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Zia Underwood

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Posts posted by Zia Underwood

    MFA without Mobile Release

    in General Second Life Tech Discussion

    Posted

    58 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

    Perhaps it would work to split responsibilities with an alt, with one account having actual MFA protection (unlike what we've limped along with for months), and the other essentially disposable, having negligible L$ balance and no payment sources defined, but able to use the current insecure mobile viewer until a proper replacement is available.

    It's obviously not ideal because an account must choose security or mobility but not both. Whichever account is stuck using the current mobile viewer is just as vulnerable as it has been all this time, and one would really like to migrate a main account off that viewer as quickly as possible and onto something safer, but that main account is likely the one for which mobility is most appealing.

    If mobility were really important for my main, I might switch to the SpeedLight web viewer (which has MFA) for that account until the Lab's mobile viewer is available. I know, it's nothing like a real viewer, but it's a connection and some useful stuff works. Meanwhile, using the (somewhat) better non-MFA mobile viewer, my alt would get to broaden his horizons I guess.

    I would like to but for now im stuck turning MFA on and off depending on where I am.  I really need that mobile viewer to stay connected most days. 

    MFA without Mobile Release

    in General Second Life Tech Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    Im really happy that MFA finally works as intended but now that it works I've had to disable it because the only mobile viewer worth its cost hasn't been updated in 5+ years and SLs official offering is still just posting demo footage.  So is fixing MFA really working as intended if Mobile isn't ready?   Either way I would be truly excited and happy to welcome SL Mobiles release as soon as humanly possible.  With full respect for the devs work life balance.

    Dec 6th Update broke viewers?

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, ChinRey said:

    I don't know but I assume many AFK slex places don't use bots. Why shold they? Just log on an alt or ten and park them on some furniture with couple animations.

    huh.   that's not how the population counts works.   If a sim reads 27000 it doesnt mean 27000 unique logins during that cycle since anyone that remains in place on a sim for over 5 mins gets counted and than counted again at some tick rate.

    • Haha 1

    Dec 6th Update broke viewers?

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Gem Oxygen said:

    my  Lumiya is borked too, which is a shame, I use it a lot but I can't be bothered to pay for any other. In fact I put off upgrading my 4 yr old Android phone so I still could use it. I hope LL comes out with a app soon, I find I really need it to check on offlines etc while  at work.

    repack the apk and pass it to your new phone.   i moved it from a galaxy note 5 to a galaxy note 20 ultra and it still works

    • Like 3

    Dec 6th Update broke viewers?

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    I have been trying to get answers all day.  It seems this mornings update caused several mobile clients to fail.  Including the much beloved Lumiya.  Is there any word on what caused it.  Or on a fix incoming?

    Ive been concerned for years now that LL would eventually break support for the viewer and leave us with the sub par alternatives and cash grabs that remain.  Just hoping that day isnt today.  5 years without support and its still the best option out there.

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    New Search page how to change it back?

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted

    I really don't like it.  For one they removed the population counter. Which was useful to see what sims were active and worth checking out at a glance.  The other issue I have with it is that they are hiding the sim summary behind a mouse click. That is just a terrible design decision.  I should be able to browse at a glance after I search.  Not be forced to single click each link to see what it is. I am not sure what the thought process was there but making the user do more work isn't exactly a great design philosophy.

    Furthermore the chunky monochromatic design looks basic frankly.  And not in a good way.  More like a web design 101 sort of feel.  Seriously some of my first CSS and JavaScript projects looked exactly like this.  It feels uninspired and slapdash.  The use of space is just weird.  This is a definite step down.  Nothing was added to the experience but plenty was removed.

    I really hope they are either developing this further to make it better or considering rolling it back because this is not a step forward.

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    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Finite said:

    I actually don't care. I thought I would care when they banned gacha but I've only played one conveyer vendor from a single merchant since the change. They were literally all the same item with varying color skins. One was a dragon mount the other some funny little rock avatar. I haven't seen any of the new ones at any of the events I regularly attend so it hasn't really effected me as much as I thought it would initially.

