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Tinies for Biggies--What are Tinies? Tags: tinies dwagon dwagons tiny dinkie wee

 

Bryster Shan, Snoots Dwagon and One Elefuntay

(right click for larger photo)

TINIES for BIGGIES
You ever wonder what a tiny is?  What about a Dinkie or a Wee?  Here's what.

TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Tiny, Dinkie, Wee and Teenies are terms used for small avatars in virtual worlds, usually thigh-high or smaller.

Tinies were originally invented by Wynx Whiplash and Kage Seraph. Since that time, many other creators have emerged on the scene. 

Tinies are made from distorting normal avatars (bending arms and legs at 180 degrees, folding the body upon itself) and covering the result with prims.

A typical concept of tinies is "cute overload"... the cuter, the better.  Their primary disadvantage is that because of their special shape and size they can't use most normal animations and furniture.  The fix:  there is a ton of tiny-specific items created by tiny builders and merchants. Several tons.

Dinkies came later when creator Etheria Parrott figured out a way to mesh-shrink bodies smaller than normal.  In general Dinkies are a bit smaller than Tinies.  The advantage of Dinkies is that they can use most animations and furniture intended for full-size avatars, items that tinies can't use.  The downside is they aren't compatible with the huge available assortment of tiny-animated gear.  These days many items are being created to automatically adapt to tinies and dinkies both.

Wees refers to all classifications of tiny avatars, including Tinies, Dinkies, Dwagons, Ferrets, Mechs, Bladencats and other genres of small avs.  Wees as a term was created on the (now defunct) Inworldz platform, since Tinies as a term generally refers to the Wynx-concept "distorted and bent" version of small avatars.  Wees include everything small.  But the term Tinies has been long used to refer to all small avatars, no matter how they are formed, so the terms are largely interchangable.  Wynx is very generous about letting the term "tinies" be widely adopted to include all smalls.  ("Who you callin' small?  Someone lookin' for a anklebite!")

Teenies and Micros refers to very small avatars such as pixies, mice and other avatars that are so very small they can be difficult to see without zooming in on them.

 
TYPES OF TINIES

There are many different kinds of tinies. While tinies usually have fur or scales and are typically animal in nature, there are other forms such as fantasy creatures (dwagons, orkies, hatchies, elementals and more) as well as sci-fi tinies (mechs, blobs, whatever various form). There are even tiny ROCK avatars.

Some avatars are available in multiple types.  For example, Dwagons started out as Tinies, but then an officially-licensed Dinkie version was produced.  Both versions of Dwagon are still available.

Tines can range from baby animals (hippos, dragons, rhinos and other creatures that when full grown are definitely not tiny) to full grown critters (rabbits, mice, rats, possums, dogs, cats, ferrets, porcupines and more). You name it... there's probably a related "tiny".

 

WYNX TINIES are the originals.  Kudos to Wynx Whiplash and Kage Seraph for creating an entire genre!  Tinies are widely available on Second Life and some other grids in a large variety of species.

 

DWAGONS were created by Snoots Dwagon.  Baby dragons, immortal and nearly impervious to physical damage (and thus fearless), Dwagons play in fire, ignore weather and temperature, and love cookies.  You can read a few Dwagon stories here on this blogsite (all of them are "true stories").  A Dwagon MegaHUD is available that performs all kinds of gestures and sounds and allows changing of textures and colors automatically.  Dwagons are available on Second Life at Cathedral Market, Tiny Inc., or by contacting Eren Padar.  Dwagons are also available on Kitely grid and Kitely Market under the creator name Snoots Dwagon. 

DINKIES (discussed prior) are a new breed created by Etheria Parrott.  Dinkies are tiny-size but move like biggies; they don't require body distortion. 

TEENIES are even smaller than tinies or dinkies and are often used for pixie and faerie avatars.  Although they're small, Teenies are usually not really "tinies" in nature... but can be if the user so desires.  Teenies tend to not have the tiny "attitude"... unless of course they have pixie attitude, which challenges tinies on the unpredictable scale.  (Note: not all pixies are teenies; some are simply normal avatars reduced to smallest possible size. Teenies are usually about 1 to 1.5 ft tall.)


WHY TINIES?
Look at the world around us. Consider the crime, violence, wars, bigotry, injustice, sickness, old age, death and numerous other problems. Then consider a world in which everyone is friendly, ageless, happy and on the perpetual prowl for food and fun. There are no "grown ups". Drama and attitude simply have no place-- and being nutz is a good thing. That's "why tinies". :)

Not that tinies don't have attitude. BOY do they have attitude. But it's the fun kind. Tinies are perfect, you know, in every way. And they're smarter than biggies. LOTS smarter. Why? Well for one thing, Tinies don't destroy the planet on which they live.

One thing I like about tinies: they tend to forgive and forget. Even when someone gets out of sorts (which happens with everyone time to time), soon it's just one big fambly again. That is just so very nice. Wishes everbody was tinies.
 
TINIES AND CLOTHING
It is totally ok for a tiny to go "nakee". Tinies sometimes "streak" biggie places with no one realizing they're doing so. It is not unusual to see a tiny at a party squeek out "I nakee!"-- and someone else respond "Me too!".
 
But most tinies prefer to wear clothing. Wearing any clothing at all means a tiny is not "nakee". If a tiny is wearing a hat, a tie, shoes or gloves (even if one glove)... they are not "nakee". Can't be nakee if wearing clothes, right?

Some tinies go all out, wearing all manner of clothing and even hair, eyelashes, lipstick and bling. It's totally according to the taste of the user. All types of clothing are acceptable.
 
TINIES LUV FOOD
You get tinies chatting for very long at all (more than one minute, often less), and soon food will be mentioned.

WAFFLES top the list. No one knows why it is that tinies glommed on to waffles, but they is nahm nahm nahm.

COOKIES come in a close second, just above pie, ice cream and cake. Actually, some tinies like pie better than cookies, but it's hard to carry pie in pockets.

Then comes pancakes, french toast, pizza, lasagna... and just food in general.

Oddly enough, while it would seem tinies would just love candy... candy doesn't make for round tiny tummies. The one exception of course, is CHOCOLATE. To a tiny, chocolate is like the holy grail. The sight of it puts them in temporary "deer in the headlights" stupor as they contemplate how great and wunnerful chocolate is. In truth, chocolate rates even above waffles, but again, it doesn't make for full tiny tummies. It's a treat, tinies know it, and they prefer to indulge in private when no one is watching... mainly because pulling out chocolate in public is a guaranteed instant fur-pile.

PLAYING IN FOOD
If it's a chocolate fountain, all bets are off and diving head-first is totally acceptable behavior. Hot chocolate is warm on da hiney butt and sitting on a chocolate cake, while not exactly appropriate behavior, is totally understandable. Same goes for warm pizza, hot brownies from the oven and freshly baked pie. Sitting before eating is totally normal. (After all, tinies is very clean). Besides, it often assures that biggies will gives us da WHOLE pie for ourselves. 

It is rumored this practice of "food sitting" was started by Dwagons, but they claim there is no proof of this.  Photos can be edited and so do not provide absolute proof.  Hineybutt prints are not traceable.
 
TINY TALK and DWAGON SPEAK
Many people are of the impression that tinies talk "baby talk"... a misconception. In truth, tinies make effort to not talk in baby speech. Many tinies speak in totally normal grammar. Other tinies speak in "tiny talk" or "dwagon speak".

Tiny talk and dwagon speak are closely related and over time have largely intermixed (tinies tend to imitate one another). Tiny talk minimalizes words and grammar. Dwagon speak uses similar choppped english but often replaces "th" with "d" ("da" instead of "the" and "dere" instead of "there"), tends to add "s" to the ends of wordses, has a flavor of "Chicago neighborhood" in sound, and an underlying current of intelligent insanity.  Dwagons almost always speaks in dwagon speak; it part of da assumed persona and attitudes.

An example of typical tiny/dwagon speech:

Hey, you goin to da party?
Yup yup yup. It look like fun.
I not be dere. I gotta works. (cwies)
Awwwww...
Awwwww...
Awwwww...
I hear dere is gonna be pie. Is dere pie? I just LUVS pie!
Dere pie. I checked. I eated one.
You eated a pie? How many you leaved?
Elebenty.
Oh, dat lots den.
Yesh.
Dey gots cookies?
No cookies.
Nuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!
I kidding. Dere cookies.
Whew. I thinked someone was NUTZ!


Actual tiny talk is an art form that improves with use.  One does not have to speak in tiny talk at all; it's totally a personal choice.

Dwagons claim dwagon speak is a far superior language, and that humans do not speak Dwagon because they don't have two brains like Dwagons do.
 
GESTURES AND SOUNDS
A typical conversation between tinies includes not only their chopped speech, but also sounds, gestures and animations. Following are examples.

