Tag: Experience

Experience: Obtaining a Camper in the New Linden Home Region of Bellisseria & Added Information on New Age Linden Homes

Experience: Obtaining a Camper in the New Linden Home Region of Bellisseria & Added Information on New Age Linden Homes

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After months of trying to acquire one of the new Linden Homes in the Bellisseria region, I finally was able to do so. I’ll be explaining my experience of how I obtained one and how those who are still trying to do so shouldn’t lose hope. If you haven’t read my post Bellisseria: Are Linden’s Expanding the Region then I should tell you it seems like they’re expanding the region to meet supply and demand of their premium consumers. If you’re even more intrigued, please feel free to look at the post! The hype is on for these new in-demand Linden homes.

*Note: this post is going to be a little longer than usual as I’m trying to fit a lot of information that relates to the same topic in one blog posting. I’ve added bolded titles so you can find exactly what you want to read. Feel free to skip around you don’t have to read the whole thing even though it would be appreciated. Any questions please feel free to comment or e-mail me at ember435@outlook.com*

Background Information on the Bellisseria Region:

Bellisseria was introduced by Linden Labs around the Spring of 2019 as a new region with what I’d like to call new age Linden homes these homes keep up with the graphical changes and consistent improvements of Second Life as a virtual world. This continent started with traditional homes and houseboats that use 1,024 sqm of your land tier which is how much tier premium members have when it comes to obtaining land in Second Life. This land tier recently went up earlier this year probably to make way for these premium Linden homes. This also means that they have a higher prim limit to decorating with. For those who are unaware, the original Linden homes were 512 sqm’s with 175 prims you can use to decorate with.

However, a few months ago Linden labs introduced a new Linden home theme in the Bellisseria region called the Campers or I just call it a Camper Region. This was introduced in a blog post from Linden Labs on September 24th and just like the other homes in this region they’re first come first serve. So those who of course knew about them before everyone else obtained them quicker than the consumers who find out after the initial hype of new content added to Second Life such as me. These new Linden homes stick to the original Linden home dimensions when it comes to the parcel of 512 sqm and 175 prims to use. But they’re newer and more interactive with a beautiful and vibrant community of premium members. Sometimes it’s better to have a smaller prim limit because this is how lag can be an issue in Second Life when there are too many objects on a server and scripts it makes your frame rates drop. 

In this region, you can travel by car or boat if there is anyone who likes doing either one of these it is 100% allowed and encouraged by Linden Labs.

They’re all hard to obtain but above I did type up a post on how I’ve come to the conclusion and have seen first-hand that Linden Labs is expanding the region with more of these options to even out the supply and demand of premium consumers versus these new-age Linden homes. I’m not going to lie even though I didn’t have one of these homes I still visited the region to look around and experience what the hype is for the Bellisseria region. I’ll say this there was a ton of hype and honestly, I’m not sure if the hype was 100% worth it just by looking around. However, they’re a lot nicer than the original Linden homes because they’re made of mesh and not prim with better textures and fit in with today’s graphic enhancements. The community is nice and each community as per usual has its theme which the community sticks too.

My Experience Obtaining a Camper in the new Camper Region in Bellisseria:

To begin, I’m a recent college graduate in real life so I have a little more free time on my hands than most of the casual players on Second Life. I went to an interview the other day came home and every day for a few months whenever I’m available I hop onto the Second Life browser webpage and navigate to the Linden home selection and see if there are any Linden homes available in the new Bellisseria region. Because honestly, I wanted one regardless of the hype. I tried to obtain one while taking a trip to a different state to visit my grandparents and other family members where there was a small availability on them but even with the time on my hands it was hard to obtain them because they’re first come first serve. Whoever presses the accept button first is going to snag it way before you even if you press it at the same time. I was unable to grab one during this time…so anyway, since then I’ve been consistently trying to find them as sparse as they are. Keep in mind the premium members can get one Linden home per premium account. I currently have a 1,024 sqm parcel in the Horizons sim which is 2x the prim allotment which gives me 702 prims to work with I currently rent that out to a friend. Then I own a 4,096 sqm mainland parcel for interior and exterior design which I love to do! So, I pay the extra $22 a month for that land. This means that my land tier for Second Life was taken unless I wanted to bump up to $35 a month to have more land tier. I would rather not but to be fair I wanted one of these new Linden homes so badly I wanted to understand the hype and see what they were like. When I logged on after my interview there was a houseboat available ONLY. I tried to snag it I did… but every time I tried and let me tell you I tried 8 times. I became blocked from trying again from the Second Life website because of the number of page refreshes on my end. Understandably, these new homes are in high demand and there are only so many of them available. I first upped my land tier in Second Life to $35 a month for 8,192 sqm that can be used to obtain the Linden home and more land elsewhere. After that, I went on incognito because I use Firefox as my browser and when I did this there was a houseboat STILL available and a traditional home. I tried the houseboat a lot and just wasn’t getting it, so the next best thing was trying for the traditional house. I couldn’t grab that either though. 

Then when I refreshed the page one more time…I’m not particularly picky when it comes to the theme of a Linden home. There was the houseboat STILL and then there was the Camper which is the brand-new Linden home region in Bellisseria and that was available I tried twice and then closed my eyes said three times was a charm and somehow got it. I don’t know why but I screamed with happiness when I was able to grab it, I didn’t think I’d be able to! Yes, it is a smaller sqm with the same amount of prim as the originals, but it was still a newer Linden home in the newest region. Let me tell you it took me a whole 10 minutes to go through this anxiety… nonetheless, I obtained one. Upon obtaining it I didn’t realize the starting model that you’re left with is a tiny house! For those who are unaware, I adore the tiny house movement and am a big supporter I honestly, want one of my own in real life I just wouldn’t know where to put it. But, when the region said camper, I was expecting campers, RV’s, trailers. Not a tiny home! I was super ecstatic my dream of owning a tiny house is coming true. The whole area is landscaped beautifully with the nicely textured ground, trees, etc. It was super nice, and the community was gorgeous. The parcels are a whole lot more private than the other homes on Bellisseria and even the original Linden homes. Even though the parcels are smaller this is so they can landscape around it so your parcel is a lot more private. After realizing this I loved it even more and wasn’t even disappointed in size or prim limit anymore. Privacy is super important to me in real life and Second Life and this just matched me perfectly.

