Viewer 3 - One step forward or three backward?

[Kaya Kiyori]

The new Viewer 3 came out, hurray. A new innovative Viewer who will forever changes the way of our Secondlife experiences.

Truly? Sorry... I've tested him.

It doesn't was a problem to like Viewer 2 interface, I was impressed because it was cleaner, all elements was docked in a sidebar and was better structured.

But Viewer 3? What the hell is this? A concept demonstration of customization possibilities, without possibilities? Cool... I can order my buttons on the left, right and bottom. But... where are the forward step? The sidebar fully removed, the bottom bar fully removed, the chat input box is now a floating window?!?

Where is the forward step?

If Viewer 3 allows us to order and customize our dialogs and windows in floating elements (like Viewer 1) and in a sidebar/Bottombar (like Viewer 2) then this is a big step forward. But what I saw yesterday was a big step backwards.

The Viewers 1 and 2 are good Viewers for self... and it's possible to allow a Viewer to become more and more customizable between this two layout/designs (see TPVs like Firestorm). But what was made with Viewer 3 hold up to ridicule.

What goes wrong in LL? I do not want to offend anyone... but this cannot be the right way. The new Viewer looked like a concept idea. Same problem was at the moment, when web-profiles was included to the Viewer 2. It doesn't looked like well thought out.

[Medhue Simoni]

I disagree. To me, the UI is massively cleaned up, and now I can actually have my own layouts back. My only real complaints would be with how local and IM chats are in different windows. Plus, I would really like a pie menu option. Also, where is text to speech?

[Decro Schmooz]

I really Love the new layout, so much simpler, and totally customiseable. Also you get to see more!

I do have a suggestion however, that the inventory, Outfits and Locations pop-ups are polished, ie. Dont look like a sidebar! More of a rounded complete look to them.

Great work though - love it!

Oh yes and while, i'm on it. Please sort out the crash on logging inworld for those of us with high end graphics cards - mines a GTX 460 SE - The shining fixes can run without crashing, why can't you? The only major bug with shining fixes is that other avatars are usually just grey, but hey, maybe that is something that is being worked on at the moment.

Once again, great job on the interface :matte-motes-big-grin-wink:

[Myra Wildmist]

Hi, Sarah. Just wanted to say I agree, since you got two negative replies.

The viewer is so customizable it's messy. It needs better "docking" (Not sure if that's the right word.) options for item lists, such as your inventory, wardrobe, and LMs. I want specific anchor points for them and I want them to have tabs so I can easily move between them. Yes, like the pop-out menus. Sorry, I liked those. As it is now, they're in various places on your screen, depending on where you drag them.

The floating local chat is a negative for me, too.

I think many of the customization options are a move in the right direction. I do like that there's more screen space and I even like where the chat goes.

For now, I'm back on the last version, but I'll try it, again, or maybe move to FS when that gets out of beta.

 

[Chris07 Janus]

While I am sure in time, I will adjust to the new look. I went back tp the previous version was upload was disabled.

[Viviana Baguier]

I think V3.2 is the best viewer, have destinations and avatar pick, you can change all buttoms wherever you want, just click on buttom and drag, it can't be more easy.

[Amanda Dallin]

So far I like the V3 UI.  I didn't mind the side bar in V2 but the new one is just very easy to setup as you prefer.  The only problem I've found so far is I can't find picks in others profiles.  I needed to find a store location so looked up the owners profile and just don't' see picks.  Maybe I'm missing them, but for now I'm going to have to log in with an older viewer.

[Tristizia Demonista]

Picks "should" be where they allways were (right next to the "About" Tab) EXCEPT when the User you tried has made them unviewable for other people via his/her prefs.

[Maitimo]

I really like the UI of viewer 3 but the framerate is less than half what I get with any other viewer, so I won't be using it.

[WolfBaginski Bearsfoot]

With the current state of Viewer 3, and that's not just the graphics bugs, but the state of the UI design, I doubt the new users will be able to get much help as they struggle with it, Making the new-UI version the default download seems sub-optimal. It's pitching the newbies into the deep end of the pool.

Viewer 2 had a few months of well-known beta testing. At least there was chance to learn about it before it became the default. I gather there has been some chance to try this UI revision, but I wouldn't call it well-known.

After the last few months, I'm reluctant to take chances. I'm using non-Linden stuff that works.

[Jaimy Hancroft]

it took me a year to get used to viewer two and now i finally got used to it, they change it again <.<  sigh ..

I'm struggeling a lot with it... i  have real trouble getting used to changes I logged in and i coudnt even find the build button.. i told myself i would stick to the sl viewers but i downloaded phoenix again so i can slowly learn the SL viewer AGAIN  lol... ..

 

in the long run  it wll be better  i guess but man its veyr difficult to  learn teh new viewers interface when ur not a fast learner .. specially when u worked with viewer 1 for years . then finally  i gathered the courage lol  to download viewer 2 and i just gotten used ot  using it ... and then BAM....  grrr .. <.,< where's my candid camera? lol .. shouldve recorded my face when i was like... ? were the heck are my IMs?5 windows.... no drop down?  .... where's build? wtf *dowloads phoenix*. 

oh man the IMs  went to the wee upper corner wich is kind of messed up for me since im partially visually impaired and i got tunnel vision .. when they were down on the bottom it was easy to locate cause thats where ims have been  years .. now they are on top and  its so bloody hard with a big screen and low vision lol.. i have to change my seat  .... 

 

oh well... phoenix for now and hopefully  there will be  a way to cange your interface somewhat  ?  please  let it be a yes...

 

i know they work hard on making things better etc but geesh <.<  have mercy lol

 

 

[Coby Foden]

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Jaimy Hancroft wrote:

in the long run  it wll be better  i guess but man its veyr difficult to  learn teh new viewers interface when ur not a fast learner .. specially when u worked with viewer 1 for years.

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To ease the learning pains there is now some guidance to the new UI.

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Featured-News/November-Update/ba-p/1219695

Scroll down the window, further down there are three video tutorials explaining some basic things in the new UI. They are:

 

• Getting Started with the New Second Life Viewer

• Customizing the New Second Life Viewer

• Additional Features in the New Second Life Viewer

[Chronometria]

I went back to 3.1 which makes a lot more sense and which seems better. Things like docking, the sensible bottom bar and so on make it appear "finished" as a product. 3.2 on the other hand is like some sort of clunky alpha, just try to move things to the sides and the whole screen gets a low rez grey border that doesnt matter as the buttons go the middle and not anywhere on that border as you might think they should.

 

It's ugly and unfinished, taking several clear steps back and pandering to very old users who would never adopt it anyway. Those most confused are we who began our second life experience on viewer 2 and are quite happy with its approximate layout. I dont want my viewer looking like viewer one used to be as i`ve never used that and never will.

 

We are getting to the stage where in trying to please the old timers, the newcomers like me will be forced away and the old timers wont use it anyhow. You cant please everyone, but i would prefer it if the product pleased *someone*, preferably those who are already learning to use it.

[Tristizia Demonista]

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Matty Luminos wrote:

I really like the UI of viewer 3 but the framerate is less than half what I get with any other viewer, so I won't be using it.

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Framerate with the normal Viewer didn't change much here and with the "Shining Dev-Built" it actually improved for me quite a bit.

Maybe you should look in Prefs if something there has changed in the Graphicsettings.