Mer Betta

Emerald bug revisited

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:42:00 +0000

As I write this blog, the Mer Betta Shipping Department ;) is sending out packages with updated components for the Series 3 v3c and Series 4 v3.1c tails. The updated components (leg smoother and tail fins) will have "v3ce" and "v3.1ce" in the names. The only difference is that the scale textures are 256x256 pixels, instead of 32x32 as in the original version. You won't see a difference just by looking at them.

This update is a workaround for the Emerald texture bug. I realized that even though the developer of Emerald offered a workaround for the viewer to work well, not everybody around you might know about the problem and, therefore, not see the tail correctly. So, even though you're not using Emerald yourself, you might want to wear these components anyway for others around you who might be using Emerald.

Please keep the original versions of those components, however. When Emerald is fixed, the original components help with lag since the textures are smaller.

If you don't receive the package with the updated components, please contact me inworld.

Mer Betta Zeuxo is featured in Mermaid Temple machinima

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Kyota Spitteler sent me the link to her new holiday machinima. And she's wearing the new Mer Betta Zeuxo Black Copper tail! She looks lovely in it!

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D08Pi5qXzU

Warning: Texture bug in Emerald

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:29:00 +0000

I've had two people report this bug to me recently. It seems that when viewed using the Emerald viewer, the textures on the sculpted prims are changed.

A week or so ago, Archis Writer contacted me about the color of her tail changing everyday. It was she who thought it was the Emerald viewer because when she met with me, she saw that the tail I was wearing had the same problem and I was seeing both of us just fine. I wondered if it might also be her Windlight settings, but I didn't pursue that possibility.

Today, Gavin Wrexan sent me this photo of his tail:

(Published with permission from Gavin Wrexan.)

Thinking it was a corrupted inventory, I sent him a fresh copy, but he said that even the new copy had problems. So, I met with him and he rezzed his tail. We both took pictures and the tail looks different between the two pictures.

What I saw:

What Gavin saw:
(Published with permission from Gavin Wrexan.)

He is using Emerald and he had already tried clearing his cache, so I'm now convinced that it's Emerald. If I hear from someone having texture problems using the latest SL client, then it might be the SL API that Emerald is based on. I'm still on the 1.22.11 version of the LL client, since the newest version of the LL client and the Emerald client are making me lag down to 4 fps.

I'm not sure how to file bugs for the Emerald client. I've asked Gavin to report the bug and I can't remember if I've asked Archis as well. I'll post more information here if I find out more.

2009 Dec 8 UPDATE

Aviendha Vayandar encountered the same problem and she tested it on the latest SL client (v1.23.5). It looked fine there, and when she returned to Emerald, it was fine in Emerald again.

I wondered if the bug was caused by the texture being on sculpted prims or by the texture being tiny (32x32 pixels). Aviendha noted that when the texture was corrupted, what she saw in the texture box of the edit window is a small yellow spot in the top left corner (she has the Byzia tail) and the rest of the texture box was red. When the texture was fixed, the entire texture box was the correct yellow texture. So, it's more likely that the bug has to do with the tiny size of the texture.

Aviendha has graciously filed a bug here, and I sent an email to the developer.

And I thought I was helping cut down on lag by using small textures where I could. Who knew I'd trigger an obscure bug? :D

Mer Betta Series 4 tails are here!

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:57:00 +0000

And you thought I only made tails once a year. :D

NEW TAILS: SERIES 4

The following tails are now available at the Mer Betta main store:
- Mer Betta Chryseis Rose Platinum Halfmoon v3.1c
- Mer Betta Nemertes Green Patina Halfmoon v3.1c
- Mer Betta Simoeis Blue Gold Super Delta v3.1c
- Mer Betta Zeuxo Black Copper Halfmoon v3.1c
Also available are the matching Mer Betta Intimates ~ Crescent add-on packs.

Zeuxo is my favorite in this series. It's glamorous; it's sophisticated. It's your fabulous little black dress interpreted as a mermaid tail.

A close second is Nemertes, which has caudal fins that look like satin.

Each of these have scales in two colors, so you get almost twice as many pieces. The second scale color gave me an excuse to add a male model in the ads (that's my male alt HiHo), so mermen don't think that Mer Betta is only for mermaids.

EXPANDING ON THE WEB

Since the inception of Mer Betta, I've kept the prices the same both inworld and on XStreet, even though XStreet charges a commission on each sale. One reason for that is because I depend on XStreet for the gifting process, so that people can buy a Mer Betta tail for someone else.

