Difference between revisions of "User:Lum Pfohl/Troubleshooting"
m (Addition of "Object Aren't Rotating" section) |
|||
Line 68: | Line 68: | ||
*Parts of their skin appear blackened (neck, back of arms, legs, back) | *Parts of their skin appear blackened (neck, back of arms, legs, back) | ||
*Entire avatar is black (See note below) | *Entire avatar is black (See note below) | ||
*Going into APPEARANCES restores their look, temporarily. Coming out of | *Going into APPEARANCES restores their look, temporarily. Coming out of APPEARANCES results in blackened parts again. | ||
*Clearing CACHE and relogging does not help | *Clearing CACHE and relogging does not help | ||
Note: An avatar that is completely black may be running DUAL MONITORS (such as on a laptop with an external monitor) AND running Second Life on the secondary monitor. Either way, the treatment is the same. | Note: An avatar that is completely black may be running DUAL MONITORS (such as on a laptop with an external monitor) AND running Second Life on the secondary monitor. Either way, the treatment is the same. | ||
Line 108: | Line 108: | ||
<div style="border: solid #FFB3B3 1px;"> | <div style="border: solid #FFB3B3 1px;"> | ||
*They may wear an article of SL clothing (such as a skirt) - which become invisible within moments | *They may wear an article of SL clothing (such as a skirt) - which become invisible within moments | ||
*Going into APPEARANCES restores their look, temporarily. Coming out of | *Going into APPEARANCES restores their look, temporarily. Coming out of APPEARANCES results in invisible clothing again. | ||
*Clearing CACHE and relogging does not help | *Clearing CACHE and relogging does not help | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Line 139: | Line 139: | ||
;What If It Didn't Work? | ;What If It Didn't Work? | ||
Have them clear their cache, relog and give them a new folder to change into when they return. If it still doesn't work after several attempts, help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ | Have them clear their cache, relog and give them a new folder to change into when they return. If it still doesn't work after several attempts, help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ | ||
</div> | |||
</div> | |||
<div id="box"> | |||
==Objects Aren't Rotating!== | |||
<div style="padding: 0.5em"> | |||
;Symptoms | |||
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms: | |||
<div style="border: solid #FFB3B3 1px;"> | |||
*Objects that appear to be rotating for most people (like the green hands at Orientation Island Public) remain woefully stationary. | |||
</div> | |||
;Treatment | |||
It's bizarre that this should ever occur, especially on a newbie's computer, but older curious Residents may have gone mucking with their settings and accidentally tripped the inappropriate value. This value, when toggled doesn't appear to do anything most of the time (unless they're looking at a rotating object), so the Resident may not even know they broke something... | |||
;For All Residents: | |||
#Enable the CLIENT & SERVER menu items (CTRL-ALT-D on a PC**, CTRL-OPT-D on a Mac) | |||
#Navigate the following menu items: CLIENT -> DEBUG SETTINGS | |||
#On the new Debug Settings window, locate the item '''VelocityInterpolate''' | |||
#Set the '''VelocityInterpolate''' value to TRUE and apply the changes. | |||
#Verify that objects that SHOULD be rotating, do indeed rotate. | |||
#You may have to take the newbie to an area (such as HIP or OIP) and let them look at the rotating items (such as the PRESS F1 FOR HELP over HIP, or the green hands at OIP) | |||
;What If It Didn't Work? | |||
#Have the Resident delete the following on their PC | |||
:'''(PC) :''' Shutdown SL. In <font color="blue">C:\Documents and Settings\<WinUserID>\Application Data\Second Life\</font> there is a folder with the Resident's name. If you log any chat/IM to disk, you'll find them inside this folder. Copy them to a different directory. Delete the folder with the Resident's name (e.g. <font color="blue">Lum_Pfohl</font> on my PC). Restart SL. | |||
:'''(MAC):''' Shutdown SL. In <font color="blue">/Users/<MacUserID>/Library/Application Support/SecondLife/user_settings/</font> there is a file called <font color="blue">settings.xml</font>. Delete this file and restart SL. | |||
If it still doesn't work after several attempts, help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ | |||
</div> | </div> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Line 200: | Line 231: | ||
*Move closer to your Wireless Access Point for a better signal | *Move closer to your Wireless Access Point for a better signal | ||
*Switch to a faster / reliable internet service | *Switch to a faster / reliable internet service | ||
There have been reports of residents coming to Help Island, saying they have crappy performance, everyone is gray and ruthed, and they're sick of Second Life. After much teeth-pulling we discover they're on | There have been reports of residents coming to Help Island, saying they have crappy performance, everyone is gray and ruthed, and they're sick of Second Life. After much teeth-pulling we discover they're on dial up, connected at 28.8 kbps ("28.8? How can that be? I have a 52kbps modem!") | ||
Line 213: | Line 244: | ||
;Then Come All The People... | ;Then Come All The People... | ||
Residents will be wearing different clothing, hairs, | Residents will be wearing different clothing, hairs, attachments, robes, scripted objects, etc. Hundreds upon hundreds of them. | ||
A texture that is 256 x 256 pixels by 24 bits deep will be 192 Kb (196,608 bytes). This is stored in a JPEG-2000 format. Grossly assuming a 10:1 compression ratio, this texture is 19.2 Kb. If any texture is "reused" (that is has the same UUID) on multiple objects, then this 19.2 Kb texture need only be downloaded once and stored in the cache. It can be read from there and applied to the many objects. | A texture that is 256 x 256 pixels by 24 bits deep will be 192 Kb (196,608 bytes). This is stored in a JPEG-2000 format. Grossly assuming a 10:1 compression ratio, this texture is 19.2 Kb. If any texture is "reused" (that is has the same UUID) on multiple objects, then this 19.2 Kb texture need only be downloaded once and stored in the cache. It can be read from there and applied to the many objects. | ||
