Will Ross here, welcome to The Traveling Avatar’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Better Second Life. On this show we discuss tips and tricks for the game Second Life, created by Linden Labs.
[It's not a game! It's a metafabricated virtual living space populated by people all over the world!"]
"Ok lets nip this in the bud right now. Dear Second Lifers. I've received numerous e-mails and blog comments regarding my use of the word "Game" in regards to Second Life, and specifically that Linden Labs does not refer to Second Life as a game. Well, any place where I'm a cat man with a rocket launcher, and then fall fifteen hundred feet and land in a perfect three point stance without going smoosh, and I can experience all that without the aid of any recreational narcotics, to me, is a game. If it's not to you, that's great. Some people play poker as a job, some people play it as a game. So from now on when I say it's a game, just note I mean... ummm... it's not a game. Except you can turn it off at any time, play as multiple characters, collect items, and fight samurai. But other than all that, it's totally not a game.
Today’s Episode, Five Things You May Not Know About Second Life
But first...
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Today on the show we're yet again cleaning out our advice closets of everything too small to become a full episode. So without any further ado, Five things you may not know about Second Life.
Light Source Limits
Wondering why your face light isn't working in that epileptics nightmare of a disco you're dancing in? Well, it turns out that the Second Life client can currently only support six separate light sources in a single area. Any more than that and the extras gets snuffed out like mob informants. So try to keep it under four separate light sources per room.
Rebaking Shortcut
Rebaking USED to be really, really annoying. First you'd have to use one set of keystrokes to open your client and server menu, then you'd have to find the character menu, then you'd have to replace the glowing relic with just the exact right amount of sand, then throw the one ring into Mount Doom and... well, you get the picture. But, there's now a hot key for this. Just hit Ctrl + Alt + R and rid yourself of the Members Only jacket that is "Missing Image" tags.
Inventory Storage
Inventory is one of the biggest pains in the tush area of the game. Sorting through ten thousand items just to find the one thing you're looking for is a lot like trying to find actual music in a Gwen Stefani album. You know it's there somewhere, because she used to be in No Doubt, but you just can't find it in the middle of the bubblegum pop. But I digress. Jane2 McMahon, one an awesome Second Life mentor, gave me a great tip on this. Store all of your seasonal items like Halloween and Christmas decorations, or birthday stuff, in boxes and then put the box into your inventory. Each box is only one object, making a lot less hay for your needle sorting ventures.
Camera Reset
Now, say you've gotten your camera all screwed up trying to spy on someone through their walls or looking up someone's clothing. First of all *rolled up newspaper smack, yelp* Bad dog! No upskirting! Seriously though, if you've gotten your camera into some position the designers of Resident Evil would be proud of, just tap the Escape key. You'll reset your camera to the over the shoulder position, ready to inappropriately use all over again!
Finally, if you love your prim hair, except for that one strand that seems to regularly pierce your eyeball, did you know you can edit the linked parts of an object separately. Now, just as a disclaimer, this is one of those things you'll want to be careful with. Make a copy of the object before you make any changes to it, just in case you make a mistake. To make your changes open the radial menu on the object and choose "Edit," then select "Edit Linked Parts." You can use this to edit a single strand of hair, or a single part of an object that you have modify rights for. As always, though, copy first and be careful.
That’s it for this episode! Stop by the website and check out my Twitter page, if you want to see what I’m up to on any given day! Send your feedback or questions to secondlife@qdnow.com, and the comment line is 206-888-6975; that’s 206-888-mysl. The Traveling Avatar’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Better Second Life is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network, so be sure to check us out on the Web at www.quickanddirtytips.com. And our show is sponsored by GoToMeeting.com, so be sure to visit GoToMeeting.com/podcast and try it free for 45 days. Do more and travel less, with GoToMeeting.com!
So until next time, remember, it probably IS a game... but that doesn't mean the game can't become your life. How's THAT for dodging the issue!?
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