Optimization and Consequences

̶C̶u̶r̶s̶e̶d̶ example of an “Excellent” avatar by Terroir.

Over the past few weeks, a lot of things happened, including the “Performance Ranking” update, and since we haven’t covered its details in previous articles, it seems that now is a good time to do it.

By now you probably have already noticed that VRChat released a new update for both SDK and the main client with the brand new Avatar Performance Ranking System on December 20th that shows any avatar’s performance rank and gained tons of critical feedback.

On December 15th, while the newer build was still in the closed beta, VRChat updated the changelog, “This system is not meant to be an end-all-be-all authority on performance, but it can help guide users improve their avatar's performance impact. It is purely informational and does not limit anything at this time.”

We asked Sketchu for feedback, and she said, “My use of the ranking system is to help me figure out what I can improve on my avatar, it is nice and informative personally! … but not too good when I hear of people taking the ranking system as a sort of gospel toward blocking or vote kicking people based on this new performance ranking system. It echoes similar complaints I heard from friends of the player Trust & Ranking [Safety] system when it was in open beta.”

Many users call the new system incomplete, but it is safe to say that the developers themselves can agree on this as well, as they confirmed that the system should get improved eventually, in the distant future.

Additionally, this update brings new possibilities for the VRChat staff, allowing them to approve worlds without having to test every avatar pedestal manually. According to the latest data, in four days, VRChat rejected over 55 unique requests to make worlds public, due to performance issues.

Apparently, the system may still be buggy, and outdated avatars could have even more issues, which is why it is strongly advised to get the latest SDK, optimize your avatars, and reupload them as soon as possible.