It's Easy When You Know How
There's lots to do without "doing" if ya know what we mean? Sometimes we have the best times doing nothing. We hope you do too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meet New Friends
Go Where The People Are
There is a social community, so meeting new friends is a natural outcome of being here. But there are a few things you can do to make it easier. First, go to where the people are! To begin with, try Fisher, Zona, and Paiz Islands. You can also ask a volunteer Island Guide to answer questions and let you know what the hot event is that everyone’s looking forward to.
Get Started
If you’re a little shy, here are some ideas for breaking the ice. First, you can click on someone’s Nametag to open his or her Profile and see if you have things in common. You might see that the person belongs to an interesting Club or is an expert Buggy racer. You might also try asking a question like:
- Where did you get that cool outfit?
- Do you know of any good Clubs to join?
- What do you like to do best in There?
- How do you do Hoverboard tricks? Dance? Drive fast?
- Where can I find a good party? Card game? Place to race?
- How did you DO that?!
Try an Event
Many people meet friends when they are doing an activity that they both enjoy. Here are some suggestions for places to find fun events:
- If you would like to hang out with the buggy racing set, try Fisher Island. Stop by Island End A to sign up for vehicle events.
- If parties and cards are more your cup of tea, try Zona Island. You can sign up for parties at the Zona Party Time or card games at Zona Cards Pavilion.
- If you’re into paintballing, you’ll want to visit Paintball Pirates of Paiz.
- There's information about questing at Fisher Island Quest Tower, tours at Paiz Travel Center, and Fashion events at the Zona Fashion Stage.
- You can also find exciting current events by reading the news at There Central or on There Fun Times.
- Another good source for events is the There activity schedule. When you are logged into There, just click the Activities button at the bottom of the page and then the Happening Now option to pull up an event search page.
Join a Club
Once you’ve found out what you like to do in There, join a Club that supports that. Check out our Join a Club article to learn how. Many Clubs have events on a regular basis. Attending those events will give you a chance to meet with the same people regularly and forge some friendships. Just ask the people you meet what Clubs they belong to, or take a look at their Profiles. Here are some suggestions to get started. Each of these Clubs has a weekly event:
For Socialites and Puzzlers
For the Action-Minded
For Shoppers and Artisans
Play It Safe
Remember, never give out your password and keep personal information about yourself private!
Play With Dogs
Visit the Pet Store
Dogs are fun and great company, too! You can play with other people's dogs, or you can own your own and choose from different colors and breeds. To purchase a dog, visit the Pet Store in Shop Central.
Take Your Dog Out
Once you purchase a dog, it’ll appear in you’re My Things menu, which you can access at the bottom of your screen. To let the dog out into the world, choose MyThings > Dog > From Doghouse. To give your dog a name, select My Things > Dog > Rename.
Give Your Dog a Treat
Several varieties of dog treats are available from the Pet Store in Shop Central, and each one will make the dog do something different. Bags hold 15 treats and will decrease every time you toss a treat, whether the dog catches it or not.
- After you buy a bag, select My Things > Dog Treats > Hold and the bag will appear in your hand.
- To throw a treat, click Toss Treat on the bag's Action Tag.
- Hold the Control button down as you click and you’ll toss a treat to the dog you’re looking at.
- To put the bag away, select My Things > Dog Treats > Put Away.
Teach Your Dog a Trick
There are lots of commands that your dog will recognize. Try them with your dog or someone else's dog. But remember, your dog is a dog. Its behavior won’t be perfect. Responses may vary depending on your dog's mood or distractions in the area. Your dog will also get better with practice.
Give a Command
To give a command, just type the word into a chat balloon and hit Enter. You can also call your dog by typing its name into a chat balloon. Here are some commands to try:
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Secret Commands
There are also advanced commands that your dog can learn. We’d like to tell you them here, but they’re a secret! Experiment and talk with other dog owners to learn what your dogs can do.