Recently, XStreet announced additional fees for listing items on their website, on top of the commission they already get.

I'm already in the process of setting up Mer Betta in alternative e-commerce sites and I'll post those sites here and on the Mer Betta website.

I haven't made up my mind yet, but I'm considering using a different price structure for commissioned sales to encourage people to buy inworld instead. However, I won't do that until I have an inworld gifting process in place.

Let me know what you think.

PHASING OUT OLD TAILS

I had to reconfigure the main store to make room for these new tails. As I make more products, I'll have to reconfigure the store again or make the vendors smaller. However, I have already been thinking of phasing out the old tails (Series 1 and Series 2). I haven't decided when yet, but it will be before the end of August 2010. By then, they'll be three years old. In SL years, that's ancient. :)

Mer Betta Kalypso in Avilion machinima

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:59:00 +0000

Tira Bigboots sent me this link to an Avilion machinima in which she wore the Mer Betta Kalypso. See if you can spot her.

Yay, Tira!

Harper's Sea of Love

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:04:00 +0000

Harper Beresford wrote about Mer Betta™ in her blog. I am very flattered! And I must say she set Halimede on fire with her awesome photos! (Click on the pics to view them in Flickr.)

I am incredibly grateful that fashionistas like Harper are beginning to view mermaid tails as another style of fashion, instead of just a costume for roleplay.

Almost since the start, I've imagined Mer Betta tails as ballgowns for the sea. Maybe everybody else is starting to see that too.

And that makes me very happy. :D

Two years: less sugar, more spice

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Intimates line

Yep, Mer Betta is less innocent now. I just released the Mer Betta™ "Crescent" Intimates add-on packs for each of the Series 3 tails (Byzia, Halimede, Lilaea, and Melite).

Look for the small boxes under the main vendors for each tail at the main store or at any of the satellite stores. You can also find them on XStreet.com.

New terms for the Limited Edition

Since I didn't get any responses for the Limited Edition for the August 15 deadline, I've set it out for sale. It will still be a limited edition tail, and no more than ten licenses will be sold. But anybody can purchase a license anytime until all ten licenses are sold. You can go back to the stores and click on the ads to get the notecard with the new terms. Or you can view them in the Mer Betta website.

Yes, the package now includes the Crescent Intimates add-on pack too.

Terrible twos!

Mer Betta turned two yesterday! I set out the first Mer Betta vendors in the old Mer Mall on August 10, 2007 around 10pm SLT! And the first Mer Betta tail sold at 12:20am on August 11.

So, to celebrate this two-year anniversary, all the Series 1 and Series 2 tails are rolled back to their version 1 prices (400L) until August 31. Only at the Mer Betta main store and on XStreet.com.

Byzia featured in Fantasy Fair photo contest winner

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:07:00 +0000

(I know, I know, this is late news, not *late-breaking* news. I just noticed Ember Farina's comment on it in Flickr. :) )

Lyssa Varun took some great photos in the Fantasy Fair this year, wearing the Mer Betta Byzia Gold Delta tail, and her photo won first place!

Congratulations, Lyssa!

Mer Betta is on Twitter

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:57:00 +0000

I just created a Twitter account for Mer Betta. I don't know what I'll be putting on it, but it'll probably be mostly about the mer community in Second Life®. Come and follow me if you're on Twitter.

Introducing the first Mer Betta Limited Edition tail

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:07:00 +0000

"Mer Betta Limited Edition Melite-Polaris Periwinkle Halfmoon mermaid ensemble".... I know, it's a mouthful. :D

This tail is a significant milestone in Mer Betta history. It's the first recolor that I'm releasing. And it's the first limited edition tail. Whether it will be the only limited edition tail will depend on how well this is received.

Recolor

Up till now, I have been reluctant to do any recoloring of Mer Betta tails for two reasons:

1) Recoloring, if not done properly, washes out the nuances in the texture and makes it look like it's been splattered with thick paint. I just now figured out how to do it right.

2) I wanted to stay true to nature. That's the awesomeness of these tails; Mer Betta showcases nature's beauty.

However, I seriously considered making this tail because I've received many requests for a purple tail and purple bettas are rare.

Limited edition

This recolor was a request from a loyal customer who said, "I just hate when I show up in the same tail as another mer". She initially wanted a one-of-a-kind. However, either it would be too expensive for her, or it would be a loss of potential income for me, based on the history of sales of the Version 2 tails. So, as a compromise, we agreed to make it a limited edition tail instead.

We are hoping for a minimum of six participants. But no more than 10 copies of this tail will be sold -- ever.

