Hiding/changing avatar name tag?

This may or may not be a true scripting question, depending on what the answer is.

I saw someone today whose yellow avatar tag over their head read something different than their full account name. I asked them about it but they would not reveal how it was done.

Anyone know how this is accomplished?

FYI, this looks just like the default tag, with the shadowed background. It's at the right height, behaves like hte default tag, etc.

Thanks in advance.

They could have turned off their name (I think it's possible, might not be) and used a particle script above their head that looks exactly like the name tag.

You can turn off the name tag on your own screen, but I don't think it has any effect on other people's screens. Having that name tag floating overhead is annoying at times, but it's one reliable way to identify the troublemakers in SL when you need to file an AR. I would worry a bit if I knew that it was possible for a griefer to hide his/her name. So, they can't, ...... can they?

I've heard there is some kind of exploit related to that, but I don't know if it's true, and if it is, I haven't looked into it.

If it's an exploit, shouldn't they be reported for abuse...?

/esc

There is an exploit that can allow part of an avatar's name to be hidden. It involves using packet injection in naming a group role title. Some special characters can be injected into the title field, which creates something to the effect of "delete the next word".

So you end up with a nametag that can say something like...

Ms.
Ventura

I don't know the details of how this is done, and honestly, I've been UNABLE to reproduce it myself... but I have seen it done, and the person I know who did it, did his best to explain how it was done, I just didn't understand it all.

There are a number of SL glitches that can cause the nametag or avatar to vanish.. and only a couple of them can be reproduced by anyone I know... and again, I can't manage it.

What I DO know how to do, is this..

1. You can use an animation to offset your avatar from the "agent". The nametag is attached to the agent. Many so-called "cloaking devices" work this way, by shoving the avatar 10m into the ground. The nametag is still going to give away "where" you really are.

2. In some circumstances, an invisiprim will cause a nametag not to render. (good luck reproducing this reliably).

3. You can sheath the avatar in invisiprims, and use this to "hide" the avatar as well.. but the nametag will give away your position every time.

4. You can create a phantom, (physical or non) vehicle. The vehicle can have a sit position that is 10m underground... and then on-sit, the vehicle can run an animation on the pilot, to offset their avatar 10m back up. Effectively burying your avatar's nametag in the ground. (or 10m to the side, 10m up, whatever).

In all cases, it's important to remember, that your ability to hear local chat, comes from your agent's position, not your avatar's.

To see where your agent is.. try this script: /54/c3/253812/1.html

In the year or so that I have been on SL , I have about a dozen people without name tags at all above thier head , and mine was not set to hide , but nobody ever said how it is done. just laugh in my face

Have you tried zooming in? I do believe invisi-prims will hide the name tag from a short way off, but not if you are close. Then a fully opaque floater could maybe replace it. Hmm. The animation idea was the first possibility that popped into my mind too though.

in respect to griefers or other obnoxious behavior it should still be fully posible to right click an av and pop their profile up -bu i supose that if the agent is burried 10 m below ground not even that would be posible?

(A somewhat related 'problem' has been pesting me for long time. I use the 'never show nametag' option, but had for a rather extended period (months) only to rest the mouse over an av and a nametag would apear -just as a 'hint' in a menu. For unknown reason that feature disapeared ..was it a client update .. oh well , but it was a cute feature)

BR
ab

I wondered about that. I miss the mouseover capability. What happened?

Huh? Mouseover hint works for me.. but then again I am using a third party client that lets me open up profile on minimap markers and it differentiates friends from random people via colour. Sure you enabled hover-tips? (CTRL-SHIFT-T or 'View > Hover Tips > Show Tips' )

AHA! I have never un-clicked that one but I bet it's disabled by default now, so it must have clicked off the last time I upgraded the viewer. THANKS!

me goes AHA too :)
Thanks Nexii!!
BR