Category: News-Opinion

Grid Status: a letter to Santa Linden

Posted on by Inara Pey

Santa Linden
North Linden Pole
Second Life
Everywhere.

Dear Santa Linden

I know that at this time of year you have much to do, but I would like to make two little requests – if not for Christmas, then for the New Year.  

Can we please have in-world notifications of grid issues, the commencement of maintenance tasks and so on returned to Second Life?

And could you please add the Grid Status list to the Viewer log-in screen, which is now being used by several popular TPVs as well as your own?

Yes, Santa, I know I’ve been going on and on about these things to Uncle Rodvik and Uncle Viale most of the year; and I also know that JIRAs on both notifications and the Grid Status have languished unloved, unwanted and unwatched for a long time, so you may not think them important.

I also understand that you and all your Linden Elves do work very hard to keep the grid running smoothly, but that sometimes there are Things You Have To Do to keep it going, and other Things That Need Attention, and these can make things go a bit bumpity.

But you see, you’ve given us the means to jump in and be a part of a rich, immersive world, so it’s not easy keeping one eye on what goes on in-world and one eye on a Grid Status webpage – even for those who are lucky enough to have two monitor screens. So wouldn’t it be so much nicer if you provided everyone with the means to see what is going on, either when they are in-world or as they are about to log-in?

So please, Santa Linden, I know it’s sometimes hard to think of the little gifts when you have so many big, bright, shiny and exciting things to bring to us all in 2012, but doing this would be so helpful with all the users in the world and perhaps even help us not to feel so Grumpy when bumpity things start to happen. So would you do it?

Pretty please?

With love and kisses,

Inara ♥

The myth of a mendacious, malicious Lab

Posted on by Inara Pey

Linden Lab are not without their share of problems when it comes to their relationship with the user community as a whole. I’ve banged on rather a lot over time about issues originating at their end. However, it is unfair to blame Linden Lab alone for the problem. As Tateru points out, it’s hard to carry on a dialogue when the user is part of the problem.

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed that there is an oft-voiced perception that Linden Lab’s actions and words are somehow either malicious or mendacious – or both. This was again brought home to me last week during a group conversation wherein the claim was forcefully made that the only reason mesh has been implemented in the way it has is (quote) “Linden greed”.

The conversation in question wasn’t the first time I’ve heard this view voiced; I’ve come across it in blog posts and forum comments in a number of places. The argument,  focused on the matter of Land Impact (previously known has Prim Equivalency), goes like this: Linden Lab have deliberately swayed the costings of mesh so as to give inflated Land Impact values in order to force people to move to larger land holdings, thus generating greater tier revenues for the company.

In other words, LL have maliciously crippled mesh in order to line their pockets. However you look at it, that’s a pretty harsh claim to make.

The idea that Linden Lab operates either maliciously or mendacious in its actions is not restricted to the matter of mesh. It’s a view that has been doing the rounds in a variety of forms for quite some time now. In fact, I first commented on it more than 18 months ago.

I didn’t believe it to be right then, and I certainly don’t think it is any more correct now. Linden Lab may well be guilty of many things: inept communications, an inability to actually comprehend their own product, a track record demonstrating their failure to learn from previous errors of judgement, and so on. But none of this actually makes them deliberately malicious. As I said back in April 2010:

“I don’t buy the ‘simply malicious’ argument because, at the end of the day, Linden Lab isn’t likely to profit or grow from it in a sustainable manner. Grabbing the profits today and saying to hell with the customer and to hell with tomorrow is an exceptionally myopic and ultimately stupid way to run a company.”

Yes, there is much that LL does err on at times (although equally, there is much that they get right but which often receives little or no acknowledgement). As such, when things are perceived as going wrong, or potentially damaging the platform / community, then it is absolutely right that we speak out, challenge and constructively critique in order to try to get LL to revise its view / policy / actions.

But to dismiss the company’s actions as being those of a malicious, greedy mindset is, I would venture to say, both shooting far wide of the mark and somewhat counter-productive.

It’s your world, your imagination and yes, we’re listening

Posted on by Inara Pey

I’ve had a growl or two of late about LL not engaging on all fronts vis-a-vis communications. Well, to strike a balance, it would appear that things are moving in some areas.