Line 262: | Line 293: | ||
*A new hair or dress is attached or rezzed: object info must be delivered to everyone so they can see it too | *A new hair or dress is attached or rezzed: object info must be delivered to everyone so they can see it too | ||
*Someone moves: positional information has to be sent to everyone. | *Someone moves: positional information has to be sent to everyone. | ||
*A particle poof goes off: the texture has to be sent to | *A particle poof goes off: the texture has to be sent to everyone. | ||
*Someone breaks into a dance routine with sound: the | *Someone breaks into a dance routine with sound: the animation and sound file must be delivered to everyone. | ||
*Someone chats: group chat must be | *Someone chats: group chat must be calculated for distance and delivered to the appropriate people | ||
*Someone with a high draw distance is requesting more and more textures for objects far away - the sim has to respond to that too | *Someone with a high draw distance is requesting more and more textures for objects far away - the sim has to respond to that too | ||
*Physical objects (and object physics) place a huge calculation burden on the sim, while it calculates collision conditions | *Physical objects (and object physics) place a huge calculation burden on the sim, while it calculates collision conditions | ||
Line 271: | Line 302: | ||
*Number of prims on the land | *Number of prims on the land | ||
You can quickly see that's a lot of burden on the | You can quickly see that's a lot of burden on the Simulator who must now transfer here and there. As old residents leave and new ones arrive, the new residents get the 64 Mb, and the older residents get the delta (only what's changed). | ||
We, as content creators, have created objects that are not optimized for Internet Transfer. We, as content consumers, use those inefficient objects in a manner that exacerbates the problem. We love to "wear" lots of it! In the end, we did this to ourselves, despite Linden Labs' guidelines... [[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zJOxl0w-NP8 Watch Video]] | We, as content creators, have created objects that are not optimized for Internet Transfer. We, as content consumers, use those inefficient objects in a manner that exacerbates the problem. We love to "wear" lots of it! In the end, we did this to ourselves, despite Linden Labs' guidelines... [[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zJOxl0w-NP8 Watch Video]] | ||
Line 303: | Line 334: | ||
<div style="border: solid #FFB3B3 1px;"> | <div style="border: solid #FFB3B3 1px;"> | ||
*Inexplicable textures applied to their clothing and avatar (right click image and open in a new window or tab to follow along) | *Inexplicable textures applied to their clothing and avatar (right click image and open in a new window or tab to follow along) | ||
*Going into APPEARANCES restores their look, temporarily. Coming out of | *Going into APPEARANCES restores their look, temporarily. Coming out of APPEARANCES results in blackened parts again. | ||
*Clearing CACHE and relogging offers only temporary relief - as issue may recur at any moment | *Clearing CACHE and relogging offers only temporary relief - as issue may recur at any moment | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Line 311: | Line 342: | ||
*Have the resident upgrade the video drivers. | *Have the resident upgrade the video drivers. | ||
Residents may argue, "But I have a brand new computer, how can my drivers be out of date?" The fact is that updates to software (and drivers) are coming out all of the time. The version that is installed with their Operating System may be recent, but still several revisions back - one that is "certified" as stable and working. Second Life uses cutting edge graphics technologies which might be incorporated into a | Residents may argue, "But I have a brand new computer, how can my drivers be out of date?" The fact is that updates to software (and drivers) are coming out all of the time. The version that is installed with their Operating System may be recent, but still several revisions back - one that is "certified" as stable and working. Second Life uses cutting edge graphics technologies which might be incorporated into a recent SL Upgrade. Quite often, people start having video problems after an upgrade, as the SL Viewer requirements blew past what their driver can effectively provide. | ||
;Some Suggested Sites | ;Some Suggested Sites | ||
Line 352: | Line 383: | ||
;What if it didn't work? | ;What if it didn't work? | ||
There's just no way it wouldn't work. Animations are not persistent across Second Life sessions. If it DOES persist, then there's something else at work. Check for: | There's just no way it wouldn't work. Animations are not persistent across Second Life sessions. If it DOES persist, then there's something else at work. Check for: | ||
#An attachment which restores the monster look each time an avatar logs on (Use the REPLACE OUTFIT with a newbie avatar, if | #An attachment which restores the monster look each time an avatar logs on (Use the REPLACE OUTFIT with a newbie avatar, if necessary) | ||
#Resident is wearing a deformed SHAPE (not caused by an animation). In this case, have them put on a different shape | #Resident is wearing a deformed SHAPE (not caused by an animation). In this case, have them put on a different shape | ||
#File a support ticket via https://support.secondlife.com | #File a support ticket via https://support.secondlife.com |
Revision as of 06:38, 23 January 2008
Stuck In Ruth Shape
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
For reasons unknown, the avatar is unable to download and wear their normal shape. Fortunately, there is very quick and effective way of addressing this condition.
