Orwar

I tried to voice verify once, but dogs aren't particularly proficient at operating microphones.

I've mentioned in some other thread that I recently got Neph hooked onto a HUD game which has been quite addictive and fun - but also made available a community that has led to a lot of social interaction (hence the 'Make Friends' board!). And it got me wondering, what other HUD games are out there? To get the thread started, I figured I'd introduce the HUD games that I know of myself, and give a brief introduction to them. GTFO: 'Get the freight out' is a game which encourages you to explore the grid and various modes of transportation, from cars and bikes, to trains, to boats, and helicopters. Whilst the game is, by itself, not 'social' in nature, being out there and meeting others along the way who are up to the same can be a good way of making friends, perhaps you'll spot a bunch of green dots on the map along your route and find an event or party, or perhaps an unexpectedly bad sim crossing will send you flying into someone's back yard? If you enjoy vehicles and exploration, GTFO might just be for you. Cost: You can get a free vehicle (a small car!) to get started with, and GTFO-compatible vehicles are supplied by third parties and can vary greatly in cost depending on whether you're looking at a simple car or a large train set. There is an in-game currency, but last I checked it didn't 'do' anything, there's also a premium version of the game HUD (the free 'demo' is fully functional though). Bloodlines: Bloodlines is a game where you can take the role of either a human, or one of the four cursed races (vampires, werewolves, angels or demons - or a hybrid combination of two races). The idea of the game itself is fairly simple; every day, the cursed races lose 5% of their health; to restore their health, they must feed - primarily off of human players (although there are bottles that contain the essential nutrients for your survival that you can purchase). To be successful, you will have the constant incentive of needing to feed to push you towards befriending people and convince them to join the game. Whilst Bloodlines is frowned upon by a lot of people, it is an excellent tool for building communities and making friends, and offers a fun setting for role play. The game is a lot more complex than what I've briefly described, but I figured a short overview will have to do - if you're curious about it, most Bloodlines players are happy to give you a more detailed introduction, or you can find all relevant information on the game's website. Cost: To join the game you need a HUD, and regardless of which race you wish to become, the price is L$599. If you choose a cursed race, the cost is a further L$14 per day if you want to live off of the bottled stuff (or get a pint of it at a bar!) - equally, restoring the health of a human player by 5% will cost L$14 for an apple, or a cider. Though depending on how you chose to play the game, the exact daily cost may vary - there are also various add-ons ranging from character equipment to furniture, with various price tags. SML: Sunset Muscle League is a game with a simple goal: pump iron, get stronger. Despite the simplicity of the concept though, it does require some strategy to maximize your limited resources - fatigue (time), stamina and gold coins, and has a competitive element to it (weekly leader-boards with in-game rewards). As you work out, you increase your strength as well as your level, and unlock 'heavier' work out methods. Although the game may seem a bit niche, it can be quite addictive and gives you plenty of opportunity to meet people - especially as you'll eventually want to find someone to spot for you, and may be asked to spot for them in return. It's probably worth pointing out that certain regions on which the game is playable are A-rated, but you'll be able to play only on the M-rated regions if you so prefer (or figure out how A-rated you're okay with!). Cost: Entirely free. You couldn't pay for it if you wanted to. Well, I suppose donations may be possible if you insist. You can find the game HUD (and the required group) at any in-world gym that is in the system. --- So. What HUD games do you like to play? P.S. please don't turn this thread into yet another 'spampire' circus only because BL is mentioned. If you don't like that game, or any other game for that matter, just move along.

It depends on what kind of people you wish to meet. Usually, the best way to meet people is to do something that you enjoy doing, and speak to people along the way. If you want to meet people for the sake of meeting people, there are plenty of clubs and hangout spots, but .. Well, they're usually full of other people who are just desperate for social attention and don't really know what they want for themselves either. As for people initiating conversations, it's usually a matter of A) what's in your profile, B) how your avatar is presented, and C) what kind of place you're at.

