Anyone here playing this ? I heard a lot of talk about it so i decided to join up and make an account, but for some reason the server wasn't very trustworthy when i did, so i haven't gotten any further than making some rearrangements in my characters outfit, so i'm not comfortable with how everything works yet. I heard a lot of goofy stuff from my brother though, things that go down in some of the clubs in SL, so i thought i'd go and see or myself.

If you have an account, who are you and what's your favourite spot to hang out ?

For those among us who haven't got a clue what i'm talking about, here's a link.... http://www.secondlife.com/

Well, Second Life is basically a 3D chat room with crappy graphics where you can pay for virtual penises or property with real money.

Mostly it's inhabited by furries and their various perversions.

Check out Something Awful's "Second Life Safari" feature if you want all the disgusting details.

I saw some screenshots and they stunk so bad I couldn't imagine why ANYONE would bother with the game.

Big pyramid scheme if you ask me.

Yeah, it's a 3d chat but you can use real money to buy a virtual lot and you can use script to animate this, so basically all the weird messed up people with creepy fetishes hang up there. Furries, pedophilia etc. Thye're all there.

Yeah, my bro already told me there's a lot of freaks running around, but you don't necessarily have to get involved with those, there's plenty of clubs where people are banned the minute they start acting weird or freaky. My brother is trying to become a deejay in a club, i don't see anything freaky in such a thing. It's indeed a virtual chatroom, so just like in the chatrooms we are used to, there's all sorts of pervs hanging out looking for a target, but like i said, it's easy to ignore them. The clue is not to take anything what goes on inthere too serious, unfortunately not everyone realizes that. [img]smile.gif[/img]

And the graphics may be crappy at the moment, but they are working really hard to make improvements, i think this is going to be really big.

There's also the fact that the whole thing is almost completely security free, people routinely bring down entire sectors just for kicks by using self-replicating devices.

Oh, and let's not forget the shoddy administration. For starters, there's the fact that they lie about their subscription numbers, they report every single person who's ever signed up as how many active they have, while the actual number is maybe 10% that.

The idea may not be too bad, really, but the fact is that the engine is lousy, the security is bad, the administrators need to be replaced, the whole thing is ugly and it's already been swarmed by far too many freaks.

Sounds like you have plenty of experience. I'm just starting with this, stop discouriging me. :D

You do know virtual beer won't get you drunk, right? ;)

Neither does real beer for that matter. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

So online forums like Ironworks are one thing... they're focused at folks who have interest in a fairly esoteric area, one that's not going to have a lot of local people with the same interest available.

Generic "Chat" forums like an "online bar" however... they make no sense to me. I have not been a big barfly for a decade or so (when I was last in the "market" so to speak), but I'm fairly certain that my odds of hooking up would always be much better at a REAL bar as opposed to a virtual one. So if I were (Dog FORBID!) single again for some reason, I do not envision myself spending much time in "Second Life" spending REAL money cruising for VIRTUAL babes... when I could be spending that time in "First Life" spending real money... meeting REAL women.

I'm a total Computer Nerd and even I just don't get it.

Well, i'm not spending any real money on it either, i signed up for a free account. I'm not a complete moron, if it would have cost me a single penny to register, i wouldn't have bothered in the first place. I realize that a free account gives you less priviliges, items, and a place you can call home, but i never planned on getting into it very much, simply because i don't have the time for it, my first life needs attention too. :D

it only costs you money if you agree to an upgrade of your account. Kinda like Kazaa, you can use it, but if you want all the benefits, they want your creditcardnumber first, and that's where i say "thanks but no thanks".

It does if you inject it directly to your brain.

I am a huge fan of Second-Life and I have made over 200 dollars playing it. While many people have reported seeing "Greifer" attacks, and while there are a number of "Freaks" out and about, I, thankfully, never see any of them because I stick to remote areas which are either unpopular or which cater to a unique, accepting, and vibrant crowd of intellectual members who seek nothing but peace and solace. I would mention my favorite SL hangout here but I don't want anyone knowing about it at all unless they're a close friend. Anyone who wants to visit me there is completely welcome. All you have to do is look me up and I'll send you a waypoint marker to teleport to me.

My name is Ian Timtam.

I'm a leader of the Sandbox Vagabond Guild. Essentially we're skilled modlers, artsits, and programmers who work to construct things in sanxboes while remaining peacefull and sometimes marketing our creations to the public for very small fees.

I'm absolutely notorious for giving out free stuff. So if you ever want anything feel free to ask. I'm not on "regularly" but if I'm having a slow week I will go on and just tinker around with the engine. While most of SL may be crappy and in need of serious artistry I work to try and bring a little beauty back into the engine using all the tools it has available.

I'm constantly trying to produce something no one's ever seen before. I don't see it as a game at all. While I see it can exist as an avatar chat program, I mostly see it as a 3 dimensional programming compiler which allows me to build, code, and create fun and cool things while letting my imagination run wild. While normally I could just do this with a 3D rendering program, I get a lot of satisfaction out of being able to instantly share my creations as I'm building them with others. It's fun when you make something while not being alone. I suppose I really enjoy the idea of a grouped working environment and that's why I'm hooked on using it to make stuff. Either way, I've essentially concluded that there isn't anything I cannot create using SL in some way.

Anyway, like I said, if you want to get in touch, I'm Ian Timtam. Search for me and send me a message.

As for the whole "benefits" thing thats just a load of crap. If you can model in 3D, use photo shop, and write simple scripts in C++ you're pretty much set, as far as Second-life is concerned. You'd never need to spend a penny on anything and just create everything you'd ever want.

Well, if you ever see a Rikky Bonato wandering around aimlessly, don't be afraid to tap me on the shoulder, it's me.

Don't ask about the name, it's a bitch to finally come up with a username that hasn't already been taken. :D

ROTFL!! Gawd your fake name sounds as bad as my Yahoo account fake name LOL, i.e., both sound kind of Italian LOL. My Yahoo account I made up, and for the same reasons, just looking for a name not already taken. Mine is Gloria Bernicelli. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

Found ya, Rikky Boneto [img]tongue.gif[/img] I sent you a waypoint marker to a sandbox zone. Don't let the people there scare you. They're going to look... pretty weird xD but they're just creative chaps.

Well, i tried to at least give the character my real first name, but i got turned down time and time again. I've had this sort of thing happen to me before on some of the larger gamingforums outthere, and eventually you simply don't care anymore, and settle with whatever get's you registered. :D That's also how i got my insane MSN addy, everything i tried was already taken, and i won't even mention AOL, i never managed to finish creating an account with them. :rolleyes: