Raevyn Addams

Agreed in that not sure where you find this is ridicule. It's not to MY standard no. But because I said it was exaggerated (which it is) and didn't say OMG I LOVE IT! This is ridicule? No. I understand that this is a virtual world where anyone can be anything and do as they wish, rules notwithstanding. But when one exaggerates themselves, whether in fashion, appearance, speech, etc, it does denote a degree of warranting attention. Maybe not always, but at least some people do. There's always been rebels in history deliberately standing out from the norm making their statements. SL allows people to do that. In my humble opinion (since sharing opinions is what we all do in forums), I find this trend strange but kudos if that's someone's cup of tea. And though the OP is old, it's still relevant today, so it's not a trend that's going away anytime soon. Though I will say I think mesh fits better than it used to generally speaking, even if one has to tweak to get things to fit properly (mesh still beats classic prims, that's for sure!)

And this is one of the reasons I get angry... 😜 As for what I do... I try and calm down as quickly and as logically as possible. Pretty simple stuff, really.

Not sure that her alleged "butt-implants" are, however... I personally am overweight. My avatar is also, deliberately, overweight. There is a BIG difference (pun intended) between someone who looks proportionately larger compared to someone who has exaggerated parts. I don't think it's fair to claim that any particular race has any certain shape as there's always exceptions to every rule. But bearing in mind the OP... ^ THAT is exaggerated. And that's the whole point of this particular thread. 🤕

Waiting for a camper! 🤣

I think @Fionalein is right in that the majority are mesh not prims. I'm not 100% sure but I think it could have to do with a higher LOD (Level of Detail) count. The higher an object's LOD = the heavier the Land Impact (but I could be wrong on that). Having a higher LOD (especially with buildings) matters so that objects don't appear distorted on lower-end graphics settings, or at a low draw distance.

I'm looking for a script that toggles the alpha states between two or more linked prims. For instance, touch the curtains and it makes the closed prim change to an alpha state and the prim behind appear, then back again on second touch. Is this a basic toggle alpha script I'm searching for? The majority of scripts I find are for singular prims, which is easy enough, but I can't find anything for two or more in a linkset. Can someone please point me in the right direction? I've searched the Marketplace, Outworldz, and the Wiki for several days now but I think perhaps I either can't see the proverbial forest for the trees, OR (and most likely) I am looking for the wrong thing so a little clarification would be helpful. Thank you in advance

This honestly (almost literally) gives me an eye twitch! I'm pretty sure this is a conscious decision by creators to 'bump' their objects to the top of the folder in your inventory, as in to be seen first before you even get to the A's, B's, or C's... I mean let's face it, by the time most of us get to around C in our inventory our attention is starting to drift anyway. So by adding a * to the name your item gets bumped straight to the top of the list. I don't like it, and if it irks me enough I'll rename. Or I'll drop all the ones starting with a symbol in a separate folder on their own so I CAN read my ABCs with less of an eye twitch... (with everything in that symbol folder to never to be looked at again).

Same can be said about these forums, too. I've had to manually link people over here. @Selene Gregoire is right. Look at the initial release of Linden Homes in Bellisseria as case-in-point. So many people were screaming unfair as they didn't know the forums existed so didn't get the heads-up, and this is coming from accounts that are years old, not just new members. Agreed - and currently it's failing. Agreed - though since the definition of SL is so broad, the expectations of what it is and what new players can expect is also broad, which takes us all the way back to your initial post about those subcategories on the main page and how some don't seem relevant anymore. What's relevant to one isn't relevant to another. Beyond that, you don't go to a magic show and start with a tour behind the curtain so to speak, so telling new potential members to be prepared to sink a lot of RL money into getting an up-to-date polished avatar (that isn't the default) is just as likely to turn people away, not lure them in. By displaying avatars and items that all cost money, yes to a degree this could be perceived as false advertising by leading people to believe they have ready access to all they see by simply joining. But to display only the default/classic avatars will make the site look dated anyway. Where does one draw the line? Agree to a point - I think for the most part LL has relied upon its users to not just create the world and populate it but to explore, and through that gain the experience needed to navigate the community (for want of a better word). Not saying it's right, but I think this may go some way to explaining why the website is so patch-work. They've left it for players to be drawn in by their own merit, explore by their own merit, and learn as they go using the website as a catch-all for everything else deemed relevant at the time, or people have demanded clarification over. SL has grown faster than the website has and its constantly playing catch-up. So no, the website doesn't reflect well or have much hope to drawing people in when it's not as relevant or streamlined as it could be.

Thank you! They looked like they belong there! Great pic again. Very atmospheric! 😁

Stunning! THIS is why we need a "love" button... Wait that came out so, so wrong 🤣 But seriously, very artistic. Great pose, great colours, great lighting. More please!

Love this! Where was it taken if you don't mind me asking?

