Year: 2013

SL projects update week 27: SSB/A, general news and discussions

Posted on by Inara Pey

Apologies for the late-running of this update. I started drafting it earlier in the week and, um, forgot about it.

Week 27 Server Deployments

Just a reminder that due to the Independence Day code freeze for week 27, and the fact that the Lab is closed on Thursday 4th, Friday 5th July for a long weekend, there were no server deployments this week.

Server-side Baking / Appearance

Deployment / enabling should be commencing in week 28, most likely starting on the 9th July. To help spread the message, the Lab has once again blogged on the deployment of the new service, referring to it by the official title of Project Sunshine (which is a part of the Shining Project) and again included their video explaining what is going to be happening.

The majority of maintained viewers provided by both Linden Lab and third-party viewer developers are already ready for the new service, with only Dolphin, Exodus and Imprudence being without support. Hopefully, both Dolphin and Exodus will update shortly, but it will be some time before Imprudence is in a position to adopt SSB/A – the team has a fair amount of catching-up to do.

So, to borrow from the Lab. If you’re not already running an SSB/A capability viewer: “Don’t be cloudy and grey – enjoy Sunshine today” – and update your viewer!

SL Viewer News

A further SL beta viewer release was made on Tuesday July 2nd  – version 3.6.2.278133 – with (among other things) further materials fixes, as listed in the release notes.

In other updates:

  • The Lab has made a viewer repo public which contains various bug fixes and updates made available in the beta maintenance viewer. These include items such as the additional fixes for high-resolution snapshots (to prevent things like black rectangles appearing in very high resolution images). Expect to see them filtering through into TPV soon, and for the fixes themselves to start the SL release viewer possibly sooner.
  • The “project interesting” viewer which contains viewer-side updates to complement various server-side interest list project updates is still undergoing work to fix all the blocker bugs which are currently preventing it from being made public.

In terms of the latter, Andrew Linden reports that he is looking to gather data which will allow for performance comparisons with things like scene loading pre- and post “project interesting”, to see help measure the improvements in the HTTP texture download changes implemented by Monty Linden.

Other Items

What is a Reasonable FPS Rate?

In the last part of my week 26 update, I reported that the Lab has statistics which show that around 50% of users are running viewers with the Advanced Lighting Model option (“ALM” – formerly the Lighting and Shadows option and also referred to as “deferred rendering”) active, and that they further had data to suggest that up to 75% of users have hardware capable of running with ALM enabled “with reasonable performance” in terms of frame rates (e.g. an average somewhat above 10 fps).

At the time I reported this, I noted that:

However, given that fps is a highly subjective measure and somewhat dependent on a range of external factors (such as how many other avatars are in the region with you, whether you are moving around a lot or not, etc), the “YMMV” rule comes into play.

That the term “reasonable performance” is so nebulous sparked a debate during the Simulator User Group meeting as to what might be regarded as “reasonable” frame rates for a viewer running with ALM enabled (although not necessarily with any lighting & shadows options set). The broad consensus of opinion was that a rate of around 20-30 fps would be considered “reasonable”.

Part of the concern here is that while ALM is required in order to be able to render materials effects, LL might be overly optimistic in determining which cards have ALM enabled by default, which may in turn have an additional impact on new user retention due to people logging-in to SL and experiencing extremely low frame rates and not having any understanding on how to improve their experience.

Continue reading “SL projects update week 27: SSB/A, general news and discussions” →

Getting Derailed in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Derailed, located on the region of Crash Boat, is another of those places happily found by chance. Still under construction and the home of HISpose/El Patio Inc, attention to detail and an eye for landscaping already combine to present a place ready to be explored and enjoyed – and which makes full use of the ground space available.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

As well as the HISpose/El Patio store, there are beaches, a watchtower, paths to walk, a stream to follow, waterfalls, woodland, a ranch and even an old railway station and tracks apparently long-abandoned and overgrown / half-buried, even though old diesel engines and rolling-stock are present.

The ranch looks like it might be a private house, although I think the residents all live up in the sky. There is a sign at the gate warning you to beware of the dog, so keep an eye out in case ;). Otherwise the place has an open invitation to visitors to roam as they will.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

Going from the flags which can be seen, this is clearly a rural  / coastal area of the USA: the Star and Stripes is proudly on display for the 4th July, and rightly so. A further hint as to where we might be can be found on the bench of the railway station, for the keen-eyed.