Weeeeeee! (tiny jumps and does a backflip. An expression of fun or excitement.)
Nahm nahm nahm (an expression of something very tasty)
Hoooooo! (yet again a backflip. An expression of great approval or joy.)
Nuuuuuu! (Cry of regret / escape. Reserved for terrbul things.)
Eeeps! (Shock or fear.)
Jazz paws (applauding for good music)
Mwaahahahaa (insane laughter.)
Laughs lotses (tiny lays on back flapping legs and arms in uncontrollable laughter)

At times Tinies have been seen holding entire conversations in multitudinous gestures.  Yes, it's actually possible.  There are sooo many Tiny gestures and sounds.

TINIES AND SEX
We not gonna discuss dis. Where da cookies?

In truth, tinies think biggies are kind of goofy when it comes to sexual preoccupation. Sex is for making more tinies, and eberbody knows you can make more tinies just by eating chocolate. Is a fact. Take out a bar of chocolate... suddenly dere is lots more tinies!

If a tiny wants to get up on a table and dance nakee... chances are other tinies will join in and so what?

Biggies so proud of two "boobies". Tinies often have six or eight. What da big deal? Silly biggies.

WHAT TINIES LOVE TO DO
It would be easier to point out what tinies DON'T like to do. But here are a few things:

* Drive cars insanely. Vroom vroom.
* Play Pirates. With ships. An cannons. An rums. (or milk, whicheber).
* Fly spaceships. Play astronaut. Play Star Trek. Play Star Wars. You get the idea.
* Sit on anything... especially if it is moving or rotating. (Fan blades are a special favorite).
Note: while fan blades would be potentially dangerous to most people, tinies apparently come with some kind of natural butt glue that attaches to fan blades no matter how fast they turn. So for a tiny... the faster the better.
* Riverdance. Boy, do tinies riverdance. Usually reserved for the end of major events as massive applause.
* Party. Tinies party. The only rule is "there has to be a good reason". "Hey, anyone wanna come dance? Dere waffles!" is considered a good reason. Standing around in a circle for more than 5 minutes is often considered a party... and quite often turns into one.
* Throw pies and toilet paper rolls. Yes, this does happen from time to time. The great thing about pies of course, is the clean-up afterward.
* Ski, race, joust, surf, parachute, play "thoccer", shoot bows and arrows, broadjump... you name it, if it conceivably might be fun, tinies will jump right in with all four paws and claws.

... and much more that would greatly extend the length of this article (and significantly reduce the lifespan of the average human). Tinies have almost limitless energy and a perpetual case of "Oh... dat sound like fun!"

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tinies. The only way to truly understand tinies is to visit tiny areas like Raglan Shire on Second Life, Rascal Flats on DigiWorldz, or Weelandia on DigiWorldz... and see for yourself.  Pick up a tiny avatar  (one of the free avatars or choose from the multitude of those for sale). It's much more fun that way.

TINY POWER!!!

(riverdances...)


-----------
You can easily locate tinies at these locations (in alphabetical order):

Dinkies at Tiny Inc., RaglanShire, Second Life (the creator of Dinkies)

Dwagons at DragonForge on Cathedral and Weelandia, Second Life

Grendel's Children at Second Life

Rascal Flats or Weelandia at Digiworldz

Wynx Tinies at Extrovirtual on Raglan Shire, Second Life (the original creator of Tinies and the ones that started this snowball)

 


--o--
 

Da Great Kraken Hunt Tags: kraken dwagon dwagons hunt

 

Once in a while I visits Raglan Shire on SL because dey haz fun events (Raglan Shire is of course the center for Tiny activity in VR).  Dey had da GREAT KRAKEN HUNT.  There were Krakens (big squid things) flying at 150m in air and attacks you if you up dere wif 'ems.  If dey get you, you dies.  Fortunately you can uses all kinda weapons against dems. 

This weekend's hunt covered two days, each day 3 parts:

    1. Pirate pistols.  Single shot at a time.  Wear you fingers out.

    2. Automatic weapons. 

    3. Anything you got in you arsenal.

In addition to Kraken Hunters dere is da protestors, standing down on da ground.  Da first day I was a protestor.  Here a photo:

End Kraken Oppreshun

Da second day I decided dere only so much can do walking around wif sign wifout getting bored... so I decided to become Mighty Kraken Hunter.  Da Krakens had bited me a couple times da day before, so I figure dey haz it coming. 

Da Mighty Kraken Hunter

Yes, is Breech Uzis wif clips, silencers and dual-scopes.  Dwagons not mess around.

The first round wif da pirate pistol I scored 3rd place.  I pretty good but dem Tinies... dey rock when it come to Kraken hunting.   Still, 3rd place not bad considering I not Kraken hunted in years.

Second round was wif my favorite weapons above.  Dey packs a whallop and I scored 2nd place wif dems.

The third round I pulled out something with a little more kick...

 

HappyCat Gun

 

The above is the famed HappyCat Mini Chaingun.  It is one of the most fear-inspiring weapons on any grid.  It shoots streams of grinning-cat cubes that are super-physic to da gills.   Dere nothing wimpy about da HappyCat Gun.   Krakens started falling right and left.  End score:  me 180 points and 1st place... wif 2nd place coming in at 79.  Yeah... krakens was dropping like flies.

Unfortunately, HappyCat guns not too discerning about whether dey take out Krakens or innocent bystanders.  In order for contest to be fair, "health" was on and Krakens could kills us just like we could kills dem.  But den, so could falling HappyCat ammo and dead Krakens-- which I did nots realize until I later read comments in group chat:

"I just died and I'm standing on the beach."

"I just got killed by falling Krakens."

"It is the way of pirates that you get to keep whatever you kill.  That bein' the case... someone gets to keep me."

Yes, dat HappyCat gun rained down destruction da likes of which never seen in Kraken Land.  When I went back down to da ground and found I had actually won dat round... I also found some of the beach crowd onlookers had erected domes to protect them from HappyCat ammo and falling squids.*

Afterward we had BBQ calimari.  Now dat what I call a fun event.  Gotta luvs Raglan Shire.  :D

 

--Snoots

 

*PS-- I just hopes I not killed any fellow hunters; it hard to tell wif all dat ammo flying eberwhere.  Nobody shouted I was shooting dems, so hopefully nots.  If I kill any hunters I apologizes; I not used to Kraken hunting... and tinies can go nutz in excitement of game.  Next time I be really careful to watch where I shootings; I not even thinked about hitting other hunters until after da battle.   Dem Krakens was bad enough.  Boy dey nastee. 

Someone suggested since I had "protested" da day before maybe I was after hunters and Krakens just got in da way (snickers).   Dat not true of course, but I mighta accidentally knocked off one or two hunters wifout meaning to.  eeps.  Was lotsa different ammos eberwhere from eberone.  Not saw any tiny graves later though, so maybe not.  Or maybe they thought Krakens got 'em.  Who knows... some other hunters mighta knocked off ME!  :D 

 

--o--

 

 

Are Dwagons Cookie Thieves? Tags: dwgaons cookies thieves

 

   The claim is often made that Dwagons are "cookie thieves".   Is this true?

    It depends on your point of view:  are you the cookie owner or the dwagon?   In a dwagon's eyes, in order for it to be a cookie thief the cookie would have to be "not theirs"... which to a dwagon means the cookie is either in someone's hand or mouth, one of the two.  If it's in a hand it needs to be no where near a dwagon's mouth or it might be mistaken as an offering.   And dwagons have been known to carefully watch a cookie as it approaches someone's mouth-- in case that person changes their mind and decides the dwagon wants it more.  (Hope springs eternal.)

   All other cookies are fair game so to speak.  This includes cookies in pockets because... why would someone put a cookie in a pocket if it wasn't for a dwagon to sniff and find it?  To a dwagon, that's just part of the game.   As Eldar Wayfinder Wishbringer once wisely said, "Common sense should prevail.  If you lay a cookie on a table when a dwagon is around, it ceases being your cookie."

   To simplify the matter:  dwagon's don't view cookies has having "owners".  They either have eaters or non-eaters, and if a cookie isn't being eaten it is obviously waiting for an eater.   That's how things are.  For a dwagon to "steal" a cookie they would literally have to remove it from between your teeth... and of course they are far too polite to do such a thing.

 

ON PLAYING GAMES

   Dwagon honesty has been additionally challenged when it comes to playing games.   But when it comes to games Dwagons consider there are two ways to play:  by the rules or abandon all rules.  If it's "abandon all rules" then all is fair in luvs and wars (including using Nuclear Rocket Launchers in a fantasy role playing campaign). 

   However if the game is "by the rules" (such as chess) then a dwagon will play very much by the rules.  In such case their are two questions:

    1)  Is there a rule directing this game move?

    2)  Is there a rule against this game move?

   

   It is the second question which often causes other people problems when playing games with dwagons.

 

   As an example:  when playing chess, a dwagon would easily recognize the ultimate goal of the game is to win.   That means keeping one's eyes on the board.  If the opponent doesn't keep his/her eyes on the board, then we get to item #2 above:   Is there a rule against making a move when your opponent is distracted?    Dwagons have thoroughly researched Chess rule books and have been unable to find a place where it says, "You cannot make an extra move if your opponent is distracted."  So according to a dwagon, "is legal".

   "Oh looka dat, is dat a red-headed woodpecker?"  /move  "Nebermind.  It flied away..." is a perfectly legitimate chess strategy in the dual-mind of a dwagon.

 

THE DUAL BRAIN ISSUE

    As many are already aware, dwagons have two brains (like the dinosaurs, to which they insist they are not related... except for maybe the Tyronosaurus Rex.  RAWR).  These two brains work in complete harmony, except when they don't. 

    The larger "hiney brain" (as dwagons call it) handles functional issues such as walking, heartbeat, breathing, etc.  It also handles genetic memory, which is part of the dwagon's greatest strengths.   Dwagons inherit vast genetic memory from their parents, which means from the moment they're born they can walk, speak, and of course eat cookies.  They have a vast storehouse of dwagonny knowledge.  Unfortunately however, they do not likewise inherit genetic experience or common sense, so they generally know how to do things but can seldom foresee the consequences of actually doing them.

   They also do not inherit a conscience as we know it.  They do inherit a kind of conscience, which is basically an either-or situation: will this be fun or not fun?  Will it be tasty or bleh?   That is pretty much the limit of dwagon choice-making.

    As with most young, intelligent species, ethical conscience has to be learned with time.  Naturally, once they become adults there are good dragons and bad dragons, depending largely on their parents, environment and experiences. Despite the claims made by some highly inaccurate games, dragon "alignment" does not depend on their color or bodily form-- but rather on whether people have been nice to them or not nice during the 500 years or so it takes them to reach adulthood.   It can be understood that dragons often experience no little degree of species profiling as they are growing up... so they tend to grow a bit meaner as they get older unless they have friends to guide them along their way.  This is why Elves, Fae, Pixies and Wizards can be good friends for dragons (and vice versa), since they are long-lived and can be a regular good influence.

    Fortunately (for just about every other species on the planet) dwagons do inherit basic politeness and playfulness.  So at least they start out being friendly and tolerable rather than complete sociopaths.  This is of great relief to the aforementioned Elves, Fae, Pixies and Wizards.

   But then we get to the other brain... the much smaller but highly-intelligent "noodle brain" (in their head).  That brain serves two basic purposes:   1) Eating and 2) Curiosity.   Ordinarily this is fine... except when the noodle brain overrides the hiney brain and common sense flies right out the window.  This is what causes dwagons to do things other species would think totally insane-- such as riding on ceiling fans or appropriating "rums" from a nearby tavern (again:  no one is drinking the rum at the time).  Fortunately for them, dwagons are nearly indestructible and can survive most things their noodle brain gets them in to.

   That brain is also what causes dwagons to hunt cookies.  Their intensely keen sense of smell makes them exceptionally fine cookie hunters, be the cookies in a pocket or an underground cellar.  Because of this many shopkeepers have specially locked store rooms where they keep sweets and-- if they know dwagons well-- is also where they store rum kegs and grains for a beverage known as "kawfee".   It is not a wise thing to allow dwagons to drink kawfee.

 

CAN DWAGONS GET DRUNK?

   It was mentioned above that dwagons love rums (it's "nahmy").  This begs the question, "Can dwagons get drunk?"  In a word, no.   Their fiery metabolic insides pretty much vaporize all alcohol as soon as it hits their tummies.  Thus to the consternation of pub owners, dwagons can drink an amazing amount of rum. 

   However, the fumes from the drink as they consume it goes straight to the noodle brain, having the results of 1) Making the dwagon even more curious than normal  2) Making the dwagon a little more hyper than normal  and 3) Giving them the desire to be very helpful (or dance, tell jokes and riddles, or ask very strange questions... depending on the circumstance).   In the past, their "helpfulness" has caused great upset to pub owners as dwagons have assisted in rearranging bottles behind the bar according to the color of the labels (switching labels if necessary), pour half-left drinks back into kegs after the patrons have gone (waste not... more rums!), or make sure all the carefully-sealed bottles of wine are actually full (by opening them and checking, of course). 

   But no, dwagons cannot get drunk as we know it and cannot pass out from drinking too much... a fact which some pub owners deeply regret. 

 

   These are just a few trivial facts of dwagon life that may be of interest to those who study such things.  I doubt any questions above have been answered sufficiently... but perhaps this information will help one be more aware of the thought-processes of dwagons so you can be better prepared for them whenever they decide to visit. 

 

--o--

 

Footsbrawl-- Orks vs Pixies & Dwagons Tags: football dwagons pixies footsbrawl

FOOTSBRAWL: ORKS vs PIXIES & DWAGONS

Is true story.

 

The day was bright and crisp, with just enough chill to make the fans wear cloaks and the players comfy.  There was a sense of expectation and wonder in the air as the time drew closer for the beginning of the event everyone had been waiting for:  the first ever Orks vs Dwagons & Pixies Footsbrawl game.

If one were to look into the bleachers you would have seen a diverse and enthusiastic crowd.  Although there were probably less than 400 people present their forms were as varied as their costume.  There were of course the high elven, accompanied by faerie, centaur, dwarves,  drow, the occasional hobbit, dragons, humans, and of course the Ork fans.

On the field there were only four races:  Orks, Dwagons, Pixies and the Dwarven referees.  The surprising difference in size between the players would bring a chuckle.  The Orks averaged from 6 to 9 feet tall, ranging from a low of around 250 lbs to the well over 600 lbs of the Ork Big Boss.  Their jerseys differed as much as the size of the Orks, representing several Ork Clans.  Red, green, yellow, blue... what they lacked in harmony they made up for in flash.  For Orks, they were uncharacteristically devoid of spikes and blades.  It's not that they didn't show up with such sticking out all over; it's simply that the referees immediately declared lethal armor unnecessary and illegal for a game of Footsbrawl and being Dwarven, set to work making the Ork uniforms significantly less dangerous (accompanied by much groaning and complaining by the Orks).

On the other side stood their opponents.  The Pixies topped out at 40 lbs if they were wearing steel armor.   Which they were of course; one does not play Footsbrawl against Orks and come totally unprepared.  The Pixies' main defense though was not their magically-hardened armor, but the hardened determination and attitude that is a hallmark of their species.

The Dwagons needed no such armor.  Averaging 80 lbs they equated to walking sacks of stone with diamond-hard scales.  It was well known that Dwagons are nearly impervious physically, are well aware of that fact and therefore fearless.

 

The Dwagons were sitting near the scrimmage line munching cookies, which came as a surprise to no one.  The Pixies were chewing on flower petals to increase their strength for the game that was about to begin.  The Orks were busy bashing one another soundly about the head and arms in preparation for what was to come.  

What was to come, in the minds of the Orks, was Dwagons and Pixies being kicked unceremoniously to the sidelines while the Orks made goal after goal.  That was the plan.
 
 
THE GAME BEGINS
There was a sudden roar in the stands as the announcer declared the game had officially started.  The referee called the players to the line of scrimmage and asked the Orks to call the toss.  A rather large Ork stepped forward, shouted "TAILS!" and ignoring both referee and coin, picked up a Dwagon and threw it up in the air. A gleeful cry of "Wheeeeeeeee!" carried across the field.  The Dwagon landed on its head and stayed there upside down, blinking, waiting for the official call.    

"TAILS!" The referee called out, much to the groaning of the crowd.  The Orks had the first ball.  

The opposing teams lined up on the scrimmage, the Orks hunched in proper offensive formation (since they had no concept nor perceived need of defense).  The Pixies were equally determined and in formation, facing their huge opponents with the stubbornness known of their kind.  The Dwagons were sitting around at random points, some looking at the flowers the Pixies had left and finishing off the last of their cookies, wondering what was going to happen next.

The ball was snapped... and so were both Pixies and Dwagons.  As would be expected the Orks plowed through their ranks like buffalo through bunny rabbits.  The Pixies disappeared in a cloud of dust and Dwagons went flying in several directions.  Groans of surprise and concern rose from the crowd.    Dwarves cried out in anger, cursing the fact that they were referees and thus weren't on the scrimmage line.  The expressions on the face of the Elven typically did not change, although one of them did let out a slight gasp at the apparent carnage.

A horn blew as the Orks made a touchdown, obviously the first of several to come.  Of no surprise to anyone, no Orks were back on the scrimmage line; all of them had run forward at once and were now at the goal post dancing in celebration of their expected first goal.  They'd mowed over the entire line of Pixies and Dwagons as if they were dandelions.  The devastation behind them was ghastly to see.  Pixies lay crumpled, faces in the dirt and hineys in the air.  Dwagons were scattered like bowling pins in all variety of positions.  In the stands women fainted and strong men wept.

A whistle was blown as referees, healers and wizards rushed onto the field to see if any of the non-Ork team could be saved.  But before they could reach the players the Pixies climbed to their feet and dusted themselves off, followed by the Dwagons righting themselves and shaking their little heads to clear the grass out of their ear fins.

"HOOOO!   AGAIN!!!" a Dwagon cried out, followed by a collective sigh of relief from the crowd.  The Pixies faced their audience and raised their fists in an unexpected show of defiance to the Orks. The crowd erupted in a roar, cheering and applauding as people jumped to their feet.  The Pixies, protected by both armor and magic, were not going to be defeated so easily.  As for the Dwagons... well, they thought getting stomped by Orks was just part of the fun.

 

 
EDUCATING THE TEAM
It occurred to the referees that apparently the Dwagons had no idea what was going on.  They called a time out, called the team to the sidelines... and carefully explained to the Dwagons the purpose and goal of Footsbrawl.  The Dwagons listened, their whirling eyes growing bright as they were informed this was a game and the object of that game was to keep the Orks from running over the Pixies.  Their eyes grew a little brighter still when they heard they could make points by helping the pixies get the little ball between the big posts at the end of the field... and their eyes positively glowed when they were told that if they won the game there would be cookies!

The Dwagons quickly huddled together, their muted whispers in the oddling Dwagon language carrying across the field.  One of the Dwagons went to speak to the Pixies... pointing to the bright-pink armored helmets they wore.  With a flash of magic several extra helmets appeared, and soon all the Dwagons were proudly sporting their new "hats".  The audience cheered in appreciation.  The game was ON.

 

 
FIELD GOAL
The referees called for a possible field goal and the two teams lined up.  Someone should have seen coming what happened next, but sadly no one did, not even the refs.  A large Ork picked up a Dwagon, held it out and drop-kicked it heavily toward the goal post.  

"Wheeeeeee..."  the Dwagon echoed across the field, followed by a collective moan from the crowd as it passed through the goal posts.   The Orks in the stands jumped to their feet and stomped appreciatively as the refs declared success of the field goal.  The score was 2 to 0, favor of the Orks, one point for the touchdown, one point for the kick. 

 

There was a bit of confusion as the remaining Dwagons rushed to the Orks, all begging to be punted through the field goal. The referees restored order, explaining to the Dwagons they'd have to wait their turns for later in the game.  The second scrimmage was about to begin.

 

 

THE BALL IS SNAPPED
The teams lined up facing one another, this time a slightly different scene.  The Orks didn't even bother to get in their defensive positions;  they stood fully erect (or as erect as an Ork can get), prepared to stomp the first Pixie or Dwagon that dared to cross the line of scrimmage.  The Pixies were on full offense, their eyes glowing bright pink, violet and lime green as they prepared to defend their quarterback (it didn't help that the quarterback was only 3 feet tall, could barely hold the ball, and could not see over the heads of the Orks at all).  The Dwagons (now knowing cookies were involved) were fully focused on the game.  They were on all fours, wings and tails in the air, ready to meet the "big ol' Orks" in sportish battle.  

The call went out, the ball was snapped, and the quarterback somehow managed to catch the ball.  The Orks chuckled deeply at the pixie quarterback's "cuteness" before taking their first step in her direction.  They knew this would not last long and fully expected to take the ball and make their own touchdown before the play was over.

They never saw what hit them.

We have mentioned that Dwagons are about 80 lbs of solid mass, and nearly invulnerable.  Unfortunately for the Orks they forgot both that fact... and the fact that Dwagons can jump.  Six Orks were immediately and painfully disabled as they were suddenly sacked by some unexpectedly forceful collisions to their mid-sections, knocking the air completely out of them.  At the same time the Orks that had managed to cross the line of scrimmage suddenly found themselves lying flat on their backs as Pixies... who by the way do have wings... launched from their defensive positions and hit the Orks full on smack helmet to helmet.   The repeated clang of metal against metal rang out across the field as magically-enhanced Pixie helmets met hardened Ork battle helms.  Some Orks went down immediately while others spent a while walking around in random directions.

One Dwagon managed to run between the legs of a defending Ork, all four legs pumping as fast as they could possibly go.  By the time the Orks realized what was going on the Dwagon was two yards away from the goal line and was standing there waiting.  The quarterback Pixie now finding a gaping hole in the defensive line of the Orks, took her opportunity.  A large crack of force-magic was heard across the field and the ball launched faster and harder than anyone would expect from a Pixie.  It soared in a perfect spiral toward the Dwagon and hit the creature square-on, tumbling it backward head-over heels. When the Dwagon stopped tumbling and stood on its feet... the ball was held snugly in its mouth.

The horn blew, the crowd roared and people jumped to their feet, realizing the Pixies had scored their first touchdown.  

 

 
CHALLENGING THE PLAY
Suddenly a whistle sounded, a flag was thrown and referees gathered at the scrimmage line.  The crowd grew silent, wondering what was being discussed.  The refs were visibly animated, apparently talking at once about something that seemed very important.  After a couple of minutes they started nodding, grew silent, and one of the refs turned and walked over to the stands.

"PIXIE FORCE MAGIC IS ALLOWED DUE TO THEIR DIMINISHED SIZE.  DEFENSIVE SHIELDING MAGIC ALSO ALLOWED.  FLYING FOR WINGED CREATURES IS PERMITTED SO LONG AS IT DOES NOT EXCEED 6 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.  ALL OTHER MAGIC IS PROHIBITED DURING THIS GAME.  TOUCHDOWN IS GOOD!"

The crowd erupted in a cacophony of cheers, dragon roars and riverdancing as two changelings by the scoreboard shifted form to show the new score of 2-1.  The celebrative sounds quickly quieted however as the two teams, now mutually respectful, gathered on the scrimmage line for the attempted field goal.  The Orks were now aware and much more mindful that their opponents were not going to be easy pushovers.  Three of the Orks were sporting bandages.  All of the Orks had bruises.  One had to be magically healed from a cracked rib caused by sudden Dwagon impact.  The Orks were now convinced their opponents had some degree of skill and power... and had no intention of repeating the mistakes of the last play.

As they gathered on the line of scrimmage, one of the Orks stated, "You Dwagons and Pixies not too bad."  This was met with agreeing grunts from the Ork side, and appreciative winks from some of the Pixies.  The Orks huddled down in proper positions, for if there is one thing Orks appreciate, it's a skilled opponent.  "This game might be fun after all," the Ork Captain said to the others.

A Dwagon started counting:  "Minety ates.  Twenty free.  Elebenty... HIKES!"  The ball was snapped, set, and a Pixie hit the ball with all the force magic she could muster.  The Orks, far better prepared this time, hit the Dwagon and Pixie defensive line with energetic caution.  Some Orks went down, some Dwagons and Pixies went down, a couple of Orks got through.  One Ork dove toward the ball... but failed to remember that force magic is nothing to be trifled with.  The ball pinged off his helmet with a sharp THWACK and the Ork dropped, stunned.  Unfortunately he pinned the kicking Pixie as he fell so she didn't get to see her first field goal of the game.  The ball caromed off the Ork's helmet and flipped end over end, high above the heads of the Ork team.. and through the goalposts.  

The horn sounded, the crowd jumped to its feet, the Ork fans moaned and groaned.  The changelings shifted and revealed the new score:  TIE, 2-2!

 

 

THE GAME PLAYS OUT
The next three hours were an exhibit of the best Footsbrawl game in the history of Elf Clan.  Not since the Raglan Shire World Class Soccer Championship had there been more excitement, better plays or better players than those evident at this game.  The entire contest became a trade-off of the Orks scoring, followed by the Dwagons and Pixies scoring.  At times the defense held and no score was made during the four downs, but then the other team would hold their line as well.  

Never had two teams been so equally matched.  Never had two sides been so determined to do their best in a game.  When the final score was announced no one was surprised:  14 to 14, even tie.  The refs assembled and discussed the matter, turned to the crowd and announced:

"AS AGREED BY THE PEACE ACCORD BETWEEN THE ELVEN AND THE ORKS, IN ALL TIES, ORKS WIN!"  

The Ork fans erupted in loud cheers, their victory roar of WAAAAAGHH heard from both field and audience.  The fans of the Dwagons and Pixies were understandably disappointed but nevertheless applauded and clapped the Ork fans on their backs in an attitude of sportsmanship. 

 

While both teams had played with equal skill, the decision of the refs was fair and predictable.  The concept was well-known and ancient:  "Orks win."  No one expected anything different.  Regardless of the final score it was widely understood that the Orks would claim they played a better game and considered themselves the winners anyway.  That's just how it is with Orks. Elves have long known:  peaceful and happy Orks are greatly preferable to a number on a scoreboard.

The players down on the field amicably shook hands and paws.  Despite the Orks "winning" the game, the Pixies had earned a fine reputation as valiant players-- and the Dwagons were rewarded with abundant cookies, as was only proper.

 

--o--

Da Dwagon and Da Orc Tags: dwagon ork orc stories story




DA DWAGON AND DA ORC
by Snoots Dwagon

Is true story...

The orc smashed through the brush in typical orcish manner, unheeding of the damage caused to fauna or small burrow. His huge battle axe, Crunch and his sword Slasha in hand, he knew himself to be da biggest, baddest creature in da land. He was ORC! Let all fear him.

A few hundred yards further, unfortunately in his path, lay a nest of eggs. The eggs looked odd, covered with scales instead of normal shells, each one colored differently. They had not been wisely placed, and had the dragon who laid them not had a few too many ales that evening in a friendly drinking contest, they might have been placed on a high ridge where they belonged. But, as things might happen, laid they were, the dragon went off to explore a strange sound, and never found her way back.

However, as things would have it, she had the good fortune to lay them near a steam vent, which proved perfect for completing the job she started, even if the inhabitants would hatch without the oversight of a mother.

It should be noted that dwagons are somewhat mischievous even with a mother to guide them. One can only imagine a brood without such guidance.

Of all the eggs, only one had hatched, its former inhabitant pecking at the empty shell and examining the other still-intact orbs. Before long, his brothers and sisters would emerge. But for now he was alone, confused, without mother, and perfectly unaware of all the above. Which meant of course, he was completely happy and curious about everything. Pure, unadulterated dwagon.

He pecked at a couple of eggs, and was rewarded with a resounding peck from within the shell. It would not be long now, maybe an hour or two, before general mayhem would occur, courtesy of a dozen dwagons on the loose. But for now, he was by himself.

There was one thing he knew above all other things: he was the "Offishul Guardian of Da Eggs", an dat was dat.

Unaware of all this, was an orc.

There are three things orcs and dwagons have in common. Both are totally fearless, totally clueless, and therefore totally happy. The unwitting orc happily blundered on through the forest, bringing a near-end-of-life to the countless creatures that barely escaped the size-25 boots that clomped unheedingly forward. Unheeding that is, until suddenly he was greeted by a foot-tall winged lizard with attitude.

"Hi dere!" chirped a high, squeaky voice.

"HUH?" responded the orc, the voice actually making its way through his dull senses and causing him to stop. "HAR! A dwagon!" he roared.

"You an Orc?" the dwagon chirped. "How is you?" The orc looked at him first with one eye, then the other.

"I is fine!" the orc rumbled. "An lots better now dat I gots eggs fer breakfas!"

Now dwagons are many things, but slow-witted is not one of them... which is where they differ from orcs. The dwagon immediately understood the orc's meaning and, since he was "Offishul Guardian of Da Eggs", that was just not going to happen.

"Nope nope nope," the dwagon politely corrected the orc. "Dese are my eggs and dey hatchin' an you not eats 'em." Which of course, the orc thought to be extremely hilarious.

"HAR HAR HAR!" the orc laughed. "You make good joke!" Upon which, the orc made the serious mistake of actually reaching for an egg.

"AARRRGGHH!" the orc roared, pulling back his hand, now showing several dwagon bite marks. "You in trouble now! You bites an orc, you on da menu!"

"BLEH!" the dwagon chirped, spitting. "Orcses taste nastee. BLEH!"

The orc growled. It was obviously smashin time. His hands tightened around Smasha and Crunch as he prepared to add dwagon to his diet.

"DAT DOES IT!" the orc cried. "Eggs an meat on da side!"

"Nuuuuuuuuuuu!" the dwagon screeched and began running around the orc's feet, his little wings flapping.

"I gonna smash you!" the orc yelled. Thinking quickly, the dwagon ran over to the nest and grabbed a piece of his egg shell and put it on his head. His new helmet intact, he turned to the orc.

"Nya nya!" it sang, running to the side to draw attention away from the nest. The orc, totally forgetting the eggs, charged after it.

One thing can be said about dwagons: they are fast. Not as fast as an orc, but a dwagon can make much sharper turns. This was a fact the orc discovered as its head made sudden contact with a tree that refused to move out of his way.

The orc's vision eventually returned and he looked up at the branches, aware that for some reason he was laying on his back. Slowly, cognizance returned to him.

"HAR! GOOD ONE!" the orc laughed. But his laughter was cut short when he suddenly felt dwagon on his chest, saw two swirling eyes staring into his, and felt claws tighten on his chainmail, which he was fortunate to be wearing at the time.

"Sorry bout dis!" the dwagon said, and suddenly latched onto the orc's nose.

"AAAARGH!" the orc cried, jumping to his feet. The dwagon hung on with tiny teeth and fangs as the orc danced around. Just as the orc reached toward the dwagon to dislodge it, the dwagon jumped from it's claw-held position and landed atop the orc's head.

Orcs unfortunately have rather bulky, if long, arms. While they are pure murder in battle because of their reach, orcs simply have great difficulty reaching over their heads in full battle armor. Which is why the dwagon suddenly found itself enjoying its perch, as well as a vantage point from which it could watch the orc dancing around in little circles trying to get to the dwagon. The creature sat down on the orc's helmet, wedging itself between two spikey horns, and enjoyed the ride.

"YA LITTLE SCALED RAT!" the orc cried out. Unable to reach the dwagon, it occurred to the orc to try the battle axe instead. It turned the axe toward the dwagon and hauled back to swing the gigantic, devastating weapon.

He forgot the dwagon was sitting on his head.

The orc found himself looking up at another set of tree branches, different from the first, battle axe Crunch buried deeply in his helmet and just barely grazing the skin beneath. The sound of the impact of stone against metal still reverberated through the forest. Slowly the orc rose to his feet and spent the next couple of minutes walking around in random little circles.

Eventually regaining his limited senses, the orc pried the stone axe from the helmet.

"HAR! GOOD ONE!" the orc said. He turned to see where the dwagon might be. Unfortunately for the orc, the dwagon was right behind him, head cocked, eyeing the one, single area of unarmored body part on the whole creature. The orc heard one, single chirped phrase...

"HINEY BUTT!" This was followed by significant pain to said "hiney butt" as several very sharp teeth sunk unto his posterior. It of course, took a full five seconds for the pain impulse to reach the orc's limited perceptive faculties, during which time the dwagon hung on and sunk teeth deeper. So by the time the orc realized what was going on, there was a considerable amount going on.

"AAAARRRRGGGHHH!" the orc roared in pain, spinning once again to try to dislodge the dwagon from his backside. The dwagon of course, thought this was great fun, and would have continued to hang on as the orc spun, except for the irresistible urge to utter one, single cry of glee.

"WHEEEEEEE!" Upon which, the dwagon dropped to the ground, unfortunately right in front of the egg nest.

"I gonna get you now!" the orc roared. Forward he came, with the weight and muscle of a good size bear, placing the dwagon in a predicament. If the dwagon stood there, he would be stomped flat. If he moved, the eggs would be stomped flat. What could he do?

"LOOKIE DERE!" the dwagon cried out. "BLONDE NAKEE PRINCESS!"

"Whuh?" the orc responded, stopping suddenly in his tracks and spinning around to see what the dwagon was talking about. Which of course, was a mistake.

Instantly he felt severe pain around the ankles as a very swift ankle-biter used one of its main, instinctual attacks. The dwagon wove in and out between the immense feet, nipping at the orc's ankles in such a manner so as to continually draw the orc away from the egg nest. The orc chased the dwagon, which in turn kept biting his ankles, which caused him to further chase the dwagon, which kept biting his ankles in a bizarre battle dance. This dance continued until the dwagon looked straight up and noticed something else: the Orc wasn't armored underneath from the front side either. Nothing but rough cloth separated Orc from air.

Now, it is a well known fact that dwagons have different forms of breath. Some have fire breath, which fortunately for the orc was not the case here. Some have acid breath, which was with equal fortune not the case. But in this particular case, this dwagon's breath was sufficient to meet the need.

The poor orc's eyes widened as the sensation slowly dawned upon his dull brain. For when one speaks of dwagon ice breath, mere cold is not the issue. Even snow and ice cold does not come close. In the far, distant future, a group of men called scientists will discover a substance called liquid nitrogen, which might be almost as cold as dwagon ice breath. And that breath was focused directly underneath the orc, going straight up his chainmail skirt to unprotected regions. The orc found this somewhat disquieting.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, which provided the dwagon with no end of amusement as the orc danced around, dropping both Slasha and Crunch as his attention focused completely on things far more essential to his well-being than a couple of mere weapons. Fortunately for the orc, his dull senses had caused him to move before all areas of anatomy were totally and completely frozen, and after a few minutes both orc blood and sensation began returning to numbed regions.

