Open Source Box Office Released to SL!

The Foundation For Rich Content is pleased as spiked punch to announce that the FFRC Best Box Office has come to fruition. Peter Newell's Box Office is available for people to drop by and pick up copies of. It will allow the owner to configure just about any aspect of what it says and does and is very versatile. It will solicit funds from attendees, eject non-payers after a series of warnings, and ban after a number of ejections. It will also function as an usher, giving out notecards to all who touch it and a gift with payment.

Says Peter, "It is also setup such that an owner can allow others to host events, specifying a percentage of the cost to be kept with the owner. Event hosts can owners can explicitly allow people without payment. And the ticket price can be discounted at the halfway point of the event either by a percentage or a fixed amount.

He adds, "The owner can also specify whether at the end of the event the gross earnings will be transmitted to a central server for publication of top weekly grossing."

We want to take this time to thank all four entrants who produced viable box offices and were quite gracious to one another during the contest, providing an admirable level of support. It was a learning experience for everyone involved. We'd also like to thank the SL community who put up $90,000L toward the grand prize and the judges for the competition who put forward another $7500 to award all entrants for their efforts.

Now, please let me introduce Peter Newell to you. He will be answering any questions people have about the box office in this thread for one month, so get your copy and ask away!

copies of the box office may be picked up at:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sami/231/146/33/?x=100&y=100&title=Peter%20Newell%27s%20Box%20Office&msg=Pick%20one%20up%20for%20free%21

the box office is protected under the Creative Commons 2.5 licensing agreement. This is discussed below.

Zenigma Suntzu: CC with attribution which allows commercial use, modification, but should always include credit for the original author.
Maczter Oddfellow: can you give us the laymen's version of what that means?
Maczter Oddfellow: ah
Maczter Oddfellow: nm
Maczter Oddfellow:
Troy McLuhan: So whoever uses it should give some credit to Peter Newell
Maczter Oddfellow: thanks
Kat Lemieux: You can use it, you can modify it, you can sell your version, but you have to say who made it first
Maczter Oddfellow: credit and L$'s i should think
Kat Lemieux: Well, the FFRC prize is the L$
Zenigma Suntzu: The L$ are no required, however, would generate some goodwill I'm sure
Kat Lemieux: But of course, Peter can make improvements on his own device and sell it, too, just like anyone else
Maczter Oddfellow: exactly

Thanks, Persephone, for putting on such a great contest. As for support of the script, I am usually available in game, and have IMs directed to my email when I'm not, so don't hesitate to contact me.

Indeed, thanks to the FFRC for a wonderfully organized and executed competition.

Peter, I got your back if you get overwhelmed with ingame support requests to 'come help set this up'.

Congratulations, Peter!

Persephone, would you please post the names of the other entrants, so we can give them a pat on the back for all their hard work and good effort?

Sure thing, Kim. I'm doing this from memory (I'm at work until late tonight) so I hope I don't misspell anyone's name. If so, I shall correct it when I get home.

The entrants, all of whom did a great job of making viable box offices with unique features, are listed in order of submission.

Leonard Churchill
Peter Newell
Marissa Akula
Areth Gall

So if you need a box office, and the Open Source one isn't quite what you're looking for, hit up any of these four scripters and s/he may be able to whip up the box office of your dreams for you!

Yay! events I won't bother coming to. Sorry, but I don't pay before I know its worth seeing. Good job cutting down on your clientele.

Locked Pending Linden Review

The box office allows the host to vary the amount of time before the person is ejected, so the host for any given event could allow folks a "sneak preview" of the event before they are required to pay. This is something the land pass system couldn't do.

So, you may well get a chance to hang out and check out the show a bit before being required to pay, Jonas.

Our effort, here, is to preserve events on the landscape. Money must come from somewhere to support the events, and if not the user of the events, then who? Linden Lab used to pay for this to some degree through funding events (cut 1.5 years ago) and through the Developers Incentive (cut last month). If we don't have revenue sources for makers of events, Jonas, we won't have any events.

I pay on a volunteer basis. I run all my events free. I even pay for the djs myself. If you were a true fan of rich content you would do the same. Stop posing.

Edit: We would have plenty of events, run by people who honestly care about what they are hosting. People who have fun and don't care about how much money they make. People in it for the art and experience. Your contest makes my very core sick..

You, Jonas, may choose to do whatever you wish. This thread was intended for people who choose to use the box office to ask questions about its use. If you wish to start your own thread protesting box offices, then fine. lol.

Imagine, though, if RL worked that way: Broadway shows done by volunteers? Movies only made on a volunteer basis? Paintings, made only by volunteers? Hordes of homeless artists and entertainers would be the other end of the equation.

Run events your way, whatever works for you. Why bash people for trying a different model?

Now, I will take off my FFRC hat and respond to the personal slam. Let's look at what "posing" you mean to assert here. Do a search in find events for the Phoenix Spa and see how many events we have run. We started back in January of 2005, but, in an alt account, I've been running events since November of 2004. I have personally hosted well over 100 events in SL. I have funded many many more events in SL. NOW do a search on you and your club. How many events have you run? Who is the poser here?

