[Thanks Linden Labs]

I'm with you 100% on how the short bus could be offensive, but... I just saw it again now. They haven't removed it. Yeah, replacing it with something offensive to everyone rather than just a small percentage would be cool. My vote is for a Cybertruck full of goofy aliens.

[Linden Realms Cheating]

Hey OnoGrinds, I've seen all that too. Linden Realms has always been buggy, so ridiculously buggy that it could never stand alone as a game in RL (to be fair to LL, SL's building tools aren't designed for building games). I sometimes wonder though if Linden Labs has been purposely allowing Realms to fall apart in order to eventually eliminate the liability it represents. After all, what might they do with that money if it wasn't being paid to the likes of us? Most of us put that money back into the SL economy, but LL could use those funds for infrastructure projects. I've wondered the same about LL disallowing outside HUDs, etc.

Waiomao I had never considered people using Realms as a supplemental income; times are tough and there may well be a handful of folks doing this. But with such a small payout? Like you say, maybe with a hundred alts 🙂 We'll never know, but situations like poverty could drive people to do things they might not do normally. What things might any of us do to protect, house, or feed our families? If just a handful of Linden Dollars would help, to them I say go for it!

Wow Jaylinbridges, that's amazing. I'm also in Linden Realms regularly and regularly see all the things the OP mentioned. Maybe you are playing at times when the creeps are asleep. 🙂   Totally agree though about some players thinking that crystals "belong to them" and end up playing rudely, even if legally. And yup, agreed that fewer regions means fewer crystals, and more competition for what's left. The upside to this is that there are rarely crowds waiting in Portal Park for the next LR region to cycle around.

[Linden Realms, Portal Park, and Decoy Crystals]

2 hours ago, AlohaShoyu said:

I've also found in recent weeks that there are often "decoy crystals" - crystals that you can run over or click on, and nothing changes. The crystals do not enter your Linden Realms HUD inventory. It is as if these decoy crystals are there simply to frustrate players.

Wow, yeah, these really bug me too. I hate running around a bunch of rock monsters only to find that the crystal I was working towards is a dud. Worst when it's a green or blue one! Most of the time clicking on the crystal (rather than running on them) will make them disappear, and if I have time I'll park myself in some safe spot, cam out over the crystals, and click on as many as I can find. The "decoys" often disappear, so it's sort of a community service to help prevent other players from getting tricked. It used to be that these "decoys" were only in The Valley, but now they're  e v e r y w h e r e.

[Residence: Do you live on the ground or in the sky?]

I've lived on both ground and in a skybox, but definitely prefer land. And I love landscaping, so quickly bump up to the LI limit on the homestead parcels I rent. That 1250 on a quarter sim gets used up reallllllly quickly. That means not enough LI left for a skybox anyway 🙂

As some have stated, I'd rather not live on mainland because of the high walls, low skyboxes, illuminated border fences, bright advertising signs, high cost, and so many builds inappropriate for the region's theme (when such a theme exists). I know some people love mainland, but it's not for me.  

[US Residents to begin paying Sales Tax]

Like the old saying goes, only two things in life are inevitable: death and taxes. I don't harbor any ill will against LL for charging what the law requires. But as these taxes eat into my budget I will definitely watch my spending in SL more carefully.

[Secure donations av for Ukraine?]

In RL I donate a lot, but rarely do so in SL. Charity Navigator is a wonderful resource in RL, but there is nothing like that in SL. The only donations I've made in SL are when I find tip jars for musicians or for specific regions I enjoy. 

[Ladies and Gay Guys: Do you think this guy is handsome?]

On 3/8/2022 at 4:39 PM, Gopi Passiflora said:

I'm just curious. This is a stock photo of an actor playing as a "Prince Charming":

You know how men say that a woman looks like she is "high-maintenance?" That's the vibe I get from this photo. He is def high-maintenance, and prolly not a lot of fun to be around.

[Creating East Asian, Southeast Asian, Polynesian, and African American Looks]

Good recommendations all. I went with the Slink Physique too, then Genesis Lab Jade head, Genesis Mieko shape - skin, and Homage hair.

Hey Nene808, I've seen your Analog Dog hair and love it! Free and natural and looks so full of life!

[If you win a mesh body, which one would you choose?]

Like others have said I really like my Slink Physique, but would enjoy experimenting with a Legacy. I haven't dared invest in one because of all the reports of extra stuff necessary to buy, and the lack of clothing options.

