[Linden Lab didn't ban gachas, they banned a mechanic of the gacha]

Well. That didn't take long.

The new Gacha vendor apparently.

 

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

11 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

In what way do the current Gacha machines require any skill at all?

They don't.

There is no 'skill in Gachas.

@LittleMe JewellYou're old and I'm old... most of us on this forum are old (old as in oldie) and this Gacha Gate too, shall pass.

I think also what is not being picked up on regarding Gachas, is that it's a set of items. You are paying a single price for a chance to get one of the items advertised.
It's not one item. It's a set of items
Unless someone can use the power of telekinesis to over ride the ratio in the script to make the item that they want get through...then it's not a skill.
Normally when something is bought outright, any parts that go with it are sold in a set, or a Fatpack - you get all the things for one price.
Gachas there are loose items that make up a set, being 'sold' individually at a single price per attempt at getting all the items.
Gachas are no copy. If you want another copy of the same Gacha, you either have to make an attempt at paying again for the same item from a 'random' gacha vendor. OR take a chance at paying a the same, lower or higher price on the resell market after spending the time invested to that second copy.
So, it all sums up to: Paying a single price for a random chance to get one item from a collection of different things that belong to a set.

 

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

3 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

 

*coughs* ultrasound/sonogram *coughs* 🤭

Oooo yeah! I forgot about that! Well, as you can tell I don't have kids. But I was making a point, dang it!

😂😂

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

Just now, Drayke Newall said:

Apologies I edited my post afterwards and removed the "to live" part.

Let me put it this way:

Do you have to go to your horse, right click and pay L$100 on it and the horse gives you a new horse that is different? No.

You are using food as a trigger to breed two ALREADY OWNED horses together to get a breed that can only result from an outcome from those horses you already own. The food is a trigger to breed something already owned. It is not you purchasing an unknown item from a box.

 

I just want to take this time and say that it is heartwarmingly concerning that people are worried about their breedables. I'm hoping this is out of love for their breedable pets and not out of personal greed of profit.
I love my KittyCatS! They keep me company on my land. Before I had them, legacy prims were my companions; however, I'm so used to having my virtual cats push me, throw butterfiles at me and demand to be picked up... that I'd be sad if they were gone.
Seriously though, your post is on point. It's not gambling if your two paired up mother and father of breedables have an offspring, that's just nature.

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

1 minute ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

I get what people are saying about breedables. It is highly unlikely that LL will classify them as gachas. Mainly because they do not met all the "technical" requirements of a gacha. some of you are splitting hairs with the food thing. Having to buy food to keep a breedable alive doesn't make it a gacha, nor does the randomness of any features that may result from breeding. It's not like you are placing bets on what color the critter will be when it's born.... or are you?

 

Regarding breedables this is the way I look at it:

It's a breedable meaning that it has to be paired in order to give an offspring. And as Humans we should all understand that we don't know what our babies are gonna be until they are birthed.
Compare that to Gacha it's all in the name: Got ya! .... sucker....

😁😂

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

9 hours ago, diamond Marchant said:

We would appreciate hearing about why a "changing regulatory climate" makes it necessary to outlaw Gatcha. One would assume that this is a consequence of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). The intent there was to make it illegal to gamble on the internet.... but how is "gambling" defined? The law includes the following as a definition of betting...purchasing an "opportunity" to win a lottery. Is that what a Gatcha is? Is it some sort of illegal lottery.

In Gatcha, one pays real money to receive a product (not an opportunity). The possible products are known. Depending on the buyer, some have more value than others.  Is this case covered by UIGEA? That would be a huge stretch!

Does this mean that LINDEN HOMEs will also be (in blog language) "sunsetted"?  In the Game of Homes, one pays a recurring fee to gain an opportunity to receive a Linden Home based on chance (assuming there are even any available). Sound familiar?

Tis a slippery slope we stand on!

Actually.....

