Second Life Forums Archive - Summer 2006 SLSF Cup

Myrrh Massiel

Registered User

Join date: 7 Oct 2005

Posts: 362

06-11-2006 00:59

Please reference this thread for context on the Second Life Sailing Federation Cup.

Myrrh Massiel

Registered User

Join date: 7 Oct 2005

Posts: 362

Okay, now that that's out of the way:

06-11-2006 01:00

So has anyone attempted this sort of large-scale sporting event, a full season really, in Second Life before? Any advice, caveats, or hard experience to share?

Our affiliated groups are up to about 600 members and growing faster every day, and while individual yacht clubs have run their own regattas and fleet standings over the past year, the SLSF Cup will likely prove an entirely different class of beast. This weekend's Exhibition Regatta and Announcement Gala has already established a couple of concerns we'll need to address in the actual Cup series races.

Firstly, it appears inevitable that anything this high-profile - we're even getting real-life press coverage - will attract griefers. The Exhibition Regatta was a bit of a farce: before anyone had even crossed the start line, boats and spectators alike were being orbited, and hardly anyone was able to finish even a single race due to invasive motorcraft being piloted or put on continuous unmanned circuits all over the course and finish line. Keeping this sort of sophomoric behavior in check seems an ideal job for an organisation like the former SLPD, but now that they're disbanded I'm not sure who might be well-suited to the task - both the Alliance Navy and Green Lantern Corps have been suggested as alternatives.

Secondly, big events draw big crowds of spectators. The four weekly regattas at the two larger yacht clubs regularly have ten to fifteen spectators at a time, and the Exhibition Regatta drew such a large crowd that competing sailors couldn't return to the hosting yacht club after completing the course - its sim was full to capacity. One ready solution presents itself in modeling things after the real-life America's Cup: spectators watch the races from a fleet of balloons hovering over the water, easily enough launched and distributed across various adjacent sim borders as the crowd shows up. Still, it's sure to be a significant measure of logistical work to implement effectively, and will require effective communication with the general public both before and during the races. Maybe we could recruit a group from the Aerodrome to help with this...

Thoughts?

Pixeleen Mistral

the strange

Join date: 19 Sep 2005

Posts: 253

some ideas

06-11-2006 10:15

Perhaps recruit some of those machinima-making people to provide coverage? Then you can be a spectator after the event has happened by watching the movie. This reduces the spectator incentive to fill the sim to capacity and it creates materials to use to promote the next event.

Second idea: provide a limited number of tickets to the venue, and limit venue access to people on the list. This was done for things like that Cory Doctorow book signing, I think. One day old griefer alt avies would have a hard time getting a ticket, and the capacity issue and griefing issue is minimized. You DO want to provide live coverage, for people who hear about this at the last minute, so provide some sort of chat repeater and someone doing live commentary and taking some pictures. Perhaps ask both Prokofy Neva and Hamlet Au do that, and turn them into competing sports reporters. I'm more than half serious about that dueling reporters thing...

Cutter Rubio

Hopeless Romantic

Join date: 7 Feb 2004

Posts: 264

06-16-2006 20:16

Depending on where you're racing, if you own the sims you could put racers in a Cup group and lock the sims down to that group - kills the griefers and also results in spectator control. Getting enough sims might be a problem though - but maybe LL would donate some for the events.

_____________________

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Myrrh Massiel

Registered User

Join date: 7 Oct 2005

Posts: 362

Event Security Options

06-28-2006 10:21

Burke Prefect is working on creating a reputable security firm. As the discussion evolved, it started sounding more like a security system than a proper staffed presence, but he's on my short list to contact as we gear up for more public events.

Hopefully, the new login changes will help ameliorate things somewhat. Yesterday I literally witnessed mobs of sophomoric teens pouring through the welcome area, so I remain skeptical. If SL catches on myspace-style, manned security will be critical.

Locking down sims is a nice fallback, but it might be problematic to get that sort of special treatment from the Lindens. It's certainly worth discussing with them, though - I'll look into it.

