Thursday, October 11, 2012

Finding Specific Dances in Stores


Finding Specific Dances in Stores 121011

This is an update on how to find specific dances in stores. The previous article is here.

Dance stores organize their dances in different ways. When you are looking for a specific dance, some stores make it very easy, while in others it is very challenging to find the dance.

Some sellers name dances according to a specific method so you can find the dances easily. For example, here is Studio4D, where the dances are named according to a series then a number. Here I am looking at S4D_WAVE_288.


You can go to the store, find the series easily, then follow the chronological order to get the dance.

MyAnimation follows this same idea by naming the dances with a series name and a number, for example, if I were looking for My-SENSUAL-14, I would select the SENSUAL series at the landing point.


This gives you a teleport destination in chat.


Just click on the teleport destination and you are taken to the location of the series. Each series is organized in sequential order, so it is easy to find My-SENSUAL-14.

HUMANOID is another store that uses the idea of a series name and number in the dance name making it easy to find a dance. For example, if I wanted Ally_05_Groove_HUMANOID all I do is walk to the Ally series and there it is.


Some sellers name their dances with creative names. This can make it more challenging to find a specific dance.

A&M names their dances with a beginning asterisk then a creative name, for example, *Spoiled Bunny. Although the dances are divided into series, there is no way to know which dances are in each series. If you are looking for a specific dance, you have to walk the site until you find it. A&M does put fairly large signs on their dances so it is easier to see them.



Ministry of Motion (MoM) also uses creative names for their dances. The problem is the same as at A&M for finding dances. At one time MoM put the slurls of each dance on their website, but when they reorganized last year, the slurls were not updated. MoM uses a floating text above the dance pads, so you have to get fairly close to see the dance names. This is a floating text approach at Ministry of Music (MoM).


I do a lot of flying when I am looking for a dance at MoM.

Sine Wave also uses creative names, but there is a a solution for finding dances there. When you arrive at the landing point there is a Customer Service robot. Just ask in chat, for example, "Where is swoon" and you get a teleport destination.

 
When you click on the teleport, you are placed near to the dance. Pretty neat.

Animazoo also uses creative names and uses selling pads that you have to click through to see all the dances. Dance names sometimes reflect a series but often do not. The use of the click through pads makes finding a dance a bit painful.


It can be a real challenge finding a specific dance at Henmations. Last year Henmations switched their naming system from a number sequencing to a series and number system. If you are looking for one of the more recently made dances, for example, zumba_01_29.700. it is fairly easy to find the series name then the dance.


Henmations does not list the dance name on the pad like A&M or use a floating text like MoM. To see the dance name you have to open your edit capability and click on each pad. The contents tab tells you what is in the pad. If the Henmations dance is an older dance, for example f_dance_28, it is really hard to find. You have no clue as to the series or location of the dance. The only solution is to go through the store using your edit capability on each dance pad until you find it. Wow, this can take a lot of time.

I haven't mentioned all the MOCAP dance sellers, but I have covered all the ways to find dances in stores.

xxx
Nottoo

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A couple of days after posting the above note, Cille Teebrook IMd me with some additinal help. Here is our conversation with Cilla's permission:

[08:44:04] Red (cilla.teebrook): Hi was just reading the blog and wondered about this one:   Animazoo also uses creative names and uses selling pads that you have to click through to see all the dances. Dance names sometimes reflect a series but often do not. The use of the click through pads makes finding a dance a bit painful.
[08:44:25] Red (cilla.teebrook): Doesn't Animazoo have a helper bot thingy.
[08:44:39] Red (cilla.teebrook): seems I used it last time I was there
[08:46:45] Red (cilla.teebrook): Also, maybe I missed this..  did you suggest using World/Area Search.   Works great in SOME of the shops.
[08:46:59] Red (cilla.teebrook): Like A&M
[08:47:05] Nottoo Wise: hi cilla xxx
[08:47:18] Nottoo Wise: i will take another look at animazoo
[08:47:34] Nottoo Wise: oh i see the world search
[08:47:41] Nottoo Wise: i thought it had been discontinued
[08:47:48] Nottoo Wise: i will add this to the blog
[08:47:55] Nottoo Wise: ty for the help :-)
[08:47:57] Red (cilla.teebrook): kool


Thank you, Cilla.

xxx
Nottoo