Guide

 This page is a guide for new residents to Alternate Metaverse Grid who have migrated from Second Life.

It explains differences between the SL and OpenSim to make transitioning easier.

Guide to OpenSim from Second Life Immigrants 0n AMV  Grid By Cataplexia Numbers Updated August 2024

PLEASE ASK IN THE HELP & SUPPORT GROUP FOR ANYTHING YOU NEED BEFORE CONTACTING GRID OWNERS
WE are swamped with questions like where can i get good makeup that hundreds of others can answer!

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HYPERGRID SHOPPING AND EVENTS

There is a website all should join called OpenSim World. This very important website lists stores, available housing and entertainment events from all of the grids in OpenSim. Please make sure that if YOU open a place or event that YOU want others to visit, to get a beacon for your region from OSW for yourself (Instructions Below). Heres the address:  https://opensimworld.com
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BEACONS - ADDING AN OPENSIM WORLD BEACON
 
  OpenSim world provides an online directory of regions including shopping, entertainment events, art and so much more! It can bring people to your region from all over the OpenSim virtual worlds! Here are simple directions on how to place an Opensim World Beacon on YOU land.

First build your region to the point of completion before placing your beacon.

 Travel to this area to get your beacon by placing it in the "find" section of your map- using anyone else's may result in people being rerouted to their region so start with your fresh new one.

Get the latest versions of the free OpenSimWorld Beacon and HUD. You can find a live demo of the teleporter and get the full perm tools package, which contains our Beacon and HUD.
 Place beacon at your MAIN landing. Be sure this landing point is not only set in about land/options, but also be sure there are TPs to navigate to other features on your land.

Next, on the web
Go to openSim World's website and use the arrow to your right to navigate to regions.
https://opensimworld.com/
go to "regions" on Opensim world,
https://opensimworld.com/dir

Then add YOUR region by clicking the button and pasting the key in. I recommend you check your beacon before events and be sure its online.
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OMG WHERE WAS I - FORGOT TO TAKE A LANDMARK

If you wish to return somewhere you have visited and forgot to take a landmark, Press alt+H to access your  travel history!

I do recommend you always grab a landmark when traveling- you know someone is going to ask where did you get those shoes! Just hand them the LM!
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PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES IN SL Vs OPENSIM

The PHYSICAL difference between OpenSim and SL
SL is like one closed world on its own...thats the way "closed grids" are, very few of them exist. in OpenSim, we are more like a big extended universe with many worlds like islands in a big river that you can hop to. In sl you hop via landmarks, hyperlinks, search etc -  here you do also but you can hop within and WITHOUT your home grid, sometimes without knowing.
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GOD MODE ACCESS

You must first be on a region that PERMITS you to use god powers.
 To Access god mode, bring up your advanced menu, then scroll to the bottom and select the Developer Menu, Again scroll to the bottom and Request admin Status- That is "God Mode". If you are using it to make a box full perm, and items inside, rez and fill the box, select it in edit and go to Admin menu - Object -Force owner permissions- then in edit make it full perm. It may also be used to claim ownership that another avatar rezzed like your av from another grid by selecting object/force owner to me. If you would like God Mode powers added to your region, jut ask! There is a 5$ monthly USD fee for putting god mode on any region. You MAY include your Estaste Management people at no extra cost once you have your regional god powers. We also provide a No God Mode Feature to land owners available on request, see our Land tab for more info.
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GRID ADDRESSES

Each OpenSim Grid or "Hypergrid" has its own unique address. It is the one in your browser that got you here. Firestorm has most established grids listed but sometimes if a grid is not on their list you may need to add it yourself. Visitors to your home grid will have an extended tag with the address of their home grid attached to the end of it. This is the same address used to Hop or Hypergrid to their. Try placing one in your map's "find" section and you will likely find that grid and be able to use the map to hop to there.  My grid, Alternate Metaverse has a grid address of ..   http://alternatemetaverse.com:8002:  so the hop address is the same without the http://...   alternatemetaverse.com:8002:
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DATABASE ISSUES- STUFF THAT WONT REZ

When you go out power shopping, try waiting 5 minutes before returning to your home grid. This allows the visited places asset server time to transfer items from their database to ours - making it less likely to lost those assets.

