Difference between revisions of "Getting Started for Users"

First of all, a big welcome to Sinespace!

As a user in Sinespace, you can chat with other users, complete quests, attend events and much more. If you are not a member of Sinespace yet and would like to be, please go to our sign up page!

Once you have an account for Sinespace, you might want to download the Sinespace client from our website. The client is better than using Sinespace in the browser. You can find the latest client here.

Logging into the Sinespace Client

Once you have downloaded and installed the Sinespace client, open it up. You will get a log in screen which looks something like this:

The column on the left-hand side features events for this week in your local time. The box next to this shows the most recent blog post. The next box shows the forums thread. The images are from our Flickr page. There is also a blue cog in the bottom right corner of the log-in screen. You can click on this to adjust graphic settings before you enter Sinespace.

At the top, this is where you enter your account details to log in. You enter the account name you set up on the sign in page, and the password. You don't need to check the preview server box. The dropdown menu shows 'Last visited', 'Default', and 'Home'. Last visited will log you into the last visited region, default will log you into the Welcome Center (this is good for new users) and Home will log you into your home region.

Once you have set where you want to log in, click on the green Login button near the top right corner of the screen.

Upon login to Sinespace

When you log in to Sinespace for the first time, especially in the Welcome Center, you may find you experience a bit of lag. This is due to the region needing to load fully. You will see a loading progress bar in the top right corner.

Once this is done, the lag will disappear and you will be able to chat and move around easily. If you still find issues with moving around, you can adjust the Performance settings to a lower level by clicking on the blue cog in the bottom right corner (if you haven't done this already on the log in screen.)

Avatar Highlighting. You may notice your avatar is highlighted, or outlined, when your cursor moves over it. You can turn this feature off if desired. Click on the 'blue cog' (gear) button in the bottom right corner (the Settings button) to open Settings. At the bottom of the settings box uncheck the box labeled 'Enable Highlight Effect'.

Moving Around in Sinespace

To walk around, you can use the 'WASD' keys, the 'arrow' keys, or we have a Click-to-Walk setting. When turning your avatar, the longer you hold down the key, the further it will turn.

To run hold down the 'shift' key while walking.

To jump press the 'spacebar'. Jumping while walking or running is a good way to hop over small obstacles.

The click-to-walk feature allows you to left-click on the ground and your avatar will move to the spot you clicked. If Click-to-Walk isn't your style, you can turn this off under the Settings/Input Options at the bottom of the client screen (click the gear symbol.)

To fly press the 'F' key on your keyboard, then 'E' to go up and 'C' to go down. Change direction using 'WASD' or 'arrow' keys. You can also fly up or down using 'Page Up' and 'Page Down'.

Vehicles may also be used in sinespace to help you get around. You can purchase vehicles from the Shop and then spawn them into the region from your inventory. Once you have obtained a vehicle from the Shop, just click on the vehicle in your inventory, then click on the 'Drive' button. Click on the vehicle in the region to get in and take it for a spin!

Vehicles work the same as walking. You can use 'WASD' and 'arrow' keys to turn and accelerate, and use 'spacebar' to brake. To get out of the vehicle, click on it.

Basic Camera or Viewpoint Controls

Zoom in, zoom out: You can zoom in or out using the scroll wheel on your mouse. Scrolling all the way up gives you the "eye view" of the avatar, as if you were looking through the eyes of your avatar. Try this while walking, running, or flying for a different perspective.

Rotate Camera: You can rotate the camera around your avatar by holding down the right mouse button and 'dragging' the mouse. To return the camera to the default position behind the avatar, move the cursor so that it is NOT on your avatar and then press 'ESC'.

Moving the Camera position using 'Fly Cam': You can move around the camera position without moving your avatar by using the 'Fly Cam' feature. Press the 'F4' key once to toggle Fly Cam on. Now move the camera by holding down the right mouse button while you press the 'W' 'A' 'S' 'D' 'E' or 'C' keys. Another option is to hold down the right mouse button and use the 'arrow keys', 'page up', and 'page down' keys to move the camera. Press 'ESC' to turn off Fly Cam and return the camera to the default position behind the avatar. Note: If you locked Fly Cam you need to press 'F4' to unlock it before pressing 'ESC'.

Fly Cam Lock: The Fly Cam Lock prevents your avatar from walking or flying when Fly Cam is activated. It's very easy to accidentally move your avatar when using Fly Cam, so using the lock feature is a good habit to develop. When Fly Cam is activated the 'F4' key toggles the lock on and off. The 'ESC' key will not work when Fly Cam is locked!

Focus on a specific object: You can instantly move the camera to be centered on any object by holding down the 'Alt' button and right clicking on the object you wish to view closer. You can then right click and drag to pan around the item and observe it from any angle. Press 'ESC' to return the camera to the default position behind the avatar.

Note: If pressing 'ESC' doesn't return your camera to the default position make sure the cursor is NOT over your avatar's body and press 'ESC' again.

Changing Your Avatar

When you sign up to Sinespace, you will have picked a default avatar. To customize this avatar, you can click on the 'Outfit tab' at the bottom of the screen. If you can't see the green tabs at the bottom of the screen, you can press 'F11' on your keyboard to switch to full-screen.

Once you have clicked on the Outfit button, you will enter the 'Outfit window'. This is where you can change the appearance of your avatar.