^ This. I think it's going to be extremely hard to market SL to basically anyone who doesn't know about it because there is so much to do here, and from all that you'd really struggle to break every aspect down into a clear, concise, informative, and up-to-date way that also fits coherently on the main page and caters for all tastes and demographics. Let's face it, SL is a player-driven world. It's different things for different people. Your world, your imagination. Some people have bigger imaginations than others. Some need a guiding hand. Some just want to be entertained with no effort at all. How do you collectively cater for everyone even at that level? Where do you start? Who decides what's relevant? Who decides how it's presented? (Bear in mind that old thing about not being able to please everyone all the same time). Speaking of starting; SL can be a steep learning curve getting used to the viewer and controls, on top of the chat, managing avatar appearance, and attachments, monitoring scripts, reducing lag, managing groups and friends lists, adhering to land ratings and the ToS, etc. Does the website really need to be the same? Breaking it down to a few main points is better than completely overwhelming, and still better than a completely blank slate too. If people are genuinely curious they'll venture in, but one of the best means of marketing has always been, and always will be, word of mouth. And positive word of mouth, not constant criticisms (though constructive criticisms can bring about positive changes, absolutely). Yes there's always room for improvement but to be honest the website bore no influence whatsoever on my decision to join. I barely looked at it. I read reviews instead. I looked elsewhere, and then decided to take the plunge and join. But that's because I joined for a purpose, which was then role play. The rest I learned in my time here, and that's kind of the point. Yes, the website could do a lot more, and does in part feel a little dated, but I think if you overload it with too much information it could also do more harm than good too; for exactly the same reasons stated in my opening paragraph, and the reason many people don't paragraph role play, or won't even bother reading this post or other posts that they consider to be walls of text, because in this age of instant information, instant gratification, and instant networking via social media... (see the next line). TL;DR: people are lazy. (And I'd be surprised if many people read the rest as opposed to skim it which just proves the point; we're all looking for a quick fix now. And the website should be no different). ================================================ This too is personal opinion. To someone who simply logs into SL to have pixel sex with their freenis, SL is just virtual sex and money has nothing to do with it. Again, it comes down to what someone wants to do in SL and the options available to them. Sure consumerism is big, but it's not relevant to everyone. Maybe its the raw naked part that needs to be advertised to get more members through the door (though we know LL are loathe to do that). Land is not a necessity, but great to have. Or should I say, not everyone needs to own some in order to enjoy SL. There's plenty of sandboxes and Linden Land around to publicly change or unpack. Shopping can be done on the MP without the need to see items. Yes its good to have a place to store said items, but the frugal can do this in their Linden Homes, completely bypassing real estate beyond that. Perhaps the only place real estate is most useful is as Role play as environments that can be interacted with but since RP can and does also take place in IMs too its not a requirement. Giving people the option is great but I wouldn't recommend anyone get land if they're just starting out. New players are already overburdened with information, the real estate process is confusing at best even for those of us who have been here a while. LL needs to explain the rules better; condense the information from the player's Dashboard and simplify the process. Explain tier, initial region or parcel costs etc all in the one place and then list destinations where land could be sought, both Linden owned and private. Also include land auctions here for ease of accessibility. This part I do agree with - to a degree. But to say all creativity predominantly exists in 3rd party programs is wrong. Sure there is fantastic items being made in Blender, but hang around in some of the building regions like Builders Brewery some time and you'll see that there's still a lot of people creating the old fashioned way. If anything perhaps the Creativity section should be linking to building groups or regions in world as a starting point with less emphasis on the Blender and Maya made items. But that said, that is where that raw naked consumerism you mentioned lays; the more people that buy it, the greater the demand - and lets face it, a great percentage of us are wearing Resident-made mesh avatar, hair and clothes these days. To not display Blender or Maya made items would in itself make the website look dated so you're kind of damned either way. Even I remember the University lectures taking place back when I was a noob. Maybe its not as prevalent as it used to be, but maybe its because I'm not looking for it either. One of my most poignant memories of SL is taking part in an online study and experiment into Schizophrenia back when I first started my RL job as a disability support worker. The in-world visual and auditory experience was far more beneficial than just reading words on a screen. In short, education will always have a place in SL while there are people willing to teach here. Its a shame more don't utilise it. Agreed in that there needs to be some update done to this section. If SL is truly a player-made universe with a great percentage on connectivity then making these places relevant and appealing to the general audience is key. But this goes all the way back to the initial start of my post; while it could be updated (and should be) who decides what belongs here? With such a vast array of destinations to choose from, just trying to maintain that list alone seems like more than a full-time job and you're still not going to please everyone anyway. The picture is dated but even a pretty picture isn't necessarily going to pull everyone in. The destinations on offer seem to be the most popular according to traffic not taking into account bots, or even RP-ability (meaning a lot are just OOC hangouts that would be RP places if enough people spoke in local chat as opposed to IMs). They're also pretty eclectic, and hit-and-miss at best. I don't even know how this could be saved, only because I'm so jaded with RP in SL in general. Part of me wants to suggest a greater variety here; not just places but classes too (yes, education!) on role play as I know they are regularly offered on many regions. This would be of more use to those who are perhaps interested in the subject but have no idea how to start (thus drawing more potential numbers) as opposed to letting folks wander to other games/online communities or dropping them in empty regions and expecting them to learn as they go. LL should overhaul yes, but not dumb it down to a point they scare seasoned role players away either. I've yet to play a game in SL that was actually a game. It's mostly casinos that aren't really casinos, which almost skates a fine line considering gambling is against the ToS. I'm not even sure what this is a "thing" for. Perhaps to draw people in from other platforms and get them in the door. Or to give SL a kind of purpose or meaning. I really don't see the point of this. The Linden made games, especially the Madpea hunts would be perfectly suited for this; as actual advertisements as opposed to more landmarks in a destination guide. This is where things get tricky. LL doesn't want to admit to the sex-side of SL though we all know it's there and popular. Romance is a draw-card. The fact the website dumps people in the destination guide is kind of a good thing and also bad. Good because if they're keen enough they'll eventually find a place with other avatars who will offer their own crash course on adult activities, sorry "romance". Bad for exactly the same reason. A majority of adult places are ugly, crammed with dated noob avatars looking for quick thrills. Those looking for actual romance are likely going to struggle, and since romance and adult/explicit-themes are sometimes interchangeable there's room for disappointment. On the flip side, should SL admit to or advertise any aspect to adult activities in the same vein as romance, they are likely to lose some potential players who already suspect SL is a den of inequity anyway. Wrong. Some people do. Look on Flickr, for starters. And without splitting hairs (pun intended), I think you're missing the point that it shows people can dress or appear however they want, be it outlandish, cutting edge, trailer trash, individual, whatever. If they advertised every single style or every fashionable stereotype people would call SL dated on that too. They're helping keep SL alive; if the economy is the only thing driving SL, of course. Isn't all that traffic better than 5 more dead or empty regions?