Yesterday we had the news – form Rodvik himself via his profile feed – that last names are set to return. Today, Hamlet Au has picked up on the fact that the much-loved strapline Your World, Your Imagination is back in elements of SL advertising – specifically the website splash screen (below – something I tend to miss as I rarely get pushed back further than the log-in screen when visiting the site) and a new promo video.

Your world – back after too long

I’m not entirely sure about the descriptive text that’s paired with the strapline – “Play games with friends, role-play with vampires, shop for unique fashions”. All are true, but I can’t escape the feeling that the focus on vampires alone when it comes to mentioning role-play could be taken to mean that role-play in SL is “all about” vampire-related games and scenarios. Similarly, “play games with friends” is somewhat suggestive (to me) of a Facebook games environment, rather than anything remotely immersive. But then, I could be just nitpicking…

It’s certainly good to see Your World, Your Imagination back – and kudos to LL for returning to it; but let’s see something that goes with that that does more to present the broader canvas of SL. As a strapline, “Your world….” should be the gateway to a slew of creative ideas.

The new promo video, launched last week (with, dare I say, little or no fanfare) builds on the recent ad LL ran asking for people to star in a new promotional effort.

It’s a reasonable piece, clearly aimed at demonstrating there are “everyday people” involved in Second Life, rather than basement dwellers or other strange lifeforms sections of the media is given over to portraying as SL users. It’s certainly better than “Be your avatar”. But I’m still not convinced it actually gives any real feel for what SL represents. In this regard, I still maintain that the machinima community has a better handle on how to promote SL through this medium than LL or any PR company.

Taken together, the return of the strapline and the forthcoming return of last names does tend to show that LL are listening. Some might take these moves as being more superficial than a sign of anything deeper – and I personally would like to see more positive signs of engagement via the blog, etc (even leaving aside current forum efforts on the part of Community Manager Linden to start-up conversations, as pointed to by Ciaran Laval). But the fact that we are seeing the return of thing users have been requesting for a goodly while shouldn’t be dismissed outright.

One thing I am curious about as a result of these releases: back at SLCC 2011, Rodvik promised that towards the end of the year beginning of 2012 there will have a marketing campaign “of significant investment” to drive traffic into Second Life and hopefully towards SL merchants. I’m assuming the video and the return of the strapline is a part of this – but will we see any details as to how the campaign is to unfold? Any news at all on that front, LL? Any indications as to what we might be seeing and where we might see it?

(With thanks to Hamlet Au)

Last names back in January?

Posted on by Inara Pey

Dec 13 22:45: post updated with new information at the end.

Well…here’s interesting – and with thanks to Daniel Voyager, who is ever-vigilant on so many fronts, for picking-up on it and relaying the news.

It seems that the campaign to see a return of the last name option has gained traction in Linden Lab. As pointed out by Daniel, Rodvik commented on the last name situation via his web profile feed, thus:

This is excellent news – not only do last names seem set to return, Rodvik has gone so far as to indicate a planned implementation of early in the new year (albeit with the caveat of “hopefully”) – see update at the end.

This revelation is excellent news and demonstrates that in some areas, LL are still quietly listening and taking things on-board – so kudos to them.

What is especially interesting in Rodvik’s post is the comments on identity – these would seem to suggest that the new last name facility might be free-format (rather than selecting from a proscribed list that changes periodically, as with the “old” last name system), or that it might include an option for people to use their real name as their avatar name on signing up. If this is the case, then Rodvik’s comments on identity make perfect sense – people need to understand that providing their real life name as their avatar name is not a requirement of SL, or those that do need to understand the possible implications of doing so.

So – last names are set to return – good news indeed!

Update: 22:45 BST, 13 Dec

As this news has been spreading, Rodvik has made a further post on the subject:

Just to be clear Jan is when we will be giving a timeline/ plans on what we will be doing 🙂 Expect Q1 2012 for it actually to be done.

So the actual change will be later in Q1 2012 (quite possibly mid-to-later Q1, I suspect, given Rodvik’s clarified caveat).

LL: Don’t fudge. TALK!

