More facial expressions?

When playing SL, I like to use facial expression gestures a lot. After all, your Avi is what you communicate with and I like to communicate visually as well as in text. What I have done is set smile and the bigger smile to my F-keys.So, when I smile at something in RL (or in roleplay), I have gotten used to pressing the F-key for it (which is something you pick up in a matter of a few minutes). I find that this makes talking to someone feel more interactive, for both them and me. But, there are only a few expressions that are useful for this.

The fixed selection of facial expressions in SL (15 or so) is rather limited from what I read and some are not very subtle, especially if you like to use expressions through gestures often. This is a pitty, I think. After all, you communicate with your Avatar and expressions are important to communication. Things like a 'questioning smile', 'a smirk', a 'puzzled look', a 'pouting look', a 'grimace', would really add to the game, I feel. I am not sure if this would take up a lot of memory, but I do believe it is quite possible, given the expressions that are already there.

Please let me know what you think. I have also made a vote-topic relating to this. Someone had already made a similar post, but that was about lip-sincing, and what I mean is far less ambitious.

I do this too, Roza.

In order to kludge together more subtle expressions, I combine the gestures available with shapes that just change my avatar's facial features. I have about ten faces that I switch through to give myself looks that include happy, contemptuous, pouting, and depressed: these alter the context of the gesture. If you manually switch from one shape to another, the shift looks fairly realistic.

More at http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2006/08/the_uncanny_val_6.html#more

When Is a Smile Not a Smile?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2XYhw5DbnE

Also, you can get an interesting effect if you combine two gestures (try smile + worry).

Yes, I do that too, the shape-swapping, but it is a little clumsy (you always have to have the inventory set to those shapes and have it open). Can't do it when sitting down etc. either, as it makes you jump up.

I will try some combinations, thanks for the tip.

But all the same, I think Linden Labs should take this into consideration.