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Mainland Follies; squatters, pervs, and the new normal


Israel Schnute
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I have owned a rather large city in the Atoll for five years.  We are now in our fifth anniversary.  I'm on there practically daily working on it, checking up on things, or just staring at the wall.

I've noticed a drastic change in the mainland in this amount of time.  For the first three years, I've seen lots of explorers.  They came by balloons, they bought and rode trains.  They walked.  They'd stop and explore, and would talk to you and take a tour of town.  Most of these people were content creators, or bloggers, or the like.

In the last two years these types don't exist anymore.  In the last few months to a year, I don't see many people on even the freebie hobotrains.  What do I see?

Perverts and squatters.  I've had close to a dozen people set their home points to a neighbors land, so that they may teleport in a few dozen times per hour per night to change their various outfits and erotic percings for their escort sex sim.  Some become beligerate at passerby's as though they own the land they are squatting on.  I've talked to a friend in another sim far away, she sees the same issue. 

Ridiing a train on the SLRR on one afternoon, I see naked people in the depots changing.  I pass another station where a couple is having sex, who asks me where they can do it.  I tell them to buy or rent land like the rest of us.

This grows every 6 months.  Now they are using abandoned land on the other side of town, and the rez area.  Last weekend it grew to a DOZEN avatars.  Lots of these folks I see log into the same spot everyday.  Some on just the weekends of course.  For the first time in 5 years I've had to request a restart since the sim is so bogged down now.  Will this be my new normal, having to chat with support weekly?

All of these people are several years old, usually they seem to be 6-8.  I've seen a guy hop from abandoned parcel to abanoneded parcel.  He was eight.  He was clicking around trying to find a place to rez and settle down.

 

I live near several clubs and stores.  They've averaged 0-40 traffic in the last 5 years.  The SLRR and Highways with rez zones get about 40 traffic. 

Abanonded land traffic:  346 in some, 140 in others.

In contrast, one owned parcel had one person idle for 3 days to get the traffic up to 500.  This is how many squatters there are.

I've suggested to linden labs to start charging people who live on Linden Lands instead of having land owners subsidize old perverts, with various ways to do so.

But quite honestly, after five years, If this doubles once again, and then I have to contend with the hideous shyster hearts rentals in the future, I may as well give my land away to them as well.  Of course, that will increase my monthly tier since the mainland is supposed to be cheaper, so who is the one who gets punished in the end?

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Fortunately, your squatter looking for a place to set up will have a problem. Back in the day, abandoned land allowed anyone to build and no return. There was even a group to let otlers know where they could squat. LL has changed that. If the abandoned land they are in is allowing them to rez stuff and it is owned by LL, do a support ticket so they can fix the settings.

As for the sex couple, tell them to search sex. There are plenty of place in SL that have free sex toys and beds for them to use.  For changing, I know for a fact that The Free Dove has dressing rooms on the second floor. I learned in my first year how to change from the skin out in public and not show a thing.

Problem is that with the generosity of builders/creators there is a whole new mindset in players that they are owed a place to have sex, dress, etc for free. 

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I lived on the atoll. I have driven every road, ridden every rail and flown and sailed all over...and to be honest... Mainland is just tired and old and really not worth the visit anymore. It's a mess, and getting messier. I would just rather skip the vehicles, and I love them dearly, in favor of visiting well designed, modern looking private sims.

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Maybe they do own the land they are getting changed on, they could be alts or they could have been told by the landowner they can come there to change. I often tell people about my landholdings and tell them they are free to use the space as they feel, so long as it doesn't interfere with me when I am online. It is not like real life, where you will come home and find your stereo gone or having to change the sheets on your bed if someone you met has come around to use the place.

If I was running a town on mainland I would be encouraging people to come and enjoy it like it was their home.

People having to use abandonned land seems like a rather sad reflection on the permissions the community of landowners in the area have set up to me.

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Bobbie Faulds wrote:

Fortunately, your squatter looking for a place to set up will have a problem. Back in the day, abandoned land allowed anyone to build and no return. There was even a group to let otlers know where they could squat. LL has changed that. If the abandoned land they are in is allowing them to rez stuff and it is owned by LL, do a support ticket so they can fix the settings.