Put Your Dog Away
When you’ve finished playing with your dog and are ready to put it away, move your cursor over it and click To Doghouse in its Action Tag. By the way, dogs can also wander off. To get your dog back, click My Things > Dog > Retrieve and it will go back into the doghouse. When you’re ready to play with your dog again, just choose My Things > Dog > From Doghouse.
Attend a Party
Go To a Party
After a day of racing, paintballing, and exploring in There, you might feel like hanging out with friends or meeting new people at a party. If so, you’ll want to be prepared and have a great outfit. Then you’ll need to find a party for you and your friends to go to. Here are some tips on how to attend a party!
Find an Outfit
When going to a party, you’ll definitely want to look your best. You can get hairstyles and colored contacts in Shop Central, name brand styles in the Specialty Shops section, and custom-made fashions in the Auctions. There are tens of thousands of items to choose from! Once you find an outfit, use the Change Me menu to put it on. Find your favorite combination and save it as an Outfit. It will appear in Outfit Favorites for you to access whenever you wish.
Find a Party
Now that you’re all dressed up, it’s time to party! To see what parties are happening now, browse the listings on the Activities home page in ThereCentral. You can either look for an event using a keyword search or use the Happening Now tool by checking the Hang Out checkbox and clicking List Events. Once a list of events comes up, click on the Party category. Then click on the event you want to go to and you'll see the name of the party, who's running it, and even scope out who’s going to be there.
Sign Up for the Party
Once you’ve decided on which party you want to go to, click the Sign Up button and it will add it to your schedule. If the event has already started, you’ll get a system message offering to take you there now. Otherwise, you’ll get the message when the event begins. You can also find out about some great upcoming events by visiting the ThereFun Times news site. Have fun and party on!
Throw an Event
Plan your Event
Do you have a great idea for a party or some other fun event? Here are some tips on how you can do it! Have a party in your PAZ, House, Lot, or Clubhouse and invite all of your friends. Or if you own a FunZone, Frontier Zone, or Neighborhood, you may want to have a picnic, stage a play, or run a Buggy race. Whatever you’re thinking of, there’s a lot of planning to do, so let’s get started!
Shop for an Outfit
When hosting a party, you’ll definitely want to look your best. You can get hairstyles and colored contacts in Shop Central, name brand styles in the Specialty Shops section, and custom-made fashions in the Auctions. There are tens of thousands of items to choose from! Once you find an outfit, use the Change Me menu to put it on. Find your favorite combination and save it as an Outfit. It will appear in Outfit Favorites for you to access whenever you wish.
Decorate Your Place
Now for the fun part! Whether you’re having a party, hosting a race, or putting on a play, you’ll want to make sure your place is decorated for a successful event! There are countless items to choose from in Shop Central and the Auctions, and the possibilities are endless for a number of themes. A great place to start is the “Home and Garden” section. When you’ve found items you’d like to purchase, click the Buy button. The item will automatically be placed in your inventory.
Be Prepared
If throwing a party, you might want to consider buying a Jukebox to add some music to your atmosphere. In a race or paintball event, you may want to provide some loaner vehicles or paintball guns. Whatever kind of event you’re hosting, be sure to be prepared for the needs of your guests and even consider handing out drinks or party favors.
Find Your Place
If you don’t already have a place to throw your event, you can find one at Places in There Central. Simply set up your search parameters and click Search for a FunZone. If you find a place that belongs to someone, feel free to ask them for permission to host there. Otherwise, there are many free Zones you can host at, just look for There Zones. Once you find the perfect place, you’re ready to move on!
Schedule Your Event
Now it's time to schedule your event. On the Zone page, click on the Add New Event button to open the Event Set Up page. Then enter when you’d like to hold the event, how long it will last, how much prep time is required, and click Schedule Event. You’ll find that there are both Standard and Advanced Options. Once you've set the options for your event, click the Schedule Event button to confirm and list the event -- and you're done! (Note: Invitation-Only events will not show up in the listings.)
