About the LAQ Christmas "gift"

[angelikiinha]

As many of you must know, LAQ (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LAQ/121/113/76) is offering Noelle head for 300L. The normal price is 1500, if I'm not wrong.

My question is: even being obviously so cheap, do it worth the price? I'm asking because it's the head and nothing else, not even a very basic HUD - you are adverted to buy the HUD separately for 3000L. Will it work well without HUD (no animation, no remotion of hair base as it seems, etc)?

To be honest and maybe ungrateful, seems like a trick to sell HUDs. Even full bodies gift like Altamura's have a basic HUD. Maya, given by Akeruka in last June and today at 4999L, had a HUD (?)...

[HunniHope]

4 minutes ago, angelikiinha said:

My question is: even being obviously so cheap, do it worth the price?

No-one can really say if something has a value to you, only to themselves. I don't know that particular head but I know the brand and it's reputation. In my opinion a well made Bento Mesh head with detailed, fully functioning HUD and lots of features is very much worth 5k. You need to ask yourself if its worth it you. Get the demo and work out if you can live with a head with little to no features or function for little more than a buck. Or do you really like the full HUD and think you would make the most of it, then ask yourself if its worth the saving of 1200L whilst you can

[Qie Niangao]

9 minutes ago, HunniHope said:

No-one can really say if something has a value to you, only to themselves. I don't know that particular head but I know the brand and it's reputation. In my opinion a well made Bento Mesh head with detailed, fully functioning HUD and lots of features is very much worth 5k. You need to ask yourself if its worth it you.

I see a lot -- maybe a majority -- of folks with Bento heads and HUDs doing nothing with the huge number of features that justify those US$20 costs. For folks who really exercise it, I agree that there was a lot of effort that went into it, so it's only fair compensation. But it's a legitimate question whether a product with lots of complex features is worth it for those folks who never use most of them.

Also, I think I agree with the OP's assessment of this L$300 offer -- it certainly sounds like a very expensive demo, unless there's a way to really use this head without the HUD if that HUD is necessary for basic customization. If, on the other hand, it only controls the Bento animations, then yeah: practically speaking, most users never get 'round to using that anyway, so L$300 would be a bargain, Bento-crippled head.

(Mind you, I hate all these products for being no-mod. It is the most frustrating thing about the current crop of SL creations, and I have no idea how all these creators can be cured of this horrid superstition. They have to add ever more elaborate and sim-laggy scripts into these products to make them marginally customizable, all because they've caught this brain-eating virus of no-mod marketing. Good business for scripters, though, I guess. Maybe the whole no-mod fad is a conspiracy of the scripting cartel. 😜)

[ThorinII]

As far as I know, LAQ always sells their heads and the HUD separately. That's why their heads are relatively "cheap" in relation to other head creators.

I also tried this holiday special product. It is well-made, and shows where LAQ's reputation comes from - but to be honest, I've got so used to my Akeruka Maia that I couldn't identify with this LAQ Head and put it back into my inventory. 😔

[ErikaKotov]

Well first of all it isn't a gift it is a promo price head. 

If you have a appliers for the head you can still customize it, can't really tint anything or change opacity. Omega is built in so you won't need to buy an Omega relay.  My personal opinion is if your interested in LAQ heads it's a good entry-point price. In the past LAQ used to sell some heads for 500 L$ with the HUD for promotions. That was before they started to sell the HUD separately in the 2.0 era of the heads.

[Marianne Little]

I hear some say the HUD might be on sale on boxing day, but that is a rumor. They offered it and the heads for half price on Black Friday. Maybe unrealistic to expect another sale like that so soon.

Best thing I can say is try the demo, and the HUD demo too. Other animations might work for it. I tested some briefly, and it's a 50/50.

Don't buy it unless you love it. I bought the LAQ 500 L offer last Christmas, and I never used it. It was an impulse buy and a waste of money. LAQ heads is really not my style, I wasn't thinking at all.

