EOTB: The "Marketplace UI Overhaul"

 

On Tuesday September 16, Linden Lab announced on their blog they had done a "Marketplace UI Overhaul." The main purpose was to make the Second Life Marketplace easier to use on a smartphone or tablet, but there were other changes. 

 

We’re making some much-needed updates to the Second Life Marketplace. Our goal is to create a modern, unified experience that is more responsive and easier to use on any device. We’ve been working on the UI and UX, and these changes are rolling out across desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers. 

The Lab stated the changes are a work in progress and some adjustments are not yet finished or haven't been launched yet. 

 

Right now, the new responsive product, category, and search results pages are live, and we are still working on making the rest of the site responsive as well. You may have noticed that some other pages, including the Marketplace home page, have been updated with some of the new elements, but are not yet fully responsive. We are still in an awkward in-between phase as we work to unify the presentation of all the pages on the site.

 

This includes "Image Zoom" to help with crisp images when pictures are enlarged and "Page Gutters" that are thicker on wider screens but should be slimmer on thinner ones.

 

On some Discord threads, another change has been noticed. On some pages, inworld locations have been removed. Some called this desireable as on an outdated page one can find themselves plummeting down to earth or being thrown out of a yard by a security system as the store the inworld location that used to be there had been abandoned. 

 

For more information, chuck the Linden Blog (here). 

 

EOTB: Lab Announces Upcoming Changes "To The Financial And Billing Systems of Second Life"

 

 

A few days ago on Friday January 17, Linden Lab announced they would be making some minor changes to how residents buy and sell Linden dollars. 

 

We are introducing improvements to the financial and billing systems in Second Life in partnership with Tilia, our trusted billing provider. These upgrades aim to streamline and modernize transaction processes, ensuring a more secure and reliable platform for our community. While you may notice some visual updates when interacting with payments and payouts, the overall experience will remain familiar and seamless.

The announcement promised wallet integration, better cashier and account dashboards, faster payouts and more options for them, The updates will be released "on a rolling basis with everyone" near the end of January. This includes a different look for the screen appearance. 

There are currently no changes to the fees, but there is one less option for transactions, unless you already have it. Starting in January 30, people will no longer be able to add Skrill as a payout method, though if you already have it you can still use it. 

Also, five countries will no longer be able to have new payout connections: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Bosnia. That Russia and Belarus can't is no surprise due to Russia being under sanctions and Belarus having close ties to it. 

For the blog post in detail, Click Here. 

Bixyl Shuftan

New Terms For Google Play Could Complicate Development of SL Mobile Viewer

 

On August 31, Google announced new requirements for it's Google Play store. Specifically, these are API requirements (Application Programing Interface, programing that allows a piece of software to interact with other software). 

 

New apps and app updates must target Android 14 (API level 34) to be submitted to Google Play (except for Wear OS and Android TV apps, which must target Android 13 or higher).

 

Existing apps must target Android 13 (API level 33) or higher to remain available to new users on devices running Android OS higher than your app’s target API level. Apps that target Android 12 (API level 31) or lower ( Android 10 or lower for Wear OS and Android 11 or lower for TV OS), will only be available on devices running Android OS that are the same or lower than your apps’ target API level.

So what does this mean? Daniel Voyager felt it meant trouble for Linden Lab's Second Life mobile viewer, at least for the short term, "The lab will now need target new Second Life mobile app updates towards Android 14 (API level 34) to be submitted to Google Play for review etc. The lab will need to keep adjusting to upcoming new Android versions like Android 15 (late 2024) and Android 16 due to launch sometime in 2025. For older Android versions the lab have now officially confirmed they are looking into distributing APKs that will target older Android versions from the download page. There is always risk downloading APKs for any app and it might not feel safe doing this for a lot of mobile users.

 

Daniel would go on to say that when the Lab releases the mobile viewer to the general public, "it will be interesting to see how these new API changes impact those using older Android versions," and added it would soon give out updates, and instructions, to explain the changes.