If you're interested, please go to the Mer Betta main store in Dunbeath and touch the ad with the same texture as above. You'll get a notecard explaining the details and another notecard embedded inside it that you fill out and return to me if you're interested in purchasing.

Disruption on XStreet

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:29:00 +0000

My apologies if you tried to search for the new Mer Betta tails on XStreet.com earlier today and didn't find them.

I received twenty trademark violation reports today (both for Mer Betta and Ms.O.Lei-ny) and LL deactivated those listings without specifying which terms or phrases or images were trademark violations.

The listings are active again. LL is currently investigating to determine if those reports were generated by a bug in the system. If it's not a bug, then it might be an act of griefing/harassment.

Fantasy Faire video by Kyota

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:57:00 +0000

It seems that the mer sim at the Fantasy Faire isn't getting enough publicity. Methinks landwalkers are afraid of the deep....

But Kyota Spitteler created a promotional video of the mer sim! Check it out!

Fantasy Faire opens its doors to the public two hours from now. Be sure to get to the mer sim to see it for yourself.

New tails, new store preview, Fantasy Faire

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:37:00 +0000

Tala!

This is going to be a quick and dirty announcement because I'm still cramming to finish decorating the Mer Betta booth at the Fantasy Faire which starts on Monday June 15.

But I wanted you to get the news a day early:
- new store preview
- four new tails
- Fantasy Faire

NEW STORE PREVIEW

Mer Betta's main store is moving to a new location:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dunbeath/160/170/9

I'm still not quite done with this store; I need to add signs, notices, group inviters and whatnot. It won't be announced in the old store and in other locations until I'm done with the fit-and-finish stuff.

Why should you visit this new store now?
- new tails (only available at this location and the Fantasy Faire until after the faire is over)
- reduced prices on old colored tails (now 550L, instead of 650L)
- secret sale of Pastithea White Moon Bridal (currently 1,000L, instead of 1,600L) until the end of June

Warning: Watch out for the hungry pelican on the shore.

FOUR NEW TAILS

- Mer Betta Byzia Gold Delta
- Mer Betta Halimede Red Halfmoon
- Mer Betta Lilaea Green Rosetail
- Mer Betta Melite Turquoise Halfmoon

I'm calling these "Version 3" although they're very similar to the v2 tails, except for the following:
* enhanced scales with better shading
* pasties version of breast covering

More tails are in the pipeline, as well as add-on products. Stay tuned.

FANTASY FAIRE 2009

This event is a fundraiser for RFL and starts on Monday June 15 and runs until the 21st. I'm frantically decorating the Mer Betta booth now, but you'll see it at this location on Monday:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Mer%20Market/62/114/3

Well, that wasn't quick and dirty, but more details in the Mer Betta website and in this blog blog later this week.

/me goes back to frantically cramming.

Squeezing among the pirates

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:25:00 +0000

Mer Betta has a new store at the new Role Play Market sim.

Actually, Mer Betta is the first mer tail merchant there, and, in fact, the first mer *anything* merchant there. The owner said he would add "mer" to the search keywords for the sim and to other marketing stuff for the sim.

Meanwhile, go find the Pirates section and you'll see it there.

/me elbows her way through the throng of pirates.

Mer Betta Pasithea is in WedEx'09

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:50:00 +0000

WedEx'09 is a wedding expo that's going on now until May 10. Mer Betta has a booth set up. I'll also be showing the Pasithea at the fashion show today at 2pm SLT. The fashion show stage is on the upper deck from the landing point.

If you visit the booth, buy the Mer Betta fund jar for 0L. Besides getting a copy of the fund jar (which you probably already have if you picked it up from the main store), you'll get a new jewelry set in it that I created under the Ms.O.Lei-ny brand. After WedEx'09, this new jewelry set will be available again after I open the new Mer Betta main store. (Yup, Mer Betta is moving, so join either the Mer Betta SL group or slap the red sign near the landing point of the current main store to join the Mer Betta HippoGroup so you'd know when it opens. Yes, there'll be new products. :) )

More news:
* Mer Betta gets a bigger booth at the Mermaid Temple!
* If you haven't already, come and join the SL Merfolk group which Azaiya Aeon created in Ning. Maybe we can pull all the SL mer communities together.

A tutorial, a portal, a worry, a pleasant surprise

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:52:00 +0000

So, I (finally!) put together a tutorial on fitting. I had originally wanted to do this in a machinima, but since I have yet to find time to record in Fraps and learn how to edit video, I figured this would be faster.

