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A chat client with 3D virtual worlds and a robust system for creating custom avatars

A chat client with 3D virtual worlds and a robust system for creating custom avatars

Vote: (613 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: IMVU

Version: 13.0.21

Works under: Windows

Also available for Mac

Vote:

Program license

(613 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

IMVU

13.0.21

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Mac

Pros

  • Expansive world to explore
  • Low system requirements
  • Amazing customization options
  • Ability to create your own content

Cons

  • Limited to mouse movements
  • Strange control scheme

IMVU is a graphical instant messaging client and expansive social game platform. In many ways, it's essentially an IRC client that comes with a texture pack to add character designs to conversations. This has made it an ideal solution for those who enjoy fantasy roleplaying with other people.

Instead of a traditional MMORPG title, the IMVU client doesn't give you any sort of goals that you need to achieve. You're free to acquire new items to dress your character as you go along, but you don't need to actually complete quests or do anything to get these items.

Instead you can trade with other people and, over time, further customize your character. Those who are feeling particularly artistic can design their own materials and even trade them with other players.

This gives you a large selection of clothing items and even texture options for your character to pick from. Some people have taken this focus on fashion to a whole different level.

When you first enter the game, you'll be prompted to select one of several different default character options. The game does randomize these somewhat, so you won't have to worry too much about your character being confused for someone else.

That being said, you're certainly going to want to customize your character when you get the chance to do so. Those who are fans of roleplaying will love the opportunity to create truly fantastical character designs.

For instance, many people have added animal-like appendages to their characters and written them as though they were terrifying werecreatures. Other people have created secret agents and sleuths with all of the equipment to boot.

It's important to keep in mind, however, that the game's engine itself doesn't actually include mechanics to support these kinds of things. Each time you add something new to a character, you're essentially just making a cosmetic change that won't dramatically alter what you can and cannot do with your avatar.

On the other hand, people haven't seemed to be bothered by this fact. They're able to tell collaborative stories through words alone. As a result, they're not at all bound to technical limitations.

If someone wanted to claim that they had a character who'd traveled to the ends of the universe, then all they would need to do was add that to a paragraph they were writing and show it to their friends. Assuming that nobody had an issue with this aspect of the plot, they'd be allowed to make any other claims they'd prefer as well.

Unfortunately, this also leads to one of the drawbacks of IMVU. Your fingers are going to be on your keyboard quite often because you're going to be chatting and interacting with other people.

However, posing and moving your character is done with the mouse. In fact, almost all of the app's user interface controls are exclusively manipulated with a mouse cursor. While this shouldn't pose any additional challenges for those who are bound to a touch screen, it does cause a problem for more serious gamers.

For instance, you have to remove your fingers from the keyboard each time you want to change the graphical in-game position of your character. It would be nice to have a keyboard shortcut to do this.

This is a relatively slight drawback considering how expansive the in-game world really is anyway. On top of that, some players have been able to find their own creative solutions to this issue as well.

For instance, they've sometimes used the Control Panel to map the numeric keypad over to a mouse. This is great for those with external keyboards, and it really makes IMVU all that much easy to explore.

Best of all, players should never really run out of new places to look into because gamers are always adding new areas on top of the old ones. That means you shouldn't find yourself getting bored anytime soon.

Certain areas are designated for special events, which again are largely organized by those who play the game as a hobby. You'll find a calendar of such in-game events whenever you start the client. Various players also post more information about anything they're planning in their own areas as well.

While some people might take the opportunity to just design elaborate homes for their own characters, Those who get taken in by its fantasy storyline and unusual setting will certainly get the most out of it, however, as they design increasingly more complex areas for other players to explore and enjoy.

Pros

  • Expansive world to explore
  • Low system requirements
  • Amazing customization options
  • Ability to create your own content

Cons

  • Limited to mouse movements
  • Strange control scheme

Pros

  • Innovative 3D Chatting
  • Personalized Avatars
  • Collect Accessories

Cons

  • Confusing Speech Bubble System
  • Long Loading Times

IMVU is a piece of chatting software that operates in a totally unique way. Most chatrooms use boring systems that are text-only, and chatters type responses to the entire room. While that system worked in the earliest days of the web, it is no longer completely current.

IMVU essentially takes the MMORPG formula and removes the vast majority of what you would call the 'game' portion. Instead, it merely lets you create a character in full 3D, and that character then interacts with other avatars in a variety of different settings. This is obviously a huge upgrade from standard text-only chatrooms, and your expression isn't limited to a simple username. Your avatar can be as similar or as different from your real self as you like. You can control hair style, skin color, build, clothes, accessories, animations, and character actions. You can also give your avatars pets that reflect your own.

IMVU feels a lot like a video game, but there isn't an objective beyond socialization. There are credits in the game you can earn by completing certain milestones, but none of them would be considered goals. Even when you get the credits, you can only spend them on upgrades to your collection of clothing, accessories, and other items. While this is a cool way to keep you interested in the visual side of the experience, it is ultimately pointless unless there's a specific item you want to unlock.

Even with all these aesthetic changes, IMVU is still nothing more than a chat client, albeit a complex one. You can register a user account through the IMVU website, and once you've logged in to the app and created your character, you're ready to chat. You'll start by joining the network, then you can move on to searching for chatting patterns. You can visit a public chatroom, or you can create your own space.

In the same way that most IM clients use emoticons to convey additional context, IMVU allows you to take advantage of your avatar to convey emotion through action. When you right-click on your avatar, a selection of categories will be revealed. These categories include expressions, moods, and movements.

It's hard to argue with the fact that IMVU is exceptionally original in a world filled with plain-text chatrooms. In some instances, this innovation is a bit of a hinderance. The system uses a speech bubble communication method that can be hard to follow, but if you can follow it, you won't have to pay attention to the flowing conversation box at the base of the app. That full conversation shows everything being said in the room, but thanks to the way IMVU lays out their rooms, you can efficiently chat with only one or two others without the rest of the room disturbing you.

Pros

  • Innovative 3D Chatting
  • Personalized Avatars
  • Collect Accessories

Cons

  • Confusing Speech Bubble System
  • Long Loading Times