Tag Archives: ZoHa Islands

Help Firestorm Save ‘Restore To Last Position’

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Firestorm needs your help!

Here is a copy of the post on Firestorm’s blog regarding helping them convince Linden Lab that blocking the “Restore to Last Position” functionality is not a good idea, and that does more good than harm.

“In a recent meeting, LL mentioned that they are considering blocking the “Restore to Last Position” functionality at the server level. This is because it results in permanent content loss if it fails when using it on no copy items. Since version 4.6.7 Firestorm prevents the feature from being used on no copy items as a simple measure to prevent loss, but the underlying issue here is that LL doesn’t understand the feature’s value to residents who use or rely on it.

“Kicking, screaming and calling foul will not save this feature, nor will criticizing LL or anyone else for not understanding the feature. In fact actions like that will speed up its demise. What WILL save it however is a well structured set of use cases that demonstrate clearly and concisely how useful and valuable this feature is to you.

“If you use this feature and would like to see it stick around please leave a comment on this post detailing how you use it and why it is valuable to you. In a week’s time we will extract the best use cases and formulate an email to LL that will demonstrate both the feature’s value and its usefulness.

“Please be civil in your comments and with each other!”

You can go the blog post and leave your comments with your good experience with “Restore to Last Position” and they will select the best cases to take to LL to try and save that feature. Click on the link here: Restore To Last Position Needs You!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

Is Vive the Oreo to Oculus Rift’s Hydrox?

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Move over, Oculus, there is a new virtual reality (VR) headset in town. Valve and HTC have officially announced their partnership to produce the Vive, a VR headset that will launch later this year. It will feature pretty much the same specs as the Oculus Rift, while adding a couple of features, such as room mapping. The biggest difference between the Vive and the Oculus Rift however, is that the former has an official release date this year, while the latter is still muddled in rumor and speculation.

Oculus is facing the prospect of becoming pushed aside, similar to the way that Oreos did with Hydrox. Hydrox was a sandwich style cookie nearly identical to Oreos and was first introduced in 1908, with Oreos arriving in 1912. However, due to fancy marketing and a slightly sweeter taste, Oreo took over and Hydrox was pushed to second place. This is exactly the scenario that Oculus Rift is teetering on at the moment.

According to an article on the Attack of the Fanboy blog, Oculus Rift is about to be left in the dirt by Vive. The question that remains to be seen is the quality of product that Vive plans to release. Is the reason that Oculus is late to the table with a release date because it needs refinement and development before being released to the public? Perhaps Vive is rushing to produce a product that isn’t fully tested or developed?

The article states:

“With Valve entering the fray, Oculus is on the verge of becoming the Hydrox to Valve’s Oreo. Players who have been primed to buy thanks to Oculus Rift will flock to the Vive if it offers even a fraction of the experience that the Oculus Rift has promised. If it ends up being on the market for months ahead of the Oculus Rift, and offers a better experience in any way, then it will have cemented itself as the premiere VR headset.

The big question for Valve at the moment is how easy will it be to move from Oculus Rift development to the Vive. Can you simply take the work you’ve done and pop it onto the HTC developed headset? If so, it is easy to see how developers will push their game for both devices, at least until one becomes the market leader. If additional work is required then they’ll likely develop for whichever hits the market first, which for now looks to be the Vive. This isn’t to say that there is no room for a second, or even third competitor in the VR game. But Oculus Rift has had the market to themselves for years now, and they have unfortunately not taken advantage of it.”

“None of this is to say that the Oculus Rift will be a bad product, on the contrary it might be the best VR headset out there once it releases. But it’s that last part that is the major sticking point, and it always has been for Oculus. With no official release date for the consumer edition of the Oculus Rift, and multiple competing VR headsets heading to the market soon, the Oculus is in grave danger of missing its window of opportunity. If the Vive hits the market first it is pretty easy to see how consumers a few years from now might look on it as the great innovator of VR. Fans can argue all they want, but once that feeling sets in, there is very little that can change it. If that happens then the Oculus Rift could, like Hydrox cookies before them, fade quickly into irrelevancy.”

Read the full article by clicking here: The Oculus Rift is in danger of becoming irrelevant

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

SL Go Announces Linden Dollar Payment Option

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SL Go
OnLive, the service that provides games, including hosting the SL Go site, announces that new users who sign up for SL Go inworld can use Lindens to pay for their service. Please note existing users cannot use Linden dollars at this time. However, it is going to be made available for existing users in the future.

Here is the blog post taken directly from the SL Go Blog found by clicking here: SL Go — Now Pay with L$

“You’ve probably heard of SL Go, the viewer that streams Second Life from the cloud in ultra-rich graphics, right to your tablet or low powered computer. You might have wanted to try it, but hate giving out your credit card info and personal information. Well, we now have a great solution for you!

For a limited time, if you sign up for SL Go with a NEW USER account you can buy weekly subscriptions in-world using Linden Dollars (L$). There is a private sign up booth where you can create your free SL Go account, and then pay for subscriptions using L$. Each week is only L$650, and you can buy up to 4 weeks at a time. Also, you can return and renew or extend your subscription in-world at any time.

