Month: January 2013

SL project news 4 (2): server and materials processing

Posted on by Inara Pey

Server Deployments Week 4

The RC channel deployments went ahead as planned on Wednesday 23rd January. BlueSteel and LeTigre Received the Threaded Region Crossing Code, and Magnum the Interest List code.

The week 3 maint-server release had been the only contender for the Main channel on Tuesday 22nd January, but was not deployed due to the issue of places not indexing correctly in search. A fix was available for this issue, but was rolled to Magnum as a part of that deployment.

Magnum Issues

There have been widespread issues in regions on the Magnum channel since the deployment, some of which have been reported in the deployment discussion thread on the forum, others of which have been reported in groups such as the Firestorm Support group. These issues may be related to a high bandwidth issue leading to packet loss for people on slower connections. Symptoms include:

  • High packet loss / ping to the simulator
  • Avatars initially unable to move on arriving in a region
  • Avatars apparently unable to move on arrival, but then suddenly “warping” to new position if movement keys have been pressed
  • Avatars already in the region being visible to a newly arrived avatar, then vanishing the first time the avatar moves or rotates camera
  • Objects failing to rez or to rez correctly (including attachments on avatars)
  • Other issues as reported in the forum discussion thread, including notable issues being encountered with JVA bots.

At this time, the issues remain under investigation by the Lab.

Deployments for Week 5

There is currently no clear news on deployment plans for the week commencing Monday 28th January. However, if there is a Main Channel release, Maestro Linden is of the opinion that it will likely be the threaded region crossing code.

The maint-server release originally on Magnum in week 3 will be re-deployed on an RC (which one is TBA at this point), which includes a number of additional fixes, including the fix for the search indexing issue.

Materials Processing

There has been little direct news on the materials processing project from those working on it. However, at the Server Beta User Group meeting on the 24th January, Maestro Linden reiterated that the server-side code is very close to a Release Channel deployment and, “May even get a slot next week [week 5].”

Maestro also gave some information on new options for what the alpha channel means during rendering, with four settings available:

  1. None –  the alpha channel is ignored, rendering the face opaque, or
  2. Alpha blending – essentially the same as we currently have for any alpha texture, or
  3. A 1-bit alpha mask with each pixel either 100% transparent or 100% opaque, with a cutoff setting to determine where the threshold is (alpha masks should render faster than alpha blending, and eliminate issues with alpha layer sorting), or
  4. Emissive mask – so the alpha layer is interpreted as a per-pixel glow setting.

(Note that these options appear to suggest a surface cannot have both an alpha mask (or alpha blending) and an emissive mask; however, as Maestro Linden pointed out, there will still be options in the build floater to set glow or face transparency.)

Maestro additionally indicated that the remaining “mesh sandbox” regions on Aditi (DRTSIM-169 channel: Mesh Sandbox 3, Mesh Sandbox 6, Mesh Sandbox 22) have been updated with the server-side materials processing code, so that builders can test the new capabilities once a materials processing viewer is available.

Testing materials processing in SL. Note the texture of some surfaces and reflections on others (image courtesy of Geenz Spad) - click to enlarge
A “sneak peek” at materials processing in SL, provided by Geenz Spad. Note the texture of some surfaces and reflections on others – click to enlarge. (Note this image should not be taken as indicating materials processing is available for public use as yet – see below.)

Viewer Status

Even though the server-side code is available on selected Aditi regions and may be deployed to a Release Channel in week 5, it will not be usable until such time as a materials processing project viewer is made available. Currently, this is unlikely to be for another few weeks, as there is further work to be completed on the viewer itself, including UI updates (such as the new build floater), code for fetching the additional materials data and for rendering it.

Server Object Rezzing Code

As I outlined back in week 1,  Baker Linden is working on improving how objects with large file sizes (as opposed to them being physically large when rezzed in-world) are handled by the simulator software when being rezzed.

In the first part of this update, I reported that Baker hoped the code would be progressing through LL’s QA for deployment to an RC channel in the next few weeks. In the meantime, the code is now available on the DRTSIM-194 channel (e.g. CCMTEST26).

The key point about this work is that it is specifically aimed at preventing the simulator processes from choking and a region stalling when there are a number of large object files being read / parsed, not at actually “speeding up” the physical rezzing process. As such, it is unlikely that objects will appear any faster in people’s in-world view as a result of this work. However, what it does mean is that the simulator code will be better able to handle rezzing multiple “large file” objects without the attendant region lagging which can occur as a result of the simulator being unable to process messages from viewers and other simulators, etc.

