Second life and my laptop

[thdrkrage]

I was playing second life as a noob. Exploring and just having fun, while trying to find a job or source of income. I was also trying to play with the "build" option.

 

So here I am, teleporting myself around the world map...when the game stops working. My sim stops walking, andI am like "wtf" until I see that in the upper left corner it says "not responding " So I tried to close it so I could reload and the bitch is frozen. My computer is working in all its other functions but the game is not and as im typing the window is still open because it is so bad that the window will not even close.

 

Guys, what do I do? And dont tell me to get a new computer because I have no money IRL. I just really want to keep playing this game in the future but I want to know if it will keep **bleep**ing up like this.

[Charolotte Caxton]

Hit ctrl alt delete and open up the task manager, end the second life process from there and try playing again.

Teleporting on a not so awesome computer can be problematic for some, you can try lowering your graphics settings under preferences.

There will always be challenges with SL, no matter what computer you use, part of the fun for some is learning how to mitigate and overcome these hurdles, to others they are major annoyances. Don't let it ruin your experience. You are not alone.

[Coby Foden]

Unfortunately any high graphics intensive program is really not ment to be run in low end computers. They are resource hogs and run well only in computers which have the resources needed.

What you can do though is: Use V1 based viewer (Phoenix for example http://www.phoenixviewer.com/). Lower your graphics settings in the viewer to the bare minimum. Put the draw distance low (like 64 meters). These steps will help to some degree. There is not much else what can be done.

[Ariel Vuissent]

Programs freeze sometimes. From the tone of your post, it sounds like this is the first time this has happened to you. I'd let it rest for now. Some questions, though -

How long have you been playing SL? Was this your first log-on, or have you been here for a few days, weeks...?

How hot was your computer? Do you have a cooling mat, or did the bottom/side get very hot to the touch? Mine does this, and it's very bad when playing SL. I reccommend either a cooling mat, or playing in front of a fan, if this is the case.

How long had you been playing? A few minutes, a few hours? The longer you play, of course, the worse it gets for the computer, so you might try taking short breaks after an hour or two, then coming back.

A less taxing viewer might also help; Phoenix, or another V1 based viewer. Keep in mind some of those have added mesh capabilities, which makes them more taxing on the computer. Also lowering your graphics preferences as much as you can.

To get out of it, ctrl+alt+del, open task manager, end program. If this doesn't work, you can restart the computer, and if it won't restart, you can force it to by pressing and holding the power button. (I'm assuming you know this, but stating it just in case.)

ETA: Also, how many other programs did you have running, besides SL? SL consumes A LOT of computer resources, so you may have to make sure you close everything else before you play.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

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Ariel Vuissent wrote:

How hot was your computer? Do you have a cooling mat, or did the bottom/side get very hot to the touch? Mine does this, and it's very bad when playing SL. I reccommend either a cooling mat, or playing in front of a fan, if this is the case.

 

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Seconded.  Overheating was my first thought too.  The other thing that makes SL pause - although not for long usually - is a download backlog.   When you're going to new places everything has to be downloaded so there can be quite a delay once you have teleported, or even walked somewhere.

Incidentally - a sim (simulator) is a 256m x 256m area of land in SL.  Your 'character' is an avatar.  If you tell people you're having trouble with your sim walking you'll get all sorts of wrong answers !