In the meantime, unbeknownst to both orc and dwagon, things were happening back at the nest. One peck, then two, then a chirp, then five, then eleven as the other eggs hatched. Eleven sets of eyes peered out of shattered egg shells, taking their first look at the world. And that first look was that of an orc dancing around and howling, clutching smarting body parts, and a small dwagon dancing around the orc... which was something eleven dwagons thought was funny to no end. Quickly they climbed from the nest and joined the orc in this wunnerful dance.

After a while the orc settled down, the numbness, followed by the pins and needles sensation, subsiding to the point it didn't require the entire attention of his limited consciousness. Regaining his senses, he looked down to see not one, but twelve dwagons, of all different colors, chirping and dancing right along with him. Slowly a smile crossed his dull face.

"HAR!" the orc cried out. "GOOD ONE!" and he sat down on the ground facing the dwagons.

"OK, no egg breakfas", the orc stated wisely, considering all the eggs had now hatched. Resigned to his fate, he reached into his backpack. "I guesses I jus settle for cookies."

Suddenly twelve dwagons stopped dancing. Twelve heads snapped toward the backpack, twelve sets of eyes locked on the hapless orc, and twelve little voices chirped in unison...

"Cookies...?"


-- o --

 

Copyright 2008 Snoots Dwagon

 

Elf Clan Attractions Tags: attractions

 

ELF CLAN CHARTER

At the entry point on ElvenSong (on ElfClan region, OSgrid)  there is a TOUR GUIDE. Clicking that tour guide delivers a notecard of all the major Elf Clan attractions. You will be amazed at how much is offered-- and how diversified the listing.

From Elven to Pirates to Star Trek to Warhammer 40k to TRON... we've got it. :)


Click on the TOUR GUIDE and enjoy!

--o--

Visitor Guidelines Tags: charter visitor guidelines

Elf Clan Charter

VISITOR GUIDELINES     updated 2018-09-05 


Welcome to Elf Clan lands!

Basic charter: * HONOR * RESPECT * FRIENDSHIP *

NO DRAMA, zero tolerance-- fair notice.

New visitors and members are welcome! Feel free to explore. If a building is unlocked you are welcome to explore (if locked, please respect privacy). The entire land is at your disposal.


GUIDELINES and RULES
We are friendly folk, our lands harmonious and peaceful. Please help us keep it that way.
 

Family-friendly lands.  Please keep your appearance, chat and gestures honorable.  No see-through clothing or nudity, no lewd activities.

 

Ancient Elf Clan saying: "What you do in your home is your business. What you do in the streets is ours."

 

VISITORS:   Please recognize you are a guest in our home.  As in real life, guests are expected to conduct themselves with with honor, respect and friendship. 

These lands are a respite from crude.  Please help us maintain that peaceful, friendly environment.

 

THINGS TO AVOID

All region owners have control over their own lands.  We here discuss things that are wisely avoided in these family friendly regions.


* REAL LIFE.  People come to Elf Clan as a respite from real life worries.  Please help us maintain our peaceful and harmonious atmosphere by leaving real life issues and activities at the door.

* CONTROVERSIAL THEMES.  Occult, demonism, vampirism, sexual and foreseeably offensive themes and activities are excluded from these lands.

* POLITICS, SLAVERY, RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES. Please check attitude and ego at the door.   Both politics and religious activities can be very  divisive and are not Elf Clan theme.  This includes national emblems, election campaigns, religious activities,  icons, statues or symbols of any kind.  In short, we're here to escape real life, not drag it into our fantasy-based lands. 

As a note: this includes fantasy-based gods and demons.  Over the years we have found it wise to completely eliminate such concepts on our lands.  Such things are unnecessary to theme and do not promote group harmony.

* Drama, propaganda, and people-with-attitude are  unwelcome. (Drama is defined as excessive emotional display and negativity, power-plays or "head games").  Visitors and members are expected to honor group guidelines rather than expect us to conform to visitor whims and opinions.   Zero tolerance when it comes to drama.  Friendy is the theme of the day.  ; )

* WEAPONS. Weapons guidelines are pretty much left up to each region owner.   In general, standard weapons guidelines apply.  Using a weapon of any kind on an unwilling target is considered abuse and handled accordingly.

 

* LOCKED AREAS. If a ground-area is unlocked (or allowed-exploration high sky area), feel free to explore.  We welcome visitors and explorers.  If it is locked, please respect resident privacy. 

Before entering a building, please check your map and if someone is home, "Knock knock!" is considered polite... just as in real life.  (This of course does not apply to obviously public buildings such as taverns.)

Sealed enclosures (such as no-visible-entrance skyboxes) are considered "locked".   If you have to "camera in" or otherwise enter the area without authorization... that is considered trespassing.

 

ELDAR and Land Owners.  The Eldar (ancient Elven) are the managers of Elf Clan, the ones who make and enforce group policy.  They are Guardians of our group, with ultimate authority.   Land owners are considered Guardians with similar authority over their own lands

Our Eldar and land owners go out of our way to be friendly and hospitable, considering all members as our equals-- so long as those members show equal honor, respect and friendship in return.  Indeed, a great deal of Elf Clan policy has been a result of friendly member feedback and suggestions.  Feel free to approach the Eldar with your ideas and concerns.  Feedback is our greatest asset.

 

CURRENT ELDAR:

Wayfinder Wishbringer (Founder of Elf Clan)

Peter Lioncourt

Moontan Valeeva

Cinnamon Raymaker

 

 

GREETERS & GUARDIANS

Snoots Dwagon

 
--o--

 

What Computer Do I Need? Tags: computer vr inworldz

 

Note:  It has been announced that Windows 10 is not compatible with the Intel HD 3000 graphics chip.  It seems to be compatible with other graphics chips.  This article addresses PCs only, as I'm not an Apple user. 

Over the years virtual worlds have grown, development work has been done, things have improved.  We now have  better performance, faster performance, and wider computer compatibility. 

 

WORKS ON A NETBOOK???

So recently I was surprised to discover that computers which I would never have used for VR before... now work.  I procured a 10.5" netbook (tablet with a keyboard) .  It's super lightweight, has a touch-screen, and cost $299 +tax.  It uses an Intel Tablet processor.  It's not a "killer" computer by any means, nor does it have advanced graphics.

What I was surprised and pleased to find was that this little, low-power tablet computer works okay with virtual worlds.  Of course it's not as spritely as a gamer desktop... but it works.  I'm able to walk around without significant lag, I can create and build, textures rez.   Before now we couldn't recommend lightweight computers.  But the industry has improved.

 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

Bottom line it means that instead of buying a gamer system just so you can use virtual worlds... you can spend $400-$600 and have a totally suitable system.  Rather than needing Nvidia and ATI graphics systems you can get by with standard 3D Intel graphics systems (with some exceptions as noted above). 

Of course, faster "gamer graphics" systems will perform far better.

 

WHICH PROCESSOR?

These days there are so many different processors all sporting different claims-- it's difficult to tell which is the best.  In general, Intel i5 and above or AMD Ryzen 5, 7 or above is recommended as good CPU systems.  You can get by with lower-power system like the i3... but it will be at some sacrifice in overal graphics.

The tablet I'm using as I write this article is a 1.4 ghz processor... and while it's not near the speed of my 3.6ghz i5 quad processor in my desktop, it does well enought for an ultra-portable touchscreen netbook.   But lag is to be expected in such a low-power computer.

You may want to shy away from unknowns such as A-class or E-class processors.  Celeron and Sempron are very slow; I strongly recommend avoiding such.

 

GRAPHICS CARDS-- THE ULTIMATE ISSUE

Rule of thumb:  A quality graphics card is more important than a high-level CPU.

There are so many different kinds of cards out there, and the numbering systems have become confusing.   The three primary cards are Nividia, ATI, and Intel HD.  Intel HD is not a "gaming" card, but it can do a reasonable job on virtual worlds.   But by all means, if you can get a quality Nvidia or ATI card, do so.  Some computers (laptops especially) have the graphics built in and cannot be upgraded.   So...

Be sure to do your research.  Visit the card manufacturing sites and compare card performance.   At this time I strongly recommend the Nvidia 1050 or above, or the ATI Radeon 10 or above. The specific card you want will depend on your needs and pocketbook.  Do your online research before buying and realize that the same model card can vary widely in price.  Don't get suckered in by graphics card shysters.  Read the customer reviews. 

 

WHAT ABOUT UBER GAMER CARDS?

This may come as a bit of a surprise... but examine the following facts (and please read it all, because otherwise some may disagree):

My prior computer:

i5 4-core CPU, 8 gigs RAM, GeForce 1050 GPU w/ 2 gigs vRAM

My current computer:

i7 8-core CPU, 16 gigs RAM, GeForce 3070 GPU w 8 gigs vRAM

Logically, the i7 system should just run rings around the much-less-powerful i5 system, yes?

