Author: Inara Pey

Eclectic virtual world blogger with a focus on Second Life, VR, virtual environments and technology.

Second Life Combat User Group: April 11th, 2024 summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Credit: Rider Linden

The following notes were taken from the Thursday, April 11th, 2024 Combat User Group meeting (also referred to as the Combat Committee User Group or CCUG, an abbreviation also used by the Content Creation User Group, and which I’ll not be using in these summaries to reduce the risk of confusion between the two). They form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript.

Meeting Overview

  • The Combat User Group exists as a forum to discuss improvements to the Linden Lab Combat System or LLCS to better support combat in Second Life.
    • The core idea is to provide additional events and capabilities which sit on top of LLCS to provide combat creators with better tools with which to create better combat systems for their specific scenarios.
  • The meetings are the result of a proposal document on improving the native damage system in SL, written by Rider Linden, and which is the focus for both the meeting and any work arising from them.
  • These meetings are conducted (as a rule):
    • By Rider Linden, with the support of Kyle Linden.
    • On alternating Thursdays (rotating with the Content Creation User Group) at 13:00 SLT. Meeting dates are recorded in the Second Life Public Calendar.
    • Initially in text, although voice might be included in the future depending on feedback from those attending.
    • At this location.
  • Additional details are available via the SL wiki.

Work In Progress

  • Rider has updated the simulator running on the Aditi combat test regions (Thermopylae and Gallipoli). In particular:
    • The combat log events so that it will provide up to 1020 bytes of data at a time.
    • The single JSON object becomes an array, which will hopefully address the issues of overflowing the listen event.
    • A fix a possible exploit wherein rezzing a prim with damage in a non damage area then shooting it into a damage area would cause damage. To prevent this, the object becomes TEMP and DIE_ON_COLLIDE with no damage. This will be extended to regular damage to prevent situations such as people sniping at opponents from “safe” zones.
    • The issue of physical objects with damage (via llSetDamage or REZ_DAMAGE) not causing damage to objects with no sitters should now be fixed.
    • Setting up a well known sender for those so llListen can filter them is coming soon.
  • Rider is currently working on region settings for what happens when someone “dies” in combat.
  • Rider proposes setting up two combat-specific region on Aditi (the Beta grid), specifically for testing output from this work / project.
    • Names are TBC, but will likely be something along the lines of “Waterloo”.
    • These will hopefully be up and running in about a week.
  • In terms of initial work, Rider is looking to “knock off” the low-hanging fruit:
    • First will be llGetHealth.
    • Second will be damage transfer across regions (e.g. damage transfer is not going to 100% when you cross a region boundary).
  • The above will be followed by work on the on_damage() event, key to much of the rest of the work.
  • New documentation accompanying the events and capabilities will be posted the to LSL Wiki.

Comments and Requests

  • To new requests under consideration:
  • This led to a discussion on damage distribution when a vehicle carrying sitters is hit (Rider’s approach being if a vehicle carrying four avatars is hit, then each would receive 25% damage), and how llDamage should be handled (e.g. if called from within a vehicle  – one avatar shooting another – damage goes to the avatar; if llDamage called from outside the vehicle, it goes to the vehicle and the vehicle determines how the damage is applied to those sitting on it).
  • As a result of the discussion, a new function – llDetectedTarget – was seen to be increasingly desirable. This would allow specific avatars riding a vehicle to be targeted (e.g. the driver).
  • The meeting time may be changing to allow more US attendees. 3:30 SLT is being considered – although this could then exclude those from Europe.

Morrigan’s Roadhouse: an enchanting stop in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Morrigan’s Roadhouse, April 2024 – click any image for full size

It  had not been my intention to write about two locations designed by Yxes (Yxes Evergreen) practically back-to-back; however serendipity played a hand when, after writing about Memories of Dreams (see here for more), I was bimbling around south-western Heterocera (specifically along Mock Heather Road and trying to work out if it was part of the atoll continent’s Route 2 or not) when I stumbled across a place called Morrigan’s Roadhouse.

Or rather, I initially came across the unmistakable form of the TLG Ruined Gate by Marcus Inkpen, standing alongside one of Elicio Ember’s marvellous plants and with the . a i s l i n g . Old Fountain sitting under it. Given all three are creators / brands I tend to use myself, I was immediately intrigued, and with the large house sitting above the ruined gate teasing me further, I decided to poke my nose at what I had found, and only after flycaming and discovering more of interest – notably in more of Marcus’s architecture and Elicio’s plants – did I take a look to see who was responsible for this most enchanted of settings, and thus discovered it to be the work of Yxes.

