My assignment 3 finally comes to an end what means my MUV601 journey finishes as well. I really enjoyed the process of doing this assignment and it gave me a whole new experience. This is my first contact with Second Life and this is also the first time I have created a character in the virtual world based on my own preferences. I think it is very interesting and I believe that after this class, I will return to the virtual world of Second Life to do more character creation.
I also learned a lot from this project. First, I realized the importance of planning. At the beginning of this project, we should make our task plan first. Through making task plan, I can clearly know what I need to do and then follow the plan step by step in the next six weeks. This will avoid having all tasks completed in the last few days. Second, I have learned a lot about the creation of characters. I learned how to change the size of the items. For example, the hat I bought from marketplace was not suitable for me so I modified its size. What surprised me the most is that I can also edit the avatar’s face, figure and the other parts of body. This allows me to create a unique character based on my needs. The alpha is another very important knowledge I have learned. If we don’t apply an alpha (transparent) layer to the body parts, it may cause the body pokes through the clothes. The last but not the least, during my process of doing this assignment, I met lots of people in Second Life. They were friendly and always said hello to me when we met. I also joined a community and we met regularly to do some sports. I really enjoyed these exciting experience.
I also want to thank my tutors. No matter when I meet problems, they are always pleased to help me to solve them. I think I’m lucky enough to meet such two kind tutors.
I didn’t know anything about the virtual world at the beginning. After a semester of studying, I know more about it now. I believe I will study further about the virtual world in the future. I really enjoy this MUV601 journey.
I spent six weeks and finally completed the project. Next I will show my final results.
My character has two outfits.The first outfit is worn in her training interval. This outfit has a ski jacket for warmth and a pair of warm snow boots. My character has two outfits. For the reason why I choose red jacket is that Chinese like the color of red and red means good luck to them. What’s more, she used the AO of Basically Girl AO.
The second outfit of my character is worn during her training time. Without thick ski jacket and snow boots, she can ski more flexibly on the snow. The AO that she uses at this time is Skier AO.
My character can do lots of activities in Kalepa. For example, taking the cable car, throwing snowballs and skiing. There will always be many people coming here to visit and I can talk to them, riding the horse together.
In addition to these, I also edited my profile.
Finally, I’d like to show the lists of my outfits. This is the first outfit.
This is the second outfit.
This is my entire final project. I really enjoy the process of doing this project.
I encountered a lot of problems in the process of doing this project, but I solved all the problems through online searching, asking my friends and my tutors, and finally completed the project.
There are three main problems I have encountered.
1.There are “holes” in clothes and pants.
This question is actually about Alpha. When I changed my character for the first time, there were some ‘holes’ in my character’s clothes and pants. In fact, that is my body is poking through my clothes.
This is caused because I have a mesh outfit over a system body. The mesh doesn’t conform exactly to the body so the body pokes through. I fixed this by applying an alpha (transparent) layer to the body parts that poke through.
Then I searched ‘Alpha’ in Inventory. There are many kinds of ‘Alpha’ in Inventory. I chose any Shirt Alpha and finally the clothes was fixed. When I used the same way to fix my pants, I found it did’t work. When I double-clicked the Pants Alpha, I found that the previously selected item(Shirt Alpha) was deselected. After searching, I realized that I should not double click on the selection. I should right click and select “Add”.
Each aspect of an avatar has different sections and you can add multiple layers to each section. Each aspect of an avatar has different sections, up to 5 or 6. If you select Wear, it replaces what is on that specific section. If you select Add, it adds it to that section then of course you have attachments.
There is another problem related to Alpha. I wanted to change clothes for my character. But when I took off the clothes, her body also disappeared. In fact, when you take off the clothes, you should also cancel selection Alpha and then your body will appear.
2. Inappropriate size
I bought a hat for my character but the hat is too big for her. So it is necessary for me to manipulate the hat in order to let it fit my character’s head.
Just use Edit as normal. In the Build window near the top, it says Attachment. This means you are editing relative to the object itself. If you set this to local you are editing to the X, Y, Z of the environment. If you want to rotate it, select Rotate in the Build window or hold down the Ctrl key just like normal building.
3. The items bought in SL Marketplace.
What is sold in the mall is not suitable for all body types. Most of the items are suitable for classic characters. When I first bought something at the marketplace, I bought an unsuitable hat. The creator of the hat does not allow others to modify his belongings. So that hat is useless for me.
