We are happy that you are here with us, that you enjoy with us and for our love and friendship
230.200 L$ for our sim, but thanks to your help we got
31.132 L$ for spots on our market and for our bows. My very special thank you to those that helped us, and donated for our sim:
26.576 L$ were kindly donated by
Bee,
Darren
Isalia
Neil
Ladda
Nessa
Alexx
Dina
Areba
thank you so much, dear friends and Sisters!
I m very very grateful
Larah Oh
You all know them and they are legion: Kajirae complaining about being bored.
The reason is that a multitude of people on Gor use the safe environment to test and to enter a submissive role without properly reflecting on the role itself. Education about the role, creativity, and making it a LIFESTYLE are the only lasting ways to shape a stable Dominant/ submissive relationship.
The spiral
It all starts with the descent into submission…what I call the spiral: Spiralling into less and less freedom is a thrilling event for submissives, so the descent into submission starts eventful enough.
However, after some amount of freedom is removed from the sub, a halt in the spiral causes the heated atmosphere to cool down and the submissive reconsiders…depending on the inclination but also on the personal creativity, the submissive suffers because of the limitations of the new situation. That is not bad, it can promote creativity.
Some submissives seek to spiral further into more abusive or restrictive situations to enjoy the spiral again. However every spiral has its end: One day there will be no more abusiveness or no more restriction possible.
The drawback of spiralling far is the loss in creative possibilities to maintain a role that still remains interesting for the Domme, eg someone who is entirely muted, deaf, blind and immobile has lost most ways to raise any interest in continuing that relationship.
That is the end of the spiral.
Dom and sub will be BORED
What ways do exist in continuing a Dominant/ submissive relationship?
1. Seeking the next spiral.
Subs may leave the spiral then and enter another, or they will leave entirely, disappointed with the situation. Entering another spiral is however not rewarding in the long run, it’s a repetition of things that have been. I went to Pandora and had a peek, surprised I know names there: It’s a spiralling of Goreans that sometimes takes its continuation there.
2. Variations
Bondage situations DO demand a degree of patience of the submissive, even if that is not hard while spiralling. Depending on the nature of the submissive and the creativity of the Domme AND the sub there is a multitude of variations in enjoying each other which can be rewarding for both partners for quite a long time.
3. Aiming for rl
Our very LIVES are roles! use your sl and work on it. If it does not work in sl, it won t in rl, that much is for sure. If your hero is boring in sl, asking for rl all the time I can assure you he will be boring in rl too, asking for another thrill: Dump him.
However I am sorry to say: What works on sl not always works in rl. Be realistic in your expectations: You fell in love with the superhero? Once you move to rl your gorean superhero may be the bald chubby postman living next door: if you took him for his looks you lost. If you took him for his character and for his way to love you, you won t mind and will be the happiest girl in the world!
3. Entering a long lasting relationship
However even varying the theme will not carry a relationship on forever:
There is more needed to make the Dominant/ Submissive relationship to last. Daily life will not be a neverending chain of thrills, Dom and sub get used to their lifestyle, they accept their role and love each other. With the exception of occasional bedroom/ dungeon adventures and larger differences in the roles these partners take there is no real difference to any vanilla relationship from an observers’ point of view.
However, it’s the differences in the roles the partners take in daily life that makes a long lasting Dominant/ submissive relationship rewarding for both: Our modern lives impose more restrictions on us than we are aware of. It is expected of every adult citizen that they take their lives into their hands and that they take responsibility. The desire to be protected, cared for…the desire to be cherished and to be loved, the desire to be admired, pampered, the desire to feel SAFE are easily forgotten.
Both Dom and sub experience their relationship as ‘safer’ than a vanilla relationship, as the visual bonds create the emotion of keeping safe and of being safe, the sub feels cared for in bondage, the dom feels cared for in admiration and in focusing the love of the sub.
There is more to a Dominant/ submissive relationship than only that, but these points can’t be emphasized enough:
Being submissive does NOT mean to be passive! Being Dominant does NOT mean that the bound submissive can be neglected.
Since most partners are not really conscious about the mechanics of their relationship too many of them end prematurely and with disappointment, which is a pity.
It is the very first duty of the sub to be THERE for the Dom, to be seducing, entertaining, loving, caring, admiring, and working hard to make life for the Dom as pleasant as possible.