I pay for djs, for live musicians, for storytelling, and other entertainment out of pocket. This last weekend I shelled out about *$13,000 Linden to entertain the masses of SL. On the busiest night, when we had 3 live musicians performing back to back and after that a hip-hop DJ, I made about $380L in dwell payments. Wanna call me a poser? do it in world like a man and not in the forums like a mouse (no offense, furry friends). ;-D

*this doesn't include the costs of teir, either. Add that and it would be even more.

I have to have a club? You make me laugh. I'm not the one running a contest for a better way to CHARGE people for entertainment in a GAME.

You, simply, is the answer I get to who is the poser. Juts because I've run less events, or not paid thousands of lindens does not make me less of a contributor. It is the act of doing that makes one a contributor. I call you a poser because you seek a way to charge people to see events that should be hosted with love. I will personally warn people in world away from events funded by you and your organization.

Edit: oh and expect a visit, because I will say it to your face.

Joans you are acting like a feeb. There is nothng wrong with charging for events. if you want to do it for free bless you thats your choice. iIf others see the need to charge, so be it.

Sad fact is with the asshats who gamed the DI with there bad ass camping chairs ruining the DI for those who just wanted to cover costs, for many of us there is no other alternative. I know you view this as a game and I respect that and maybe you have the funds to pay for event costs yourself, again bless you, but not everyone does.

Now- as to you insuting my friend Perse who has done a ot for the community and is one of its more outstanding citizens, I say to you wise up jagoff and learn how to treat a lady. And BTW if you want to come in game and say it to anyones face I invite to come say it to mine. Perse is to much of a lady to tell you to go F*^K off but I'm not. So bring it brutha

pfft. Not even worth it.

She's only shooting herself in the foot you know, by charging. Its her own decision to pay out thos elarge sums, if she cant inspire enough donations to recoup her loss, then maybe she just needs to work harder.

Shes done nothing for the community that I have experienced. I owe her nothing, and a lady is defined by a continual actions. Posing as a friend to te community while trying to charge for events that you should do as a labor of love isn't a ladies act.

As far as the camping chairs - I hate them. Yes they gamed DI, and it was camping chairs that should have been removed, not DI. Before long, dwell will be gone becaus eof them - they are taking away the innocent targets..not the criminal.

Still.. 'rich content' cannot be defined by any one group, to try to do so is assanine and egotitistical.

Jonas, a couple things...

You are most definately entitled to your opinion. If you hate the idea of charging for events, or creating a box office utility, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you expressing that.

However, the method that you're choosing to express those feelings is coming across mean-spirited.

My understanding of the reasoning behind creating this Box Office utility is not for Persephone's personal use, but instead the following:

Many events cost money to produce. Since the DI is going away, alternative funding methods need to be explored.

Possible Funding Methods:

1. Event host's personal funds
2. Donations
3. Admission

Some folks are knocked out of doing #1 because they don't have deep pockets.
Depending on the event, a big production may not be able to be covered by #2.
Charging Admission (#3) has always been difficult because the land options don't do a good job of taking care of it on their own.

The idea was, give the community an open source way of charging admission in a graceful way. The FFRC contest was designed to provide an open source foundation so folks could create their own Box Office. Thus making #3 as a possible funding option, viable.

You are absolutely right - I probably wouldn't pay admission myself to an event that I didn't know was worth it up front. But those events exist.

Live music events, for example. Would I pay an admission fee to go hear Frogg Marlow or Jaycatt Nico play? Hell yes.

Would I pay an admission fee to go dancing somewhere? Probably not.


That said, Kudos to Perse and the FFRC for coordinating this contest. Hopefully this will allow some additional folks who didn't think they had the resources to put on an event the ability to do so.

It was mean spirited, for thsoe comments I do apologize. My point is mostly a sour contention with the need to charge..I'm poor (store funds do not go to events) and still host events..not lavish ones, but events.

I see the need to charge because of the loss of DI as a problem of 'people in it for the money' and add to it previous comments about what is and what isn't 'rich' content.

Jonas

You assert, as is your right to do so,that SL is just a game. Lets run with that a moment. What are the LL provided goals is the game ? How do we know if we are winning ? Seems to me we dont, why, becuase SL is a free form game and we make our own rules to an extent. So lets look at 2 free form games shall we.


Game 1- I wanna be a philanthropist! Goal use your use own resources to throw amazing events the whole community wants to go see, and do it for free. How do we know we're winning- we throw events we pay for them and lots of people come

Game 2- I wanna be a concert promoter! Goal create amazing live music events that people, pay good money for. How do we know we are winning? We throw really cool music events that when we check out BOX OFFICE Reciepts we have at least broken even on.

Both are valid games in a freeform environment. To deny either one its right to exist makes someone a bit of a fucktard dont ya think?

It's a shame this thread has been derailed. It's supposed to not only announce the release of a useful free tool for the community and the end of a contest which was organized and funded by a lot of good folks, but also it is an opportunity to recognize some members of this community who worked their butts off on a complicated project and did a good job.