I have a couple of folders prepared (MALE SHAPE & OUTFIT and FEMALE SHAPE & OUTFIT - from the SL Library Folder). These folders contain the complete newbie avatar of the Guy Next Door and Girl Next Door look. It is imperative that these folders contain the SHAPE associated with the avatar. These folders are great because they contain SL hair, SL skin, SL shapes, no attachments - all low lag!
Observe them quickly change their outfit and become a newbie.
Have them clear their cache, relog and give them a new folder to change into when they return. If it still doesn't work after several attempts, help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ The good news is, I've helped no less than 6 residents successfully in this manner (brand new, to 6 month residents). Blackened Avatar
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
Note: An avatar that is completely black may be running DUAL MONITORS (such as on a laptop with an external monitor) AND running Second Life on the secondary monitor. Either way, the treatment is the same.
I have a couple of folders prepared (MALE SHAPE & OUTFIT and FEMALE SHAPE & OUTFIT - from the SL Library Folder). These folders contain the complete newbie avatar of the Guy Next Door and Girl Next Door look. It is imperative that these folders contain the SHAPE associated with the avatar. These folders are great because they contain SL hair, SL skin, SL shapes, no attachments - all low lag! Ask the resident if they have their clothing and shapes saved in a folder, or would be able to quickly restore their appearance. We will be clobbering whatever they have on, and replace their outfit completely. Let them make notes on what they are wearing, for reference later.
Have them clear their cache, relog and give them a new folder to change into when they return. If it still doesn't work after several attempts, help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ Disappearing Clothing
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
I have a couple of folders prepared (MALE SHAPE & OUTFIT and FEMALE SHAPE & OUTFIT - from the SL Library Folder). These folders contain the complete newbie avatar of the Guy Next Door and Girl Next Door look. It is imperative that these folders contain the SHAPE associated with the avatar. These folders are great because they contain SL hair, SL skin, SL shapes, no attachments - all low lag! Ask the resident if they have their clothing and shapes saved in a folder, or would be able to quickly restore their appearance. We will be clobbering whatever they have on, and replace their outfit completely. Let them make notes on what they are wearing, for reference later.
Have them clear their cache, relog and give them a new folder to change into when they return. If it still doesn't work after several attempts, help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ Objects Aren't Rotating!
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
It's bizarre that this should ever occur, especially on a newbie's computer, but older curious Residents may have gone mucking with their settings and accidentally tripped the inappropriate value. This value, when toggled doesn't appear to do anything most of the time (unless they're looking at a rotating object), so the Resident may not even know they broke something...
If it still doesn't work after several attempts, help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ Gray Everywhere
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
This is usually caused by our public enemy no. 1 - LAG. I'd like to go out on a limb and say, "we did this to ourselves!" Lag is caused not by SL, but by the content that the Residents of SL have created (see my explanation below). It is exacerbated by the number of residents in SL. There is no silver bullet for this condition, but there are things we can do to mitigate it for ourselves.
This "coaxes" the textures to for the right-clicked objects to render faster. Obviously if *everything* is gray, and you've right-clicked "everything," then it'll take a long time for "everything" to render. Prioritize what you'd like to have rendered first.
If your PC is busy trying to contend with memory management issues, chances are it's too busy to request and download the textures to apply to your surroundings.
You'll have to balance the MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH setting with what your Internet Service can provide and who else in your household is using the same connection.
Chances are, you're probably chewing up a lot of network bandwidth. Your Internet Connection is like a garden hose. There's only so much you can push through it. Switch to bandwidth conservation mode.
There have been reports of residents coming to Help Island, saying they have crappy performance, everyone is gray and ruthed, and they're sick of Second Life. After much teeth-pulling we discover they're on dial up, connected at 28.8 kbps ("28.8? How can that be? I have a 52kbps modem!")