[help choosing a female AO]

4 hours ago, DeepBlueJoy said:

Newcomer island @ lawst paradise sim has two i really like. Neutral and no weird "smell your feet" animations or bunny hop running or uber sexy wrigglebut designed by someone who thinks women are ridiculous!

TOTALLY AGREE! It's been disappointing to see so many AOs and "physics" that turn an otherwise nice avatar into a bouncy 90s hip hop video. This baby don't got back, and don't want it either :-)

[Anyone encountered really mean people on here?]

On 3/15/2020 at 10:22 PM, Arduenn Schwartzman said:

Most mean people can be found in welcoming areas that are crowded, and mostly public sandboxes.

In the welcoming areas, you'll recognize them by their constant loud-mouthing on Voice. In the sandboxes, they're the ones that unleash all kinds of pushers and orbitors upon you, the second you enter the region.

Although, the really nasty ones that make death threats are, according for former SL CEO Rod Humble, quite rare. He only encountered one in SL, whereas, when he worked for Electronic Arts, he received death threats on a daily basis. (Source)

All in all, on average, people in SL don't seem to be as bad as in most MMORPGs. I think this is mostly because of age distribution. The average age in SL is well over 40 years old. In most ('other') games it's decades under that. I don't want to imply that younger people are nastier. It may just be that the older nasty people exert their nastiness elsewhere.

WOW: "The average age in SL is well over 40 years old." I had no idea. Maybe this is because SL is a creative outlet rather than an adrenaline rush. We're drawing and painting rather than shooting each other.

 

[Anyone encountered really mean people on here?]

3 minutes ago, Skell Dagger said:

@Unpronounceable1 First of all, I strongly suggest that you edit your post to remove the other avatar's name. It's very much frowned upon to 'name and shame' in the forum.

Secondly, some people take Linden Realms very seriously, and to go AFK in the area is to set yourself up to be accused of cheating. Yours is not the first report I've seen of this happening. Some of those super-serious players automatically assume that AFK avatars are bots and will report them as such because bots are not permitted under the rules for playing Linden Realms. I would suggest that - in future - if you need to go AFK then you leave the Realms and park your avatar elsewhere.

Don't worry about the video. It probably doesn't even exist, and the person concerned is overreacting. Yes, they may have filed an abuse report against you, claming that you're a "cheating bot" but Linden Lab will know that you're not. They can tell if a human is behind an avatar or if that avatar is a scripted agent.

In short: Please edit your post to remove the username, and don't let that one person spoil your enjoyment of Linden Realms and Second Life

Thanks for the kind words Skell, edited post. Cheez, I thought Linden Realms was supposed to be fun, not a moneymaker. Oh well.

[Anyone encountered really mean people on here?]

On 3/15/2020 at 8:34 PM, Axelfoxthefoxyfluff said:

I mean like toxic people who don't seem to know or care that when they are acting mean, that they are hurting real people with how they act.

Wow Axel, I just experienced this about an hour ago. I got hungry while playing Linden Realms, so sat my avatar near The Workshop in SL and got some lunch in RL. When I came back I had received this weird message:

"[13:00] (avatar name): idiot people talk me now and send videos about you alt ...you in this alt and others avis ,you not repext a game,,,allpeople here see you and talk me ...i send videos now for lindens realm and people too ...you are a cheter wait for crystals sitting here ..it is a fraude ...liten idiot everyone who has not been banned from lindens off for more time this game ... now i reporter you ... and the honest ones can't play because of the cheaters, it's a bad avi everyone says ... i will report todso oa avis who do not respect the owner, who pays you to close this game once and for all .... you do not know how to respect the game, being always standing on the rocks ... I send videos and report ... I am helping to do this job, me and more friends from realm linden ,,, ty and bye bye, you haven’t changed and it’s hard to be honest… ty will name videos and it’s a shame this game will be closed   ...all reporter you now ... bye bue idiot"

I have so many questions about what that jibberish means, and why that avatar (and others?) would be taking videos of me. I think my avatar is cute, but taking videos without consent is something a stalker does.

I just replied "I wish you happiness," then changed location and reported the person for harassment. Has anyone else experienced this stalker behavior or is that avatar targeting me personally? What on earth would anyone do with videos of an avatar running through Linden Realms? Is that some kind of hentai fetish?