New here...

Sounds like there is a proliferation of techincal problems...Is it that bad? Is a cable or DSL connection really going to cut it in terms of the high end graphics? Also, I'm quite curious as I have read in a few places that there are weapons in the game. What location is classified as unsafe? Are there places to avoid from getting killed? Is there mob/gang activity? Sounds fun...

Jesse, it's been awfully bad lately, yes. We apologize -- and we have been affected too. I work and play in Second Life... and I wish your welcome was more comfortable!

Also, solid broadband is great, yes, but cable and DSL aren't the only factors -- network bandwidth helps, but you'll also want a fast computer with a powerful processor and good graphics card, and lots of RAM helps too.

Unsafe areas (damage-enabled) are indicated by a heart with a % at the top of the screen, and anywhere which is safe does *not* have that icon. Way more places are safe than unsafe. And yes, roleplaying gangs are a part of Second Life's groups. If you click the Search button > Groups tab, try looking for some by keyword.

I'll move this to Resident Answers so you can continue your discussion. Have a good one! =)

Torley answered most, but I'll detail a few more in a borader sense.

Tech Probs bad?: Yes and no. With any growing software, tehre are bound to be bugs. Sometiems there are more than others, and sometimes 1 or 2 seem insurmountable. LL has, of late, halted, or slowed, new content being added in lue of stabilization and betterment of the system. While some are not happy with some of the issues, this will always be, and those people yell the loudest lol.

You don't alwasy need teh best machine to be in SL. Torley's suggestions have merit, but your settings mean more. Find out what affects your ssytem and reduce or eliminate it. For me personally, I have issues at sunset and sunrise. The change in light plays havok with my system. Force Setting the Sun to Noon helps loads in this case.

Being "killed" in SL only TPs you back to your Home Point. Annoying, but not detrimental. You'll learn fairly quickly about the Heart icon and where most "unsafe" areas are.

For weapons, please look into all information carefully. Esspecially the ToS and CS. Weapons and combat can be very fun, but some of the equipment can get you into trouble with managment if you use them unwisely.

There are -some- gang/mob mentality groups. Some are in them for the experiance, and some are in them to jsut cause trouble like RL gangs. This isn't something that can be determined by sight. The good new is that SL is so huge, the chances of running afowl are fairly low. If you do have problems, use the Help>File Abuse Report, and contact Live Help if needed. Abuse Reports work slow. LL tends to investigate fully so as not to punish the innocent. They do work, however.

Lastly, the good far outwieghs and bad in SL, imo. I think you'll be much happier focusing on the fun, and not worrying about the bad until it happens. Then again, I'm quite nutz ^.~

Welcome to SL.

~Jessy

To play with weapons in a free-fire zone, go to the sims Jesse and Rausch. Both are open combat sims. Fully expect to get yourself killed before you fully rez, if you go there at a busy time of day.

Almost anywhere else in SL, using a gun or other weapon on someone without their explicit permission is a very good way to become extremely unpopular, and to get yourself banned from the parcel, the sim, or all of SL. In most of SL, if you start waving a gun around, expect about as positive a reaction as you would get doing so on the lawn of the White House, or right outside your local police station or military base.

Most people who play in SL do NOT think guns and gangs "sound like fun", and will NOT appreciate being unwillingly involved in combat or gang-like activity. SL is NOT a 'first person shooter game'. If you're looking for something like "Duke Nuk'em", "Unreal Tournament", "Grand Theft Auto", "Area 51", or any other "Shoot any thing that moves, and most of what doesn't" type of game... then go somewhere else. SL is not intended to be that type of place to play.

This is not to say that there are NO places to play at being gangsters or mlitary games or what have you. There are, as I said, Jesse and Rausch. There are sims that have "combat arenas" for shooting at opponents. There are other estates or sims that allow gun play and violent activities. But that is a VERY small part of SL. So please, be VERY sure the sim that you are in is a combat-approved place, before you even visibly show a gun, or you're asking for trouble.