Myrrh Massiel

Registered User

Join date: 7 Oct 2005

Posts: 362

Private security firm contracted for SLSF Cup

07-04-2006 02:04

This week I've contracted a private security firm for the SLSF Cup series. They're a new organisation looking to establish a reputable name for themselves in a series of high-profile public events, to be the eyes, ears, and invisible hands that event hosts don't have to spare. Their director was quite excited upon learning my expectations, as they exactly reflect his own ambitions for the firm:

From: someone

It's not a matter of enthusiasm nor firepower, it's mostly a matter of character and experience. I want a well-organised, well-disciplined, well-practiced group with the proverbial boy scout mentality, and that's the key. I'm looking for the ultimate storybook good guy police officers - people who will react to situations as myself and my fellow organisers would, if we weren't busy actually running the event:

RULE ONE
Never, ever, foster rancor. If action is required, it needs to be of the absolute lowest-profile nature - quick, effective, and non-provocative.

RULE TWO
Always take a minimal-force approach. That means anticipating problems before they become conflicts. That means being friendly and diplomatic, catching flies with honey rather than vinegar. That means your primary recourse is abuse-reporting: push guns, prim walls, and such are secondary tools, only brought out where required to keep disruption in check. That means cultivating a trusted and reciporical relationship with the Lindens.

RULE THREE
The event mustn't be disrupted. This is the primary mission of the security force, but it's the third priority, after the first two rules. Effective security personnel take the time to get to know an event, and work at all times to facilitate its success. Most of their job is not fighting griefers, it's communicating effectively.

Put together a security force which operates under these principles, and you're golden. They're the same standards under which real-life security personel, ranging from military all the way down to rent-a-cops, are successful and earn the respect of the public.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

Torley Linden

Enlightenment!

Join date: 15 Sep 2004

Posts: 16,530

07-05-2006 09:31

Sounds pretty cool. Reminds me I still have to get my Flying Tako template from Chandra's Page.

Just a reminder please that the Event Discussion forum shouldn't be used for announcing specific events as the original post is doing. Please see:

/110/8b/28239/1.html

Discussion and how to go about doing things is perfectly fine tho.

So I'm going to move this to Special Attractions, but feel free to start a new thread!

_____________________

Torley Linden

Enlightenment!

Join date: 15 Sep 2004

Posts: 16,530

07-06-2006 01:33

Myrrh--thanx for the PM! Context is important and it's fine to link to other threads; in light of all this, have a good discussion. I've removed the thread back here as it befits this forum best. Cheerio!

_____________________

Myrrh Massiel

Registered User

Join date: 7 Oct 2005

Posts: 362

Challenger Act 1 - Regatta Results

07-19-2006 16:16

Last Saturday we ran the first Challenger Act, and while it was a something of a rerun of June's Exhibition Regatta, things stayed quite a bit more manageable this time.

We had a few griefers camp out on the bottom of the ocean, orbiting racers, but contracted security kept event management's hands free to continue running the event. Our greatest disruption was in fact overreacting participants. Lesson learned? Ensure that all parties have explicit contingency instructions in case of disruption.

Referees bogged down the event by soliciting participants' opinions on whether to continue, thusly encouraging escalating drama amongst racers. The best course of action is to continue racing, complete the regatta, and take extenuating circumstances into account after the fact. It should be made explicitly clear to referrees that event management and *only* event management has the authority to abandon or postpone a race, and should be the solely consulted party.

Security had difficulty locating and identifying the griefers, for the better part of an hour, and unfortunately edited (stopped) boats during a race in the quest for griefing moles amongst the fleet. Rules of engagement were clear, but the rules of non-interference amongst racers did not explicitly note that editing or touching boats was taboo. This unfortunately added fuel to the overreaction of injured parties. In any event with logistics this complex, it's inevitable that certain implicit understandings won't be worked through short of experience in the field - we've learned that practice is key, and are treating the first Challenger Act as a learning experience.

Perhaps ironically, the griefers vacated shortly before the regatta was abandoned, invalidating the reason for abandonment. Participants' drama forced management's hand in this case. Reassurance that disruption will be addressed fairly at an event's conclusion, explicitly noted in the instructions to racers, would go a long way toward keeping things running smoothly.