And it is the very first duty of the Dom to recognize the driving and lasting elements of the relationship: A passive sub is a boring sub! Make her MOVE, make her ACTIVE, make her to come up with ideas and push her into being creative, let her take part in your life and let her be supportive. A well trained sub will not only lift your status: Imagine a polititian without a supportive wife! (that does not mean that polititians wives were subs, but she is quite often good in her role, and she DOES help her husband to be successful: Admiration is contagious!!).
She will also be there for you in good and in bad times, she will be around to organize the party for your victories, she will be around to care for your wounds and grievances when you lose. She will help you to make friends and allies, she will organize your daily life and keep your household, she will take care of a multitude of tasks just to make things easier for you, she will not bother you when you need to focus on your next step and she will be there for you and in your arms when you enjoy what you achieved.
submissiveness is focusing on what used to be defined as the FEMALE role. Its what we miss in our modern society where we are only accepted as equals in male roles: We miss being accepted as equals in our femaleness.
Generally there is no large difference of a Dominant/ submissive relationship to any other: It’s just the symbolisms and it’s the part behind the closed bedroom doors that is different.
All these bedroom games, pain, humiliation, bondage, restriction of various forms are expressions of sexuality. They may be fun and be vital part of a relationship. But they are not THE relationship. Never forget that. It was my Partner who taught me that.
Now why enter a Dominant/ submissive relationship at all if there is so much emphasis on the similarities to vanilla?
Because it’s much more rewarding: The wealth of strong emotions, the number of variations are without comparison. The well defined roles of the partners can make the relationship stable and happy. But don t set your expectations too high: Our sexuality is not our life, its just part of it.
Just remember to avoid the trap: A dominant/ submissive relationship is NOT an Active /passive relationship! CREATE your roles, make it FIT to who you really are, be honest with yourself and your partner, talk!
And again, we are vanilla: Who mows the lawn? NOT! ME! who washes the dishes?...sighs…ok,ok…I will…eeeps…
If you remember THAT always, I am positive that you will find love and joys beyond imagination in a bdsm related partnership!
"You are defeated", said I.Now and then…we do have drama…our gor is vastly over- regulated…
weapons need to be tested on 500 gorean sims, to make sure no one cheats, but cheats happen, not only with faster bows, but also with home- made meters…
Whoever can script, scripts. Scripting a home made meter is easier than scripting a bow. Again, that shall not mean that everyone being able to script produces cheats…but in every herd there is a black sheep.
there are run enhancers…
there are people jumping…
there are people using gestures to speeden the efficiency up…
there are people being tp ed in…
and people tp eing out…
there are invalid birds and valid birds..
there are invalid shields and valid shields…
there are phantom settings…
there are people flying…
there are people clicking without rp…be it kills or be it lockpicking doors
there are people shooting through prims by splash effects
then there are limits:
not to be bound by slaves (how is that technically done? hey may I bind you? no sorry, only certain people may do that)
rp bans of people, groups, sims
and a multitude of others
then there are whiners:
they whine about EVERYTHING, as a strategy, like
your binding roleplay was too short, I had lag, was still rezzing, not here yet long enough, you jumped, your whatever is invalid, you used this, you ran too fast, you had helpers, you sent a bird, you used a gesture, you shot through a prim…
and they reset, or tp out
all these whines only mean ONE thing: I should have won, that’s the fixed concept for all of my battles
the role of males whiners:
Whining is often the sad side of a female majority on gor pampering the few men to feel welcome. Men are scarce and missing everywhere. As a result some men strut around with egos bursting sky- high: If such an ego is chipped at by loosing a battle, whining is only the most logical consequence. And these whiners are right: First we seduce them into staying and enjoying and telling them they are superheroes, surrounding them with willing kajirae, enhancing their abilities with meter settings and rules, and then we WIN????
Disappointment is unavoidable.
We are unaware of the male world: While a Taluna disguises and sneaks into a city, aware she will be caught and collared for even a minimal rule infraction, maybe coming back, proud she survived, a male gorean struts in, shouts for someone to cater for his wishes immediately, demands a house and a kajira, demands a position of rank, is offered all of this and takes his time to decide if the house is good enough and if he should not demand a better one.
and then there are ‘admins’ and ‘mods’:
I want your lockpicking/ grappling/ swimming/ binding rp, you use a blade but should only use a spear and so on…
all that in the middle of battle, as a means to impede ongoing roleplay for one party.
