Category: Second Life

LL announce fee changes for Second Life land and Lindex

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

On Monday, March 6th, Linden Lab announced a series of fee changes / payment changes to Second Life which have sparked some debate.

The announcement leads with the reduction in “standard” Full private region (i.e. a region with the standard 20,000 Land Capacity) monthly tier being reduced by US $20 a month, from  $229 / month to US $209 / month – the reduction being to mark 2023 being SL’s 20th anniversary.

Note that the monthly Homestead tier and the US $30 / month for the Full Private region land capacity bonus remain unchanged.

It also introduces an option that has been requested numerous times over the years: the ability to pay tier on regions obtained directly from the Lab using Linden Dollars. However this option comes with some caveats:

  • It is limited to only one region per Premium Plus subscriber.
  • It is only available for Premium Plus subscribers.
  • It is currently a “beta” programme, currently set to end on September 6th, 2023 – although this date may change / be extended.
Land tier rates for regions in Linden Dollars – available for Premium Plus subscribers with land holdings, per the notes above. Table via Linden Lab.

Payments are made on the basis of a stable conversion rate of L$250 to the US dollar, and to facilitate payments, Linden Lab has created a Land Payments region, although at the time this blog post was written, it did not appear to be available. For further details on it, and the all information on using Linden Dollar to pay tier to Linden Lab, please refer to L$ Payments for Land.

Fee Changes

In what is likely to be a less popular move, the blog post notes the following Lindex fee changes, which come into immediate effect from Monday, March 6th, 2023:

  • The buy fee is increased to 10%, with the minimum and maximum fees charged remaining unchanged at US $1.49 and US $14.99 per transaction respectively.
  • The sell fee is increased to 5%, regardless of the size of the transaction.

The blog post notes that these increases are to offset the above land price reductions (and thus a continuation of LL’s policy of redistributing their means of revenue generation to be less reliant on a single product (land)), and also as a result of rising operational costs.

A brief FAQ on these changes is provided in the official blog post, and specific questions on them can be made through the forum thread associated with the blog post, or possibly submitted as a question which might be asked of the SL management team as a part of the Lab Gab session to be broadcast on Friday, March 10th (in which case the question must be submitted by 09:00 SLT on Thursday, March 9th, 2023.

Related Links

2023 SL viewer release summaries week #9

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, March 5th, 2023

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: Maintenance Q(uality) viewer, version 6.6.9.577968, promoted Thursday, February 2, 2023- no change.
  • Release channel cohorts:
  • Project viewers:
    • glTF / PBR Materials viewer, version 7.0.0.578526, March 3, 2023 – This viewer will only function on the following Aditi (beta grid) regions: Materials1; Materials Adult and Rumpus Room 1 through 4.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V6-style

  • No updates.

V1-style

  • No updates.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • Speedlight updated to version v28, March 1, 2023 – release notes.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Transcend Struggle in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Yann Gyro – Transcend Struggle

I first encountered Yann Gyro’s (sempiternel) work during what was to become the last set of exhibition at La Maison d’Aneli in December 2022, when he presented an untitled but engaging 3D installation (see: Five at La Maison d’Aneli in Second Life). I was not the only one taken by that installation, as Dido Haas also saw it as well and asked Yann to consider exhibiting at her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery – and he accepted. So, officially opening on Monday, March 6th, 2023, we have Transcend Struggle, a combined 2D and 3D installation created by Yann.

This is a highly personal installation for Yann, focusing as it does on his mother’s diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, and his love for her and his wish to support her through her diagnosis and subsequent treatment – and most of all to her memory and her strength.

For those who might not be familiar with the term, metastatic breast cancer is a stage VI cancer where the cancer cells have spread beyond the axillary lymph nodes to distant sites, including the bones, the brain, the liver and the  pulmonary pleurae. it can occur several years after a primary breast cancer has been identified and treated (or at the same time the primary cancer is identified) and is the final stage of breast cancer; while treatment is possible, there is no cure. Treatments can take many forms, some of which can be as debilitating as the disease itself (e.g. radiation and chemotherapy).

