments for my own sanity - for anyone else who wanted to download this, keep in mind the Imperial Armour retexture is still an unannounced feature of the mod, so beware accordingly. I like the idea of it, but it looks incredibly jarring compared to how gritty everything else is in Skyrim. It's a pity.
This is just a Mesh Change, not an armour re-texture, and even if it does re-texture some, find re-texture mods to change them. Meshes are different from Textures, after all.
The problem isn't that it's difficult to remove the textures manually (it isn't) but the fact that it's a completely unannounced and often undesired feature.
Hey, I love the mod, but I prefer the blacked out visor look to the visible, as I think it looks better imo. Is there a specific file or files that I can delete to bring back the black eyeslits?
82 comments
I would agree that having armor formed exactly like your breasts would never realistically be a thing, yet you see it all the time in fantasy games. Why? Well, only having about 12% of your employees that are women will do that... and, often, none of them work in concept/design department. So, you've got quite a few dudes designing armor and clothing for female characters. They're going to have a certain idea of how things "should" look without much experience. Thus, boob plates. I'll have you know that, yes, some friends and I have tried this concept in real life and our breasts have never been so bruised after 5 minutes of activity. Sure, it looks nice, but MAN does it hurt! Think of it this way, boys: form a codpiece to the exact form of your junk and run around for a few minutes and see how you like it. Pretty painful, I'd think. Stop with the boob plates!
That being said, the other extreme doesn't work, either. From the look of these armors, it appears to me like you took the male mesh, brought in the waist a little, and added some hip action. Sorry, that doesn't work, either. There's breathing that needs to happen, y'know. Sure, a lot of girls can get their chests fairly flat with the right workout gear, but there's still curve (Not to mention: when's the last time you saw any armor pieces on women's workout clothes?). There's just enough constraint to be comfy, but not enough to cut off circulation or inhibit breathing. That's where I feel these armor designs went wrong: ya cut off too much. Frankly, the design in the chests look a lot like someone's wearing one of those chest binders that FtMs slip on that makes their chest virtually disappear. Problem with that, though, is that too much constraint makes strenuous physical activity (like fighting) next to impossible because you can't breathe properly. Generally, those guys have to resort to dealing with dysphoria to put on a sports bra and super loose tanktop to get some good exercise.
So, how do we fix this? Well, the easy answer would be to hire more women in the design department (and in gaming companies in general), but that's nothing any of us can do anything about. For the purposes of the mod, though, there are a few things that can be done:
Cloth or Hide armors -- Maybe SLIGHTLY reduce the chest, but do not flatten completely like you did with the Imperial Light Armor. These are going to be more loose on the body and won't necessarily be all that constricting. Sure, the foresworn armor could use some extra pieces because Skyrim is COLD (We ain't in Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, or Valenwood with all them beautiful beaches, girls!). Hides are generally fine, don't change much. Scaled sets could use more coverage, but Ancient Nord should be left alone (it was warmer, then?). Unless you're gonna add some leggings, do not touch Savior's Hide! [Many women I know really love the femininity of it and the empowerment from wearing the piece. Leggings would be warmer, though.]
Leather armors - Again, a little chest reduction, but don't go totally flat. Even the Dawnguard armor should have a little curve in the chest.
^ Do not switch any of those to the male model. Realism is the goal and women would surely have armor that compliments their form but is practical as well. If things fit your form, you have a little more confidence... not to mention rehashing men's designs would be bulky and cumbersome on a woman.
Imperial armor - I actually thought you didn't really change that much. Bethesda's design reminds me of Captain Phasma's armor, which is probably the most practical female armor seen anywhere. Thus, having a slight curve to the chest and room to move a bit is practical and should fit with Imperial army standards.
Nightengale set - That "improvement" was not necessary. Vanilla design is actually perfectly fine.
Iron armor - For the love of the Divines, thank you for fixing that. The boob plate hurts the eyes... and my boobs.
Steel, Glass, Nordic, Elven, and Daedric - Leave more room in the chest and waist. Breathing and moving are important.
Stalhrim - It's fine. Don't need to change.
Dragonplate - Again, a little more in the chest and waist (think Captain Phasma), but it's okay to use the male model here. That's way more practical.
Dragonscale - Don't touch it. Contrary to what you might believe, it works like a fighting corset. For this, it's not that it's a corset but the STYLE of corset. Sure, many corsets are fashion and meant to be brought in at the waist quite a bit to further accentuate feminine shape (sometimes dangerously but we won't go into a discussion about Victorian-era corsets right now). However, FIGHTING corsets do accentuate the form AND provide freedom of movement with the support of the chest one would want in such a device. Dragonscale, though some uneducated few would disagree, fits this category of corset. It's fine, I promise.
Remember: realism is good, but I do not want to wear men's armor and look like an awkward crossdresser. Hope that provides some insight and aides in further updates to the mod. I really do wish you the best.
I also don't agree with the dragon scale corset. I'd rather not expose my upper rib cage as the whole point of wearing a chest plate, to begin with, is protecting your ribs from being smashed by a hammer or a mace.
I was actually just getting on to ask for a heavy armor only version. I've already gone through using the CBBE body slider to fix the breast/waist/etc. sizes and shapes to be realistic with the various clothing and light armor meshes but the heavy armor has been a hopeless cause. There is just only so much flattening and reshaping you can do (that iron armor is just... So... SO horrifyingly bad).
I want a balance between feeling feminine and feeling protected, ya know? I want it to be a more realistic (to an extent, obviously. Daedric armor isn't practical for either gender and I don't believe it necessarily should be. It is a fantasy.) and realistic doesn't mean erasing the existence of boobs.
I like a lot of these designs, but having another mod more like what you described would be nice as well.
For anyone who's looking for a mod that'll still make the armor more realistic but doesn't want all the other unannounced changes, I highly recommend Practical Female Armors (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2628?tab=description) I started using it a few days ago and it's a huge improvement. My ladies have their usual dresses back and the 'fine clothes' users don't look like they're wearing horribly cheap 'medieval' costumes anymore. Practical Female Armors is also a FOMOD which allows the user to pick and choose which armors to install, so if you like the original Ancient Nordic look (like I do) you don't have to sacrifice it to make the rest of the game look better. PFA also comes with the added benefit of not adding buggy Ancient Nordic Helmets that can't be worn.
Overall, I like the premise of this mod, but I think PFA is a much better executed version.