FA+
Shop
Your Thoughts On Second Life
15 years ago
Second Life has a large user base and I would be safe to say that the largest single group of them being furries. I've certainly spent a number of hours in game playing around with creating objects and socializing, though personally I always end up getting bored with it. But this journal post is not about me, its about your thoughts!
If you actively play second life, have just tried it once or twice, or it never really appealed to you I would like to know why! For example...
- What do you like about it?
- What don't you like about it?
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
These are just a few example questions, but please if you want to express your thoughts I would really like to hear. I've would love to get a real good understanding of how people other them myself think about the game. Your answers may help me influence a large scale project that is soon to be announced!
- Kiro ^^
If you actively play second life, have just tried it once or twice, or it never really appealed to you I would like to know why! For example...
- What do you like about it?
- What don't you like about it?
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
These are just a few example questions, but please if you want to express your thoughts I would really like to hear. I've would love to get a real good understanding of how people other them myself think about the game. Your answers may help me influence a large scale project that is soon to be announced!
- Kiro ^^
Not much really...
- What don't you like about it?
Terrible Graphics, Childish, Mostly an adult chat for sex, and furries look terrible.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
...
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
Ditto as don't likes.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
That it was gone.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
Its as ridiculous as anything where you get online credits.[b]
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
[b]Don't know.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
...
I played this for like an hour or so I believe... Not very entertaining, and it was just really dumb to be honest.
*postsjournalaboutit*
No I just really don't like SL.
Eh, can't please everyone.
Here's what I say for now
I have to much of a life for second life.... If that makes any sense to any one lol
I would love to create furry avatars in it.
Some things that I feel SL lacks are, Rpers.. and GOOD ones. The only RP I find there is yiff and I am not always wanting to do that. I want something better... something that needs a bit more imagination. I feel because SL has such enhanced animations that many rely on those to make up a good story. Personally I prefer to RP through whisper, that way it uses both peoples imaginations vs using pose balls. Yah see?
Over all though, aside from the glitches here and there, I am a pretty satisfied SL user. :D
2)The load times. It takes far too long to load stuff when you want detail or even when just exploring. The graphics feel outdated. The physics engine is not up to modern standards. I realized this game isn't meant to have that and if it did it would severely limit who could play the game due to computing hardware.
3)Character and environment customization. I'm not much of a RPer so the socialization thing didn't really do it for me.
4)There is no point to play the game unless you want to RP or socialize. No plot. Again I realize that's the kind of game it is.
5)Plot or at least something to draw people into the game where they can then find a group and socialize
6)Neat idea and all mmos technically use real money if you want. The difference is it is legal to use real money in SL
7)never explored the features in depth
8)no
Long winded answer and I only played the game for all of a day and a half. Just my personal input as an ex MMO player.
As for other aspects in SL such as socializing, I always enjoy people watching, checking out the most popular furry 'clubs' in SL to just to people watch, I don't get on enough to really expand SL born friendships or anything, but it still can be a wonderful tool for making friends.
Tho lately I haven't been on it due to the fact my laptop can't run it well
I have never seen in world any faster then 15FPS
From time to time I would venture outside the cub sims and around Furnation hell =3
But like I said.. lately its been hard to even walk around Dx
My opinion?
Its awesome, Its fun, useful
and if you have the computer to run it, its addicting..
the possibilities are endless from just being bored and being random to spending time building stuff
I like it.. I just with I could go on it more
- What don't you like about it? viewer 2 sucks! bugsss.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect? both of those things mentioned. I have made some REALLY awesome friends through SL that are pretty much friends forever. C: The voice chat makes it just like real life, when we get together in real life, we all actually know each other! I love making avatars when I have time, but it is a lot of hard work. The ability to just pop anything I want into a game is pretty f*cking awesome though.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game? The new viewer... I wish they just added the new features to the old viewer..new one is confusing and buggy!
- Are there features you wish was in the game? I can't wait until mesh is implemented into the main grid!
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game? I like that I can take real money out of it. ;D I have never put any real money in it.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy? Both! The old style of building with prims has always been easy. Sculpts was a bit harder but I went to school for 3D so I knew what I was doing with those. Mesh is closer to what I learned in college.. but I am having issues with the Maya exporter currently. I don't know how to use other 3D programs so I stick with Maya.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long? I have been playing SL actively since 2005. I haven't been on much in the last 2 months though, been busy with art!
