VTuber Wiki:Reference desk/archive since Jan 2019

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"What happened to...?" September ed.
What happened to [Usamoto Anna]?


 * Retired. See Anna's announcement here. She said she would stop uploading after January 22.

What is this app?
What is youtube-dl? Is it the GitHub program?


 * The  (website) is a command-line program that allows you to archive YouTube videos. It's super easy to use. On Unix-like platforms (Mac, Linux, Ubuntu, etc.) you type:
 * The program is available on Windows, too, but I'm not sure about the command-line syntax on Windows.
 * The program is available on Windows, too, but I'm not sure about the command-line syntax on Windows.

What is IRIAM?


 * IRIAM is a mobile-only app that some VTubers make livestreams on. On Google Play, IRIAM developers claim that the app maintains high image quality, has low latency, and uses less bandwidth than "conventional" streaming apps. Some implementation details can be inferred from the claim.


 * Apparently, IRIAM is region-locked to Japan. It says the app is unavailable on my device. On the Internet, there are users outside Japan reporting they cannot download or sign in to the app.

Are they retired?
Is [Aono Yuuki] retired?


 * Around August 14, Twitter users posted that they had difficulty loading Aono Yuuki's profile page. Fellow VTuber Yuzuha suggested that the Twitter account was suspended due to incorrect birthdate input. Aono Yuuki is active on Fanbox. The last post (member only) was [on the 30th of August].

Is [Arureiya Rufon] permanently done and gonna disappear forever? I'm not really knowledgeable about these retiring stuff with Virtual YouTubers. Sucks that I found one I really enjoyed and she retires not long after.


 * Arureiya Rufon (アルレイヤ・ルフォン), an i-LIVE VTuber, retired on her birthday, July 2nd. Rufon said she would retire on that day, but she stayed on Twitter for a few more days before eventually heading off. She was given a warm sendoff which she implicitly asked for.


 * Addendum. As of September 2020, her Twitter account @ArureiyaRufon has been deleted.

Site for VTuber activity
Is there some site dedicated for VTuber activity?


 * There isn't a single website for VTubers, but from what I've seen most VTubers are on YouTube (in Japanese). There are ones on BiliBili but I don't speak Japanese so I don't use that website. Since you don't speak Japanese, it's probably easier to watch the highlight channels on YouTube, such as HoloLive Moments. Just guessing, but most highlight channels will likely be uploading from the latest streams.


 * There are also many English VTubers you can check out if you want to watch them live.


 * There are a number of discords out there you can join, mainly the Hololive Fan Discord, or follow the VTubers you want to know about on their respective social media accounts. In regards to what GetBoolean said, if you don't have time to catch streams or watch archives, highlights are your best option. However, highlights channels do not highlight all streams, because that would be an impossible amount of work. (Mainly the popular streamers get clipped, such as Aqua, Matsuri, and Korone; other less popular ones get significantly less clips.)

What are VTubers?
If we get absolutely meta for a second, what are VTubers?


 * Waifus that stream, basically.


 * There isn't a formal definition. As far as I can tell, communities agree that a VTuber should use some sort of avatar, live-animated or not, and should maintain some connection to role playing, the connection being explicitly-stated or implied. (They can't break the 4th wall easily even though their characters are developed around their real selves.) Here is an alignment chart for fun.

Character model look
These models have a sort of similar art style. Was there a specific program used to make them, or just the same artist? Tamane Uta, Shirono Yuzuki, Hase Mikoto, Hanabishi Nadeshiko, Hoshina Hinaka


 * I believe that it was mostly the artist - who seems to have done a lot of Gems company's characters.


 * @Shiesuchi Thanks for the reply! I kind of wish there were a program to make characters in that style; they look so nice. I am not a vtuber but I like to use Vkatsu to make characters and I hope their will be more programs in the future like it. I like how the style of the characters I was asking about has a sort of natural look. That's probably not the best description, and semirealism wouldn't be the right term either, but I'm not sure what to call it. I just think they look really cute.


 * @LucaWight3 this app? V-Katsu on Steam


 * Comment. A model is more than the mesh ("3D shape") and the texture ("color"). Typically, it contains material information defined by the artist. For instance, a modeler may specify that cloth is less reflective than skin and use a normal map for tiny details on the clothes. Such information is then put into a set of shaders, lightweight programs that operate on each pixel, vertex, or graphics primitive.


 * In conclusion, it's both.

Getting into Virtual YouTubers
Who is the best virtual youtuber to watch to get into virtual youtubers?


 * It's best to start with someone that you can understand, so probably check out the English-speaking YouTubers in that category that our wiki has, or look at the most popular Japanese-speaking ones (top of the list at virtual-youtuber.userlocal.jp ) as they are most likely to have English-language subtitles.