Ghosted Avatar

Ghosted Avatar


As old as SL, but on the rise lately, the problem known as ghosted avatar is typically a server problem and has, once again, nothing to do with the viewer.

It occurs when the disconnection information is badly implemented, your account is actually disconnected, but not your avatar.

Here is my Ghostbuster method, it presents no risk but fail. You can repeat it as many times as needed. Get started ;,)

Ghosted avatar symptoms.

In regular times, launching a second session on a connected avatar has for immediate result to eject it from the grid. In that case, you can read on the second window that the logon failed and on the first that you have been disconnected.

If you try to launch a session with a ghosted avatar, you can also read that the connection is impossible, but it does not eject the ghost from the server.

For your friends, you appear online on SL, but you're not and can not launch the second session on the same avatar.

Important Informations.

• The ghosted avatar loops in a cycle from 5 to 15 minutes. It remains online about 93% of the time, the small remaining 7% is the only time you can connect in parallel.
• A ghosted avatar does not prevent an alt to get connected.
• The search for a ghost can only be considered in pairs.
An alt is fine. However, keep in mind that your machine will respond less quickly at launching a second session.
• The person wearing the online indicator does not need to go near the ghost, it works from anywhere on the grid.

Actions that delete a ghosted avatar

• Restarting the region where the ghost is located.
  Is not as easy as it seems, nor it's always true.
• The meeting of the two entities, real and phantom, on the same sim.
  Is much simpler than it looks ;).

Actions that do not delete a ghosted avatar.

• Login to a different region where it wanders miserably :(
• IMPORTANT. If the logon is successful, then there's no rush to make them meet.

During my last 'deghost' (02.12.11), the loop was about 5 min long, which left only 20 sec to get connected. This short period is good enough if you are well prepared too.

In multi-session at that time, I saw twice the same avatar. Once with Alba, who was standing next to the spectrum, and once connected with the 'real' avatar, on another sim ;,)
Same outfit, same attachments, perfect body double. Once both met at the same place, the 'false' gradually faded out from the display, giving way to the real avatar.

Anticipate!
To easily send your tracking ghostbuster, take today the following precautions:

• Save your local chat log, very useful as we shall see later.
• → Preferences (Ctl-P) → Communication → tick 'Save a log of local chat...'
• Give the right to locate you on the grid to a trusted friend or an alt. (This tracking feature may be inactive for a ghost, I have not checked it yet.)
• Friends List (Ctl-Shift-F) → Type the first 2 or 3 letters of his name → Check 'Your friend can set you on the map' (second box)

Locate the ghost.
We have not yet seen a ghost avatar changing it's location by itself. When you're ghosted, you necesarily float where you were...

• ...at your last logout.
  You should remember it ;,)
• ...before your last teleport. (To consider in case of crash at tp.)
  In this case, open the recording logs folder:
• If you are using an alt, to find them, go to
• (818+) → Preferences → Network → Chat Log File Location
• (>725) → Preferences → Communication → Chat Log File Location
• Else, by default, SecondLife (conventional path.)
• Open the file named as the ghosted avatar name
• Open the folder 'chat.txt'
• The location will appear at the the end, as a SLurl, namely:
  Teleport completed from http://slurl.com/secondlife/NAME%20OF%20SIM/77/236/28
• Ccopy/paste this link into the chat, open the history (Ctl-H) and follow this destination.

Create the online indicator.

• Get the script named '}}} Avatar Ghosted OnLine Indicator' at this location or ask the group PVS.
• Create a prim, then:
• Enter the ghosted avatar UUID key in the object's 'Description' field.
• Drag'n'drop the script on to the contents of this prim and wait several seconds until it changes.
• Take back the indicator in your inventory, attach it to the HUD (center), edit it and move it to your screen edge.
  If you leave the indicator IW, it will work perfectly, but it will destroy itself after 30 seconds if the ghost is not connected.

Preparing your viewer.

• Launch it, but do not get connected.
• Make sure that under 'Start Location', 'My Last location'is selected on the login window

Revealing the ghosted avatar.

• Go to it's last known location and wait for the indicator turns red.
  
• Immediately, the real avatar should connect.
• If it fails, it is because the ghost goes faster than you and is back online.
  
• The indicator will be green again.
• Take patience and try again at the last loop.

I hope this method will succeed and that you'll soon find avatar and account in one piece.
Please, to enhance it's experience, post a brief comment to tell its success or causes of his failure.

Thankies and Good Luck for your hunt! ;.)

More details about the '}}} Ghosted Avatar OnLine Indicator'