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Sparks Racecourse

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Posts posted by Sparks Racecourse

  1. I doubt if the 64 bit viewer will matter that much.   I have Win 7 64 bit, but i been running 32 bit viewers for years.  I ran SL on a variety of hardware.  Including an Ivybridge HD4000 chipset.  I never have any issues.  i also have other computers setup with Nvidia 680 GTX, but I can run at ultra settings on that one. 

    Although, I do find that most new users tend to play with the bandwidth setting in the viewer.   So, they match the bandwidth speed to their internet connection.   I have a 50 Mb/sec connection, but I leave that setting at 750 kbps.   If you have a lower bandwidth connection, then leave it at the stock setting of 500 kbps.  In my groups in the past, I gave a notecard on the recommended settings for viewers. 


  2. emapen Juliesse wrote:

    yeah you said cheaper  And you need to add that i have to contact a pc expert for changing all... so motherboard + 8 ram + video card  + pc expert  hour to work on it.

    i could add ram and video card by myself

    What do you think of upgrading the ram to 4  and using sl with linux?  need i also to upgrade my video card?

     i had a dual boot 10 years ago I remembered there was a software partition magic that it is very easy use to use...

    i did it also using dos but I forgot how to do...

    which is the best linux distribution?

    If you build a PC, it just takes a screwdriver.  You have to carefully align the cpu, but it is not that hard. Building pc's are rather easy, because it just plugs in now.  Building the first pc is a bit, but just take your time and read the instructions.   Need a static wrist strap. In the USA, we have a local company that will allow you to select out your components.  Then they will build your computer for only $80.  

    Why upgrade an old motherboard, since the cost for new components is basically the same.  You are looking at $170 ram and video card for those to upgrades alone.   I am in the USA, but sounds like you are in Europe.   I used Newegg to get the prices.  Amazon sells components, but you need to create an estimate. Every component in your current PC has estimated life, and you are past the life of your pc now.    My first Dell PC that I bought in 1998,  and it lasted 10 years.  My Dell was upgraded, but it was more costly to do the upgrades.  I have been in computers since 1982, but most of them was pre-built pc's.  A friend talked me into building a PC in 2008, and I been doing since that time. I have built servers, Home Theater PC's, etc.         

    I never ran Linux for SL, but I have made Hackintosh's in the past.  I had used Ubuntu in the past, but I prefer a better gui.   A friend ran Linux, but she said SL viewer didnt work that well on the Linux. 

    Partition magic was sold years ago, but there is a Gparted Live.


  3. Qie Niangao wrote:


    Sparks Racecourse wrote:
     Cheaper to buy a new motherboard and the latest ram.  There has been lot of changes to the motherboard in the past 7 years.  I bought new ram for older computers, but the cost is much higher.  

    Y'all can believe whatever magic you want about operating systems, but let's at least get the hardware facts straight. This motherboard takes stock DDR2 DIMMs, and they're cheap. (Well, memory prices in general are relatively high now, only gradually returning to the historic lows of a few years ago.)

    I looked at Newegg prices, but the OP sounds like he is in Europe.   No Newegg!  A friend is from Germany and she says it is difficult to get some components and the costs are higher than we pay in the USA.   Yes, you can use cheap components, but it could fail too.   Upgrading that motherboard is not his best option.  

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006066&IsNodeId=1&Description=DDR2%20800&name=4GB%20%282%20x%202GB%29&Order=BESTMATCH

    4GB requires 2 slots.   I used Gskill and Corsair, and had no issues.  I had issues with cheaper brands.  Those prices are in the USA. 

     

    Mac OSX runs great in SL, because you have those settings.   Windows or Linux users don't get to use multiple cores.   A creator friend didn't know about those settings, but she is former Alpha mesh creator.  I showed her those settings, and she couldn't believe on how better SL worked on her Macbook Pro.  


  4. Qie Niangao wrote:

    The short answer is "yes", you will benefit by adding that extra 2 GB memory Again, I just don't know exactly how "identical" to your existing memory it needs to be to successfully trigger that dual channel performance, and that's a good result if you can get it, but even if you try and it fails to go dual-channel, you'll still have twice as much memory, so you'll be able to run more programs at the same time without causing the dreaded swapping to disk.