Before buying, you should first look at the profile of the item and figure out what avatar it is suitable for. For a better approach, try its demo and then make a purchase.
An Animation Overrider (AO) is one of the most important requirements in this assignment. Animated overrider (“AO”) is a scripting attachment that replaces standard animations (walking, jumping, standing, running, etc.) with animations created by residents. Character Creation is not only about dressing the character but also dressing in greater details like walk, talk and look. I added some AOs to my character as well.
AOs
Item 16: Basically Girl AO
The first AO is Basically Girl AO. I got this from New Resident Island for free. It’s about girl’s stand pose, walk, sit and so on. My character has two different sets of outfits. One set is the usual clothes and the other is the clothes worn during ski training. When she wears the usual outfit, she will use this Basically Girl AO.
Item 17: Skier AO
The second AO is Skier AO. My character is a Ski Olympic champion, so it is necessary for her to act as a skier. When she wears her second outfit, the clothes worn during ski training, she will use this Skier AO. I bought it from SL Marketplace.
Item 18: Appropriate eyes
This is how her original eyes look. But I think the color of the eyes doesn’t match my character. My character is Chinese. As we all know, the color of Asian eyes should be black. Therefore, I changed my character to more appropriate black eyes as shown below.
This picture below shows the details of the black eyes’ creator.
Item 19: Figure
My character
is a sportswoman. Athletes should have a taller body. So I adjusted her figure
to make her taller than the average person.
Item 20: Group Titles & Name
In this assignment, I hid my group name and changed my name as well. It is because that my character is a new figure in Second Life which is totally different from my current role. My new character’s name is Winner Kim so I changed VI2AN to Winner Kim. It takes a little time to update the new name and you can only change the name once a week.
A combined selection of system clothing, layers and attachments of at least 20 unique items is required in this assignment. The character I have created is a Olympic ski champion, so it is necessary to choose some sportswear and Ski equipments for her. Other than these, her appearance should look like some athletes. For example, the body should be tall. This blog is about 20 items for my character.
Item 1: Hair
Previously my character’s hairstyle was long hair. In my opinion, short hair is more suitable for a female athlete, so I changed my new character to short hair. This hairstyle comes with the system. I chose the avatar of Chris and it provides this short hairstyle.
This is the creator of the hair and as I said before, the hair comes with the system, so the creator is one of the Linden Lab Employee.
Item 2：Ski boot base
Item 3: Ski Pole
Item 4: Ski Boot Top
Item 5: Ski Board
Item 1 to Item 5 all belongs to Ski Set. They are necessary equipments for a skier. I found these items in Kalepa, the place I have chosen as my environment. I got them for free.
Here is the creator’s information.
Item 6：Ski Goggles
My character is a Skier, so a pair of ski goggles is necessary for her. I bought it in Second Life Marketplace by L$50. There are two ways to wear it, they are on eyes and on head. When the character is skiing, she can use the goggles on eyes and put the goggles on head at other time.
Here is the details of ski goggles’ property. Its creator is Euterpe Zagoskin who has been in Second Life for 4611 days.
Property Details
Item 7: Hat
Kalepa is a snow world and it is important to have a hat to keep warm. I bought this had in Second Life Marketplace.But the size of this hat is not very suitable for me. For this reason, I edit the size of the hat in order to make the size of the hat match character’s head. What’s more, it also benefited from the author allowing me to modify his items.
Here is the details of hat’s property. Its creator is Euterpe Zagoskin who was born in Second Life on 14th of October in 2006.
Property Details
Item 8: Gloves
This pair of gloves and the hat as mentioned above is a set. It was bought in SL Marketplace as well. This pair of gloves is for a classic avatar only. Fortunately, the avatar I chose is a classic avatar and I don’t need to modify its size. It is suitable for my body.
As I said before, the gloves and the hat is a set. So its creator is the same as the hat’s.
Property Details
Item 9: Ski Shirts
Ski Clothes
This shirt is specially prepared for skiing. It is very different from ordinary clothes. I got this ski shirt from Marketplace. Its tight fit allows skiers to be less hindered while skiing. This pants is suitable for classic avatar, so I don’t need to modify its size and it can be well adapted to my body.