Aditi Issues

Issues continue with Aditi, both in terms of people being able to log-in, and with inventory syncing problems. It is currently unclear as to what the status is regarding potential solutions which have been mentioned in the past – culling “stale” accounts from Aditi and obtaining additional hardware to handle the load. In the meantime, problems continue for some, and the advice remains to keep trying a password change and waiting 24-48 hours for it to fully propagate before attempting to log-in to Aditi once more.

Related Links

Note that all SLurls given in this report are for the Aditi (Beta) grid.

Rambling when Just Visiting …

Posted on by Inara Pey

I’ve been thinking rather a lot lately. That’s not always a good sign. There is a lot going on around SL right now, not that there isn’t generally anyway; it’s just that these things are the things I want to blog about – but the words really aren’t coming together in anything like the right order.

Just visiting
Just Visiting

It generally takes me a while to order thoughts at the best of times – hence why thinking isn’t always a good sign. Thoughts must percolate, and ideas form. And it has to be said, that the prospect of me thinking deeply has in the past had members of the family hiding behind sofas and the like, fearing the potential for my head to implode …

Recently, however, it has been different; almost akin to a bout of writer’s block. Blogger’s block, perhaps? More articles have been started and then tossed aside than I care to mention.

Just Visiting
Just Visiting

I’m not sure why this is; perhaps it’s just the fact that the year has had something of a bumpy start for me. Perhaps it’s just the weather. God knows the rest of the country goes to pieces so fast at the first fall of snow it’s a wonder the rest of Europe doesn’t get hit by the shrapnel; so perhaps this slight blogging malaise is simply me joining with the rest of the country’s panic over the recent snow in my own peculiar way – which would be a trifle odd, as I’m generally a snow-lover.

I decided that if it is simply the over-reaction to recent weather that is affecting me (“unseasonal weather”? Really, BBC? Have you forgotten we’re in the northern hemisphere and it’s mid-winter?) – then a change of scenery and season might do me some good. So I set out to seek out something warm in SL.

Just Visiting
Just Visiting

Just Visiting, on the Homestead Region of Annwn Willows, proved to be just the ticket. Here is a region seemingly gripped in a perpetual spring – or perhaps the first blushing of autumn – with flowers turning their faces to a westering sun in a rich, blue sky.

My love of water-themed regions is a matter of record, and Just Visiting easily sits in the category, comprising a series of ground-level scenes visitors are free to wander between and through. Each might be considered a little vignette in its own right, given the care with they have each been put together; however, such is the scrambled state of my little brain that I decided to forego any thoughts of stories  – or anything else, really, and simply enjoy.

Just Visiting
Just Visiting

For those not into walking, there is a cunning teleport system for getting around the various vignettes – as a little birdie may well tell you when you visit. However, I much preferred wading through the water and letting each scene unfold before me. Although that said, if you want to see all the region has to offer, then you’ll have to make use of the teleporters at some point, as not everything is on the ground. Indeed, not to take a trip aloft would be to miss out.

Just Visiting
Just Visiting

Escapism is something we all need for time-to-time. Indeed, it sometimes strikes me as interesting as to how something like Second Life, which for many is a form of positive escapism in that it allows us to break out of the confines of real life, and more really touch and mix with others of similar mindsets or who enjoy similar pursuits, and engage with them, or which allow us to experience a myriad of activities which might otherwise pass us by, itself sometimes needs escaping from. We pour so much of ourselves into it, it becomes as intense or burdensome as other aspects of our lives, and we simply need to take a break.

Perhaps this is why I like regions which have a number of common themes running through them – they are my “escape from SL within SL” …

… Or maybe part of my brain is trying that “thinking” mullarky again …

Just Visiting
Just Visiting

Whatever the reasons for my mental meanderings, the best way for you to enjoy Just Visiting is to … just visit. It’s unlikely you’ll be disappointed.

Related Links

(view slideshow full-screen)

Kitely move to offer new marketplace

Posted on by Inara Pey

Kitely-logoKitely, the on-demand virtual world provide has issued more details on their upcoming new marketplace, including an “early bird” promotional offer.

Announcing the company’s plans for the new marketplace on Sunday 20th January, Ilan Tochner, Kitely’s CEO had the following to say:

We are currently developing an advanced content marketplace. Since most OpenSim users are familiar with the Second Life marketplace, we asked our users what they like and don’t like about it. Using these insights we intend to deliver a great user experience that addresses the main usability issues with existing online marketplaces. At first the market will be used only for buying and selling inside the Kitely grid, but eventually it will be used for selling to multiple grids from a single online shop.

In order to attract good content creators we are now offering various benefits for merchants that bring their content to our market before it opens to the public.

The Kitely Marketplace will combine features familiar to those used to using the SL Marketplace or markets such as the (now defunct) Apez and Metaverse Exchange: items can be browsed on-line, then purchased (using Kitely Credits (KCs) or US dollars), prior to being delivered directly to the purchaser’s in-world inventory.