    If you really are committed to keeping the machine for another two or more years, that additional RAM seems a worthwhile investment, even though it's all throw-away with the machine at the end.

    A new graphics card, in
    theory
    , could move to a new machine when you scrap this one. In
    fact
    , however, that's likely to be throw-away at the end, too. Obviously, if you don't have a desktop machine at all, just a notebook, then you won't re-use that graphics card. But even if you get another desktop, if that happens more like five years from now, any graphics card you buy now will be quite obsolete by then.

    Still, if you can afford that new graphics card, I think it will dramatically improve SL performance compared to what you have now.

    (I don't know why all the fuss about operating systems in this thread. I admit, however, that if it were me, I'd probably take
    , just because 8.1 is pretty nice and, hey, it's free.)

    All of Windows versions to date are resource hogs, so the only way that I know of getting around it is to use another OS.  I beta tested  Windows 2012 server for months, which is similar to your Windows 8.  Windows 2012 server you can beta test for free for 6 months from Microsoft, and it ran SL as well.    I refuse to upgrade to Windows 8 at all.   I recommend to someone to use Windows 7 64 bit version, but you need at least 8 gigs of ram to run the OS.  Windows 7 64 bit is much better OS than Windows 8.  I never have to do reinstalls on Windows 7. 

     

    If I build a computer and my plans is to run Windows 7 64 bit, then it has 16GB of ram.  His motherboard is to old to update, but the only work around is to OS change and dual boot option.   Cheaper to buy a new motherboard and the latest ram.  There has been lot of changes to the motherboard in the past 7 years.  I bought new ram for older computers, but the cost is much higher.  

    It cost him $70 to upgrade to 4GB ram from Newegg, based on his ram specs.  My last PC that I built used Corsair ram, but it cost for 16GB only $174.  If I chose 8GB ram, then the cost would have only been $90. 

    As far as the video card is concerned, then if he buys a new video card.   This card will be using PCI-E 3.0.   His motherboard spec is PCI-E 2.0, but the video card that he buy would run at PCI-E 2.0 specs.   So your performance won't be that great.   The new spec is going to PCI-E 4.0, but not going to be released to about 2015 or 2016. 

     

    The best option is to build a new PC, because you might not have to use a video card.  A motherboard will only cost you $84 on up.  Depends on the options.  Asrock is usually the cheapest motherboard on the market.   The new haswell cpu's have built in video, so you can try that in SL.  I ran one on IVY bridge on my HTPC, but a video card is the best option.    Just need a cpu, ram, motherboard, and you need a new powersupply.  I recommend buying an SSD, but the cost is not that much now.  I boot my PC in 2 secs, but the SSD is best thing out there.   Eventually OP powersupply will fail and it will be game over!

     


  5. Freya Mokusei wrote:


    This is still true today. There is - as I'm sure you know - no such thing as a universally-accepted, entirely unspoofable method of testing age. None at all. The reality is that it's both impractical and unfeasible to rest this pressure on a service provider (esp. when a service provider has so many other exceptions to the law). It's more ridiculous to place this pressure on the end-users, who have no legal or technical ability to determine real life age. It's a hundred-times more likely that such pressure is socially conservative security theater, adding a legislative risk to activities that the state can't control.

    There's only one role that gets to tell kids what to do with their spare time: Parenting (and if one poster is to be believed, German law) have some catching up to do with reality. I don't see how this could be anyone elses problem. It has never been Second Life's role to take on the rules of the most repressed countries and mindsets as a baseline.