Edited December 9, 2018 by Marianne Little

[Claireschen Hesten]

LAQ's selling model is to the sell the HUD and the head separately which is great if you have both already if you want to buy another head you aren't forking out L$4.5k just to get another HUD you already have.

Demo the head and the HUD if you love the head buy it and wait for the HUD to go on offer I believe for L$50 LAQ also sell a very basic HUD that clears layers and what not from the head. If you want a good brand on the cheap this is worth trying 

[Bebe Bunny]

They were selling their Neve head with HUD for 500L some time ago, if one got that one that HUD can be used for this head as well. I'm positively surprised with how it looks, the only thing that puts me off is the animations that come with it. It has a nice shape, the sliders work fine and it doesn't have the duck lips people complain so much about.

 

 

[Fionalein]

6 minutes ago, Sylvannas Zulaman said:

They were selling their Neve head with HUD for 500L some time ago

Last Christmas if I remember well.

[Fionalein]

Did someone test the head with the Happy Dispatch face HUD? It only costs 600 and contains a head AO. You can temp attach a demo of it in the inworld store - might be worth a try if someone looks for a cheap alternative- still won't let you customize your head features like brows and so on but you can at least get blinks and lip movement on typing with it.

[Chic Aeon]

Last year altamura had a really nice head for free. I got one for my alt.  This year there is a similar gift -- beyond the announcement that's all I know.   

 

I know nothing about LAQ heads. I do know that they put you on their mailing list, refuse to take you off, and change the mailer each time so you cannot block.   Actually I MAY be off the list now as I did an AR on them and haven't seen anything late. BUT it was over a year trying to get off with notecards. So they are not on my "do business with" list :D.

 

Quote

 We offer also a special Christmas gift on 24th December (untill the 25th December ) a bento mesh head (one for female and one for male). 

 

[Rolig Loon]

I agree with Qie.  I have a LAQ head and decided not to buy the separate HUD since I have no interest in most of the things that it does. The head is a good product and the price is quite reasonable IMO.  If you don't need all the extras in the HUD, you can save a lot of L$.

[Marianne Little]

2 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

Last year altamura had a really nice head for free. I got one for my alt.  This year there is a similar gift -- beyond the announcement that's all I know.   

 

I know nothing about LAQ heads. I do know that they put you on their mailing list, refuse to take you off, and change the mailer each time so you cannot block.   Actually I MAY be off the list now as I did an AR on them and haven't seen anything late. BUT it was over a year trying to get off with notecards. So they are not on my "do business with" list :D.

 

 

I joined the Altamura group just to read the notices. I could not see anything about this special gift.

Maybe there will be a teaser.

[Rolig Loon]

3 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

I do know that they [LAQ] put you on their mailing list, refuse to take you off, and change the mailer each time so you cannot block.   

That might happen if you join their group.  I don't know.  I resist joining groups unless it's really necessary.  They haven't sent me a single note since I bought the head, so I'm obviously not on their mailing list, for which I am thankful.

[Chic Aeon]

7 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

I joined the Altamura group just to read the notices. I could not see anything about this special gift.

Maybe there will be a teaser.

Was on the teleporthub Advent list. Creators all put their info in there from a form.   There are also advent gifts starting on the 12th I think.  Last year also.  So "should" be official.    

 

Here is LAST YEAR'S 

 

Edited December 9, 2018 by Chic Aeon

[Marianne Little]

13 minutes ago, Chic Aeon said:

Was on the teleporthub Advent list. Creators all put their info in there from a form.   There are also advent gifts starting on the 12th I think.  Last year also.  So "should" be official.    

 

Here is LAST YEAR'S 

 

I am most interested in a head, maybe there will be a group offer for half price or something like that.

Does not Altamura freebies have just one skintone and no appliers work for them?

