What would you do with a Grid-Wide experience key?

[Troy Linden]

Hello all beta participants!

Some of you have inquired about Grid Wide experiences and asked if we would ever offer this. At the moment, we're trying to understand the pro's and con's so we're better prepared and to also realize any aditional work to support this feature. Hearing the use cases can help us a great deal so please let us know.

If you wish to keep your idea(s) confidential, feel free to email us at: slexp_beta@lindenlab.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

[Lucia Nightfire]

I have several HUD's that have user settings/skins/setups that can to be carried over to updated versions through some manual interfacing by the user. This usually requires both new and old version be rezzed and/or attached and in-world comm between and in a static format. Having access to the kvp store would allow these settings to be stored/accessed on the fly in whatever necessary order is required on the newest HUD version.

I have a retro dungeon game system demo HUD that will later save user's character stats,equipment,inventory,game flags, etc.

My applications would primarily benefit from grid-wide access to the kvp store.

As far as permissions, I would use grid-wide experiences for demoing products that require attaching, mainly the applications I mentioned previously. This would be great over land I don't necessarily own such as stores or booths that I may be renting abroad.

[Frans Charming]

I think you can expect that a lot of people will be using experience keys in general, for just the KVP store alone. Scripters have always been hungry for storing more information then is possible in scripts, and a lot of people don't want to pay for website hosting, or have understanding enough to save information in a DB, etc.

People have resorted to using dozens of scripts, or stuffing information in prim names and description, texture keys, etc.

I have a educational project where I'm storing how cretaceous sea animals are being build by students, and then have it be reassembled in a other place. Right now, my scripts RegionSay each other the information. It's slow and inefficient. Using the kvp store would make it a lot more convenient, though I haven't done enough to know how fast it is. It is just a example of using experience keys for the KVP store alone.

I know this has been kinda off topic I just feel I should make you aware, if you aren't, that for a lot of scripters the KVP store is going to be main reason to use the experience keys. So you can plan for that. I hate to see the Lab surprised again, like it was when Mesh came out and everyone started to use it for clothing.

[NeoBokrug Elytis]

This is a bit tangental...

As Frans Charming said, the KVP is what experience scripters REALLY want.  Glorified permissions are nice and all for an users end in the experience, but the utility of them is dwarfed by the KVP.  I've been migrating my http stuff to KVP, and it's everything I really needed 7 years ago.  Coding in pure LSL is far better than LSL->PHP->MySQL and back again; and so far much more reliable.

One thing you may want to consider is not just Experience Keys, but perhaps an opt-in avatar based KVP system.  I know a lot of scripters that would pay to have their own personal KVP storeage.  Updating settings for a product or project on the fly is a killer feature, and they really don't need 128MB for it to work.  Heck they could probably get away with 2mb that would cover dozens of products.

Another thing I would like to see is SETTING an experience key for the script.  That way if the previous paragraph ever comes into existence, you could sell scripted systems and experience toolkits to other people.  Then they could deploy their own experience or KVP storage much easier.

[Loki Eliot]

How experience Keys are used from one sim to another is somethign i wanted to learn more about... Is it not currently possible for me to use my expereience key on two regions? I can only use it on one region?

[Lucia Nightfire]

Of course you can. I use mine in half a dozen regions atm.

[Qie Niangao]

Yeah, and that's part of what makes the Experience Persistent Store so valuable: It's grid-wide, so it serves not only persistence but also communications.

[Loki Eliot]

then why is he asking the question?

[Lucia Nightfire]

He's asking what you would do with a grid-wide experience key, which are different than non-grid-wide experience keys as they don't require the experience to be explicitly allowed over the land the scripts are used over, meaning they can be used anywhere unless the region and/or parcel explicitly has them blocked.

[Troy Linden]

Thanks Lucia for clarification

I'm asking to get and idea of the interest and to see if there is a big enough demand. I'd also like to know how a Grid wide key be used to see if there are any other features, additional support, bugs, etc. that may be associated with this kind of key.

[Lucia Nightfire]

Issue me a grid-wide key and I'll get right on doing all the testing necessary to determine what needs addressed.

