Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
While face scanning technology may be gaining momentum as a tool for customizing player avatars, it seems like the process is still very far from foolproof. The face scanning in newly-released NBA 2K15 in particular has been getting a lot of attention for some of its more monstrous interpretations of player faces, some of which could absolutely pass for Halloween masks.
Naturally people are having a very good time sharing the very best of the worst face scans. Operation Sports shared the haunting compilation above, while over on Gamespot you can find a video of how several of their staff members look through the NBA 2K15 lens. Sometimes it works well, sometimes... Less so. Even some of the better examples occasionally cover the avatars in strange bruises and smears, like the player spawned by Giant Bomb.
So what's going wrong here? A few things...
When it comes to DIY face scanning, optimal conditions are absolutely vital. Following the program's instructions closely should be an obvious step, but you also want your face to be as well-lit as possible. I can't say for sure, but I suspect a good number of the bruises appearing on scanned characters have to do with shadows on the face as it's scanned and converted into a texture for the model.
The good news is that it is absolutely possible to get a good scan out of NBA 2K15 and onto the player character. The bad news is that there are also claims of some bugginess/face garbling even after a scan has already been applied successfully. That's undoubtedly frustrating for players, but it's certainly made the game more entertaining to watch from the bleachers.
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