Morrigan’s Roadhouse, April 2024

Sitting to the north side of Mock Heather Road and within just under 20,000 square metres of land, Morrigan’s Roadhouse is a place of gentle contradictions natural delights, touches of fantasy and (to me at least) spirituality (in a pagan sense), and infinite charm. The About Land description suggests the setting may have been influenced by what might be the most instantly recognisable (and misinterpreted) of all of the recordings by the Eagles: Hotel California, quoting as it does the sixth verse of the song.

It’s a verse that is somewhat reflected in the mysterious lean of the setting – the big house sitting as they crown of the landscape (inasmuch as it rises above everything else) might be seen as a place every bit as strange and mysterious as the hotel of the son, whilst the roadhouse of the setting’s title might bring to mind the idea of an edge-of town inn or coaching house where accommodation, alcohol and perhaps dancing might be had; again somewhat in keeping with elements of the song.

Morrigan’s Roadhouse, April 2024

Similarly, there is much within the song – and the quoted verse that might be applied to Second Life and those of us who have been engaged with the platform for a long time – do we ever really leave? Whilst the platform itself might be said to be programmed to receive.

But then there is the name of the setting itself, which carries one away from the poetry of (relatively) modern song and lyrical juxtapositions of meanings real and imagined, and into the realm of Irish / Celtic mythology in the form of The Morrigan, the Phantom Queen, most often associated with war and fate, and said to be able to take the form of a crow. Indeed, within the setting, the ruins of a chapel (again the work of Marcus Inkpen) offer a shrine and prayers to the Morrigan, further strengthening this connection.

Morrigan’s Roadhouse, April 2024

Nor are these two thematic elements in opposition to one another; just as there has been much debate and speculations about the meaning behind the lyrics of Hotel California, so the Morrigan can be interpreted in different ways. she is seen as both an individual in the form of the Red or Phantom Queen, and also a triumvirate, as both a threefold goddess and also as the Morrigu, three sisters of united heritage cause. Thus, both the reference to the song and to the pagan figure, lend an air of mysticism combined with fantasy and dream to the setting, well in keeping with its unique and engaging presentation.

Which is undeniable about Morrigan’s Roadhouse is the sense of enchantment and the fantastical found throughout, be it in the will-o’-the-wisp-like blankets of mist drifting here and there between the trees and over the waters, or the exotic plants and giant mushrooms awaiting discovery, or the unicorn and albino stag watching over the landscape, or the simple presence of boats floating serenely in the air. There is a charm and sense of magic to be found within the buildings (and under them in the case of the main house), whilst the motifs of familiars (cats and ravens) might be found in multiple places throughout.

Morrigan’s Roadhouse, April 2024

That said, this is a place where flycamming is perhaps more advantageous in seeing all that is on offer when compared to walking around. There are elements of the setting not entirely conducive to wandering on foot, and while this may make finding them a little harder, the fact that the landscape does hold somewhat inaccessible corners is entirely in keeping with Nature herself in rarely offering us a simple footpath or trail to follow.

Engaging, photogenic, peaceful and definitely with more than enough in possible motifs, themes and meanings to get the brain cogitating on all of its cylinders (a mere four in my case, admittedly!), Morrigan’s Roadhouse makes for a very worthwhile place to visit.

Morrigan’s Roadhouse, April 2024

SLurl Details

Abstract Event Horizons at Nitroglobus in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Annex at Nitroglobus: Kirjat Umarov – Event Horizons

Currently open through most of April 2024 at the Annex of Dido Haas’ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery is Event Horizons, a series of abstract art pieces by  Kirjat Umarov.

The title of the exhibition draws directly on the astrophysical phenomenon defining a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Coined in 1950 by the Austrian physicist Wolfgang Rindler, it’s a term most commonly associated with black holes, celestials object so dense that no nearby matter or radiation can escape their gravitational influence. Most often, if rather simplistically, the event horizon is defined as the boundary within which black hole’s escape velocity is greater than the speed of light, and so light itself cannot escape it, and thus we cannot know what actually occurs on the other side of the boundary, we can only theorise.

