Enter OpenSimulator Worlds
A short guide how to enter the metaverse of OpenSimulator-based virtual worlds. The below text is written by Magnuz Binder and released CC0 / public domain.
Summary
To enter the OpenSimulator metaverse, there are a few things you need to do.
- Register with a virtual world, which will be your starting point for exploring.
- Set up viewer for the virtual world you registered with.
- Learn how to navigate and interact in the world.
- Explore the OpenSimulator virtual worlds.
- Relogging out and back into the virtual world.
- Other guides to entering OpenSimulator.
Register
There are hundreds of OpenSimulator worlds. Not all of them permit you to register with them, but many permit you to visit once you have registered with any world. The worlds suggested here for registration are picked because of ease of registration, service and size. You can register with as many worlds as you like, using the same name or different names, and even register more than once with most worlds using different names. So this registration is just a starting point you can change later.
Click the "register" for a world below to go to its registration page (you may want to open it in a new tab/window by right/ctrl-click, not to lose this page) and register, then use the address for the world, the username (firstname lastname) and the password you have registered, to set up a viewer to enter into the world below.
Set Up Viewer
There are several viewers available to enter OpenSimulator worlds. Most viewers are similar, but with some individual addons or interface tweaks. The viewers suggested here are among the most used. Select one of the viewers (click name to unfold/fold instructions), Alchemy, Firestorm, Kokua or Singularity, to download, install, configure and use. Replace the <labels> with values from above.
- Download the 64 bit viewer for Windows, Linux, OS X
- Install the viewer
- Start the viewer
- Configure the viewer
- Menu "Me"
- Menu item "Preferences..."
- Vertical tab "Grids"
- Field "Add new grid:" <address>
- Checkbox "Show Grid Selection at Login" <checked>
- Button "OK"
- Log in to the virtual world
- Field "Username:" <username>
- Field "Password:" <password>
- Dropdown "Second Life" <world>
- Button "Log In"
- Download the 64 bit viewer for Windows, Linux, OS X
- Install the viewer
- Start the viewer
- Configure the viewer
- Menu "Viewer"
- Menu item "Preferences..."
- Vertical tab "OpenSim"
- Horizontal tab "Grid Manager"
- Field "Add new grid:" <address>
- Upper button "Apply"
- Button "OK"
- Log in to the virtual world
- Field "Username:" <username>
- Field "Password:" <password>
- Dropdown "Log into Grid" <world>
- Button "Log In"
- Download the 64 bit viewer for Windows, Linux, OS X
- Install the viewer
- Start the viewer
- Configure the viewer
- Button "Grid Manager"
- Field "Add new grid:" <address>
- Upper button "Apply"
- Button "OK"
- Log in to the virtual world
- Field "Username:" <username>
- Field "Password:" <password>
- Dropdown "Second Life" <world>
- Button "Log In"
- Download the 64 bit viewer for Windows, Linux, OS X
- Install the viewer
- Start the viewer
- Configure the viewer
- Button "Grid Manager"
- Button "Create"
- Field "Login ADDRESS:" <address>
- Button "Refresh Grid URLs"
- Button "OK"
- Log in to the virtual world
- Field "Username:" <username>
- Field "Password:" <password>
- Dropdown "Grid:" <world>
- Button "Log In"
Learn
The basic skills you need to explore is how to move your avatar and how to chat with other users you might meet (Notation, Moving and Chatting below). The viewers have many features, and you can learn a lot more, but for starters, those basic skills are sufficient.
- Notation (syntax used below)
- [keyboard key to press]
- <window button to click>
- mouse actions: point/left-click/right-click/drag
- "+": combine actions
- "...": hold instead of press or click
- "(...)": optional hold instead of press or click
- "-": perform actions in rapid succession (like double-clicking)
Basic
- Moving
- To use the letter keys below: [Escape] to leave chat mode first
- Turn right: [Arrow Right](...) or [D](...)
- Turn left: [Arrow Left](...) or [A](...)
- Move forward: [Arrow Up](...) or [W](...)
- Move backwards: [Arrow Down](...) or [S](...)
- Chatting
- To text chat: [Enter] to enter chat mode first
- Type what you want to say on your keyboard
- Chat normally: send with [Enter] up to 20 meters distance
- Whisper: send with [Shift]+[Enter] up to 10 meters distance
- Shout: send with [Ctrl]+[Enter] up to 100 meters distance
- If several persons are present but you chat to just one, it is customary to include that persons name in the chat, e.g. "@John: Hello!" or "How are you, Mary Resident?"
- To emote (use third person chat), start with "/me ", e.g. "/me smiles to the nice Vladimir" or "/me faints"
More (click to unfold/fold)
- Flying
- To use the letter keys below: [Escape] to leave chat mode first
- Jump: [Page Up] or [E]
- Crouch: [Page Down](...) or [C](...)
- Start flying: [Page Up]... or [E]...
