Setekh Ichtama

If at least one accessory does not load completely on your avatar, nothing will and you're basically stuck as a cloud, forever. You would think by now Linden Lab would have had this figured out by now, if this is indeed the issue. I doubt that it has to do wtih the persons router, connection or anything like that when things like this happen all the time to me and others.

@Freecilla, While Linden Lab has been adding functions to LSL, the only gaming related addition that I am aware of is llCastRay() and this, as far as I know, isn't even applicable to Linden Realms so, be a little more detailed please.

You won't get any submissions.

It is very easy to get deleted completely for missing a payment on land for instance and I've even heard of user accounts getting banned through posts on these very forums for expressing themselves with mildly offensive words and/or personal opinions, especially of Linden Lab or their competitors, so, you take a big chance in everything you do here when you are so easily replaceable. Thus, and because every situation is open to interpretation, if you are looking to invest your time and money into Second Life where they store and maintain your virtual existence, be wise and do what I do now, spend money and invest your time as though you are throwing it away so that way, if something does happen and it has happened to people I know personally, you won't be so devistated as many have been. I should mention that one of my accounts was put on administrative hold for no reason anyone could give me (and there was evidence this applied to all of my accounts) leaving me only the option to delete it altogether. I spoke to a Linden about this and they had no idea why this happened although, I felt they were being less than honest with me. The sad part about this game is that the griefers and copybotters rule and they always return with new accounts and do what they want no matter how many times they get banned and with all of the luxuries of virtual goods. Paying users from what I've observed, get very little special treatment for their investment.

I would bet that 5-15% of log-ins are actually bot accounts, just from personal observation but, it could easily be 20-25%, try teleporting to large gatherings and you will typically find a lot of bots underground or a lot of idle people so, very hard to know really but these numbers are surely included in the final statistics. To the other post, sure, if they want to keep their paying customers in the dark, they can, that is their right, just as it is my right to publicly express my interest in knowing more about what's going on in the Lab and plan my virtual world future this year based on what they are willing or unwilling to share. It's a double-edged sword really since the community decides their fate in part based on how responsive they are to their needs. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to run a successful business, just leadership that is willing to listen, share and adapt and I don't think that's asking too much.

Why? Planning to leave Second Life?

If from the beginning there was an honest attempt to communicate with your customers directly instead of doing it only for show, second life might not have been what the original developers expected, that is for sure, but it would be a platform that would have survived, which is more than I can say for where I think it's going now if all of your efforts are spent making it into something users clearly are not interested in. In theory it is a good idea but not before Second Life can truly compete because as the previous poster metioned and what I've mentioned in previous posts, no one will down-grade their experience no matter how hard you want to believe this could work so, use this as a means to measure the climate and go from there, provide tools to the community as you plan to but I wouldn't expect very much, you need to undo all of the mistakes that were made in the past somehow before you can move forward.

Could be the sim that needs rebooting, sometimes the balance requires updating. Have them relog into another sim and see if their balance returns if not then, it's a mystery! :matte-motes-sing:

What I really want to know is why daily transactions in USD are not being reported anymore? To all those in these forums who think we're doomsayers for questioning what we're being told and wanting to know as much as we can, that's fine, but your replies are mere conjecture as far as I am concerned without some sort of statistical backing. Remember, it's not just Linden Lab who loses, it's the rest of the community who loses if and when things go belly up so, it's important for anyone who has a stake in this virtual world to find out what's really going on for our own individual interests because I don't think any business or corporation is inherently honest with their customers when perception is often as good as reality. With that said, everything about this world is building up for a big crash and either no body cares or those who would have cared are already long gone because never has there been such poor community involvement as this. In addition, I do think many of the posters in this forum are infact Linden Lab employees and while I want to be clear that I do not know this to be the case and I can never know this for certain, my intution says its happening and I mean, why wouldn't it be happening, any company would do the same especially during hard times, as I think anyone who has any finger on the pulse of the economy here would know. So, to my first line, unless there is a good reason why a business would want to restrict critical economic statistics to the public, other than the obvious which is "hard times ahead", then I would like to know because I invest my time and effort here as many merchants do and if we're heading into a downward spiral, I obviously won't be making second life much of a priorty this new year, I mean, who would? I would prefer not to be left in the dark and the last to know.