The Annex at Nitroglobus: Kirjat Umarov – Event Horizons

Given that Kirjat’s work and studies encompass the theology of Christianity, religious iconography and thematic devices which might be considered as representations of an “unknowable God” (as well as touching on art history and philosophy and the human condition), the title of the exhibition is well chosen, inviting us to try to look beyond the surface presentation of the 16 images presented around the walls of the Annex (one being a triptych, and as such counts as a single piece), and consider their potential meaning and interpretation – or, as Dido states in her liner notes for the piece – allow ourselves to be drawn ever closer to the event horizon of each piece as we ponder its meaning and potential for interpretation.

Some of the pieces would appear to reflect current world events – perhaps most obviously Peace Glory Honour, referencing as it does the people of Ukraine as they face the aggression foisted upon them by Russia; together with Outbreak, which might be seen as a reference to the continued threat of pandemics in the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak (COVID-19), which might also lead to thoughts of the risk of such outbreaks spreading unnecessarily through people foolhardy ability to accept conspiracy theories over scientific fact.

The Annex at Nitroglobus: Kirjat Umarov – Event Horizons

Others with the set offer reflections on religion – some perhaps more obviously than others when going purely by their titles. I was drawn to Dekalogos, with its open invitation to consider the Ten Commandments both through its title and the presentation of its 10 symbols. More particularly, Hilasterion and The Holy Curtain gained my attention, each encouraging cogitations on the nature of the Ark of the Covenant, the “Holy of Holies” and the nature of God as portrayed via the Old Testament. Additionally, Hilasterion led me to thoughts of expiation and atonement and thus to reflections on the nature of Christ as a person and as a religious symbol – something that is today particularly relevant given the rise of the religious Right and their persistent misrepresentation of Christ spiritually, philosophically and physically.

But, as always, these are just my subjective thoughts and reactions – yours most likely will be different; which is fine Event Horizons is an individualistically expressive range of abstracts; a series both open to interpretation and, should you opt to purchase any, well suited to display within any SL home.

SLurl Details

2024 SL SUG meetings week #15 summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Elvion, April 2024 – blog post †

The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, April 9th, 2024 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. They form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript, and were taken from my chat log and the video by Pantera – my thanks to her as always for providing it.

Meeting Overview

  • The Simulator User Group (also referred to by its older name of Server User Group) exists to provide an opportunity for discussion about simulator technology, bugs, and feature ideas.
  • These meetings are conducted (as a rule):
  • They are open to anyone with a concern / interest in the above topics, and form one of a series of regular / semi-regular User Group meetings conducted by Linden Lab.
  • Dates and times of all current meetings can be found on the Second Life Public Calendar, and descriptions of meetings are defined on the SL wiki.

Simulator Deployments

  • The Main and RC channel will all be restarted this week (Tuesday / Wednesday) with no updated deployed.

Upcoming Deployments

  • Week #16 should see the back-end support for the glTF / PBR Maiantenance-2 release viewer deployed to the Preflight RC simulator channel, bringing Mirrors and PBR terrain to regions on that channel.
    • If all goes well, the deployment will expand to BlueSteel in week #17 (commencing Monday, April 22nd, 2024).
  • The deployment of the PBR-2 support is liable to be followed by a simulator update with the promised WebRTC Voice (see my Week #12 summary for an outline of WebRTC voice). This may initially only goa a small Snack RC channel of simulators.

SL Viewer Updates

  • On Tuesday, April 9th, the Maintenance W RC ((bug and crash fixes), version 7.1.5.8443591509 and dated March 29, was promoted to defacto release status.

The rest of the current official viewer in the pipeline stand as:

  • Release channel cohorts:
    • Materials Featurettes RC viewer, version 7.1.5.8472515256, April 3.
    • Maintenance X RC (usability improvements), version 7.1.5.8443777128, April 2.
    • Maintenance Y RC ( My Outfits folder improvements; ability to remove entries from landmark history + Maint Z RC integration), version 7.1.5.8448596295, March 29.
  • Project viewers:

In Brief

  • Monty Linden is trying the get back up to speed with region crossing / teleport fixes after working on other aspects of SL recently. Currently the work he has completed in looking “good” and he is planning a possible pile-on test at some point ahead of shipping the updated code.
  • Leviathan Linden has been working on implementing the “prevent passenger attachments from influencing vehicle” optional vehicle flag, but hasn’t quite finish testing it due to some modes of pushing a vehicle (without the flag) not working as anticipated. It is possible this work might make it into the Spring Break simulator update, which is still in development at the time of writing.
    • This is in response to a request to help solve the problem of cheaters sitting on competition vehicles. Someone sits on the object and uses a HUD with llSetVelocity() or other calls to push the vehicle faster than it would normally go.
  • Leviathan also hasn’t got back to working on the game controller event due to providing assistance to the glTF project.
  • A repeat of a request for slide on Y axis for llSetTextureAnim was made –  as requested in BUG-6443 (now Jira archive 14302). This is seen as “doable” on the simulator side, but would require additional work within the viewer.
  • A fix for llSetAlpha() and llSetColor to work with PBR is in the works.
  • Please refer to the video for:
    • Some general discussion on Combat issues, which will likely be part of the upcoming Combat Group meeting on Thursday, April 11th.
    • A general discussion on avatar walk speed and making it scriptable / adjustable.
    • A discussion on increasing the server notecard cache (per this request).