What i like is the enviroments and very advanced avatar designs - very pleasing and light years ahead of avatar-based socializing programs like IMVU.
What i don't like is the long rez times (yawn), the hefty sys reqs (you need a video card with at least 512MB ram just to run it?) and the lack of a function that allows you to find people or places with similar interests.
Again, since i haven't been able to use it very often so i don't know where the fun factor is or what desired features i'd like to see - been just moving about going to the Furnation Sandbox, Growl's castle, Luskwood and Northstar and generally checking out the scenery... and unless there are people i know on it, i don't really converse with other users.
Dunno much about modding avvies - all i've done is mess about with the free meerkat skins at northstar (wonder if there are nicer looking ones about that are also free - the designs on the NS ones are kinda basic and don't allow you to correct some of the more obvious flaws in their sculpts). A friend of Woulfe's helped out with getting me a collie avatar which was pretty sweet of him (or her or it - the user had a herm character... brain bleach, plzkthx) and it confused me how to switch the skin, but it was relatively easy after i got the hang of it.
Hmm, real buckaroos for Lindens... tricky that. I don't think it's kinda wise - some people would kinda take advantage of that system, methinks. Besides, maybe it would be better if there was a points system in use instead of actual money - would be much easier, anyway.
Again, if this computer had a video card that could handle the ram and graphics, i'd be a more frequent user of the program, but eh, what can you do? The other tower (the one that kept crashing on me) had a decent card, but it would stay on for only so long before something in the prog would cause my plug-and-plays to lock up or cause ATIDVAG errors.
So yeah, haven't used it often and still trying to figger it out, but there ya go.
Never really got into it
hmmm *looks into distance* there you go
Essentially an Open Source 3D environment to do whatever you want and hang out with friends and meet new people. Fun to explore, build, chat, customize your av, etc.
- What don't you like about it?
Laggy at times (server side), and their's a lot of shit to sift through. Other than that, my only complaint (laggy as fuck) isn't really valid since my laptop doesn't technically meet the minimum requirements for the game. Oh, and I also hate the 2.0 viewer. It fucking sucks. Currently I use both Vertical Life and Phoenix Viewer.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Socializing and, for a time, combat
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
Nothing that I can think of right off hand.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
Ability to "terraform" water. "Aquaform" if you will.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
Eh, I think a lot of thing are over-inflated and the L$-to-USD exchange rate is fucked up. I think it's like L$330 per USD now?? I remember when it used to be a much more reasonable L$115 per $1
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
Yes. Easy enough with the in-world tools. Just helps to be somewhat decent with math. But I can't sculpt for shit.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
Occasionally, and for various lengths of times. From a few minutes to check IMs (not that anyone sends me any while I'm offline ._. ) to hours moping around with friends doing nothing, complaining about how there's nothing to do. Hurr hurr.
Its essentially 255L per Dollar to SELL using Lindex.
Its roughly 240L per dollar to BUY using Lindex.
alot more fair than your 330L estimates. :)
The values have almost always been at these levels, with the exception of several months ago when LL laid off 30% of its employee and the average sell rate skyrocketed to an unpleasent 271L per dollar. Im so glad it fianlyl went back down...and stabalised at 254-255..
If you play, add me as a friend and I might see you on there sometime if I play again: Draco Flaman
so...
- What do you like about it?
I like it because of the amount of creativity involved, I love the fact that All the content is created and controlled by the users, it's a great sense of community.
- What don't you like about it?
Viewer 2 sucks major balls, so many bugs :/
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
I love to sit and create something from something else (by means of modding, landscaping, interior design or otherwise) I love to display my works and I get a buzz when someone says "that's so awesome, where'd you get it?" just by telling them I did it.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
The question I hear most of the time is "How do you play?" - It's very frustrating to tell people that this is not a game, it's a 3D social network in a virtual world
I wish Linden Lab would make that clearer from the start.
