People still use classic avatars instead of bento heads and bodies?

[polygonmonster]

Question, how many people roughly still use classic avatars instead of bento heads and bodies? I'm very curious about those who don't decide to spent money on this meshes.

[LittleMe Jewell]

40 minutes ago, polygonmonster said:

Question, how many people roughly still use classic avatars instead of bento heads and bodies? I'm very curious about those who don't decide to spent money on this meshes.

I have a mesh body, but still use my classic head.  It's not really about money (or at least not totally) but more about being comfortable with my current look and so far not being able to achieve something close enough in the mesh heads that I've played with.  I don't see any reason to spend roughly $20 US on something that I'm only so-so about.

[polygonmonster]

Just now, LittleMe Jewell said:

I have a mesh body, but still use my classic head.  It's not really about money (or at least not totally) but more about being comfortable with my current look and so far not being able to achieve something close enough in the mesh heads that I've played with.  I don't see any reason to spend roughly $20 US on something that I'm only so-so about.

Yea, I like a few of those meshes but people are getting crazy with polycount limits... this makes SL even slower... I really can't understand why is so hard to make the community to adapt to such standards for a platform that runs on the web.

[Blaise Glendevon]

You can't "make" anyone adapt to anything they don't want to, because SL runs on third party creators whose market share is dependent on being adopted by a large percent of the grid. And you'll take my mesh bodies from me when you pry them out of my cold, dead, glorious bento hands. There's no way we're ever going back to those weird, square fingers you have to photoshop in your blog pics. 

[So Whimsy]

I see quite a few people around that use old system avi's. It's impossible to tell though how much of the userbase still uses them. I'd dare say the majority does for various reasons.

[polygonmonster]

Just now, So Whimsy said:

I see quite a few people around that use old system avi's. It's impossible to tell though how much of the userbase still uses them. I'd dare say the majority does for various reasons.

Yea I agree, still, can you elaborate a bit more about why dare to say the majority does for various reasons? I'm curious.

Thanks for your time.

[So Whimsy]

1 minute ago, polygonmonster said:

Yea I agree, still, can you elaborate a bit more about why dare to say the majority does for various reasons? I'm curious.

Thanks for your time.

Mostly because of males who don't care what their avatar looks like. Then you have those who don't spend money on SL. Another group would be those who like the way their avatar looks and don't care for an upgrade. Lastly, the casual's who don't sign in often.

Oh! And those who think change is bad. I like calling them the grandma's of SL because just like grandma's in real life, they're scared/confused by new technology.

[Jennifer Boyle]

I don't disagree with the other answers.

For me, the major obstacle to changing to a mesh head was the difficulty of keeping the same face. I had had essentially the same face since 2007, and it was very important to me to look like the same person. I don't think I could have achieved that on my own, because it would have taken such an enormous amount of time experimenting with demos. I was very fortunate to have a lot of expert help, and I still spent a day tweaking the shape. Before that, I had repeatedly spent a few hours trying demos before giving up in frustration.

The appearance of the body matters a lot more to some than others, depending their Second Lifestyle. There's really no reason for someone who always wears long pants, long sleeves, and boots to have any mesh parts other than hands and head. OTOH, it would be more important to someone who wears scanty, see-through, or no clothing frequently.

Another disincentive for having mesh heads and bodies is that they are much more complicated to use, assuming that one makes full use of their features. In addition, every time their is a major update, I can expect to spend at least a few hours updating my many outfits. The "replace links" feature is a godsend for this, but it still takes considerable time. My three alts have mesh bodies and system heads, so I also need to invest time for each of them, though it's mush less because their wardrobes are much smaller than mine. They don't have mesh heads mostly because of the cost, but also because of the additional time it would take to add and maintain them.

Finally, Most people I encounter who are on SL regularly and are not new have mesh bodies and heads. Most people I encounter who don't are either new, are infrequently in SL, or are returning after a long hiatus.

[Zeta Vandyke]

1 hour ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

In addition, every time their is a major update, I can expect to spend at least a few hours updating my many outfits

Make one outfit "nude" with just the body parts - So only that one needs to be updated

Do the same with nothing but your most used HUD's/attachents (like ankle lock, animators and so on) - So only that ones need to change if a HUD or other body attachment get's updated

And then from there on every outfit you want to save, you first remove your "Nude" and "HUD's" outfits before saving it, so only the actual outfit gets saved. That way it never needs to be re-done when a body/hud is updated.

[Sybaine Falconer]

2 hours ago, So Whimsy said:

Mostly because of males who don't care what their avatar looks like. Then you have those who don't spend money on SL. Another group would be those who like the way their avatar looks and don't care for an upgrade. Lastly, the casual's who don't sign in often.

 

You forgot sum thing! The shape shifters who have multiples on multiples of avatars on one account and it would cost thousands of dollars to replace every singe dang one with your precious mesh!

[Nalates Urriah]

I am full mesh, head to toes and all in between.

Here in the forum you are going to have too small a sample to know. Of the 600k that log in most days the 25 to 50 people that respond here... 0.008% makes for an unreliable sample size. Like Covid-19, since we don't know how many people have actually had it, all the stats are made up guesses providing ridiculously scary projections that aren't matching reality. Avoid doing the same silly thing here.

I doubt even the Lindens know. They track lots of things. I don't think they track our dressing habits... or even can... well ... maybe but would they?

[Marigold Devin]

On 4/19/2020 at 12:11 AM, polygonmonster said:

Question, how many people roughly still use classic avatars instead of bento heads and bodies? I'm very curious about those who don't decide to spent money on this meshes.

Me. Mainly because of time constraints. Partly because of what I'd rather spend my money on. I'm used to how my avatar looks. I had a few years away from Second Life, it felt good to come back to something familiar, even if it was only my avatar. The whole world has changed. 

[Amanda Dallin]

Some of us use system avies for using vehicles in SL.  I'm normally full mesh but when I'm sailing I strip down to something more basic in the hopes of having less lag and xing problems.

 

@Zeta Vandyke describes exactly what I do.  It's a great way to be able to updated my basic look without having to do updates on many outfits.

[Cristiano Midnight]

For a long time, I had a mesh body but not a mesh head. I hated the original pre-bento male heads, they were terrible. When I came back to SL last year, I demoed several heads and found one I liked that still felt like "me" (especially after buying a skin for it as well). I think that's one of the reasons people don't make the transition to a mesh head - many people are very particular about their avatars and identify with them, and it can be a long process to find a mesh head that you feel comfortable with.

[Kathlen Onyx]

3 hours ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

For me, the major obstacle to changing to a mesh head was the difficulty of keeping the same face. I

This is exactly the reason why I haven't changed.  I find a lot of avatars that use the mesh heads look like plastic or  they all look alike.  They look more like barbie dolls.  There are some though that have made an amazing avatar from their mesh head.  Maybe the others just never modified it to look different than others.  Changing the mesh bodies is easier, at least for me.  I have seen maybe one or two people that look like the face of my avatar.  Then of course, people's faces are what defines them. Hard to recognize who a person is if they change their hair and face at first look.

Edited April 20, 2020 by KateaSL

[Pauck]

I still use my system avatar for the simply reason that I like how it looks and when I'm not full mesh I notice some improvement in performance.

But I have to admit that I own several mesh bodies and bento heads both paid and free. Only after BOM I have been using them more, even staying in full mesh for weeks! before BOM I used them mostly for pictures or to play with shapes and outfits.

[Zzevir]

I have mesh body and had not just one. But I still use system avi 60% if the time when I 'm visible. As mostly I'm invisible

[polygonmonster]

Interesting, thank you everyone for giving their opinion. I'm not looking for exact numbers, just in general to have an idea. ❤️

[Jennifer Boyle]

6 hours ago, Zeta Vandyke said:

Make one outfit "nude" with just the body parts - So only that one needs to be updated

Do the same with nothing but your most used HUD's/attachents (like ankle lock, animators and so on) - So only that ones need to change if a HUD or other body attachment get's updated

I would do that in a minute, if I could put links to outfit folders into outfit folders. As it is, I'd rather put in the time at update time than have to add two or more outfits each time I change. However, since the recent Maitreya update, I've had problems with autohiders not working, possibly because they're getting added before the body. So having a scheme that assured that the body was added first may have an additional benfit, and I'll have to give the idea more thought.