Sorry, but existing users with monthly subscriptions will need to wait for this feature. It is much more complex to transition an account from US Dollars to Linden Dollars. We will be bringing this feature to you soon.

Paying for SL Go with L$ has been one of the most common requests we have received in our forums and chat rooms. We are very excited to offer this now to new users. We hope this makes it much easier for you to be a part of our growing SL Go community.”

Teleport here to Sign Up in-world:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Dream/230/147/22

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZoHa Islands Social Media

Firestorm’s Tool Tip: Clean Install the Easy Way

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Here’s Firestorm’s Tool Tip Tuesday video. We all know how frustrating it is when a new version of Firestorm comes out, because as exciting as the new features are, we all dread doing the dreaded “clean reinstall.” Even if you follow the rather intimidating instructions on the Firestorm Wiki, we all worry about losing chat logs, preference settings, etc. It is probably my least favorite thing to do.

In this video, Jessica Lyon breaks down a clean install into simple, easy to follow steps. Enjoy!

Here is the link to the Firestorm Website: Firestorm Viewer
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

Skarvald — Where Vikings Are Alive and Well in Second Life

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One of the fascinating things in Second Life are the roleplay sims. In SL, you can find just about any kind of roleplay (RP) your little heart desires — Fetish, Rape, Combat, Capture, Gor (BTB or otherwise), Vampire/Lycan, Steampunk, Fantasy, Historical, Pirates, Sci-Fi, Urban/Noir, etc. Some are strict on rules and behavior within the RP sim; some are fairly loose with the rules. Some are obviously geared towards sexual activity, and some are for serious RPers. These serious RPers bring their RP into Second Life as a way to bring their favorite MMORPG (which itself stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) into a world where you can completely control the way the world moves around the characters and settings, rather than having the game play limit what choices are available to the players. These are serious gamers that are serious about their RP, but also come here to have fun, immerse themselves in their game and meet fellow gamers.

One of these gamers is Balder Foehammer. Balder has been in Second Life since 2009, and started out by being frustrated with his inability to find Viking-themed items in Second Life. Being a creative and industrious soul, Balder learned how to build, and began creating his own things for others doing Viking RP. His business grew, and finally he decided it was time to create his own Viking RP sim, and the final result is Skarvald.

Balder purchased from Linden Labs his own full prim sim, commercial grade and went to work. His sim underwent many transformations as he experimented with exactly what he wanted to accomplish. In January of 2014, Balder began creating Skarvald from the ground up, using a 90 percent mesh build in order to save on land impact. He opened for business on July 11th 2014. Skarvald is a brainchild of Balder’s and springs completely from his vivid imagination, with significant input from his SL wife and RL girlfriend Ellie Foehammer. Loosely translated, Skarvald means “scarred land.” Balder tells me that he has always been fascinated by the history of the Norse people and their folklore. The term “Viking” actually means “seafaring traveler” or “raider by sea.”

Each RPer must fill out an application in order to participate in the sim. Each RPer creates their own character, their own backstory and incorporate it into their sim history or sim lore. Online and console gamers that want to be more creative can create their story from Skyram, Elderscrolls, Dragonage, Tolkein, Lord of the Rings, 13th warrior (Michael Crighton) Historical viking lore norse culture, Camelot King Arthur, etc.

Balder and Ellie have created a Viking kingdom accurate down to the last building. It’s a fascinating place that is kept as accurate to the time as possible. Cabins and homes are rented out and the sim rules require that any items put down remain true to the Viking theme.

Balder tells me that there are 212 members in the Skarvald group. The number of active RPers right now is about 70. The sim can support 40 to 50 RPers at a time.

There are different factions and guilds within the RP. There are guilds that are in allegiance with the kingdom, and there are those who seek to overthrow the Kingdom. There are thieves and shadows and assassins. The tension between “good” and “evil” creates the RP and creates the battles.

RP is scheduled if there’s a major event. Otherwise it’s just random and spontaneous. Important roles are handed over to people who earn it. Skarvald members are dedicated RPers who truly involve themselves in the RP. They are not exclusive and they will RP even with noobs. Balder and Ellie try to ensure that the RP does not become “cliqueish.”

When asked what his favorite thing about Skarvald, Balder said, “The people.”

What really makes this place special is Balder and Ellie’s love and dedication to it. Their pride in this place shines through every pixel and prim. I highly recommend you check out this amazing place.

Click on this link to get the SLurl: Skarvald Viking RPG

Click on this link to find the Skarvald website: Skarvald

Click on this link for more information on RP in Second Life. Role-Playing Communities

Here are some photographs:

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Balder's pic 1

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Rae, Ellie, Lola

Rhys, Rae, Balder, Vox

Skarvald Jan 11th_001

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Surprise along the East Road

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THe treasure room_001

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Vox, BigSven

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I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

Firestorm Tool Tip: Command Line

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Who knew?? This short video shows some awesome tricks available simply by typing in a few keystrokes. This is especially helpful when being griefed, and you need to instantly TP to an altitude in order to rid yourself of the griefer without being crashed by the graphics crasher. You can instantly achieve altitude with a few keystrokes, among other tricks!

Watch and learn! And don’t forget to attend Firestorm’s Odds & Ends Classes to learn these and other tricks! Join Firestorm’s in-world group for more support and information.

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media