In this installment, we're going to look at how to get a decent look and new clothes, even vehicles, wings, and furry attachments.
No, not by getting a job. Put your credit card away. This installment, we're talking about freebies.
First, my standard caveats:
This diary is to help people who are having trouble in Second Life. If you think Second Life is a waste of time, or you're not interested, you really don't need to tell us about it.
There will be pictures, and a lot of them. Huge pictures that will take a geological era to download over dialup. If you're on dialup you won't be able to use Second Life anyway, but if you want to see what Second Life is like, you Have Been Warned
Links:
Second Life
Second Life Client Downloads
Kossack Fullstop Part 1
Kossack Fullstop Part 2
Kossack Fullstop Part 3
Kossack Fullstop Part 4
Natalia Zelmanov's Guide to Getting Started in SL.
Okay, despite what I said above, this installment will have relatively few pictures. Why? Because we're starting to get into things that you already know how to do, from earlier tutorials.
You remember the tutorial where you held the torch, right? Well, clothes and gadgets work a lot like that - you can even "wear" hair, skins (the outward appearance of your av), eyes, and shapes (the shape and size of your av.
First, we need to find some freebies. You can search for New Citizen's Institute or NCI - they not only have a vast selection of freebies and helpful information, but classes as well Some places have volunteers that will help you with a makeover.
The other thing you can do is IM Ms. Korobase and ask her for her "Freebies" folder, which of course is what I did.
So, there I am, standing at the Netroots Nation HQ, with a brand-new folder of Freebies to try out...
... and they're landmarks.
Yes, because there's a limit to how many things tou can send over at once, and because everyone has different tastes, there's some links to popular freebie places and you can find and gather your own.
Just for illustration, let's go to the first three - Freebie Warehouse, Odds&Ends, and Sarah Nerd's.
First stop - Freebie Warehouse!
This picture shows you how to deal with boxes. In Freebie Warehouse, you'll find a lot of blank wooden crates with text over them saying <some number> of <some item>, and you're up to good fortune to see if there are things you like, or find useful, or even work in those boxes.
To start, pick a likely looking crate and right-click it, selecting "Buy". You'll see that window in the center listing the contents of the box and whether you want to purchase it for $0L. I have no ideaa what the hell is in this box, but "Avatar Radar" sounds cool, so what the hey.
If you get something you don't like, don't throw it away immediately! Many freebies are modifiable - you can copy them and change them when you get your SL legs under you. I suggest making a new folder in your inventory called "Crap" or "Things I Don't Like" and putting stuff you don't like there.
Wow, that would have been a great idea eleven thousand inventory items ago.
Once you're through with Freebie Warehouse - whether you've gotten enough freebies, are too bored and confused, or griefers crash the sim - you can go on to Odds and Ends, thusly.
Here we are at Odds and Ends, in the freebie corner of their three-story mall. There's much more at Odds and Ends to explore, but we'll save that for when yuo're a little older. :)
At Odds and Ends, most of the boxes are either free or $1L. There are also "newbie specials" that generally cost below $200L. You can pick up animation overriders - something that makes your spastic penguin newbie walk into something a little more normal. This place, and the rest of the mall, are better if you have a few Lindens - whether you have a job, buy some Lindens, or upgrade to a Premium account for the stipend.
Boxes work the same here - although most of them have a better description of what's in them.
The third and final place is Sarah Nerd's. Her freebie place has excellent clothes, shapes, skins and other attachments, but I can't put up a pic because
- I couldn't get one without people in it.
- Her items tend towards Goth, S&M, and adult attachments.
Not a place to go with your child looking over your shoulder, but if you want a complete look with free and low-cost items that show you what they look like, Sarah's is the place to go.
Oh, and if Sarah's shocks you, enjoy the moment. Savor it. In a few months (or if you thoroughly explore Odds&Ends) you will look back with fondness on those days when you were so new Sarah's shocked you.
So, now you have all these freebies, what do you do with them?
Well, people have become kinder to newbies, and newbie boxes tend to just give you inventory - so go ahead and "wear" things that you get until you find things you like. I suggest going back to Netroots Nation HQ, finding a dressing room, or at least making sure you're in a Mature area first.
If you do put on something that looks like a box on your head or arm, right-click and "Detach" it, and we'll save it for next installment.
Here's Kossack Fullstop now, with items I found at the three places we've covered, none of which I had to unpack.
As you can see, the look is a lot different. You won't win any fashion awards with freebie gear - but you will not look so much like a newbie, and you'll get a lot more respect from other avs in SL.