    I just think the thing you are railing against are small potatoes compared to other things in SL that do the exact same thing you're angry with the new gachas about but at a far worse rate.

    Youve been incredibly invested in the conversation for someone who doesnt care.

    What other things work like gacha in sl other than traditional gambling?  

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    10 minutes ago, Finite said:

    You've merely posted links to random things with no context. Basically just puppeteering off of other peoples views without providing any of your own arguments or explaining how they even apply to this discussion you created.

    What would it matter?  You arent interested in having your position changed.  Im going to cite the studies relevant to the topic.  I found and supplied sources which had to adhere to scientific or journalistic integrity to discuss the points I was attempting to make.  Hoping that would provide a backbone to my summerized points in the proceeding posts.

    Im not conjuring anything from some abstract sense of how the world works based on an internal belief structure.  Im digesting the data Ive read and Ive formulated an opinion from that.  The truth is you simply dont want to hear it.  You just want to keep loot boxes in the game.   One is but left to wonder why.

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    21 minutes ago, Sammy Huntsman said:

    Do you have proof that it is asset store purchases retextured or you just blatantly and wrongly accusing something with no evidence to back it? 

    Also no one is being tricked to spend more money, I mean we do have brains of our own and well we can decide what we want and don't want. 

    You have been making baseless claim, borderlining character attacks and this needs to stop. Unless you have the proof that this system is the same and not going about making baseless claims. I think you need to stop slandering.

    I have proof.  Far more than you ever brought.  Documentation scientific studies.  You simply chose to ignore it.

    As for asset flips and purchased designs from other designers.  Or copying designs off of pinterest and recreating them in SL.  Ya, it happens a lot.  Not every creator does custom mesh.  Not every designer can.  There is nothing inheritently wrong with using purchased items to fill your store if the terms of use allows it.  But it wouldnt really account for that arbitraty 105dollar per hour pay day you were discussing.

    And lets discuss that for a moment because digital goods might take hours to make but after that initial time investment is made the continued sale of those items comes at an extremely low overhead.  Since you dont need to pay to store the items  you dont need to pay to make more of them.  Its a volume buisness.  They make up their initial time investment and everything after is profit.

    I am in firm belief that if an artist feels there work is worth 105 dollars though they should charge it.  Or whatever that number is.  No need to hide it behind a gacha mechanic just say the number plainly so the customer can make a decision.

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

    That's what we've been telling you.  LL, as with almost every business, doesn't care about you.  In any way.  Ever.  The ban was for their protection, not yours.  If they cared about anyone's gambling addiction, we wouldn't have skilled gaming regions.

    Shouting your point over and over again to residents will get you nowhere. 

     

    Now youre being disingenuous.  In the post above this one youre launching another defense of the NextUp styled systems. 

    Let me ask you why are you here 4 day's in adamently defending them?

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

    Rigging for each of the major mesh bodies or paying a rigger to modify them if you're a shop that caters to a wide variety is a full-time job by itself.

    Ya I did content creation for SL as did a bunch of my friends and I made quite a lot of money.  And lets not pretend like all these creators are out their making custom stuff.  Plenty of it is asset store purchases retextured.

    Also hillarious way to admit that content creators had to trick people into spending more money to get paid.  Though I never hit an event that isnt packed to the brim immediately upon launching.  Guess everyone is spam tping to window shop.

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    5 minutes ago, Polenth Yue said:

    The debate reminds me of people who'd get angry about churches having raffles at fundraisers for roof repairs. Gambling was always completely evil in all ways, so there was no room to see a difference between the roof repair raffle where you could win a box of chocolates and betting your life savings on the horses.

    Second Life's issue is that we have no way to split between the trivial random-pet-rock games and the more extreme examples. It was down to how the machines were used, so the ban ended up taking them all out. It may have unintended impacts on things like 7Seas in the future, despite the fish being token prizes.

    Basically, this is about banning gumball machines for having multiple flavours, because some other system took someone's life savings. It doesn't help to brand the gumballs as the problem, which is what happens if you take the stance that random prizes are totally evil in all ways and context never matters.

    funny you mention that because a lot of online gambling sites got around the laws of the land by using the laws that protected the church raffle and the home poker match.