Cheaters
Limits cheat
Whiners cheat and try to shift results by argueing
Admins cheat by impeding ongoing roleplay single sidedly and by nit-picking about issues that have no impact on the result of the combative roleplay
In this melting pot, proper roleplay is impossible. Whiners do hope it will not be possible. Admins hope to be acknowledged by their own people, Players hope their own cheats won t be noticed.
As the conventional effort to solve these issues, we throw some salt into that melting pot and call it
Rules
In a futile effort to make combative roleplay fair, a multitude of rules is set for every sim, depending on their own experience. As a result of that, first time visitors are frequently overstepping them.
Can one stab with a blade underwater?
Can an arrow fly 250 m?
Can anyone jump down 10 m onto a steep slope from a wall and be up unhurt?
Can hills be climbed?
Can a swimmer shoot an arrow?
Can someone self unbind?
Can a dove be used as a carrier pigeon?
Can 20 panthers attack a single mercenary?
The answer to all these questions is YES
frogmen are trained to stab underwater
arrows fly up to 500 m
skiers jump that much every day, and in a fictious world, Silvester Stallone jumps into a tree from a rock 100 metres high
Free Climbers climb bridges, rocks, towers
Treading water and shooting an arrow is no special skill
Being caught by overwhelming numbers is just life. The cat catches the mouse without asking if it is bigger and has claws.
However, rules frequently disallow these skills. Rules define what players are allowed to do. Rules are made to promote certain behaviour, often to enhance defenses of the sims’ residents.
Problems with rules
Rules that can t be enforced
Some rules, like ‘weaker females’ can be enforced by a sim wide meter server setting, some rules, like individual weapon lists can be observed, some rules, like proper roleplay can be proven by chat logs.
Many rules, like no jumping, shooting distance of arrows or using premade gestures cannot be proven in most cases: Someone jumped? The winner says ‘no’, the loser says ‘yes’, bystanding friends join this or that.
The same applies for ‘no birds’ rules: Did the late arrivals stumble in all innocently or has there been some communication involved? Every admin will usually reply to that accusation by statistics: If more than just a few people arrived, it will have been a bird.
Different Rules between Sims
Sometimes even subtleties in the rules can lead to a discussion. Usually the inhabitant of a sim uses exotic rules in the home- sim as a means to invalidate any intruding. Examples are ‘destriptive emote before using a grapple’. A grapple was set up and emoted. Once it is there, climbing a grapple is a visualized process and the general rule of emoting what cannot be seen is contravened.
Using that rule in combination with an admin staying near to a grapple is a safe way to invalidate every raid. Admins are often USED as cheats.
Doors that are pickable but also need to be roleplayed. If a set of 5 doors in a row is built in, a battle can draw out endlessly as the lag does not permit the doorscript to work properly. In some cases it needs at least 50 min to be done…with an admin supervising if the rules are observed.
A typical sim using these means is S., where a resident slavegirl as admin tries to impede battle by sueing even mimimal infractions and the battle is prolonged by a neverending set of doors to be lockpicked and emoted under worst lag conditions.
Recommondations
Despite the very best efforts of admins, cheating can t be fully prevented. However, the focus on cheating with weapons is VASTLY exaggerated: The majority of cheats is done independently of any weapon used.
A sim that is open for combative action needs to emphasise those parts of the rules that are out of the conventional set of rules. A general set of rules for Gorean sims would simplify this task: That way gorean sims only need to post rules that are differing from the general gorean sim rules: Perception of the differences by individual roleplayers would be enhanced.
Rules that cannot be proven should be left out: Once rule infractions happen, it’s the admins who have to deal with the ghosts.
Admins should strictly decide result oriented: What impact does a rule infraction have on the outcome? Is it a minor issue or a major change of the course of events that is discussed?
Weapons lists are not needed. There is an existing GAW list for all of Gor.
Rules are further confusing in that the general guidelines for proper role behaviour are frequently included. That can be an attachment for new players, the main set of rules should give a condensed version of the difference of rules in THIS sim compared to general gorean rules.