Invite Your Guests
After you’ve scheduled your event, you can invite your friends or Club members. On the Events page, just click on the Invitations tab and you can enter up to 10 avatar names at a time to invite. Or you can just click the checkbox next to whatever Clubs you’d like to invite.
Manage Your Invitees
You can also manage all your invitees before and while your event is in progress. Just look at the Event Details page to assign VIP status to your favored invitees, and remove or even ban an unwanted guest.
- VIP Status
Want to give someone the red-carpet treatment? VIPs get preferential entry into your event, no matter how late they RSVP. The system will hold empty spots in the event for all your VIPs for the duration of your event. (Note: If the event is full when you assign VIP status to someone, they will move to the top of the waiting list.) - Remove
Select this option to teleport someone out of your event and/or Zone. That member may re-enter, as long as there is space in the event. Otherwise, they will be added to the waiting list. This is a good option if you are just issuing a warning, or giving an invitee time to cool off. - Ban
Select this option to ban someone completely from your event and/or Zone for the duration of your event. The banned member will not be allowed to re-enter or sign up for the event in progress. Once the event is over, they will be permitted enter the Zone again.
Ready to go? With a new outfit, your Zone decorated, and your friends invited, you’re all set to throw an amazing event!
Join a Club
Become a Club Member
A club is a group of people who share a common interest or purpose, like racing Buggies, exchanging fashion tips, blasting paintguns, or improving the community. Participating in clubs is a great way to meet new people who like the same things you do -- and there are thousands to choose from!
Find a Club
To find a club, just search the listings on the Groups page in There Central. You can learn more about a club that interests you by clicking on its name. This will bring up a page with further information about the group, as well as an application form which allows you to send a message to the group leader.
Join a Club
There are two ways to join a club -- by invitation and by application. If you receive an invitation from the club leader, all you have to do is accept and you're in! If you'd like to apply to a group, fill out the application form on the Groups page. If you don’t meet the basic requirements, you’ll receive a message telling you so. However, if you do meet the requirements, your application will be sent to the group leader. Once the club leader makes a decision, you’ll receive notification of the results via ThereMail.
Create a Club
To create your own club, click Create a Group on the Groups page. There are five types of groups to choose from:
- Teams and Leagues
Form a paintball posse or grab a Buggy bunch. Race or play as a team, and compete against other teams to see where you stand! - Businesses
Want to start your own business in There? Place a classified ad, hire some employees, and manage your group with the club tools. - Social and Recreational Clubs
Start your own social club and meet people who share your interests and hobbies. Talk about your favorite things or just hang out! - Community Organizations
Feeling philanthropic? Start a community service organization and help make There a better place for everyone. - Neighborhoods and Households
Get to know your neighbors and have fun doing it! Throw block parties, organize garage sales, and more.
List Your Group
Once you fill in the form to create your own group, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to list it. This is sort of like having a listed or an unlisted phone number. Listing your group doesn’t mean anyone can join; you’ll still be allowed to review all applications for your group.
More Information
As you finish creating your own club, you find that space is provided for additional information about your group. These fields are all optional, and include a place for a group photo, plus a URL for a group website. Once you're finished, remember to click Save. Your group is now official!
Make Movies
Create Your Own Movies
Want to create your very own film masterpiece? Or how about just immortalizing your best time in a race? Making movies in There isn’t as difficult as you think, and we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help get you get started. Of course, for a more in-depth look at making movies in There, don’t miss Chagall’s complete Guide to Making Machinima.
Prep Your Computer
Before you start filming, you’ll need a few things first. In fact, it really helps to prep your computer before you begin. You might consider getting an extra hard drive to store your footage, because video files tend to be very large and take up lots of space on your computer. Also, adding more RAM will increase the quality of the footage you shoot.
Get the Right Software
You’ll definitely need some recording and editing software. These are programs that capture your movie footage and help you get it in shape to share it with the world. Here’s a list of some basic software you can use for little-or-no cost.
