Ok, maybe it's because I'm an idiot, but...

... the avatar is freaking hard to control. How the heck do you keep it from moving when you don't want it to, and where you don't want it to?

I found myself with some free time, so I decided to wander the orientation island to learn the basics, to save everyone the trouble of "RTFM!". Even on flat, level ground, not only did I have difficulty getting the av to move, when I stopped pressing the arrow keys (or any keys, at that), it started wandering off on its own, in one case sending me into the drink at the bottom of the chasm for the "how to fly" portion of orientation.

And don't get me started on the seemingly random camera view changes...

Ultimately, I quit out of the game (or whatever the heck you call SL) in disgust, and right now don't see any reason to regret not having purchased a premium account.

If you're moving after you stop holding down the arrow keys, it sounds like you may be experiencing packet loss. Do you "snap back" to the place where you were when you're done moving, or do you remain off in the wilderness?

Sometimes its hard to pinpoint where your packet loss is coming from, if that's actually the case in your situation...you can hover your mouse in the extreme top right corner (where the bars are) and there's a little section there that should tell pop up and tell you if you have packet loss. You can also ping www.secondlife.com if you know how do to that sort of thing.

If you do have packet loss, I've usually found that turning off other bandwidth-intensive software will fix the problem (a la BitTorrents, etc.).

Good luck - there's usually someone on the forums that is more bug-testing-worthy than I that will probably be able to help more. (They might want the specs of your system as well, if you can post them.)

Sounds like lag to me. Mind posting your computer specs, and your internet connection type/speed?

what keys were you using?

it might've been some serious lag too. Did you try moving out of a populated area?

I've never been to orientation island but I imagination it's pretty crowded.

What you're describing is Lag. Given your being on Orientation Island, one likely issue might simply be your connection speed. There are other possible issues as well.

You might want to recheck the minimum specs to ensure your system is adequate.

You might try using the Live Help option on the Help menu next time you try, if there is a next time. Tell the live help folks you are at Orientation Island and are having troubles.

If you can make it across Orientation Island to Help Island, or if you see a Second Life Mentor, Instructor, Live Helper, or Greeter on Orientation Island, ask them for help.

Are you by any chance on a dial-up connection?

It took me a while to get used to how to control my avatar and I tweaked my preferences big time to not have such a massive problem with movement. However, I still have issues flying. I have mastered ramming my avs head into whatever.

I do understand your frustration with the issue. I tried out SL about three months prior to trying it again and stopped playing in three days time because of it. Stick with it, ask others just like you have here and you will get the hang of it

I too had a lot of problems when I first started. The only way I could play on some days was to just grab a chair and sit (too bad camping chairs weren't around then). My problems with SL were due to an incompatiable video card.

Hang in there. I promise you it's worth it.

tip:
Use the space bar to stop your AV movement, this will work even if you're falling. You can also hold down the space bar while moving with the arrow keys ( not sure you're meant to be able to do that though ).

Packet loss will mean you can continue travelling in the direction you last moved. Hitting the space bar can help you stop and recover.

And, like everyone's said, getting used to the lag takes some practice

good luck !

[replies in no particular order, and I'm too lazy to quote to specify who's getting what. Y'all seem reasonably intelligent, though, so I'm sure you can figure it out on your own. ]

I didn't think to check for packet loss (nor knew how to do so). Next time I'm (not right now, I'm still pre-caffeine ) in I'll try that.

As for my system/connection:

* Athlon Sempron 3000+
* 1GB DDR333 RAM
* WinXP SP2 with the latest patches
* SB Live! (though I have sound turned off; latest XP drivers from Creative)
* GeForce FX 5700LE (128MB; right now using the last Omega drivers before nVidia driver development went on hold, but looking to get the latest nVidia drivers and see if they've addressed issues I've had with older drivers from them)
* 256k/128k ADSL connection through BellSouth.net

I tried using both the arrow keys and the WASD keys for movement (not simultaneously, though), neither seemed to have any difference of effect. There was no snap-back in any of the instances of "Independent Ops".

My current ping to SL.com is 90ms, though I have no idea what it was at the time of my troubles, last night. That's towards the upper end of average for connections to various places, in my experience on this connection, but not excessively so. I rather doubt it's BitTorrent, as I wasn't running it. Ditto other high-traffic applications, as is my standard practice when doing something that isn't a low-traffic ap (particularly online games). I also regularly scan my system for adware, viruses, and other things that may be sneaking connections in behind my back, so that wasn't an issue, either.

Aliens.
It's always aliens.

Try a tin-foil cap on your computer so they can't read what it's thinking.

Thank you for that inciteful and helpful contribution to the discussion, Sean.

What kind of internet connection?
How much ram?
What brand and model number video card? How much video ram?
What type of internet connection?
Connected directly or using a hub, router, switch, or what?
What brand and model computer, what type processor, how much system ram?

Try the tech support troubleshooting part of the wiki, it is possible it might help.
http://secondlife.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=TechInworld

pfft, yeah ignore that Noh.


I had lots of trouble when i started SL with the "navigation system". It's not easy at first at all. I've had friends join SL who have been playing online games for years and they can't understand why it's so hard to get around sl. I was still flying into trees months after I started.

When I bought a new graphics card, things went much more smoothly. But getting use to the controls takes time regardless.

Might want to look up a few posts, Suezanne, specifically here, where I address the physical hardware issues*.

* Well, except for the router thing, which isn't the case. The connection path for my setup is computer's ethernet port->Alcatel Speedtouch Home modem->phone jack on wall

Ok, your connection is on the bottom end of the spectrum SL wiill run with. That's part of it. If your connection is at all questionable - packet loss, bad router, etc - that would be enough to push it over the edge.

You're not connected to your router wirelessly by any chance, are you?

feature request: double click -> go here (like we're used to on any browser or operating system)

Isn't there an issue with the 5700fx? I think the new person who posted in another thread indicated that was his problem. I'll look for the links but there is a Technical Issues forum, Noh, which might be more expedient than waiting for me.

The post I was thinking of concerned the 7800 but I just checked the Tech Issue forum ready to search and saw that the 5700 is the first topic listed. /111/97/87517/1.html
good luck

There is nothing wireless anywhere, it's all wired connections.



The thread to which you linked doesn't seem to be an issue in this case, though I understand where one might think there's a possible connection, and appreciate the effort to research it, Margaret. The program itself runs fine without crashing, bluescreens, or any other signs of obviously b0rk3d hardware/drivers. My issue is controling the avatar's movement.

Sorry, still waking up, which somedays doesn't seem to occur at all.

You might want to turn on the debug console. To turn on the debug menu, press control alt shift D. Then the debug console is the third option down on the debug menu, or control shift 4.

It is conceivable you might see some message that might help figure out the problem.

Sorry it didn't help, I didn't read the thread before posting the link. Avatar movement was an issue for the guy with the 7800 problem that I was reminded of with your post. Hang in there.

Been there, done that, used the t-shirt to muffle the alarm clock.

S'ok, [excrement] happens. Thanks for taking the time to give your input on the issue of this thread.

Hanging doesn't seem to be a problem, which is the problem.

Oh come on I'm playing
I like my tin cap.

Unfortunately, it does seem, after further research and configuration tweaking, that my connection is the issue, and that the space bar trick does not have any effect.

What gets me is that some movement commands will go through instantly, but then something that didn't happen before will pop up, in one case resulting in me walking backwards after an immediately successful turn followed a lagged "move forward" that finally caught up, after the turn (resulting in a bad Michael Jackson impression... though nowadays my skin is about as white as his, so that's not as bad. ).

Ultimately, though, I'm afraid it looks like I'll have to give up on the notion of participating in SL, as I'm not one of those blessed with a lot of money (or relatives with same) to buy an ZOMG SUPAR FAST! connection.