If you do have difficulties, try revisiting that grid, it may give our grid a window to catch their assets up in our database and fix the issues.

If a grid LOSES its database completely, we may never regain use of assets from that grid

If a grid closes or moves, we may lose some or all of the items from that grid.

Try going to Moda Plaza here in AMV to find things, Tyler keeps a good stock of most HG items.

If the missing asset is something you really need, try asking in our help and support group and see if anyone else may have a copy of the item.

If you bought something on THIS grid, and it will not rezz and is telling you there is a database issue, it may have been brought in from a grid that is now closed, Try getting the item again and see if it rezzes, if not, it may be this issue which is not recoverable.
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PARTNERING on AMV

On this grid we have a kiosk in a little build we call Chapel Of Love
Its free and both parties must attend
To De-Partner is also free, only one must attend
The Chapel of Love is located on our AMV Town Hall Region.

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YOUR SUITCASE - Your Passport in OpenSim

In SL there is no Off Grid Travel, so therefore, no suitcase.A suitcase is a special feature MOST of us use in OpenSim virtual world grids. It acts as a buffer as you travel grid to grid throughout the Hypergrid. Loading your Suitcase only and not your entire inventory. It allows you to travel lightly as long as you CLEAN IT OUT REGULARLY- I suggest weekly or after any big shopping trip.. and will greatly reduce your chances of crashing and not properly rezzing correctly, or seeing objects on other grids properly rez.

With the use of YEngine and Yeti, it seems that the grids of Opensim have become much more sensitive to full suitcases. They may even cause you to experience region crossing problems, lag and TP problems within the grid so please, Keep your suitcase clean!  

LOCATING YOUR SUITCASE
It is listed in you main inventory where folders such as Landmarks, Objects, textures, trash etc. are found, and yet has its own subcategory of all those folders itself.

With some browsers, you may need to to this to find your suitcase and access it if you don't see it right away. Go to Inventory- at the top you will see 2 sets of tabs. The first set says "Inventory - Create - Sort - Search" then you see a line where you may type the name of an item to search for. Below that line is te SECOND set of tabs "Collapse & Expand" then the word Filter followed by a drop down menu, Open THAT menu and select "ALL TYPES" - once you select this, your suitcase should now show in regular inventory.

WHAT DOES A SUITCASE HOLD
A suitcase holds everything you pick up along the hypergrid shopping, collecting etc. Even landmarks textures and objects have their own folder in the suitcase, and items that you buy from boxes usually get their own folder just like the regular inventory does on your home grid. When you return to your home grid you may look in your suitcase to see what you brought home and have access to it all..

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR SUITCASE
You will want your suitcase to be clean and light. Remember this will greatly effect your hypergrid travels. Here is my suggestion go to your main inventory and create a folder called Stuff from my suitcase and date the folder so you know when you did the shopping and cut paste all objects and all folders from stores into this folder. I recommend you do this each time you power shop, or weekly as a routine.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO TRAVEL WITHOUT A SUITCASE
Some grids do not have a suitcase for their OpenSim travels and after years of observation I can say their travels can be so laggy that they can bring a grid to a standstill while that grids asset server loads the entire inventory.

OH NO I CANT FIND MY SUITCASE!
You're not crazy if you've searched every folder, and it looks like your My Suitcase folder has disappeared. Here's how to get it back in Firestorm viewer:
Click on Inventory and then click on the top drop down titled "All Types".
Select Custom at the bottom of the menu.
Check mark the "Always show folders" option. (You should immediately see your "My Suitcase" reappear in your inventory.)
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TELEPORTING ISSUES

While Hypergridding the most common issues include:

- Losing contact in chat - Receiving Bust messages mid conversation- This happens very often but will be resolved when you are back at your home grid
- Error Issues such as "cannot connect to grid- you are denied access),Location Unknown blasters, Unable to verify your avatar Etc.
- Sometimes being unable to buy or save objects

