When you are done using ARES for the time being, go to the main menu and choose shut down. (You can also send the off command.) This will turn off all your subsystems and stop ARES from drawing power. While you are shut down, no menus or commands will work, except for the special command @on, which only the unit can issue.

Emergency Power

Only a moment later, however, emergency power (also known as auxiliary power) will kick in, allowing you to see, hear, and to touch your own avatar. Emergency power lasts several minutes. It exists to help you with swapping out your own battery (which you can't do while powered on, or off) and so you can still observe what's going on if you get shut down as part of a roleplay.

Emergency power is optional. As we'll see in the tutorial Configuring ARES for control freaks, it can be restricted and disabled with a little bit of dabbling in the database.

CHANGING BATTERIES

To change your own battery:

  1. Enter emergency power (by typing @off in local chat, or choosing shut down from the main menu)
  2. Click the battery hatch portion of your main controller. In most cases this is a circular door or cap located in the center of the device.
  3. Click the battery inside to eject it.
  4. Detach the battery. (Ideally, by right-clicking on it in your SL inventory window and choosing 'Detach.')
  5. Attach the new battery. It may or may not automatically insert itself, depending on the version and type.
  6. If the new battery doesn't automatically insert itself, click it to make it go in.
  7. Click the main controller housing, or type @on in local chat to boot back up.

Removing ARES

  1. Use the command policy bolts or check the menu settings > policies > bolts to see if your owner allows you to remove ARES.
    • If the setting is "0" or "disengaged," then the safety bolts are released, and you can freely remove ARES at any time.
    • If the setting is "1" or "engaged," then your owner has decided you should never be able to take off ARES. You may be able to fix this with policy bolts off, but if that fails, you probably need to restart your SL viewer with RLVa disabled.
    • If the setting is "2" or "auto," then the safety bolts are only active while you are powered on. Shut down ARES using the instructions above.
  2. Open the Inventory window (Ctrl-I) and search for ARES. Find the folders that contain items highlighted in bold (such as ARES and the Gestures themselves).
  3. Right-click on the folder names, then choose Remove from Current Outfit. This will take off your main controller and the ARES HUD, as well as deactivate the ARES gestures.
  4. Open the Outfits window (Ctrl-O) and go to the Wearing tab. Look for your battery and any other remaining NS-related attachments. Right-click on each and choose Detach.
  5. Repent and put it all back on.

Previous Tutorial: Updating ARES to a new version

Next Tutorial: Configuring ARES for a military unit