What is BEHIND all that cheating and the major discussions and drama on gor?
The main reason are sim rules that demand certain times for roleplay IN a given sim as a result of capture roleplay: Captives are asked to remain in the sim for varying times and varying roleplay conditions.
A roleplayer who is ‘captured’ is usually and by rules of many gorean sims requested to stay. Since that reduces a roleplayers options to enjoy other possibilities of sl or sl Gor many roleplayers fight against that restriction viciously, and Sim Owners shoot back by including bans for several options of leaving a roleplay prematurely in their rules:
Bans do not enhance the value of roleplay! They only cause their own drama in threatening roleplayers into staying for unpleasant experiences: Not a good way to promote a sim, not a good way to promote gor, not a good way to promote sl. Bans are an instrument to exclude harmful acts from a sim, like griefing.
A set of Sim rules that leads to low on drama should therefore:
Be concise. Only rules that are out of the conventional rules on Gor belong there. Weapons that can be used other than those on the approved GAW list can be mentioned. Explanations on expectations about certain roles should be an attachment only.
No rules about behaviour that cannot be proven.
No consequences for premature teleporting out of a roleplay: A dedicated roleplayer will not tp out, a roleplayer who cannot live with these consequences will cause drama until the roleplay is ended. In most cases it will be advisable to end the roleplay before drama even begins. As a positive side effect this rule also avoids the need for personal limits that spam every gorean profile.
A roleplayer who frequently tp s out should however be aware that the partners in roleplay are disappointed and should avoid returning for a proper period. That can be expected and in all fairness: The sheer NUMBER of gorean sims allows for a roleplayer to visit a different sim every day without returning to a sim in less than a year. After tpeing out the roleplayer should be asked to not come back for a certain period.
Chapter one of every set of sim rules should be a short summary of the history and background of the environment for proper roleplay,
Chapter two differing rules for this specific sim,
Chapter three the names of Admins and mods to contact if in doubt.
More is less!
Summary
The reason for drama on a sim are the sim rules.
Good rules are concise, they focus on proper roleplay and on exceptions for a given sim, they are free from rules that can t be properly proven. A short note on differing rules from a gorean standard should be given.
Tpeing out of a given roleplay is allowed for without consequences anytime.
As for players, the reason for drama is missing consensuality: Keep it enjoyable for your partners in roleplay and you ll have FUN!
Larah
Now we have a new species of Predators on Lovers of Gor: Mambas. (see picture: a pregnant Taluna En and an Elder of the dangerous Mambas sneaking around each other in fierce warpose -> note their grim faces and narrowed eyes!)
can Mambas and Talunas coexist?...one assumption can safely be made though: BEWARE, wanderer of Gor! The dangers in the jungles are manifold!
Cathli&Larah
En of Sa Jerag in the Jungles of Gor
our Gor became livelier again after the holiday season and more mature with the new adult verification system enforced now.
It would be interesting to observe what happened, but the effects are not noticeable at all: the number of active avatars according to gorean meter stats did not decrease in comparison to last year.
Did our Gor become more mature?..no, I do not have the impression that drama reduced, and I don t have the impression that scouting or battling reduced, and I don t have the impression that the quality of roleplay improved: Either the teenager that Linden Lab removed from our Gor was just an inconspicuous plump and pimply couch potatoe and entirely intimidated, or – despite all suspicions – never existed.
I now tend to believe in the second option, adult verification just being another bureaucratic hurdle….politicians’ dreams…
According to Linden Labs economic data being published, second life users can be split into three groups: People who spend up to 500L a month, people who spend up to 50k a month and people who spend…erm…a LOT!...giggles! (despite extensive research I could not find the list of good looking millionaires, so I have to use a general statistic)
Comparing August (when the adult verification system was not implemented yet) and September, the number of avatars spending 500-50.000 L a month has roughly remained the same, the number 
of avatars spending less than 500L a month has risen 3%.
Despite these statistics, the impact of the adult verification system IS severe!!! Why so? Because rising unemployment or even the fear of less future income lets people stay at home more and Second Life should have profited, like other mass computer games have: The positive effects of the crisis for Second Life and the negative effects have been counterbalanced and Second Life did not grow with the market.