About the Campers in the Camper Region of Bellisseria:

To make this a shorter section I’m just going to list everything that the Campers in Bellisseria offer:

  • 8 Campers that you can rez (1 at a time) from the rezzer in the corner of your parcel so you can always have a different one.
  • 512 sqm parcel 175 prims However, I found out the parcels are smaller because the extra space is landscaped for extra privacy which for those who want nice scenery and privacy more than decorating this is the newest Linden home to go within the Bellisseria region.
  • Beautifully landscaped to be a gorgeous forest theme
  • A vibrant community with matching lots and no eyesores
  • No highly scripted items slowing down your frame rates
  • So far from my experience friendly neighbors
  • Only minutes away from the traditional and boathouse community where you can sail
  • Community events in Bellisseria event area
  • All houses and landscaping are mesh and match the theme of the community (thank goodness!)
  • Your own space to add your radio to play in your parcel, invite friends, add and block people, etc.

Linden Homes Covenant (What you can’t do):

  1. Keep to the theme of the community
  2. Cannot use the home of the parcel for commercial purposes or activity
  3. Cannot deed the land to a group or sell it to another resident.
  4. Cannot remove or replace Linden’s home completely or modify the external appearance of the home.
SL Purposes & Dreams

SL Purposes & Dreams

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Let’s put our thoughts on the table for a second, when we join Second Life, we normally have some sort of purpose in which we’re trying to obtain in the virtual world. Each purpose and goal is individualized for each user. I may use Second Life for a completely different reason than another person would use the platform. Let’s be honest, the American Dream is hard to come by nowadays but in Second Life it’s possible. We as users can live a reality that is harder to obtain in our own lives in the real world. This post I’ll be talking about my experience from the very beginning and what I’ve been trying to obtain as a user in Second Life for about 9 years. As crazy as it may seem my purpose in Second Life at the very beginning though it may seem weird was to study and be with my teacher and classmates learning about various subjects using Second Life as a key component platform for showing us what the teacher wanted to teach. With that being said let’s jump right in! 

Second Life in The School Setting & Teen Grid:

A photo taken right after I got back on after Teen Grid closed down.

Yes, I’m one of the individuals in which Second Life was used in my high school to teach us certain topics. My teachers used it as a tool in the classroom if it weren’t for them and Second Life being downloaded on the school laptops I would’ve never known or experienced what Second Life had to offer. I’m one of those young kids who started Second Life on the Teen Grid when it was still around. There was a point in time were kids 13-18 could sign up for a more kid-friendly version of Second Life where everyone was technically a minor. This was around my Freshman year of high school and having Second Life in the schools lasted until about the end of my Sophomore year. This is around the time when we got the news that the grids were merging otherwise known as Teen Grid no longer being alive and Linden Labs just making Second Life what it is known as which is Second Life. This is around the time when the sign-up age was for 17 and older, kids could no longer play Second Life but with good reason. Later on, down the line when I had my account unfrozen (that’s what they did they froze all of the teen grid accounts until they hit the proper age to come back into Second Life.) it made perfect sense with all of the sex sims and skill gaming regions. But with that, as I said above, I’ve been a member overall for 9 years.

1920’s Berlin Sim Role Playing With a Friend

Purpose of Second Life to me Until Age 19:

Second Life’s purpose for me has changed throughout the years. When I was younger my purpose for using Second Life was to not be alone to chat with people and always have someone there for me even though they were far away. I used Second Life to cope with my anxiety of being alone which is odd because I’m very independent and don’t mind being alone. However, being as outgoing as I am, I wanted that human connection almost all the time because to be fair I always felt alone in the real world. I used Second Life to meet new people and make new friends along the way who have been close friends to me for years and years some for decades. Most people go online to escape reality and honestly in a sense I’ve done the same. During this time, I was in college school was stressful, making friends was hard, depression and anxiety were hitting me like a hurricane. During this time, I didn’t have a strong head on my shoulders. I was looking for something that I couldn’t obtain in my reality true friendship and with some people, I’ve found it. To be fair, they probably know me better than most people in my reality but that tends to happen when you have internet friends. To be honest, I also used Second Life at the time to release my inner demon in a sense and try things I’d never do in the real world. I experimented with my sexuality and fetishes and what I liked and didn’t like. This led to a relationship that I wasn’t proud to be in and was somewhat abusive that led into my reality but just so everyone knows that relationship is long gone. I honestly, didn’t know what I wanted in my Second Life and during this time my main usage for Second Life was to be a fashionista, meeting and making friends, and experimenting with sexuality.

Showing off my Avatar fashionista status with this photo. I put together her outfit with a French flare in mind.

My Purpose in Second Life Now:

Everyone makes mistakes as we’re all human and it’s the normal human response in society. I’ve learned from these mistakes; I have a very strong and hard head on my shoulders and because of this my purpose of Second Life has changed from the past till now. I have a few different purposes for using the platform now and most of them are to help my creative juices flow. I’ve always been a passionate writer I’ve loved writing since I could pick up a pencil and write. I’ve been looking for content writing positions in the real world, but do you know how hard that is? I also have a passion for virtual worlds as they have been a part of my life for many years. That is when I decided to write a blog. I consistently had writer’s block, and this is because I lost my skill because I didn’t keep up with it. So, I started Charming Ellie I use my blog as a hobby I don’t want to make money off of it I use it to help get my content out into the world and to write about something I’m passionate about and care about. My blog helps me to write almost every day and keep up with new trends in the virtual world industry especially since a lot of virtual worlds are beginning to disappear with time. My purpose in Second Life is to explore, create, and help deliver content to Second Life users all around the globe on travel, advice, and just living you’re Second Life to the fullest.