    Really?   I guess you never heard of Card Logix.  http://www.cardlogix.com/docs/whitepapers/CardLogix-Age-Verification-for-Online-Gaming-WP.pdf 

    http://www.cardlogix.com/docs/whitepapers/CardLogix-WP-FAQs-for-Age-Verification.pdf

    Primary being developed for Online gaming industry.  Ever been to casino and someone ask for your identification?   In my early 20's, I went to Las Vegas and got carded at a local casino.  This new technology is coming to the onliine Gaming.   The problem with the old secondlife method is that a third party held the information, but with this smart card technology.  Then it is embedded on the chip.  Most PC's come with a webcam and fingerprint scanner for secure log on.  Only one person can unlock the data as it is transmitted via a hardware secure connection with the website. 

     

     

     

  6. The cheap option is to make the computer a dual boot machine.  So, you have linux or Mac OSX on one partition and Windows 8 on the other partition. I recommend a Mac OSX, whichcost you $30 from Amazon.  You need Snow Leopard (Amazon), but then you can upgrade from Apple on the latest OS. There is a few Asrock asrock G31M-GS hackintosh on Youtube.  You need to check out the forums, but just google your motherboard and hackintosh.  I have used Mac Office 2011, which includes word. My employer gives me a great discount on that package, but most of your large organizations will offer that to their employees.

    Apple requires at least 2 Gigs of ram.  I probably opt for the Nvidia 740GT than 640GT.   There is some cool features in the debug menu for MacOSx in Secondlife, which is listed on this website. http://www.blakopal.com/mac/

    Your best option is to build a new computer, but this will work as well.

  7. Maybe it is because I am using firestorm, but I still don't see Tarro Pera payment info.  Very few sims use that feature.  It is only selected in about land, but most of the adult sims that I visit don't have that feature selected.  I owned 4 private estates in the pasts, and never used that feature. 

    The Jira that Mbeatrix posted is based on if you can log into SL.   They get this message "Login failed. Could not connect to a simulator"  

    Sorry, that has nothing to do with maturity ratings.   That bug seems to be related to PayPal accounts.   LL probably banned the email account of the ISP provider, so you can't login.    I am not sure why people would pay their LL bill with PayPal.  CC has much safer rhan PayPal, because of the Zero liability on the internet.

  8. All sim owners have a plan on the design of the sim and that includes the avatars.   As soon as you tp to the sim, then you need to read the rules.  Not harrassment, but you need to read the ruels.  

    Do you have your viewer setup to use the outfit feature?   I can change avatars in about 20 seconds or so.   Mesh requires a relog, but that is only about a minute.  I am former Beast sim owner, but I would usualy be in my Minotaur avatar or now the Wolfkin avatar.   Rare that I use a human avatar, but I do have one available in my outfits.

    When I owned Knossos Palace in 2009 to 2010.   Knossos Palace existed in RL, but I changed the story for mythological beasts.  Here is the part of the original rules of 2009 sim. 

    4. Women’s dress consists of silks, camisks, Minoan outfits, and nudity is allowed.  Human males dress consists toga or other ancient Minoan or Greek male clothing. 

    5. This is not a furry sim, and furry avatars are subject to ejection.  The sim was designed for mythological creatures of Minoan period and ancient Greece.  (Minotaurs, Centaurs, Dragons, Demons, hybrids, etc.)  The list is pretty extensive.  Currently, the sim is working with avatar creators to develop more of these creatures for the sim.   Lord Sparks Racecourse must approve other beasts for the sim.

    A few furries developed custom avatars for the sim, and had me approve them. 

    We later developed more detailed avatar guidelines for the beasts, which was based on mythical online database of around 400 beasts based on the time period.  Human males are banned now in most beast sims, but I alllowed human males based it on mythology.   So, I was visited often by the ancient sims, such as Sparta. 

    I personally don't go to other sims unless they allow my beast avatar.   I usually will talk to the sim owner, and to see if he/she allows beasts. I have been banned in a few sims that allowed beasts, so now I just check around based on my connections or use search.  

     

     

  9. Most likely it is your viewer.  You might want to test on the official viewer or another TPV.   The problem with TPV viewers is not all of them support the latest video cards.  My 2011 sim was one of the first 100 sims that was on beta mesh in SL, but this was most the common problem at the time.  LL supposedly addressed this issue, but I do see it still occuring with the TPV viewers. 