Source: Daniel Voyager

EOTB: News From Linden Lab

 

 

A few days ago, Linden Lab would post in the official blog a summary of news about Second Life, from it's point of view, over the course of the summer. 

This Summer has had some highs and lows. SL21B was a great success – the exhibitions, the events & performances, the town halls and the beta launch of Second Life mobile app – we enjoyed celebrating with all of you! But the rollout of PBR has been rocky and we know that it’s caused a lot of frustration. ...

Now let’s catch you all up on recent product developments! Continue reading for mobile updates, server changes, news for creators and Viewer releases.

Among the news from the Lab:

The mobile viewer got an update earlier this month. There were bug fixes, such as "Water no longer appears in weird places after you teleport" and fixes for avatars using Bakes On Mesh so textures are better able to load. And there were some user-interface updates, such as the ability to add or remove a group tag. 

The Lab would state, "Some important fixes and features have made their way across the grid in the last several months." This includes taking care of the "hovering-on-login" bug, and having "shipped support for 2k textures" for content creators. 

They would also talk about a combat system, Combat 2.0. They described it as having "new LSL functions and region settings to support building flexible combat systems using the built in damage system," as well as "damage adjustment for armor and healing," different kinds of damage to "allow for vulnerabilities and resistances," combat logs, region settings, and more.There would also be a new Combat section in the Destinations Guide. 

There was a new version of the Linden viewer up for download: Atlasaurus, which helps with a number of the PBR-related issues that have been bothering some residents lately. It also, "includes support for taking large groups of items back into inventory as individual objects, instead of a coalesced bundle of items, leaving you wondering if your favorite chair is really in there with the rest of your living room set. There is also a new Max Nearby Lights slider in Advanced Graphics Settings, for when things seem too bright. Plus a sneak peek at GLTF model imports which allows you a local, preview-only version, of what an imported model will look like. Plus all of WebRTC merged in."

For more information, check the post on the Linden Blog. 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Second Life's Lab Gab - April 2024 Update, Progress on Mobile Viewer and PBR, Child Avatar Policy "Strengthening"

 

 

On Friday April 19, Linden Lab had a pre-recorded episode of Lab Gab. It included the following shorcuts to certain subjects. Strawberry Linden would interview Grumpity Linden, then later in the video (on the Beta Grid) Signal and Kyle Linden, then Kiera Linden.

00:00 - Introduction 01:00 - Grumpity Linden Introduction (Senior VP of Product and Engineering) 01:15 - Mobile App Questions 02:55 - Premium Plus subscribers can sign up for Second Life Mobile Private Alpha testing here: https://lindenlab.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/31000171885-premium-plus-second-life-mobile-private-alpha-sign-up 03:27 - Mobile App progress and updates: https://second.life/mobilenews040524 06:45 - Second Life Mobile App - Developer Update Video (April 2024): https://youtu.be/ciRARYhZcZ4 09:25 - Feedback Portal: https://feedback.secondlife.com 10:15 - Rapid fire questions for Mobile app features 10:27 - Will there be support for HUDS on Mobile? 10:31 - Ability to create and build on Mobile? 10:52 - What about voice on Mobile? 10:55 - Region Estate management on Mobile? 11:03 - Mobile-specific features like GPS, vibration, and webcam integration? 11:20 - Support for keyboards and mouse control on tablets? 11:29 - Will Mobile access be free? 12:03 - Mirrors, PBR Terrain, and 2K textures: https://second.life/technews032824 12:49 - Teleporting over to the beta grid! 12:56 - Signal Linden (Director of Engineering) and Kyle Linden (Product Manager) Introduction 13:50 - Mirror Demo by Signal Linden 15:48 - 2K textures information - pricing and performance impact 17:27 - PBR Terrain Demo by Kyle Linden 17:37 - Location is Rumpus Room 2048 on the Beta Grid 18:40 - Materials Featurettes Viewer: https://releasenotes.secondlife.com/viewer/7.1.4.8270899680.html 19:14 - Accessing Aditi (the beta grid): https://lindenlab.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/31000156725-accessing-aditi 20:05 - Teleporting back to the main grid! 20:23 - Keira Linden Introduction (Manager of Support Operations) 21:14 - Second Life age requirements and Child Avatar Policy information and update 23:30 - Governance and Conduct Policy updates 23:59 - New content moderation tools for both inworld and on the marketplace 24:14 - New Community Roundtable with Second Life Leadership coming in late May 25:23 - SL21B Updates: https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/blog/4-featured-news/39-second-life-birthday 26:22 - Mark your calendars - https://second.life/calendar 26:26 - Follow the Featured News Blog for upcoming updates: https://second.life/featurednews