Here is the ski shirt’s property details. Its creator is Euterpe Zagoskin. The hat and the gloves I mentioned before were created by her as well.
Property Details
Item 10: Ski Pants
Ski Pants
This pants and the clothes above are a set and they have the same color and function for skiers. This pants also created for classic avatar so it is suitable for my character.
This Ski Pants’ creator is also same as the Ski Shirt’s, Euterpe Zagoskin.
Property Details
Item 11: Jacket
Jacket
Kalepa is a cold place full of ice and snow. It is necessary to have a jacket to keep warm. I got this jacket in marketplace. There are several colors for me to choose and the reason why I chose red color is that Winner Kim(my character) is Chinese and Chinese people like red color. Chinese flag is also red and the color of red also means good luck and powerful. The creator of this jacket does not allow me to modify it but the creator provides four sizes for me to choose, they are S, M, L and XL. The size of M is the most suitable size for me and I finally chose this one.
Here is the jacket’s property details. Its creator is Fade Arcade who was born in Second Life on 23th of October in 2012.
Item 12: Snow Boots
Snow Boots
Snow boots is necessary equipment for the people live in snow world and it can protect the feet from frostbite. I bought it in marketplace. Except for snow boots, it also has a ‘Walk in Snow’ crunch sound when I walk.
When I first put it on, my toes were exposed. Then I added shoes alpha and finally solved the problem.
Here is the creator’s details. The creator of snow boosts is unknown but there is a Information card in the Snow Boots inventory. I think Katrina Kalchek should be the creator.
Item 13: Healthier Skin
Healthier Skin
I have changed the skin of my character. She is a skier who trains outdoors all the year round.In addition, the snow and ice reflects a lot of ultraviolet rays, so it is easy to tan. Therefore, I think the healthier skin is more reasonable. I got this from marketplace.
Here is some details about the creator of healthier skin.
Alpha is one of the most important items for the character. The alpha channel’s pixel values, ranging from black to white, determine the texture’s degree of transparency. Transparent textures are used to create organic shapes such as flames, trees, clothing with ripped fabric — just about anything where visibly boxy dimensions are undesirable.
Item 14: Shoe Alpha
The above two pictures show the shoes that are added Shoe Alpha and this way the feet will not be exposed. When I first wore shoes for the character I created, I didn’t add shoe alpha and some of the feet were exposed.
Item 15: Ski jacket Alpha
The above two pictures show the ski jacket that are added Ski jacket Alpha. If I didn’t add this alpha, the jacket will have a lot of “small holes”. Just like the picture below.
My option of this assignment is Character Creation. It needs to create a character that fit into a specific environment. So I think it is necessary to find a specific place first.
Environment
The environment I have chosen is Kalepa.
This is an ice world that filled with snows. I found this place when I did my first assignment of MUV601. We should find some locations to describe and Kalepa was one of my choices. The reason why I chose this place as my assignment three environment is that I really like snows and the color of white looks so refreshing. Finally I decided to choose this environment for the character I will create.
It is a story about a Skiing Olympic champion and her name is Winner Kim. Except for Olympic Games, she participated in many other international competitions as well. Winner Kim was born in Harbin, a small city in China. It is a place that is called “Snow Township” by local people and ice and snow are no stranger to her. She was a skiing enthusiast since she was a child and she spent all her free time in skiing. At the age of thirteen, she won the first national competition in her life while her friends were at school. Winner Kim is becoming more and more famous, but her career is getting harder and harder. Long skiing exercises caused some problems in her body but she never gave up. In 2018, when she heard about that the 2022 Winter Olympics would be held in her home country Beijing, she was determined to participate in this competition to add light to her motherland. In preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Winner Kim trains in Kalepa every day. She skis from the top to the foot of the mountain and then takes the cable car to go back to the top. In addition to daily training, Winner Kim also do some interesting activities in Kalepa. For example, playing with the snow balls, inviting her friends to take cable car and drinking coffee while watching the snow in the lounge. Kalepa is an important part of her life now.
An appropriate name
The character should have an appropriate name displayed when being assessed. So the name of my character is Skiing Olympic champion Winner Kim.
Avatar’s profile picture
The avatar’s profile picture should display the character when being assessed. After finishing the character’s outfit, I will make a screenshots of her and set the picture as the avatar’s profile picture.