Well... no.   In truth I noticed no difference in basic operation.  Textures didn't load any faster.  There was no noticeable difference in operational speed.  Worlds didn't load any faster.

What this means is that it seems there is a point at which these virtual worlds hit a performance ceiling. Beyond that, investing a ton of money in a high-level gamer system really just isn't worth it.   Instead of buying a "gamer system"... you could buy an i5 4-core with a 2060 graphics card and get along just fine... saving yourself several hundred dollars in the process (ie, a mid-level gamer system).  You can even go with a 1050 graphics card and get along well... as long as it has enough RAM.

Note that this article could use a bit more information on Radeon cards. In general however, Nvidia GeForce is considered the "card of choice".  Ask your local computer guru about Radeon graphics cards.

 

IS THERE ANY GAIN IN GAMER SYSTEMS?

YES, there is some gain in having a "gamer" system.  For example, I can now crank my draw distance up to 512m instead of 256m and it works just as well (credit that to four times the video RAM).  I tried boosting it to 1024m but that got a little glitchy in heavy-texture areas. With a gamer system you can use things like shaders, or set your system from high to Ultra... which may give you better graphics... or really may not.  If you don't notice the difference visually... tech specs are somewhat irrelevant, aren't they?

Most people will get along fine with a mid-priced i5 or Ryzen 5 / 7 system.  Most people will do well with a GeForce 1050 4-gig card or a Radeon 10 (I do recommend a bit more RAM than 1 or 2 gigs).   But buying a gamer-level system just for Second Life or Opensim... is really not essential.

 

COVID 19 NOTE

Due to severe damage by Covid-19, many Chinese chip manufacturers have shut down operations.   This has created a severe shortage in the graphics card industry-- and a resultant incredible increase in graphics card prices... if cards are even available.  Hopefully this will change over time and graphics cards will once again become widely available at reasonable prices.  At the original time of writing this article, shelves were cleaned of mid-priced grahics cards.   Now these cards are showing back up on the market again, at prices that aren't absolutely absurd.

 

BE AWARE OF MEMORY AVAILABILITY

There are two kinds of graphics memory:   1)  Dedicated on-card  and 2) Shared.

Graphics cards use either or both.  When purchasing your system be aware of how much graphics memory is available... and what kind it is.   Here are some guidelines:

* It is good to have 8 gigs system RAM available with Windows 10 or above.   If you get a 4 gig machine and your graphics card shares part of that RAM... you're not going to have much to use for virtual worlds.

* Dedicated graphics RAM (on the video card itself) is best in ideal situations, but avoid machines with less than 1 gig total graphics RAM (dedicated or shared).   Some machines only have 128 megs of dedicated RAM and can't share system memory; they will not have enough graphics memory to handle virtual worlds.

* As of July 2022, 4 gigs video RAM is recommended, but you can get by well enough on a minimum of 2 gigs.  1 gig will work but is pushing it.

* Shared RAM isn't as fast as dedicated RAM, but it still works. Shared RAM will often be found in laptops or cheaper desktops.

The main point is that it's now possible to buy a relatively low-cost netbook, laptop or desktop computer and have a functional computer for virtual worlds.  This is of course very good news for users with limited budgets.  Still, the more you spend (up to a point), the better the performance.  (See the summary, following.)

 

SUMMARY

Recommended system is an i5 or Ryzen 5 system (or above) with at least 8 gigs RAM, and a GeForce 1050 (or above) graphics card, or a Radeon 10 (or above) graphics card with at least 2 gigs vRAM (4 gigs is better).  Go with what your budget can handle.  Because the truth is, Second Life and Opensim just isn't up to the level of octa-core, high-level graphics systems yet.  There's just no real need to to spend the extra money unless you just want to.   Of course a gamer system is very nice and will offer some advantages... but those advantages will have a diminishing level of return per dollar.

 

--o--

 

 

 

Crashing Much? Tags: crashing inworldz vr

 

Virtual Worlds are more stable than they used to be, but they still have some major issues.   So here are hints and tips for how to avoid such problems.  Mind you, nothing totally prevents lag and crashing.  But these hints should help reduce crashing significantly. 

 

CCLEANER.  (yes, that's 2 "C's").  If you use Windows, this is one of the best "cleaner" systems I've seen and has done more to help me maintain a stable computer system than anything else.  It's free.  Download and install the program.  Sometimes that's all that's required to get your system to run smoothly.  Do not use the Registry cleaner; that's a sure step to disaster.

 

ADJUST CACHE.  Set your viewer cache according to your system abilities.  Originally this was set low, but with today's gigs of RAM and high-level hard drives, you can often increase cache considerably.  However, cache being set too high can cause system confusion.  Adjust this to the point that it seems to work well, according to the following setting...

 

CLEARING CACHE.  Edit/Preferences/Network. If after time you find yourself crashing regularly or lagging extensively, simply Clearing Cache under the Avatar/Preferences/Networks setting might fix that problem.  Note that right after you do that things will run slowly for a bit as textures have to totally reload.

 

VIRTUAL MEMORY.  This is one few people know about, but is very important.  In Windows, Virtual Memory is your computer using hard disc drives to store constantly used information-- kind of an artificial RAM (I don't know how it works on Mac.  You'll need to research).  Chances are your VM isn't set nearly high enough.  Low Virtual Memory is one of the major causes of crashing.

   When I checked my system, my VM was 2 gigs.  I increased it to 9 gigs by using two hard drive partitions.  Any setting of 4gigs or more is probably sufficient.  There is a limit as to how much VM any hard drive is allowed, so if you have more than one hard drive you can set additional VM... although this may slow down things a bit as your system pulls info from additional drives.

Look up how to set Virtual Memory on the Internet.  Doing so will depend on your computer and operating system.

It's fairly safe to set  most hard drives to at least 4096megs (4 gigs).  Save these settings, exit and reset your computer.  When you come back in, go back to that area and double-check the new settings have been established.  Once you increase your VM, time between crashes should increase significantly. 

 

ADJUST BANDWIDTH.  Check your Viewer bandwidth setting.  Different systems will require different bandwidth.  After experimenting I settled on 1500 kbps for mine.  Your internet may require less.   The best way to test this is to look at the bandwidth indicator bar in the upper right corner of your screen, and see which setting keeps that bar on green the most.  If you're constantly going into the red, your bandwidth needs adjusting.  Experimentation will determine which is the best setting for your system.

 

ADJUST GRAPHICS.  Edit/Preferences/Graphics.  Graphics are even more important than your computer when it comes to VR performance. 

   Graphics cards.   A good graphics card is more important than a killer computer system and will have more to do with your overall performance.

   Low-Medium-High-Ultra.  These settings in your Preferences / Graphics area will directly determine how much stress Inworldz places on your graphics system.  If you have a low-power computer you may wish to use the blocky-but-adequate LOW setting.   Medium gives a bit better graphics while requiring relatively low system resources.  High will require a faster computer and good graphics card, and Ultra will require a "gamer" level system.  

   Graphics Settings. The graphics settings on your computer will greatly affect your performance.  Very few people can use the Ultra setting to advantage.  Most people find that High is best under modern home computers (2020).  For low-graphic laptops (or Intel-based graphics), lower settings may be needed.

   Draw Distance.  Withmost systems today, draw distance of 256 is a good setting. Some high-level graphicis cards can handle 512 or more.  In some situations (such as inside a store), setting graphics to 64m or 96m can cause textures to rez more quickly.

   Avatar Impostors.  Avatar Impostors imitates avatars at a distance, but it also destroys those avatar details.  Unless your system is low-performance, you're probably okay to click this off.  However if you have it off and find yourself crashing regularly, try turning it on and see if it helps.

   Detail Sliders. On the right of your graphics window are detail sliders.  If you're having crashing problems or serious lag, it is amazing how reducing those sliders to Med or Low will increase performance.  Unfortunately it will also reduce the detail of your graphics (on Low settings, cylinders turn into hexagons)... but your performance will improve significantly.

  Shadows and Advanced Shaders.  Shadows are pretty.  Shadows are graphics hogs.  Unless you have a powerful graphics card, leave shadows and Advanced Shaders off.

   Emergency only:  Basic Shaders.  Some users report serious problems using any shaders at all.  If nothing else you've tried seems to be working, turn off Basic Shaders.  This will majorly affect the quality of presentation, but if you're on an old, slow computer with minimal graphics, it may make the difference between being able to use the system consistently or not. 

 

CLOUDS.  Most folks aren't aware of it, but the routines that created animated clouds in the sky take more graphics resources than one would expect.   If you're having regular trouble with lag or crashing, try turning off clouds.   You'll wind up with just a clear blue sky... but it may make the difference you need.  You will find this in the ADVANCED / RENDERING menu.

