In order to receive the latest updates and other important information, be sure that you join
the Alteran Stargate Network group.
You can also access the forums
at https://www.alpha-fox.com/community/.
Section 1 - Setting up your Stargate
1.1 - Basic Setup
When you first rez your Stargate, it will provide you with a username and password.
Please write that down, because it
is your ticket to both the forums and the online interface.
Once your Stargate is rezzed, you simply have to move your Stargate into position.
See Section 1.3 for tips on how to
position your Stargate.
If you wish to use a Dial Home Device with your Stargate, you may rez
one from the folder where you received the Stargate and this user guide.
A Dial Home Device is a keypad that allows
you to "dial up" glyphs of a target Stargate.
Once you push the glyphs and then the center button, it will attempt to
lock and either fail or open up to your destination.
NOTE: If you are not the "primary" or first Stargate in your region, you will only be able to contact your Stargate
via the name or alias.
See Section 1.2 for more details on renaming your
Stargate, or Section 2.5.2 for more details on how the addressing system works.
1.2 - Customizing your Stargate
Once you set up your Stargate, you are ready to go.
However, if you want to be able to be contacted using a special word
or want to display a different name for your Stargate on the webpage, you can do this easily in-world.
The in-world
interface is not the only method of customizing your Stargate; see Section 5 for more
details on customizing your Stargate via the online interface.
There are currently two ways to customize your Stargate via the in-world interface:
This section of the guide details the menu-method of customizing your Stargate.
When you click the Stargate, you will obtain a menu.
You should see a menu with buttons in the top-right corner of your
screen.
All of the customizations you are going to want to do are in the Settings portion of the menu, so click that
button.
On the next menu that pops up, you have several choices:
Random
Toggle whether or not your Stargate will be chosen in a random dial.
Direct Teleport state no longer locks this option to No automatically, but network administrators may still disable
random listing for gates that do not comply with random-dial expectations.
Image URL
On the website, your Stargate can be represented by a small 256px by 256px image.
When you click this button, the
Stargate will respond with a channel that you can say the URL of your image on.
Once you respond with your image URL,
it will be automatically set.
Shield
Your Stargate is packaged with 4 types of shields.
This menu allows you to change between these with a click.
The
following shield types are available:
Shield — A built-in shield requiring no extra prims on your parcel.
It is not animated, but resembles the shield
seen in Stargate: Atlantis.
Rezzed — A rezzed shield requiring 3 extra prims on your parcel.
This is an animated shield with glow added.
It
resembles the shield in Stargate: Atlantis.
Iris — A simple animated iris resembling the iris seen in the SGC in Stargate: SG-1.
Disabled — Disables all built-in shields, allowing for possible 3rd-party shields.
See Section 4.1 for more information on using the API to create a 3rd-party shield.
Listen
Some people like to use their own relays for dial commands.
We implemented a way to turn off the channel-0 listen.
Clicking this button will disable listening on the public-0 channel.
NOTE: The listen on channel 123 will always be active as a convenience to gate users.
Output
Some people like to use their own devices to output what the gate is currently saying.
For this purpose, we
implemented a way to turn off the channel-0 output.
Clicking this button will disable output on the public channel.
NOTE: The output for menu commands (which must be done within range of the gate) will remain always on channel
0.
Name
This button allows you to change the name of your Stargate.
This name is used to identify your Stargate in the logs,
on incoming wormholes, and on the website.
When you click this button, the Stargate will respond with a channel where
you can say your Stargate’s name.
Once you respond with your name, it is automatically set.
Alias
Each Stargate is assigned an alias to make dialing via direct dial easier.
This alias can be something like "zach's
house" or "lex's pad."
When you click this button, the Stargate responds with a channel where you can say your
Stargate’s alias.
Once you respond, it is automatically set.
1.3 - Tips on Location
There is nothing more frustrating than coming out of a Stargate in a building where you cannot find your way out, or
appearing in the sky, or coming through backwards.
These tips will help you set up your Stargate for the best
experience:
Do not place your Stargate in the air
Obviously, if you are making a Spacegate scene, this is unavoidable.
However, placing the Stargate high in the air so
that people fall to their doom is generally bad practice.
Place your Stargate in an open area
Teleporting into a location where the exit is not visible is frustrating.
Please try to place your Stargate in an open
area, not a small boxed room with no exit.
Keep your Stargate rotated to the North
The Stargates are based on the llMapDestination method of teleporting, which does not support the LOOK_AT parameter.
Because of this, you may appear facing backwards or sideways upon arrival.
Placing your gate facing north will ensure
incoming travelers appear facing outwards from the Stargate.
