10-29-2008 22:32
I'm looking to buy more cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other ground based vehicles (as opposed to aircraft, boats, or submarines). Specifically, I'd like to find a C3 era Corvette, but beyond that, I'm up for just looking around to see what I can find. I'm going to be picky though and have some demands:

1. I want to see a model of the car rezzed in-world. It can be permanently rezzed on the showroom floor or can be displayed via temp rezzer.

2. I want there to be the option to obtain a demo vehicle so I can drive it for myself to see if I like it. I've seen places in the past that would rez a vehicle and then let you drive it around for like five minutes. Then, it would disappear. Something like that would be fine. It should be something I can get on my own and not have to get through a salesman. I don't want to bother anyone or feel pressured to buy something.

3. The vehicle should be able to go *slow*. Driving on the roads in Second Life can be a bit of a challenge, but it's certainly doable if you go *slow* enough. Did I mention the word *slow* yet? First gear should be avatar walking speed. Second gear should be avatar running speed. Third gear should be half way between running and flying. Fourth gear should be avatar flying speed. Anything above that I don't care. If you want to be really cool, provide a configuration notecard that allows people to set "gear ratios".

4. Turning speed should be linked to forward speed. If I'm moving slow forward and I hit the left arrow key. It should turn left slowly. If I'm going a little faster, it should turn left a little faster.

5. I want "cruise control". I want to hit the up arrow key and go from neutral to first gear and then the car moves on its own. Now all I have to do is steer or use the up and down arrow keys (or page up/page down, it doesn't matter) to switch gears. What I don't want is to have to hold the up arrow key to keep moving. That's a pain in the ass.

6. I want to turn in reverse realistically. If I'm pressing the both the down and right arrow keys together, the vehicle should turn counter-clockwise as seen from above.

7. The vehicle can be a totally custom design never before seen in the real world. That's fine. However, if the vehicle is supposed to be a recreation of a real world vehicle, then I want it built and named just like the real world vehicle. I do not want a Corvette whose shape and name are changed just enough to be "legit" but wink, wink, nudge, nudge "you want I mean". I can't stand that.

The above seven items are absolutely critical. I have no interest in buying a vehicle that I can't see in-world. I have no interest in buying a vehicle that I can't test out for myself. I have no interest in buying a vehicle that goes too fast. I have no interest in buying a vehicle that's too hard to steer. I have no interest in buying a vehicle that can't just go on it's own. I have no interest in buying a vehicle that goes backwards in the annoyingly wrong direction. I have no interest in buying a vehicle that's a bastardized version of a real world vehicle.

Other niceties but not critical are:

- ability to allow other people to drive
- ability to customize the "you can't drive me" message
- ability to change color
- a hud showing speed, tach, gear, gauges for fuel, batter, oil even if fake, etc...
- any other cool effects: headlights, taillights, flight mode, opening doors, hood, trunk, wind down windows, convertible top up/down, etc...

If you or someone you know of sells vehicles that meet the above criteria, please let me know.
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Hugsy Penguin