RL Article about Traveling in SL by Jason Veláquez
photo by Jason Velázquez
Traveling allows you to expand your horizons, discover new visions and different ways of seeing and understanding the world around us. We meet new people and interact with them, perhaps in their own language. We listen to them to learn how they see the world, and sometimes how they see us.
In the physical world, there are limitations. Our own, where some may not be able to leave or small space due to cost or disability. Today for many of us, the ability to travel is limited by an unseen enemy that threatens to destroy us if we step beyond our confines.
Jason Veláquez of the The Greylock Glass, a news thing as they describe it, traveled beyond the limitations placed on us in real life, to the world where many of us live from day to day “Second Life”, a platform developed by Linden Lab. His wonderful article explores the Second Life platform and concept and visits the southern coast of Ville de Coeur.
As Jason explains in his article, the way you see Second Life will depend very much on your computer. For example, while an older computer will work, newer “gaming” computers can see much more of the world. Higher end graphics cards can “see” shadows and longer distances and the world will go by more smoothly rather than in hesitant steps. Recent RT (ray tracing) video cards are not necessary and will actually not help because shadows and lighting are not computed using the RT capabilities of these cards. NVidia 1060+ and Radeon 290+ cards are ideal for getting the most out of Second Life.
But don’t let an older computer stop you. Second Life is about much more than beautiful pictures. It is about meeting new people and building friendships. Experiencing life with these new friends. Perhaps learn a new language and converse with your friends as you would in real life. Talk about the performance you just attended in Second Life. Attend church. Discuss ideas for a new shop. Go shopping for clothes or furniture for your new apartment. You don’t need a powerful computer to do any of this.
Covid-19 will be with us for years. Accept social distancing in the physical world and step closer… in Second Life!
Ville de Coeur 