When you pay for a premium membership, you get choices regarding a LL home or a plot of 1024sqm of Mainland - it's included in your membership, but you CHOOSE which one you want. If you want a free LL home it is a choice that you make. There are a slew of different LL homes in various LL regions with differing themes. Again you have a choice.
If you don't want a LL home and want to use that 1024sqm land on Mainland then you have even more choices!
So, no LL homes won't be 'sunsetted'.
A premium membership is a solid transactions of services in which one can choose from. You know exactly what you are gonna get with being a premium member.
One more thing, yes there are some LL homes that are more popular than others but again, it's your choice that you want to live there.
Ahh yes one more thing, when you log into SL you have entered into an agreement with LL and all it's services (including MP and third party vendors, like Tilia). LL is under no obligation to promise you what content creators make or sell.
Also, in the TOS Skill Gaming Policy Skill gaming is defined as the following:

Skill Game” or “Skill Gaming” shall mean a game, implemented through an Inworld object: 1) whose outcome is determined by skill and is not contingent, in whole or in material part, upon chance; 2) requires or permits the payment of Linden Dollars to play; 3) provides a payout in Linden Dollars; and 4) is legally authorized by applicable United States and international law. Games in which Second Life residents do not pay to play are not within the scope of this Skill Gaming Policy. “Skill Games” are not intended to include and shall not include “gambling” as defined by applicable United States and international law.
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Second_Life_Skill_Gaming_Policy

Gachas are chance which can be manipulated by the seller, not the buyer. Gachas are not a 'skill'.

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

6 hours ago, Lewis Luminos said:

It's not a decision made by Linden Lab, except the decision being that they don't want the company to be shut down altogether. The alternative is to pay a 10 million Euro fine and more fines weekly if they don't comply. There is no way Second Life would survive at all. 

So the choices are:

1) No gachas

2) No Second Life.

Absolutely this! I'd rather have SL, than know that LL bowed down to the ones that prize their greatest gacha ultra rare flashing neon something relating to adult relations sign.

Also, I don't want LL hiking up even more fees on us in order to pay for legal fees because some people are butt-hurt over not being able to make their income off by third party means.
Having said that...

I am. Still. Happy! Woooo

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

 

Even on this page of the thread....

I'm

Still

Happy!

But at the same time, quite concerned at some of the replies from people that aren't aware enough to know that LL had no choice in this. Don't blame LL!
Be thankful you can log on. Because if LL kept on with the gachas, then LL would have went out of business due to having to pay all the legal fees because someone wanted their ultra rare rainbow coloured ash tray.
 

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

1 minute ago, Adam Spark said:

There are literally thousands of items on the MP, not limited in quantity, that are modifiable. Modify permission is hardly a gacha exclusive thing. Not even close. I buy modify items all the time and change things on them to suit my liking, and I avoid Gachas like the plague.

And when you bought something with copy and mod perms - you can rezz out as many copies as you like! Don't need to be precious about the thing you got that is no copy.
I always thought it was a waste of linden to buy something that is no copy from a gacha.
It's all in the name: Got ya! Thought you were gonna get something you wanted, nope! Here is something that you didn't want instead!

😂😁

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

Just now, SativaStaryk said:

Ok what about sploders?

 

Legally, I am not sure when it comes to sploders. All I know is that it's a traffic building item that a lot of clubs use.
I wouldn't be butt-hurt if they were the next thing to go. 😁

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

9 minutes ago, SativaStaryk said:

Where do we draw the line on this? What about random prize givers or lucky chairs? Its the same concept of a gacha. Will everything in fun be banned because some consider it "gambling" This is not skilled gaming, its all luck of the draw. Will we consider SL in its entirety gambling as it costs money to do anything...

When a person sits on a lucky chair with a name that matches the letter or number given, that person knows what they are getting.
'Name with the letter A' and there is a picture as to what a person with a name that starts with the letter A will get.
Lucky chairs/boards are usually free, unless you have to be a member of a group.
Random prize givers the recipient has the option to accept it or not without an transaction involved.