The Destination Guide offers several teleport points – the default central 128, 128 for the region, one for the beach, and the one I’m using here, which delivers you to the custom-made mesh railway station which is a delight to the eye.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

From here you can roam freely around the region, visiting the store, following the paths, walking the boardwalks down to the beach – take your pick. I particularly like the walk through the wooded area to the west of the region; this is very mindful of a number of my favourite regions in SL, and very much gives me a feeling of being “at home” when exploring Derailed, even more so as the trees are by Alex Bader, as are a number of other notable landmarks and elements (such as the aforementioned boardwalks) in the region.

There are a number of lookout points around the region which offer good vantage points for those wanting to take photos, including the watchtower / lighthouse on the west side of the island – although the path up to it can be a little tricky to climb; I found myself getting thumped sideways a few times due to collisions. A rain coat, brolly and boots is also recommended for another climb as well – it’s a little wet at the top, although there is a weather shelter provided!

For those who need a break from their wanderings, there are places to sit down and relax – the woods have a hammock for the really tired, while the beach areas off sand, sitting and a chance to soak the UVs.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

I’m not sure what else is planned for the region, although the main store itself is still undergoing some work – beware the Under Construction warning signs! As it is, it offers a very pleasant and photogenic environment, and it’s hard to see what else it needs given the balance which has already been achieved.

All told, a superb build, beautifully executed and well worth a visit – don’t forget to sign the guest book in the railway station when you do!

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(view slideshow full-screen)

Return of the Silent Peacock

Posted on by Inara Pey
MPC-5c
I was sharing a personal moment with Jack D when the ‘phone rang. It was the Governor’s aide. Another 15 people had gone missing from Room 326 at the Silent Peacock Hotel & the Governor wanted me down there. Funny how I’m always wanted when things can’t be handled through the proper channels. But then, that’s the nature of my work. Bullit’s the name. Traci Bullit, and PI work is my game; you want it found, I’ll find it – for L$100 a day plus expenses. Grabbing my hat and coat and pausing only long enough to pick-up Mr. Redemption on the way out, I headed downtown.
By the time
The Silent Peacock Hotel. I thought the place had been condemned and pulled down after the last time 15 people disappeared from Room 326. But when I got downtown, there it was, like a corpse raised from the dead, the same broken sign above the front doors winking at me through that same hard rain that marked the last time I’d been here. Turning my collar against the downpour, I crossed the street, the strangest feeling of deja-vu haunting my steps…
Room 326
Room 326 hadn’t changed either. The same fading wallpaper and same tired carpet. The same smell of stale cigarettes and that cheap cologne popular with so many male members of the city’s constabulary. I flipped open the file a local gumshoe had left behind and started reading the notes. Fifteen people missing. All of them from this room, and all of them with the door to the corridor outside firmly locked, and no sign of forced entry or struggles. File in hand, I headed back downstairs.
It
It was still raining when I stepped outside, so I rolled the file up and tucked it into an inside coat pocket, where it would be safe, right alongside Mr. Redemption, who was cosied in his holster under my right arm. The case had many familiar hallmarks as the last time mystery had roomed at the Silent Peacock. But my gut was telling me that things wouldn’t be a simple open-and-shut retread. Somewhere out in this rain-sodden city were answers, and I was going to find them. And somehow, I knew I wasn’t going  to be the only one doing so…

Yes, Madpea are back with another of their grid-wide hunts and this time, for the first time ever, they are re-running a hunt they’ve already featured in-world: that of Room 326, which ran back at the start of the year, and is making a return by popular demand, this time sponsored by NY Healthscape.

With fifteen people missing, it’s time for you to turn sleuth and follow the clues in this point-and-click grid-wide mystery and find out what really happened in Room 326. Fifteen envelopes must be found and collected if you are to reach the final gameplay area where – as the immortal line goes – “all will be revealed” and you will be rewarded with 15 high-quality prizes.

The hunt is open now, and runs through until August 31st. So, if you fancy you can beat “Traci Bullit” in solving the clues, get yourself over to Mad City, and pick-up a game HUD from the entrance to the hotel (L$150) and make your way to Room 326 so that the game may truly be a-foot! Full instructions on using the HUD are available on the Madpea blog.