As for the sex couple, tell them to search sex. There are plenty of place in SL that have free sex toys and beds for them to use.  For changing, I know for a fact that The Free Dove has dressing rooms on the second floor. I learned in my first year how to change from the skin out in public and not show a thing.

Problem is that with the generosity of builders/creators there is a whole new mindset in players that they are owed a place to have sex, dress, etc for free. 

A friend told me he squatted on abandonned land for about a year until someone else tried to take over. If I recall correctly he was talking about 10 years ago. So I don't see anything much has changed.

People have always made use of the resources around them that are available, it is only a problem if it impacts negatively on others.

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I still enjoy traveling around on mainland roads and railroads, though it's been a few months since I've been up on the atoll area.  I often stop and stores I find along the way.  The last time I was up on the atoll I found a nice little amusement park and a bowling alley that I stopped and spent some time enjoying :)

I guess I've been lucky so far, and haven't ran into the types of situations you've described - no yet, anyway. 

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I also have various rental communities on the atoll continent, and it's fun to hear it called that because I think the Lindens call it by the official name Heterocera and never call it that any more.

I'm puzzled as to how people can "set home to here" on land they don't own or group land that isn't an open group.

I do see abandoned land with no autoreturn on it so it invites squatters. In fact, I wonder if a technique of some low-end rental companies is to abandon land, leave builds on it, which the Lindens don't remove for X number of days under their policy, then those landlords can go on collecting or use it as a loss leader if nothing else if they can't control the music stream.

I haven't seen the behaviour you are describing to such an extent despite many years on the Mainland, although I will see that in the infohubs I am involved in like Ross, I see more naked newbies who resist putting on clothes even when sent free clothes. But I still see a lot of explorers, people  using the air balloon, people going to the land preserve and the various interesting builds in SL we feature, etc.

I maintain an open group for basic tenant as I don't believe in inconveniencing paying tenants and making them queue up waiting for an absentee landlord to log on and send them an invitation, or fuss each time they want a friend to rez out something. As I've had to be out of SL for long periods due to family illness in recent years, you would think I'd be deluged with squatters.

But no, the good news is that most people in SL are honest. Most people pay rent or contributions toward free land. Most people do NOT squat. It really is a tiny minority. And now that you can ban by group, they are easier to deal with.

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Maybe maybe maybe.  No.

I don't think Linden Labs told them all they can live on abandoned property.

I don't think Linden Labs told them to use the highway and Railroad rez zones and stations as such.

All of my neighbors hasn't given permission and they hate them too.  They've even banned a good chunk of them for running around naked for weeks on end.

"If I was running a town on mainland I would be encouraging people to come and enjoy it like it was their home."

Then they'd have to spend money right?  That would defeat all of these private sim towns that are beautiful, but empty!

------

To the person who talks of teh amusment park.  I think I know which one you mean, it's been there forever, and I'm happy and impressed  they update it.  HOWEVER:

If you spend 4 minutes at that amusement park, you will notice a rez zone just outside of it.  There is someone, or a bot that will TP in and our for one second at a time, in a few minute increments.  Constantly.  That's not including any other of linden labs residents(maybe they have permission?).

As for private sims and mainland depression.  It's off topic, but there are some really nice estates to drive through.  But I can't stand the ones that don't have rez zones, and then, what stops them from closing too.  Two of my pet peeves, other than Linden and the rest of us getting taken advantage of.

Maybe I'll ask the one of 50 squatters I've seen in my region whose on right now if they have permission.  Not like I didn't own that chunk of land before, and the subsequent bona fide purchaser didn't have a ban line on it either.  I know neither of us did.

The more green dots I see, the emptier real sims like Lionheart seem to get.

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I'm not sure if it's because I've been here for so long (I started out one sim away renting in a rental community, I never though to just idle in a random spot for months), or if it's because the japanese blogs still call it that.  The Atoll.  I think it has a good ring to it.(no pun intended).