On a positive note, the Second Life Herald is running really entertaining coverage of the series, thanks to Pixeleen Mistral's new position as staff sportswriter. Take a look.

Summer 2006 SLSF Cup
Myrrh Massiel Registered User Join date: 7 Oct 2005 Posts: 362	06-11-2006 00:59 Please reference this thread for context on the Second Life Sailing Federation Cup.
Myrrh Massiel Registered User Join date: 7 Oct 2005 Posts: 362	Okay, now that that's out of the way: 06-11-2006 01:00 So has anyone attempted this sort of large-scale sporting event, a full season really, in Second Life before? Any advice, caveats, or hard experience to share? Our affiliated groups are up to about 600 members and growing faster every day, and while individual yacht clubs have run their own regattas and fleet standings over the past year, the SLSF Cup will likely prove an entirely different class of beast. This weekend's Exhibition Regatta and Announcement Gala has already established a couple of concerns we'll need to address in the actual Cup series races. Firstly, it appears inevitable that anything this high-profile - we're even getting real-life press coverage - will attract griefers. The Exhibition Regatta was a bit of a farce: before anyone had even crossed the start line, boats and spectators alike were being orbited, and hardly anyone was able to finish even a single race due to invasive motorcraft being piloted or put on continuous unmanned circuits all over the course and finish line. Keeping this sort of sophomoric behavior in check seems an ideal job for an organisation like the former SLPD, but now that they're disbanded I'm not sure who might be well-suited to the task - both the Alliance Navy and Green Lantern Corps have been suggested as alternatives. Secondly, big events draw big crowds of spectators. The four weekly regattas at the two larger yacht clubs regularly have ten to fifteen spectators at a time, and the Exhibition Regatta drew such a large crowd that competing sailors couldn't return to the hosting yacht club after completing the course - its sim was full to capacity. One ready solution presents itself in modeling things after the real-life America's Cup: spectators watch the races from a fleet of balloons hovering over the water, easily enough launched and distributed across various adjacent sim borders as the crowd shows up. Still, it's sure to be a significant measure of logistical work to implement effectively, and will require effective communication with the general public both before and during the races. Maybe we could recruit a group from the Aerodrome to help with this... Thoughts?
Pixeleen Mistral the strange Join date: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 253	some ideas 06-11-2006 10:15 Perhaps recruit some of those machinima-making people to provide coverage? Then you can be a spectator after the event has happened by watching the movie. This reduces the spectator incentive to fill the sim to capacity and it creates materials to use to promote the next event. Second idea: provide a limited number of tickets to the venue, and limit venue access to people on the list. This was done for things like that Cory Doctorow book signing, I think. One day old griefer alt avies would have a hard time getting a ticket, and the capacity issue and griefing issue is minimized. You DO want to provide live coverage, for people who hear about this at the last minute, so provide some sort of chat repeater and someone doing live commentary and taking some pictures. Perhaps ask both Prokofy Neva and Hamlet Au do that, and turn them into competing sports reporters. I'm more than half serious about that dueling reporters thing...
Cutter Rubio Hopeless Romantic Join date: 7 Feb 2004 Posts: 264	06-16-2006 20:16 Depending on where you're racing, if you own the sims you could put racers in a Cup group and lock the sims down to that group - kills the griefers and also results in spectator control. Getting enough sims might be a problem though - but maybe LL would donate some for the events. _____________________ The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Myrrh Massiel Registered User Join date: 7 Oct 2005 Posts: 362	Event Security Options 06-28-2006 10:21 Burke Prefect is working on creating a reputable security firm. As the discussion evolved, it started sounding more like a security system than a proper staffed presence, but he's on my short list to contact as we gear up for more public events. Hopefully, the new login changes will help ameliorate things somewhat. Yesterday I literally witnessed mobs of sophomoric teens pouring through the welcome area, so I remain skeptical. If SL catches on myspace-style, manned security will be critical. Locking down sims is a nice fallback, but it might be problematic to get that sort of special treatment from the Lindens. It's certainly worth discussing with them, though - I'll look into it.