In OpenSim every grid has different coding, servers, engines etc. This can cause a very wide array of issues, don't let them get you down too much, the benefits of Opensim will ALWAYS outweigh the errors!  :DDD

Sometimes issues are caused by your connection.
Wifi and Slow connections cause Lag, Inability to TP, Packet Loss etc. Even if your Wifi is FAST - Chances are that it cannot load content even close to the speed of a wired connection, therefore you will exist in a world of half rezzed people, objects and graphics.(teeth syndrome)

On Grid issues can often be resolved by relogging. If it persists clear cache MANUALLY- not via prefs. but in your web folders- see entry below- Clearing Cache Two Ways.

Sometimes, you are just ridin dirty!
Your Suitcase, Cache and /or DNS may need a little bit of cleanup!
Use of a cheap VPN has been known to cause these issues as well.

Things you can do to help yourself out of the dirty sinkhole:
Please Read Clearing Cache & Flushing DNS
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CLEARING CACHE - TWO WAYS TO DO THIS!

VIA YOUR VIEWER
- Clear your Cache Weekly- and remember it takes time to re-cache items     avatar/preferences/network/clear browser cache

MANUALLY VIA HARD DRIVE
- To MANUALLY clear Cache...not the same! you must go to your hard drive folder and MANUALLY remove everything in it, even sub folders... but GO OFFLINE first!!
  BEFORE going off go to  avatar/preferences/network/Directories Tab/Cache location/open
  Then log off and clean out that folder COMPLETELY!- Hopefully this fixes everything!
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FLUSHING DNS  
- Flushing DNS - For Log In, Presence & TP Issues. On Windows PC Open a dos prompt with admin priveleges (Right click select Open As Admin). Once the window opens type in

ipconfig /flushdns

Hit ENTER once successfully flush it will tell you, then close it
Detailed instructions for other systems here :
https://phoenixnap.com/kb/how-to-flush-dns-cache
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PASSWORD ISSUES

If you need to reset your password try logging in by email and hitting "Reset Password" It will be mailed to the address you used to log in. It is important to let the grid owners know if you need to  change your email address. Your password for the website is always the same as your viewer.
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CURRENCY - GloeBits & Paypal

There is no currency used in Alternate Metaverse which is provided by, owned by, or run by the grid.

We do however have outside sources that are connected all over the hypergrid such as Gloebits and the use of Paypal Tip Jars

Gloebits Currency
We do provide coding on our grid, so that you may use The OUTSIDE SOURCE of Gloebits to make transactions, give tips or donations or shop sales. Gloebits is used and recognized as a private outside resource for currency throughout the Hypergid. You must sign up for an account to use this currency by visiting their website listed below. As you travel the hypergrid, places you purchase items at or tips you may give will activate a ONE TIME Prompt for each grid to access your Gloebits account. This way you do not need more than one account. A tip jar placed on a region that is scripted for Gloebits will collect Gloebits currency, the same goes for any in store purchases on Gloebits enabled regions. Gloebits is the company who's code we use here but please be aware that we have have no ownership, management, claim or any other connections with this business.

You MUST have a Gloebits account or it will not work!

If they have a situation where Gloebits website goes down, you may need to re-Authorize your account
Any problems with your Gloebits transactions need to be directed to THEIR management team for customer support. Their website is located at https://www.gloebit.com/

Paypal Currency
There are PayPal tip jars and donation boxes available in OpenSim on Kitely Market via Kayaker Magic.
Here is the web address to purchase one- https://www.kitely.com/market/product/5478333/PayPal-Donate-Box
 
These can be used for many purchases, payments, tips or donations on this grid, however this again is not a company that we own, manage or provide. If you have difficulty with the items (boxes) please contact Kayaker Magic himself. if you have difficulty with the cash transaction aspect. you may need to contact PayPal's customer support team st the following address:  https://www.paypal.com/smarthelp/home
 
 *** As we have no access to these two companies it is imperative that you contact them directly with customer service issues

RESTARTING YOUR REGION

According to your viewer it may say that you can restart your land from the viewer - PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS - It only actually works when you restart from the website!

