The CK3-Human-Phenotype-Project is intends to recreate all the phenotypes listed on http://humanphenotypes.net/ within the video game Crusader Kings 3. We have a Discord server.
The game is easily moddable and uses 3D portraits, making such a project relatively easy to implement, if not somewhat tedious (due to the sheer number of existing human phenotypes).
The mod is, for all intents and purposes, perfectly playable, and "ready", albeit I still consider it a work-in-progress, because there is much to be refined - see below. The mod is also incompatible with any mods that edit vanilla cultures - compatibility patches must be developed, and will be developed on request.
Some people out complained that the faces are too cartoonish, some people remarked that some of the features are indeed exaggerated, and I always admitted that there is still much to be refined. In fact, to tell you the truth, I kinda just slapped together many of the templates (or prototype characters) - yet, despite this, I received plenty of positive feedback.
Nevertheless, it is time for me to do that actual refining and re-make many - if not all - of the templates, which is going to take long as hell if I am to work solo, so...
How does one do that though? Well, read down below for "How can I help/contribute?".
Absolutely not. This mod edits ethnicities, which the game uses to randomly generate the looks/DNA of characters (historical and new alike). Once the character was generated - or has scripted appearance - this mod will not modify them. For this mod to truly have effect, you need to start a new game, otherwise it will only affect newly generated characters.
For legal reasons, I cannot do that. What legal reasons? Well, it's against the rules to disclose that, but here's a hint: I cannot upload any mods to the Steam Workshop at all. The less we talk about it, the better.
Nevertheless, if you wish to upload this mod to the Steam Workshop in my name, you have my full blessings to do so. No, really, you'd be doing me a big favor.
Yes. You don't even need to ask. Just do it. Sure, crediting would be nice, but otherwise, feel free to.
Many of the characters within a region look samey / Many characters look like caricatures / Some traits seem exaggerated
Yes. This mod is still a work in progress, and there is much to be refined. Stay tuned for more updates. 😉 Or better yet - contribute to the progress. 😉
If you play Crusader Kings 3, and are familiar with the portrait editor, you can help by taking any of the phenotypes on http://humanphenotypes.net/, and recreating its morph images as a CK3 character via the portrait editor to the best of your abilities (while also trying to respect the description given on the site), copying the persistent DNA (not regular DNA), then sending me the copied persistent DNA on the Discord server or on LoversLab - or alternatively submitting a pull request.
But, since most of are not anthro-nerds, I will have to explain one term for you, one term that you'll see a lot on the website: Cephalic indices. Trust me, it's relevant to the mod.
A cephalic index is basically your head width divided by your head height, then multiplied by 100 for convenience. Almost like an aspect ratio of your head. If it's below 75.9, you're dolichocephalic (long-headed), if it's between 76 and 81 you're mesocephalic (medium-headed), and if it's above 81, you're brachycephalic (short-headed).
How is this important? Well, you see, cephalic indices are kinda tied to phenotypes. E.g. Nordids, Mediterraneanids, Orientalids and Indids are firmly dolichocephalic, while Turanids, Indo-Brachids, East-Europids, Armenoids and Dinarids are very much brachycephalic So this has to be kept in mind.
Sadly, the game gives every character an occipital bun, while in real-life, only dolichocephalic people (and mesocephalic, if your neck is thin) have occipital buns - brachycephalic people (and mesocephalic, if your neck is thick enough) have flat occiputs.
Currently, the phenotypes that are in need of improvement are found on this list.