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Yann Gyro – Transcend Struggle

Given the above, it should come as no surprise that the images and 3D elements of Transcend Struggle are powerful in message; metaphor is not required (although it is powerfully present in one sculpture and one of the images). Supported by a poem by Yann, the pictures and sculptures speak eloquently and fully to his love for his mother, her strength, and what is means to live within the twin shadows of a terminal cancer and its treatment regimes – shadows which fall across both the person afflicted and those around them.

As someone who has both lost her mother to cancer and has herself faced breast cancer (mine was fortunately a benign DCIS, and as of May 2023 I am 5 years “clear” of the disease following surgery and treatment), I found Transcend Struggle deeply moving. However, you do not have to have gone through diagnosis and treatment – or know someone who has – to appreciate the outflow of love found within the installation; it in clear both within Yann’s words and the beauty of his images, while his sculptures convey an equally strong message. As such, it is difficult to write about it; Transcend Struggle very genuinely needs to be visited, and Yann’s the images, sculptures, words experienced first-hand.

Cancer loves to hide in the darkness of fear and silence where it can prey on the mind as much as it does on the body, gnawing equally on those diagnosed with it and those around them; confronting it – be it through seeking a diagnosis, through treatment or just by talking about it – may not always lessen its threat, but it does shine a light on it  and allow strength and love to be shared as it is faced. Transcend Struggle speaks eloquently to this fact.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Yann Gyro – Transcend Struggle

SLurl Details

A touch of Mando and Boba in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
In A Galaxy… – March 2023, click any image for full size

Sci-Fi fans are liable to appreciate the latest 80 Days build by Camila Runo) supported by ZamiTio Resident, paying homage to a popular franchise – as is evident from its About Land description:

IN A GALAXY is a dangerous place where good meets evil, dark meets light. Travelers, pilots, space knights and droids can be found here as well as pirates, smugglers and assassins.

from In A Galaxy … About Land

In A Galaxy… – March 2023

From this, it is pretty easy to determine the setting is related to Star Wars – although I admire the way Camila overtly avoids using that term or others associated with the franchise. However, for those who don’t get the hint, the landing point – sitting within a skybox – further makes it clear, particularly via the sign above the teleport disk.

The latter takes visitors down to ground level and a certain desert planet usually overseen by two suns. However, rather than taking its main cue from the franchise’s big screen outings, this setting draws on the more recent outings for the franchise through Disney+, with a fair focus on elements seen within The Mandolorian and The Book of Boba Fett – although other touches are present as well; such as the freighter of a certain rogue of a smuggler (complete his his shaggy-haired partner) and touches from the animated series and also – in a way – the upcoming Ahsoka live-action series.

In A Galaxy… – March 2023

The teleport drops visitors in an walled landing / repair bay bearing a resemblance to Peli Motto’s place from The Mandolorian. There is even one of the armoured comanndoes-come-bounty hunters present – although who it is is up to you to decide; the vessel in the bay is not  Din Djarin’s Razor Crest nor his Naboo N-1 fighter. Beyond the entrance to the bay is a short expanse of desert where the aforementioned freighter has landed, together with what might be a walled section of Mos Espa, Tatooine.

The latter can be accessed via a gate set diagonally across from the entrance to the repair bay, the sand leading to it well scuffed and unsettled by the passage of many feet. The streets of the town, are host to a number of indoor and outdoor spaces awaiting visitors. One of these is the local cantina, and while it might not be the one found in another Totooine space port, when you step inside you might find the music familiar; you might also get an answer as to whether or not the armoured character at the landing / repair bay is or isn’t Din Djarin

In A Galaxy… – March 2023

Further down the main street is another hint of Mos Espa. This comes in the form of a cantina / club reminiscent of Garsa Fwip’s Sanctuary. And while I didn’t come across either Boba Fett or Fennic Shand in walking the streets, I did come across  Ahsoka Tano and Ezra Bridger engaging with Darth Maul in a lightsabre duel.