1.4 - Custom Sounds
Some people wish to customize the sounds the Stargate plays for various events, such as incoming wormholes, a spinning
ring, or the kawoosh.
The following sound labels in the Stargate are open for custom replacement:
windup — Sound played when the inner ring starts to spin.
outloop — Sound played when the inner ring loops spinning.
incloop — (Pegasus Stargate only) Sound played when the inner ring loops spinning for an incoming wormhole.
chevron test — Sound played when testing all 9 chevron lamps.
chevron encode — Sound played when locking a symbol with the DHD.
chevron engage — Sound played when locking a symbol during an incoming wormhole.
chevron lock — Sound played when locking a symbol with any other method (i.e., long SGC-style dialing).
reset — Sound played when the Stargate performs a reset.
restart — Sound played when the Stargate performs a restart.
interference — When a Stargate interferes with another in the same region, it plays a zapping sound.
open wormhole — The KAWOOSH! sound.
force wormhole — When a wormhole is forced open (Asgard/Nox style).
close wormhole — Wormhole collapse sound.
You must call /stargate reset before these sound changes will take effect.
1.5 - Custom Lights
Your Stargate can adjust the on/off color of the gate lamps via a notecard.
In the Stargate’s inventory, you will see a
notecard called chevrons.config.
It looks like this:
Chevron Configuration - Set line 2 to the <r, g, b> for the off color.<br>
Set line 3 to the <r, g, b> for the on color.
<0, 0, 0>
<1, 1, 1>
You must keep these lines in the same format.
Issuing a /stargate restart command after changing this notecard
will save the settings, and the Stargate will “recalibrate” itself with the new colors.
Section 2 - Using your Stargate
NOTE: Any of these commands can be said on either channel 0 (public) or channel 123 (for privacy).
2.1 - Dialing the Stargate
Dialing the Stargate is straightforward if you know the proper command.
Most dialing is done with the command /dial.
This will search all keywords (name, alias, region, addresses) that a Stargate can support.
| Commands | Alternate |
||:|
| Regular Dial | /dial or /d |
| Long Dial (SGC) | /sgc or /dsgc |
Example:
To dial a Stargate of the same type as yours, say /dial <keyword> (e.g., /dial sonamu).
To dial a Pegasus Stargate from a Milkyway gate, say /dial pegasus <keyword> (e.g., /dial pegasus sonamu).
To dial a Milkyway Stargate from a Pegasus gate, say /dial milkyway <keyword> (e.g., /dial milkyway sonamu).
If you have a Milkyway Stargate, you can also dial using the slower SGC style by replacing /dial with /sgc.
This
is where the inner ring rotates freely to each glyph and locks it using the top chevron (chevron 7).
It is slower, but
more authentic.
There are two other Stargate networks in Second Life®: Open Stargate Network and the Cleary Stargate Network.
We
are currently focusing on stabilizing our own network, so connections to those are not yet available.
All networks can be replaced by shorter “prefixes”:
Network
Valid Prefixes
Pegasus
pegasus or p
Milkyway
milkyway or mw
To dial a gate with a Dial Home Device, you must have the glyph address of the target Stargate (listed on our website
at https://www.alpha-fox.com/asn/). Or, you can use the glyph display included with
the
Stargate.
2.2 - Iris / Shield System
Your Stargate is equipped with a shield/iris system, preventing unwanted visitors from teleporting through.
Use these commands to operate the iris/shield:
/stargate raise — Raises the gate shield / closes the iris
/stargate lower — Lowers the gate shield / opens the iris
You can also use the Stargate API to control the iris.
If your gate’s iris is closed, you cannot dial into it unless you have an object on the other side that can signal the
iris to open via the API.
2.3 - Other Commands
Below are additional commands your gate uses.
Some are private (owner-only) and some are public (anyone can
use):
Private
/stargate reset — Reset your Stargate
/stargate offline — Set your Stargate offline (use menu/API to bring it back online)
/stargate restart — Hard-reset your Stargate (you will lose settings)
/stargate resetpass — Reset the password for your account on the Alpha-Fox online interface
/stargate raise — Raise the Stargate shield / close the iris
/stargate lower — Lower the Stargate shield / open the iris
/stargate test — Test the chevron lamps
/stargate test incoming — Simulate an incoming wormhole
/stargate test outgoing — Simulate an outgoing wormhole
Public
/stargate version — Returns the Stargate version
/stargate name — Returns the Stargate name
/stargate alias — Returns the Stargate alias
/stargate help — Returns quick help
When your Stargate is active, it can relay chat (using the Stargate API) and region
statistics.