HOW TO RESTART - ONLY restart your region from the website!

- Go to our website at https://alternatemetaverse.com and log into your account

- Once logged in you can access your profile, scroll down to the bottom of your profile and you will see a list of regions that you own

- Click to stop The Region you wish to restart, then restart it. It will take up to a few minutes, do not keep clicking! If you feel you need to do this more then once in a day, something may be wrong on the region and you should contact management.
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GETTING COPIES OF YOUR OAR FILES

We are all about wanting you to feel and BE safe and secure! Many of us have lost land elsewhere on other grids and that in mind, we feel its important for you to be able to copy your OAR files, which are a snapshot in 3D of your land.
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HOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR OAR

- Go to our website at https://alternatemetaverse.com and log into your account

- Once logged in you can access the OAR section which will show all the land you own

- Simply select the oar file you want and download it to your hard drive for safe keeping

*** Please note that items not created by you that are not full perm may not load! Using your God Mode tools you can change permissions in order to save your OAR.

*** If you have other residents living on your land, please let them know that their items are subject to being copied in your OAR files at the time of rental

*** The Grid is NOT responsible for items that did not copy into your OAR files. It is recommended that you keep additional copies of builds in your avatar inventory as well, and check perms on your land. Ideally, items should have next owner perms as Copy/Mod/Transfer but NOT allow others to take a copy if that is of concern to you.
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REGION ROLLBACKS

Rollbacks of regions can be done if your region is somehow missing items or in a state of disarray.  Please contact grid management if this becomes a necessity and you are uncomfortable doing it on your own.

To "Self" Rollback your region, log into the website and select your profile tab. A list of your regions will appear. Find the region that needs the rollback and select "rollback". Select a file from the list with a date you wish to roll back to. The date should be far back enough to be BEFORE the region dame was done.

*** Going back TOO Far may cause you to lose any builds or sim additions that happened after the date on the rollback file. if possible take copies of any new builds or additions BEFORE starting the rollback
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NOTICES
Posting Notices on Alternate Metaverse Grid

a) Be sure you have perms in all the groups you want to post in. If not, ask the group owner or any admin.

b) Make sure you read the rules at the rules at the top of the group, some say 1 notice per event, some say NO notices at all...Event staff is to adhere to these rules just like anyone else. One Hard Copy Notice and One IM per event is sufficient.

c) One notice per event does not limit those with a long event such as a festival or several DJs or Live performers at one club...Example Winterfest, New Club opening etc.

d) Those owning their own club group of course may post whatever they like as much as they like but should be aware that spamming too much causes people to leave a group.

e) We do not allow people on this grid to post events that are on other grids UNLESS it is in their OWN personal group. It is proper etiquette not to do that over performances going on here, but not a hard & fast law.

f) Admin, managers and event staff should not be posting notices for private clubs, only for grid sponsored events such as Cat & Cliffs clubs, festivals run by the grid etc.

g) My personal rule of thumb for grid sponsored events is this: Post one notice in the morning that is an early notice of happenings on the grid that day. (This is not always done but is when there are major festivals etc happening)  After that, post one notice (hard copy) per performer or happening about 45 minutes before the actual event is due to happen. Post the follow up IM for that event about 30-40 minutes before the event takes place.

h) If you send notices on a full region it causes lag and sometimes they wont send. Go to an empty region to send notices. Sending notices from a Wifi Connection is NOT recommended and can cause many issues.