While Fett and Shand might not be directly present, hints to of their presence – or at least to characters from the franchise on the big screen – can be found in one corner of the city setting, providing you go indoors, notably in the form of a couple of cabonite-frozen figures hung as war décor in what may have once been the city-side residence of a member of the Hutt criminal enterprise race.

In A Galaxy… – March 2023

There are more characters who may be familiar with the Star Wars franchise waiting to be found scattered around, including a couple who may well raise a smile given who has the drop on who – or possibly a thought that “Han shot first!” in reference to one of them. However, I let you find them and the others for yourself.

No formalised role-play is active within the setting, but the creators welcome casual RP visitors might wish to set in motion – and there are opportunities both within the settings and in the surroundings (just watch out for the characters up on the cliff paths; they might have ideas about who’s for lunch…). Also when visiting, make sure you have local sounds enabled or you will miss a lot of the ambience, including the aforementioned music.

In A Galaxy… – March 2023

A delightful and engaging build, rich in character and fun sci-fi fans will likely appreciate, and one which neatly brings together touches of the old and the new within the Star Wars franchise.

SLurl Details

2023 week 9: SL CCUG meeting summary – PBR

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cloud Edge, January 2023 – blog post
The following notes were taken from my audio recording and chat log transcript of the Content Creation User Group (CCUG) meeting held on Thursday, March 2nd, 2023 at 13:00 SLT.  These meetings are for discussion of work related to content creation in Second Life, including current work, upcoming work, and requests or comments from the community, together with viewer development work. They are chaired by Vir Linden, and dates and times can be obtained from the SL Public Calendar. Notes:
  • These meetings are conducted in mixed voice and text chat. Participants can use either to make comments / ask or respond to comments, but note that you will need Voice to be enabled to hear responses and comments from the Linden reps and other using it. If you have issues with hearing or following the voice discussions, please inform the Lindens at the meeting.
  • The following is a summary of the key topics discussed in the meeting, and is not intended to be a full transcript of all points raised.

Official Viewers Summary

The PBR Materials project viewer updated to version 7.0.0.578526, on March 3rd, 2023. Note that this viewer will only function on the following Aditi (beta grid) regions: Materials1; Materials Adult and Rumpus Room 1 through 4.

Available Viewers

General Viewer Notes

  • The Maintenance R and the Performance Improvements / Auto-FPS RC viewers are both now apparently in line for promotion to de facto release status, although both may go through further RC updates prior to being promoted.

glTF Materials and Reflection Probes

Project Summary

  • To provide support for PBR materials using the core glTF 2.0 specification Section 3.9 and using mikkTSpace tangents, including the ability to have PBR Materials assets which can be applied to surfaces and also traded / sold.
  • To provide support for reflection probes and cubemap reflections.
  • The overall goal is to provide as much support for the glTF 2.0 specification as possible.
  • In the near-term, glTF materials assets are materials scenes that don’t have any nodes / geometry, they only have the materials array, and there is only one material in that array.
    • It is currently to early to state how this might change when glTF support is expanded to include entire objects.
  • The project viewer is available via the Alternate Viewers page, but will only work on the following regions on Aditi (the Beta grid):  Materials1; Materials Adult and Rumpus Room 1 through 4.
  • Please also see previous CCUG meeting summaries for further background on this project.

Status

  • Work continues on viewer-side bug fixes.
  • Tone mapping: work is progressing on implementing the Krzysztof Narkowicz variant of ACES tone mapping, which should – depending on the monitor being used  / viewer preferences set – produce better graphical results. As the result can vary by monitor / eye, this will include both an exposure slider and an option to disable the option.
  • Geenz Linden is working on the Mac side of the PBR work; Comic Linden is finalising UV treatment  and Bed Linden is working on the one remaining server-side bug the team is aware of and Dave P (Runitai Linden) is working on atmospherics and issues with rendering them in linear space.
  •  Linear space alpha blending: there are still issues with this, particularly at either end of the scale (high colours / high transparency and low colours / low transparency). This is being worked on, but may end up with a debug setting to disable linear space alpha blending by those who need to, with a warning that this is not how scenes are intended to be viewed.
A scene imported by Nagachief Darkstone and WindowsCE to demonstrate reflection probes (note the reflections on the knight’s armour – these are not generated by attached environment lights but by a reflection probe within the building structure. Image courtesy of Rye Cogtail