    Your bandwidth setting is to high for SL.  Typically, you want to remain at the default setting. Default is around 500 kpbs.    I have a 50 Mb/sec connection, but I keep mine at 750 kbps. My cache size is 2048 MB, which is fine for me.   I am  not sure you want a large cache. 


    I created this Mesh Performance Tips for my group in the past, but I post it in this message.  

    Q. I sometimes don't see mesh clearly from far away, or areas with lots of mesh won't fully load for me.

    A. There are several ways to address this:

    First, try increasing your "Objects & Sculpts LOD" (under Preferences > Graphics) to the maximum setting.

    Next, if you want to see mesh items at their best from even further away, you can change a setting in the Debug menu as follows:

    1. Open Advanced menu by going to Preferences > Advanced > check the "Show Advanced Menu" box

    2. Go to Advanced > Debug Settings

    3. In the Debug Settings window, choose "RenderVolumeLODFactor" from the drop down menu.

    4. Change the value from the current number to 4.

    If you consistantly have problems seeing mesh objects, you may want to consider raising the number of mesh objects you can view at once by changing a setting in the Debug menu. Warning: this may cause performance or frame rate issues depending on your system, so be prepared to lower the value if necessary.


    1. Open Advanced menu by going to Preferences > Advanced > check the "Show Advanced Menu" box
    2. Go to Advanced > Debug Settings
    3. In the Debug Settings window, choose "MeshMaxConcurrentRequests" from the drop down menu.
    4. Change the value from the current number to 100.
    You should now instantly be able to see any missing mesh items. This setting persists through logins but may reset when you install an update to your viewer.


    Visibilty errors

    Q. Part of the mesh product is invisible!

    A. This is generally due to a cache issue. If right-clicking the area where the mesh should be doesn't force it into view, just clear your cache and relog (cache clearing is under your Preferences). This will fix almost any mesh (or graphics in general) visibility issue.


    Q. Instead of seeing mesh, all I see is a yellow triangle!

    A. This is a cache corruption issue. First, try clearing your cache (under Preferences > Graphics) and then relog. If the problem persists, you may need to try a clean uninstall/reinstall of your SL client - this involves not only uninstalling the program via your Control Panel, but also deleting any existing program folders left over by the uninstall process before you install a fresh copy of the program.

  10. The Triple security system is the only one that I know that will ban more than 500 avatars.  I know of one sim that is doing 70K n traffic daily that has 2000 bans on the system right now.  All scripted security systems will cause lag.  I was one of the first adult sims in SL in 2009 to 2010 with the new adult verifcation rules. My traffic was in 24k range, but it was based on real traffic.    I had only 20 estate bans for an entire year. 

    I managed an adult sim last year, but I noticed lot of underaged players coming into the adult sim.  So, I created an alt and checked out the adult verifcation process. LL has removed the adult verification, so now new members are only need to select their date of birth.  This is the primary reason that sim owners are now forced to babysit their sims.   LL hasn't provided the sim owners any tools to combat all the underaged players that are now griefing the adult sims. 

  11. I have been in SL since 2006.   I have bought regions for $125 from other residents for the setup cost, and that is a full region private island.  My first region was bought in 2009, but tier at that time was $295 month.  I operated a themed roleplay sim, but was able to break even on the first sim in about 6 weeks.   I haven't been able to break even on full region since 2010.   The problem now is the cheap rental sims have killed the themed rental market.   So, it is impossible to break even on tier.  


    LL business model for land is based on RL real estate, but I was also in the beta for Blue mars and they use an avatar based land model.   Kitely also and most every virtual world has adopted avatar land model, except SL.   LL is based on land size, but the other virtual worlds are based on the number of the avatars. 

    The size of the island in SL is 256m x 256m, but in other virtual worlds you have more regions at a lower cost.  

    Blue Mars was based on Cryengine 2, but their land size was up 2km x 2km. and you was allowed 50 avatars.  Setup cost was $750 and per month cost was $275.  As a sim owner, then I can give my group a lower rental costs.  SL only advantage is that offers residents adult content.  Blue Mars didn't offer adult content, but Kitely does offer it now.  Kitely is rather cheap, but not many residents there.  