In the process, I figured I should create a nice portal, instead of having the merbetta.com domain point directly to this blog. So, there I was, looking for a free website host. And, as I tried to create the site in Google Sites, Google tells me that I couldn't use that name. Curious....

So, I did some investigating and it turned out that there is a user who uses "merbetta@gmail.com". I still have to figure out who that is, and I don't know if Google would tell me. I searched all over Google before adopting that name almost two years ago to make sure it wasn't in use. I'd hate to think there's someone out there with not-so-honorable intentions for stealing the trademark.

Well, I did a Google search to see if I could dig up clues and found some (unrelated) pleasant surprises. (Yeah, I get distracted easily. LOL) I found a couple more blog entries from customers about Mer Betta products. And here's the big surprise: The Second Style magazine has two pictures of Mer Betta tails in their 22nd issue! They're on pages 24 (Mer Betta Pasithea) and 32 (four of the colored tails). You can also see them here in a nice two-page format:

Isn't that cool? Mer Betta is now officially haute couture! *grins*

But, anyway, back to the original topic.... (Did I mention I get distracted easily?) Simply go to http://www.merbetta.com to get to the portal page for everything Mer Betta. The tutorial is in the "Fitting tutorial" link.

New logo and new store

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:43:00 +0000

Mer Betta has a new logo! Here are the two versions: one rectangular and one square.

The new logo incorporates that distinctive Mer Betta silhouette, specifically the Pasithea silhouette, with the big fins, arm fins, and boob fins. The back fins don't really show in that angle of the silhouette, but I *was* wearing them when I took that picture.

You'll be seeing more of this new logo moving forward as I slowly replace the old one.

If you don't remember the old one, here's what it used to look like.

The Atargatis tail in the old logo is actually the pre-release version. It had only two tail fins, instead of four, and it was pre-sculpties. So it really isn't representative of Mer Betta anymore.

Although Atargatis was the signature tail that launched Mer Betta in August 2007, Pasithea is Mer Betta's flagship product now.

New store

I also have a new store at the bottom of the new "Animate This" store. You might need to re-map the target when you get there because you'll be taken to the landing point. Here's the SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sunrise%20Beach/229/249/5.

There are two ways to get there from the landing point:
1. Face the "Animate This" store and turn left just before you get to the door and jump off the pier. Turn towards the ship wreck and go past it. You'll see it there.
2. You can take the scenic route and go inside the "Animate This" store and then jump into the pool. :D Then walk towards the ship wreck.

Green Tail Sale - Mar 15 to 18

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:58:00 +0000

(I knew I was forgetting something. I put out the ad signs and sent the notice out to the Mer Betta SL group and the Mer Betta HippoGroups, but forgot to blog about it!)

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the two green tails (Amphitrite and Ianthe) are both on sale until end of day Wednesday. And only at the Mer Betta main store.

And if you notice a mer resident in the rocks nearby, that was a gift from Kyota Spitteler and created by Joy Kurosawa. Ain't she a beauty?

Mer Betta celebrates love...

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:26:00 +0000

Yup, a sale again. This one is limited to the two red tails (Tethys and Rhodea) and the bridal tail (Pasithea). The red tails are 400L each (regularly 650L) and Pasithea is 1000L (regularly 1600L).

I created two ads for this sale to place near my vendors and I couldn't decide which one is better. Let me know what you think. You can click on the pics to go to Flickr for a better view.

Off OnRez

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 02:09:00 +0000

Because Linden Lab announced that they have acquired both XStreet (SLX) and OnRez and that they will be closing down OnRez, I've taken my products offline in OnRez.

The same products are still available in XStreet and inworld.

Shop shuffle

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:26:00 +0000

Two changes on shop locations this past month:

1. Due to Linden Lab's change of policy regarding openspace sims, Elounda Bay is gone, and the mer shops have been moved to the Island of Thera sim.

2. Shanna Sungsoo has redecorated the Sirens Mermaid Mall and, although the new structure is still in the same spot, I've moved to the other corner of the mall for more breathing room.

I've updated the links in the "Where to find Mer Betta tails" section in the side panel.

Split Legs? Animations 101 for new mers

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:18:00 +0000

If you're already a mermaid, you probably don't need to read through this. This is just something I'm putting in a notecard for distribution in a sign that looks like this:

Animations 101 - An introduction by Opal Lei

Animations in Second Life are what (obviously) animate our avatars. They make you walk, run, swim, sit, sleep, and, yes, even have sex. But did you know that animations do more than make your avatar move?