 

AUDIO AND VIDEO.  If you're standing in one spot (like a a dance, regardless of animations), audio will likely not cause problems.  With very low performance systems, audio can increase lag.  But most people don't care at a dance; they're not physically moving much anyway.

   Video.  My recommendation:  don't use video in-world.  If you want to view a video, ask the land owner for the direct-access link (if possible). 

   Video loading can create stop-dead lag, serious performance issues, and even crash your viewer.   You can run a direct-to-computer video (such as YouTube) and your Viewer at the same time with far less drag on your system resources.

    In most cases, turn off "auto loading" of both video and music.  Switch them to manual so they're not being triggered every time you cross a parcel line.

 

ADDITIONAL TWEAKS.   The following changes may assist greatly in handling texture tracking and other lag issues:

Preferences->Graphics->Hardware Settings
Turn off the option Enable Streamed VBOs

Advanced / Debug Settings / XferThrottle

and

Advanced / Debug Settings  
FSDestroyGLTexturesImmediately

Under older 32 bit computer systems these had to be regulated.  Under modern 64 bit systems these can be left untouched.

    Don't be afraid to tweak graphics settings.  You can always reset them to default if necessary.   But if you are crashing regularly, the system being stable or unstable may depend on one setting you haven't yet tried adjusting.  So take the plunge.  If it helps, it helps.  Don't be afraid to try something you haven't tried yet.  It may be just the trick.

 

--o--

INTRO TO ELF CLAN Tags: intro elf clan

ELF CLAN CHARTER

 

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OVERVIEW
ELF CLAN is a fantasy /sci fi / steampunk group stationed on multiple 3D virtual worlds. We have dozens of regions with various themes and designs, owned by individual members.

Elf Clan is more a "themed" group than role playing. We're an Elven Fantasy group, one of the oldest in the VR worlds (since 2004).
 
Members tend to be in-character while on our lands, as it's more fun that way. But we don't require anyone to take character roles or speak / act any certain way. Visitors and members may be in or out of character at their choosing. We're pretty relaxed.

 

WHERE?

Currently the Elf Clan Homeland is hosted at ElvenSong region on OSgrid.

Elf Clan was originally founded on a system called Second Life, a very expensive platform.  Increasing expense, decreasing service and unfriendly policies stifled our group creativity and prevented growth.  We eventually moved to the hypergrid... a cooperative group of virtual worlds.  It is far less expensive and provides us greater control over our properties. In short we got much more for our money and a more hospitable environment.  As a result our group boomed far beyond any growth we'd experienced before.  Our lands and creations are more beautiful and our theme more diverse.   Elf Clan is everywhere.

 
ElvenHope
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ROLE PLAYING
We do have role playing rules available for those who wish to engage in such activities. However, reading such is not required to enjoy our group or lands; role playing is optional and voluntary.

 
Orc Embassy
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ENVIRONMENT
Elf Clan is very loosely based on Lord of the Rings, with a few twists. The Orcs are our oldest and most loyal allies (despite the occasional very hyper wars). Dragons are guardians of our lands. Tinies run about causing mischief. Pixies and Fae abound (mostly to keep the Orcs in line). All in all we are a pretty laid-back and very friendly group. We openly welcome visitors. Our lands are "Web-G, family-friendly".
 
Replicant City, high-sky ElvenSong
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GENRE
Elf Clan is not strictly limited to Elven fantasy. We also currently have science fiction and steampunk themes, and are looking to add additional fantasy / sci fi themes in the future. We believe diversity makes exploration more enjoyable.
 
EXPLORATION
Pick up a TOUR GUIDE and TELEPORT HUD at ElvenSong Castle.

Come join us in a wondrous romp that includes fantasy, science fiction, steampunk and more.
 
ElvenGlen Castle
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YOUR OWN REGION
If you like Elf Clan and would like to own your own region, please contact us. Our members love being part of our group of fantasy / sci fi islands.  We'll be happy to help you get established on OSgrid or one of our affiliate grids, according to your needs.
 

-- Wayfinder Wishbringer, founder of Elf Clan

 

ELF CLAN CHARTER Tags: charter

 

THE CLIFF NOTES VERSION:

Originally the Elf Clan Charter was an extensive document, necessarily so to protect group members and lands in the environment of Second Life.  Now with Elf Clan lands owned by individuals and spread throughout the Hypergrid, land owners are primarily in charge of their own land rules and the Charter has been greatly simplified.   The Elf Clan Charter now boils down to these basic concepts:

* Honor * Respect * Friendship *   The three original tenets of our group philosophy.

* Family friendly and visitor-friendly lands.  Lands should be open to visitors and designed to encourage visitors to explore.

* G-rated public areas (Mature areas are either clearly designated or restricted to high sky)

* The Elf Clan Affiliate Lands banner is present at your primary landing point.

* No political, nationalist, religious, or obviously controversial components in public areas.  Elf Clan is neutral and non-controversial, lands where people can escape from real life stress.

* Primary themes are fantasy, science fiction and steampunk. Your land doesn't have to be totally these themes, but needs to reflect theme to a notable degree.

* No open nudity, foul language, or other "mature" themes.  Ancient Elf Clan saying:  "What you do in your home is your business.  What you do in the streets is ours."  Elf Clan is and always has been a group where people can get away from the stress of the real world.  In setting up an Elf Clan Affiliate land, the owners are stating, "This is a safe zone that people can visit to relax and enjoy the environment."

* Beyond that, land owners are the sovereigns of their lands and set their own rules.  Elf Clan does not police Affiliates unless we receive report of obvious breach of trust.

That's it!  Far simpler than our early days. You can find a bit more information in our Visitor Guidelines, which of course apply to the lands themselves as well.

 

WHAT IS ELF CLAN... and WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL CHARTER?

The following information is presented here for archival purposes.  While these things can be used as guidelines, our new environments have allowed us to relax restrictions and rules.  This is primarily due to getting away from the highly restrictive and drama / griefer-filled Second Life environment.

Elf Clan is a virtual reality group based on the Opensim platform (https://www.osgrid.org/). We offer fantasy theme lands, science fiction, steampunk and other unique genres. Elf Clan is a visitor-friendly, family-friendly group.


The Elf Clan Charter is the foundation document of our group. It details our core concepts, rules, governing system, goals and functions. Members are encouraged to acquaint themselves with this charter and accompanying documents.

Core Concepts: HONOR * RESPECT * FRIENDSHIP

Elf Clan is a very visitor-friendly group. Feel free to visit any area of Elf Clan lands. (See Visitor Guidlines below.)

 

Those who conduct themselves properly are welcome on our lands. Our lands are peaceful, harmonious and friendly. We like our visitors to be the same.


Elf Clan lands are family-friendly and G-rated (not PG, PG13, R or X). Please conduct yourself modestly (dress, speech, gestures) and always remember the core concepts. Behave as if there are always "ladies and children present"... and that's a good rule of thumb. Thank you. : )

TO JOIN ELF CLAN: Just click the JOIN ELF CLAN link on this site's home page. It is good to read the following documents to become acquainted with Elf Clan concepts and guidelines.

Q: Do I have to be an elf to join?
A: No. You don't have to take a role at all, although doing so enhances the fun. Read more about different roles below. All you need is a love of fun and a respectful nature.

PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINKS FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

INTRO TO ELF CLAN

VISITOR GUIDELINES

ATTRACTIONS

ELF CLAN RENTALS Have a beautiful home on Elf Clan lands

OWNING AN ELF CLAN REGION

EXPANDED GENRES  Diversified areas of Elf Clan fantasy lore

COMMON ELF CLAN ROLES You don't have to be an Elf. Look at these wondrous suggestions.

GROUP ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

IM and CHAT GUIDELINES

POSTING GROUP NOTICES

ROLE PLAYING and WEAPONRY

ELF CLAN LORE

HANDLING PROBLEMS (drama)

HOSTING EVENTS

EVENT IDEAS

REFEREE GUIDELINES-- Elf Clan sporting events

GREETERS

GUARDIAN GUIDELINE

 

ELDAR

Cinnamon Raymaker

Moontan Valeeva

Peter Lioncourt

Wayfinder Wishbringer

 

GREETERS and REGION OWNERS: The Greeters and Region Owners are in charge of assisting and moderating the lands, and hosting events. Please provide them your cooperation.
 



ELF CLAN FOUNDATION LANDS:
ElvenSong and ElvenGlen on OSgrid.
(These are re-creations of the first Elf Clan regions and are centers of Elf Clan history.)



MODERN DAY ELF CLAN

Elf Clan shut down all Second Life lands on November 17, 2011 and moved to Inworld.  Inworldz self-destructed July 27, 2018 and Elf Clan home worlds moved to OSgrid.  Affiliates moved to other grids, joined by the Hypergrid.  Elf Clan thrives today with more lands and creations than our entire history.


--o--

 

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