The only real gripe is the players themselves, some of them are complete douchebags xD
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
To be honest, there are far too many combat systems and not enough sims to meet those needs
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
I don't mind because I have the advantage of being over 18 and in a job
It's a lesser experience if you have no L$'s whatsoever (you'll find experienced players will have/had L$'s to indulge in avatars and other things - so it's a case on whether you're going to be in SL for a while)
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
Hard at first, but once you have an experienced player with you, they'll tell you hints on how you might change a prim to make it do what you want :3
One thing I need to do, but detest doing it, is scripting - I find that too hard to create scripts by myself, need the help of the text provided in freebie scripts
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
Fairly regularly, and if I do, it's an average of 2/3 hours, often longer if there's things to see and do :3
One thing I really, really want... is a Feral RP sim, a good one! (like "Lost Pridelands" used to be before it got closed)
other than that, I'm quite satisfied :3
They're a feral RP. I know they dont have color restrictions, but they might have species restrictions.
Do not want.
but thanks anyway :3
It's kinda creepy everybody eventually tries to hand you a penis and wants to RP.
- What don't you like about it? Dunno. Occassionally it has bugs, and griefers, but that's anywhere you go. I'd have to really think about this question.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect? BUILDING! Absolutely! Im almost always building! Avatars avatars avatars! I own an avatar business after all. X3
- Do you have any major gripes about the game? Sim-Side lag, Griefers.. but again, standard stuff. Their bugs can be really frustrating sometimes however.
- Are there features you wish was in the game? With the newest release of Meshing, i only wish they'd give us the importability for custom rigged skeletons. then my life would be complete \o/
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game? my first initial investment(and I use this phrase very strongly) was somewhere to the tune of a whopping 150USD in just /2 days/ upon joining. A month later i was building my first avatar and netted (to me) a whopping 50 bucks in money. It didnt take long before i'd made back my investment and then some. If you're an artist and you love to create, a small investment is worth it for an incredible return.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy? I wouldnt Play SL if not for its freedom provided by the ingame ability to create. I find construction painless (at first it was.. tedios, but with repetition came speed and eventually, improvement). as with anything, its a learning curve.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long? You would ask this wouldn't you :P Shamefully I say.. somewhere to the tune of 8-12 hours a day. (its no mystery im as round a pine cone DX) but of those 8-12 hours, i only spend around 4-5 building. so take 4 hours a day, maybe 5 days a week, apply that to my income, and you've got an hourly wage that would make even bill gates jealous.(not really but you get the idea).
SL has its advatanges and disavantages. It also has a little somethin for everyone. Just a matter of finding it.
Most people go in intentionally looking for porn, and when they run smack into it, they're suddenly offended and call it immature and gross.
Its a good way to socialize with people that most of the times I can't be around because of long distances or so.
- What don't you like about it?
The trolls >.>
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Socializing, its the best part, you can have fun and hang around with people that sometimes you will never have the chance to meet in person or so.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
Not at all.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
Instant ban for trolls :P
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
I used to spend sometimes like 10$/month to buy some L$, its not a bad idea.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
I can build or create objects, its easy if you know the basic on it, but still easy if you want to learn it.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
I play SL since jan/2009 and literally everyday.
- What don't you like about it? I believe my graphics card isn't powerful enough for SL to run smoothly.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect? For me, the most fun comes from role playing and socializing.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game? Not the game itself, but the technical requirements to run it. It takes a lot of my computer's resources.
- Are there features you wish was in the game? I'd like a chat-only client in the form of an iPhone/iPod Touch app.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game? Those of us with very little money to spare may find it difficult to acquire nice things.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy? I like the idea of being able to create my own objects, but as I mentioned before, my computer doesn't handle it well.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long? I play when I find myself with enough spare time to do more than just watch images load. How long I play depends on how many/which of my friends are online, and how much time I have.
That it allows people to dabble in 3d art without knowing a whole lot of math or special programs or anything.
- What don't you like about it?
It's very boring to "play", even the best models on there look awkward at best, and it is a ram hog.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Trying on different avatars like changing outfits
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
Boring and a little hard to remember all the controls
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
A plot, lol
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
Baffling. The fact there is a viable real estate market in pixels just freaks me right the fuck out. o_o
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
It was a cool idea but it was incredibly hard for me and everything on there looks a little derpy, so there wasn't that much incentive to stick around and try to get good at it.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
I do not, tried for a week or two and just got so bored. It's basically a glorified chatroom.
o i like meeting new people^^ going to clubs and sim hopping^^ building things and animations,.and making my character unique^^ im a mod-a-holic.