The chat buffer is limited to 20 messages every ~4 seconds.
2.4 - Menu System
When you click on your Stargate, a menu appears with many available commands. Each menu entry is explained below:
Subnova — Contacts the Alteran Stargate Network HQ.
Top Gates — Lists the top 20 gate names and regions by popularity.
Statistics — Outputs statistics on incoming and outgoing wormholes.
Version — Outputs the current version of your Stargate.
Summary — Gives a link to the webpage for your Stargate.
Controls — Allows you to give commands such as Reset, Restart, Delete, and Offline.
Memory — Dumps the memory levels of every Stargate script (useful for debugging crashes).
Report — Allows you to report a Stargate for an SSoP violation.
Rate — Allows you to rate a Stargate location on a scale of 0-5.
2.5 - Technical Information
This section is more technical. (Time to sound like Samantha Carter.)
2.5.1 - Server, Communications, Continuity
Each Stargate registers itself on a MySQL database using PHP.
The gate backend server, named Chimera and hosted on
the Subnova Network, handles most communications and data, making in-world gates mostly
“dumb-terminals.”
Unlike the original Daedalus server, Chimera is UPS-backed with a static IP address.
Communications are handled via AFVI (Alpha-Fox Virtual Interface) servers developed by Alpha-Fox, instead of XML-RPC
or email-based solutions.
The AFVI system sends out lslmails from queries in our SQL database.
It’s fairly fast (~3
seconds round trip), and verifiable (we can confirm receipt).
Each Stargate checks in every 5 minutes, with status changes registered as soon as they happen.
If a gate fails to
check in for more than 6 minutes, the server marks it offline.
If it checks in again, it returns online with all
previous settings.
The dead gate list is cleared every 72 hours.
2.5.2 - Addressing System
Each region on the grid is given two addresses: a native address and a cross-network address.
Your Stargate
always has the same address for other gates of the same type to dial, and a cross-network address for gates of the other
type.
Each Stargate also has an SGC-ID, similar to show-based addresses like P4X-639.
This is unique and can also be used
to direct dial your gate.
Milkyway Stargates have 39 symbols (index 0-38).
Glyph 0 is the point of origin (always the last glyph in an
address).
On a standard Milkyway DHD, there are 38 symbols (1-38) plus the big orange button for the origin.
Below is the Milkyway glyph layout (0-38). (Images shown in a grid; each number is the glyph index.)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
Pegasus Stargates have 36 glyphs.
To keep the DHD symmetrical, it has 36 buttons, meaning even the point of origin (
glyph 0) is a button.
So you must press glyph 0 before pressing the big blue center button.
Pegasus glyph layout (0-35). (Again, images in a grid; each number is the index.)
Address assignment is handled by Andromeda on the Subnova Network and can take about 1
day to generate addresses for the entire grid.
Because of this addressing system, only one gate per type, per
region is addressable by glyph.
You can still place more gates in the same region; they just cannot be dialed via glyph
address—only by name or alias.
You can apply for an admin-assigned "forward address" if you want a canonical address from the show, for instance.
To do
this, submit a request in the Help Desk.
Include your gate location and
desired address.
2.5.3 - Failsafes / Limitations
We included some canonical failsafes and limitations:
Only one Stargate of the same type can be active at a time in a region.
If one is active, another of the same type
cannot dial or receive.
If one gate is dialing and the primary Stargate in that region gets an incoming, the primary gate always “wins.”
Likewise, if one gate is dialing and the primary gate attempts to dial out, the primary gate always “wins.”
This ensures canonical behavior and also helps avoid scripting or sim-performance issues.
Section 3 - Stargate Official Addons
3.1 - Death System
Death is an addon by Alpha-Fox that allows the unstable vortex and other lethal actions of the Stargate to kill
users on safe land.
If you deed this addon to the parcel group and turn it on, the gate will kill avatars caught in the
unstable vortex.
This addon also has an API so people can integrate it with their own scripts.
It listens throughout the entire region,
so only one Death system needs to be rezzed per group/owner.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU DEED THE STARGATE TO YOUR LAND (Only the Death System should be deeded, if used.)
3.2 - Dial Home Devices
The Stargate package includes 4 DHDs (Dial Home Devices):
Milkyway — A lite version of the OS DHD by OS Labs.
Pegasus — A lite version of the OS DHD by OS Labs.
Tollan — A concept DHD built by Lex Mars and scripted by Zachary Carter.
Forerunner — Another concept DHD built by Lex Mars and scripted by Zachary Carter.
These DHDs allow direct glyph entry to dial a destination.