 

Among what was discussed, Grumpity stated there were "No plans to charge for access" to the mobile viewer. It will be able to use HUDS, but of being able to build inworld and manage estates, maybe, "For serious creation, you're still going to have to use desktop." They are hoping to open the mobile viewer access further to include Premium residents "soon."

 

Progress is being made on mirrors in the Beta Grid, as well as PBR terrain, "you can see the sunshine bounce off the surfaces." There is no scheduled release date, though they felt "weeks and not months." 

 

Of the issue of underage residents in areas with clearly adult content, Kiera Linden would say, "one thing we are looking at closely is strengthening our age verification process, something we'll be sharing more about soon. ,,,Let me be clear on this one, we do not and will never allow sexualized ageplay. We do have a policy on this, and it is strictly enforced. In addition, we want to acknowledge and recognize there are residents who enjoy roleplaying as child avatars, and we have no intention of preventing that." They wanted the community of child avatars to continue to feel welcome, "but child avatars should not be present near or in regions that also have adult-rated activities. We're in the process of strengthening our child avatar policy right now, and you'll see us roll that out soon. But one of the guiding factors to these changes is to ensure an even stronger separation between child avatars, and adult-rated content and activities." 

Kiera would also say there would soon be "better clarity and stronger guidelines on conduct and policies both within our community and in our organization. Internally, we're finalizing an update to the conduct policy which addresses a wide range of topics such as how Linden Lab employees interact with the community, and policies that address perceptions of conflict of interest, or favoritism."

 

There was also a mention of a "Community Roundtable" in late May, which Grumpity called part of the desire for better communication with the residents.

Strawberry would also talk about the upcoming SL21B

Bixyl Shuftan

EOTB: Updates From Linden Lab

 

Last week, Linden Lab posted some updates about what changes, and projects, it's been up to involving our virtual world. The first one mentioned was the one that's been in the news the most: the mobile viewer, saying there were "big and small updates." In what will make it's users a little happier, it has sound now. 

We recently updated the Second Life Mobile Alpha to support streaming audio! You can enjoy music in Second Life on your mobile device while hanging out with friends inworld.

Sound is off by default. To turn it on, go to the "Settings" on the viewer, then "developer tools," then "enable streaming audio." There's also a couple new features on the User Interface. One can now start a new chat, and on the "Nearby Chat" area, one can see how many are nearby.

The Lab also announced that the process to replace JIRA was officially over. In it's place is the Second Life Feedback Portal.

There will also soon be a fifteen percent reduction of the land impact of "many mesh assets."

Also mentioned were scripting changes, and on the beta grid, a PBR Materials package was available to test out. The Lab would add, "Please keep your eye on our blog as we will post more details in the coming days."

Source: Linden Lab

Bixyl Shuftan

Eye On The Blog: "What's Next For Linden Lab?"

Earlier this week, Linden Lab posted on the official blog "What's Next For Linden Lab," which was a rundown of improvements and changes to Second Life, and Sansar, in addition to some upcoming developments.



