MindStar9
Self-Requested Deactivation
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2005
- Posts
- 8,529
- Avatar Name
- MindStar9
WARNING: The following is not only a long-ass post, but a perspective unlike anything you've experienced from the "Queen of Purple" ... and just so there is no misunderstanding, this is my last effort at picture storytelling, but there will not be any pics this time, only links that will help support what I am trying to convey here.
==============================
The number 9 has always been lucky for me ... perhaps it's because I was born the 9th day of the 9th month, so it stood to reason that maybe this new VU 9.0 would be the most fantastic of all. I couldn't have been more disappointed ... not only disappointed, but completely and utterly heartbroken.
MindStar9 used to ... have a look with character, unique white/gray hair reminiscent of someone who might have experienced a lot of life, a purple persona that radiated an excitement and enthusiasm of all that was Entropia, and someone who embraced the reality of the social environment that brought a quality to the virtual that endeared us to each other.
MindStar9 today ... looks like a 16 year old plastic Barbie Doll from the 60's, complete with hairdo that might have rivaled Asti's, but there were so few choices, and none that would even come close to what MS9 looked like previously. Some of the features that were available in the past creation systems were not available in this one, as Skam so clearly points out here.
There were also about 5 hairstyles available, with no originality to them whatsoever, and I have to say that after visiting Ido, and seeing JackFree's new look, to me it's practically the same person. Love you both immensely, but the short, dark hairstyle with the curl on one side makes you look like a younger version of Superman.
Skin color also was deceiving ... how your skin and features looked in the creation process prior to re-entering Entropia were not the same. Some came out with far darker skin, when in fact they thought they had just given themselves a suntan. I chose the lightest skin possible, and I still look like I have darker skin.
Some may think ... that it's petty and trivial that we've become so attached to virtual pixels, but some of us do, and with good reason. If that's all it was, then I would agree, but it isn't, because there's very much a "real" component that comes into play in this virtual universe of ours. There are real people behind the pixels, real interaction and relationships developed that are associated with those pixels.
You can say, just get on with it, this is advancement, the new technology is needed. I'm all for moving into the future, but if that's the intent, then why not follow through with it, instead of giving us a throwback to the 60's, and a limited system that makes us all look like clones, and where the armor looks like some Pledge-polished Ninja Turtles / Power Rangers characters. So no, this isn't futuristic from my perspective. I have a good graphics card now that can handle these changes, so that is not the issue. What IS the issue, is that this VU update has taken virtually everything MindStar9 was and turned it into a pathetic plastic-looking, Saturday morning cartoon joke.
None of my purple is purple anymore, and fully conditioning it doesn't make it purple, but keeps it pink. The MA coders are perverts, and added nipple circles to certain clothes when applied ... and NO, the marks are NOT part of any pattern. There is none of this present on either the EU-issue bra, or other bras, but clearly present with certain clothing. Check out my diary pics again, and look at the last pic to see what I'm talking about.
My black is not black ... except for my pants, anything else that was black is dark gray, even at full condition. As I mentioned above, there is nothing wrong with my graphics card or current system, because when I'm ingame I can see the brilliance of the Ambuli skin and other things.
Yes, some of us grow fond of and become our virtual characters in more ways than one. Our interaction with others can develop virtual emotional ties as well, and we become familiar with the pixels as virtual people we come to love. We spend years with each other sharing experiences both virtual as well as real, and some of us develop our characters bigger than life itself through our excitement and enthusiasm surrounding these experiences. If the options were more than what we were given, then perhaps we might have had a chance to get past this.
I became the Picture Storyteller, almost right off the landing pad the early part of 2005. I embraced everything that was EU and shared my experiences with the community with pictures and humor. Before CND was launched, I bought into the dream and vision that was ND's and became a visible force in promoting it in every way possible from forum moderating, continued picture storytelling to full-on event planning. I moderated at EF over a year, which some aren't happy with, but that aside, I continued my support of EU as a die-hard fan, and handled my VU frustrations with mostly silence.