Additionally, the Kitely Marketplace will function more like e-commerce sites such as Amazon, where items can be searched for using attributes, rather than a rigid category hierarchy, making the search process and drill-down easier and more flexible for both merchants and consumers. Kitely will also allow for multiple versions of a product to be listed as a single item, thus simplifying the lists, viewing and reviewing of products. For example, rather than having 5 individual listings for an outfit which is available in 5 different colours, a merchant will be able to create a single listing for the outfit, which includes the 5 different colours, allowing consumers to buy any of the five from the one listing. Kitely call this capability “variations”, and it was a major attraction within the old Metaverse Exchange marketplace. Reviews and ratings for any variation of a product will be recorded in the one listing.

Merchants will be charged a one-off fee of 100 KCs for listing an original item on the marketplace, and a one-off fee of 25 KCs for each variation on that item also listed. There are no ongoing fees associated with listed items or their variations once listed. So for example, in the case of an outfit with 5 colours as mentioned above, the merchant will be charged 100 KC when creating the initial listing for the outfit (which will obviously include one colour variation) and then a one-off fee of 25 KC for listing each of the remaining 4 colours. Further charges will only apply if the merchant uploads additional variations (additional colours) to the item.

Commenting on this approach, Ilan Tochner stated, “The listing fees are designed to prevent low quality content from being added to the marketplace and were supported by our mentors group so that high quality content can be more easily found. This can increase sales for high quality items that are currently hard to find in marketplaces, such as the SL Marketplace, that include many low quality items that aren’t likely to be bought. Those low quality items make it harder to find desirable items which in turn means that good content providers see less money coming in. One way merchants can view listing fees is as a type of low-cost advertising that helps increase the visibility of their wares by eliminating a lot of the noise that prevents finding it.”

Kitely will charge a 10% transaction fee on content sales. Purchases made using US Dollars are paid directly into the merchant’s PayPal account (without going through Kitely), therefore PayPal’s fees will also apply.

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SL project news: week 4 (1): server, permissions, terrain and teleporting

Posted on by Inara Pey

Server Deployments Week 4

There was no Main Channel deployment on Tuesday 22nd January due to the issues encountered in week 3, which saw the interest list code on BlueSteel and LeTigre rolled back due to stability issues, and the maint-server release on Magnum having problems of its own (including regions not showing up in search, etc.).

There will be RC deployments on Wednesday 23rd January, as follows:

  • BlueSteel and LeTigre should receive the region crossing improvement project.  This project makes sim performance smoother when objects and avatars cross between regions.  This is the same project which was on BlueSteel and LeTigre in week 2; the only change is a fix for a crasher – release notes (BlueSteel)
  • Magnum should receive the interest list improvement project.  This update should reduce the bandwidth usage of viewers due to object updates, and should improve simulator performance, especially in sims with many connected avatars.  This is the same project which was on BlueSteel and LeTigre briefly in week 3; the only change is a fix for two crash modes – release notes
3rd time lucky? Interest List updates due for deployment to Magnum on Wednesday 23rd January
3rd time lucky? Interest List updates due for deployment to Magnum on Wednesday 23rd January

According to Simon Linden, speaking at the Simulator User Group on Tuesday 22nd January, the issue(s) relating to Magnum regions / parcels failing to show up in search also has a fix, which is apparently included in code due to be deployed to those regions, although there is no comment on this in the release notes themselves at the time of writing.

SL Viewer

Work continues on the viewer development side of things with further updates an merges and new versions appearing almost every other day, but little is currently filtering through to the beta viewer code branch at present.

Similarly, the CHUI developement viewer is going through a rapid series of updates, reaching 3.4.4.269264 on Tuesday 22nd January, although updates from the last series of development releases have yet to reach the CHUI project viewer.

Work has been promised to update the Sunshine (avatar baking) viewer code, whether this has been done or not is unclear as there was no Content Creation meeting on Monday 21st January due to Martin Luther King’s birthday; however, the current release of the project viewer remains 3.4.4.268071 at the time of writing.

Merges are also still awaiting on the Mesh project viewer in order to bring that back into line with more recent viewer-dev code updates.

Continue reading “SL project news: week 4 (1): server, permissions, terrain and teleporting” →

A Nordic adventure resumed

Posted on by Inara Pey
Finlandia
Finlandia

Last year, I wrote about my explorations on land and water around the community of Second Norway – a place I still visit as it has the added attraction of being able to fly in / out of the new airport there.

More recently, I decided – mainly thanks to popping into Ziki Questi’s blog, to continue my Nordic adventures by “hopping over the border”, so to speak, into Finlandia. This is Daniela Finchy’s marvellous build, which offers visitors a slice of rural Finland to explore and enjoy.

