Orientation Island - OUCH!

So I was hanging around Orientation Island today for 2 hours answering questions. I think that OI needs revamping. Specifically, people need to learn to walk and talk and fly before they stand around worrying about their appearances, which is the very first step after walking out of the entry corral. It creates a huge backlog of people crashing into each other and just standing there, while other people are trying to get through the basics.

Anyone got any ideas of how to fix Orientation Island?

The OI that new residents go to is totally different already. It is nothing like the old one, public copies of which existing residents like us can visit.

So to be clear, you are talking about the old one on a little island, with the talking parrot? As opposed to the place with streets and cars to drive, and a castle to walk through, and so on?

The new one is actually a lot more informative for new residents, but unfortunately the stations don't all work properly. I've been through it twice with alts, and it takes me forever to get the star for "walking" (where you have to walk into a circle, but it fails to work most of the time).

I think the only way a regular resident can seen the new OI is to create an alt and start fresh.

Do away with the Lindex..........

Wow, no kidding? Huh, ya learn something new every day. Well there were still a bunch of people hanging out asking questions. Okay, I rescind my thread! Sorry folks!

I think mentors can get there too. Or maybe some of them can.

I'm not sure about mentors, which is why I specified "regular" residents. By which I meant residents without special powers, not that _other_ kind of regular.

Oryx, you should do a basic alt and give the new place a try. It's very different, but I think it could use improvement.

Go back to the old one.

I think Orientation videos would be more effective, more informative and more fun for peoples' first experience with SL. Granted, when I created an alt I was only interested in fast tracking thru the manditory tuts.

yes mentors can get to the starter orientation islands and the starter help islands.

That is how we are able to be on the front line and help new players as they enter SL, via the orientation island then as they progress to help island.

Shakes head same old BS. nothing changes there. They can can how its setup and how it works but nothing changes.

Flag going to orientation island.

I just created an alt Itchy Lomu and went to the big pond community which is an Australian based community.

I didn't do any of the beginning tasks as i'm not a newbie.

I just flew to the end of it then teleported to the busiest spot.

I have to say i am incredibly impressed.

The only real way to cure those type of problems, is to take the whole process away from LL. They lack the skills, and do not have the resources to attend to those issues.
LL have launched an 'iniative', whereby private individuals/companies etc can apply for the API to use their own OI's..... 2 issues there... So, organisations/corporates/companies can now indoctronate newcomers to the game?.... LL no longer have the burden of providing a basic service, nor do they offer any recompense to those that will take over that burden......

I forsee an influx of necomers arriving on the mainland wearing Vodaphone, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Tee shits, baseball caps, billboards, handing out leaflets on every street corner..... or worse case, wearing the Nazi sign..... etc etc...

Your Imagination, Your World, You deal with it, Your problem......

With my alt, Rhian Jenkins, I went to OI to have a look on her first day (Actually I myself kinda skipped all that back in February and just...tp'd away from all those terribly chatty people who wouldn't leave me alone)
I was in this place with the volcano,where you have to do the hula for a prophecy...? I didnt get the rest of it because at that point I've had enough-last time I'd done something like that was back in the 80s in a computer game.

Just because Oryx visited OI Public instead of the current "real" OI, let's not dismiss her thread.

Oryx, I agree that OI Public could use an overhaul. Here are some possible ways to go. What do the rest of the Forum Residents think of them?

1. LL duplicate the current "real" OI on OI Public. (I don't favor this, but maybe they should match?)

2. LL form a group of no more than 20 volunteers to revamp OIP. Give the group build permissions, at least for a certain period of time. Final design subject to review and approval by LL.

3. Adopt Oryx's suggestion of adding a "How to Move" station, or stations, between the entry corrall and the Appearance station.

4. Add a sign at the entry corrall on Rules of Behavior. And another one on How To Take Off A Box.

5. Improve the notecards given by the Helping Hands. The current ones aren't very...um, helpful.

6. Scatter copies of Lucrezia Lamont's New Resident Info Kit In A Box all over the island.

7. Provide additional Help kiosks that look like phone booths. You touch one, it puts you in immediate IM contact with a live helper. (There are usually several helpers at the entry point, but many people are too shy to come up and talk to a "live" person in world). This would also let volunteer helpers be available while not requiring their full time presence at the island.

8. Have lists of useful landmarks, grouped by category, available on signs at various places around the Island.

9. Strangle the dratted Chat Spam Parrot.

(And, Oryx...hugs and brownies for spending time there! Well done.)

Hey Oryx - It was great to meet up with you there. Sorry I had to bail out so quickly (Stupid, rotten RL - always interfering with my fun) I am new enough that I went through the new orientation island as a total newb. It really didn't help much. All through Orientation and help Island I saw nobody other than other total newbs, so none of us knew what the heck we were doing. There were no clear instructions, and I ended up doing what everyone else did, which was figure it out on my own.

I didn't get really frustrated until I got beyond the basics. Things like setting up HUDs, AO's, etc. were a total mystery. I still feel like I'm missing a lot of important stuff, but I don't know what it is.

If there were an Orientation Island for people who are already in-world, but just need to brush up or learn a few of the skills they are missing, that would be a huge service. Sort of an advanced OI.

Trout, the advanced topics branch out and develop detail so fast that there's no way to fit them all into a "one island experience". (IMO, of course). Instead, look for classes. For example, NCI has a lot of them, on topics of interest to semi-newcomers like you and me.

The "Attend a class going on now" button on the splash screen will take you to a list of upcoming SL classes on the EventFul website. I check it out pretty frequently to see what's coming up.

Thanks, I'll try a few of those out when I get the chance. I have a weird schedule, so it's tough to block out time on SL in advance.

In my experience, complete noobies need even LARGER signs with instructions, as well as signs pointing them in the right directions.

The three people in RL I've walked through OI are always lost...searching for the signs that instruct.

*shrugs*

Maybe have 2 seperate Orientation Islands. Ones for real newbies, who have never set foot inside SL before, and one for ALTS.

I don't think ALTS are encouraged for the average citizen. I know Lindens have ALTS, which is acceptable and advised...but in general, I think creating an ALT is kind of gaming the system.

I mean really...why does one need an ALT?

i have 3 accounts. This one is my main account. I do business as well as play my SL on her. my second account holds all of my finances. All money transfers and that side of business is on that account. My second ALT is a 5yo child avi. I don't use her much, but my SL mom on my account is also my ALTS mom. It's my getaway account. I am not gaming SL. I am just playing my game.

So say someone set up a group to revamp the current OI or the old "may return to" OI, and wanted to volunteer the group's services to LL... how would one go about doing that?

i think LL would have to revamp it to where the older residents wanting to go back to OI have a special group tag activated and for the remaining brand new residents be a certain time old so they don't get booted. LOL

I hate orientation island passionately. It's the most infuriating thing ever!

I've been in SL for many years and I still fail to get through that fucking island. Even after my third attempt!. It's just too damn buggy!

Please, kill it!!

Anyone interested? Should I put in a JIRA request for this?