Alicia Sautereau wrote: To be honest, people have been yelling the sky is falling for aslong as i am here Heck, even i said it when everything went downhill, but after a year absence of sl, i can see some very big improvements since the new ceo is in charge, it even made me realize how bad my "home" was on the other grid Everything has ups and downs and we are still in the crisis that started in 2007, don`t forget that as europe could still take a nosedip into a recession in the coming months On the plus side, you never have enough prims, my landlord is happy What other grid were you on because OpenSim does support Mesh. To your first point, no one said the sky was falling, not yet at least, but it's sort of just ..hanging there.

To your gaming point, RPG gamers are losing their interest to those first person shooters, which is why Blizzard is offering WoW discounts and Aion is free to play in the UK now so, for games as popular and as wildly acclaimed as these, Second Life does not stand much of a chance in this arena or "realm", as it were. It may just be enough for a handful of people already here to keep them online more but I don't see large groups of gamers downgrading their experience; maybe in 5 years Second Life will be more capable in this area but I wouldn't count on it.

"My friend was making a copybot on my computer. I was not !" I have to laugh and cry at the same time. As far as I am concerned though, if I were a Linden and I am not, knowing you knew your friend was developing or using a prohibited piece of software on your own computer and you did not report this especially when fully understanding the risks and consequences of it's use on the virtual economy, I would hardware ban you too. In short, if you weren't bothered as your friend setup shop to exploit the game, you did get what you deserved so don't bother hassling them when this decision seems so very cut and dry. Become a better person, find better friends, then come back.

With 45% more registrations and still a 4% drop in total user hours? I don't see how that can be a good sign. About the only thing I watch now as far as statistics is how land is doing (since certain key statistics are not being reported anymore) and that is dropping consistently between 30-70 regions per week so, I'm not sure how low is too low but I'm sure they're watching that closely as well. I'm happy they did provide us all some insight into what's ahead and although I did expect more for the condition I feel they're in, at least they are making a concerted effort and soon we'll see if that's enough because timing is everything and if you wait too long, it could easily be too late so, here's to good leadership saving the day this year.

Solar Legion wrote: I myself am a customer and a former content creator. I started out when the Marketplace was still the SLX. I did not even have PIOF status, let alone PIU. I do not presume to limit who can and cannot post up their wares on the Marketplace. You, have no right to even suggest such a move by Linden Lab. Content theft in Second Life is as old as the prgram itself - do as Peggy has said and use the proper channels. Or: Cancel your account and make your own grid, where you can control who gets to put their wares up and who does not. It's a shame your friend had her content ripped: It happens every day. Now, guess what sunshine? Not everyone HAS payment information to put on file, let alone use. Not everyone is willing to trust Linden Lab with that information either. Such people would be locked out of putting their wares up on the Marketplace if Linden Lab thought like you (and thankfully, they don't). Your "right" to a secure market ends where their right to withold their payment information begind. Care to guess which right trumps the other? She has every right to suggest this and honestly, what's so difficult about making a simple PayPal connection to your Second Life? Unless you have something to hide, a small inconvience is all that is required on your part and don't even bring up this trust issue because each time you log into Second Life, they log information that if legally requested, can be used to gain your personal details as provided by your Internet Service Provider. You are not anonymous, unless you spend your time trying to be as anonymous as possible, which is more reason you should not t be trusted, not the other way around.