† The header images included in these summaries are not intended to represent anything discussed at the meetings; they are simply here to avoid a repeated image of a rooftop of people every week. They are taken from my list of region visits, with a link to the post for those interested.

2024 SL viewer release summaries week #14

Posted on by Inara Pey
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates from the week through to Sunday, April 7th, 2024

This summary is generally published every Monday, and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.
  • Note that for purposes of length, TPV test viewers, preview / beta viewers / nightly builds are generally not recorded in these summaries.

Official LL Viewers

  • Release viewer: version 7.1.4.8149792635, formerly glTF PBR Materials Maintenance-2 RC viewer, issued March 11, promoted March 26, 2024 – No Change.
  • Release channel cohorts (please see my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself).
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V6-style

  • Kokua updated to 7.1.4.53979 (no RLV) and 7.1.4.57483 (RLV variants)  (PBR) on April 1 – release notes.

V1-style

  • Cool VL Viewer Stable branch updated to version 1.32.0.17 (PBR) on April 6- release notes.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Space Sunday: total eclipse and a nova

Posted on by Inara Pey
Total eclipse of the Sun. Credit: Alan Dyer/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images

Monday April 8th 2024 marks 2024 only total solar eclipse of the year (and only one of two which might be witnessed during the year the other being an annular eclipse on October 2nd, 2024), with North America being treated to the spectacle.

A total eclipse is when the Moon crosses directly between Earth and the Sun in a manner which means it completely blocks the face of the Sun from view to those directly “under” the Moon’s path across the sky. This is the region known as the path of totality, marked by the Moon’s shadow marching its way across the face of the Earth as the Moon passes between planet and star. Within that path, the full light of the Sun is blocked for a brief period, plunging the land into twilight before the face of the Sun re-emerges from the limb of the Moon as the latter continued on in its orbit.

As I’ve mentioned before in these pages, a total solar eclipse is the most intense and fascinating of the various types of eclipse that can be observed from Earth, and they tend to occur roughly every 12-24 months, affecting different parts of the world depending on factors such as the Earth’s rotation at the time, the position of both the Sun and Moon relative to Earth, etc. Thus, not every total eclipse is necessarily so easily visible; the path of totality can often be in very remote places or over sparsely populated regions or even far out at sea.

Track of the April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse across North America, showing the main path of totality. Michael Zeiler/GreatAmericanEclipse.com

The event on April 8th 2024, however, is a little different. The 184-km wide path of totality will extend across 15 US states, whilst its ground track across North America will include Sinaloa, Durango and Coahuila in Mexico and Ontario, Quebec (where it will brush both Toronto and Montreal respectively), New Brunswick and sweep over the Labrador coast of Newfoundland close to St. Johns. This means it will be potentially visible (weather permitting) to around 32 million people in the US alone. What’s more, and in a rarity for total eclipses, it comes just seven years after the last total eclipse was visible from the continental United States (prior to that, the previous one to occur over the contiguous US was in 1979, and the next will not be until 2044).

Upcoming total solar eclipses and their visibility on Earth. Via timeanddate.com

If you are lucky enough to lie along the path of totality, and the weather is suitable for you to view it, please keep in mind these common sense guidelines:

  • Never look directly at the Sun – even with sunglasses or by using dark material such as a bin bag or photo negative; these filters do not protect your eyes against infrared radiation and can cause permanent eye damage.
  • Only look at the sun if you have certified eclipse glasses and are wearing them.
  • Only use a telescope or binoculars to project an image of the Sun onto white card, and never use either instrument to observe the Sun directly unless you have a certified solar filter fitted.