On our small Taluna scale we recently experienced some changes: Sisters of Hura and Sa Jerag battle less than we used to. Some of it is due to competing roleplay of our Chieftess that impeded some of her leading us into battle, some of it is due to our general inability in identifying new groups to roleplay with: We STILL have the tendency to roleplay with the same people every day until drama and less and less roleplay prevail.
Maybe its just due to the small number of opposing groups of appropriate size that prevents us finding a greater variety of roleplay partners: Let us look out for more roleplay with other groups on a small tribal scale! Our scout is already busy doing so, but it can be all of us! Talunas are huntresses, we are ALWAYS hungry for opportunities!
Back to our Microeconomics:To cover some of our maintenance fees for the sim, we also promote a growing series of bows that DO have superior properties. However, it needs patience and perseverance to set up a brand. We will succeed in time, and I thank you for your help.
back to our sim, the tier was due the 28th, special thanks to
isalia
bee
nessa
ladda
for your generous donation of 8380 L$...you help me so much, Sisters!
Thank you also to everyone who purchased items from my shops and to the shopowners who help us in maintaining our sim: Your contribution is 4810 L$ this month.
We are in your debt, and we thank you that you let us share our home and dreams with you on Lovers of Gor.
Cathli&Larah
1. They have a very low primmed design, made in and made for the jungles of Gor.
2. Our bows are unique in size and shape, made for girls, made by girls
3. The script is optimized for performance in high lag:
3.1 efficient, very short and effective programming, split into very short loops below a task linking umbrella script
3.2 Additional Ultra Low lag function that is reduced to fire and hit, to perform under the very worst conditions
4. Short range arrow with an arched hit vector to shoot behind foothills or other ground obstacles
5. The Short range arrow is shooting faster but speeds along its vector slightly slower than the long range arrow! Why? It gives the gorean meter script more time to confirm a successful hit: While arrows are only delayed 0.2 m in the 0.8 m avatar sculpt pipe of a running avatar the time to register is increased about 30%, thus giving you a large advantage as 
registering is vastly improved in laggy conditions and more arrows upon arrows are released in short range in rapid succession, even faster than in long range
6. you can choose 5 different soundsets, so your shots are audibly registering
7. reddish low range and blueish long range arrows indicate instantly if you use the right arrow for the individual combat situation
8. sculpted arrows carved from a sculpt large enough to give your shots a realistic impact but with an arrow – avatar size ratio as derived from a north American Indian museum to give your duels a maximized realistic experience.
9. delayed avatar pipe arrow rezzing and aim swapping at ultra short distances give you an edge even at melee fighting distances
10. the autofire self detect function takes the stress of pressing another button during combat away from you: Simply keep your mouse button pressed down and the bow auto-switches to the optimum fire rate within the gorean meter framework, a must- have for low range combative situations, where all your arrows hit
11. Scripted for Gorean Meter only. It reduces lag.
12. Mono compiled: Mono enables the sim server to summarize multiple scripts into one operation, thus reducing lag when masses of arrows fly: When you shoot a series of arrows you will see that the first arrow flies slightly different than the following ones: That’s one of the Effects of Mono that you witness.
Currently Version 2.31 will be replaced by Version 2.32 with latest fixes
have a look: Try it out!
Cathli&Larah
1. The problem1. The problem
oh YES! its an issue: Our Inventories start so innocently..there are some cute lil folders inside and our first skirt comes in a box, which we open and it puts a lil folder into our inventory with a landmark of the shop, a nice pic, the skirt itsself, a notecard how to fit it to our avatar and a notecard about other products the shop can offer.
that adds 6 items into our inventory, it’s a black mini skirt and it is called roxie’s.
We meet our first 5 people and each gives us a funny gesture and a freebie mini skirt too and an interesting lm for a nice place.
that adds 40 items to our inventory
Soon our inventory holds 10.000 items
That’s how it starts
now we want to wear our first mini skirt again: where was that cute lil thing?...grrr…we forgot…we type ‘mini’ in search…and Yvonne s mini- pull, a mini- car, a miniature and mini’s hair come up, but not our mini- skirt…
since we don t remember its name, we can t find it. Its gone, but it adds to the mess of our inventory, cause we can t find a thing anymore…a pity…cause we paid 200L for that lil roxie’s and it WAS a cute affair. So we tell our friends that sl ate it and grumbling we choose another.
