Questions about shopping (Overwhelmed)

[Juliviere]

I am overwhelmed with the massive amount of content to pick up, though I understand this is that type of game (Virtual world!) I kind of wonder if people have any tips for those who are overwhelmed with choices? I've come to the realization that a lot of people use mesh bodies which is fine.. I think that means I have to use mesh enabled clothing? 

1. Any tips to not get overwhelmed when shopping with choices? 

2. Is certain clothing made before a certain year considered meh in quality?

3. Mesh bodies = Mesh clothing needed correct?

4. Anything to avoid when shopping? Such as scammy places not to go to and junk?

Thanks I get these might not be the traditional ask questions but I think they fit here.

[Cindy Evanier]

1 hour ago, Juliviere said:

I am overwhelmed with the massive amount of content to pick up, though I understand this is that type of game (Virtual world!) I kind of wonder if people have any tips for those who are overwhelmed with choices? I've come to the realization that a lot of people use mesh bodies which is fine.. I think that means I have to use mesh enabled clothing? 

1. Any tips to not get overwhelmed when shopping with choices? 

2. Is certain clothing made before a certain year considered meh in quality?

3. Mesh bodies = Mesh clothing needed correct?

4. Anything to avoid when shopping? Such as scammy places not to go to and junk?

Thanks I get these might not be the traditional ask questions but I think they fit here.

1.  Demo what you like, costs nothing (mostly)  I am not really a big shopper of clothes.  If I see something I like I will buy it but mostly there are much more fun things to be doing than shopping.

2.   I don't think so.  I have clothes  from a while ago that are much better quality than some recent purchases

3.  You can't wear system clothes with a mesh body.  You need mesh and appliers 

4.  The demo rule always applies no matter where you go.  If you like it, go for it. You might find a gem in a smaller store that nobody else is wearing.

Disclaimer:   I am not a big clothing shopper.  I live by the; ,I like it, I need it, I demo'd,  fits, I bought it kind of rule.

[Chic Aeon]

Biggest tip is: 

GO SLOOOOOWLY!

Learn as you go. Join some free store groups (shops that you like their style) and experiment with their group gifts.

If you stay you will likely want to buy a mesh body. DEMO DEMO DEMO. Play until you understand how the hud works (this can be confusing). 

Mesh Body Addicts website can help with this.  Maitreya will give you the most choices of clothing as more folks make for Maitreya than any other brand.

My favorite fancy dress is likely 3 years old now and absolutely gorgeous still. So WHEN something was made doesn't matter. DEMO!!!

Go to some of the popular events and grab DEMOS of the items you like. You will also need a DEMO of the mesh body (or a couple) to try the clothes on.   

You CAN of course stick with the legacy (classic) body which you probably are wearing. OR you can use one of the mesh bodies that I am guessing are still available to new folks. Those mesh bodies are NOT the STANDARD though and most clothes will not fit or be usable (many reasons - don't worry about it :D).

Don't spend a lot of money until you decide you want to stay :D.

DEMO 

(honestly we say that a lot here and people just don't seem to get it. 

 

 

 

 

[Lindal Kidd]

Oh my yes, I am often overwhelmed with choices when I'm out shopping!  And I've been here for ten years now.

Just take it slowly.  If a store offers group gifts, and it's free to join the group, do so and get the gifts.  Group gifts are usually found at the store's front desk, or possibly in a separate Group Gift wall or room.

I teach a class on Shopping on Fridays at 5 pm SL time, at Caledon Oxbridge University.  It's free to attend!

[Rolig Loon]

Shopping is easy.  Just like in RL. 

The basic rule:  If you like it, buy it.  If you don't, walk away.  Don't waste time worrying about what other people might like on their bodies.

For now, do a lot of window shopping.  Visit freebie stores.  Pick up freebies or discounted items wherever you find them.  Get loads of demos.  (And don't forget to discard 95% of the  garbage you get.  Remember your inventory question ... )

As you get demos for clothing, remember to look at yourself from a distance.  Many clothing creators will try to reduce the complexity impact of their clothing by using a bare minimum Low-LOD model. (This will sound like meaningless jargon, I know, but the practical result is that if the low-LOD model of an item is too low, it will render as a few ugly triangles and you will essentially be naked as a jaybird.) On the other hand, if your clothing has a complexity rating that is too high, everyone else will see you as a monochrome "jelly doll".  Read this article. As you buy things other than clothing, always be mindful of the Land Impact of any item and of its physical size.  If items have too much land impact or are too big to fit in your land, ignore them.

[Juliviere]

Thank you all very much for your help! I will take this all into consideration when shopping.

[Nalates Urriah]

Yeah... overwhelm may be an understatement...

1) To avoid being overwhelmed you do have to learn about avatars and clothes so you know what you are dealing with. So, Chic's advice to go sloooowly is great. And when you do find something confusing, ask here or a friend, Google, ask in a support group, send a notecard to the merchant... just ask. The more answers you get the more you'll know and understand.

I think learning in SL is best on a need to know basis. Tell me when I need to know... which means I have to ask.

2) Age of clothes... not really but yes. Classic clothes don't age out. If they were good quality when made, they remain good quality now. But, in 2013 we got mesh-prims and things changed. Since a Classic avatar can wear mesh clothes, and they look better, we tend to buy things made in 2013 and since.

There was an era of Standard Size clothes for classic avatars. I think in late 2013 or early 2014 we got fitted mesh and Standard Size stuff became passe. Now fitted mesh clothes are fitted to a body, Maitreya, Slink, Belleza... with Maitreya being the most popular. I like Slink, for its lower poly count and looks.

The most confusing area is mesh clothes and the classic body. There are stickers for the various brands of mesh bodies. But, there is no clear sticker for the classic avatar. So, it is hard to know what they made to fit the classic avatar body. That is probably because the shape sliders for the classic body behave in a completely different way than they do for mesh bodies. So, it is VERY hard to get mesh clothes to fit the classic body at different sizes. Most go with a standard size XL, L, M, S, XS and hope for the best.

3) No... nothing is that simple in SL.

4) There are scams in SL and there are horrible designers that should never be allowed in a 3D world. OK, that's harsh. But, there are things to watch out for. The problem is teaching you what to be on the lookout for is complex. Scammers sell stolen goods. But, they look like the real thing... cause they are. But, there are designers that sell KITS. So, many people are selling the exact same dress made from different material. I know of no easy way to tell the scam from the legit. Some identical stuff is a scam and some is legit...

We try the demos so we know who makes well-fitting clothes. Do that before you buy. Walk in the clothes. Often things look great standing still. When you walk you see poke through. Ugh! I use a pose stand at home that has a walking animation so I can cam around my avatar as I walk. I have a list of who makes stuff that doesn't fit me... ever. It is supposed to but doesn't. Others almost fit and if I tweak my shape we are good. Some clothes require I use the alpha layers to hide parts of my body. That's OK. With most bodies, there are tools you can use to automate the alpha layers to change for a particular clothing item. So, not a big thing.

Also, there are some shape sliders that do NOT affect the clothes, well most clothes. Cleavage is one. So, you can tweak the various sliders to get a shape to work with different brands of clothes. I save shapes saved with brand names so I can reuse them. But, this is pure trial and error brand by brand.

You want to look out for high polygon count mesh clothes, you can get a bit of an idea by the ACI value, lower is better. You can also use Ctrl-Alt-Shift-R to shift in an out of wireframe view. In Wireframe you can see how dense the mesh is. In general, there is no need for high-density mesh in SL. The classic avatar is 7,000+ polygons. Twice that is amazingly detailed. So polygons half the size of the classic avatar's polygons is a good target. But, don't get hung up on that. Just watch your total ACI. For instance, old hair often has an ACI over 100k. Most new hair is <30k.