An in-world group
My character needs to belong to an in-world group appropriate for the identity I have created. The identity of the character I created is a Skiing Olympic champion.So I think she should be a member of sports group.
Outfit
A unique system shape of my own configuration: It will be like a sportswoman.
An appropriate skin
Appropriate eyes
A combined selection of system clothing, layers and attachments of at least 20 unique items: As a skier, skiing equipments such as sleds, snowboards, helmets and glasses are necessary. These are the symbols of a skier.
An Animation Over-rider (AO): Character Creation is not just about dressing the character for his/her physical look but also their walk, their talk, etc. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to add some AOs (Animation Over-riders) to the character, in-world tools that over-ride the default animations of the character and add another layer of uniqueness to the look.
I have chosen a contribution for Character Creation.
The stated purpose of the project
The purpose of this assignment is to create a character that fit into the environment in Second Life. As someone who likes the fashionable things, I want to create a unique character in a specific environment in the virtual world. It isn’t just about dressing the character but dressing in greater details like look, move, talk, sit, walk and fly. I think once the character created, it can interacts with other users in the community of MUV601. As a fashion demonstration, it will present the content of various avatar creators by way of amalgamating to users as a specific fashion statement.
Learning goal
This is my first contact with the virtual world and enter an online community. I believe I will a better understanding of the virtual world. I can also create a unique, my own character in the virtual world through my own efforts. Since the theme I chose is the creation of characters, I will not learn the knowledge of Scripting Language. But I will learn more about AOs and other knowledges about character creation. While doing this project, I should follow the community standards in order to doing dome illegal things like copying the others work directly. After finishing this project, I think I will have a better understanding of how the scripting and building of virtual world objects is accomplished.
Resources
To complete this project on time, I have made a timeline. This is the timeline of the blogs:
It means I should do this project step by step rather than doing all the things at the end.
If one creates something in Second Life, then they retain some basic rights in controlling their creation. However, one must have a written permission from the owner if they intend to use a creation that is not theirs.
We are encouraged to make original content in Send Life. However, before creating things that are inspired by real-world objects like shoes or clothes, we should make sure we’re not improperly using another’s intellectual property. For example, logos, brand names, copyrighted work and celebrity images. We should not use copyrighted, trademarked, or celebrity material in Second Life, unless we are the intellectual property owner or have permission from the intellectual property owner.
Description
of copybot use and its implications
CopyBot is a program written with libsecondlife (not affiliated with or distributed by the libsecondlife team) that connects to Second Life which allows users to make copies of objects without the permission of their creators.
The CopyBot allows for the exportation of items without any permission checks. Its implication is that it allows a malicious view to export the content that has been downloaded by the viewer and re-upload it.
What
are some of the advantages and disadvantages of IP Protection?
One of the advantages of the IP protection is that it ensures the content developed by a user is not used by another party for their own gain without permission. However, the disadvantage is that if there is breach through the use of a CopyBot then it becomes difficult for a user to prover ownership. The disadvantage of IP Protection is our creation will be limited.
How
is IP Protection relevant to MUVEs?
IP protection is relevant to MUVEs because
it ensures that the works of the users are acknowledged and appreciated. In
addition, it facilitates creativity because users are forced to come up with
their own creations.
What
is the judgement criteria based on?
The
judgement criteria is based on the purpose of IP protection.
What
is the importance of the component parts?
Facilitate efficiency.
How
do they make an overall impact on IP Protection in general?
Some of the component parts such as objects might require permission which implies that if the user does not have permission then it is difficult to copy someone’s creation.
In Second Life, every object has permissions. With permissions, you can control what other people can do with the content you create. When you create a new object in Second Life, you can set the permissions in the build window. It includes Anyone and Next owner.
Anyone:
Move: Whether someone can move your objects
Copy: Whether someone can copy your objects
Next owner:
Modify: Checking this means the next owner can modify the objects.
Copy: Checking this means the next owner can copy the objects.
Transfer: Checking this lets the next owner give your creation to someone else.
For the particular community I have joined in, the dropping or building of objects is not allowed.
In my personal blog, I also set some permissions.
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
In my opinion, set some permissions can protect our labor results better. Not allowing others to use the work for commercial purposes is to prevent criminals from using this to carry out illegal activities.