Now lets get out of that mess. But how?
2. The mom- system
2.1 Introduction
We go by a proven model, well established and first implemented by MOM?...no its not an abbreviation, I mean your mom! grins! remember when she came up with these boxes and made you put your stuff in there?
Did you ever wonder why the number of boxes never really increased? Remember the cartons in the cellar? remember your little cousin wearing that dress that you wore once?
We go by that system. Its proven. And it works just as well in Second Life.
Remember those few folders we had at the beginning? Many items still go in there, magically and without sorting
Folders like
Clothes
Notecards
Scripts
Sounds
and so on
We leave these, for the beginning, later we address them again. Right now we start with the BIG moves, finetuning is for later.
2.2 Creating a structure
First we add to the mess and create folders
I give you my folder- structure, then you have an example to go by:
The messiest group of items is around apparel. So we start with that:
Larah
-----------casual
-----------current
-----------dancing
-----------lingerie
-----------Gorean
--------------------Freewoman
--------------------Taluna
--------------------Silks
----------------------------------black
----------------------------------white
----------------------------------others
--------------------Gorean objects
-----------Gowns
-----------Shoes
--------------------Shoes
--------------------Boots
-----------Hair
--------------------Long
----------------------------------Dark
----------------------------------Blond
--------------------Short
----------Skins
----------2007
----------2008
----------Weapons
--------------------Gorean
--------------------Others
-----------kinky
-----------Home
------------------furnies
------------------plants
------------------transport
------------------drapes
-----------Gadgets
------------------jewelry
------------------attachments
------------------party
The rule is that NOTHING that is not sorted in the general folders like pics, textures or objects is allowed to go into the general inventory.
2.2.1 The secret weapon for speed: Special purpose folder
There is a special folder in it: its called ‘current’
I put EVERYTHING I mostly wear into that folder, including ao, hair, huds, skin, shape
The trick of that folder is, that if I ever need to dress in a hurry, I can simply push that folder from the inventory onto my avatar with the mouse, and EVERYTHING I usually need is retrieved, including ao, huds, hair , jewelry, with only one click
2.3 Keeping it dynamic
From today on you sort every item that does not vanish in a folder into this structure. So you stopped further messing
Then we create another folder, we call it the current date:
Larah 09/09
First we shovel every folder in the inventory into the one with the date, but leave the original type specific ones, like scripts, landmarks, friends
Now our inventory if you close all the folders is really short:
it has the type oriented folders, and the folder Larah
that’s all
Now the laborious task begins when we sort every folder or item from the folder Larah 09/09 into the Larah structure. It needs time, but its funny cause you suddenly find things you thought were gone and you become aware what you own. Saves you a lot of shopping!
3. Sorting procedure
Sometimes it needs a bit of pondering where an object belongs to. I give you a few examples:
First I name the item, then the folder
jeans - casual
flower tattoo – Taluna
thigh high boots – shoes - boots
realistic nipples – kinky
polar bear fur – Home- furnies
red rose – Home- plants (except gifts, see below)
red rose worn in hair – Gadgets - jewelry
silver mini dress – dancing
Ladder 10m long – weapons- Gorean
barrel of paga Gorean –Gorean objects
leather canoe – Home – transport
dancing cow – Gadgets - Party
3.1 tricks
Now you ll moan and tell me that sorting needs AGES?
here is another trick:
You name every folder and every object you get with the correct folder name you want to put it in
later you simply type ‘folder name’ in the search line and shove all the objects that are called ‘folder name’ into the ‘folder name’ folder. That speedens the sorting up
For that reason my roxie is now called roxie black mini casual, because that’s where it is located, but I made it a bit more descriptive too: What the hell is roxie??? now if I want to wear a mini, I look into casual, see the black roxie mini and wear it. simple. I know where it is and I know what it is
4. Inventory vacuum cleaner- dynamic inventory management
The folder Larah 09/09 now empties itself. items that are doubly in will be deleted, items that you really don t need much are simple left in there.
at the 1st of October you create another folder: Larah 09/10
now and then you shovel all unsorted folders and items in there.
but you have a folder more in your inventory
After 3 months that’s 3 folders with a timestamp on them. Every item you needed these past 3 months is not in them anymore, but well sorted into the folder structure. The remainder was simply unused for 3 months? That’s a reason to delete the folder!!! you need not be brave, delete it. Your inventory keeps it for you in the trash bin, its not gone
The trash bin is a wonderful thing. You do not empty it frequently, everything you deleted is still there and can be retrieved. That soothes the nerves. However after a while you noticed you never retrieved anything?
yeah, empty the trash bin
Now we have a good inventory structure for apparel. The bulk of the work is done.