Finlandia
Finlandia

This is another of those “natural” regions which tends to draw me in, and there are many aspects to it which do leave one feeling one has merely “hopped over the border” from Second Norway, rather than having teleported a good way across the grid.. Here are fir trees, rugged slopes, cobbled paths and roads and the familiar slanted fencing which I’ve been told is common in the Nordic countries and which is certainly found throughout Second Norway.

Finlandia offers the explorer various things to see and do – you can visit the farm, take a canoe out on the water, share the warmth of an open fire with reindeer or warm you hands in front of a roaring log fire in the lodge – or around a cup of moonshine, fresh from a still by the water. If you want to ease away the stresses of the day, there is a wood-burning sauna, or for those with a loved one, the lodge offers a dance floor and comfortable sofas for a cuddle or a chat.

Finlandia
Finlandia

Getting around the place is easy – the paths are all cobbled, signposts point the way here and there, and for those who prefer to use their pedal extremities in other ways, bicycles can be used to ride around the region.

Finlandia is rich in opportunities for the SL photographer as well. The default windlight settings work well, but the region really lends itself to experimentation and ideally suited to settings which give a more ambient look and feel, although I experimented with a range of options and settings as I walked around and through the region.

Finlandia
Finlandia

All-in-all this is one of those regions well worth a visit, whether you’re a romantic, a photographer, and explorer, or any / all of the above, and worthy of taking the time to wander through and experience. So why not go and enjoy a little piece of Finnish nature? Just don’t forget Daniela’s tip jar to help with the maintenance of the region, which sits just inside the windmill which forms the teleport landing-point!

Related Links

“It was raining in the city…”

Posted on by Inara Pey

It was raining in the City — a hard rain — almost hard enough to wash the slime from the streets. But it never does. When the rain stops, the boulevard dries and the snakes once again slink from their holes. That’s when my door opens and the helpless, the desperate, walk through with a heart full of hurt and a pocket full of nothing.*

"It was raining in the City -- a hard rain ..." - The Silent Peacock Hotel, starting-point for a grid-wide investigation of Room 326
“It was raining in the City — a hard rain …” – The Silent Peacock Hotel, starting-point for a grid-wide investigation of Room 326

My name is Bullit. Traci Bullit. I’m a private dick without the di – well, you get the picture. My bosom buddy is Mr Redemption, because he’s helped me out of some tight scrapes and spends time in a holster under my right arm.

The rain was still falling when my door opened, only it wasn’t the helpless or the desperate who walked through. It was the Governor’s special assistant. He had instructions for me to get down to the Silent Peacock Hotel where the local gumshoes were tripping over themselves trying to sort out a spate of disappearances. I don’t usually do requests, but Governor Linden is a good egg, and I figured there’d be no harm in doing her a favour. Besides, girls should always stick together...

"The lobby was like the name of the place: silent" - Room 326
“The lobby was like the name of the place: silent” – Room 326

So might begin the mystery of Room 326, the latest grid-wide hunt from MadPea Games. I was actually hesitant to blog this piece, as I visited Hoshi Island last week and tried my hand at following some of the clues (I don’t as a rule “do” hunts), prior to abandoning things due to other pressures – and then Honour McMillan brilliantly covered the setting (I swear, one day I’m going to have to superglue her shoes to the floor to stop her getting to all the fun places ahead of me…. 😉 ).

MadPea routinely produce grid-wide hunts as a part of their broader résumé of games, and all are both imaginative and cleverly themed. Room 326 runs through until the end of the month and involves players becoming sleuths attempting to unlock the mysterious disappearance of 15 people who stayed in the titular room at the Silent Peacock Hotel. The mystery can only be resolved by following a trail of point-and-click clues across the grid.

Room 326
“The room wasn’t that bad, other than the smell of cheap cologne and cigarettes – a sure sign the local gumshoes had been over the place. That, and the file they’d managed to leave behind…”  Room 326

The game is HUD-based (costing L$50 from the vendors in front of the hotel entrance). Your first task on purchasing it is to activate it, which requires finding Room 326 and the information inside.

Once you have found the required information, your HUD will activate and reveal the 15 missing people, clicking on a photo will provide you with information on a person and – importantly – the location of the clue associated with them. Clues take the form of envelopes which must be found and clicked on. Unlike other hunts, the envelopes don’t themselves give out prizes. Instead, players must collect all 15 envelopes; only then will they be given instructions on how to proceed to the final gameplay area where, as they say in the time-honoured tradition, “All will be revealed…”

Room 326 runs through until January 31st. Even if you’re not into hunts, it’s an entertaining distraction.

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*Quote from “The Big Goodbye”, scripted by Tracy Torme