[Opensim-dev] Any objections to shipping a "Ruth" to maintain the out-of-the-box OpenSim download experience?

[Rob Nelson]

I would be more for allowing grid owners and users to select a default 
"skeleton" inventory.  I don't know if this is still done, but it used 
to be that when one logged into SL the first time, it asked if you 
wanted to be male or female, and gave you a default avatar from the 
Library based on that choice.  This allowed LL to include a newbie 
introduction HUD that guided users through the process of learning the 
controls of SL.  Other grids may wish to have that functionality.

What I propose is having a Library/Clothing/Defaults/ folder, each 
containing a folder with a default avatar and, optionally, a 96x96px 
preview texture.  Then, when a viewer first connects, they can select 
from these default avatars.  So on one grid, a selection of Male/Female 
humans and robots is available, whereas on a primarily furry grid, a 
selection of default furry avs can be selected.  These folders can be 
set up via a config file.

However, for the short-term, and for compatibility with non-TPV viewers, 
the following outfit folders need to be accessible so they can load 
their initial outfits:

const std::string MALE_OUTFIT_FOLDER = "Male Shape & Outfit";
const std::string FEMALE_OUTFIT_FOLDER = "Female Shape & Outfit";

Hope this helps.

Rob Nelson

On 10/22/2010 5:52 PM, Justin Clark-Casey wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> As we know, Linden Viewer 1 contains a default avatar - "Ruth" - that 
> is used if no body parts are worn.  This means that a new user in a 
> fresh OpenSim standalone always starts off with some avatar.
>
> However, Linden Viewer 2 doesn't contain a default avatar.  Thus, a 
> new user appears as mist until they create and wear all four body 
> parts (shape, skin, hair, eyes).  And even then, they're naked until 
> they were both upper and lower clothing.  This has already caused some 
> confusion for new OpenSim server users.
>
> Are there objections to bundling a "Ruth" with OpenSim to maintain the 
> newbie OpenSim server experience?  This avatar would closely replicate 
> Ruth in order to avoid favoring any particular application or content 
> creator.  The option to create the default body part/clothing could be 
> turned off by default, only being turned on in OpenSim binary download 
> packages.
>