And we solved another problem: We all mess each other up! We get sent unwanted freebies, we set out prims and retrieve them again (it copies!), we take part in snowball- systems like ‘I pinch you’, we are victims of notecard and landmark- givers if we accidentally accept. All these are automatically gone as time moves on and they step by step vanish into our trash bin since we did not sort them in. They come and go, and we are never messed up anymore.
5. Standard second life folders
5.1 Landmarks
Here we just make a folder III/09
Whenever you actually USE a landmark, you push it in there. Places can always be found by ‘search’ its not a risk at all. So after a week you simply delete ALL the landmarks, the essential ones are in the folder III/09 which is a subfolder in the landmark folder. Since you get constantly spammed with landmarks, they all land in the landmark folder. If you get a landmark and use it first time, do not sort it in. If you use it twice, move it over into III/09
The remainder gets emptied now and then into the trash bin. In time you make yourself a folder IV/09 and emtpy the folder III/09 into the general landmark- folder. Landmarks you use, are transferred to IV/09, the rest will eventually be deleted. That way you have a folder of about 100 landmarks that you need.
5.2 Notecards
Here the structure is really simple
You create special interest folders, for me that is a Sa Jerag Folder for example and I have a Folder for each friend and I have a folder called ‘my folder’
if a notecard is called ‘New Note’ it’s a reason to delete it. If you really intended to keep it you would have named it. So we start with deleting all New Notes, and while we are currently happily deleting away we also delete all the objects called ‘Object’ and every item called ‘Demo’ and all the scripts called ‘New Script’
However, Notecards, pictures and textures are your own personal history book. Deleting is not really an option. But you are also happily sent items all the time, someone you barely know sends you 10 pics of himself…it would be rude to decline them. So you accept them but do not put them into your inventory after you looked at them and instead press delete. Some are from good friends. I put these into a folder called ‘People I know’. However, as I mentioned before, I have folders for very good friends. In the Notecards folder. I put their pics in there too.
Since your pictures are your history you have no option but to name them all. Deleting pictures is mostly no option. So you name them, else you never find a thing. Mostly it will be pics with people, they should appear in the name.
Usually you get 5 items per hour into your inventory while you are online. Naming and filing them away needs about 10 seconds each, its not much time.
5.3 special interests
Now each of us has special interests, of course a builder will have a good structure in objects and sculpts and textures.
For me that is my tribe and I have a deeply sorted Folder and Sub- Folder system for Sa jerag.
Most of what I create are notecards. These are all named and filed away in 'my folder'.
I also script: Scripts and objects that belong to the scripts are filed away in folders that are named as the project and are all in another folder that I call 'business' cause most of the scripts I make are for sale.
5.3.1 soft spots
Most of us have our soft spots too. Items that are entirely useless but you simply CAN T delete them. If you are one of those, you create a folder for your soft spot. I can t delete roses, for example: I CAN T!!!!!!!
So when I get the umpenth ‘red rose’ I rename it, red rose from X and put it into my folder: flowers n such
For that same reason however I rename a poem someone sends me into ‘poem from X flower’
then it goes into the flowers folder too, also the teddy bears, the pink hearts. But not the wedding invitation: It stays in the folder Larah 09/09, cause it lost its purpose, once the wedding is over :)
Its easy, but it means a lot if you meet someone after months and you can quote from a poem that person sent you. It proves you cared for the poem. If someone makes a poem or a dance for you it’s a wonderful gift. Obviously you need to be able to retrieve it in a matter of seconds.
5.3.2 Newbie folder
Of course you can make a yard sale now and then. You get some return on stuff that you purchased, and you remove objects from your inventory. However usually it’s a waste of time: You can achieve a max of 10% of the original price and items that are really only junk won t ever get sold and eventually end up in your inventory again.
copy and transfer items won t ever leave your inventory at all. That applies for no- transfer items too.