 

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

10 minutes ago, Miu Margetts said:

lol just start making normal packs and stop shaking down whales

Yup! I agree!

Just take things and put them in a normal vendor and sell as is. I'm not sure as to why the minority of the people on this thread is making a big deal about needing more time than a month.
If someone wants to sell a rare, then just put it in a vendor or a box on it's own with an advert and price it as high as your hearts content.
 

[New Gacha Policy Discussion]

 

Woooo! THIS IS THE BEST NEWS THAT LL HAS EVER RELEASED ON A MONDAY!
😁

https://tenor.com/vOi6.gif

[Buy Fee Change Discussion]

4 hours ago, Seicher Rae said:

Or how about for SL18 those of us who were using my.secondlife.com "profile" feeds get our data back? There are quite a few of us who lost everything: photos, old messages (I was keeping some for sentimental reasons from people who died in real life), friends/follow list... EVERYTHING.

I was told many, many months ago "We're working on it." Which of course meant "You're SOL". Some people had their stuff returned/found/whatever the correct word is.

I haven't. My last post there is a charming expletive to the powers that be.

Thank you for using Asadora's complaint form! Have a nice day! 😋

[The Map is Finally Fixed]

On 4/18/2021 at 8:05 PM, LittleMe Jewell said:

 

But what did they break doing it?  

 

 Let me guess... it's what's broke group chat again.... Seems that whatever gets fixed or implemented, group chat and groups seems to suffer the most. But it's just a guess. I wonder what needs to break in order for group chats to work properly? 😂

[Buy Fee Change Discussion]

 

For the SLB18 as a present that we are going to be paying for ie; the increase of the buy fee, can we new group chats please?
It's one of the consistent problems and has been for years...it would be the best birthday present EVER!

 

 

[Buy Fee Change Discussion]

On 4/19/2021 at 9:35 AM, Phil Deakins said:

I have to say that that raised my eyebrows, wrinkling my forehead, when I read it in his post.

When I read that, I had to pause to think that bit over. I realise that birthdays are supposed to be extravagant celebrations, but the most attractive feature normally of anything of extravagance at these celebrations are the Shop & Hops or some type of add-on event that involves shopping.

Perhaps to put on these celebrations, it would have been better to save up during the year, without including the costs into the buy fee hike.

 

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

7 hours ago, Asadora Summers said:

Good evening, Hi, Hello, How are ya'll?

 

If you are looking for updates:

The Pod Riders Group in-world - We have an update and Q&A chat time in group, so far it's been happening at 2pm EST (11am SLT)
We also have an official discord server - the link is in group notices.
Please don't be offended upon joining the in-world group and the answer to your question is: Check Group Notices - consider it your welcome to the group!

I want to thank everyone who has sent their well wishes to Yavanna. All the IMs and notecards of thanks and support, will be copied and pasted into email and sent to her. As we all know offlines can get capped. Logging in and being slammed with offlines it can be a bit stressful. And no one likes stress.
I'll be sending the Thanks and Support email to Yavanna tomorrow evening UK time.
So there is time for those of you that want to send on thanks and support to do so.

If you would like to speak to me directly not a problem, hit me up in world please.
I may be slow in responding to replies here, but I have faith that someone from the Pod Riders group will point it out to me

To all that have shared their memories, emotions and experiences with the Pods in a positive fashion, thank you.
It truly means a lot.
You've done Mainland proud.

Kind Regards.

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Bock McMillan said:

I am trying to remain positive, but... There was nothing positive about the video you shared.

You assumed, on the word of a person that is recovering from a lethal and/or crippling disease and by her own admission is very tired, that all the information you had received in the note card from that person is correct. Based on that assumption you made an highly emotionally charged 20+ minutes long YouTube-video supporting the "allegations" made in the note card. 

