Should a fully user-controlled alt be tagged as a scripted agent?

[Ceradala Heartsong]

I'm not asking for discussion's sake (although already I rather wish I was!). I'm asking because, avatar maximums aside, it honestly doesn't make sense if I'm running two viewers side-by-side, one for my main and one for my alt. I mean, I will comply if that's what's expected, but I'm here to make sure that this IS what's expected of me if I have an alt tied to my main account.

[Lindal Kidd]

I'm not sure what your question is, @Ceciline Heartsong. An alt is simply a Second Life account, a username and UUID tied to a given email address and identified by certain personal information. We say an account is an "alt" simply because it's one that is created after one's first ("main") account. (That can change. If you wind up using your alt account most of the time, you and your friends may come to think of it as your main, while your original account becomes relegated to alt status.)

It makes no difference to LL. Each account is treated as a separate entity. Even the so-called "alt limits" are seldom enforced, and some people have a great many Second Life accounts.

A scripted agent, or bot, is a different thing. If you have one or more accounts that are controlled by software, LL wants you to register them as scripted agents. This is mainly so that they don't count in the calculation of parcel traffic statistics. If your alt account is controlled by a person (you, presumably), it does not have to be registered as a scripted agent. I know people who keep four, six, eight or more viewer windows (and alts) open at one time, switching their attention from one to the next to the next.

The key difference between an alt and a bot is that an alt is controlled directly by a person, while a bot is controlled by a software program.

[Kathlen Onyx]

Did someone tell you it wasn't ok for you to run two viewers with you controlling both accounts?

[Rowan Amore]

16 minutes ago, Ceciline Heartsong said:

I'm not asking for discussion's sake (although already I rather wish I was!). I'm asking because, avatar maximums aside, it honestly doesn't make sense if I'm running two viewers side-by-side, one for my main and one for my alt. I mean, I will comply if that's what's expected, but I'm here to make sure that this IS what's expected of me if I have an alt tied to my main account.

No, alts do not need to be designated as scripted agents unless they are being used for those purposes.  

Scripted Agent' is our term to describe a Second Life account that is operated by a program rather than by a real person. These are often called 'Bots' by residents and are automated avatars that perform specific tasks inworld, generally without any human intervention. There are Bots that manage Land tasks and Bots that model clothing in stores.

If you know that a Second Life account is to be used in this way, as a 'Scripted Agent' or Bot, then we ask that you identify it as such here.

There are a few ways that Bots can be used that are considered a violation of Second Life's Terms of Service (see this article for more details). Identifying this account as a bot allows us to improve the Second Life experience for all Residents (for example, by improving Search results). Failure to identify an account as a Bot could result in disciplinary action if the Bot is then found to be negatively impacting our service or otherwise causing problems

[Ceradala Heartsong]

2 hours ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I'm not sure what your question is, @Ceciline Heartsong. An alt is simply a Second Life account, a username and UUID tied to a given email address and identified by certain personal information. We say an account is an "alt" simply because it's one that is created after one's first ("main") account. (That can change. If you wind up using your alt account most of the time, you and your friends may come to think of it as your main, while your original account becomes relegated to alt status.)

It makes no difference to LL. Each account is treated as a separate entity. Even the so-called "alt limits" are seldom enforced, and some people have a great many Second Life accounts.

A scripted agent, or bot, is a different thing. If you have one or more accounts that are controlled by software, LL wants you to register them as scripted agents. This is mainly so that they don't count in the calculation of parcel traffic statistics. If your alt account is controlled by a person (you, presumably), it does not have to be registered as a scripted agent. I know people who keep four, six, eight or more viewer windows (and alts) open at one time, switching their attention from one to the next to the next.

The key difference between an alt and a bot is that an alt is controlled directly by a person, while a bot is controlled by a software program.

Thank you! This clears everything up perfectly! ^^