COVID-19 and It's Effect on Second Life

As the world reels from the effects of the current plague, Second Life is feeling the effects. 

You can hoard all the free toilet paper you want on the Marketplace, guilt free (so please stop hoarding the real stuff.) There are also fashionable surgical masks and hand sanitizer dispensers for your personal protection role play. 

While I was out couch shopping, I found this classic plague doctor dude stuck in a back room with the Halloween decorations. Some folks seem to think I need a man in my life so I snagged him up. 

The Destination Guide's "What's Hot Now" page is full of packed clubs and role play regions. There's been a steady stream of sailboats and mini yachts passing by my coastal home all day. Second Life is hopping.

But aside from the grid being busier than usual, I've noticed other changes.

I'm seeing neighbors that I didn't know I had, standing around in their homes. Some have said hello. People are checking in on each other. Performers are sending out messages to their subscribers, asking them to stay safe. Group chats have become more lenient in their rules, allowing more "off-topic" discussions as folks from around the globe check on each other, offering prayers, messages of support and virtual hugs.

As we all isolate ourselves in our 1st lives, we're here together in our second. There's a unique sense of community here. While we may be twerking to the latest tunes with half our clothes still waiting to rez, we are together and having a blast.

Be kind to the new users and the returning users. Invite them to see your spiffy little cottage or skybox. Share some landmarks. Show them how awesome Second Life can be.

As for me, I'm still working on those selfie skills.

How are you spending your time on the grid? Let me know in the comments below!

Exploring Role Play: The Realm of New Vale

I'm a complete novice when it comes to roleplay. I never got into games like DnD or RP sims on Second Life. I did spend a few years wearing a set of Neko ears and a tail while hanging around on venue rooftops, listening to performers and deejays, but I think that was more my 1st life crippling social anxiety than actual RP. 

When I saw the listing for New Vale on the Destination Guide, I was curious. I visited their website, expecting to find pages of rules and backstory, but was surprised to find a general description of roles and general rules. There is a backstory, but it's not overly elaborate, giving players the freedom to create a variety of characters and story lines. I also found that OOC visitors are allowed and photos encouraged, so I hopped on the train to New Vale.

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The sim is beautifully built with lots of twinkling weeping willows and flowing water. Upon entering, you'll find well manicured streets with homes, businesses, a park, even a school. I spent an afternoon wandering around and encountered quite a few people milling about. I didn't engage in conversation with anyone, lest I interrupt them, but there was no shortage of other avatars.

It wasn't all twinkling trees and waterfalls. Literally across the tracks was the grittier side of town with shady looking characters and a no-tell motel, complete with empty pool.

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If you'd like to visit New Vale, click here to find them on the map. After arriving in the train station, pick up your free dice and titler (available on the Marketplace for free,) take a moment to look over the rules and check it out.

A quote from Lala:

 Players who enjoy the place and want to help shape it will be welcome to start their own simwide storylines and hold events if they like. I'm providing the canvas for you to paint. 

We desperately need more creativity in Second Life. It's become centered on buying clothes and taking pictures for Flickr, which is fine if that's your thing, but I miss the days of weird characters running around, the days when my friends were tinies and dragons, when we danced with the fae and the furry alike.

Maybe I'll dust off my alt and re-visit New Vale, after she receives a substantial upgrade.

Be careful out there and create your world.

Adventures in Teleporting and How To Set Your Landing Point

This week I've been doing a little more Gacha shopping (it's becoming a problem, seriously,) and dipping my toes back in to the Second Life live music scene. Back in the day, I spent hours swooning to the sounds of virtual crooners, eventually ending up in an ill-fated relationship with one.

Questionable life decisions aside, my main takeaway from this past week has been a problem arriving at events.

While browsing the listings, I found an Open House for a new rental neighborhood. It's name was similar to a place I know in 1st life, so I took it as a sign and went to check it out. (I'm all about the signs.) I tped over and landed in the ocean, beneath a dock at the bottom of a rock. Flying wasn't allowed, so I had to hike up the side of the rock, in my 6 inch heels and ended up INSIDE it.

I was not a happy camper.

The only way out was to cam through someone's window and sit on their sexy boom-boom couch, next to their child's crib. Thank goodness no one was home. I creeped myself out.

The area was well built and rather nice, but if I were looking for a rental, there's no way I would trust the technical prowess of landowners who couldn't properly set their landing point.

It's the little things that ruin a business.

If you have land and you're not sure, it's easy peasy to set the landing point for your land before you schedule an event or run a classified ad.

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First, go to the spot you want people to land on when they tp to your parcel, shop, region or whatever. Go to your land tab, then options. The bottom of the popup window will show the current landing point. To change it to your current position, click "set."

See? Easy peasy lemon cheesy. Now your potential customers don't have to swim, fly or hike out of the swamp to find your event.

Sometimes when I'm at a loss for what to write about, I hop around the grid with the Destination Guide. A few days ago, there was an event for animesh creators. I love me some woodland creatures, so I headed over. Upon landing, I was greeted by a popup from a security orb, threatening to boot me out. I checked it again this morning. It's still listed on the Destination Guide, but the security orb is still there. Now they have a sign saying they don't open until noon today.

I'm not sure of the process involved to get featured on the guide, but imagine you're a new user heading to an event, only to be evicted. It's a problem.

One night I tried to attend a live music event at a well known tiny community. The landing point had a sign (that had to rez before I could read it,) leading to another landing point that still wasn't the venue. I ended up messaging a random person from the mini-map for a tp to the venue. Luckily she turned out to be very kind and helpful.

I get needing the landing zone to be away from the venue. SLag is an issue where many gather, but a simple note card giver with the landmark would be more practical . I'm sure you worked hard on your lovely sign, but not everyone is going to see it.

As someone who used to hold their own events, I know how much planning goes into them. I understand the investment of time and money, but I also know the frustration of looking for something to do and ending up stuck in odd places, of being new and not knowing how to dislodge myself from a tree.

Anywho, be careful out there. We'll talk again soon.