 

Oh dear me. Aren't you making an assumption yourself about me?
Here is some positivity for you: I'm absolutely happy to continue living my life not defending my emotions nor words to someone who has a forum title of 'newbie'. If you would like to continue this inspiring debate regarding the pods themselves, please do contact me in world. I would utterly love to sit down and have a chat with you.

And have an awesome day!
 

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

Good evening, Hi, Hello, How are ya'll?

 

If you are looking for updates:

The Pod Riders Group in-world - We have an update and Q&A chat time in group, so far it's been happening at 2pm EST (11am SLT)
We also have an official discord server - the link is in group notices.
Please don't be offended upon joining the in-world group and the answer to your question is: Check Group Notices - consider it your welcome to the group!

I want to thank everyone who has sent their well wishes to Yavanna. All the IMs and notecards of thanks and support, will be copied and pasted into email and sent to her. As we all know offlines can get capped. Logging in and being slammed with offlines it can be a bit stressful. And no one likes stress.
I'll be sending the Thanks and Support email to Yavanna tomorrow evening UK time.
So there is time for those of you that want to send on thanks and support to do so.

If you would like to speak to me directly not a problem, hit me up in world please.
I may be slow in responding to replies here, but I have faith that someone from the Pod Riders group will point it out to me

To all that have shared their memories, emotions and experiences with the Pods in a positive fashion, thank you.
It truly means a lot.
You've done Mainland proud.

Kind Regards.

P.S. I just want to make it clear that my above words were sincere and of good Will. After reading it for the fourth time, I realise that it may have come across as not intended, so I am putting this here to make sure that it did come across as intended which was from the heart and with kindness.




 

 

 

 

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

3 minutes ago, SweetTaffeyLove said:

My understanding is that people donated part of their land for pod stations. I don't know If she sells pod stations on SL Market but I would buy one. 

What Yavanna sells is on the MP and it's a complete Pod Tour system for sims.

Here is the link:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/YavaScript-Pod-Guided-Tour-System-V50/226138

and this

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/YavaScript-Pod-Guided-Tour-System-V33/226164

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

11 minutes ago, ChinRey said:

I was a bit confused about that too but I know both Yavanna's tickets were filed through the regular support system with proper case numbers and everything. I can give them to you if you want me to but it's better if you contact Yavanna yourself.

I had a long chat with Yavanna before I posted here and she gave me all the details and even tickets she filed. Since timeandspaceanddreams already has given the essentials, I might as well fill in with the few details that are missing.

As timeandspaceanddreams said, one of the pods got stuck on some land owned by LDPW and that caused Yavanna's account to be suspended for 24 hours. Yavanna  filed a support case about it and received the standard copy-and-paste reply from a Linden. When she tried to reply and ask for more details, she found the case was already locked, presumably because the Linden who handled it (and who usually is very service minded) thought the case was closed since the 24 hour suspension was already over.

As I'm sure you know, when somebody tries to respond to a closed ticket, they are asked to file a new one instead and that's exactly what Yavanna did. This is the (in)famous "LDPW ticket". It was closed immediately without even a reply (I didn't even know that was possible btw) by a Linden I'm not familiar with but as far as I know is not associated with LDPW.

---

Obviously both the support Lindens assumed the tickets were about the 24 hour suspension that was already passed so they closed the tickets in good faith. Ungotunately they misunderstood Yavanna there. The tickets were not about what had already happened but how to avoid similar incidents in the future. As we all know, vehicles in SL gets stuck and go astray all the time, usually because of some glitch in the server software or some other reason that is outn of cotnrol fo the driver/owner. And obviously Yavanna can't live with getting a 24 hours suspension every time one of the pods hits some bad spot on the road. She's already spending a lot of time and money on these pods with very little in return - she actually reprograms the pods every day to compensate for new problems that turns up!

----

Patch, I hope you can contact her as soon as possible. I've taken the liberty to send her an IM to tell her you're on the case now so it's in safe hands.

Thanks, @ChinRey - I emailed Yavanna with a copy and paste of Patch's post. Because, with all the messages of support to Yavanna, her offlines will get capped, if not already have.