I'm going somewhere with this ...
I became an EF Newsroom Editor, and gave birth to the Wednesday's Who's Who series (latest here), because I felt it was of value to present our Entropian citizens to the community to highlight their experiences and uniqueness, but now, aside from the uniqueness that lives in the person behind the pixels, we are clones, seeing ourselves coming and going ... at least from my perspective.
My soc, JetStar Alliance, has been proactive and diligent in giving back to the community in a multiple of ways because we believed in it and what it had the potential for becoming. I am not speaking on behalf of anyone in the soc but myself and my brother at this point, because we feel the same. I don't have to go into the plethora of reasons why, because they are very pronounced in a multiple of threads at this forum that echo the very thoughts and feelings that we have and support.
New technology, advancement into the future? ... I just don't see it right now, and after seeing a support case response from MA with regard to the lack of features in the new creation system being implemented just so it can boost the beauty industry, it made me see shades of purple I hadn't seen before. The beauty operators lost their unlocked styles ... even they don't have anything new currently than what the re-creation system has when designing your new avatar. There is talk of something coming in the 9.01 update, but who knows when that will be, or even what it will be since MA doesn't share that stuff with us.
It's just not the look of the avatars ... it's the 2 pec per item off/on fee that we now have to pay as well. When equipping your helmut or mask, your shades are removed automomatically. When putting on my coat, my bra is removed automatically. My EK-2600 decays more, my armor set will be incomplete, my clothes will continue to look like shit because I refuse to put any more money into this game. My rare Boheme blouse alone has a TT value over 200 ped, not to mention other clothes that I have. This all generates more money for MA. This tax induction, and requirement to fully condition clothes for them to look decent is also a joke, because they just don't look the same any more.
I came to love my virtual family, but all that is left of them is their virtual and real souls and spirits, because I don't see any of them walking the plains of Entropia any more. I see cloned avatars that look like 16 year old plastic Barbie Dolls, or as someone pointed out, porn star-looking pigtailed teeny boppers. Some male avatars resemble Superman, while others look like Beetle rejects, not to mention the Ninja Turtle and Power Ranger, pledge-polished armor.
When I saw some of my friends, they looked like comic book characters, and felt like total strangers until I saw chat in the window. When I saw Asti who has gone from one extreme to the other and become bald in protest, I couldn't catch my breath. When I saw my soc mate Odd Bunny, I wept, because his familiar-looking sadness but bright eyes were void of any expression. When I saw my soc mate Zar, I cried, because my sexy, green-eyed Amazon gal pal was gone. When I saw my brother last night, I balled like a baby, because he no longer represents a unique-looking sibling that I have spent my entire Entropian life with.
When I saw Moonie late last night ... my fucking heart broke, because he has been the virtual love of my life since July 14, 2005. I've written about our lives and love for each other in my picture storytelling. While Moonie and I aren't together IRL, he is very much deeply loved, and has not only been a part of my virtual world, but a very big part of RL as well. My IRL guy knows this, understands this, and is also a great friend of Moonie's. Standing face to face with Moonie last night we both had overwhelming emotions that just spoke volumes about not being anything but pixels any more.
Some will say this is silly, but at this point, I really don't care whether anyone has respect for my thoughts and feelings regarding all of this. This is my perspective, this is my virtual life, and this is how I have been affected. I respect those who have the ability to be removed from this kind of effect, and can get on with it, but I am not such a person. Given all that has taken place with this VU with no response from MA at this point that I know of regarding the protests, I have nothing more to say, other than ...
I've written my last picture storyline, I've written my last Wednesday's Who's Who profile, I am asking my EU blogmaster to remove me as a contributor because I've lost that love and feeling, and I have nothing more to offer. I can now tell you that one of my IRL projects is a book directly related to the MindStar9 virtual character and all that is EU, but this was not the anticipated ending that I was so looking forward to writing. What a tragic turn of events, but the deed is done.