The Lab touted their success with Animesh mentioning there were over 1300 animesh items in Marketplace (I found almost 1600). They also mentioned Bakes On Mesh, with a youtube to learn more about it.



The Lab went on to say they were getting their Environmental Enhancement Viewer "into shape." For those who don't know what the EEP is, it's "a series of new customizations in the environment rendering system that will allow for the creation and sharing of advanced environment settings, including up to four different sky layers which can be set independently. " (link to video)

Of the migration of Second Life's data to cloud servers, the Lab stated progress was continuing, saying they were trying to make the move as "invisible" as they could, "Your inventory data has been in the cloud for quite some time, and the maps website moved a little while ago."

The Lab told readers to, "Stay tuned for updates on when to expect the return of Last Names, availability of a new mobile app beta, changes to Premium options, improvements to Events, Search, the Destination Guide, and much more." 

Something else the Lab discussed were "New Growth and Community Initiatives." Among them was an upcoming "Second Life Blogger Network." "This new initiative will promote high-quality independent blog content to the Second Life community." The Lab stated there would be more details on it soon.

The Lab also told residents to expect some Halloween fun in October, "Residents can expect a mix of new events, freebies and other spooky surprises." Among the events, a Halloween-themed Swaginator hunt.

Also mentioned were the "New Video and Ad Campaigns." These included the Second Life Destinations Youtubes, the "Made in Second Life" videos, and the "Lab Gab" show by Strawberry and Xiola Linden. 

And the Lab has been doing new video tutorials, featuring Strawberry Linden. These include "How to Get Started in Second Life,"  "Shopping and Buying Linden Dollars," and "Customizing Your Avatar Shape." 

And of course, Linden Lab had a few things to say about their other virtual world, Sansar.

"Sansar introduces new features including improved avatar editing, experience points and titles, and new core worlds. We also have first-of-their-kind partnerships with several established music and entertainment companies. Now with a rich backstory and new quests, Sansar has come a long way since it debuted in beta in 2017 and is worth a second look!" 

A press release mentioned musical performances in Sansar on Wednesday September 25 and Thursday September 26.  

For more information, click on the blog post here.

Bixyl Shuftan

Rust After Five Years

It's been over five years since the Newser first reported on the survival multiplayer game Rust. It became one of the more noted games of the genre, with it's starting off with just a rock to get everything you have afterwards, and it's sometimes notorious PvP action. Although Rust left "early access" a year and a half ago, there have still been some changes. In this article, yours truly briefly goes over the basics, but most of the article is about what has changed since our last article on the game.

Read the story in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Linden Lab Announces Upcoming Changes, Including Return of Last Names

In an announcement that they linked to Second Life's upcoming 15th Anniversary, Linden Lab announced there would be a number of changes this year. Counting a few earlier changes such as lower mainland tier, they listed a total of fifteen, one for each year the Grid has been around.

Among the changes are "more value for Premium members," which could mean more perks. The Lab also promises "more exclusive games and experiences," which could mean at least one more game like "Tyrah and the Magical Glitches" last year. Some interesting changes mentioned included "themed learning islands," "Linden Homes improvements," and "land auctions." They also plan to move Second Life's infrastructure to The Cloud, and officially release animesh in full.

But the change that's gotten the most attention, "The return of last names." Until about 2010-11, those signing up for a Second Life account gave it two names, the first whatever they desired and the second one from a list that varied depending on when the account was created. Then Linden Lab gave new accounts a different naming system. One was a display name that was whatever the person wanted. But for account names, they did away with surnames and on browsers all new avatars showed up as having a default last name of "Resident."

While display names have been popular overall, the move to ditch last name choices for account names was highly unpopular. With every newcomer listed as having the surname of "Resident," many felt like second-class citizens. There were also complaints in the first few months that some clubs were banning everyone with the default name as it instantly identified them as newcomers and possible griefer accounts. People also looked for ways to make an account with a last name.

