What are you excited for in Second Life?

[Coffee Pancake]

4 hours ago, Zalificent Corvinus said:

I don't want to see SL turn into a "World of Noob Slaughter"  Million-Morons-Online.

Don't worry. It wont.

SL isn't doing gangbusters because all the adult content is sucking the air from the room, nor is the existence of child avatars or actual minors doing anything either. heck, even the recent drama is off everyone's radar.

We're not doing well because as far as the world is concerned we don't exist anymore. This is our curse, everyone knows us by reputation and we're already dead in their eyes. The news about Second Life is random filler amazed we're not dead, or if someone needs to savage one of the current metaverse contenders by comparison.

The mobile app will be semi popular with minority of existing SL users for the added convenience .. unless they needed to do anything on A land, which is a 3rd of the grid and the overwhelming majority of SL's active user run locations.

An app in the app store alone is not promoting or advertising this place. It's so early it shouldn't be advertised, but knowing Linden, it will be shoved out the door before it can walk ala-sansar, future development gated behind how successful those initial tentative steps prove to be.

We live in a world where an app gets one shot. 2 minutes from zero to success. Lets be generous and only aim to capture the die-hards who spend 20 minutes.

Welcome to this esoteric virtual world. There are almost no active G & M communities for you to participate in and you're not equipped to start one. Cement your isolation buying a Linden home and wandering mainland while you poop.

1 Stars - App made my phone hot.

 

Edit to add .. I was very excited for SL on mobile.

Edited May 18 by Coffee Pancake

[Istelathis]

Damn, this forum is emo 😋

[Sid Nagy]

59 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

We live in a world where an app gets one shot. 2 minutes from zero to success. Lets be generous and only aim to capture the die-hards who spend 20 minutes.

That is very true. If the mobile app isn't 100% up to par and has many "coming soon™" to offer, it will not add much in terms of new users.
But I'm still much more excited about development of a phone app than adding a mirror.

Look at Roblox:

We are far behind competition (once again).
IF there is a long term future for Second Life, it will not be on the PC. That is a device for grandpa and grandma. Just like the TV.

Edited May 18 by Sid Nagy

[Coffee Pancake]

1 minute ago, Sid Nagy said:

Look at Roblox:

We are far behind competition (once again).

It's a mistake thinking they are competition.

Similar, yes, but we're not in the same spaces. We do not occupy the same place in public consciousness, and any thought that we can stand side by side with these multi billion dollar brand juggernauts is naive at best.

[Sid Nagy]

7 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

It's a mistake thinking they are competition.

Similar, yes, but we're not in the same spaces. We do not occupy the same place in public consciousness, and any thought that we can stand side by side with these multi billion dollar brand juggernauts is naive at best.

That's all true, but still... lessons can be learned here.
The next generations main device is NOT the PC or laptop. So in order to survive long term (if there is a long term left for the platform), SL will have to become available on other more popular devices. The most popular one is so obvious it can't be overlooked.
So IMHO The Lab has chosen the right device to develop for.

But it is totally important to have it functioning top notch on release otherwise it ends up next to Sansar, just as you already pointed out.

Edited May 18 by Sid Nagy

[Coffee Pancake]

14 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

The next generations main device is NOT the PC or laptop.

The install base of actual computers would beg to disagree.

If LL want a mobile or console game/platform, they should go make one. Thinking a mobile SL app somehow counts is some hello-fellow-kids level nonsense.

[Sid Nagy]

I should have written "Then next generation consumers main device is NOT the PC or laptop"

[Ayashe Ninetails]

1 hour ago, Sid Nagy said:

IF there is a long term future for Second Life, it will not be on the PC. That is a device for grandpa and grandma. Just like the TV.

Not exactly. PCs and PC gaming are still quite popular and I don't really see that changing much. Known and lesser-known PC builder brands are currently partnered with the top streamers on Twitch and have ads all over. People are still faithfully following Linus and Gamers Nexus for build advice. Steam is still going strong. r/BuildAPC is huge and extremely active. That's where I've been getting all my recent advice from. 😄

The console market is a bit different. Different audience and games on console are difficult to mod (if you can do it at all - lots of platform rules and mod availability is lower than PC), and the modding communities for open-world games in particular are pretty massive. Plus, there's the entire streaming and YouTuber scene and their audiences who blindly buy whatever their favorite streamer is currently specced out with (and big PC component/peripheral brands like Corsair and Razer are loving that, I'm sure - they also do a lot of sponsoring of both big gaming events and individual streamers/YouTubers).

I'll note - many streamers do also stream via PS5 and Xbox Series X, but mostly only exclusive new releases. Most seem to favor PC. Then there are the lifestyle gamers who own everything, too - PC, Xbox, PS5, Switch, Steamdeck, retro consoles, etc.

The mobile market is different from both of those, as well. I think it's larger generally, but they aren't the same type of gamers, really. Their tolerance for "creative monetization" (lootboxes, gacha games, etc.) is higher than a lot of PC gamers, for example.

Second Life wouldn't really work well on console I don't think, just given how content is constantly being added and how laggy things can get. Not sure how it's going to work on mobile either. I really think mobile is just going to appeal to current users, but who knows. 

Short version - nobody's running away from PC, and I do think Second Life will run best there. Console players often look for a different type of experience (very modern, sleek UIs and a tight, snappy response time, much like mobile gamers). Us PC gamers will put up with some major jank that others likely will not tolerate much. 🤣

Edited May 18 by Ayashe Ninetails
Clarifyin'

[Love Zhaoying]

2 hours ago, Istelathis said:

Damn, this forum is emo 😋

[Makay Scribe]

17 hours ago, Arielle Popstar said:

I'd like to see some form of puppeteering if it allowed me to change my posing. Its a pain having to buy or make a special anim for simply moving and arm out of its default position.

Alchemy has the black dragon poser built in and the photography lightbox stuff, here are links if interested

https://discord.gg/3xjNttcf -  Discord Link for a goldmine of help from the devs and community plus access to the latest viewer release

https://git.alchemyviewer.org/alchemy/viewer/-/packages/975 (edited) - latest PBR viewer download 

 

Edited May 19 by Makay Scribe

[Makay Scribe]

Double posted, how do i delete a post here?

Edited May 19 by Makay Scribe

[Jaylinbridges]

The mobile app should work fine for middle aged women who use it to play at the SL Social Casino.   How popular would today's smart phone be if they didn't have built in cameras?

 

Edited May 19 by Jaylinbridges

[BilliJo Aldrin]

I’m excited that I’m gonna sell all my mainland and drop my monthy tier payment to zero, then when my premium is up for renewal, I’ll drop back to basic,

Sorry LL, I love Second Life, but I’m not gonna help fund your destruction of it.

😂

 

[BilliJo Aldrin]

4 hours ago, Makay Scribe said:

Double posted, how do i delete a post here?

you can’t, just edit it blank and explain why in the “reason for edit” box

[BilliJo Aldrin]

On 5/17/2024 at 9:44 AM, Arielle Popstar said:

Can I interest you in a plot in Opensim? 😎

Are the avatars any good over there? Are they mesh? I have an account, but havent been there in years.

[Kathlen Onyx]

9 minutes ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

Are the avatars any good over there? Are they mesh? I have an account, but havent been there in years.

Not bad. You and Arielle should have fun there. It wont be hard to find each other since you will be one of the few there.  

One grid has about 5,300 users, another about 4,500 users. All the rest have less than 2,000 with most less than 1000 per grid.

This means that even if you travel to other grids you most  *will*  likely will see the same people over and over and over and over.

Good luck and keep in touch!

 

[JacksonBollock]

16 hours ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Not exactly. PCs and PC gaming are still quite popular and I don't really see that changing much. Known and lesser-known PC builder brands are currently partnered with the top streamers on Twitch and have ads all over. People are still faithfully following Linus and Gamers Nexus for build advice. Steam is still going strong. r/BuildAPC is huge and extremely active. That's where I've been getting all my recent advice from. 😄

The console market is a bit different. Different audience and games on console are difficult to mod (if you can do it at all - lots of platform rules and mod availability is lower than PC), and the modding communities for open-world games in particular are pretty massive. Plus, there's the entire streaming and YouTuber scene and their audiences who blindly buy whatever their favorite streamer is currently specced out with (and big PC component/peripheral brands like Corsair and Razer are loving that, I'm sure - they also do a lot of sponsoring of both big gaming events and individual streamers/YouTubers).

I'll note - many streamers do also stream via PS5 and Xbox Series X, but mostly only exclusive new releases. Most seem to favor PC. Then there are the lifestyle gamers who own everything, too - PC, Xbox, PS5, Switch, Steamdeck, retro consoles, etc.

The mobile market is different from both of those, as well. I think it's larger generally, but they aren't the same type of gamers, really. Their tolerance for "creative monetization" (lootboxes, gacha games, etc.) is higher than a lot of PC gamers, for example.

Second Life wouldn't really work well on console I don't think, just given how content is constantly being added and how laggy things can get. Not sure how it's going to work on mobile either. I really think mobile is just going to appeal to current users, but who knows. 

Short version - nobody's running away from PC, and I do think Second Life will run best there. Console players often look for a different type of experience (very modern, sleek UIs and a tight, snappy response time, much like mobile gamers). Us PC gamers will put up with some major jank that others likely will not tolerate much. 🤣

I really like this analysis @Ayashe Ninetails thanks.

I'm most excited about the release of the mobile app, but more from a customer acquisition and onboarding perspective than anything else.

Current Market trends are towards a Unified Experience , so offering a unified but adaptive experience across multiple form factors - both in terms of a consistent design language, but also in terms of delivering adaptive feature sets.

This means ensuring that the platform provides a seamless experience whether accessed via mobile or PC, while also tailoring functionalities and access levels to suit each device's strengths.

Customer Acquisition through Mobile is proving successful across the industry, not just because of mobile's relative ubiquity (67% mobile to 33% pc), but also because of more widespread discoverability and reduced barriers to engagement.

If done right, then customers onboarded via mobile are very likely to download the PC version to be able to engage fully.

We're going to see some of this enforced anyway just by virtue of required compliance with App Store Policies. Due to content restrictions, particularly in adult environments, we will need to offer a moderated version of our platform on mobile, directing users to the full-featured PC version for unrestricted access.

At the end of the day, if the mobile app is well-designed, it will serve as a gateway, attracting a broad audience with its accessibility and convenience. The PC version, in turn, can provide a more immersive and unrestricted experience.

 

Edited May 19 by JacksonBollock

[Arielle Popstar]

1 hour ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

Are the avatars any good over there? Are they mesh? I have an account, but havent been there in years.

There are different ones and clothes to fit. You could likely get a look pretty closely matched to what you have now. I can show you some if you visit there just send me a dm if and when you want to meet.

[BilliJo Aldrin]

40 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

There are different ones and clothes to fit. You could likely get a look pretty closely matched to what you have now. I can show you some if you visit there just send me a dm if and when you want to meet.

sweet thank you 😁

[Rufferta]

I am not a constant visitor, but I always look forward to Fantasy Faire and the Second Life Birthday celebrations and seeing what is new. 

I think that Second Life is steadily improving, if you look back a few years and compare then to now. On the other hand, I appreciate that Second Life still preserves some of the older technology, and it has a history.

 

[Zalificent Corvinus]

10 hours ago, JacksonBollock said:

At the end of the day, if the mobile app is well-designed

It's from LL, so your whole plan failed right there at the bolded section.

 

10 hours ago, JacksonBollock said:

Current Market trends are towards a Unified Experience , so offering a unified but adaptive experience across multiple form factors - both in terms of a consistent design language, but also in terms of delivering adaptive feature sets.

Basically, making the REAL SL Viewer look like the Mobile Fail Viewer, which will nuke that whole "use aa proper computer to access the full SL" deal. Another epic fail.

 

10 hours ago, JacksonBollock said:

it will serve as a gateway, attracting a broad audience with its accessibility and convenience.

But SL is not and never has been "accessible and convenient", the sheer time needed to sort your look, travel around to find people, and interact, will INSTANTLY KILL the mobile only user's interest, within about 5 mins.

 

"Doh!  been playin this Secund Lyfe thing for 5 mins and ain't met no hawt wimmin close to here in Buttwipe, WN, where  live. This datin-app blows chunks, RAGEQUIIT"

 

Edited May 20 by Zalificent Corvinus

[Coffee Pancake]

13 minutes ago, Zalificent Corvinus said:

Basically, making the REAL SL Viewer loo like the Mobile Fail Viewer

I would not be at all surprised if long term the mobile viewer is hoped / planned to be the new standard unified and closed source SL experience.

[CaerolleClaudel]

I have no idea what 'adaptive experience' and 'adaptive feature sets' mean, but based on my experience of mobile apps (none of them games, though) that would mean stripping out 90% of the features from the desktop app.

I have tried to use my iPad Air as a computer, and while some people on YT go on about it, for productivity it doesn't come close. I basically use mine as an iOS Chromebook, where I use the online version of apps for almost everything except some social media sites on which I just follow content and do not much else.

I have talked with other people about Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and apps like that and they all say they will on use the mobile apps to look at stuff, not to do any actual work. Any time I use a mobile app I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to do something or another I need to do, and after a lot of web searching I find out the app just does not have that function (I tried the Flickr app a few years ago when I was communicating with someone a lot through Flick! messages and the app did not have the ability to send messages).

SL is massively complicated, and hard enough to use on a desktop. SL has never been able to make things work more simply there (and omg the Sansar fail), I would be amazed if they can squeeze the features of SL into a mobile app, and how usable SL would be on such a small screen anyhow. Sure, I am thinking of something like a slightly improved version of Lumiya, and LL might surprise me. That would be great because that *might* get more people interested but they would have to simplify it so much I wonder how much of the skill learned in the mobile game would even translate to the desktop app.

[Fauve Aeon]

The new ground textures and learning PBR. New communities growing. The luxury of staying indoors and playing my little heart out in SL this summer during The Big Heat. 

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

Unlike a lot of people here, I'm really happy with the changes to the TOS that LL made and looking forward to an sl without the sex-ual age-play communities.