As I posted in another thread ...
There's just nothing more to say!
***
==============================
The number 9 has always been lucky for me ... perhaps it's because I was born the 9th day of the 9th month, so it stood to reason that maybe this new VU 9.0 would be the most fantastic of all. I couldn't have been more disappointed ... not only disappointed, but completely and utterly heartbroken.
MindStar9 used to ... have a look with character, unique white/gray hair reminiscent of someone who might have experienced a lot of life, a purple persona that radiated an excitement and enthusiasm of all that was Entropia, and someone who embraced the reality of the social environment that brought a quality to the virtual that endeared us to each other.
MindStar9 today ... looks like a 16 year old plastic Barbie Doll from the 60's, complete with hairdo that might have rivaled Asti's, but there were so few choices, and none that would even come close to what MS9 looked like previously. Some of the features that were available in the past creation systems were not available in this one, as Skam so clearly points out here.
There were also about 5 hairstyles available, with no originality to them whatsoever, and I have to say that after visiting Ido, and seeing JackFree's new look, to me it's practically the same person. Love you both immensely, but the short, dark hairstyle with the curl on one side makes you look like a younger version of Superman.
Skin color also was deceiving ... how your skin and features looked in the creation process prior to re-entering Entropia were not the same. Some came out with far darker skin, when in fact they thought they had just given themselves a suntan. I chose the lightest skin possible, and I still look like I have darker skin.
Some may think ... that it's petty and trivial that we've become so attached to virtual pixels, but some of us do, and with good reason. If that's all it was, then I would agree, but it isn't, because there's very much a "real" component that comes into play in this virtual universe of ours. There are real people behind the pixels, real interaction and relationships developed that are associated with those pixels.
You can say, just get on with it, this is advancement, the new technology is needed. I'm all for moving into the future, but if that's the intent, then why not follow through with it, instead of giving us a throwback to the 60's, and a limited system that makes us all look like clones, and where the armor looks like some Pledge-polished Ninja Turtles / Power Rangers characters. So no, this isn't futuristic from my perspective. I have a good graphics card now that can handle these changes, so that is not the issue. What IS the issue, is that this VU update has taken virtually everything MindStar9 was and turned it into a pathetic plastic-looking, Saturday morning cartoon joke.
None of my purple is purple anymore, and fully conditioning it doesn't make it purple, but keeps it pink. The MA coders are perverts, and added nipple circles to certain clothes when applied ... and NO, the marks are NOT part of any pattern. There is none of this present on either the EU-issue bra, or other bras, but clearly present with certain clothing. Check out my diary pics again, and look at the last pic to see what I'm talking about.
My black is not black ... except for my pants, anything else that was black is dark gray, even at full condition. As I mentioned above, there is nothing wrong with my graphics card or current system, because when I'm ingame I can see the brilliance of the Ambuli skin and other things.
Yes, some of us grow fond of and become our virtual characters in more ways than one. Our interaction with others can develop virtual emotional ties as well, and we become familiar with the pixels as virtual people we come to love. We spend years with each other sharing experiences both virtual as well as real, and some of us develop our characters bigger than life itself through our excitement and enthusiasm surrounding these experiences. If the options were more than what we were given, then perhaps we might have had a chance to get past this.
I became the Picture Storyteller, almost right off the landing pad the early part of 2005. I embraced everything that was EU and shared my experiences with the community with pictures and humor. Before CND was launched, I bought into the dream and vision that was ND's and became a visible force in promoting it in every way possible from forum moderating, continued picture storytelling to full-on event planning. I moderated at EF over a year, which some aren't happy with, but that aside, I continued my support of EU as a die-hard fan, and handled my VU frustrations with mostly silence.
I'm going somewhere with this ...