The other reason I use Second Life now is to keep up with the friends I’ve made in the past who are still friends with me today. They come on occasionally, and I make sure I log on now and then just to spend time with those important people. My main purpose for being in second life now is to hone my skills in interior design and fashion. These are things that cost a lot of money in reality so I just find it best to create and do these things in a virtual world platform on Second Life where it’s a lot cheaper and there are so many ways to implement avatar and land/home creation. I use Second Life now more as a creative outlook a way to push my creativity and get the juices flowing consistently. To be fair, I still use Second Life in a way to escape reality but not as much as I’ve used to. I keep to myself, for the most part, I do everything alone if I can but now and then I’ll run into someone to chat with for a few hours or more.

My Dream:

Another Dream I didn’t mention is having a beautiful babe girl when I’m not ready for one in reality. But that’s something completely different.

One of the biggest dreams I’ve had and yes, I’m a dreamer is to work for Linden Labs. They don’t truly realize how much Second Life does indeed mean to me and the people inside of it. I’ve always wanted to make a difference quite a few times I almost opened shop in Second Life to give advice and help with different situations as I do have a life coach certification. There is a huge need for something like that but when I tried people didn’t use it. I don’t want to be famous or popular for writing blog posts or anything along those lines. But I’ve always wanted to do content writing or something and become join the Lindens and creators over at Linden Labs. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and even though Linden Labs is a corporation they have done that for so many people. Maybe one day I’ll be able to but for now, it’s just hopes and dreams that will take me far in my adventures in this reality of life. We never know what the future has to offer and our dreams in life take us further than we expect them to.

With all of this being my experience, I want to hear from all my readers in the comment section. What purpose does Second Life have in your life? What do you use the platform for and why? How did you start? And how is Second Life important to you? I’d love to hear from all of you as this is something that interests me about all of the users I run into and honestly it’s how I always strike up a conversation because everyone is different and everyone comes into this virtual world for different reasons. I hope to see all of you in my next post.

Chao!

SL Exploration: Russian Province COBKOBO/SOVKOVO

SL Exploration: Russian Province COBKOBO/SOVKOVO

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Exploration lies deep within our human DNA, no matter what we love to explore even if we aren’t aware that we’re doing it. I’ll be honest today was a somewhat boring day for me in my reality and I thought I’d jump into Second Life and do a little bit of exploring. During my travels, I came across a Russian sim by the name “Russian Province COBKOBO/SOVKOVO”. I felt like exploring something that at some point could also be seen in real life, so I used the destinations button on the left-hand side of my firestorm viewer and went to the “international” tab to begin. Heads up there are a lot of Brazil areas to visit recently. Since this wasn’t a Brazilian area, I chose it not that I have anything against Brazil there are just so many areas made to replicate it and when you’ve been to one you’ve been to them all. I can’t wait to jump right in and tell you all about my experience in the Russian Province COBKOBO/SOVKOVO!

The scenery in this sim is very well put together and is a beautiful little town to take some photos in if you’re a Second Life photographer. The scenic surroundings are so relaxing and welcoming that it relaxes you and makes you enjoy the area. It has an older country feel to it that I surrounded by trees, forests, grass and flowers (here and there). It reminds me of an area before capitalism takes over and builds skyscrapers, shops, cities, etc. in its place. Keep in mind this is just one sim there aren’t any connecting sims to visit but honestly, you only need the one sim it’s so beautifully put together and there is a lot to see and explore. When you first enter the sim there is a bike rezzer to your left where you can rezz a bike from a store called {What’s Next} that you’re able to use on the sim to cruise around while you enjoy the scenery. It’s a fast and easier way to get around the sim because guess what? This sim disabled flying so you’re either walking, running or biking. It stays true to realism and to be fair you must give the creator credit for that. If you’re making a realistic place, why shouldn’t everything about it be real? One issue I’ve had is because there is a lot to load even with good connection speed and a gaming laptop with high specs it took about 5-10 minutes for the entire area to load. So, if you visit please be patient while everything loads in. Go grab a glass of water start some music get comfortable by that point it should be ready to go.

The small-town community feels is just something I can’t get over I live in an extremely populated area in my real life and I’ve always like small old town areas because it’s the complete opposite of what I experience and it’s nice and relaxing to me. There are slopes, hills, and trees galore but what I loved the most were the little sitting areas that are scattered around the entire sim where you can sit and just enjoy your time. These areas have cuddle options so if you want to take someone on a date here it’s perfect! My new favorite little gem about this place is a small little walkway leading you out to a small little beach area with a dock overlooking the water and hills afar. If you turn the environment settings to sunset, it’s worth every moment you spend there. If only I had a cup of tea and a book it would be the perfect afternoon the sun glistens off the water, it’s almost something from a dream scene that you’d see in a movie. If you don’t visit for anything else, I highly suggest visiting just to see this viewpoint from the dock.

One thing I wanted to mention is sometimes people get annoyed when visiting sims because there is furniture or scenery that looks to much like prim instead of mesh. I’ll be honest even I get a little bit annoyed about this. Luckily this scenic area is all meshed all the furniture, houses, objects, trees, surroundings, grass, and plants are all mesh and look realistic and true to their textures. Thank goodness! This is somewhat a pet peeve of mine now, not that I have anything against prim but with today’s expectations of Second Life and advancements in technology and graphics, I can’t fully appreciate prim anymore because of the realism mesh objects bring. Also, I find mesh important when creating a realistic area because realism is key if you’re trying to recreate a real place. Another quick thing I’ve noticed, and I didn’t take a photo of it because I didn’t feel the need to is right when you rezz in there is a camping site. With this, there is also a concert stage that looks like it doesn’t blend it with the rest of the theme and scenery. I’m not quite sure if I like it or the setup it almost feels as if it’s out of place with everything else. However, this is something that can be overlooked considering the rest of the sim. An important note is there’s a sandbox on this sim with a 30-minute auto-return so if you need to rezz or unpack an item then this little town has it all with its area to do it!