As you can see in the sample image above, there is a drop down menu right at the top on the left hand side, and buttons called 'Switch', 'Delete', 'New' and 'Save As'. These buttons are relating to making a new outfit. There are also different dropdown menus on the left side of the outfit window. These are: 'Skintone', 'Face Details', 'Avatar Size', 'Body Details' and 'Worn Clothes'.

Changing outfits

The first box at the top left shows the name of the current outfit you are wearing. You can change the current outfit you are wearing by clicking on the green arrow next to the outfit name, select a different outfit from the drop down menu that appears, then click on the 'Switch' button. You also have the option to delete the current outfit with the 'Delete' button.

Creating a new outfit

You can create a new outfit by clicking on the 'New' button at the top left of the outfit window. When you click on the New button, you will see this:

The box where it says 'Enter a name' is the box where you enter the name of the new outfit, for example you can name it 'New Outfit'. The box which says 'Base Male' is a dropdown box for choosing either the Base Male or Base Female avatar skeleton.

Once you have named the new outfit and chosen the base skeleton, you can click on the 'Create' button to create the outfit. The avatar will show as a default avatar, but you can customize this with the dropdown menus.

Skintone

The skintone menu lets you pick which skintone you want your avatar to have. The 'Skintone' dropdown will let you pick the color of the avatars' skin; You can have normal skintones, or pick any color such as blue. The 'Reflection' dropdown will let you pick a reflection color. The reflection color will add an undertone to your skintone; If you pick a darker skintone for example, adding a white reflection color will make the skin show in a grey color.

Face Details

The face details menu shows you a selection of different sliders to change the appearance of your avatar's face. The above image is just a small amount of the sliders we have under Face Details. You can change these to your preference.

Avatar Size

The avatar size will adjust the overall height of your avatar.

Body Details

The body details menu will let you change the body shape of your avatar with sliders. There a lot of options here to change your avatar, like making the avatar more muscular, making the arms longer etc. You can change these to your preference.

Worn Clothes

Here you can open your Wardrobe with the 'Open Wardrobe' button to see a list of all the clothing you have. You can also remove items you are wearing with the 'Remove' button next to the clothing item. Some items listed under "Worn Clothes" have additional options for fine tuning the fit, such as move, rotate, and scale.

Want more clothing options? You can buy new clothing items at the Shop. Exit Outfit editing and click on the 'Shop' tab to visit the Shop.

Buying Items from the Shop

The Shop has a wide range of items for you to purchase, from clothing to furniture. To enter the Shop, first click on the green 'Shop' tab at the bottom of the screen. When it opens, you will see something similar to this:

As seen from the above image, there are different categories in the Shop: 'Clothes', 'Gestures', 'Vehicles', 'Furniture', 'Room' and 'Pet'. You can click on these category tabs to get the relevant items.

Each category has sub-categories, for example, clothes has an 'Outfit' sub-category, a 'Top' sub-category, and so on.

You can use the search bar in the top right corner of the Shop window to search for a specific item.

To purchase an item, click on the item image. A preview window like this one will pop up (if it is a clothing item it will be shown modeled on your avatar):

This preview shows how the item will look, and also gives you color options, if available for the item. To purchase the item, click on the 'Buy for Silver' or 'Buy for Gold' button at the bottom of this screen. Some items can only be bought for Gold, some can only be bought for Silver, and some can be bought for either. Once you have bought the item, it will show in your Inventory. To see your inventory exit the Shop by clicking the 'X' in the top right corner of the Shop screen. Then click on the Inventory tab at the bottom of the main screen.

Visiting your Home

When you make an account for Sinespace, you automatically get a home region for free! To visit your home, click on the green 'Home' button at the bottom of the screen, under the chat window. When you click on it, you will see a pop like this:

This is the Room List. This shows all of the different rooms you have. Only one room can be enabled at a time if you have not subscribed to have more regions. You can disable and enable different rooms here. To enter your room, click on the 'Enter' button. This will take you to your Home.

Once at your home, you can explore. You also have the ability to edit your room and add items to it. You can do this by clicking on the 'Edit Room' button. For more detailed information on Edit room, please see our Room System page. You can purchase new items of furniture from the Shop.

Ctrl + H will get you back home most of the time!

Exploring other Regions

To explore other regions, click on the green 'Explore' button at the bottom of the screen. When you have clicked on it, you will see a list of regions down the left hand side of the screen:

There are three categories for regions; 'Featured', 'Popular' and 'Friends'. The Featured list shows mostly Sinespace owned regions, but it does show some of the most popular creator regions as well. Popular is where you will find the most visited regions, and Friends will show all of your friends' homes and regions.

To enter one of these regions, click on the 'Enter' button next to the region image. To get back to the Welcome Center, you can click on 'Explore' again, find the Welcome Center and click on 'enter'. If you are wanting to find and visit a specific region, you can use the 'search bar' above the Featured, Popular and Friends tabs.

Adding Friends

There are a few ways you can add other users as friends. The easiest way to do this is to search for their username in the search bar at the top of the screen. When you have searched for their name, their profile will come up like this:

The button highlighted in red is the button you want to press to add that user as a friend. Once they have accepted your friend request, you will see them under the Friends tab at the bottom of the screen. You can also use the search bar at the top to search for users and chat with them privately.