 I) Send "Hard Copy" notices first then wait awhile before sending the IM ones- IM ones will not send at all until your notices go thru

J) If you know you have perms in a group but the notice wont send try it while wearing that groups tag - If it still doesn't work try clearing cache and relogging

k) The hypergrid is highly unreliable with notices going out to other grids, it may or may not reach them. Try dropping a notecard on the profile of those you really want to reach and bring to the event.

l) All clubs and places such as movie theaters, beaches that hold events etc SHOULD get a beacon on OpenSim World and post a notice in their events section as well if they wish to see hypergridders come to their events, you must create a page there AND have an active beacon to do this. You may post an hour long "Happy Hour" on your page once daily....occasionally you can squeak by with two a day. This brings many more to your event.
*****SEE WIFI BELOW*****
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WIFI IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD

*** Wifi will often...not always...get you INTO the virtual world, But is not built to handle the virtual world and large texture caches etc. Having a Wifi connection can cause you to not be able to do many things! Look at this list and consider getting hard wired!

- Wifi Causes packet loss to you and sometimes even those around you
- Can cause crashes & TP issues to you AND those around you
- Wifi Is not equipped to handle all the textures and inventory in the virtual world!
- Can cause issues with many in world features such as groups, notices and inventory
- Can cause your avatar and your region to freeze and become incapacitated
- Can cause presence issues on your friends list and inability to properly communicate
- Connections fluctuate and are usually poor
- Other users in your area can cause poorer or less secure connections
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ACCESSING STREAMS ON REGIONS

OpenSim can be a bit tricky with some land settings, one of the reasons why we allow god mode, when all else fails, try accessing land in God Mode...see above for how to god mode....
Stream access is particularly bad in opensim you may have to if using stream directly on land, deed the land and invite all into the group that will need stream access, make sure that their role allows access and that they wear their tag when adding their URL.

If using a shoutcast radio board, deed the BOARD, not the land to that group, then follow the same rules, all who will access via the radio must wear that group tag. They also much have a card inside the radio to be able to do this.

If you are using f=Firestorm and not used to changing streams you have to paste in the stream under "about land/sound/music URL then press the PLUS SIGN, The Stream will revert back to what it was but the new one is now in your drop down stream list, find it and click it and it will be set!
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GRIDWIDE TELEHUB @ AMV Real Estate

Free Advertizing for your regions, clubs and places to explore, and an easy directory for travelers to the places listed!

Each person who wishes to have their region on our HUB can add a picture, LM and optional notecard describing their region as well as a gift. ALL Items you add MUST be Full Perm
TP to AMV Real Estate. Find a category which your region fits into, if there are several you may put one in each category -  that it fits up to FIVE.  Of course there is no limit to the amount of venues or regions you may post.Read and follow the instructions @ alternatemetaverse.com:8002:AMV Real Estate

Each space defaults to TWO MONTHS. You will have to renew it every 2 months. This helps to weed out abandoned posts.
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YOUR AVATAR BODY - MESH & BOM

There are various bodies and heads available, deciding which to use can be a bit confusing. Starting out there are two simple choices, Anthena5 with a Bento mesh head, or Decadence HG Bom with a Bom head. Be aware not every grid supports Bom.
 I recommend setting up both of these bodies so you have something stable to fall back on if you decide to experiment with others.

The Anthena6 Bom is not a good idea to try until you have a lot more experience in here and have attended a few BOM classes.
 
 When shopping for the body and head grab some skin and shape packs.
 The Anthena 5 uses an alpha layer and is similar to the Maitrea body in shape. It has the widest range of clothes available. Wear the body, add the alpha layer, add a Bento mesh head and select a shape and skin. With some heads you may need to add the rigged mesh eyes.

 The Decadence HG Bom is a curvier shape and doesn't have quite as many clothes available, but there is still a wide range if you know where to shop. Setting up is fairly simple, wear the body then add a suitable BOM mesh head (remember to remove any other head). Apply lipstick and any other make-up (usually supplied with the head) ,  pick a skin and shape and you're set .

You may need to create a new aloha that is Eyes Only on some of the newer BOM bodies, do this by Inventory/Create new/alpha...edit the alpha by right clicking/edit/select the body part...in this case eyes and place a clear transparent texture in the window. Wear this alpha for your new BoM Body & Head

***Always keep at least two backups of your BoM Body- They tend to get messed up on occasion and changing to a fresh copy is always the best bet. Keeping one extra copy in your suitcase will insure that it travels with you throughout the hypergrid.