Full sim advice?

[hazeonelove]

So... I now own a full sim. For those who haven't been following, I went from a skybox rental, to a residential rental, to a 1/4 sim commercial, and now to a full sim. The difference between 3,750 prims and 15,000 prims... Is tremendous. Obviously a drastic difference in numbers. But you really don't realize just how big 15,000 prims are until you spend over $L50,000 and still are nowhere even close to 8,000 prims lol. But besides all that... I'm going nuts. In the good way. I have literally bought almost everything I can think of, besides "club" type stuff. Or what I have been led to believe to be "club" stuff. Such as Sploders, Contest Boards, Tip Jars, Shoutcast, etc. I have been thinking about them tho. I do not know much about any of that. Someone was actually shocked when I told them I didn't know what a Sploder was actually for. I always see them, and I always see hosties asking people to hit it. But I never have and never found out what they're for or what they do. Same with the Shoutcast and Contest Boards. I can understand the contest board just by general knowledge. I hold a contest, make up what it is (I've seen things like "best in black"), then I can put it on the board for people to vote. Either for a fee or for free, depending on what I choose. I can understand all that. But the Sploder, no clue. I also know that the Shoutcast runs off of the DJ's stream, and displays the DJ's name and current song playing. I just don't know how to set it up or any of that. There is a club on my sim. So eventually, I'd like to have guest DJ's, and be able to provide them the boards they need. But I do know a lot of DJ's that bring their own stuff. But I don't see it as "necessary" right now. So any information on THOSE types of sim-enhancing gadgets, is very appreciated.

But the reason I initially wrote this is because I HATE the open-ended feeling of a sim. I mean, the view of the "out of sim" landscape. I have about 6 off-sim things, and they work beautifully for aesthetics. But I definitely need more. Remember, I'm bringing a 1/4 sim worth of stuff to a full sim. So I have done a lot of shopping since then. In my marketplace adventures, I came across this company that makes "full sim environments". From what the pictures show, it puts a realistic view around your sim, 1,000mX1,000m. And of course, it's off-sim. But... I'm wondering how well they actually work. Are they glitchy? Do they take up way too much memory or "space" (they advertising it as being no lag or minimal lag)? Also, will it mess up my terraforming that I've done already? I would hate to buy it, rez it, then realize that I gotta move my water up or down. It took me a couple hours to get the sim looking like an actual island in the water, rather than a flat piece of paper hovering over water that's 5 feet below it. So it would really suck if I had to mess with all that again. But, since the "wrap-around environment" is supposedly like a skybox, I'm assuming I can just move it up or down like anything else. So there may not be any issue. Also, any information on other off-sim objects will help to. Things like dolphins (which I have), northern lights, "realistic waves", "realistic sand" (I think this may be a texture or something. Not sure how to change the textures of my sim yet), etc. I'm also thinking, since I have enough prims to pretty much do anything I want, possibly putting in some sort of floating island or "mothership". I have no idea about teleportation devices either lol. But I'm thinking maybe something people can teleport to from my fantasy forest. I saw this really cool Alice In Wonderland-looking door teleported that I would love to use (if you know of a stable one that's a guarantee, let me know and I'll probably go with that), and have it in my forest and people can TP to a floating castle or something. I have no idea. But I like the idea.

Last thing... Is there a way I can section off all 4 parcels of my sim? To possibly have 4 different areas with different restrictions? Let's say... My house is on one parcel, a store on another, and 1/2 is just public freedom. Could I seperate my house parcel from everything and make it strictly people I invite? Can I section off the stores on a parcel and make that for group only? And still, whilst still maintaining to public area. All info is appreciated!! Thank you!


WARNING: Lesson learned... Do NOT "return" your own items from your land if you're doing it to move. I did that, thinking I would save time rather than picking everything up piece by piece. Well ya, I sure did save a lot of time. I also lost about $L10,000. Most of my things are no copy, no transfer. And I'm not sure what the difference between returning your objects and "take" your objects, but I lost 85% of my stuff. Furniture, a building, even my damn greeter/group inviter. No idea why, but I hope NOBODY has to go through that. So, heed my warning.

[Sassy Romano]

You didn't lose your objects when you returned. They went to lost and found but as one coalesced object.

 

Look for an object icon that looks like several cubes and rez it and all the objects that you returned in one go will appear.

 

 

A sploder is a prize giving thing where people pay in and it picks winners, a bit like a lottery.

 

 

Off sim surrounds can cause problems with sitting on objects.

 

That's about it, your diving in at the expensive end, enjoy your journey and good luck!