Linden Lab realized they had a problem, and in December 2011 announced they would study how to bring back surnames. But in March 2012, the Lab announced they just couldn't find a way to do so. While several years have gone by, the issue was never forgotten.

Exactly how the Lab plans to return surnames is unknown. It's also unknown if existing "Resident" accounts will be given a chance to get a real surname. Time will tell on both.

To read the Linden announcement, Click Here. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Recent Windows Updates May Slow Down Your Computer

If you think your computer isn't running as fast as it was, you may be right. But it may not be hackers slowing it down, but measures to stop them.

On January 3, Intel and other makers of computer chips announced that two flaws had been discovered. Nicknamed "Spectre" and "Meltdown," they exposed the users of the computers with the chips to potential hacking attacks. The result has been both companies and individual computer users having to update their computer software. Unfortunately in the case of Windows updates, there are problems. The company "confirmed that some Windows 10, 8 and 7 adopters will face slower computers once the patch is installed."

While brand new machines with Windows 10 shouldn't see much of a slowdown, users of older computers with Windows 10, 8 and 7 would likely see a noticeable slowdown. One article stated the slowdowns would be from 5% to 30%. For computers with AMD chips, there was an unforeseen problem. The Windows updates were making these computers unable to reboot and making them "bricks."

There's also a report that the CEO of Intel sold the maximum amount of stock he could, about $24 million dollars worth, upon finding out about the flaws.

It is unclear when there will be further updates that allow computers back to their previous speeds.

Sources: Express, Tweaktown, BGR, Telegraph, CNN, Forbes 

Bixyl Shuftan

Meanwhile, Back in Rust

It's been almost a year since I last wrote anything about the survival MMO game Rust. There's been a few changes in the game since then. There are new locations like abandoned supermarkets and gas stations. Characters have hair now. Blueprints are back, and they're needed in order to be able to build certain items. There's a new weapon: the railgun. Binoculars have been introduced. How resources are gathered has changed a little, starting off small for the first few wacks, and getting plenty at the end.

And going about, I happened to notice this sign which I hadn't seen before, referencing a familiar enemy to anyone who's played the game. Guess one can't say the developers have no sense of humor.

Bixyl Shuftan

This And That: WoT's "Tankmas" and Swedish Tanks, War Thunder's Official Release, Rust Junks XP System, WarFrame, and Astroneer

So what has yours truly and his Second Life neighbors been playing when not in Second Life? A few things. There's been a few developments in a few of the MMO games we've been playing, World of Tanks, War Thunder, and Rust. There's also a couple we've recently started playing: Warframe and Astroneer.

Read more in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Furry Fashion Gets Aboard Twitter

For those who want to keep up with the latest the Furry Fashion store has to offer, they recently got a Twitter account. So one can find out about their latest deals, or the schedule of their Furry Fashion Lounge. One can find their Twitter at: https://twitter.com/Furry_Fashion .

The Latest From the Linden Blog

The official Second Life blog from Linden Lab has been a bit active lately. Last week, it was announced that SLGo, the viewer that allowed Second Life to be played from tablets was now available for the iPad.

With SL Go, you can now access Second Life on your iPad using Wi-Fi or 4G LTE and enjoy a high-fidelity experience with great graphics quality, full shaders, shadows, and full motion capability. SL Go gives you access to the full Second Life Viewer interface, including edit menus, inventory, preference settings and chat management, adding intuitive touch controls.

Linden Lab also announced an improved Oculus Rift compatible viewer that is stated was an improvement over the one released a few months ago, the DK2.

The new hardware offers an even more immersive experience when used with Second Life - there’s less likelihood of feeling motion sick thanks to the motion-tracking features, and less of the “screen-door effect” on the visuals, thanks to higher resolution and brighter display. ... We’ve integrated the DK2 with Second Life, and today are releasing a new Project Viewer so that virtual reality enthusiasts with the DK2 can use it anywhere in Second Life ...