If hunts aren’t your thing, Mad City offers the in-world shopper with streets to roam and shops to browse, while beyond it lay the streets of New York and the home regions operated by NY Healthscape, all of which offer places to discover and things to do.

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Taking a peek at the latest new user experience

Posted on by Inara Pey

In June Rod Humble indicated that the Lab would be evaluating a “new” new user experience in an A/B test against the current Destination Islands. During a conversation I was able to have with him a little more recently*, I asked whether the new experience would include anything of the “personal touch” – getting new users more easily get to the things which interest them. He replied:

We definitely want to make it easy for Second Life users (especially new ones) to connect with the things in-world that match their interests. What we’re testing at the moment is more geared at getting new users familiar with basic controls, so it comes even before the point where they’re ready to connect with relevant content.

Given this, I’ve been curious as to what form the “new” new user experience might take – and today I had my answer.

The sign-up process itself remains unchanged, so far as I can tell. as does the first-time installation of the viewer, which I looked at back in March 2012 – although this does differ significantly to the installation process established users may be familiar with.

As I reported in 2012, when installing from the sign-up process, the viewer includes a series of panels which give various hints as to what SL is and how to get a start in it, such as the use of text and voice chat – although admittedly, the fact that these panels still feature viewer 2.x did raise a couple of eyebrows. Nothing like staying up-to-date, eh?

One of the explanatory text panels displayed during the viewer installation process
One of the explanatory text panels displayed during the viewer installation process. note the viewer 2.0 UI, complete with sidebar!

Once logged-in to Second Life, things are now noticeably different. New users are initially delivered to one of several versions of “Social Island”, arriving on a beach. The landscaping here is somewhat more pleasing to the eye than the older Destination Islands, However – and bearing in mind, I have no idea just how “preview” or “work-in-progress” this approach is – it tends to start to unravel from here. Just what do you do? Where do you go? What the heck is going on? There is currently no indication at all.

Well, actually, there are clues. They’re just not terribly obvious clues.

"Where am I? What am I supposed to do?" A plaintive question from a newcomer on the beach at Social Island
“Where am I? What am I supposed to do?” A plaintive question from a newcomer on the beach at Social Island

Up in the navigation bar, alongside the region name is the parcel description “Find the path”. The clue refers to one of two paths off of the beach. The first refers to on which leads up from the eastern end of the beach, under a stone arch, and the other goes through a tunnel to the island’s interior. Taking either results in the parcel description changing to “cross the bridges”. And indeed, there are wooden bridges to cross; although if you went through the tunnel, you’ll need to master climbing the rock face first (up a set of pretty obvious “steps”.

“Social Island” is perhaps well-named. There was a lot of chatting going-on when I arrived. Admittedly it was of the “Help!” variety of conversation – which included comments like, “What am I supposed to be doing?”, “Can anyone tell me what this is?”,  and, “Does anyone else here use IMVU? Why isn’t this like it?” (yes, honestly, that is exactly what was being asked) – but at least people were communicating and socialising. Sort-of.

Perhaps the most disheartening thing was – again, my direct experience – trying to help a newcomer, only to have her respond, “I hate this,” before  she vanished, presumably logging-off into the ether, never to return.

The Social Islands appeared geared towards getting people walking around and perhaps talking - although much of the conversation might be pleas for help from genuine newcomers...
The Social Islands appeared geared towards getting people walking around and perhaps talking – although much of the conversation might be pleas for help from genuine newcomers…

The path leads newcomers to a single teleport portal which uses the experience tools teleport capability to deliver them to one of the Learning Islands. Here things are, if anything, slightly more confusing – again with the caveat that it may be a work-in-progress.

Continue reading “Taking a peek at the latest new user experience” →

When your curiosity is piqued in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update November 22nd 2013: Taka no Sakaru has relocated. My review of the new build is available here.

Every so often you can stumble upon a region quite by chance which immediately captivates you. Whether you’re out shopping in-world or flipping through Destination Guide categories or simply happen to come across an interesting name somewhere, you can never tell when or how it’s going to happen.

Taka no Sakura
Taka no Sakura

Such is the case with my discovery of The Krull Empire. I came across the name entirely by chance and, while I could think of nothing other than the fantasy adventure film Krull which I saw when I was a lot younger than I am now, I felt my curiosity piqued and decided to go take a look. I’m glad I did.

Far from being a fantasy sim, The Krull Empire is home to Taka no Sakura, a Japanese Edo period village created by the Taka no Sakura team led by Misaki Yoko. And it is, in a word, exquisite.

