Making Faces on the PTS

Guys, when did logging onto the PTS become so easy? I remember looking into it briefly several patches ago, and it involved manually downloading some stuff and what not, which led me to the conclusion that it was too much hassle at the time. Now you just have to click on the little gear icon in the bottom left corner of the launcher window, select "yes" on "Enable Public Test Server Access", pick "Public Test" as your environment and off you go! Downloading all the data still takes ages, but at least it all happens automatically through the launcher, just like a normal patch.

Anyway, one of the comparatively minor 1.4 patch notes that caught my attention was this one:

Players can now set their moods, altering your character's facial expression. You can find these moods in the emote browser near the chat window.

This may not be something big and important, but it delighted me since I've always thought that it's a bit of a waste that they made all these art assets for facial expressions in the cut scenes, and didn't give the players any access to them. What a great tool for roleplaying and video making!

Anyway, so I made my first character on the PTS purely to have a look at the different "moods" you'll be able to set for your character in the future, and I thought I'd share:

You change your expression by going to the "Mood" menu in the drop-down for emotes. "Neutral" is the default facial expression we all currently have.

I'm not sure I would call this one "alarmed" so much as "slightly worried", but it's a solid choice.

This is the default expression I expect to see in warzones in the future.

Uh, you're going to swallow a fly or some other space insect if you run around with your mouth open wide like that all the time! I can't see anyone picking this one except as a joke.

"Awed" is basically a milder version of "astounded", though the mouth is still slightly open. Reminds me of the most popular female troll face in WoW for some reason.

I like this one, though I would personally prefer something with a slightly less pronounced smile.

"Dejected" basically means "slightly unhappy". Looks about right.

Now this is a seriously depressed face. If I saw anyone wearing that on the fleet I'd feel an instant urge to /hug or /comfort them.

Not bad, though it looks slightly constipated to me. Then again, "discomforted" is an apt description for that state, isn't it?

Almost scary, that grin.

This is my favourite of the bunch, though I would describe it as "cocky" instead of "flattered". This should be the mood of choice for smugglers most of the time in my opinion.

I'm not sure I'd want to run around with my eyes closed all the time.

That does look like she just got shot in the foot. Appropriate.

This is basically a slightly toned down version of "eager".

Another one with the eyes closed! This is more suitable if you're going for the peaceful sleepwalker look I guess.

Another sad one.

I could barely tell the difference between "mournful" and "saddened". Just a little bit of eyebrow movement I think. Note however that neither of them is nearly as sad as "depressed".

Okay, maybe this will be the default expression in warzones instead.

Finally, this appears to be about halfway between "astounded" and "awed". The open mouth is still too much for me personally though.

From what I could see, your portrait in the UI doesn't currently update with your mood. I don't know whether that's working as intended or will be changed in the future.

Also, we all know that pulling your weapon usually causes your expression to change from neutral to slightly scowly. I call it my "I'ma gonna shoot you" face. You know, this one:

However, it seems that if you select anything but neutral as your mood, that mood will "stick" even with your weapon out, which is something to keep in mind: it's only a small step from being cheerful to being a disturbingly grinning, giant-gun-wielding psycho.