After entering the 6 (or 7) glyphs and pressing the center
button, the gate will spin up and, hopefully, lock.
See Sections 1 and 2 of this guide for more info.
DHDs only work on Stargates you own.
They also listen to all gates in the region, so having multiple same-network gates
of your own may cause confusion.
3.3 - Address Display
The Address Display is a free way to see glyph addresses without using the website. Rez this object and use:
/lookup <network keyword>
/clear
/setnetwork <network>
network is either milkyway or pegasus.
If none is provided to /lookup, it uses the network set by /setnetwork.
By default, it uses milkyway.
/clear simply clears the display. Changing the display prim names (1-7) may break it.
When rezzed, it listens to your gate, lighting up the address on incoming/outgoing, and showing your Stargate’s
address when idle:
The Stargate Control Unit is like “The Poor Man’s DHD.”
It allows commands such as Reset, Shield, etc., plus a
directory of preset dial addresses.
The model is based on the control unit the Ancients used in 3x10 The Return Pt. 1 of Stargate: Atlantis.
All commands are accessed by touching the device and using the menus:
Control — Shield, reset, offline, test incoming/outgoing, random dial, etc.
Directory — Add addresses and dial previously stored ones.
Options — Toggle verbosity, play sounds, ring spin, and more.
The side color indicates which gate network it’s controlling (aqua for Pegasus, orange for Milkyway).
The small
screen at top shows the current status.
This device only works on Stargates you own and may conflict if you have multiple same-network gates in the region.
Section 4 - Stargate API
The Stargates have an Application Programming Interface (API) to interface in both basic and advanced ways.
There
are two API levels: Public and Private.
Public commands can be submitted by anyone, while Private
commands only work for the Stargate’s owner.
4.1 - Incoming API
These are commands you can send to the gate to control it. The channels are:
Pegasus: -804000
Milkyway: -904000
Below are the recognized commands.
Bold indicates public (works for anyone within 20m unless it’s the owner, who
has no distance limit).
Italic indicates private (owner-only).
dial|<1/0>|<glyph>
Dials a glyph on your Stargate with a spinval of 1 / 0
(whether inner ring spins)
stargate status
Returns the status of the Stargate
send chatter|<name>|<msg>|<1/0>
Sends chatter through an active gate.
The variable at the end will let you keep the wormhole open if set to 1
stargate version
Returns the version of the Stargate
stargate address
Returns native and cross-network addresses
stargate name
Returns the name of the Stargate
stargate alias
Returns the alias of the Stargate
stargate probe
Probes the target Stargate (outgoing only)
lookup|<net>|<kw>
Looks up a Stargate. You can replace network with * for wildcard
directdial|<net>|<kw>|<2/1/0>
Dials a Stargate using direct dial with a spinval of 1 / 0
(whether inner ring spins - when you set it to "2" it does a forced wormhole).
You can replace network with * for wildcard.
stargate emp
Sends a pulse through the wormhole extending the open time for 30 seconds
interference
Causes the gate to flicker and make a zap noise
raise shield
Raises the shield on your gate
lower shield
Lowers the shield on your gate
delete stargate
Deletes your gate
offline stargate
Turns your gate offline
online stargate
Turns your gate online
reset stargate
Resets your gate
restart stargate
Restarts your gate
shutdown wormhole
Shuts down an active wormhole
cut wormhole
Cuts an active wormhole
test stargate
Tests the chevron lamps on your gate.
test stargate outgoing
Simulates an outgoing wormhole
test stargate incoming
Simulates an incoming wormhole
set name|<name>
Sets the name of your gate
set alias|<alias>
Sets the alias of your gate
set image url|<url>
Sets the image URL of your gate
ring speed|<speed>
Changes the inner ring speed on Milkyway gates.
Needs to be sent at the beginning of every dial.
public listen|<1/0>
Turns on / off the listen on channel 0 for commands.
public output|<1/0>
Turns on / off the verbose output of the Stargate
random list|<1/0>
Turns on / off random dial listing
4.2 - Outgoing API
The outgoing API are events the Stargate sends out. The channels are:
Pegasus: -805000
Milkyway: -905000
Below are the typical responses (they may change over time):
Wormhole destination changed. "--" is no destination.
prompt|<msg>
Stargate chat outputs
top gates|<name,name,name>
Top 20 gates by popularity
gate statistics|<inc>|<out>|<total>
Basic statistics about the gate
target wormhole collision|<type>|<uuid>
Wormhole collision on the connected Stargate (not yours)
http error|<error>
An error with the http_response
stargate open
The Stargate has opened
clearing buffer
The buffer of the Stargate is being cleared (all of the scripts being reset)
chatter saved
Chatter has been saved for target gate
wormhole extended
Results from emp command or emp flag on chatter.