[Marianne Little]

Outfits is so easy when going Bakes on Mesh. I did not like to mess with all the slots and using "save what you are wearing" HUDs that came the last year. Plus auto alpha thingies. What a hassle, it was the most annoying in the world.

Now, I save alpha layers and makeup/tattoo/hairbases with the outfit. It is done with one click. The few times I need something with a HUD, I save the HUD. Like, hairbases/lmakeup that is not updated with BoM. It is fast to apply lipstick or another single thing.

I use a naked body folder and use "Add" for the folder with shoes, hair, clothes etc. I must say that I use very few folders. I prefer to do outfits that day, put together something. But I have a few ones saved for when I am in a hurry.

[Lillith Hapmouche]

Replacing links in saved outfits is really easy with Firestorm's replace tool. 

Basically, you drag the old link into the replace dialogue window, then add the new link and let it do its work - bang, done.

[xBaeBeex]

..i think im going to come off as the av snob here, the av mesh snob.. and an av mesh snob thats only been in SL for 1 year almost.

I really really dont like the system stuff. And im sorry for that.. but i just.. I dont get it, ive seen names and people who, when i check their profiles they've been on 7 or 8 years and still look like they've been in SL for 1 day as a noob. .. can call mesh users "barbies" but some of us will look at system user accounts and wonder why in 8 years it looks like you havent done anything to your account. .. with some shops and designers offering next to nothing free bobies and even genus with a free head, and 7DS with a BOM free skin.. so much stuff avaliable.. so "id rather spend my money else where" kinda doesnt cut it when i see so much desigbers are willing to give. And also, if your playing second life and took the time to learn it and still willing to log in after 8 years of playing, you would somewhere have even 10 or 15 dollars to put in to at least.. at the least..get a body? .. Im sorry.. i just.. yeah.. 

So at the expense of calling the rest of us "barbies" or "plastic" or other names ... please dont.. coz some of us would be willing to help anyone that wanted help to upgrade. .

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

On 4/19/2020 at 6:10 PM, Zeta Vandyke said:

And then from there on every outfit you want to save, you first remove your "Nude" and "HUD's" outfits before saving it, so only the actual outfit gets saved. That way it never needs to be re-done when a body/hud is updated.

That's so clever, Zeta!

I knew you were more than just a pretty face. And talented photographer. And and . . .

Edited April 21, 2020 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Lindal Kidd]

39 minutes ago, xBaeBeex said:

i just.. I dont get it, ive seen names and people who, when i check their profiles they've been on 7 or 8 years and still look like they've been in SL for 1 day as a noob.

Yep.  One of the smartest men I know in SL, the estate owner of Caledon, still wears a silly looking avatar with a bowtie from around 2005.  Some people don't CARE what their avatar looks like, they are interested in other things entirely.

And that's fine!

So is an interest in Mesh and making your avatar look as good as possible.  There's room for everyone in SL.

[polygonmonster]

I only notice a huge problem, this is mostly specifically for content creators.

Having a body and head system where you need to ask permission for getting access to a developer kit really makes this a restriction to newcomers (content creators). Second Life is supposed to be open to everybody and limiting this is something I really don't like since you have to apply to this developer kits and cross your fingers you are going to be accepted. Yes, you can create content anyway, but if you really want to make clothing fit those meshes... you really need them and at the end of the day, people have to create mask systems so people can wear almost every cloth they buy (and this not always work because of the number of brands out there). So... this is something LL needs to fix, this not only to satisfy this issue, but to make things work correctly. If this means content creators already established in the economy needs to modify their mesh bodies products to adapt to a new system created by LL, I think is fair to do so... That's my only issue.