Posted on by Inara Pey

Ciaran Laval brings word that Linden Lab may well be making moves to “hide” the server Release Candidate (RC) channels away from casual viewing.

I’ve written in the past about RC channels and how they work, commenting on the three most widely recognised channels of BlueSteel, Magnum and Le Tigre (while there are others on a smaller scale that may come and go according to needs). Currently, one can find out if the region one is on or visiting is running on an RC channel in a couple of easy ways:

  • A pop-up will announce the fact that you are running on an RC channel (or, for that matter, the primary release channel) whenever you teleport to a region running on a different version of the simulator software
  • You can open HELP and the ABOUT option for your Viewer  and see what version of the server software the region you’re in is running

Now that is apparently about to change, and the information removed, hidden, tippex’d out or fudged over in some manner because, apparently, Oskar and others at the Lab feel the information is too easy to find, and people then start complaining about issues they are having and blaming it on the fact that they’re on an RC channel; something which may well have absolutely no bearing on the issues they are experiencing.

Well, I’d like to say I’m sympathetic to Oskar’s plight – but actually I’m not.

The solution to the issue isn’t to simply hide information about the RC channels because it is “too easy” to find. The correct solution is to engage with your users, explain the situation to them and tell them why the RC channel they may be on probably isn’t to blame for their woes.
Hiding the information or fudging it, or whatever solution Oskar and the team comes up with doesn’t remove the problem – it simply obfuscates matters.
There is a forum for server releases. There is a bloody technology section to the Linden Lab’s own blog. So why aren’t the Lab using them? If there is an issue with people understanding the purpose of the RC channels and how they work and so making incorrect assumptions, then is it really that hard to blog / post a couple of educational items on the subject to help enlighten people?
OK, so – as Ciaran points out – doing so might not stop all those complaints about RC channels “causing” people issues – but it’s fair to say it’ll go a long way towards stemming the flow – and it will put information out into the public domain that users themselves can point to and help others understand the nuances of the release process and why problems may well be unrelated (or not) to the server version someone is sitting on.
Rodvik – I’ve asked before, and I’ll ask again – just what have you people at the Lab got against constructive, on-going engagement, using all the tools at your disposal, with your user community as a whole? Precisely when will we see the uptake in improved communications from the Lab you yourself promised us back in May of this year?

Linden Realms open to all

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update Dec 2nd:I spoke to Tiggs Linden today regarding the HUD issue, and he has now fixed the problem.

Linden Labs have announced that Linden Realms, the crystal-hunting game is now open to everyone.

Portals are now available across the grid, allowing users to teleport to the game areas.

Some six “island clusters” of 12 regions each have been established to provide space for users to play the game without undue lag. From the map, it would appear another two further “islands” of 12 regions apiece may be under development for further expansion of the game, should they be deemed necessary – or perhaps they’re being prepared for the next Linden Realms project?

Linden Realms 12-region game “island” (l) and another Linden Realm area apparently under development (r)

Note that you cannot teleport directly to the game areas – you must go through one of the designated portals.

Game Portal

I reviewed the game a while back, the objective is to collect crystals, avoid various rock monsters and other obstacles and, as a side benefit, earn L$ (but don’t look to make a fortune – that not the point!).

I took a quick look at the expanded gaming areas earlier, and did find there seemed to be a slight issue: some people were arriving and failing to receive the game HUDs. As these also provide instructions – and the LL blog post announcing the game to be open doesn’t mentioned them at all, I actually encountered quite a few very confused people wandering around wondering what was going on and what they were supposed to be doing. I actually tried the portals at Barbarossa, Eldervale and Degrand – and failed to receive a HUD through any.

Hopefully, this issue will be fixed in short order.

The game is a lot of fun – and there is a rumour further quests may be added; if true, I’m not overly sure it’s a good idea. The aim of the game (from LL’s perspective) is to introduce mechanics and features that are to be made available to all – as such building an entire multi-quest game smacks a little of biting the hand of content creators – who are the people who should be using the tools to make engaging, fun and very different experiences for people to enjoy.

That said, I recommend that if you have 30 mins to spare – and once the initial rush has died down (and the HUD issue fixed), why not give it a try?