[hazeonelove]

I appreciate all your advice Sassy, thank you. And yes, expensive... And it worries me. But I honestly didn't see any other options, for what my plan and idea was. I essentially needed the space, the prims, the privacy, the rights, and the abilities. Could I have done it on my 1/4? Of course. But there's no way I could get the look and feel that I wanted. So, as I said, I don't really see another option. But if donations come in, I don't think I'd be too stressed. Just knowing people appreciate the sim. Good enough for me. But I can always go back down to 1/4 if I can't afford it anymore.

 

1. Is a Sploder necessary? Or at least, a good idea for the sim? I've heard many people say how much they dislike Sploders, they're annoying, no one ever pays them, blah blah blah. But I'm a businessman. If it attracts people, then I'm all for it. Same with a Contest Board, would you recommend that?

 

The issue I'm having at the moment is confusion. Kinda like a panda with a suit on... Not sure where to go. My sim is literally everything in one. There's a fantasy "Alice In Wonderland" forest, carnival rides, an arcade, Queen of Hearts' castle, pools, a giant club, and outside dance floor, bonfires, a playground, 2 different regular forests, etc. It's just... Everything. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing anymore. A lot of people love it. I love it. There's something for anyone. But some people have said it's overwhelming.

 

And thank you!!! I'm going to look for that object. Because, if I rez it and it's my entire 1/4 sim rezzed back into place, as it was.... I'm going to be one self-loathing panda lol.

[Venus Petrov]

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hazeonelove wrote:

 

1. Is a Sploder necessary? Or at least, a good idea for the sim? I've heard many people say how much they dislike Sploders, they're annoying, no one ever pays them, blah blah blah. But I'm a businessman. If it attracts people, then I'm all for it. Same with a Contest Board, would you recommend that?

 

The issue I'm having at the moment is confusion. Kinda like a panda with a suit on... Not sure where to go. My sim is literally everything in one. There's a fantasy "Alice In Wonderland" forest, carnival rides, an arcade, Queen of Hearts' castle, pools, a giant club, and outside dance floor, bonfires, a playground, 2 different regular forests, etc. It's just... Everything. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing anymore. A lot of people love it. I love it. There's something for anyone. But some people have said it's overwhelming.

 

And thank you!!! I'm going to look for that object. Because, if I rez it and it's my entire 1/4 sim rezzed back into place, as it was.... I'm going to be one self-loathing panda lol.

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Sploders were very popular in clubs until sometime in late 2007 or early 2008 when LL put a stop to gambling of that type.  You can still purchase sploders in SL but they are of a different type so first you should check how old your sploder is.  A sploder sitting on a sim by itself won't do anything.  You need something to attract people there.

If you don't know anything about running a club you have a couple of options:  1) bring in someone who knows, has a proven history and connections to hire staff, setup the board, etc and 2) just setup a dancefloor and the shoutcast board and setup a radio channel or two to play.  An Itan danceball is helpful, too.  Option 2 is low maintenance on your part and lower stress.

 

[Syo Emerald]

I know, this is a little bit offtopic now, but wow....each time I see there is a new thread made by you, I can be sure there are two things 1.) a wall of text and 2.) some radical turn-around. Its like watching a squirell on coffee. You started with a thread about cyberpunk, then you bugged people on adult sims with rude questions and then you left when people told you exactly that and now you are here, coming from basic questions about land to owning a fullsim and opening a club. (Just shortly interrupted by one awkward age-play thread).

What a journey!

Have you ever considered slowing down a little and thinking about stuff before you jump right into it (or before jumping into the next thing)? It would have saved you tons of trouble and money. Think about it. It could prevent that you get frustrated and burn out.

[Kelley Wonder]

I see you were able to make a decision about a sim or homestead. I was overwhelmed reading your post. You put Carpe Diem to shame. I wish you luck in your new venture.

Sim surrounds are nice, but as someone else here said, they cause problems with sitting. We got rid of ours and went with long offshore waves. Things seem less glitchy now.

Enjoy the frenzy~

[Pussycat Catnap]

You really should never buy a full sim unless you have a specific use-case in mind and a design for that use-case ready to go.

My suggestion is NOT what you'll want to hear: pull back, cut your land down to what you're personally using. Once you have a business plan and an identified need in place, design it all out - THEN scale back up.

 

[hazeonelove]

Thanks Venus, this was quite helpful. I'm not really trying to run a club. For one, I don't know enough, and two, I heard it's a huge hassle and can really get on your nerves. And the options you gave are spot on. And that got me thinking... Maybe I could rent out my club? As you suggested. Maybe separate that parcel and rent it? I don't know. But if I don't do that, yes, I would like to at least hire a manager for the club, and they can arrange things. But the region itself, I'm not trying to turn into one club-based area. A cool idea I went when I saw it on the marketplace; I put in an arcade and some theme park rides. I didn't know it at the time, but you can put a price on each machine. So I have some stuff set for $L1-$L3, depending on the ride or game. But there is still free games to play. The club part is actually really dead, considering I have no one running it. It's a nice full set up, lights and booth and whatnots. But no real entertainment coming from that area of the region. So I'm either going to hire a manager for the club area, or scrap the club and just put in more them park-like things. Food vendors, more rides and games, maybe figure out the whole ticket and reward system. I don't know lol sounds like fun tho.

[hazeonelove]

I understand, and I appreciate constructive criticism. If the bill becomes too much for me to handle, then I will definitely split it all up and rent out what I'm not using. Then go back up when my funds are corrected. But as of now, I really don't have a reason to cut down. I'm essentially paying $300+ USD just for a hobbie. It's true. But I knew that from the beginning. I had/have a "business plan"... It's NOT running a business. I'm selling nothing, besides the arcade games and rides, which are $L1-$L3 each. So there's really no money there. And I also have donation boxes, if anyone feels like showing some extra appreciation. But that's never asked for or required. I know, it sounds completely insane... But I'm literally, and have made peace with, paying for something just to make me and others happy. I go to so many clubs and places where people beg for tips, spam the Sploder, just generally make you feel pressured to do something. And I understand, they have bills to pay, they need that $L, and that's why they do it. But in the same token, that's exactly why I'm doing, or trying to, what I am. Since my bills are handled, I can just let people relax, talk, enjoy whatever they like on the sim. It's like... What I personally wanted to see, a place I would enjoy hanging out at and meeting people, is this sim. Well, what I hope it will be. I'm also taking suggestions from group member, so in some instances, the members are building the sim. I just supply the necessary investments to make that happen. And as I said, I'm very happy to do so, all song as people enjoy it.

[Coby Foden]

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Venus Petrov wrote:

 

Sploders were very popular in clubs...

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There were sploders and there were xploders. Sploders were usually in clubs. There was a difference between these two.

sploder:

To participate in sploder one had to put some money there. There was a timer running. After it went off the thing "exploded" and it delivered the money in it to the participants, some got more, some got less.

xploder:

These were often found in shops, also in some clubs and other venues. The purpose of the xploders was to lure people to come to the place, to increase traffic. There was even an web page where people could see in what places xploders where running, how much money was in them, how many people had already entered in any exploder and how much time was left for the exploding. One could TP from the web page to any one of the xploders. Anybody could enter any xploder for free. It was the xploder owner who put the money there - those entering the xploder could also put some money there, seldom anybody did so as it was not required. After the timer went off, the xploder delivered the money in it between those who have entered in it; some got more some less. Sometimes there were crazy amounts of L$ in some xploders. If one was lucky one could get hundreds of L$ during few hours.

It was quite fun actually - sometimes. One got to meet and see all kinds of places and people and got paid for it. :matte-motes-big-grin: :smileyhappy:

 

[hazeonelove]

Very good info, thank you! I was wondering the difference, I've seen both types on the market. And the opinion I got before, about no one ever putting money in but the owner does, was obviously about the xploders. I'm not which is better for what. But if possible, I wouldn't mind having an xploder and putting in a thousand or more, just for the traffic increase. But IF the club gets rented or I hire a manager for it, I'll definitely put a Sploder in it. The lottery idea is kinda neat. And it's not a "required purchase", everyone pays it on their own will. Xploder seems like a good traffic enhancer tho. Especially if the explosions are an above average amount. No idea what an average amount is lol but ya.

[Coby Foden]

I think using xploders to increase traffic is not allowed any more - or they do not work for that purpose any more. Thus they have all almost totally vanished from SL. Like the original web page tracking them. There still may be some other xploder type (Voodoo xploder?) available. I haven't checked about it.

[Syo Emerald]

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Coby Foden wrote:

I think using xploders to increase traffic is not allowed any more - or they do not work for that purpose any more. Thus they have all almost totally vanished from SL. Like the original web page tracking them. There still may be some other xploder type (Voodoo xploder?) available. I haven't checked about it.

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Also if they bring people into the place it will mostly be people who then start camping there and do afk while their avatars grab the money. Definitly nothing that should be used as the main attraction of any sort of place.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Don't use an xsploder,  They attract people that are there only for the money.  They stand around the thing waiting for it to go off and once it does they poof never return unless you put more money in there.  They do nothing to attract the kind of people that you want to come to your place.

[hazeonelove]

Thank you for that. Sounded like a good idea. But you're right. Even tho I can kick them or ban them, I would still like to avoid a situation like that ahead of time. So again, thank you. The number of visitors that come to my place on a daily base is increasing steadily. I'm just always up to try new things that attract people. Well more so, things people enjoy doing. I personally just enjoy chatting and creating things. So things like the club and such are mainly for the members. Well, visitors. I have a free gift that I give to every person that visits. From what I hear, it's something you can't get anymore. But it's a stuffed animal that emits hearts and has holding animations. I don't know, but I was told it's old and unseen nowadays. Given to me by a good friend. But I have it so only I can give it to them, so they HAVE to see me in order to get it. I think as a starting point, it's good to have that direct interaction. But I know later on I'll have random free gifts for everyone that they'll get through a greeter/gifter.

[hazeonelove]

Thank you Amethyst, and I'm going to take your folks' advice. I won't use an xploder. You're absolutely correct, I would hate to attract THOSE types of people. And since I will have free housing coming up here soon, I really don't need those types around.

[Coby Foden]

Yes, that's very true. I remember that from the old times. When the money has been delivered the place is empty again. One needs constantly feed the xploder with money to get the people back. And most of the people coming stand still like dead statues saying nothing. xploders sure are a money sink for the owner.

[hazeonelove]

And since I'm supplying a full sim, on my own, plus all the fine details and building... I think something like that should be the least of my worries. Giving people free public housing I think is even stretching it. But we'll see. But ya, I'm looking for a community-based type enhancer. To bring like-minded people together. Sadly, the closest example I've seen if that is those trivia balls. Which, I actually enjoy myself. I think if I can find one that let's you manually input the questions, I'll definitely get that. And I think a friend of mine had a Sploder/Xploder script, if I ever want to try it out. I just learned about scripts and all that, so I've been messing around with those a little. Like making my own group joiner and greeter.

[Venus Petrov]

Nice descriptions.  Everywhere I went, people referred to both types as 'sploders'.

[Venus Petrov]

There was a difference in the scripts used within the legal and (now) illegal sploders.  This is why a Linden would actually appear at a location to remove the illegal version.  My recollection is that the sploders in my two favorite clubs in 07-08 were of the illegal variety. 

 

[hazeonelove]

I know of a place/club that has what appears to be the illegal version as well. But haven't had it removed yet.

[Aethelwine]

Re: sim surrounds.

I have and use Landscape unlimited ones and yes as others have said in some locations you can't sit on prims... but do you really need to? Yes sitting on prims is kinda handy for when you want to quickly edit the object change its altitude and rezz another structure, but everyone must have a chair with a sit target or some animations in that can be used for precisely the same purpose. I really wouldn't let the sitting on prims issue stop you from putting in a sim surround to put your sim in an attractive setting.

[Sassy Romano]

Sitting depends.  There are some multipose engines that don't use a sit target so the whole piece of furniture doesn't work.  One of my customers bought one of mine and when I asked if she had a sim surround, answer was yes.  She expected me to completely re-do the animation engine to address the fact that she had a sim surround.

While I can understand her desire, my product is just as valid as a sim surround.  Removing the sim surround is just a valid (and quicker!) solution. 

Point being, fine if you have nothing without a sit target, valid things don't have to have a sit target.

[Aethelwine]

With respect to parceling the sim up again I wouldn't bother. If you want to prevent access to certain areas you are better off using a security orb. The radio stream will be the same anywhere on the sim without needing to change it in each parcel, and it will make it easier to scan for litter doing a parcel object search.

You might want to check with your estate manager if they have a free security system they can give you. I know jessica Chung was handing out Karyn's security system a while back and presumably still does (to tennants).

[Aethelwine]

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Sassy Romano wrote:

Sitting depends.  There are some multipose engines that don't use a sit target so the whole piece of furniture doesn't work.  One of my customers bought one of mine and when I asked if she had a sim surround, answer was yes.  She expected me to completely re-do the animation engine to address the fact that she had a sim surround.

While I can understand her desire, my product is just as valid as a sim surround.  Removing the sim surround is just a valid (and quicker!) solution. 

Point being, fine if you have nothing without a sit target, valid things don't have to have a sit target.

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i have sim surrounds on several levels on my sim (about 5 maybe more) and have never had that problem. I know systems I have tend to use avsitter, mps, poseball systems or caspertech sitter. What system do you use?