This was a tricky scripting project, and my congratulations go out to all four of the dedicated coders who were able to meet the challenge. *applause*

Seconded. Congrats and thanks to all involved with this initiative.

Maybe part of the freeform game is insulting people who charge..then who would be the fucktard by denying that game?

Kim

Thank you! You are so right never mind this dunb ass argument with Jonas who will never ever agree. This thread is about a job very very well done. As one of many who contributed heavily to this project I want to personally thank Perse and Erik for running the contest and spearheading the eforts, and all the scripters who worked hard to try and make it happen and a special thank you and congrats to the winner. I intend to use this new cool box office and I look forward to all it will allow us to do as event producers.

Um, am I correct in thinking that this box office just ejects people from the land a certain number of times, and then bans them using the land tools?

I thought the whole point of this contest was to try and find creative ways of running a box office that would get around the limitations of using this method; in fact, I seem to recall the contest was started after a lengthy thread discussing why ejecting and banning doesn't work well in practice, since it's too easy to get around it by overflying, or alt-looking, or similar trickery.

In fact, the fact that a creative solution to this was believed to be required was probably the main reason why you didn't get many entries (no-one could think of one) - it's certainly the reason why I didn't enter!

If you just wanted the script to eject and ban, which is - to be honest - obvious, I'm sure you could have gotten it done for far less than L$90000!

One thing I forgot to mention. (Thanks, Kim, for getting us back on target) The winning script had to be vetted to ensure that it was benign. This was merely a formality because the four coders who participated were clearly performing in the spirit of the challenge. Just to be sure that we weren't unleashing anything evil upon the world, though, we vetted the script through a developer at LL who confirmed that the script is free of any malicious code.

Therefore, the coders not only had to wait a week before the announcements were made, but also to wait a week for prize payment. (Thanks to Gabe Lippmann for keeping careful account and distributing all the prize monies, too.) I do appreciate everyone's patience and wanted to add thanks for that as well. The Box Offices are beginning to be distributed. Pick one up in Sami for free, and grab one for a friend as well!

I don't anticipate that all events in SL are going to be pay-for events, but some will need to be, most likely, in order for the event venue to break even or perhaps even turn a modest profit. People do it for the love as well. Nobody makes content in SL without caring about it or they wouldn't do it. But experiential content makers, like other kinds of content makers, should have some mechanism to cover costs. Now they have one. Thanks to everyone involved with this initiative. Cheers!

The act of kicking someone from land, and then banning them, does not seem to meet the criteria in the contest specification that the method of ejection should be "benign and encourage attending future events".

Yumi, we could have contacted a scripter and just had one scripter script something for us for less, it is probably true, but then it seemed more interesting to open it up to the entire community as a competition. The ejection aspect of the box office was only a small part of what we wanted. We wanted something that could perform as a rl box office does. This one will act as an usher, even gather stats for a centralized source so that box office statistics can be posted. It will split profits between host and owner, all things that could not be done before.

The contest was started before that thread by several weeks, but the thread was put up to answer questions of one scripter and to see what others had to say. In the end I specifically mentioned eject and also tp home but encouraged whatever creative solutions folks could come up with. I didn't want to dictate terms but rather to encourage original solutions to the various problems. I'm very excited about the ability to split profits between owner and host and also the centralized reporting. I think it could make a lot clearer picture of what is really happening in SL event, wise by showing what people really value in experiential content. (not just where they park their rumps to get linden showers.) =D

You mean giving out notecards and dispensing gifts?

2 lines.



3 lines.



1 line.



Have you really never seen a notecard giver or a profit-sharing vendor before?

I've also just looked at the box office. As far as I can tell, in order to set it up, you have to give it a list of locations it should sense at - ok. Only problem is, the list is in the sensor. And to edit it, you have to rez the sensor.. and then click "stop scripts in selection" like greased lightning, before it flies off to the first pre-configured location in the existing notecard. That location is somewhere which was probably appropriate to the FFRC, but if it isn't appropriate to your venue, it'll fly right off your land. Easily fixed - in fact, the notecard could easily have been placed in the box office server itself - so why wasn't it?

It isn't guaranteed to see everyone at the event, especially if the event is busy. A group of griefers can crash it. A really determined griefer could hack it and have every new arrival at the event banned - which again, could have been made impossible with a fairly easy modification so why wasn't it? And as mentioned above, eject and ban isn't sufficient for most events. The notecard the "usher" gives out has to be named CURRENT EVENT, in BIG CAPITAL LETTERS, so people who attend several events wind up with an inventory full of these and no way to tell them apart.

So it works as a box office, but awarding the prize to this doesn't seem to be in the spirit of encouraging innovation that the contest seems to have been intended in. Yes, it can be fixed up - but getting a script that someone else got paid L$90000 for, and fixing it up for them for nothing, doesn't have a lot of appeal. Again, those same people may have chosen not to enter because they considered a script with the above errors to be incomplete.