Here is the patch to apply the helm fix. Simple extract the files to your EQ 99 directory and run "patch.bat". If you're uncomfortable running the patch executable, I am using JojoDiff. You can download and replace the executable yourself from the source.
After you've run patch.bat, you can delete the files jptch.exe and global_chr.s3d.patch.
http://3dfolio.com/files/eqc_patch_helm.zip
And here's how it works:
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The current EQ client seems to be a mishmash of an old and a new method. Previously, transparency was determined by the color value of the first index in the 8-bit color table of the texture file. It would appear that at some point an additional check was added which verifies if transparency exists by setting to bottom left two pixels to the same color.
The two pixels at the bottom left appear to be required by the half-elf plate helm but not the male human plate helm. I don't know why.
Another oddity is that the index for the male plate helm was already the correct color but did not provide any transparency. By changing the color to #FF00FF (magic pink), transparency was enabled. Simply by adding two pixels to the bottom left of the half-elf plate helm enabled transparency. Magic pink was no required but was added for clarity.
The female human plate helm shares the same texture as the male human plate helm but does not use transparency. As a result of enabling transparency for the male plate visor a small porthole has appeared in the back of the female plate helm. I cannot find a way to disable transparency on a per-model basis so there may not be a fix for this:
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This is a minor result of the change and is purely cosmetic. It is hypothetically possible to adjust the mapping on the object itself but there are no tool available to do so. You can decide for yourself if you prefer helms with no visor or the occasional porthole for the female plate helms.
But in the meantime, at least you'll be able to see:
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I've also added a fix for the eye of zomm. This has been bugging me for a long time. This fix should also propagate to the evil eye models too:
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