The quality of products rises in time, hair and skins become realistic, shoes are now usually sculpted including the foot to make for a better fit.
But by purchasing an item because of a general step up in quality the other is not entirely outdated. It can still be worn.
Put items that you deem useful for someone who has nothing into a newbie folder. Put your name on it, give it a structure, name what you put in there appropriately and pass it on as a folder, to not mess up THEIR inventory. And make it fit together. If you are usually on gor it should have at least one complete outfit including hair and shoes.
Don t restrict it to dress or huds, put notes into it as well, like low lag setting procedures, like basic scripts that have a multi-purpose use, landmarks of general interest, or even this note *winks*
From now on, by simply passing the appropriate folder on you can help someone along without messing them up. Since its structured, you set an example how its done and make it easily accessible, adding value by doing so. Give it your name: People who have similar interests always meet again. Since you put your name on it, you may be rewarded with a smile :)
6. Tips n tricks
6.1 A motivator
Starting active inventory management is a major project: Set yourself a goal! Once my inventory had more than 20.000 items I defined 18.000 as my magic barrier. I went through my inventory again and again until I finally got it down to 18.000. Most of it is done by deleting copies of course.
Now I m up again to 19.000. Hmmm…time to sort my inventory. However I do not delete my notes, or friendlist- cards and I do not delete scripts I made: How can I get down to 18k again? Now I do not only get stuff I don t ever want to delete anymore, I also get stuff that outdates. Non- flexi hair for example. The keyword ‘Jeans’ comes up with 20 pairs, I wear only two of these...weapons for meters that do not exist anymore…and so on…
6.2 time management
But we NEVER have time for that!!!!! shhhhh…hugs you...10 min a day…that’s all you need to sort 360 objects a day. More than you get. Give your inventory 10 min a day and you ll always be the winner. If you want to get it done in a single day you would despair.
6.3 Elaborate your system
In time you ll find out that a folder advances to more than 50 subfolders. You re in danger of losing your grip on that folder then: split it up, create subfolders!
6.3.1 Create personal huds and attachments
If you love dancing as much as I do, you buy dances. These all go into the ‘Animations’ folder of your inventory. You put the dances you like into a dances- folder. But you need them all the time since you dance a lot, so its better if you create yourself a little prim with a funny dancer on it, script yourself a menu and put all your dances in there. Then if you want to dance you click on that prim and select one of your dances with your menu. If you can t script, take an existing hud and put them in there. If you can afford it, buy a dance hud and keep your dances there and share them with friends. Now you have a dance hud instead of 40 dances! and they re all there.
You think that may be too laggy? If that is the case because you are also fighting a lot, put the dance hud into another Special purpose folder (see 2.2.1), together with your favourite skin, shape, hair, and dancing dress.
6.3.2 Create a warehouse object
Sometimes you may want to share things. How about if you build yourself a little library, if it’s textured nicely its only one prim. Put it into your home or office, put a library script in and let everyone use your library too. You keep a copy of that library in your inventory. Now instead of a mulititude of notecards, you have a library. Looks good, works perfectly, is nice to have, well sorted and reduces the number of items in your inventory.
Create picture books! If you had a wonderful period you want to keep, make yourself a book, put your pics in. Then you have them all well sorted in one object that you can share with friends.
Cath and me made a picture book of our first island. I look at it now and then and remember wonderful times.
7. Summary
If you look at your expenses in second life, a considerable chunk of them appears as inventory. It’s a WEALTH. Without proper management your investments are partly wasted as you do not have easy access of your purchases. However the tools to access it are in our hands. It’s a fair guess that an unmanaged inventory swallows about 30% of your investments as you are unable to retrieve them again in time. Or you simply forgot that you own them and purchase a similar item instead of using what you have. Next time you purchase an item that costs 1000L, you either file it away or it costs you 1300L, because chances are high that you won t find it again in 6 months time: Inventory management PAYS!
Getting the process of a dynamic inventory management going is an investment in time. However by a rapid access to all your items you get that time back doubly: Whenever you search for an item that is not properly filed away, you waste time. Whenever you need to wear an item to know what it is, you just prove your filing system does not yet fully work: With a good inventory management you KNOW what the item is without trying it on or out.
Larah ©
