How do I make an Alt?

Ok, I'm probably missing something very obvious. I hear people talk about "alts" but I can't find anything that says how to make one. How do I?

Just start a new account.

And despite all of the various contradicting LL info, there is no charge for the other account.

Log out of the forums, go to the SL home page and create a new account just like when you did it the first time.

A tip: when you know which name your alt will have, open a free email account somewhere with that same name. (Use it to sign up with, it's almost always available, which also saves trying to come up with an email addy. Also can use later if you make the unwise decision to go to email with someone from SL. ...i keed...)

Very handy.

Do you have lots of mulah? ... you're gonna need it!

Only if you send your new alt on a shopping spree.

Bringing the poor thing to life is absolutely free.

Do you really need an Alt?

A few tips on alts:

1. Don't tell your friends "That's my alt! Want to meet her?" Keep your lives separate.

2. Don't copy your main account's appearance. Get your skin, shape, hair in places different from your main. If you make a third alt, start fresh there, too. You don't want an army of clones.

3. Go to different places with your alt. Don't live the same life.

Ok so here's how you make an alt....

Step 1: A mommy AV and a daddy AV, who really like eachother get together and spend some alone time away from everyone else....

A few tips on alts:

1. Don't tell your friends "That's my alt! Want to meet her?" Keep your lives separate.

2. Don't copy your main account's appearance. Get your skin, shape, hair in places different from your main. If you make a third alt, start fresh there, too. You don't want an army of clones.

3. Go to different places with your alt. Don't live the same life.

4. Be careful how much you socialize. If your alt's life gets complicated, it might become your main account. It has happened.

5. If you end up with a lot of alts, make a group so you can pass things between them easily.

6. And get "The Wallet" (you can find it on xstreetsl.com) so your alts can get money from you without you having to log in and pay them.

7. Keep a file somewhere offline that lists your alts' names and the associated email address.

Then after all that lovey-dovey poseball stuff they take a trip to Heart Gardens in search of a gooseberry bush, followed by a visit to Animania to find a stork.

--
Aes
(no affiliation to either place and don't blame me if it doesn't work.)

The Alt Account FAQ:

https://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=4201

it's part of the Knowledge Base.

[ I fixed the URL after Ceera's post, below. ]

That link only goes to the main index page. From there, search for "Alt Account" to get the FAQ.

They generally don't hold anyone to the "5 accounts per household" mentioned in that FAQ.

They generally don't charge anyone for additional basic accounts, UNLESS they determine you are abusing the system in some way.

They DO throttle how many new accounts can be made in a 24 hour period.

What you do with alts can vary a lot. I have several "Ceera" accounts - some simply to get a shared surname with my Partner - and one that I use specificly as a testing alt. They also allow me to be in more than 25 groups. I don't care if anyone knows those are my alts. I have other alts that are social alts or roleplay alts that act as completely seperate "personalities", with their own friends and social circles and activities.

Send? ... SEND??

They make their own minds up I tell you!!!

Mmm depends entirely on what you want your alt to be. My RL/SL friends know all my avies. They all 'outed' at the Cartel Alt Party last year
agreed .. they are all quite different, part of why I created them.
Hmm Second life or Real life? They may be puppets but there's only one puppeteer.
Amen!!

They do not have to really like each other. Hell, they do not have to actually like each other at all.


jus sayin

shhhhhhhh... we are telling the wee one how alts are created. The OP doesn't need to know that even knowing the person is optional in SL lol

Nah, ya don't. Just learn to be a good freebie shopper. I don't mean the 'freebie malls' but good freebies at regular stores. And in (store/designer) groups, lucky chairs at good stores, etc.etc.

Let blogs like this do the work for you:

http://virtual-freebies.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

or this blog:

http://sl4nowt.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/more-from-the-kiss-and-greatest-love-hunts

There are also 'freebie hunting' groups in SL that are all about finding good freebies.

Granted it's a bit harder (to find good freebies for your av) if the av is male but hey. Those are out there, too! You *can* actually play SL without ever spending a virtual cent although I will posit it isn't as much fun.

I'll agree w/everything Key said (although I hadn't heard of "the wallet" but as for # 7,



Another reason to create a free email account somewhere with the SL av's name. (Also in case you feel compelled to share email addys with someone and regret it later - at least it won't be your 'real' addy w/attendant info!) And use it to sign up for your SL av.

As for alt accounts I have seen up to 20 same first names that had to be store bots (same name as the store?) so...if that tells ya anything about the limits policy.

What's the point in it?

Does five count as an army?

Does five count as an army?
Argent David was my original account.
Argent Stonecutter was a cooler name. He usurped Argent David.
Argent Silversten and Argent Pinion were created for testing stuff I was making and handling land while I was having trouble remembering Argent David's password.
Argent Koskinen was created because I was having login problems and someone told me that an account with an empty inventory might be able to log in.

Hi, Noelle. We've covered this before, but for the newcomers...

There are many reasons, good and bad, to have an alt. Here are some of them.

1. To be able to be a member of more than 25 groups.
2. To have a separate "bank account" to hold money for yourself or a group.
3. To do roleplay. You might not want your main character to develop into a starship captain, for example.
4. To test permissions on new items you're planning to sell.
5. To use as a model to test out animations or new clothing items
6. To scarf up a cool or amusing name combination, like "Ohme Ohmai"
7. To get privacy, if your main account is always swamped in IMs when you log on.
8. To do stuff you don't want your friends/partner/lover to know about.
9. To spy on your friends/partner/lover to see if he/she is doing stuff she/he doesn't want YOU to know about.
10. To diddle the heads of your enemies.
11. To have an avatar more in line with an existing name. A Schwarzenegger clone named "Sweetcheeks Fairymeadow" is just...wrong.
12. Along the same lines...to explore gender/race/species differences, from the inside.
13. To create and hold open a group. (A group must have at least 2 members, but nothing in the rules says they can't both be you.)
14. To run as a bot. (the people who do this generally make LOTS more than just one alt)
15. To put your Sordid Past behind you and Start Over.

Also, you can sell stuff to your alts and make a FORTUNE!

16. To come on the forums and post things without anyone knowing it's you.

17. Find a nice quiet spot for you and your alt... and make sweet sweet monkey love to yourself

18. To attend lectures where you would otherwise be thrown out by the teacher
19. To cause trouble in the forums without compromising your main's reputation
20. To get your posts noticed by people that say they have you on ignore.

Pie ( )

Do I know you from somewhere? lol