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

As of where things stand now this is what is important to know:

 

Pod stations are remaining where they are. But pods won't go out onto the road by themselves without a rider. If you take a pod from a station, you can still ride it but once you leave the pod the pod will vanish within 5 mins instead of carrying on it's route like it normally would.
The ferries are working as they normally do, for they weren't on the same system as the pods.

All Yavanna has to to, and these are her words, is to flip the switch back to on located on her server, in order to allow the pods to run as they normally have been. So, as things are now, it is all reversible.
The main issue here is that there has been a miscommunication/misunderstanding/glitch that has caused things to be as they are now. That is something that LL will have to communicate directly to Yavanna. She simply does not want the stress of feeling as though she doesn't have the support of LL @Patch Linden
 

No one wants a 'fight the city hall' movement.
We just want what has become a Second Life Mainland institution to continue.

Kind Regards.

 

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

4 hours ago, BJoyful said:

Yesssss  Please!!!! ♥♥♥  What in interesting idea!

About the Pod Stations themselves  as well as the Pod Stops, a big majority of those areas have been sponsored by the land owners of which they are placed. People who have wanted to host a pod station or pod rest in aid of making the pods more accessible to everyone on Mainland. Once this is requested to Yavanna, she creates the station or pod stop - again this shows just how integral the Yava Pods are.

Regarding the rezzing on demand - yes the pods themselves can be rezzed on demand from any pod station. You go to a pod station, you don't want to wait for the next pod to appear, you click on the timesign and suddenly there is the pod. All you have to do is click on it to ride a tour of that particular route it's set too.

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

36 minutes ago, Patch Linden said:

 

This is where part of my confusion is.  The LDPW and the Moles do not have a real ticket system.  We sometimes receive JIRA's for issues, but that's not really a ticket and the Moles are not reachable directly through the support ticketing system.  While I'm not here to dispute any of this, there also seems to be some real confusion on what or how this happened.  If this took place in July, this is the first I'm becoming aware of it.   There is no "fight city hall" here, again, we have no reason to do anything other than help with the system and the situation.

We in the Pod Riders group, Yavanna's official pod group,  are not planning to 'fight city hall'. What we aim to do is to show how important the pods are to us, share our experiences with the pods in a positive way.
Yavanna has always been open with us, letting us know what was broken, what was added and things of that nature. We support her and will continue to do so, but in no way shape or form will we spread negativity or 'fight city hall' mindset in her name, or for the pods or even for Mainland itself.

https://modemworld.me/2020/08/21/yavascript-pod-tours-mainland-operations-suspended/

Kind Regards.

[End of an Era, no more Pods.]

I am a moderator for the Pod Rider group in-world.

I am not here to advocate for what is right or what is wrong. So, if you do reply to this, then I hope it is in the same positive mindset of which I am sharing here.

 

I have been a lover of the Pods for a long time. I have used them to explore Mainland. I have seen things that I would not know existed without riding a pod. I have met other residents on Mainland because of a common interest of Mainland through the use of the pods. As a long time resident of SL from 2006 I have been apart of different communities, but the pod riding community on Mainland is a network of adventurous people that have used the pods in their own way for different reasons and affections.

Mainland itself is made up a varied taste of buildings, decor and landscaping. People who either own or rent Mainland will show their creative side which leaves an imprint of the reason as to why Second Life was created in the first place: A social experiment - where users can create their own world along side others.
Yavanna LlanFair created and scripted the pods. Her vision was to create a transport system in order to bring people together on Mainland: To create a unique user experience for the individual that bloomed into a large group of people having the same common interest and passion for something which started on the very same concept creation of Second Life.
 

As to my feelings of the pods and how they have impacted my SL - here is my video.

**The video is raw and unedited as I made it as soon as things were happening. It is not a perfect video nor it is professional by any standards. But there are no words that I can type here that can convey what I felt in that video to get across how important the pods are to me.

Kind Regards,

Asadora Summers