[Loki Eliot]

A grid wide experience would allow For RPG experience over multiple regions. So I could see this being useful for large rp communities such as the Star Wars groups or the superhero groups who have many regions. Or for things like the Stargate system or DoctorWho taris systems. it would allow these groups to create devices that could streamline experiences within these communities.<br><br>One thing id use grid wide key is to allow users to use an inventory HUD where ever they want. People could then use my stuff on their own land to expand the experience. <br><br>Could make a help HUD for newbs that they can use where ever when they need it.<br>

[Silent Mole]

How about a "where's my place now" HUD? When a build (store, fun place, etc) moves, trying to update all the landmarks can be a nightmare. If you have webspace, it's often easier to pass out a HUD that looks up the current location. KVP would be useful replacement for the webspace.

[Lucia Nightfire]

Same goes for in-world product update servers that don't have a web service backend. You can have the server update the kvp store with it's current url. Products can check the kvp store for the current url and contact it directly instead of comm after email first. This means you can pack up your servers and move them to a new region without fear of losing connection to all current distro'd products which you would since the email/object key changes when rerezzing them. Lets not even get into the old way of resorting to attaching them and dropping in their new home region (not possible if they use mesh).

 

[Booradley Shikami]

I would like to be able to sell scripted objects that run on an experience. The end user could purchase and use the object without being limited to a specific set of regions. This would remove a big user pain point with using experience enabled objects and make widespread adoption a lot easier and more likely.

[Bellimora]

Here I am replying a month late.

Long story short, we are using our experience to add some QoL features to our combat meter, MCM for playres playing in our region.  We've avoided using the persistent storage, as convenient as it may be for a large number of things because some people don't boot up on our sim.  They boot up someplace random with rez permissions and throw down in their mecha there.  We don't want to break the game for that crowd.

We are debating continuing support for those players at diminished capacity and going forward with additional experience enhancements on our system, but if we had a gridwide experience we would remove that issue.

[Loki Eliot]

Another idea that Grid wide experiences could lead to is position specific adventures. You could pick up an attachment, grant it XP then display or say a first clue of where to find the next clue. The next clue could be a position on any region on the grid. The user has to be within a few metres before the next clue is said or displayed. And because you have already granted XP to the attachment, it could do a whole number of things to further the exploration and adventure. maybe it could display questions about the location you have arrived at which you must answer before coninuting. The point being you could build grid wide adventures without needing to rez out object in all the locations. You could even go all bonkers and do a total transmedia event. While needing land for locations to go to, you would not need to own it in order to make a position specific adventure.

[Tantrica Banana]

There are so many things one could do with that. HUDs that automaticalyl (withut annoying dialog) prompt more items to attach depending on a situation. Is only one thing that comes to mind. Almost everything that nowadays requires RLV and folders to change/adjust/vary outfit could go automatically there. 

If this would be gridwide it would swap fast from "gaming" to seriously useful commercial ideas... 

(dont get me wrong: gaming is a good thing, and i have already a lot of fun to develop XP for the Amazon - which is one big quest, in a way)

[Bellimora]

Something Practical:  A product update system.  The key of the update server is saved to persistent storage along with the current version information of all products in the system.  That way when an update client is activated it first pings the database to find where the server is, and if an update is needed.  If yes then it e-mails the server for the update request and the new product is then shipped.

Of course there's a lot of systems in place like that already, but they lean on a web server.  By removing the web server from the equation I can ensure the updater stays up as long as LL offers their service.  In fact I have an update system that will break if I ever change the UUID of the update server because the web service it uses to update the server key no longer works, fortunately all the update clients have the server's original key and default to that when the web server is down.

[Lucia Nightfire]

With a grid wide experience you wouldn't even need to bother with object keys and email anymore, just have your server update its current url in the kvp store and have your products check the kvp store for the current url and contact it directly.

[Troy Linden]

Who want's to test out a Grid Scope key? Send an email to slexp_beta@lindenlab.com now!

[Loki Eliot]

What is it? I got an email responce 'Thank you for your inquiry! Round 1 of the Closed Beta is now closed. We have reached the total amount needed for this first phase. Please feel free to submit your experience and we will add you to the next phase should we open it up before release. '

[Troy Linden]

Thanks for the feedback/info Loki! We're using the same email from the first closed beta so that's a generic email response. I don't want to change it since some people are still inquiring about getting an Exp Key.

I'll add something to reflect recieving a grid scope inquiry and hope it clears things up.

[Lucia Nightfire]

I sent an email but got some strange error flash on my screen that didn't last long. Please let me know if my email was received. Thanks.

[Loki Eliot]

@troy Kool ok, i would like to use a grid scope key at New Babbage. Since New Babbage is over 9 sims, i think it would be perfect tesing ground.