In Brief

  • It now looks as if the move away from the OpenGL API will be to Vulkan for Windows (/Linux?) and MoltenVK for Mac.
  • LL is interested in implementing something similar to the Firestorm Local Mesh capability by Beq Janus and Vaalith Jinn (see here and here for more), possibly as a result of a code contribution.
  • Land Impact:
    • Some creators are using the Animesh checkbox on upload to try to get around large mesh objects having heavy Land Impact values. LL gave notice at the meeting that this is regarded as an exploit, and it will be patched – so those doing so should really cease in order to avoid people facing unplanned object returns when their parcel start reporting they are over capacity.
    • In terms of Land Impact overall, it was acknowledged that while updated to allow for mesh, etc., the formula does still have some shortfalls; however, redressing this would require work which also involves bandwidth and server memory, and is not currently on the cards.
    • It is hoped that the move to support glTF mesh imports will offer a means to address LOD issues and Land Impact, as it will bring with it a fundamental shift in the data model
  • Cull distance volumes: one way to reduce the render load on a system is to have cull distance volumes. The PBR reflection probes are being seen by LL as a means to test data gathering which can eventually be used in cull distance volumes (e.g. so you can set-up a volume inside a room and have it so that the viewer does not start rendering anything within that room until a camera is within X metres of the room).
    • This could potentially make Land Impact more dynamic in terms of content streaming costs, based on the use of cull volumes / camera position.
    • It could also be used to assist in privacy matters (e.g. “don’t render what’s in this room unless people are in this room”).

Next Meeting

  • Thursday, March 16th, 2023.

Lab Gab with Grumpity, Mojo and Patch Linden streams on March 10th

Posted on by Inara Pey

via Linden Lab

At 09:00 SLT on Friday, March 10th, 2023, there will be pre-recorded Lab Gab session, featuring three of the Lab’s Second Life leadership team: Grumpity Linden, Mojo Linden and Patch Linden. They will be discussing all things SL-related and responding to questions submitted in advance of the event.

Grumpity Linden: heads up Second Life Product team, where she has overseen a shift to growth, a stronger, more balanced economy, movement towards better community cohesion, and an overall forward-looking approach. She originally started at LL whilst working for The Product Engine, and was involved in the development of Viewer 2 (as designed by 80/20 Studio), prior to joining LL full-time in 2014. As the Vice President of Product, she is responsible for coordinating the various teams involved in bringing features and updates to Second Life, liaising with legal, financial and compliance to ensure features and capabilities meet any specific requirements in those areas, and so on; work which can involve looking at specifics within various elements of the overall SL product, such as UI design and layout, etc.

Mojo Linden: joined the Lab in 2021 at the Vice President of Engineering, filling the shoes worn for so long by Oz Linden. A 20-year veteran of the gaming industry, he has been responsible for launching numerous games across multiple genres and platforms, and has a strong understanding of platforms, architectures, product development and technical capabilities. In his role at the Lab, he has shown enormous openness and candour in seeking to increase the platform’s functionality and performance, and in pushing to expand SL’s capabilities.

Patch Linden: originally a Second Life resident and business owner who joined the platform in 2004, and became a Linden in September 2007. He worked across a number of teams within the company – notably within the support and product spheres, and is responsible for developing the Land Operations team, and more recently setting-up the company’s support office in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2019, he has been Vice President, Product Operations.

If you have a question you’d like Grumpity, Moho or Patch (or all three!) to answer, be sure to submit it via Lab Gab Google Form, and to do so before 09:00 SLT, on Thursday March 9th. The session will be shown of the Second Life You Tube channel, I hope to have a summary of the session available some time after it has streamed; in the meantime, the salient details are summarised below.

Viewing Details