Question about flying, height limitations

[Rufferta]

On flying: I just signed on, and I've been looking for land. I was using Worldmap to identify abandoned parcels for sale and flying from one to another, since the interface wouldn't teleport me. In one area I keep getting kicked offline midway. Also, some of the identified parcels appear to be underwater. Is this just lag, or am I inadvertently trespassing? 

On height limitations: I've looked at many of the parcels being auctioned off by the Lindens, and what many seem to have in common is that they are right next to some big ugly building that completely blocks the view. Are there any regions with height limitations?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

On flying:  You can't fly over land with ban lines up unless you are much higher up. Abandoned land may still have ban lines up on it if the lindens haven't' taken them down.  If your crossing a sim line however that may account for it.  Some parcels on the mainland are underwater.  They are for people that like to build over water or live under water like mers.  You can only raise or lower land on the mainland +/- 4 meter

There is no covenant on the mainland restricting what  you build there except for a few rare areas.  This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your point of view or what your neighbors build next to your land. Even if you buy land in a area with nice builds, there is no guarantee it will stay that way.  The current owners may decide to build something you don't like, or they may sell it to someone else who does.

[Rolig Loon]

If you fly around in SL you will find places where security systems gently (or not so gently) push you away from places where the owners don't want you to be.  To my way of thinking, that's a lot friendlier than putting up ban lines that make an ugly, artificial barrier in the sky.  Yes, you're trespassing. 

Underwater parcels are fairly common.  Lots of people prefer them.  You can build great undersea castles and flooded cities on them, and you can enjoy life as a mermaid.

Height limitations are always a matter of contention.  On private sims, landowners commonly write restrictions into their covenants, so that all buildings on the sim have a common architectural style or fit within design limits, like height.  The same is true to a lesser extent on the mainland, but there are no covenants there.  Unfortunately, people do sometimes decide that they can build whatever they like on their own land without regard for the neighborhood.  You can file Abuse Reports for some of that.... for unfair use of sim resources, for example, or if a neighbor actually encroaches on your land ... but often the best solution is to pack up and move to somewhere else.  It's remarkably easy to do in SL.

[Marigold Devin]

Welcome to Second Life Answers, Rufferta

Flying at heights above 1000m may have become a little rougher lately; parcels that had restricted access before could be flown over once you reached a certain height (prior to that you would hit ban lines).  Now if a parcel has restricted access, it's air space up to 5000m is also restricted.  This was a feature requested, and a measure acted upon by LL, to prevent those who were banned at ground level from causing possible problems in venues that were positioned in the skies.

Edited to add - the ability to fly to greater heights is being rolled out to all regions this week. For more information, see the planned deploys http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Second-Life-Server/Deploys-for-the-week-of-2012-04-23/m-p/1500935

On the plus side, we no longer need to be wearing flight aids to reach those great heights.

On the mainland, you can build an ugly pink glowing tower if you so wish, and unless it has been erected to cause offence or grief to a neighbour, it isn't against the Terms of Service. It can be quite a challenge to find a parcel of land to buy that is in a wholly beautiful sim, although if you view these 'ugly' builds as eclectic pieces of self-expression, and realise this isn't real life, so you don't have to look out of the windows, it's not so bad.

It sounds like you may be being kicked offline when you hit someone's overly-aggressive security system.  Rather than flying around the abandoned parcels for sale, you may be better off teleporting to each, and then flying upwards to see what is around in the neighbourhood. It's still a great way to explore, and a lot less stressful than having to relog every few sims.

[Rufferta]

Thank you all. It sounds as if I would have to fly at an altitude of over 5000 feet to avoid trespassing? Now I'll have to find my altimeter and magic feather.

[Marigold Devin]

I say, trespass away, which I know might sound like a bit of a contradiction. What I mean is, if you can stand being ejected by ejector orbs, or being bounced by ban lines, then it's worth it to explore the mainland.  Exploring the mainland is my favourite pastime of all, always has been, always will be, and most people are pretty cool about people visiting their land while they are offline. BUT I do make sure I steer clear of areas where there are green dots as I explore; disturbing people who wish to have quiet time alone or with other people is a definite no-no.

You won't find any buildings/skyboxes/structures above 4096m, as this is the maximum height at which we are able to build.  Prior to 2008 you could actually only build up to around 750m - you can imagine how excited we were to be able to have homes and 'hidden' places way up in the skies of Second Life. :matte-motes-grin:

Just going back to your original post, you said you had some troubles teleporting using the interface. I cannot think why you wouldn't be able to teleport, but as you're pretty new in world, this is something that is probably temporary.  I usually cannot teleport because of a HUD or scripted item (hair or boots) that I am wearing.  Travelling light is easiest, whether teleporting, flying, or travelling in a vehicle.  Sim crossings can sometimes be a problem, because of all the information that has to be transferred from one server to another. 

Take your time with everything, and have tons of fun. There is something new to learn every day.

[Rolig Loon]

BTW, those new height limits for ban lines only apply to people who have been banned from the parcel. If you have not been banned, you ought to be able to cross into a parcel at a much lower altitude without trouble. As Marigold says, try it and see. Very few landowners will ban you on sight, and most security systems will even give you a 15 or 20 second warning before they eject you.

[Marigold Devin]

Rolig, do these new height limits for ban lines apply just to banned people, or also on those parcels of land that are not open to public access? I am a little bit confused still - so many changes seem to have happened this year.

[Rolig Loon]

I am too, Marigold, but my understanding is that they only apply to people who are on the parcel's banned list. Here's the official word from LL (http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Second-Life-Server/Deploys-for-the-week-of-2012-04-09/m-p/1477509#M4948 ): "The explicit ban height for parcels is being raised to 5000m. This means that avatars that are explicitly banned from a parcel can not enter them unless they are at least 5000m above ground. This allows high-altitude fly-overs as before, but they must be done at a much higher altitude."

[Marigold Devin]

This is something I will have to test next time I'm inworld. I just don't see how the 5000m exclusion zone wouldn't apply to all avatars too on those parcels where you either have to buy a pass to enter (albeit rarely seen), or age-restricted/no public access parcels. /me adds to list of things I want to do on next login.