The best way to view an eclipse if you do not have eclipse glasses or have a telescope or binoculars to project the Sun’s image onto card, is via a pinhole camera:

  1. Cut a hole in a piece of card.
  2. Tape a piece of foil over the hole.
  3. Poke a hole in the foil with a pin.
  4. Place a second piece of card on the ground.
  5. Hold the card with the foil above the piece of card on the floor to project an image of the Sun onto it, and look at the image. Do not use the pinhole to look directly at the Sun.
Eclipse Types (Moon and Sun not to scale). Credit: Cmglee

There are a number of terms common to eclipses which are worth mentioning for those who wish to follow the event, but are unfamiliar with the terminology. Specifically for a total eclipse these are:

  • The umbra, within which the object in this case, the Moon) completely covers the light source (in this case, the Sun’s photosphere).
  • The penumbra, within which the object is only partially in front of the light source.
  • Photosphere, the shiny layer of gas you see when you look at the sun.
  • Chromosphere, a reddish gaseous layer immediately above the photosphere of the sun that will peak out during the eclipse.
  • Corona, the light streams that surround the sun.
  • First contact, the time when an eclipse starts.
  • Second contact, the time when the total eclipse starts.
  • Third contact, the time when the total eclipse ends.
  • Fourth contact, the time at which the eclipse ends.
  • Bailey’s beads, the shimmering of bright specks seen immediately before the moon is about to block the sun.
  • Diamond ring, the last bit of sunlight you see right before totality. It looks like one bright spot (the diamond) and the corona (the ring).
Baily’s beads and the “diamond ring” effect seen during a solar eclipse on July 2, 2019 from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/D. Munizaga

As noted, a total eclipse occurs when the observer is within the path of totality marked by the Moon’s shadow – which is formally called the umbra – passing along the surface of the Earth. For those in Mexico, much of the USA and Canada outside of the umbra, there is still the opportunity to see a partial solar eclipse if you are located within the penumbra.

If you are observing the eclipse (particularly along the line of totality), you might keep an eye out for some / all of the following:

  • If you look at the ground around you just before totality occurs and the Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun; you might see the phenomenon of fast-moving shadows, called shadow bands, racing across the ground under your feet. These might also occur as the Sun starts to re-emerge from behind the Moon.
  • During totality, keep an eye out for the brighter stars becoming visible during totality, together with the following planets:
    • Jupiter: roughly 30o above and to the left of the Sun / Moon.
    • Venus roughly 15o below and to the right of the Sun / Moon.
    • Saturn and Mars (both very faint) roughly 20o below Venus, close to the horizon and further to the right.
  • The very keen eyed might also be able to spot comet 12P/Pons-Brooks as a fuzzy dot just off to the right of Jupiter (although you will need to be very keen-eyed!
Sky chart showing the most conspicuous stars and planets that might be visible in the vicinity of the totally eclipsed sun. Credit: Joe Rao
  • Watch and listen to the local animals and wildlife (if present). Birds may stop singing, with some flying to their roosts, cattle might behave is if it is evening , etc., as they become confused by the local twilight.
  • During the solar eclipse, you may see colours shifting, giving familiar objects unusual hues. This natural shift in colour perception is caused by fluctuating light levels resulting from the darkening of the sun.
US Viewing probability map for the April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse. Credit: Joe Rao

If you prefer not to watch the eclipse directly, or are not lucky enough to live along the path of totality (is the weather is pooping on you seeing it if you are), then it can be followed on-line at the following resources:

Totality Times (UTC) for Notable North American Locations

  • Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico – 18:07; duration: 4 minutes 20 seconds.
  • Durango, Durango, Mexico – 18:18; duration: 3 minutes 50 seconds.
  • Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico/Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S – 18:27; duration: 4 minutes, 24 seconds.
  • Dallas, Texas – 18:40; duration: 3 minutes 52 seconds.
  • Indianapolis, Indiana – 19:06; duration: 3 minutes, 51 seconds.
  • Cleveland, Ohio – 19:13; duration: 3 minutes, 50 seconds.
  • Erie, Pennsylvania – 19:16; duration: 3 minutes, 43 seconds.
  • Rochester, New York – 19:20; duration: 3 minutes, 40 seconds.
  • Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada – 19:18; duration: 3 minutes, 31 seconds.
  • Montreal, Quebec, Canada – 19:26; duration: minutes 57 seconds.
  • Tignish, Prince Edward Island, Canada – 19:35; duration: 3 minutes, 12 seconds.
  • Catalina, Newfoundland, Canada – 19:43; duration: 2 minute, 53 seconds.

Note that part of north Europe  – notably the UK – will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse.

Continue reading “Space Sunday: total eclipse and a nova” →