As we continued talking, I was able to find out that she actually gets paid in "lindens" (second life money) for her work, allowing her to flourish in the second life community. Intrigued, I asked if i could see some of her work. "Pro Builder" was more than happy to teleport me to a "sandbox" (place for second life builders or developers go to build in world structures and avatars, before going public) to show me her portfolio....
Throughout our conversation I was asking all sorts of questions...
How long does it take you to build a building or world?
How much do you get paid for it?
Whats the strategy behind building?
How does building an object work?
By this point I was surprised my new found SL friend wasn't getting annoyed with my ongoing questioning, but she answered my questions without hesitation....
She said it can take her anywhere from three hours to 2 days to build an object within the game. The more detail the object requires, the longer it can take. However she said the average is about a day or so. She likes to put a lot of detail into her work, she enjoys the process, and the more detail she has, the more "lindens" she can get paid. She averages about $7,000 lindens a structure or $25 american dollars.
The most intriguing part of our conversation was when she offered to demo how objects are made..
"Pro Builder" explained to me how all objects within the game worked within a grid system, each object created must follow a grid line or the game will not be able to process the request. Each object built needs to be approved by the user who created the world, or else the items will eventually be deleted over time. All items in the game start out as simple shapes (cubes, cylinders, spheres, ect) from there using the build settings, the items can be stretched and morphed into objects like chairs, doors, pillars, and rooftops.
After explaining all of this information in great detail, the avatar turned to me and "chatted": "Now lets see you try"
It took me a while to get a hang of the controls, but after a while I kinda got the hang of it.....
Me moving a cube...
Using the "position" "Size" and "rotation" controls to expand the object...
After a lengthy tutorial "Pro Builder" had to leave world for her "real world" obligations. She mentioned that she taught free building classes on certain days and, if I interested in learning more, I should teleport in and expand my second life skills. I thanked her multiple times over for her time, and then my new SL friend teleported off. Till next time Pro Builder..
My experience with avatar "Pro Builder" not only allowed me to learn advance controls and features, but also opened an opportunity to learn how the system of interactivity worked within the game. Each action and object must fit within the grid system or the task will not be completed. The way Second life developers communicate this, is through the use of object development and landscape layout. Developers post instructions on signs throughout each world, explaining how to complete each task and communicate with the system. It also seems developers encourage users to learn and teach each others the system through "in world" interaction, similar to what I experienced today. These types of interactions, are a great way for users to quickly learn the Ins and outs of the game, and also feel welcome and instantly engulfed in the Second Life community.
Second life instructions via billboards, advertising looking images...
Below are my further explorations...after my interactions with "Pro Builder"
I'm Flying....
I think I found Wonderland....
End the day with a dance party....
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