Yup! Animations can also:
1. distort your avatar, and
2. reposition your avatar.

Distortion

A common distortion done by animations is shortening limbs by folding up the arms and legs. This is typically used for tinies and other non-human avatars, which have short limbs.

The system shape (the one you edit when you go into Appearance mode) has limitations and can only be so small or so big. So animations and prim attachments are used in addition to the minimum shape to create the illusion of a different creature, whether a tiny bunny, a quadruped tiger, or a little dinosaur. These distortions as well as the motions are included in the animations.

Mer animations do the same avatar distortion by pulling our legs together, as we swim or sit or fall.

Position

Animations can also change the position of your avatar for a short distance. Most mermaid animations gently move your avatar to make you look like you're floating. You typically see these in mermaid dances that move the avatar up and down and around, when you're really not doing anything to move in those directions.

(Gearsawe Stonecutter once taught me how to use the animation positioning to "disappear". I used that trick, combined with a couple of other tricks, to create a fly avatar, which makes people curse the lag gods because I'm not "rezzing" for them. ;) )

What is an Animation Overrider (AO)?

Second Life provides default animations for bipeds to animate your avatar as you move around. Unfortunately, the so-called "walk" animation caused some ducks to follow newbies around thinking they're the mama duck. So a great genius invented the animation overrider.

An animation overrider is an object that you wear. It contains one or more scripts, several animations, and a notecard that tells the script which animation to use for which action.

The AOs by themselves (without the animations) are generally freebies. It's the animations that you're paying for. Most animation creators would sell the AOs already preloaded with the animations they created. You can use other animations by loading them to the AO and changing the notecard, but you need to follow the instructions carefully.

You can buy as many tails as you want, but you can use the same AO for all of them.

So, instead of ducks following you around, thinking you're a mama duck, you'd hopefully have hunks following you around, thinking you're a hot mama!

Which AO?

In general, there are two types of mer tails -- skirted tails and non-skirted tails. Even when you have a mer AO on, there's still that valley between the legs. Skirted tails use the system skirt to smooth out that valley. Non-skirted tails may or may not use smoother prims. It's a matter of preference; just different solutions to the same problem.

Some AOs are not too friendly to non-skirted tails, especially if you have skinny legs, because the legs are exposed. The knees shift or the legs come apart slightly or the smoother prims shift.

Some tail designers will recommend AOs that work best with their tails. So, *** READ THOSE NOTECARDS THAT COME IN THE PACKAGE ***. However, some mers purchase a non-recommended AO anyway and just ignore the imperfections.

I recommend EmeraldEver Cline's Preloaded AO HUD of Mer Animations for 150L, for these reasons:
- The animations are friendly to non-skirted tails.
- The graceful backbends show off the Mer Betta backfins well.
- The gentle movements in the standing animations make the large Mer Betta fins flow gracefully.
- The price is very reasonable.

DISCLAIMER: No, I do not get a kickback for recommending this AO; I don't think Em is even aware that I recommend her product. This is the one I use when designing my tails.

Subscription options

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:44:00 +0000

I finally found a cheaper alternative to Subscribe-o-matic -- hippoGROUPS. Ironically, I found out about it from a spam notecard.

So, now there are three ways to subscribe to Mer Betta notices:
1. Subscribe to this blog via RSS (see the link on the right-side panel.
2. Join the SL group if you have room in your groups.
3. Go to the Mer Betta main store and click on the red Subscribe sign, sitting on the raft.

#2 and #3 allows you to go back to old messages and retrieve attachments.

Upgrade packs taken down

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:52:00 +0000

I've taken the v2ut packs down from the main store since new customers are getting confused. Either they buy the v2ut first and then buy the v2c after realizing that the v2ut doesn't have everything. Or they buy the v2c first and then buy the v2ut because they think it will upgrade their v2c tail.

So, to cut down on the administrative work required to correct those mistakes, I've taken the upgrade pack vendors down.

If you own a Mer Betta tail that you purchased prior to April 2008 and would like to upgrade to a v2 tail, please contact me by IM or notecard instead and I'll set up a vendor specifically for you. If I don't respond within 48 hours, please ping me again, in case the message got lost.

Mers of Minos

OpalLei@gmail.com (Opal Lei) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:59:00 +0000

Today, Elounda Bay opened up its waters to the mer community. Go on and check it out. Akantha Forster did a nice job building the sim.

It's part of a group of roleplay sims based on the Minoan empire.

And, of course, you'll find Mer Betta tails there.