- Fraps (Free to try, $37 to buy)
This is a universal Windows application that can be used with games using DirectX or OpenGL graphic technology. - Taksi (Free)
This is a free utility that allows you to take screenshots and record video clips of your favorite games and other 3D-graphics applications. - Guncam (14 day trial, $19.95 to buy)
This is a game recorder and screen capture tool that allows users to create video from games and other programs. Guncam can turn this video into AVI files, animated GIF files, and even JPEG screen shots. - ACA Screen Recorder (Free to try, $29.95 to buy)
This software captures the action from your Windows screen and saves it as a standard, easily-edited AVI movie file.
Each piece of software will work differently, so be sure to read up on how they work before choosing the one you want to use.
Tips and Tricks
There are many tools built into There that can be used for film making. Here’s a quick list of the in-world techniques that can make your filming even easier.
- Using Camera Controls
- Press CTRL + ALT + U and it will bring up a small window containing various camera controls. Don’t be afraid to experiment! If your camera angle locks up on you, simply close the window and start again.
- Using Avatar-Based Camera Movement
- Change your perspective into First Person View and it will cause your avatar to become a camera.
- Use your Arrow keys to move forward and backward and it will give you the effect of zooming in and out.
- Hold Shift and press your Right and Left Arrow keys to create a panning effect.
- You can also move the camera around independently while in Standard or Body View by holding the CTRL + SHIFT keys and moving your mouse.
- If you have a scroll wheel, it can also be used to zoom in and out.
- Using the Setting Manager to Adjust Screen Resolution
- On the Menu, click There > Customize > Toolbars and Tips > Settings Manager.
- The Settings Manager Control Panel will be displayed on your computer screen. Click on the resolution you like and it will automatically resize to the resolution you choose.
- Hiding the User Interface
- Turn off nametags through the Menu by going to There > Customize > World > Nametags and clicking Show None.
- Go into Action Mode through the Menu by going to There > Customize > World > Action Mode.
- Hiding Voice Chat Lines
- Press CTRL + ALT + L, which will unlock your window, and then open a browser window and enter this URL.
- Modify the 0 to a 1, click Save, and close the window. You can turn the chat lines back on by changing the 1 back to a 0.
Take Photos
Get Your Free ThereCam
Are you looking to become a There shutterbug? Or do you just want to capture those special moments in There with your friends? Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, we give you all the tools you need to take the photos you want with our built-in ThereCam.
Get Started
Just go to the Menu bar at the bottom of your screen and select There > ThereCam. You’ll see several options that can help you set up your ThereCam. Simply make a couple of choices, such as Photo Size and Photo Album Location, and you’re ready to shoot!
Take a Photo
Once you find what you want to photograph, you can take a photo by choosing Take Photo Now in the ThereCam menu. You can also use the keyboard command CTRL + Shift + C to take your photo. The image will appear in the folder you’ve designated as your Photo Album Location.
Tips and Tricks
We have many experienced photographers in There, and some of them have offered some great tips. Here are some of the tricks they have to share:
- The ThereCam will not capture Nametags in your photos.
- The UserCamera is a great tool to get another point of view. Press CTRL + Shift + U to open it up.
- For the best photos, set your monitor and resolution to the highest quality possible.
- If you don’t want to see chat bubbles, politely ask people to clear them before taking your shot.
Advanced Tips
We have two special camera options and settings for advanced photographers. These require that you know how to set There Environment Variables.
- To save a file as a PNG file instead of as a JPEG file, set the ThereCamUsePng variable value to 1 instead of 0. 1 means save as a PNG and 0 means save as a JPEG.
- To improve the quality of your photos, set the ThereCamPhotoQuality variable higher. The current values are set between 1 and 100 for JPEG compression. 100 will produce better-looking photos but will create a larger file. 90% is the default. And setting it to 0 will change it back to the default.