Starting in Second Life 2: Installing the Firestorm Viewer

Previously:

• Starting in Second Life 1: Creating an Account

Now that you have established your account, there needs to be some installed software to interact in the Second Life world.  For this, I'm demonstrating the Firestorm Viewer.

On the Firestorm Viewer home page, select "Download."

When offered a choice between Second Life and any other setup, select "Second Life."

There are three platform choices.  These tutorials will be for Firestorm operation on Windows (selection shown).

This demonstrated download is with Microsoft Edge.  I have not seen any problems the warnng might be about.  The release of Firestorm is not digitally signed, and that can lead to warnings that have to be worked-around.  That didn't happen here. I selected the download customized for 64-bit operation.  That should be done unless an older machine that only runs 32-bit code is being used.

Once the download completes successfully and you are ready to install Firestorm, find the download in your Downloads folder (here in an English-language installation of Windows):

Double-click on the setup file and the installer will begin operation.  Give any necessary permission to allow the installer to run.

When invited to select the language of installer (and Firestorm) messages, you can accept the offered default or choose from among the available selections.  Even though the Firestorm User Interface is internationalized, that does not extend to notices and communications with other players. In this tutorial, English is used for everything. 

There are translators that work in the local chat and elsewhere though. We'll get into that later.

After you choose whether or not to have an entry in your Start menu, installation will proceed.

If you are asked whether Firestorm should be your default handler for virtual world protocols, select No.

You can carry out the first run of Firestorm immediately or later.  Either way, there is a little more setup to accomplish.

Continuation:

• 3: Firestorm First-Run and Player Welcome
• 4: Movement -- Jump Down, Turnaround, Fly Away Home
• 5: THROWN OFF THE ISLAND?  Getting Back Anywhere. Mostly.
• 6: Howdy Stranger! Getting Chatty
• 7: Friends? I Hardly Know You!
• 8: And Now for an Important Message from ...
• 9: And Now for an Important Message from ...
• 10: At the Crossroads - Expanding Your Reach - Take a Breath

Last updated 2022-12-09

Starting in Second Life 1: Creating An Account

 Second Life is free to play and there are many activities that do not require any in-game (or Marketplace) purchases.

Establishment of a Second Life account is easy.  (Click small images for larger view.)

The Second Life home page varies from time-to-time.  However it is presented to you, click Sign-up (shown) or Join Now.

The Username must not duplicate any already-registered Username.  Second Life will verify that you have chosen an available name.  This name will identify your account and also be the most direct way for friends to find you in the directory of players.  If an existing player has suggested that you join up in Second Life, this is the name you should provide them so they can find and connect to you inside the game.

Note: You can give your in-game avatar a different nickname that may be more to your liking.  Your avatar name does not have to be unique.  This also simplifies selection of a desirable account name.  Have the account name be relatively short and easy to use.  It is not easy to change.

Later: You will have the option to opt-out of being found in the directory of players and you'll also control the degree of your in-world visibility to those who are in your list of friends.

Employ a unique, non-memorable password that you keep in a safe place.  Apply good password safety and privacy practices.  You won't need to enter it very often.

The email address you supply will be verified.  You must be able to receive emails from Second Life at that email.  Tip: Having s separate gamer email address, such as my gmail one, is also helpful depending on the degree of privacy you want between your virtual/gamer life and other use of email addresses.  

If you are an adult, supply a birthdate that has an adult age now.  My standard gamer birthdate is used in the example.  Under-age players are not permitted in Adult-tagged locations.  Note: Even when an adult, there is a time-period in which new players are not allowed in Adult-tagged locations.  

For this tyronube tutorial account, I attempted to specify "Oz" as my birthplace.  You can see that I had to choose an alternative. 

Check the appropriate boxes and click "Choose Starting Avatar."

There is a variety of pre-configured and clothed avatars available for initial selection.  This is a starter and different ones can be chosen later, including from in-world shops.  You can keep them all along with multiple outfits as desired.  

You will be able to use one particular avatar and outfit at a time. You can also tailor an avatar's physical appearance, hair, tattoos, and other niceties.  Switching among pre-configured combinations can be done at almost any time, and always relatively quickly. 

For this tutorial I chose the first one available on the current list of starter avatars.  Within the game, there is much more variety available whenever you are interested in digging into it.

Once you make an avatar selection you are poised to create your account.

Complete the check boxes and then click "Create My Account."

There are three levels of membership.  It is best to select the free Basic plan.  Different plans can be selected later once you know how involved you want to be in the game.  There are many players for whom Basic is all they want.

ONE LAST CHOICE.  You can download the client that Second Life distributes.  However, I no longer use that client and further tutorials will be based on usage of the Firestorm Viewer.  This is a decision that I can't make for you.  

When I recommend the Second Life world to my friends, I recommend they only install the Firestorm Viewer so that I know what they are looking at and I can help them with it.  

There is no penalty for not downloading the Second Life installer.  Just close the Welcome window and we'll set you up with Firestorm.  You can always come back for it later if you change your mind.

Note: Since Second Life operates in the cloud, you could install both viewers and choose among them.  It is more satisfying to stick with a single one once you find the one that is most natural for you.  While your single account will work either way, there are some activities, such as chat histories, that are held in your local viewer storage and won't be shared between different viewers.

Onward ...

Continuation

• 2: Installing the Firestorm Viewer
• 3: Firestorm First-Run and Player Welcome
• 4: Movement -- Jump Down, Turnaround, Fly Away Home
• 5: THROWN OFF THE ISLAND? Getting Back Anywhere. Mostly.
• 6: Howdy Stranger! Getting Chatty
• 7: Friends? I Hardly Know You!
• 8: And Now for an Important Message from ...
• 9: Managing Connections
• 10: At the Crossroads - Expanding Your Reach - Take a Breath

Last updated 2022-12-09

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