Taka no Sakura
Taka no Sakura

Those who know me know I have a strong affinity with the far east, notably Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka. While I am no expert in its history or culture, ancient Japan also holds a fascination for me, so it was with a real sense of delight that I set about exploring the region.

The arrival point is to the south of the village itself, with an open market area. From here you can wander into the village – please do be aware that some of the buildings are private homes and respect people’s privacy. At the north end of the village, separated from it by a narrow channel of water spanned by a bridge, is a walled royal household (which I believe is open the to public) and which includes a small, walled flower garden. Alongside the royal house, but outside of its walls is a large pavilion, built out over the water on wooden piers.

Taka no Sakura
Taka no Sakura

Go west from the village, again crossing a channel of water, and you’ll come to formal Zen gardens and beyond them a smaller pavilion again standing over the water, and another formal garden similar in style to one to be found in the royal house grounds. The remainder of the region is landscaped into open spaces which perfectly complement the buildings.

I’m not sure if some of the buildings in the village are intended to be stores – several have that look about them, although they are currently empty. If so, all I can say that they are attractively designed. I’m also not clear on whether the region is intended to be used for role-play; if so, I’d say it’s not set to period, as there is a little boat with an outboard motor available for pootling around the waterways of the region, and the little vending wagon with a wood-burning stove had decidedly un-period setting bicycle wheels and tyres :). These, to me, mean that the village is one which has survived to see modern times.

Taka no Sakaru
Taka no Sakura

Whatever the period, this is a fabulous region for anyone who appreciates builds which present an immersive feel and / or who enjoy SL photography. The attention to detail is very good, and the mix of built-up and open areas, together with the considered use of water makes it a pleasant place to simply wander around. The default windlight for the region is Bristol, and I’d venture to say it is perfect for the build. If you have it included in your viewer-side windlights, you can flip over to local windlight and adjust the sun position for a range of lighting options without losing anything of the look and feel of the place in terms of how the Taka no Sakura team intended it to be seen.

To me, this is one of the regions which would really showcase materials. There is already a rich and complementary mix of textures here  – wood, plaster, stone – that it is already eye-catching. Add normal an specular maps to some of the surfaces and I can’t help but feel the “wow” factor would be  sky-high.

Nevertheless, even without materials, this is a picturesque and balanced region which is well worth the time to visit.

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Calling all Firestorm users: get ready for an emergency update

Posted on by Inara Pey

firestorm-logoUpdate July 2nd: version 4.4.2 has been released by the Firestorm team, and Firestorm 4.4.1 has been blocked from accessing Second Life. If you have previously installed Firestorm 4.4.1, you can install 4.4.2 without needing a clean install. If you are updating from Firestorm 4.4.0 or earlier, a clean install is strongly recommended. The downloads can be found on the Firstorm website.

Firestorm 4.4.1 was release on June 27th. However, it will shortly be superseded with Firestorm 4.4.2.

The reason for this is explained in a new Firestorm blog post, but the short version is that due to a slight mishap, some additional logging capabilities which had been enabled during the beta release of 4.4.1 and which were intended to help Linden Lab gather information for the forthcoming release of Server-side Baking / Appearance were not removed from the viewer when it moved to release status.

As a result, the system the Lab uses to gether data on viewers is now being completely overwhelmed by the amount of data Firestorm 4.4.1 is sending to it. Although it has taken a few days for the problem to be identified and the Firestorm tem notified, the result is that they are now taking some emergency corrective action:

  • With immeidate effect, version 4.4.1.34164 of Firestorm has been removed from the Firrestorm download page
  • A new version for Firestorm is being prepared for release. This version – 4.4.2 – will be no different to 4.4.1 other than the removal of the additional statistics logging code
  • When the new version is released, and to ensure the LL service is no longer inundated with excess data, Firestorm release 4.4.1.34164 will be blocked from accessing Second Life.

It is therefore essential for everyone who has updated to Firestorm 4.4.1 keep an eye on the Firestorm blog an update to Firestorm 4.4.2 when it becomes available. This should not require a clean install (as was the case with 4.4.1) – but please double-check with any associated blog post which is forthcoming when the release is made.

Again, it is essential that all users of Firestorm 4.4.1 update to Firestorm 4.4.2 as soon as it becomes available.

Related Links