What is acceptable and expected is an individual question, there aren't any universal rules - but there are also laws in some countries (including the US, I believe), that prohibit (sometimes with rather harsh legal consequences) fraudulent identification; and this doesn't only concern cases of economical loss, but includes 'catfishing'. Again, this is up to the individuals whom it concerns; for me, it's usually about exchanging pictures (heck, my RL picture is available on my RL tab of my profile, as well as on my Discord; I have no fears about showing my face), and usually voice-chatting at some point or other (although I'm not a very chatty individual, I've had people get mad with me for not talking enough and not seeming interested enough - I'm more of a 'if you don't have anything to say, say nothing' type, most of the time). I'm not the type who demands voice verification on the first date, if at all; if a person doesn't want to voice / share pictures, there can't be an RL connection for me, though - looking at a person's face and speaking to each other are things most people do every day to strangers and people around them, it seems strange to me that one would not want to do that with someone which they have a romantic interest in that extends into real life. No, this is just pretentious. If "SL is SL" is true, you're role playing your avatar; the majority of people who do that aren't good enough actors to remove themselves fully from their virtual identities though. Not wanting to give strangers on the Internet your home address is fine, and if you don't want to engage with people and make friends, fine - but when people are hesitant to say what time zone or country they're in, it just appears paranoid. Some people might not care, and to me it's not an issue of 'caring', but rather how much trust I can offer someone, who doesn't trust me with a vague indication of what corner of the globe they're in. What am I going to do, fly to Australia and start knocking on doors? I don't. Either statement is irrelevant to me; people who write "SL is SL" often aren't entirely committed to it, and some of them are even quite open about who they are - it doesn't necessarily translate into 'I don't voice, I won't tell you what country I'm in, I won't tell you what my occupation is', but rather that they do not seek to move any SL relations into their RL. That said, seeing either line in a profile doesn't particularly make a person seem interesting or uninteresting; it's superfluous filler to a usually otherwise uninspired profile that goes down the tick-boxes of what to put in a dating profile to give people a brief sense of who you are. It doesn't. "I like the beach" only tells me that you've got a poor sense of self-perception and that you aren't particularly creative, and doesn't spur me to say "Peekaboo" either. Putting an out-of-context Einstein quote in your profile doesn't make you appear intelligent either, even monkeys and dogs can be taught to imitate. I couldn't tell. I've grown more suspicious and careful of strangers, than I was when I first set foot here, and I know that the way I interact with strangers certainly has changed over the years. What other people do or how they interact doesn't interest me terribly much. No, it's not a 'game'. It's a platform capable of social and creative aspects which are far from what you expect, when you hear the word 'video game'. But then again, it's a matter of perspective; what is a game? Is life itself a game? I certainly don't take life serious enough to find it impossible to perceive life as a game, and thus, Second Life is an aspect of that game. I don't get offended or whiny if people use the term, but I myself do not. I do. I don't 'feel' anything. Linden Lab are entirely free to advertise and promote their product however they see fit. If it was my product, I might do it differently though. More explosions. Unless you're an utter failure of a person, yes. If you haven't figured out 'how to life' by the age of 18, and decide to throw yourself into a second life, don't expect to do better here. It's there to cover their donkey. I think that pretty much everyone brings their world view into Second Life. Whether that's changed within Second Life, and in extension their real life, is another question. If you're a racist twit in real life, chances are you'll be a racist twit in Second Life as well - perhaps, whilst in Second Life, you'll meet people and see things that will change your views, or perhaps you'll see things that reaffirm them. Social convention and norms tend to be at play whether you're consciously aware of them or not. If you see a friend or acquaintance in Second Life, chances are you will say something along the lines of "Hello there, how are you today?" (alt. "yo dude whatup") - that's you already working towards fulfilling your end of the social contract in regards to that person, and it's deeply rooted in real life social convention how we do it.

... ... Tee hee.

Or would the region burst into flames upon your arrival?

Neph's gotten hooked on a workout HUD game, so she's now running around in gym-wear.

It doesn't drive as regular SL vehicles, it's pretty difficult - but really fun! Instead of the vehicle going forwards when you press W or arrow-up, doing so increases your throttle, and then it just drives at that speed until you pull the throttle back. Same with the steering, pressing A or D, or an arrow key, turns the steering bar and the vehicle will keep turning until you straighten it back out. My one complaint is that it really doesn't handle curbs very well, especially if you end up on the grass off the walkway and want to get back on the road .. I suppose 'don't drive off the road' will have to be my new driving mantra!

It was in the sidecar and we hit the curb a little too fast, so it flew out and hit a banline, and is now lost in the warp.

Ve have zhe ark of zhe kovenant, ja.

Neph was jealous of my car, so I got her a motorbike! With a sidecar, so that she can bring a friend. Two, with the extra seat on the bike itself. And a trench coat, to keep her warm whilst out and about!

Setting up for a shoot ...

Oh, look. The paranoid mob is yet again gathering their pitchforks and torches like the ignorant plebeians they are; perpetuating misconceptions and slander about that which they clearly don't understand, and have no desire to understand. It's pointless trying to explain Bloodlines to those who are already hellbent on hating it. It's opt-in; receiving a bite request is no different from being asked by a dance machine to animate your avatar, or someone using a HUD to animate a hug or kiss with you. Blaming Bloodlines is to blame the tool, rather than the operator. Does everyone who own a gun in SL shoot people at random? No. Does everyone who are part of Bloodlines spam everyone they see? No. The 'spampires' are griefers, no different from any other griefers who spam you or bother you in any other way; treat them as griefers, block them and move along. Heck, if it does bother you 'so much', there's an entirely free tool with which you block all Bloodlines interactions. Perpetually. But 'nuuh, I shouldn't have to do anything, I don't want to wear this thing and click it once and then delete it and never have to look back, I'm entitled to never having to say no to anything I don't want, no one should ever offer me something I don't want'. Scoffs.