Overall, if you’re looking for a place with a little bit of small-town charm and a sim that gives you beautiful scenery and shows the beauty of the countryside in Russia than this is the area to explore and I highly suggest it. It has so much to offer and so much to explore I was easily able to spend about an hour here. Below is the SURL that you can copy and paste into your viewer at the top or you can just click it and it will bring it up in your browser to teleport too. This place is something special!

Click here to go to Russian Province COBKOBO/SOVKOVO

Hit the Restart Button and Be a Noob for a day

Hit the Restart Button and Be a Noob for a day

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

To bring heartfelt honest opinions and content to everyone I tend to never post what I won’t go out and do for myself. This time around the goal was to find out if Second Life is a virtual world that is user-friendly and accessible and easy to understand for all users who decide to choose this platform to start their virtual world journey. I decided to hit the reset button and create a whole new account and start over to bring all of you a detailed post on my experiences being a noob in Second Life today.

Disclaimer, this post is filled with ideas and opinions that are mine from my experiences if you have constructive criticism please feel free to comment or message me but there shouldn’t be any hate. This is what I went through as an individual in this virtual world experience and I’m bringing back what I’ve experienced with me to show and help you as the reader who is interested in joining a virtual world or just wanted to know more about them. Another thing to add is this post will be a lot longer than a lot of the others as I must fit in a large amount of content into a smallish type post (I tried this won’t be a small post). If there is a section, you want to know more about than another I went ahead and titled each area for all of you if there is a section you might not want to read.

Let’s get started!

Signing up:

As for most virtual worlds, you start with the whole signing up. Whether or not it is a viewer or platform-based or a browser-based virtual world the sign up is always in your internet browser. One thing I found super cool is when signing up for a Second Life account now it gives you an option to be male, female, or gender variant/non-binary (how they labeled other). Because my first avatar is named Ellie, I went with the username EllieThePracticalWitch cute huh? Anyway, it also gives you the option right then and there if you want to be basic or premium which is nice. I honestly didn’t know premium was available until a friend told me about it which is when I began paying for it about two years ago. I’ll be posting a post about that in the future. It only gives you the option to download the Second Life default viewer with no third-party software. Even though I use a third-party open sim viewer I downloaded the default viewer just to see differences and specifics since I’ll also be doing a post on firestorm versus the default Second Life viewer so stay tuned for that. Then you realize technology is a little creepier than you expect because it came up knowing that I was brand new without me putting my information in such as my username and password. How fun! But it does tell you what you’re about to experience with pictures of what each place looks like.

To the right, it says: “Your first step is learning island. Find the exit portal!”

To the left, it says: “Then explore the social island and meet other new residents!”

Well, let’s see what happens since we’re “new” currently.

It seems like when you pop in as I stood at the landing point for a little bit people get randomly put into a default avatar. You can’t choose which default avatar you want to be to start anymore. In the past you could they also had furry options which were nice if you’re into the furry community. But now most of their avatars are either human, angels & demons, vampires, or just fantasy-themed I’m assuming from the medieval era. At the beginning you also receive this message:

Freebie store at the end of the corner before it sends you on your way into the world of Second Life after the tutorial.

════[ YOUR APPEARANCE ]═════════════════

Don’t worry about how you look right now.  Enjoy this tutorial, and at the end of it, you will be led to the Freebie Megastore where you can customize your appearance.

═════════════════════════════════

Meli Imako Freebie items for male avatars in Second Life these are mesh items and super nice quality.

This is a game-changer because in the past I had no one I had to make my own money or online currency and buy things myself to not look super noobish or find my freebie store. So, I give major props to Linden Labs for moving forward giving newer players everything they need so far to get started. They also give you signs to teach you how to interact with the environment around you which is super helpful if you have no idea what you’re doing. Another huge step up in the game is for male avatars their giving away nicely made mesh clothes with full permissions created by a popular full permissions creator in Second Life whose name is Meli Imako. That just blew my mind because I normally buy a lot of her stuff and then re texture it. I’m super blown away currently. To be fair it’s only 4 items in a small shop that says “freebie” down the street, but something is way better than nothing. For those wondering you can grab a landmark to the actual freebie store that you can go to after the tutorial process.

Free to play games that you will find on gambling sims otherwise known as skill gaming sims.

Something cool they also had was some of the gambling games out to show newer players that they’re available, however, you have to be in a state that allows online gambling but you can play these free play machines if you wish to. Sorry Floridians I know for a fact that we can’t go into skill gaming regions these are gambling sims. Online gambling is now illegal in the state of Florida as well as a few other states as well.

I know I put this a little lower than when I explained this portion but this is to give you an idea of how they lead you through the tutorial. They have boards up that teach you how to do everything in Second Life which is nice. I feel you can learn at your own pace this way which is super nice some of it is confusing like this board but in other words its how to change your view point such as third person, first person, front view, etc. You don’t have to do this ever but it’s there if you want to.

Their welcome hubs are now London themed and it’s called London City. I can only imagine the main reason for this is because Linden Labs is in the United Kingdom which makes perfect sense. But the beginning tutorial is very user-friendly it teaches you exactly how to do everything in an environment you’re comfortable in with other players who are new so you don’t feel anxiety stricken that you’re around “seasoned” players who might not give you the time of day. It’s a more positive environment and everyone is on the same new level.

When you first start with the sign-up process it seems rather straight forward and simplistic. The viewer itself is somewhat complicated but you learn how to use it with time. You can stay in the beginner areas if you want or need you can also revisit back to it by taking the landmark which will be a gigantic red pin and then click it to gain the landmark. Then if you need more practice or don’t feel comfortable going out to other places yet while you’re still learning you know you’ll be accepted in London City.  

