it is a mindless cult. you see
Yes it is. How many items has DAZ released that have become the "item of the day": the house mouse, the emotiguy, etc. People see these, download them, and the next week, everyone and their brother makes images with them. Yet the week before, no one even asked for these things.

Where this line of argument falls down is over the fact that all of the DAZ 'also-ran' figures which you've listed here are -- ALL of them -- largely flashes in the pan. They are released; and then a fair number of people download them & toss out a quick succession of renders. For a few days/weeks. And then, after the initial excitement is over -- these 'also-ran' characters largely disappear from the Poserverse radar screen. It even happened to the much-ballyhooed (at the time) GIRL figure.

V3 is still there. She's always still there.

If you want to best V3, then you've got to do what V3 does. Only better. Even when one factors in the caveat of the 'free vs. $19.99' aspect of things -- most people who want something will pay for it. And if a 'better V3' comes along for $19.99 -- then I don't think that the hypothetical 'better V3' will have any problems finding a market. Simply because she would be what most of us want to see in our runtimes.

Not Apollo -- Venus.

Miki has a chance at being a successful figure. Because Miki pretty much follows the rule.

Whereas Dina sort-of failed, because Dina didn't follow the rule.

@ stahlratte - that render is tempting me.............

If your goal is to sell things -- then give the people what they want
This is a subject for a different thread.

Oh? Is it?

I don't think so......

What do people want? If you go by the list of best-selling products, people obviously want V3 characters. If you go by the "wishlist", people want all kinds of items... but will those "wishers" actually purchase the item when you sell it?

As you, yourself have unintentionally implied here: you can either choose to go along with wishes -- or else you can choose to go along with hard market realities.

It's all bound up in a (potential/wishful) merchant's choice.

Does a merchant want to make money at this; or does a merchant want to suffer for the sake of his art?

Something To Do At 3:00AM