At the camper display the furniture is pretty LI heavy though (save for the stumps which were from memory 1 LI each), but then the pack we got in Bellisseria is pretty LI heavy too. But when you check the name of all the décor, the stumps, the tire planter, the chairs, the fire pits, it all seems similarly named, meaning I think there's a fair chance it will be included in the trailer pack as the walls, fence posts, and planters were in the traditional homes release. I could be wrong of course, speculation is what we do best here after all

I LOVE the little details you find around the place too, like this poster at the drive-in theater. That brought a smile to my face. So much so, I decided to grab a photo of it and hang it in my LH home. Just a great quirky touch! They should definitely sell these, I'd buy them! And I LOVED the time capsules too! I've been around for half of SL's life now, but I have friends who have been here since the beginning and the stories they tell me just didn't compute until I actually saw the pictures at the Tapestry of Time exhibition. It's pretty amazing to read the facts and see the development of the time capsules too, regardless what point they serve. Overall I just enjoyed the event as a whole. I did the Swaginator hunt, got myself a new themed avatar, got a bunch of free gifts (and bought a few too!), went on a few rides, met some new people I wouldn't normally have crossed paths with, and just had fun wandering the exhibitions. There's so much to see and do. And yes it's laggy. Yes, I crashed more times than I could count. But you know what, it's worth it. So much effort and time has gone into this, the least we can do is enjoy it, or try, and have a little fun along the way. If you don't, that's on you. Just like Second Life in general, it's what you make of it. EDIT: Meanwhile, back in the real Bellisseria on a living room wall, far, far away...

I LOVE this style. I think it was the Newport? I love the details included too. I wish there was an option to grunge it up, but honestly was VERY sincerely impressed. I really like the fact it's so small and feels a lot more realistic (though not as cramped as RL) compared to the houses of the past. I don't know at what point having so much room and empty space was the "in" thing for SL, but I'm so glad that finally we're starting to see an improvement to overall dimensions, and yes, detail. The landscaping was gorgeous too with the winding dirt roads and lots of vegetation and hills. I even loved the little details such as the bug zapper on the picnic table and the little sandwiches at the picnic baskets! The Moles and Lindens are doing an outstanding job! Very, very impressed!

Such a talent gone far too soon 😭

Seizing a rare moment time zones align to pose for happy snaps. 🤪

Personally, I blame this... ugh... "woman"... 🤬

I second most of the sentiment here; though what Rae is varies from day to day depending on my mood. Sometimes all I want to do is take photographs, so she's my model. Sometimes I just wander the grid to shop and she's my socialite. I decorate or build and she's my creative outlet. When I feel wordy (or did) she was my muse or mouthpiece. She's my explorer. She's a window into sexual freedom - or just a sense of freedom itself away from all the constraints that come with real life. One of those, and my favourite role for her, is mother. I love being a mum in SL and can't bear children in RL. I love the fact she's versatile, and can look or act or be whatever I want because I want or realistically can't without a great deal of money, time, commitment and god-like magic.

The latest stage of houses are currently being built across the road from me and I've been watching the progress. With envy. I REALLY want a place on the water's edge but NOT near houseboats, so some of these are perfect for that. On the sand, or part sand part grass, rocks, access to water, some great landscaping... I don't want much, do I?