Avatar Editing:

This is going to be a little tough you can edit pretty much everything with an avatar every piece of the face, every aspect of the body, and everything else such as clothes to make-up, etc. The avatar creation process is extensive and there is so much you can do. The avatar body appearance creator is slider based with different measurements it changes the appearance of your overall body and face of your avatar. However, as far as freebies nowadays most cost about 1l each sad fact but I found it extremely hard to customize my avatar without adding a little bit of money onto the virtual world to get some virtual world currency to get started. But luckily the 1l freebies are relatively worth the buy they’re not the unwanted stuff that you’d probably find years ago. So I’d put the minimum amount that Second Life allows you to spend to get some currency to spend on creating your avatar here is what you might need to spice it up if you don’t want to grab a mesh body, etc yet.

A nice hair = 150-300 lindens

Clothes = 1 linden on up

Skin = can be expensive I’ll say 200 on up

Shoes = 1 linden on up

A nice AO = 250-3,000 lindens

This is an example of linden pricing on clothing for relatively nice items that don’t make you look too bad. Otherwise you won’t be able to find mesh products you would have to go with early 2000s prim products which users somewhat frown upon nowadays in Second Life.

You can find many things in many different price ranges but for a relatively nice avatar while not being up to date with a new body and mesh head I’d expect spending $5-$10 USD to get started. If you want things in the future, by all means, get a job on Second Life or just add more on but otherwise, you will be stuck with the default avatar and honestly, you don’t want that after the one-month point. I’ll be honest I tried to put a relatively nice avatar together with 0 lindens and it’s impossible. It was the biggest challenge, I had to settle with prim/Flexi hair which is hair made from the early 2000s when Second Life first released. Creating an avatar is not beginner-friendly it took me a good hour starting over to just finish the shape I wanted. I’m telling you I didn’t know how tough Second Life could be for a beginner just starting with the platform. For me, it would be easier because I’m an experienced user but I feel if someone in their 70s just needed something to do and pass the time while being social they would have trouble with creating an avatar unless they wanted to keep the default and just explore. It almost makes me super happy that I create How-To posts related around both IMVU and Second Life I feel without them people would be super lost on what to do. This avatar creation system could be a lot more beginner-friendly for the time being though I’ll be creating more posts now that I know how difficult this could be for a newer player. I’m sorry that Second Life can be a little complicated I never thought anything of it because I’m used to the platform and how to do everything but now, I know how difficult it can be. It’s almost awful. Keep an eye out for more posts in my How To’s.

Exploring:

To be fair you can start exploring right away! However, you might be frowned upon for doing so but screw it you’re here to experience new things and have fun. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing so whether you’re new or not. When I went to certain clubs in my default avatar, I was pushed to the side from a lot of players but in the sea of seasoned players, you find that one person who is nice to everyone. I found this individual and were friends now she took me out exploring even though I have the experience, but she doesn’t know that. I thank her for being the one person in the whole game that I’ve talked to that wanted to help and be friends with me in this vast world. I wrote a post on Noobs and what they fear the most. The answer was acceptance and it is the truth I can see how newer players could get discouraged. Honestly, it hurt that players either ignored what you said, talked behind your back in IM’s, or talked right in front of your face because you didn’t look as good as some of the other avatars in the area, you’re in. It put a lot of things into perspective for me but with this one individual, she showed me around some of her favorite places. She brought me to virtual theme parks, stores, online museums, you name it we were there. Exploring is as easy as going to the destinations guide in your browser or hitting the icon that looks like something, you’d find on Google Maps and picking where you want to explore in the popular destinations. To the right, you can see what this icon looks like and to the left, you can see the browser version and how everything is separated into categories. Exploring and learning the controls is the easiest part of Second Life anything to do with creation is more advanced. People might say no but there is a lot to putting a good avatar together at the start as I explained above. For newer players, I’m posting a small How-To below on how to explore using the destination guide with photos hopefully this helps some of you who are reading.

How to use the Destinations Guide & How to Pull it up:

  • In your Second Life viewer, you will see icons at the bottom of your screen one says destinations click that to pull up a popular or editors pick version of the destination guide.
  • Or you can open up your browser go to www.secondlife.com and at the top tabs, you’ll find world map click that.
  • Once you have clicked the world map in your browser on the side you will find the destination guide which is the same thing you’ll find in your viewer to the right of the destination guide in your browser you will find the map and where that spot is located that you’re looking for. Almost like Google World or Google Maps.
  • If you want the full destination guide at the top there are more clickable words one says destinations click that and it will bring you to the destinations page. The destinations page is labeled by category of what you’re looking for as seen in the photo below.
Click Destinations
What the destinations guide page looks like in the browser
Destinations guide labeled by category off to the side that you can pick what you’re looking for easily.
The page has a recently added places so new places that you can visit in Second Life.
They also have an editors pick of some of the places that Second Life individuals and editors enjoyed the most during whatever month it is. For example, these are Septembers editor’s picks.
  • Once you click a place in the destination guide it will give you two buttons you can view it on that map, I told you about in your browser or teleport straight to it. It will open up in your viewer for easy teleporting and you’re good to go just hit teleport in your Second Life browser when it pops up.
When you click a destination in the web browser this comes up. It has a description of the place and two buttons. One says teleport the other says view on the map. Viewing it on the map will bring you back to the page with the destination guide and the world view map. Teleport will open up a window which you can see in the next photo.
When you hit teleport this will pop up or something similar to this if you’re not using Firefox. You will click Second Life and then open link if you want you can click the remember my choice. Then you don’t have to continue doing it every single time.
You will then get this in your viewer and you’ll use this to either view it on the map or teleport to the location in your viewer.
How it looks like when you press view on map in a browser setting you will get something similar on your map in the viewer as well. I wanted to show this so you knew what would come up if you did it.