     

  12. If you want more land, then yes expect to pay more!.   $25 a month for 4096 has been the going rate since 2008.  You can sell it and get a lower cost.  The smallest parcel has been a 4096 for me, but I owned up 2 full islands in the past.  The Linden homes are a joke.  You don't have to be a member, so you can rent as well. 

    So just change to basic member and rent land. 

     

  13. As former themed sim owner, there is usually a contract that you agree on the price of the parcel.  So, yes, it can go up!   During the summer, the traffic goes down.  Although, the land owners costs to LL remain the same.  So, he is adjusting for this cost or he will be forced to close his sim.  Typically, people just move to another sim.   I always kept my rerntal costs the same, but I did offer a flexible price on the rental costs based on prims.

     

     

     

     

     

    .  

  14. I forced fly to see on how my dragon could fly around the sim.   Well, it can be done just crashed on sim crossings.  There is way to much sculpties, and took around 5 minutes to rezz my dragon avatar.  My minotaur is baked textures, so it was rather quick rezz.  The fake animals should be eliiminated.  I like the sim design, but the pathfinding with the bugs is rather too fast.  Sim could be a nice capture lost world sim with monsters & Beast hunting prey. 

  15. hello,

    I google the video card and it is from 2004.  If you plan to visit sims with mesh, Like Linden Realms or this new one that was released today. 

      Then you need to be running a computer with a multple core.  The new viewers like V3 from LL or one of the TPV's like firestorm have code that require SSE2.   Actually, I am surprised that you can run Vista 64 bit.   Windows 7 runs so much better.  

     

     

  16. Hey Epic,

    You can try this service it basically is called Vpryvpn.  Here is their website.  https://www.goldenfrog.com/vyprvpn   What it does is the you will log into their service and it will encrypt your connection.  The primary advantage is the ISP can't monitor your connection or how much you download.  I had friends that used this service that were on download caps, and liked it.  

  17. Actually, Nvida cards couldn't even run mesh a few months ago.  Anyway, I have an ATI 4890 on my main pc and it runs SL fine on dual monitors.  I have a couple of Nvida cards and they seem to have issues running on dual monitors.    if I was looking for a new card, then look at the new AMD 7000 series.  The AMD allows you to run 4K monitors that will be coming out soon.  Nvida doesn't allow you that option at the present. 

  18. Have you adjusted the bandwith feature in SL?   Don't!   Leave it around 400 to 500 kbps.  Sl has limited streaming to your client.   People adjust this because they have a faster internet connection.  Try that and see if helps.  Typically, I am in the ultra graphic setting, and my video card is about 3 years old.  Also, it can be the sim.  Scripts cause lag in the sims, because only the islands sims have a setting to see what is the top scripts in the sim for the sim/estate managers.  Scripts in the sim itself or other people have to many scripts on their avatar. 

  19. Actually, it be in the debug settings.  I see it on the other viewers, but not Firestorm.    (RunMultipleThreads),  It is on Kirstens Viewer and Phoenix viewer, but it seems it has been left off Firestorm.   I found Beta 2 of Firestorm to be quite buggy, so I tried Kirstens Viewer S21 (9).  It is rather nice and it can acutally see a mesh object, unlike the current Firestorm.   So, try that viewer until the Phoenix team releases the next beta 3 or their 3.01 version.

  20. My sim was one of the first to be transferred to the RC Mesh server (no release notes on RC Mesh server).  To sign up, you have to be one of Mesh Live volunteers, but LL has quit taking sims.  Only took a day to be transferred. It was on RC Magnum server in the past..   You can use mega prims on the RC Mesh Server.  I used the SALT hud to make a 256 x 256 prim, and used on the RC Mesh Server.  Although, I just use mega's to build with, but not in a build.  If you want to use the new regular prims, that are up to 64 x 64 x 64, then download the new LL Mesh viewer 3 or Kirstens viewer.  Sorry, Firestorm won't work at the moment.

     

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