- What don't you like about it?
o fur haters,.griefers,.and bloodlines/vampires
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
oall of the above^^
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
oT_T furhaters...
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
o <.< cant think of any.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
o i do it all the time @_@ the econ is better for buyers,.things are cheep.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
o eeeasy^^
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
o all day long^^ i have TONS of friends and even a job,.my own house and i run a RP sector.
The concept of it is really neat. It's pretty much completely open-ended, and if you know what you're doing you can build virtually any kind of world you want.
- What don't you like about it?
There's so much potential, but IMO not many people were really utilizing it, so it really just felt like an elaborate 3D chat client. <:C
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
I really liked exploring some of the areas, and I probably would've played more if my computer could run it better.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
It frustrated me a little that the minimum amount of lindens you can buy at one time is $25. I mean, they probably have good reasoning behind the minimum limit, but it would be convenient to be able to get like $10 in lindens instead.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
I can't really think of any, tbqh. It kind of is what it is, take it or leave it.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
I wish the minimum amount of lindens you can buy was lower, but otherwise I don't really have a problem with it.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
It's cool, but I found it incredibly difficult to just jump into. I had a friend who knew how to do minor adjustments, though, and was able to pick up enough to do minor avatar edits fairly quickly.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
I played on and off a year or so ago, but I haven't really been on since.
Its just a fun way to chat with people and mess around with all the silly/stupid/cute things ingame. Also its so open ended you can do pretty much whatever you want.
- What don't you like about it?
Sometimes hard to find interesting stuff going on.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Not sure really. I owe most of everything to my friends who showed me around.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
Not really, no.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
None that probably already haven't been created.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
I've done it just because I have lots of spare cash and see lots of stuff I think is cool.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
I'm still pretty noobish at stuff, but I'm learning better than I expected that I would.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
Not very active- a couple times a week.
In reality it's lame as hell. The few times that I have been the controls were terrible (I didn't have trouble getting used to World of Warcraft's controls and camera like I had to get used to SL, so to me that's a big design flaw), it was VERY laggy and to be quite honest other people's avatars ruined it for me (there being no quality control and all, for both visuals and animations). I understand that this can't be helped, since the very point of Second Life is you can build whatever you want and be whatever you want, regardless of the amount of polygons involved.
There's also the reason why it's called Second Life. I get the impression that furries especially take it WAY too seriously and forget to have a First Life. Which I guess is fine until it starts giving the rest of us a bad stereotype for being basement dwelling losers... which it does.
One the technology catches up, I think it might be really cool to talk to people I already know. At the moment it smells like too much of a replacement for social interaction, and less of a supplement to it.
And Dotter...real life is a troll infested drama hole...your point?
The interaction you can gain with multiple people around the world
- What don't you like about it?
That some furs on there are morons and griefers are annoying
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Socializing, Modding Avatars, Djing, Modeling
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
Viewer 2 by SL makes it a bit more confusing but i stick to a 3rd party viewer
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
Can't think of any right now actually
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
I used to put my own money in but now i make money on there (i pay for my cell using SL actually)
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
Matters on what you want to build that makes it hard or easy
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
I've been playing SL since 08 and i usually spend about almost 12 hours on it if i'm on break, if school is going, i'm on it for at least 6 hours, I work on SL doing two diff jobs as well i hang out with a group of friends
It's kinda a nice place to hang out with friends.
- What don't you like about it?
I'm easily bored when trying to find something to do and Alot of the clothing seems to deal with sex appeal (then again what place on or offline selling close isn't about the sex appeal >>) Other then that, I'm not on that often.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Just hanging out with the few friends I have that play. However we all have MSN which I have more fun talking to them on. I also trying new avatars and playing with gestures when we aren't around anyone that could get annoyed.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
I'm just easily bored with it. And the paying with real money thing bothers me a bit.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
-shrug- Not that I can think of.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
It bothers me and is kinda weird, however with such a big program I'm sure servers cost a heck of a lot of cash to keep SL running so it's understandable at best.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
Honestly I have never tried it.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
Not actively at all. At best once or twice every two to three months.