I picked up the Emmanuelle avatar while I was looking around. For those who try the LAQ demo, maybe they should get that freebie, because it includes facial AO and maybe the animations, alt least some, work on the LAQ head.

[Chic Aeon]

1 minute ago, Marianne Little said:

I am most interested in a head, maybe there will be a group offer for half price or something like that.

Does not Altamura freebies have just one skintone and no appliers work for them?

I picked up the Emmanuelle avatar while I was looking around. For those who try the LAQ demo, maybe they should get that freebie, because it includes facial AO and maybe the animations, alt least some, work on the LAQ head.

Well the announcement on teleporthub DID SAY HEAD as I quoted. One for gals, one for guys. 

The free items that I have seen just have one skin tone. SOMETIMES appliers work (like the head last year). Appliers don't work on full avatars (at least the ones I have tested). 

 

[femhalf]

15 hours ago, angelikiinha said:

As many of you must know, LAQ (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LAQ/121/113/76) is offering Noelle head for 300L. The normal price is 1500, if I'm not wrong.

My question is: even being obviously so cheap, do it worth the price? I'm asking because it's the head and nothing else, not even a very basic HUD - you are adverted to buy the HUD separately for 3000L. Will it work well without HUD (no animation, no remotion of hair base as it seems, etc)?

To be honest and maybe ungrateful, seems like a trick to sell HUDs. Even full bodies gift like Altamura's have a basic HUD. Maya, given by Akeruka in last June and today at 4999L, had a HUD (?)...

It's still cheaper than the alternatives out there.  Catwa is $5000 for each head and hud.  At this point, i would have expected them to lower prices on their older heads, but nope, they're trying to squeeze every last linden dollar out of people.  Lelutka is around the same price last time i checked.  I'm glad they have competition now though.  Hopefully more people stop supporting their price gouging.

[Fionalein]

5 minutes ago, femhalf said:

 It's still cheaper than the alternatives out there.

Well that a lot depends on your expectations. All the big ones are 5000 now. Less known companies somtimes are way cheaper.

[Cindy Evanier]

31 minutes ago, femhalf said:

Hopefully more people stop supporting their price gouging.

First I will say, I don't own a catwa head but second I wouldn't call it price gouging.  A merchant can set a price for what they create and its up to people if they want to pay that price or shop around. Nobody is FORCED to buy a particular head or any head at all.  There are lots of heads around now.  

[Sandy Schnook]

Just an FYI, if you buy the HUD, it's good for all LAQ heads.  I bought Neve though when it came out and a HUD was included with it.  I actually use GA.EG for my default look.

[Rhonda Huntress]

Noelle has a very cute face.  It is not Rhonda at all even tho I already have LAQ'a HUD from another head.  So I bought it for an alt.

[Rhonda Huntress]

Closeup of Clover with LAQ's Noelle head.  Click image for a larger view.

[Marianne Little]

4 hours ago, Rhonda Huntress said:

Closeup of Clover with LAQ's Noelle head.  Click image for a larger view.

I tried some Omega appliers on it and it did not look good. It is a good buy if you want to use the included skin. Or maybe another skin from LAQ.

For my alt that need a special ethnic look, it is totally not it, can not use it even for free with a free HUD. But that is my problem, not others. I can not expect gifts that I want or need. It would probably not work for the majority.

[Marianne Little]

8 hours ago, femhalf said:

It's still cheaper than the alternatives out there.  Catwa is $5000 for each head and hud.  At this point, i would have expected them to lower prices on their older heads, but nope, they're trying to squeeze every last linden dollar out of people.  Lelutka is around the same price last time i checked.  I'm glad they have competition now though.  Hopefully more people stop supporting their price gouging.

The animations and ease of use is what matters for me when I buy a head, not that I have to try and test a bunch of other facial AOs and hope it works, or that I must hunt down the few skins that look good on the head. The big brands like Catwa and Lelutka sell not just a head, but a system that is widely supported and makes customization so easy. I pay for that.