Linden Lab stated the viewer still has some bugs and glitches, but was working to smooth them out.

There was also a "Tools and Technology" update, the "HTTP Project Recap."

But the most recent update on the Linden blog (aside from the latest Destination Guide highlights) was about what might be called "Halloween Treats for Everyone." To begin with, the price for the first three months of Premium membership after signing up for quarterly payments has been temporarily cut in half, to $11.25 US dollars (the second quarterly payment will be the normal $22.50). Besides the 1000L signup bonus and 300L weekly allowance, the Linden home, and other perks, Premium members also get some limited edition premium gifts

Just in time for Halloween, we have some new gifts for Premium subscribers - the bag of treats includes jack o'lanterns, witches’ brooms and more - including a bone-shaking skeleton avatar to haunt your favorite spooky spots in. Go Premium, then pick up your gifts at the inworld Gift Kiosks.

If you’re a Premium member, you won't want to miss the latest gifts included with your membership! Show your inner self with a spooky skeleton avatar or terrify your neighbors with exclusive Halloween decorations. Who needs costumes when everyone’s got bones? 

Linden Lab was also touting a special Halloween ride at LR Portal Park1 (113, 126, 23), The Haunted Halloween Tour.

There’s also a special treat for everyone! Come visit the Haunted Halloween Tour and ride through a terrifying gauntlet of thrills and chills! For those who dare, step through the Halloween path from the Portal Park. If you have an Oculus Rift, you can check out the tour’s VR option - just grab the latest Project Viewer to get started.

What will you do this Halloween. Help children with a sugar fix? Buy overpriced masks from big-box stores? Do something different, something frightening and fun. Linden Lab is pround to present the Haunted Halloween Tour. Strap in and prepare to experience haunts, ghouls, death, scares, and a descent through madness itself. It's definately not for the faint of heart!



(Click here if the video fails to play)

Finally there's a screenshot contest being held by Linden Lab, the "Fa-BOO-lous Snapshot Contest." The top prize is 10,000 Lindens with smaller cash prizes for runners up.

Last, but certainly not least - we know how much you love to dress up and show off your seasonal side this time of year - so why not join us on the forums for Second Life’s Fa-BOO-lous Snapshot Contest. Your frightful and delightful snapshots could win you L$10,000, L$5,000, L$3,000, or L$1,000!
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To see the list of entries already submitted, Click Here.

Calas Reopening

Gemma Cleanslate recently returned to the Calas Galadhon sims. She had visited them in the past. But they were recently closed for about four weeks and just reopened. For those who visited in the past, there are a number of new features. For those who haven't, this is a beautiful, picturesque place.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

A Look at the Cloud

There's been a little talk about a relatively new virtual world called "Cloud Party." It appeared this summer, though required a Facebook account to connect to. Recently, the Facebook requirement was dropped, so those who want nothing to do with the popular but not always trusted social webservice can now log on with just a password and email account.

Singing up for an account and logging in, there were a few options in customizing one's avatar. There was also the option of moving either via control keys or clicking on a spot on the ground to get there. The land is not divided into sims, but is made up of floating islands. Among them, there's one named "IBM," which was used as a kind of sandbox for various items, including the cannons in the second pictures.

Free houses are available for those currently signing up for accounts. The one I got was on an island resembling a suburban area. Exploring around a little there were some examples of creativity, though those whom suggest it could give Second Life a serious run for it's money are mistaken in my opinion, at least for the near future. While Cloud Party holds promise, for now it doesn't look like it will be real competition for Linden Lab for a while.

Bixyl Shuftan

Update Chaos: Trouble at the Bunny Ranch

Shellie Sands recently had some more trouble with her Ozanimal bunnies. Frequent updates from the company for her means trouble with her bunnies as they suddenly become unable to eat. Poor Shellie has to find the solution before her pets end up going to the carrot patch in the virtual sky.

Read the story in Extra.