I became an EF Newsroom Editor, and gave birth to the Wednesday's Who's Who series (latest here), because I felt it was of value to present our Entropian citizens to the community to highlight their experiences and uniqueness, but now, aside from the uniqueness that lives in the person behind the pixels, we are clones, seeing ourselves coming and going ... at least from my perspective.
My soc, JetStar Alliance, has been proactive and diligent in giving back to the community in a multiple of ways because we believed in it and what it had the potential for becoming. I am not speaking on behalf of anyone in the soc but myself and my brother at this point, because we feel the same. I don't have to go into the plethora of reasons why, because they are very pronounced in a multiple of threads at this forum that echo the very thoughts and feelings that we have and support.
New technology, advancement into the future? ... I just don't see it right now, and after seeing a support case response from MA with regard to the lack of features in the new creation system being implemented just so it can boost the beauty industry, it made me see shades of purple I hadn't seen before. The beauty operators lost their unlocked styles ... even they don't have anything new currently than what the re-creation system has when designing your new avatar. There is talk of something coming in the 9.01 update, but who knows when that will be, or even what it will be since MA doesn't share that stuff with us.
It's just not the look of the avatars ... it's the 2 pec per item off/on fee that we now have to pay as well. When equipping your helmut or mask, your shades are removed automomatically. When putting on my coat, my bra is removed automatically. My EK-2600 decays more, my armor set will be incomplete, my clothes will continue to look like shit because I refuse to put any more money into this game. My rare Boheme blouse alone has a TT value over 200 ped, not to mention other clothes that I have. This all generates more money for MA. This tax induction, and requirement to fully condition clothes for them to look decent is also a joke, because they just don't look the same any more.
I came to love my virtual family, but all that is left of them is their virtual and real souls and spirits, because I don't see any of them walking the plains of Entropia any more. I see cloned avatars that look like 16 year old plastic Barbie Dolls, or as someone pointed out, porn star-looking pigtailed teeny boppers. Some male avatars resemble Superman, while others look like Beetle rejects, not to mention the Ninja Turtle and Power Ranger, pledge-polished armor.
When I saw some of my friends, they looked like comic book characters, and felt like total strangers until I saw chat in the window. When I saw Asti who has gone from one extreme to the other and become bald in protest, I couldn't catch my breath. When I saw my soc mate Odd Bunny, I wept, because his familiar-looking sadness but bright eyes were void of any expression. When I saw my soc mate Zar, I cried, because my sexy, green-eyed Amazon gal pal was gone. When I saw my brother last night, I balled like a baby, because he no longer represents a unique-looking sibling that I have spent my entire Entropian life with.
When I saw Moonie late last night ... my fucking heart broke, because he has been the virtual love of my life since July 14, 2005. I've written about our lives and love for each other in my picture storytelling. While Moonie and I aren't together IRL, he is very much deeply loved, and has not only been a part of my virtual world, but a very big part of RL as well. My IRL guy knows this, understands this, and is also a great friend of Moonie's. Standing face to face with Moonie last night we both had overwhelming emotions that just spoke volumes about not being anything but pixels any more.
Some will say this is silly, but at this point, I really don't care whether anyone has respect for my thoughts and feelings regarding all of this. This is my perspective, this is my virtual life, and this is how I have been affected. I respect those who have the ability to be removed from this kind of effect, and can get on with it, but I am not such a person. Given all that has taken place with this VU with no response from MA at this point that I know of regarding the protests, I have nothing more to say, other than ...
I've written my last picture storyline, I've written my last Wednesday's Who's Who profile, I am asking my EU blogmaster to remove me as a contributor because I've lost that love and feeling, and I have nothing more to offer. I can now tell you that one of my IRL projects is a book directly related to the MindStar9 virtual character and all that is EU, but this was not the anticipated ending that I was so looking forward to writing. What a tragic turn of events, but the deed is done.
As I posted in another thread ...
There's just nothing more to say!
***
Last edited:
