Software, Computers, Video Games and D&D UtilitiesGeneral discussion on computer software and hardware, PC and console games, and RPG utilities such as eTools, PC GEN, etc.
A friend just clued me into second life and that fact that it is free to play. I always thought it was like WoW; purchase the software, pay a monthly fee.
I'm curious to know other people's experiences with the game and what keeps drawing them back into it.
The app is free, accessing the online world is free. Buying stuff is NOT free.
And there are ways to rig SL so that you can have combat, cast spells, and more... including sitting at a virtual table with virtual dice to use SL like a virtual tabletop.
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My Games
Into the Land of Black Ice (retired) - An arctic PbP adventure in the mysterious frozen lands of Oerth
Penance of the Damned (retired) - A planar chat-based game, set in Hades, where the PCs began as larvae
Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor'alq (retired) - A mid-level PbP campaign set within the Dramidj Ocean Heirs of Turucambi - An entry-level chat-based game set within the waters of Turucambi Reef in the Oljatt Sea Nature of the Beast (in design) - A sylvan adventure where the adventurers are forest animals.
I tried it for about half an hour and got bored. There's very little to do, and as a newb, didn't find much to get myself into. What's there to accomplish in game, really, besides dress and attain new clothes etc.
There's very little to do, and as a newb, didn't find much to get myself into. What's there to accomplish in game, really, besides dress and attain new clothes etc.
You can don formalwear and attend a gala ball on the RMS Titanic, transform into a merfolk and explore undersea realms, or become an elf, centaur, or pixie as you investigate a hidden glen. You can delve into numerous steampunk locales or fog-enveloped absinthe bars. You can search mayan ruins or the secrets of the pyramids. If you'd rather spend your time as a robot or furry, there are places for that, as well.
__________________
My Games
Into the Land of Black Ice (retired) - An arctic PbP adventure in the mysterious frozen lands of Oerth
Penance of the Damned (retired) - A planar chat-based game, set in Hades, where the PCs began as larvae
Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor'alq (retired) - A mid-level PbP campaign set within the Dramidj Ocean Heirs of Turucambi - An entry-level chat-based game set within the waters of Turucambi Reef in the Oljatt Sea Nature of the Beast (in design) - A sylvan adventure where the adventurers are forest animals.
I'm sure there are plenty of nice people on Second Life. But my opinion of it has forever been destroyed by reports about the... colorful people who play the game... on Something Awful.
"Second Life" is a 'Chat world' with 3d avatars. You can pay money to get more options for your avatar. There are also user generated options to perform various virtual activities.
As who uses this so called 'Second' Life...
Quote:
..So the first is, in the earliest wave of pioneers in any new disruptive platform, the marginal and the dispossessed are over represented, not the sole constituents by any means, but people who feel they don't fit, who have nothing left to lose, or who were impelled by some kind of dream, who may be outsiders to whatever mainstream they are coming from, all come and arrive early in disproportionate numbers.
Mitch Kapor, Second Life 5th Birthday Closing Keynote
"Second Life" is a 'Chat world' with 3d avatars. You can pay money to get more options for your avatar. There are also user generated options to perform various virtual activities.
Well, I'd say that's accurate insofar as that your typical MMO like WoW is a chat room with avatars and some queued-up combat thrown in.
If you enjoy randomly exploring an interactive and constantly changing museum/amusement park, go for it.
If you want to casually create 3d devices with option of adding scripted gamelike behaviors (guns that shoot and do damage in damage-enabled areas), go for it.
If you like the idea of flying or teleporting at will, go for it.
The Cons of a free account:
If you don't know or want to learn how to build it, you're stuck with whatever's free.
Even if you can build, uploading textures and animations costs money. These are microtransactions of a few cents.
If you want things to DO, you either have to get them started, or find someone who already has. Many long-term projects get abandoned, such as my idea for a stand up comedy club that would let people perform over the then new voice feature. I built the club, but never went further.
You can't own land, and if you get money to rent land, you're at the whim of your landlord. That's the big one, and the reason I got my paid accounts.
Griefers suck.
Pros of a paid account:
You get a weekly stipend of Linden Dollars. Over time this allows you to do nothing and acrue enough money to buy cool stuff. I had a jetpack that I bought that let me go higher and faster than the game tried to allow (I could pass through ban lines, which are meant to stop people from flying through. I never used it for griefing, of course.
You can own land. If you have a lot of expendable income, you can pay for a private island to do a project that treats SL as a game engine.
Cons of a paid account:
Linden Labs has serious security issues, in my experience. I've had my account stolen twice and now they're telling me I owe them money. I'm not going back with a paid account until they fix their payment system and I have enough money that I could start a debit card just for SL.
If you don't have any ideas for a project, owning land isn't worth it. Jerks tend to buy up newly opened areas from the newbies they're set up for, and even if you hold out, you might end up with incredibly obnoxious neighbors. I had billboards, random ugliness, and overly....exhibitionist... neighbors (Edit: surrounding) my comedy club. Luckily it was supposed to be a dive, but my neighbor to the south hated it. She was trying to build a quiet cottage. she was actually the worst, however... outwardly friendly but passive aggressive inside. The exhibitionist guys were actually nice people who didn't realize I could see and hear them as I was building.
I put up my club's walls well inside my property, as far underground as SL let me to it wouldn't be a blight. I even textured the wall facing her cottage lot to be more appropriate to her theme. She still had her objects intersecting with my land (bushes passing through my wall, etc) using exploits that I couldn't stop with the tools available.
The above is not meant as a whine or a rant, but rather an honest appraisal as I see it. Sl is fun, and a great concept. It does have drawbacks, but its potential keeps people coming back.
I'd love to see a next generation program with similar functionality.
__________________ I'm working on an Indy Fantasy Space Combat video game demo called "Mystic Space". If you're interested, the blog is here.
Last edited by RSKennan; 30th March 2009 at 03:21 PM..
Reason: Typo.
I thought it was accurate. Until I can wage wars or slay beasts I don't see the appeal.
As I understand it, there are mods you can get (allowed by SecondLife), that add on "life meters" and weapon systems compatible with interacting with the life meter.
I thought it was accurate. Until I can wage wars or slay beasts I don't see the appeal.
Then apparently you can't accept that not everyone's definition of fun revolves around violent adolescent power fantasies.
Speaking of which, now that it's been explained that violence is possible within certain areas of SL, I wonder if there are "snuff" joints? You know, virtual Hostels where people engage in truly violent power fantasies.
Last edited by Felon; 23rd April 2009 at 03:13 AM..
Virtual worlds have been created in Cyberspace where people through their Avatars can live alternative lives and even pursue their fantasies. Issues have cropped up relating to adult virtual activities.
Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, perhaps the most well known virtual world, is trying to deal head on with adult activities within its domain...
virtual activities.
Life...
Linear Mode
And yet another word from our sponsors