    • Like 1

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    15 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

    Are you going to quit playing Second Life if the new adaptations of the game aren't removed? I don't understand what this desperate last stand is about. The new machines do not violate TOS. Stores are free to conduct themselves any way they want, as long as they abide by the terms of service. Sims are free to host whatever they like, as long as they similarly abide by the codes. 

    I am failing to see the point of going any farther after you've had it explained that the Lindens have declared the new boxes street legal and ready to launch.

    Linden labs allowing the exploitation of a loop hole in their own loosely defined TOS isnt proof that they arent gacha and they arent gambling.   Its only proof that Linden Labs commitment was to avoiding legal hurdles that are coming their way.  Not the health and safety of their customers.  The fights not over but Ill continue to do the work of calling my politicians and raising awareness on this subject wherever it arises.  Becuse I feel its important.  I feel that gacha only lines pockets and adds no value to anything it touches.  Its a way to artificially inflate profit margins through the explotation of brain chemistry.

    It's immoral to not consider the economic impact of those who are taken by these scams.   And its irresponsible to not offer regulation and protections.  I personally believe in communities watching out for one another.  Not an every person for themself world view.  Thats the core of this whole disagreement.  That and the money the content creators and in turn LL rake in by using it.

    • Like 1

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted

    18 hours ago, Jordan Whitt said:

    I agree with what @Sammy Huntsman said about addictions existing and do realise that it can be hard to fight against them.  After all, I am a ex-smoker and drinker who beat those addiction years ago.  I also have kept pumping lindens into a gacha machine telling myself "2 more pulls and then I will stop" and then "just 2 more" until I have spent thousands in the pursuit of an item I never got.  But that was my fault.  I chose to keep putting money in and pulling worthless items I did not want.  I only had myself to blame for it.  It was not the creator's fault that I chose not to stop sooner.  

    Its not.  You look into the psychology of skinner boxes and wallace loot boxes so you actually understand whats going on in your brain when you engage with these mechanics.  Our brains behave in certain ways and these evolutionary developments can and are exploited. 

    I dont see why anyone finds it a hard strectch to believe that in a system that places profits before people that abusing explotive techniques to get more money wouldnt be used.

    I would be fine with gacha remaining on the grid if it were heavily regulated and treated as gambling.  But it cannot be effectively regulated so it should be removed.

    • Thanks 1

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    17 hours ago, Sammy Huntsman said:

    No one is forcing you to play, so I don't see why you think it is predatory. I mean it would be predatory, if you were forced to play. But you still have a choice whether to buy from the system or not. So I don't see it as gaming the public. I feel like you have some very extremist views to stuff like this. 

    Because its designed yo entice you to play.  Thats why the cost is low.  It lures a player in.  It feels like a deal.  Than the person plays and as they play some people will lose of how much they are spending while being enticed to keep playing because they feel a win is right around the corner.  Thats just how the human brain works.  Thats why this form of monetization is so prevalent across the industry its why its used in gambling.   A small payment that makes it feel like a deal the offer of a big payout.  The dopamine rush from pulling the lever and our brains not really getting the whole statistical probabilities of the game theh are playing.  Especially in this unregulated market.  There is no guarantee and no way to even check if a store owner is even allowing a rare to be won. they could just as easily set the code to 0% chance or .00000000000001.

    • Like 1

    NextUP and other Gacha Replacements are still Gacha

    in General Discussion Forum

    Posted · Edited by Zia Underwood

    Let me attempt to draw it out in crayon for you.   You have a Nextup Machine showing lets say ten items A, B, B, B, C, C, A, E, B, B. You the player wants G.  So you pay 75L to see if G comes up.  If you see it you buy the line and get your item.   If you dont its another 75L to try again.  Its no different than a normal gacha machine.  You are still playing for the unknown.  And each time that unknown resets the statistical probability resets.  But our brains dont think of it that way.  

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