Overall, Second Life is a lot of fun but for newer users, it can be somewhat frustrating to a fault, but it is possible to overcome this. Now that I know the truth and how hard it can be for newer individuals I’m going to be releasing more and more How-To’s as you have seen in this post, I added a few How-To do certain things like finding the destination guide to explore, etc. If I had to compare IMVU is a lot more user-friendly to start with virtual worlds but on the other hand, there is more to do and experience in the world of Second Life you’ll never be bored and there is always something new you can learn. My experience was interesting, but it had its moments where I was trying to create an avatar with 0 lindens (Second Life’s currency) which as I stated is almost impossible to do. Or shape creation which could be more for the advanced users. The only non-beginner thing I could experience during this test was avatar creation everything else seemed rather simple and straight forward when you get used to the Second Life default viewer. This was my experience some may find it harder than others and that is okay we all learn at our own pace. If you’re struggling, I encourage you to ask questions even if you might get ignored and always remember there are blogs like mine aimed towards newer members getting started in virtual worlds and of course YouTube videos. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them I’m always willing to help if I can.

Until next post!

Experience: Sailing For The First Time in Second Life

Experience: Sailing For The First Time in Second Life

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As we all know in a virtual world, we can do whatever we want right? We can experience new things, try things we never would in the real world, the possibilities are endless. I decided to dip my virtual toes into something completely new. Something I never thought I’d do you’re probably wondering what that is? I put my sea legs out and set out on a whole new adventure with virtual world sailing. Sailing? You’re probably thinking but believe it or not Second Life is one of the best boating and sailing simulators at the moment. There is a large vast body of water specifically the Blake Sea that I’ve been using. I discovered sailing in Second Life during hurricane Dorian when Florida was supposed to get hit but was completely bypassed with just some offshore winds and heavy rains. Luckily, I didn’t lose power, or I wouldn’t have been able to explore this new hobby I’m now super into!

My Avatar while exploring the Blake Sea when Boating.

Now keep in mind I’m a noob when it comes to boating inside of Second Life at the moment. I recently have just been cruising around on my expensive sailboat that I did a lot of research and digging to find and use. It did come with a manual thank goodness! Otherwise, I’d be super lost at what to do and how to operate it. It said that it would take me about 2 hours to operate it well and be able to drive it fast and that is for people who know how to sail in Second Life. Let’s just say it only took me half an hour to learn how to use my boat effectively with all the researching I’ve been doing on it. I even dropped by a WordPress blog specifically written to help beginner sailors that were written a long time ago, but it was still relevant which I’ve realized while continuing my research and it helped with a lot of questions I had.

This is an experience I’d try if you want something fun to do to spice up your virtual life. You’re able to explore new places specifically little islands that Linden Labs created to stop at or drive around. There are lighthouses, Buoys, and other boaters out in the sea with you. It’s so much fun to explore new places and meet new people it brings the free spirit out of you. I’ll be honest, I went sailing in the Blake Sea again today and it was so much fun! I discovered a medium-sized island with people on it relaxing and people out on their boats there were even some avatars that were dressed up as mermaids swimming in the lagoons and sea waters in the area. So many people hang out in the Blake Sea keep in mind this sea is a huge body of water it’s a bunch of individualized sims (land plots) pieced together specifically for sailing and water activities ONLY. There are some residential areas off the waters but for the most part, you’ll find marinas and islands to explore and take part in.

You might be thinking to yourself the same thing I was thinking if you’re reading this post “wow! That sounds so interesting how do I try it out and get started?” well to be honest with you I’d research first before jumping right into it. I honestly did just jump into it, but I had time to learn how to do everything since I’ve been stuck in the house for a few days. But if you buy a boat and you’re ready I’d suggest the Bandit (The Mesh Shop) for buying your first boat. If you’re serious about it the investment is worth it. You’re looking at spending 2,500 Lindens – 3,000 Lindens for a nicely made boat with a compass, real sounds from the ship, etc. Their nice mine is one from their shop. Was I super serious at the time when I bought my boat? No. But I’m glad I invested because I’ve been sailing in the waters every day. Just a head’s up though if you don’t have the best computer or you tend to lag a lot in world just know you might be logging every few sim hops. That was my issue a lot and I have a gaming computer so that’s just to let you know what you may experience while driving over sim borders. I only had to relog once in 2 hours so not too bad, but it is a possibility even on a well-made computer. But if you’re planning on sailing a lot or it’s something you really want to do make the investment you won’t be sorry especially with the Bandit ships they’re mesh super well made and can seat not only you but if you want to bring some of your friends with you out into the open sea then they’re great for that. The poses on the ships are nice they’re not those free poses you’ll find at a freebie shop and I would hope not for the price of the ship you’re spending. I’d be a little disappointed if it was. So, if you’re on the fence about sailing there are free boats you can get as well as I said just do your research. I will also make a post for you guys with the 101’s about sailing in Second Life and a how to get started post for you guys who are super interested. I’ll also be typing up a new post in the future with a review on my specific Bandit ship that I have.

Bottom line, if you’re one who loves to explore new places, meet new people, and sail the open seas this is a way to spice up your virtual life. I hope this has helped you make up your decision if you were on the fence with it. If you’re new to the concept, in general, I hope this has provided information and helped a little bit telling you what you can experience by sailing in a virtual world setting. It’s a whole lot of fun and there will be more posts to come about it!

Stay Tuned!

Alleviating Drama

Alleviating Drama

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Let’s be honest this is already a constant battle in reality but maybe this post will be able to help you not just in your virtual life but in your reality as well. I’m hoping the advice and thoughts I give here can be used wherever you are in reality, online, etc. To begin, I shouldn’t have to but I’m going to put a disclaimer on this post I’m not a psychologist and what I say shouldn’t replace a medical professional if you see one or need one. These are ways I’ve coped with drama in a virtual world setting and my thoughts and ideas that I have used that I’m sharing with you to possibly help you alleviate the drama you might be experiencing in your virtual life. With that being said let’s jump in!