Ry0ta Exonar wrote: I have a feeling that's quite irrelevant. I filed DMCAs on 10 avatars so far and 7 of them had PIU or PIOF status. I think it's more important to educate people not to buy stolen items on the marketplace because as long as they don't bring profit to the thieves, they gain nothing. So I'd like to see a prominent warning sign on every page of the marketplace which goes something like "WARNING! Disclaimer - Linden Lab has no responsibility for the content of the items sold by each seller on the marketplace. Please note that some people may be selling unusable, illegal and/or stolen goods. Purchase of stolen goods may lead to the termination of your account. Read More..." and clicking on it will open some kind of shopping safety tips page so that people can learn more. Unfortunately, this will solve nothing. First of all, the average person is not at risk for purchasing legally if there is no certain way to determine whether or not the goods are being sold legally so, unless Linden Lab then can prove the person making the purchase knew full well that it was a stolen product, they have no right to remove an account and will be creating more problems then they solve. Secondly, the most that will happen is the purchaser lose that item sometime in the very distant future but that said, purchasing stolen items are often far cheaper and honestly do you think people are going to spend more when they can get away with a cheaper, lifted version? I don't mean to pick on your suggestion, something does need to be done and I feel Linden Lab once again, has their hands tied and chosing not to get involved is a strategy to get the most out of the situation and not risk bad publicity either way. That said though, I do like the original suggestion as most people who do have pament information shown, are the ones who are going to cash out anyway and certainly will be the most prominent sellers so, Linden Lab should consider doing something because as it stands, it's far too easy to steal and get away with it.

As the popular philosopher Alan Watts once said, "You know the Good News never got out." Nevertheless, Merry Christmas from an Atheist.

I believe I am far less trusting of people on the whole, having associated with many types of individuals for many years from various countries and ethnicities in Second Life. The whole fantasy side of things, I don't pay much attention to because it is virtual however, I'm sure they are indicators as to the type of person you're interacting with.

I want specifics Peggy, not "Linden Lab is doing exactly what they want to do" because obviously, they're going to do what they want to do as they've always done but, how much of this is what the community wants and how much of this is what the community needs to maintain and grow? If Linden Lab really is "out of touch" which may or may not be the case, but if they are, I think now is the time they should let everyone know just how "in touch" they are wililng to be by becoming more transparent and forthcoming esepcially as a new year is soon to begin. i want to know that Linden Lab has a game-plan, something in the works and is focused on identifying on-going problems and actually working towards solving them. I want to know what is on their mind, what is going on in their meetings, what they think is most improtant to improve because I think many people feel in their guts that change is needed and it's hard to shift momentum, as mentioned, when you're half way down the hill but, again, it's not my game or business and certainly not my responsibility nor the communities, thankfully, because I don't see Second Life going anywhere without addressing those things working against it's growth. Success depends on leadersihp and innovation and this ultimately makes or breaks a business, not the community who has already shown a willingness to spend excessive amounts of money for virtual goods and services and as they say, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail".

If they know what they are doing, what exactly are they doing? The whole point of this thread is not to complain about Linden Lab as you seem to think it is (and they've made countless mistakes contrary to what you imply in your response, since it was never an issue about whether or not Second Life would fail but rather, would decisions alienate their audience or not and I think we've seen that result) but instead, to bring them back into focus so myself and others can be confident they are doing what it takes to making Second Life a success again otherwise, momentum is not moving in their favour and it will become increasingly difficult for merchants to hang with so much working against them. As far as Second Life as a platform better now than it was in 2005, it all depends what you're refering to with such a vague statement so, please be a little more specific. Second Life is on the decline as most statistics will support and I truly want to know what the new CEO has in store besides Linden Realms; I truly hope that is not the extent of his leadership because if this boat doesn't change direction soon, there will be a lot more like myself who will have to make a hard decision as to whether or not they are working more for this world than it is working for them. Second Life isn't going anywhere, I'm certain of that, but I can't say that for myself but, we'll see what is in store.

After skimming around the forum this morning and recalling a few posts from users in previous threads trying to encourage others to start spending more money in Second Life to save Second Life, I couldn't help but wonder about this advice and from what mindset this was coming from? From my own personal perspective, I'm not sure if it's up to the users of Second Life to save Second Life and I sort of resent the guilt put on the Community by those who left those posts, whoever they were, especially when most people here on this message board appear to be dedicated SL'ers who I am certain already spend far beyond their means. What I want to know most is what Linden Lab is doing to protect Content Creators in the new year, if anything. I want to know if there is a new direction or any new ideas on that front to handle Copybotters for example, or just anything planned at all, I'm all ears! Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm out of the loop, if so please fill me in. I have a lot of respect for those who still create and spend hours in Second Life when there is so much less to gain over just a few years ago, so, with this request for a little more transparency as to what is in the works at the Lab, I want to know what the management, not the community, is doing to ensure 2012 won't be another year of decline short of resorting to marketing tactics and the likes.