The personalization, the great looking avatars, the places to explore, and the advances in the tech
- What don't you like about it?
The system is very buggy and the people never seem to know what they are doing so the servers are prone to issues.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Personalizing myself, with clothing and accessories before going out to socialize places.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
The lag in some areas, and issues with scripts and other things are annoying sometimes.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
I'd like if it was easier to work and more areas of fun without having to spend time finding areas that are good and ones that are not. Too many people join, dick around for a few hours, and quit due to lack of easy access to areas less you already have friends in the "game" nice enough to show you around, you end up quitting due to boredom.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
I think it's a good system, as you can get nearly 600 linden dollars, for a little more then 2.50 US Dollars. People that whine and bitch about the prospect of real money makes me laugh. You can make money in it, and convert it to real money easily, just a matter of getting a job that pays well. Some artists even sell art over SL for L$, and often the price is cheaper in L$ than if you commission them regularly.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
I always loved making stuff, and modding too, then sculpting came around, and it made avatars and stuff look better, but even harder to mod at first.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
I am off and on for various parts, some time won't be on for like weeks, then other days I'll be on every day for a month just about. And usually when I am on, it's usually for several hours. Mostly hanging out with friends or going to places of entertainment when bored.
Doesn't get old, good friends, lots of creativity.
- What don't you like about it?
Not too much. Probably just ignoramuses, asshats and blatant fakers.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Used to be a fanatic about character customization only. I've turned to socializing recently, but still love the customization.
- Do you have any major gripes about the game?
The power-trips that some people can't seem to get over which seem like a side-effect of the game.
- Are there features you wish was in the game?
Better graphics? Kinect-type interfacing?
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
I still haven't transferred funds. I think it's alright since oodles of other games already use a cash-system of sorts, and it rocks even more for SL that money is forward and reverse transferable.
- Did you like the ability to create object? Did you find it hard or easy?
I LOVE the ability to make objects. I used to make stuff all the time on the 'lesser grid' while it was up. I still make interesting objects, but not as many as before.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
I am online nearly everyday and will stay as long as I can find something interesting.
It was a neat idea, and I loved some of the stuff I saw people create. It excelled as an artistic medium, certainly, and the idea of being able to take your art and use it socially was kinda awesome.
- Where did you find the most fun in the game? Socializing, character customization, ect?
Mostly socializing. I played around with the build tools just a little bit, but never actually built anything.
- What don't you like about it?
Keep in mind that the last time I was on SL was several years ago, but at least at the time, the visible result to required hardware ratio was INFINITESIMALLY SMALL. I understand that there is a limitation just in the nature of the beast, that you can't pre-compile your occlusion maps and such for an environment that is going to be edited live, but at the same time, it was two or three steps below what people were expecting from a gaming environment at the time and required twice the hardware to really even be playable. And really, if you want an even moderately realistic 3D environment, things like shading and cast shadows would be nice, rather than having all the world simply bathed in the same uniform ambient gray glow. Everything tended to look a bit flat as a result.
It was so close to being cool, but that proximity to awesome was part of the problem. It would have been cool if only it had shading, or was a bit better performing. Oh, I like this room, I can see what they were going for, it would just be nice to see it at more than 10fps (or alternately, I can see what they were going for, I just wish I could turn my detail level up and still be able to see people move). Why can't my internet be just a little bit faster? Everything is taking SO LONG to rez in tonight! Why can't everyone else in this coffee shop stop watching YouTube so I can see what's going on here? Ultimately it was more frustrating to run the viewer than it was refreshing to have the social contact, so I dropped back to MUCKs. The social interaction is more or less identical, but my imagination has infinitely better resolution and requires almost no bandwidth.
- How do you feel about using actual money in the game?
Eh. It happens with WoW, I guess, even if that's a little on the dark side of their ToS. The only downsides I can see to this are 1) they keep printing money and 2) it gives people the illusion that they might be able to actually make a living playing the game. Even for the Luskwood people, all the avatar sales and such were reportedly just making them break even on the cost of their sim.
- If you do actively play, how often and for how long?
I used to be on every night, several years ago; I haven't been on in five or six years, now.