No one wants to deal with the everyday drama we already get it enough think about it… if you’re like me you probably have friends who I’d like to call sometimey friends. Sometimes they’re your best friend on but other days they can be your worst nightmare and you can’t help but wonder if they’re using you for their gain even if you don’t know what that gain might be. This isn’t healthy to be around it’s a form of drama believe it or not you may not think it is but if it is impairing your way of thinking and your emotions then it is toxic. A true friend you won’t feel this around you will feel calm, happy like you can talk about anything, or do almost anything and everything together. It won’t feel like a chore however, people always have disagreements you might fight but in the end, you will pick up where you both left off if you can’t do that with someone then they aren’t a friend they’re either an acquaintance or just someone you know. The fact of life is you can’t friend everyone! I’ve learned this the hard way. Some people are emotionally detached from themselves and reality they see those living a life they want and get jealous. Jealousy is a toxic situation and a killer of friendships and relationships. If you suspect toxic jealousy! You shouldn’t have to deal with that. If you feel unhappy around someone then you probably shouldn’t be around them, to begin with. These are the hardest truths you will ever have to read and hear circling your brain but the quicker you learn them the happier you will find yourself. One thing I want to state is you need to put yourself first this is truly an important concept. I’m not sure reader if you’re into horoscopes but I am and honestly, I’m a Taurus it states that as a Taurus we try to fix people and with me, it couldn’t be truer. I friend broken people without knowing and then try to fix what can’t be fixed. It leaves me in shambles, and this is part of the drama as well. you can’t fix or change a person they can only do that themselves so please for the love of G-d and all that is holy do not friend someone and think you can change their outlook on life or fix them from being a toxic person into someone that’s not. Sometimes it’s just their personality and in that case, it is time for you to move on. You can be a good friend and listen but don’t involve yourself in other people’s problems in life. That is something they need to fix on their own and come to terms with their reality whether it be real life or virtually.

Let’s say you’re in an in-world system using Second Life A&D and Bloodlines as an example. You’re in a clan, horde, family, chorus, etc. Let’s say they all call for a group chat in Discord, Skype, or the world and when you go in the person who brought everyone together start talking bad about another group, or talking bad about someone they kicked out of the group, or even discussing how they dumped someone for whatever reason. This is drama! Don’t stay in that call you have no obligation to stay. If you stay in it, you’re putting yourself in the drama and now you’re just a part of it like the person sharing the drama and everyone else that’s in the call listening. You’re now the drama itself. Don’t do this just leave! Your only obligation is to your real live emotional and physical health don’t let in world crap impact how you feel in reality. This is the most important thing I could say to you! This is all explained from experience and things I’ve dealt with and I’m hoping this can help you with whatever situations you find yourself in. Drama in the virtual world is just as real as the drama you will find in everyday reality it’s dangerous, toxic, and hurtful. Don’t be a part of this there are so many things you could be doing than putting up with drama you could deal with in your reality. A virtual world shouldn’t impact you in a negative way you should be happy, relaxed, and entertained while in one. You should feel like it’s. a true escape from reality not leaving reality to go into the same thing or something worse. With that being said let me share a scenario with you that could be drama-related that you might have experienced at one point or another;

You log in for the night onto whatever virtual world you’re logging into and you find out that your boyfriend is cheating on you with a friend, family member, etc. in world. What do you do?

In this scenario there are a few things you could do you could confront the situation calmly and if he truly is cheating break up with him. Or just break up with him quickly remove him on everything and block him and anyone else that could be a part of the situation even if they were, your best friend it’s not worth your emotions.

You log in for the night and everyone turns on you because someone set you up or made you look like the bad guy what do you do?

In this scenario as hard as it is and will be you remove everyone and start fresh… You remove all the toxicity and move forward it wasn’t anything you did wrong. You have to understand with drama you can’t blame yourself unless you’re the one who started it so you remove everyone and block them that’s the magic of the internet you can actually do that so take advantage and if you’re like me and that’s hard to do then do it log off and go do something else. If you need to cry, then cry were only human! We have emotions as much as they suck, they make us human… This is probably some of the best advice I can give for now, but it is important to follow it otherwise you will constantly blame yourself. You will think everything is your fault, you will feel vulnerable, you will feel lost, you will let your emotions get the best of you and you will become and be the drama or part of it. Don’t do that! Do yourself a favor and help yourself emotionally and physically.

At the end of the day even though everyone online is a human being behind a computer screen it isn’t your reality do not let it get the best of you and don’t let it pull you into a rut or a ton of emotions it’s not worth it. I do hope this helped and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send me a message on my e-mail and introduce yourself. I’m always happy to chat and listen even if you’re a stranger it’s part of my personality to help others.

Till the next post Chao!

e-mail: ember435@outlook.com

Introduction to What The Virtual World in Game Systems A&D And Bloodlines Are And How to Choose One to Get Started

Introduction to What The Virtual World in Game Systems A&D And Bloodlines Are And How to Choose One to Get Started

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The first question that I’d like to address is what are A&D (Angels and Demons) and Bloodlines?