Next, you should start a thread concerning the liklihood of any of these changes taking place or is that too obvious? I guess we can dream.

You make a lot of good points .. you're hired! As far as everything goes generally, copybotters, griefers, customer service ( used to be it's own form of griefing ) and Linden Lab themselves really took the largest bite of this virtual world. I remember when 4chan was everywhere and while I only had an "outside looking in" perspective on their whole agenda here, my distinct impression was that they did more damage to the reputation of second life than anything else could have. Remember the flying penises? You couldn't go anywhere without running into an army of them so I have to give Linden Lab credit for fighting back and regaining control however, in my opinion they went too far in the other direction and completely missed that happy balance allowing residence the freedom to be a little ridiculous from time to time and not fear threatened like any resident with a lot to lose would now. It all boils down to a lack of surprises; Torley Linden should have been CEO. He has the people, he knows how to relate, people relate to him well, he can turn any simple thing into something exciting and he certainly would have re-establisehd the community. Now, everything they do has no passion, it's all about testing the waters, how can we get people to buy land, they truly need to take a chance on their customers and hand the game back to them then stay out of the way, and like you said "less is more", just create a stable platform and listen to the people when they say they don't like your viewer, after all they are the ones who will be using it. The rest should be left up to the people, no more competition against renters with Linden Homes and alienating mature residents only to throw even younger teens into the mix to make everything more difficult, again, against the wishes of everyone. Okay I'm done ..Torley For President because everything else is down hill or treading water. Actually, one last thing. It seems I'm running into more and more people who are having all of their accounts deleted because they can't pay their land tier, which I think is a bit much. For many, their businesses cover the costs and the SL economy isn't exactly flourishing and/or possibly RL takes priority from time to time so, instead of burning bridges, it probably pays to play it cool with customers who have paid as they are the most likely to pay again over angering them because of land that was most likely not being used anyway, I mean, most of SL is vacant, most sims have one or two people on it most of the time so, it makes more sense not to piss everyone off when they've given something to the game, over most who just copybot their way around and no one seems to beable to stop them. Anyway, just some early morning ramblings.

If SL is not growing and SL is not maintaining then SL is by definition dying. This is hard for most people to accept because most people do enjoy Second Life as do I but reality is what it is and the community was what it isn't and in my humble opinion, nothing will change this. I can't think of one thing Linden Lab could do to save this world short of cutting costs because the people in-world now are not part of the vision of Second Life anymore. With that, Linden Lab it seems is trying to push the game angle on everyone and it really comes across as sad and despirate and for a platform so clunky and visually unappealing, they are wasting time that could be spent elsewhere. I do look forward to seeing what new ideas they have if any but I would bet anything that Linden Lab will not revive Second Life with WoW-like clones because they can't compete, at all, even the 16 year olds in the game won't accept the graphics and poor gameplay, just do something else Linden's because Second Life gaming is nothing serious gamers would get behind.

@TaraLi Jie There is a product on the Marketplace that lets you build Meshes from prims in Second Life so it can be done.

I've been in second life since 2006 and a content creator since 2007 and although I continue to create and flesh out new ideas, second life as many have said is no longer what it used to be and doesn't seem to be moving in any particular direction either. From my perspective, not only has Linden Lab made it's share of blunders over the years but the users themselves have become exceedingly bitter and arrogant and it's hard to remain encouraged around swarms of either miserable or despondent creatures. Years ago when everyone was complaining constantly in these forms, they still had faith in this platform and were speaking together as a community. I don't feel this is the case now but who knows, one thing is for sure though, I'm less interested about what happens here than I ever was and that can't be a good thing.