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Bobbie Faulds wrote:

 there is a whole new mindset in players that they are owed a place to have sex, dress, etc for free. 

there is not a mindset in players that they are owed for free

people will avail themself of free stuff when is available. Not just in SL, or just online. but everywhere in the RL. When it isnt available then they dont worry about it. Is not a major life concern for them

+

the people who most feel that they are 'owed' are those who believe what you have written

people who create a space of their own volition. And then spend huge amounts of own time and money on it, to enrich themself

and when the riches dont come to them by way of rentals or sales then they start slaggiing other people off 

there is no one who feels more entitled, feels more owed, than this kind of person

+

when riches dont come to us after all the time, money and effort we put into a commercial venture, then is a test of our character. Adversity is the great revealer of character

 

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Feel like doing a final update unless something new and bold happens.

Traffic Counts:

SLRR for a Saturday: 74

Route 1 for a Saturday: 5

my town: 294

Governor Linden Abandoned Land: 868

Lindens need to tap into this.  Isn't the cost of premium membership about a buck a month if you pay yearly after stipend?  I mean, like, really?

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[11:27] me: Are you some type of bot?
[11:47] Daily squatting loser: Huh?!?
[11:54] me: are you some type of bot?!?

[12:12] Squatter: WTF idiot question is that?  I don't even understand what you're asking.  I mean, "Sure, a bot is going to answer question, so of course I'm bot!"  Duh.

and it ended.  Don't look like bots. They're always so friendly too, of course they want to argue with me that I never had the sim restarted, and it's none of my business.  Just like how I'm supposed to turn around at the naked folks.  Got my answer. :)

Loser #2 hasn't answered at the time of posting.

BTW:  The squatter, like all the others in the last 2 years, refuses to leave me alone now.   She says shes' allowed to live on abandoned land.

Again, the Lindens really need to capitalize on this.

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you mean like everyone should have to buy a Premium before they can log in ??
 
or if not Premium (so can buy own land) then they must rent a home space off someone else who does own land ??
 
this last (must rent) be quite a good idea for private landlords
 
+
 
if LL ever did what you want then you will have your parcel all to yourself. Like you do now seems like
 
bc if the only people who are allowed in are those who do have regular money to pay Premium and/or tiers then what would people need you for?
 
they can buy their own mainland, or go and rent on the estates where the convenants are able to be enforced, or get a red heart style (more space for same prims) mainland sky rental
 
+
 
renters of small parcels are itinarents pretty much. Meaning they dont have regular money
 
sometimes they have and sometimes they dont. When they got it then they spend it. When they dont got it, then they make do. And they make choices
 
like 250L for this rental, or 250L for this shoes ?? Is not 250L for rental and 250L for shoes. Is 250L and pick one
 
most successful small parcel rental barons know this already tho. So they factor it in to their business plans
 
+
 
 
is ok that you have a rant and a spit even about that your dreams and ambitions never paid off. Is nothing wrong with having a good moan now and again
 
altho. going:
 
hey Loser# !!!, stop being a loser and rent a parcel off me
 
is not really the pathway to being a successful rental business person. Not generally anyways
 
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I have a high difficulty in interpreting your highly incoherent rant.  But I can infer that you are agreeing with my assumption that being a SL escort does not pay really well.  After paying for so many schoolgirl outfits and X-rated piercings, that there is no money left to spend the 1 dollar(250 lindens per your rant) for a linden home or elsewhere.  Therefore, you would rightly feel entitled to just stand out in the open on linden land, or even other peoples property(without permission of course),  and change buck naked continuously throughout the day/night/week/months.

I don't know why you would think that the company is a bunch of losers for offering such a cheap home, when they already offer it for free for folks like yourself.  However, I can see your argument.

But, after seeing a half naked BDSM guy standing along the railroad tracks in an empty parcel several sims away, why would you suggest that *I* buy and build him a parcel to hang out at for free?  When has that been a valid business model?

Why aren't you suggesting that he, or all of the others do it for me?  Why aren't you doing it?  Because it goes against your subsidized freebie mindset.

I have been an avid defender, and minority, of the mainland for many years.  But if the rest of it turns as empty as large swaths like Corsica, there won't be anywhere for you to squat.

PS.  Ever hear of Zindra?  That's where you're supposed to do that stuff.  After buying the parcels like the rest of us anyway.  I don't know why I'm supposed to fill out a ticket to buy vacant land when no one else is.  Maybe that's why land is clearing out the way it is.

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