A&D and Bloodlines are considered to be HUD based systems on Second Life which helps you to enhance RP (roleplay) experiences. As you might know, there are some games categorized as MMORPG’s (Massively multiplayer online roleplaying games) which are open-world games that you explore with quests that you can play with other players from around the world. A&D and Bloodlines are focused on providing that same idea and environment in a virtual world atmosphere. However, in a way, this has become a virtual world lifestyle for some players. For some virtual world users this is why they come into Second Life every day to play these systems and in A&D’s terms skill to raise HUD skills. Or these users come on to play these systems to immerse themselves in a roleplay that sometimes people may seem is all too real. It is fun to do and is somewhat of a time-waster, I’ll be honest I’ve played both and they get your mind off of things and both are super interactive you have all of Second Life to explore and play with these system HUDs in. A&D is an Angels versus Demons system where you can choose what side you want to play on (being an Angel or a Demon) you can play with others or solo. However, a lot of players are part of what is called hordes and chorus’s (hordes for demons chorus’s for angels) experienced players tend to search for newer players to bring into their little families. Each horde or chorus operates differently and has specific things they focus on in the system. Some focus on family and are extremely active. Some other active hordes and choruses focus on the roleplay aspect where you have to dress as the character you want to be and act like the character you create of yourself. Then there are also ones that skill and don’t fight which is the one I’ve learned to appreciate and enjoy the most. Then there are inactive hordes and chorus’s which if you’re worried about drama with large groups of people is going to be the best for your play style this goes for Bloodlines as well. These hordes, chorus’s, and families aren’t always around at the same time and you may only meet like 5 people from the entire group this is more for if you want to play these systems solo. They will be there to help you if needed but otherwise, you’re on your own you can pretty much do what you want to do and experience through the HUD and A&D and Bloodlines systems. I prefer this way more than the active hordes, clans, families, and choruses. There is less room to be brought into bull shit that you don’t want to be a part of (pardon my French). A&D is a lot more interactive than some other systems on Second Life for the fact that you can skill such as herbalism, mining, and crafting just like you would in an MMORPG such as Final Fantasy 14 Online (FFXIV) or World of Warcraft (WOW).

Even though I pretty much explained it through my A&D description there is also Bloodlines. Bloodlines have families or clans that you are a part of. For the most part, this system is multiplayer whether you want to play with others or not. So, you would be forced to join a clan or family. But if you want more of the solo experience than you would pick more of an inactive clan instead of an active one. Bloodlines revolve around Vampires, Lycans, and recently through the past few years, you can now just be part of the system as a human which is nice if you don’t want to roleplay as a fantasy creature. The idea of this system is to go out through the world of Second Life and hunt or battle other players to gain achievements and reach new “levels”. It’s a very similar idea to A&D so if you read the description above it’s straightforward as to what Bloodlines is as well just with Vampires and Lycans. Each system is based on personal preference. The systems are for everyone and they can be quite fun to play.

Active versus inactive hordes, clans, chorus’s, and families:

I want to bring to the forefront the main differences between active and inactive groups in the system. I’m going to refer to them as groups so I’m not typing each one out individually throughout the rest of the post. When a group is active there are going to be for the most part a lot of people in that group or you’re going to become the outsider of such a close-knit family until newer players continue to flood into the active group, you’re in. Sometimes this creates drama which I’ll explain in a later post regarding my experience with A&D if you want some real piping hot tea spilled. But for the most part these groups you will be with a lot of the time these groups become more of a lifestyle in the virtual world atmosphere where you spend most of your time with your group and even sometimes live on the land, they’re on. However, if you’re more private like I am and want a more solo unrushed experience playing on these systems I would suggest an inactive group. These groups are sometimes online but they don’t base their life or virtual world lifestyle around the system. They normally do it when they’re bored or just want something to do while being a part of the system. This is the type of group I prefer because you also are less likely to run into any type of drama or issue with anyone and still get the same experience as playing with an active group. This is something to consider if you want to join one of these systems just be mindful of who you play with and what you want out of the game as a whole. These are things to think about before joining. Also, another thing you should consider is if you can dedicate time to keep yourself fed in either system that means logging on, I’d say once a day or once every other day. There is a sense of dedication to these systems but like I said it gives you something to do if you’re looking for that sort of experience in your virtual life.

You said there is drama? But I don’t want to deal with drama! I get that enough in my reality:

Don’t we all! But with anything that brings together a large group of individuals together with different personality types and interests, there will be some sort of conflict at some point. This is why I suggest inactive groups if you do join one of these systems. This is because even though there are different people with personality types and interests there not always around at the same time or just keep to themselves which brings less drama into, your atmosphere. Through the years while being a part of these systems I’ve seen people come and go while taking part of the active group experience. I’ve also seen full-on active groups die and become non-existent altogether because of drama. The system itself is a game however the impact that human individuals make on one another is not. Just be mindful of people and if you do join an active group just lay low, be mindful of others, and be careful. You can be in an active group and avoid drama there are always ways around things for example, when you see it starting just distance yourself. Stop going around as often etc. and communicate with those you trust in the group to see if it is okay to come back when the drama dies down. They will wonder where you went but then you can just say real life has been taking its toll. For the most part, if you stay out of the drama it won’t find you, however, if the drama includes you…good luck and Lord have mercy on your soul young padawan.

Achievements:

Both systems have an achievement system in the HUDs this has got to be my favorite thing with both A&D and Bloodlines. It’s the only thing that made me want to continuously play because if you’re getting rewarded for something, you’re doing it’s like validation. It’s like you’re doing something right an instant gratification. Which to be honest, I’m the type that needs instant gratification to feel like what I’m doing is right or okay, etc. I love the achievement system on both the websites are clean, easy to follow, and it just makes me want to beat everyone in the high score and achievements table because then you are well known. Other than that, you don’t get much out of it. Skilling and items: Well, this is a fun one to explain so the best way to describe this is on a smartphone you have an app store whether it be the Apple App Store or the Android Google Play store. Let’s say there is a game you want, and you find there are in-app purchases. That’s kind of how these systems run their game on Second Life. You can buy blood, tanks, caskets, etc. for Bloodlines to help your chances in the game with the virtual world currency Linden which you buy with real money or earn doing a Second Life job. With A&D there are add on’s, skilling items, etc. that you can buy to put on your land to craft in the comfort of your land, etc. So welcome to the land of in-game purchases though both claim that they’re all free. But to be fair they are free, but they have to make their money from, somewhere right?

In the end, it just comes to personal preference on pretty much everything discussed above do you want an active or inactive group? Do you want angels versus demons or vampires versus Lycans? The sky is the limit and just like everything else you can do in a virtual world you can be who you want and do what you want. These are just roleplay experiences to either get you into roleplay or put you on a set quest path like in a video game. Ready to add some spice to your virtual life? This may just be what you’re looking for.