Ban Lines - why are they still ugly?

[Joy Larkspur]

Second Life has been around for quite a few years now - why is it they have not made ban lines are transparent or not so visible and ugly?  Using the land mgmt option, where 'allow public access' is disabled, allows for greater control by the land owner on who enters their property.  The majority of land leasing/ownership companies request in their covenant to set the land to 'allow public access' as it creates ugly ban lines. I can understand why it's requested, considering how unattractive they are.

Yet, I have found that the land mgmt option is the most secure method in securing your property - as it not only effects the ground level - but the airspace above that land. Multiple security orbs on a sim creates more lag.

Isnt' it time for Linden Labs to come up with a  solution to this? Could they be made transparent? Green or whatever texture the land is set to? A solution to this problem would be greatly appreciated. Would generating a ticket faciliate a solution? Thanks so much.

[Knowl Paine]

If you find ban lines unsightly, you can hide them by disabling World > Show > Ban Lines.

[Joy Larkspur]

yes but the whole point of the question, is why were ban lines created to be so ugly? I understand that each person can change their viewer so ban lines are not visible - but that still doesn't correct the problem. why hasn't linden labs scripted ban lines where they aren't so visible?

[Knowl Paine]

Aircraft, travelers, drivers, a motivational negotiating tool? Developers with really low Draw distances? To create drama to see how people react, or, thoughtlessness? idk.

It is a Valid question, but to what end? Venting is perfectly acceptable and reasonable.

[Davedawgg]

You can get rid of them but I like to see them so I dont slam into blank walls.

[Joy Larkspur]

it's a valid question, especially for land owners that deal with this issue. hm, maybe reaching out in forums wasn't the answer.. Maybe someone can direct me to where to ask this question? I am just trying to find solutions that would be beneficial for a larger number of people - is that so wrong to ask???

[Griffin Ceawlin]

Should they look like rainbows?

I suppose you could always start a JIRA...

[Knowl Paine]

I think the Answer is, they made a mistake.

It was wrong and a bad idea.

Most of those people no longer work here.

The use of Ban lines is still used as a griefing tool and the nature and design of the ban lines only enhances the desire of individuals to employ that mechanism. LL bears some responsibility for enabling a negative aspect in SL.

This Forum is a perfect place to find people who may understand and relate to your Inworld experiences. Give Us each a chance to see if we share similar ideals.

Hiding the lines was the quickest route to a visibly measurable solution. Creating Mainland Covenant for "Ban-free" Sections on the Mainland might be an option.

It is not wrong to ask, not at all. :smileyhappy:

[Joy Larkspur]

As i suggested on previous comments - why not make them transparent or where they blend more with the land???

[Joy Larkspur]

Thank you for your response. :matte-motes-bashful-cute-2:

[Ariel Vuissent]

You could create an issue on the JIRA, under "new feature," giving as much detail and as many specifics about what you want as possible. Personally, I don't have a problem with ban lines. They serve their purpose, and if I don't like them, I hide them. I guess it depends on what's important to you. If ban lines are a big issue for you, you can certainly create a JIRA about it. They're not for me, but I'm sure others would vote for and watch an issue asking for better-looking ban lines.

[Griffin Ceawlin]

Why aren't they completely transparent? Because some people do like to see them, so that they don't crash into them.

How could they "blend more with the land"? This is especially problematic when you consider that not all land, not even all mainland, uses the same terrain texture(s).

BTW, ban lines do not extend to infinity to secure your land.

Maximum "NO ENTRY" ban line height: 768 meters above the terrain mesh.

This is if you are explicitly banned from a parcel. If the parcel is simply not public access or restricted to certain Residents or a group, then the access lines go up to 50 meters above the terrain mesh.

[Joy Larkspur]

I understand how it could be difficult to blend it with the land. These were just ideas, not sure if they could be implemented. I am unfamiliar with scripting, but thought maybe something could be scripted where it wasn't so bright - a more muted color.

BTW, ban lines do not extend to infinity to secure your land.

I was referring to the security restriction that extends into the airspace.  I had a resident 2000M and a friend could not land on the platform, until they were added to the land access list.

Thank you all for your responses. I will look into JIRA.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Ban lines are there to warn people they can't enter the property.  If your in a vehicle, you need to be able to notice them way before you run into one so you can steer around it, which is why I think they were made to stand out so much.  I would rather be able to see a ban line and steer around it than crash into one.  When I don't want to see them, I turn them off.

I know many estates don't allow ban lines, not because they are ugly, but because they want people to be able to move around the sim without restrictions.  Usually when ban lines are not allowed, they will say you can use a security system instead, but only to protect the inside of your house, not the whole property.  If it were simply a matter or esthetics, they would allow you to use a security system to protect the entire property.

[Freecilla Kuhn]

There should NOT be ban lines at all, they are not needed since you have to be so close to see them, (even on high) then it's too late. I can understand if you could see them from far away, only THEN you would see them before hand to know to avoid them. However that would be even more ugly than now.

If driving or flying they just get in the way of caming around to see you vehicle to edit it and pull it out.

I agree, it was an old cool idea many years go as it presented a different state in a new type of environment but the ugliness has always been greater than the so called coolness. You would think that now the skies are more realistic as well as avatars and sims they would logically lose the ban lines to keep with the theme of realism. Keep the 'no entry' just lose the ban line image, save your and our energy and limit lag.

Ban lines could also have something to do with the amount of abandoned land as well.

[Mister Acacia]

You can always change the ban line for yourself. Look for C:\Program Files (x86)\SecondLifeViewer\skins\default\textures\world\NoEntryLines.png (or a similar path). Change it, make it something you would like to put up with.

If you don't use the SL Viewer, you'll find the same or similarly named file in the same general path of every V2/V3-based viewer.

[WolfBaginski Bearsfoot]

Firestorm has a different depiction of Ban Lines. I am not sure it is an improvement.

Why do I say that? Well, with an SL vehicle, you are usually moviung faster than an unaided avatar, and the camera position is behind the vehicle. So the relatively short visibily range of a Ban Line becomes inadequate .

If I could select some options, such as colour, boldness, and range, so that I can use discreet Ban Lines, or see them from half a region away, that would be a good thing. I don't know if there is any practical way to do this without a major code re-write, but there is a Ban Line HUD which gives some warning for a whole region.