Demonstration
of use and application of permissions
The user is limited to using the objects in
the community.
What
are some of the strengths and weaknesses of Permissions in MUVEs?
The strength of permission in MUVE is that
it ensures that a community is used in the right manner that it was built for
by the users. Therefore, if one requires to build or drop an object it will be
evaluated to check if it meets the requirement of the community.
How
are permissions relevant in MUVEs?
Permissions are relevant because it assists
in making users understand the importance of community standards and adhere to
them.
How
will permissions work best in MUVEs?
Permission works best when enforced.
What
is the significance of the components in permissions?
It prevents violation of the use of
objects.
How
do they complement MUVE objects?
The MUVE objects will be used for the purpose intended in the community chosen. For example, in Unzipped there is not development of objects because of the community standards against sexual objects.
We are allowed
to create and share content in Second Life and the Second Life also provided
communities for us to interact with each other. However, if everyone does what
they want to do in Second Life, it will cause confusion. So it is necessary to
have some community standards to constrain users’ behavior in order to help
promote respect, peace and an enjoyable experience for all users. Community
Standards are some rules that users should compliance with. These standard
rules may result in restrictions on your access to the service, including
account termination.
Second Life
encourages social interaction between users in different countries. It is
prohibited to use derogatory or derogatory language or images based on race,
ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation. It also prohibits
marginalization, degrading or defaming the behavior of users or groups.
Harassment
Harassment can
take many forms. Communication or performance in a manner that is offensive,
intimidating, threatening, or causing annoyance or alerting is not allowed.
Assault
Any violent
behavior against a user’s avatar, including intimidation or bullying, such as
repeated shooting or promotion, is intolerable. It is also not allowed to
create or use scripts that individually or permanently locate users and prevent
users from enjoying the service.
Disclosure
Sharing
personal information about other users directly or indirectly without their
consent – including but not limited to gender, religion, age, marital status,
race, sexual orientation, alternative account name (including account status,
such as whether it is suspended , suspend or activate), and beyond the real
world location provided in the user profile is not allowed. In addition to
reporting abuse or any policy violations to Linden Lab, remote monitoring,
posting or sharing of conversations is prohibited without the consent of the
participants.
Disturbing the
Peace/Global Attacks
Everyone wants
to have an enjoyable experience in Second Life, so you are not allowed to do
some actions that may cause slow server performance or may inhibit another user’s
ability to enjoy the Service. For example, disrupting events or user
conversations such as through the use of repetitive sounds causing echo
effects, or unmuting your mic when it should be muted, spamming such as the
repeated posting of advertising or self-promotional content, posting
interpersonal disputes or personal negative commentary publicly when such
communications should occur through private channels of communication and so
on.
Report abuse
Second Life
strongly recommends that users report violations of community guidelines or any
other policies. Second Life reviews all such abuse reports and will strictly
maintain the identity of journalists.
Demonstration
of how to avoid violating standards
Given that the community designated General
then it is important to advertise or make available content that is considered
sexually explicit. In addition, sexually-oriented objects are not sold in this
community. For this reason, the user should desist from being involved in
sexual activities in the community.
Demonstrating
adherence to the community standards
In demonstrating the adherence to the community standards of Music_Exilir of Life community I have attached the picture below to show I did not engage in any sexual activities.
Demonstration
of reporting abuse
There was no abuse in the community. The
only activity that had been encountered is when a child was requesting for
funding.
What
are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Community Standards?
The strengths of the community standards is
that it accommodates everyone. Therefore, a user will not have to be worried
about sexual content in the community. However, on the other hand, it denies
revenue generation in that some of the basic things such as a bed cannot be
sold because of sexual connotations tied to it.
What
criteria have you based your judgement on?
The criteria used has been based on the
community standards of Music_Exilir of Life community.
How
are Community Standards relevant in MUVEs?
Community Standards are relevant because
they assist in the maintenance of law and order. In addition, it prevents
violations in the communities.
What
is the importance of each component part?
Facilitate efficiency in the manner in
which the community runs.
How
do those components complement each other?
The components perform different functions
that complement each other.
How
can Community Standards work effectively and efficiently in MUVEs?
Community Standards can work effectively if
the users adhere to them.
MUV601 