Beta Grid "Energy Being" ???

While waiting for LL to "fix" the asset cluster yet again, I decided to download the beta/aditi viewer for Linux.. Got it installed and logged into the beta grid, and wonder-of-wonders.. I seemed to be a glowing ball of gas rather than my usual human-female avi.. There wasn't anyone around to ask if they were seeing me in this manner, but I sure was.. I'd LOVE to be able to have an "energy being" avatar on the main grid...

Tas

They're on the main grid too, if you use the Release Candidate viewer.

The ball of plasma replaces "Ruth" as the "I haven't got your data yet" appearance.

What's really fun is to watch these gas balls run around, leaving glowing comet-like trails.

Hrm, while I like the idea of having something other than the Ruth avatar, wouldn't it be better to still have some kind of gender-neutral figure? Or store the male/female property of a shape in the avatar's data so the viewer can display a default female (Ruth) or a guy (whatever he's called) as appropriate?

I'm sure it's a pretty effect, but pretty does not automatically equal intuitive or useful.

The problem is, there is only one Avatar - Ruth. It doesn't become male until verious morphs are applied to that form. So showing only the "plasma ball" until the client confirms it has loaded at least the basic shape and clothing layer is the only way to prevent naked avvies from appearing in laggy areas when they TP in, or as they are created at Orientation Island.

LOL so its this new fear that somewhere, somebody must be nekkid

Still, a gender-neutral shape could be created as the default, even if in effect it is still applied to Ruth, make it a silhouette and you don't get any nakedness either. Just to give a much clearer impression that what you're looking at is a person/avatar.

The orange titles are still there, and I think most of us are used to seeing unusual avatars by now. when it goes to final release, the noobs will be fine because they don't have the old Ruth as a frame of reference, floating farts will be normal to them.

It puzzles me, too. Ruth may be female, but she's sexless. (Well, so are the male newbie avatars). She usually appears gray, too...a clay golem of a woman.

How anyone could consider this "lewd" or inappropriate is quite beyond me. They must be the ones who drape blankets over bronze and marble statues of nudes in the park.

The plasma ball is OK, I guess. But I miss Ruth. Being Ruthed was one of the things that made SL unique. It was a rite of passage for new residents, and an occasion for humor among old-timers. Last summer when there was an outbreak of Ruthings across the grid, a number of residents held a RuthFest in protest.

The rumor I heard was this change was made to appease Islamic countries. No idea if it's true.

Last time I was on OI making a new alt, before they started the plasma cloud bit, I stepped forward, turned around, and saw a steady stream of newly-created avatsrs popping in at the creation point. They each first were grey females, then were nude females, then became either clothed Ruths or clothed males, each state in rapid succession. But there was still a definite period where they had a skin, but no clothes yet. This effect is worst in a laggy place with lots of avatars. So I can see some value in the plasma cloud.

I guess now we'll just have to call them "Vaporized" now.

"Crap, gotta relog, everyone's vaporized to me... "

I don't that had anything to do with it. A lot of men were very unhappy being ruthed, to the point that some left SL completely.

What's wrong with Ruth? That grey skin's sorta sexy

Ruthed male avatars, and better yet, partially Ruthed male avatars, were one of the funniest parts about Ruthing.

Most male players took it in good part, in my experience. Anybody who is so uptight as to to get upset over this really has no business playing in a world like this one. They are going to see...well, just a LOT of things that are going to shock, upset, and offend them.