Section 5 - Online Interface
Alteran Stargates have an online interface at https://www.alpha-fox.com/asn/. You can
view, customize, and control your Stargates in one place.
You’ll need to log in with your Second Life avatar name and
the password the Stargate gave you on first rez.
NOTE: If you’ve forgotten your password, use the /stargate resetpass command.
5.1 - Stargate Information Page
On the My Stargates page, you can view all Stargates you have rezzed.
Clicking a specific gate shows detailed info,
such as:
Stargate name
Region & region flags
Current owner
Direct dial glyph addresses (plus any forward address)
Last check-in time / seconds since last ping
Last 20 connections
Statistics (incoming/outgoing)
Position in the sim
Gate status and shield status
Alias & Network (Pegasus/Milkyway)
Gate type (Forerunner, Pegasus, Tollan, Milkyway)
SGC-ID
Description
Gate Image
5.2 - Customizing your Stargate
You can also customize:
Name
Alias
Image URL
Description
Random Listing
Follow the instructions on your Stargate’s info page to customize.
5.3 - Controlling your Stargate
Using the online interface, you can remotely control your Stargate:
Reset / Restart
Raise / Lower Shield
Set Offline
Delete
Force Incoming Test
Force Outgoing Test
Send a message to the gate
Just follow the on-page instructions for your specific Stargate.
5.4 - Web Profile
We also provide a way to show a “profile” of your Stargates in your Second Life Web Profile.
Use the URL (replacing
First_Last with your SL name):
https://www.alpha-fox.com/asn/profile/First_Last/
For example: https://www.alpha-fox.com/asn/profile/Zachary_Carter/
Section 6 - Updating your Stargate
6.1 - Update Policy
We try to announce major code updates that might affect gate performance.
We cannot guarantee network uptime, so we may
take the network down for emergency maintenance.
We will attempt to notify the in-world group and forums if a takedown
occurs.
6.2 - Types of Updates
Stargates will be updated periodically. Updates can vary:
No new Stargate needed (e.g., a new menu function, API command, or minor fix).
Script update only (e.g., a main script in the parent prim is updated, delivered via an updater orb).
Full model replacement (e.g., new model, textures, or major chevron/ring script changes).
6.3 - How to Update
Depending on the update type:
Backend fix only: Usually just do /stargate reset.
Code update: Rez the provided update orb near your Stargate and click it.
It will update automatically, then
self-delete.
Full model update: Rez the update orb; it will replace the entire gate model and transfer settings for you.
Section 7 - Troubleshooting
7.1 - Common Issues
Here are frequently asked questions:
Q: My Stargate froze mid-dial, or has been open a long time (over 38 minutes). A: Usually a /stargate reset fixes it; at worst, /stargate restart.
Q: The Stargate fails repeatedly when dialing another Stargate in the same region! A: A Stargate cannot dial another Stargate of the same type in the same region.
This follows the TV show limitation.
Q: My Stargate failed to dial because another Stargate in my region was active.
Why? A: If one gate is active, no other same-type gate in the region can dial or receive.
Again, this is a limitation
from the show.
Q: Why don’t we teleport immediately upon colliding with the event horizon? A: Scripting limitations; we rely on llMapDestination.
When llTeleportAgent becomes available, we will integrate
it.
Q: Can you automatically update our Stargates?
Do they self-update? A: We have a method for pushing updates, but it’s not feasible for us to update all Stargates manually.
You must
update your own.
Get the latest release at https://www.alpha-fox.com/asn/get/.
Q: Is there a “Premium Mode” or any fees for using the Stargate? A: No.
Our Stargates are 100% free.
Donations are appreciated but do not affect functionality.
Q: Where can I get a DHD or other Stargate addons? A: Try OS Labs or XStreet SL/Apez searching for “stargate.”
We do not officially support
third-party addons beyond those in our package.
You can also check
our Script Library forum.
Q: When is feature xyz coming, or bug abc going to be fixed? A: Report features/bugs in our forums.
We’ll post updates on them there.
The right to own a Stargate is a privilege, not a right.
Network administrators reserve the right to remove that
privilege at any time, for any or no reason.
8.2 - Copyright
“Alteran Stargate Network” is a virtual Stargate Network in Second Life® and is not affiliated with MGM Television
Entertainment, Stargate Productions, Showtime Networks, Inc., or NBC/Universal.
Our usage is for fan-based promotion of
the franchise.
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