Obviously, if you have less textures to download, your experience will be much better. Consider a busy sim such as Help Island Public. The SIM itself contains platforms and scenery and objects that have their own textures. Linden Labs built those. Let's assume they've optimized their textures so that they're small in size as possible while still maintaining a good look.
Residents will be wearing different clothing, hairs, attachments, robes, scripted objects, etc. Hundreds upon hundreds of them. A texture that is 256 x 256 pixels by 24 bits deep will be 192 Kb (196,608 bytes). This is stored in a JPEG-2000 format. Grossly assuming a 10:1 compression ratio, this texture is 19.2 Kb. If any texture is "reused" (that is has the same UUID) on multiple objects, then this 19.2 Kb texture need only be downloaded once and stored in the cache. It can be read from there and applied to the many objects. But more likely, people are sending in 1024 x 1024 pixel alpha (32 bits). I know I do. They simply look better and have more detail, and have a transparency channel. This file is now 4 Mb (4,194,304 bytes). Even at a 10:1 compression ratio, it's still 409.6 Kb! A typical dress may have 4 or 5 different textures. My favorite dress by Bare Rose probably has about 10! Hairs can also contribute to the texture count, although I'll wager there's only about 2 or 3 different kinds in most of them. 409.6 Kb x 5 (textures per dress) + 409.6 Kb x 3 (textures per hair) * 20 residents on the HIP platform. Let's see... 64 Mb just for hair and dresses alone! We're not even talking the scenery or the avatar's skins or the group chat traffic, streaming audio or anything! 64 Mb may not sound like much to you, but it is 67,108,864 bytes. Internet Connection Speeds are measured in "kilo-bits per second" or "mega-bits per second." A bit is 1/8 of a byte. 8 bits per byte. In transmission-speak, a kilo or mega is 1000 and 1,000,000 even. (Other calculations, I've been using kilo=1024, mega=1,048,576.) Let's do the math: (67,108,864 bytes) * (8 bits/byte) ------------------------------------------- = 699 seconds (roughly). (768 kilo-bits/sec) * (1000 bits/kilo-bits) That's around 11.5 minutes at 768 DSL/Cable Modem speeds!
Note: You Cable Modem users out there - don't get your hopes up too much. Even if you *Do* have a 7 or 8 Mbps connection (in the best case scenario), your Second Life viewer cannot take full advantage of it. The *maximum* bandwidth your viewer can use is 1.5 Mbps. Moreover your client is very likely to be set to something lower than that. As you can see, the faster your connection speed, the quicker you could potentially receive it. If there are 20 residents around you, all 20 residents will be receiving the same 64 Mb of textures. The simulator and asset server goes into overdrive sending out textures here and there, to everyone. Plus a whole slew of other things:
You can quickly see that's a lot of burden on the Simulator who must now transfer here and there. As old residents leave and new ones arrive, the new residents get the 64 Mb, and the older residents get the delta (only what's changed). We, as content creators, have created objects that are not optimized for Internet Transfer. We, as content consumers, use those inefficient objects in a manner that exacerbates the problem. We love to "wear" lots of it! In the end, we did this to ourselves, despite Linden Labs' guidelines... [Watch Video] This is why griefers can bring a sim to its knees. The simulator in a crowded sim is already working at near-capacity. All the griefer needs to do is to put the last straw on the camel's back.
Polygons Shooting Out Of AvatarsFantastic Screen Displays While In AppearancesAvatar Covered With Onscreen Textures
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
Residents may argue, "But I have a brand new computer, how can my drivers be out of date?" The fact is that updates to software (and drivers) are coming out all of the time. The version that is installed with their Operating System may be recent, but still several revisions back - one that is "certified" as stable and working. Second Life uses cutting edge graphics technologies which might be incorporated into a recent SL Upgrade. Quite often, people start having video problems after an upgrade, as the SL Viewer requirements blew past what their driver can effectively provide.
Help them file a support ticket at https://support.secondlife.com/ Everyone Tells Me I'm RuthedHelp! I'm A Monster!
The people affected by this condition might exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
The issue is caused by a series of animations that bend the body this way and that and are either applied by a scripted object or a gesture. It's similar in concept to a "body crusher" script which folds an avatar into a tiny package so it can fit into a smaller avatar of a cat or a floating eyeball. It's a harmless prank, thought up by ingenious griefers. It can be horrific to an unsuspecting newbie. I have seen a number of scripts and animations and gestures which will "reverse" the effects of the Monster Script. Some are easy to use, others - I am clueless how to apply them. I also wonder if the resident would be willing to accept yet another gesture to run when it was a malicious gesture in the first place! There is nothing simpler than the following to cure this condition:
There's just no way it wouldn't work. Animations are not persistent across Second Life sessions. If it DOES persist, then there's something else at work. Check for:
Lum Pfohl 11:42, 4 December 2007 (PST) |
|