Myrrh Massiel Registered User Join date: 7 Oct 2005 Posts: 362	Private security firm contracted for SLSF Cup 07-04-2006 02:04 This week I've contracted a private security firm for the SLSF Cup series. They're a new organisation looking to establish a reputable name for themselves in a series of high-profile public events, to be the eyes, ears, and invisible hands that event hosts don't have to spare. Their director was quite excited upon learning my expectations, as they exactly reflect his own ambitions for the firm: From: someone It's not a matter of enthusiasm nor firepower, it's mostly a matter of character and experience. I want a well-organised, well-disciplined, well-practiced group with the proverbial boy scout mentality, and that's the key. I'm looking for the ultimate storybook good guy police officers - people who will react to situations as myself and my fellow organisers would, if we weren't busy actually running the event: RULE ONE Never, ever, foster rancor. If action is required, it needs to be of the absolute lowest-profile nature - quick, effective, and non-provocative. RULE TWO Always take a minimal-force approach. That means anticipating problems before they become conflicts. That means being friendly and diplomatic, catching flies with honey rather than vinegar. That means your primary recourse is abuse-reporting: push guns, prim walls, and such are secondary tools, only brought out where required to keep disruption in check. That means cultivating a trusted and reciporical relationship with the Lindens. RULE THREE The event mustn't be disrupted. This is the primary mission of the security force, but it's the third priority, after the first two rules. Effective security personnel take the time to get to know an event, and work at all times to facilitate its success. Most of their job is not fighting griefers, it's communicating effectively. Put together a security force which operates under these principles, and you're golden. They're the same standards under which real-life security personel, ranging from military all the way down to rent-a-cops, are successful and earn the respect of the public. I'm cautiously optimistic.
Torley Linden Enlightenment! Join date: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 16,530	07-05-2006 09:31 Sounds pretty cool. Reminds me I still have to get my Flying Tako template from Chandra's Page. Just a reminder please that the Event Discussion forum shouldn't be used for announcing specific events as the original post is doing. Please see: /110/8b/28239/1.html Discussion and how to go about doing things is perfectly fine tho. So I'm going to move this to Special Attractions, but feel free to start a new thread! _____________________
Torley Linden Enlightenment! Join date: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 16,530	07-06-2006 01:33 Myrrh--thanx for the PM! Context is important and it's fine to link to other threads; in light of all this, have a good discussion. I've removed the thread back here as it befits this forum best. Cheerio! _____________________
Myrrh Massiel Registered User Join date: 7 Oct 2005 Posts: 362	Challenger Act 1 - Regatta Results 07-19-2006 16:16 Last Saturday we ran the first Challenger Act, and while it was a something of a rerun of June's Exhibition Regatta, things stayed quite a bit more manageable this time. We had a few griefers camp out on the bottom of the ocean, orbiting racers, but contracted security kept event management's hands free to continue running the event. Our greatest disruption was in fact overreacting participants. Lesson learned? Ensure that all parties have explicit contingency instructions in case of disruption. Referees bogged down the event by soliciting participants' opinions on whether to continue, thusly encouraging escalating drama amongst racers. The best course of action is to continue racing, complete the regatta, and take extenuating circumstances into account after the fact. It should be made explicitly clear to referrees that event management and only event management has the authority to abandon or postpone a race, and should be the solely consulted party. Security had difficulty locating and identifying the griefers, for the better part of an hour, and unfortunately edited (stopped) boats during a race in the quest for griefing moles amongst the fleet. Rules of engagement were clear, but the rules of non-interference amongst racers did not explicitly note that editing or touching boats was taboo. This unfortunately added fuel to the overreaction of injured parties. In any event with logistics this complex, it's inevitable that certain implicit understandings won't be worked through short of experience in the field - we've learned that practice is key, and are treating the first Challenger Act as a learning experience. Perhaps ironically, the griefers vacated shortly before the regatta was abandoned, invalidating the reason for abandonment. Participants' drama forced management's hand in this case. Reassurance that disruption will be addressed fairly at an event's conclusion, explicitly noted in the instructions to racers, would go a long way toward keeping things running smoothly. On a positive note, the Second Life Herald is running really entertaining coverage of the series, thanks to Pixeleen Mistral's new position as staff sportswriter. Take a look.

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Summer 2006 SLSF Cup