Controls & Movement

Why, when I try to access a specfic CSI region do I get redirected elsewhere?

Due to Second Life Grid limitations each region (also referred to as an island) has a limit on the number of users that be there at one time. As CSI regions fill we attempt to distribute folks to CSI regions that have fewer users present. So if you request "CSINY South 1" you may be sent to "CSINY South 12". If you'd like to meet a friend on CSI, send them a teleport request or have them send you one. you can also go directly to a region by opening the World Map and selecting the region you would like to visit. Please note that OnRez only attempts to distribute teleports for CSINY regions, not for any other teleport requests.

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How do I navigate my way around Second Life with the OnRez viewer?

On your keyboard, you have a few options to navigate.

When your avatar is in your vision, you can either use the arrow keys or the WSAD keys to navigate the screen. To move forward, use the W key. To move backward, use the S key. To pan left, use A, and to pan right, use D. If you use W in a combination with the A or D keys you can turn or walk in circular motions.

There are two options to fly:

You can use the PgUp and PgDn keys (or if you're on a Mac, make sure the fn button is also pressed to use this feature). Press PgUp to start flying, and keep pressing to get higher. To land or fly lower, use PgDn. Use the navigation keys to fly around.

Or, to fly around, press F. To fly higher, press (and keep pressing!) E. If you get too high and want to get closer to land, tap C. To land softly, hold down C.

You can enter Mouselook, which is a first person view of Second Life, by hitting the M key. All of the above keystrokes will work with navigation. To exit Mouselook either hit M again, or the ESC key. If you'd like to enter Mouselook while using chat, exit out of the chat box by clicking away on the screen. If you keep hitting M while talking to your friends, you'll just be typing M into the chat bar!

Mouselook should be familiar to those who have played games like Quake and Half-Life. Keep that in mind if you've had lots of game experience but not so much in Second Life. The controls are very similar.

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What is my Home location and how do I set it?

Your Home location is a key area of your Second Life experience, and can be accessed by hitting the house icon in the location bar.

Home is a good spot to go to if you are lost, are unfamiliar with an area, are being harassed, or are having issues with your avatar.

Home locations can be set at land that you own, at an Infohub, or at land that a group you belong to owns. You cannot set a home to an orientation island.

You can set your Home location by selecting Here > Set Home to Here from the Menu bar. A blue box will appear if you are unable to set the location to home. Your Home location will already be set for you when you enter Second Life for the first time.

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What is the difference between my Home location and my Start location?

Your Home location is usually the area you spend the most time, where you first entered Second Life, or is an area of land that you own.

Your Start location is where you log-in each time you start up the OnRez Viewer. The default start location (after your first visit) is the last location you've been to. You can change this in the Preferences or you can change it on the login screen.

In Preferences, click the General tab, and the first option is "Start Location". Enter the location you'd like to start every time you log-in. If you don't necessarily know the name of the region you're at and prefer to login to each time, look at your top location bar. The name is clearly indicated in the center of the bar. If you want to find another spot to start, use the Second Life search, beside the location text box, to find another region.

On the login screen, below your login name and password is a box that says "Start Location", where you can choose your home, your last location, or a region that you specify.

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How can I look at things from different angles?

Content courtesy of secondlife.com, © Linden Lab

Using the Alt key is very handy when you are looking around an area.

To start, hold Alt and click on the person, object, terrain, etc. that you wish to view. Your view centers on that object, person, etc. If the person or object you're viewing moves, your camera goes right along with them.

You can use the following key combinations to click and drag the camera into almost any position:

• Alt + drag will spin the camera around the object (move left/right), as well as zoom in (move up/down).
• Ctrl + Alt + drag will spin the camera around the object at all angles (left/right as well as up/down).
• Ctrl + Shift + Alt + drag will move the camera up/down/left/rightalong the plane of your screen. This lets you reposition the camera independent of the object.

You can press ESC at any time to snap the camera back to your avatar.

You can use a wheel mouse to zoom in and out with any of these key combinations.

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How can I change the time of day I actually see?

Select Here > Force Sun and pick a time of day you like. You can also select Revert to Region Default to undo any changes you've made.

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