SL - Getting Started
Gaining Proficiency
by Jeffrey A. Limpert (aka Pax Seetan)
Last update September 7, 2008
The best advice that I can give you on how to adapt to the SL interface is to spend an hour or two logged on each day during the course of a week. My greatest hurdle was (and still is) getting the avatar to smoothly execute my intentions.
Practice:
Avatar Movement
- Sitting
- Standing
- Walk to any location
- Flying
- Moving from point A to B
Camera controls - *very* handy
- The camera is the your best friend for getting views of the area without constantly moving the avatar.
- It's smoother, allows greater detail with its zoom function, and you can still interact with people and the environment from this view
- Walls are no barrier to the camera
Teleporting
- Create a couple of "landmarks"
- Practice teleporting between those landmarks
Visit a few of the popular hangouts and shops for new people
- Do an internet and/or Second Life search for places that
offer free items and services for avatars less than 30-days old
- i.e. New Citizens, Incorporated (NCI)
- You can find SO much free stuff, like clothing and toys.
- You buy the free items for L$0 (Linden dollars)
- Note: it is acceptable for vendors to distribute free items for L$1, but not more.
- You buy the free items for L$0 (Linden dollars)
- Remember to practice your camera controls here
- You can scroll across rows or down columns of products
- You can also click on/purchase/open/edit items while using the controls
Audio controls - talk to someone
Take time to watch a few SL tutorials.
- You can find them using a search engine like Google, or Yahoo.
- There are a lot on YouTube
- SL avatar Torley Linden has a section in the SL Wiki http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Torley
- Torley has an island in SL with videos (and a chair that
will try to eat you - all in good fun)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Here/44/95/35/?img=http%3A//torley.s3.amazonaws.com/visit-torley-256.jpg&title=Video%20Tutorials%20%26%20more%20@%20Torley%27s%20Enlightenment%20Here&u=f5d3c0ac08f529b0420bda9ba69e89c5 - Do not try to watch them all, just pick a few that help you get through this list.
Tweak the looks of your avatar after two or three days of the above
Try building an outfit
- An outfit in Second Life is a folder within the clothing folder of the inventory. It contains the whole avatar: shape, skin, clothing layers (including tattoos), clothing attachments, pet attachments, jewelry and HUD (heads up display) attachments.
- One can quickly change clothes, appearance, etc by "dragging" the folder onto the avatar.
- The outfit is created using the "appearance" function. Be sure to check all the body parts and HUD areas listed in the "outfit check list" that contain attachments that make up your "look".
A Note on Boxed Items: when you try to open a package of something from your inventory ,the package may be in the form of a box. You must first <open> the box and then from within your inventory pop-up window, select <wear> the items that were in the box. Failure to do this will result in your avatar wearing the box rather than the clothing it contains. It's a common experience.
Piece of cake...Just don't try to do everything on the list in one sitting. as I said, take a week to get comfortable.
Mastery of the Interface
The interface has so many active controls, it can be hard to have the interface focus on what you would like. For instance; a lot of people rely on the local chat function. Imagine I am typing away (chatting with you) and I want to move my avatar to a new position. First I have to click off of the chat box and then use the arrow keys to move the avatar.
If you have been typing while I am doing this and it is my turn to respond, then I have to:
- Stop moving or get to a place where no one will trip over the avatar
- Click on my local chat box again and finally
- Type my reply.
Simple, "non?" That's why I like voice; when it works.
Meetings
When attending a meeting, the participants are generally seated allowing people who don't have microphones to concentrate on their local chat boxes and audio.
A headset is recommended if you are using a microphone, otherwise the positive feedback will cause regenerative loops that make it difficult to follow conversations.
Finally
When you look up, see your clock says it is now 3:00 a.m., and realize you have been online for six or seven hours nailed to your seat; you will know you are getting comfortable in Second Life.
While books have been written on the subject of virtual worlds, and Second Life in particular, we believe that for people with limited time, the recommendations we have made in this and other article will help. Anyone with reasonable technical skills and a desire to learn, will be able to quickly perform the basic tasks of avatar control, finding the locations of meetings and communicating.
Please periodically return to this page to check for updated information and links.