- Stop flying: [Page Down]... or [C]...
- Toggle flying on/off: [Home] or [F]
- Fly up (while flying): [Page Up](...) or [E](...)
- Fly down (while flying): [Page Down](...) or [C](...)
- Camming (moving the camera)
- To reset your camera at any time: [Escape]
- Turn and look right: left-click... on your avatar and drag right
- Turn and look left: left-click... on your avatar and drag left
- Look up: left-click... on your avatar and drag up
- Look down: left-click... on your avatar and drag down
- Zoom in: [Alt]+left-click... on something and drag up
- Zoom out: [Alt]+left-click... on something and drag down
- Orbit clockwise: [Alt]+left-click... on something and drag right
- Orbit counter-clockwise: [Alt]+left-click... on something and drag left
- Orbit towards zenit: [Alt]+[Ctrl]+left-click... on something and drag down
- Orbit towards nadir: [Alt]+[Ctrl]+left-click... on something and drag up
- The next 4 commands may seem awkward, but think of it as moving the scene rather than the camera
- Pan camera up: [Alt]+[Shift]+[Ctrl]+left-click... on something and drag down
- Pan camera down: [Alt]+[Shift]+[Ctrl]+left-click... on something and drag up
- Pan camera right: [Alt]+[Shift]+[Ctrl]+left-click... on something and drag left
- Pan camera left: [Alt]+[Shift]+[Ctrl]+left-click... on something and drag right
- Mouselook (camera in first person view)
- To leave mouselook: [Escape]
- Enter mouselook: [Escape] [M]
- Turn and look right, left, up, down: point mouse
- Move forward: [Arrow Up](...) or [W](...)
- Move backwards: [Arrow Down](...) or [S](...)
- Move right: [Arrow Right](...) or [D](...)
- Move left: [Arrow Left](...) or [A](...)
- Moving, extras
- To use the letter keys below: [Escape] to leave chat mode first
- Move right: [Shift]+[Arrow Right](...) or [Shift]+[D](...)
- Move left: [Shift]+[Arrow Left](...) or [Shift]+[A](...)
- Move fast forward: [Arrow Up]-[Arrow Up]... or [W]-[W]...
- Move fast backwards: [Arrow Down]-[Arrow Down]... or [S]-[S]...
- Move fast right: [Shift]+[Arrow Right]-[Shift]+[Arrow Right]... or [Shift]+[D]-[Shift]+[D]...
- Move fast left: [Shift]+[Arrow Left]-[Shift]+[Arrow Left]... or [Shift]+[A]-[Shift]+[A]...
- Teleporting (moving instantaneously to another location)
- To close open world map: <Map> or [Ctrl]+[M]
- Open the world map: <Map> or [Ctrl]+[M]
- Double-click on a location on the map you want to go to
- Confirm that you want to teleport if the viewer asks you to confirm
- Hypergridding (moving instantaneously to another OpenSimulator world)
- To close open world map: <Map> or [Ctrl]+[M]
- Open the world map: <Map> or [Ctrl]+[M]
- In the field before <Search>/<Find>, enter a hypergrid address, like "login.digiworldz.com:8002:Hope" or "http://login.digiworldz.com:8002/ Hope" (without the quotes)
- Both the examples above refer to the same place, a hypergrid welcome center with information, tutorials and addresses, but in two valid formats
- Search for the world: <Search>/<Find>
- Teleport to the world: <Teleport>
- Confirm that you want to teleport if the viewer asks you to confirm
- Sometimes, depending on viewer, worlds and Internet connections, you may need to repeat <Search>/<Find> and <Teleport> more than once before succeeding
Explore
There are tens of thousands of regions in hundreds of worlds to explore, and tens of thousands of other users to meet, even if a general first impression is that OpenSimulator worlds are sparsely populated compared to many other types of virtual worlds.
- To examine things better, you can cam them, or move close to them and around them to view them from different perspectives
- You can move under water, through openings and into hollow constructions, but usually not through solids or underground
- You can usually move up and down surprisingly steep slopes, and jump or fall from astounding heights without damage
- Interactive objects can be clicked and makes your mouse-pointer show as a hand instead of an arrow when it is over them
- Objects for sitting on can be sat upon by clicking them and makes your mouse-pointer show as a chair instead of an arrow when it is over them
- Avatars can be examined by right/ctrl-clicking them and then select from the menu shown, e.g. to see their profile/presentation
Relogging
Once the basic setup of the viewer has been done the first time, relogging is very simple, if you let the viewer keep the default of storing your login information. You are always logged into the last location you were in the world you registered with, even if you had hypergridded to another world.
- Quit the viewer
- Start the viewer
- Log in: <Log In>
Other Guides
Links to other guides to get started in the OpenSimulator metaverse.
http://binders.world/enter.html © 2016, 2017 Binders World
Created 2016-05-20 and updated 2017-04-28 by magnuz.binder@gmail.com
