How to attract help the TSO refugees?

i'm sorry..... what is TSO?

i'm sure they are welcome to the hangout. i mean, i am allowed, so anyone must be.

Indeed a sweet sentiment FD but only the adults..just adults ok?!

I've been with TSO since the beginning. Met many friends there. Several of us made the exodus to SL around the same time in 2004. They gave up the TSO, and I closed two of my three accounts. Since I had such a great experience in TSO I was determined to ride it out till the end. Looks like the end will be on August 1st. Many of the TSO players have tried SL, but for several reasons havent joined up. Graphic inabilities is the first killer, a shaky learning curve is the second. Its not the fact that SL can be mundane, cus TSO without the social aspect was beyond mundane. But TSO was more of a social venue than a game like say WoW, and SL being a social venue as well means that if you can get past the graphic requirements and the learning curve, well then the TSO enthusiast should fit right in. They will be seeking out a new place in the virtual world come this August, flag em this way.

The Sims Online though they change the name bit ago to EAland.

The biggest favour we could do to that group of people is help them save their own world. Or at least, try.

I read the EA forum post, and they cited complex reasons... but didn't GIVE any reasons for closing that world.

All this, after a major re-engineering effort. Somebody is flying by the seat of their pants, or simply not giving their restructuring of their world sufficient chance to get on its feet.

Anyone smell a bean counter in charge over there... someone who doesn't 'get it' in a big way?

We should leave a candle in the window for the refugees, and have the guestroom ready... but to actively solicit them at this stage seems premature.

* * * * *

All of this really underscores what the competition to our home grid is like.

Sony Home delayed yet again; EA devastating the expectations of its most loyal again.

I wonder where the near-flawless stable competitor is - you know the one - the one that is going to swoop in out of nowhere and scoop our grid? I suspect they are squarely in fantasyland, and will remain there for a long time.

I beta'd TSO myself. Actually during that era of my life it was rather enjoyable. I was really sad that they didn't offer much more of an incentive to those who had beta'd than they what was offered to the general public signing up. (Little bit but not much). Even sadder, I didn't find it so enjoyable that I was willing to pay per month what they wanted to keep an account up an running after beta. So I didn't stick with it.

I agree that it's a sad thing to be displaced. People grow attached to their online lives and even more so once they've made real connections through online friends and the like.
My biggest concern however, is that a vast majority of TSO people are teens. I don't want to share SL with teens. I have a 15 year old son, and to even think that he might create an avatar in SL and log on and disrupt my 2nd world that does not include him sends me into a chaotic tailspin. Bring on the age verification. I'll verify 10 times if that's what it takes to keep this an adult oriented atmosphere.

Honestly, adults from TSO I welcome. However I am deeply concerned that we're about to see an influx of displaced teens, especially with the summer season upon us. Not just from TSO but it will certainly be a factor.

/me growls and snaps nastily at underage avatars.

I'm really surprised that it lasted so long. I was a Founder there too, and less than a year in, people were getting bored with it. I haven't seriously stayed in TSO for more than a few minutes in 5 years. BTW, the Hermoine method of playing Code still sucks.

i Came over from TSO a few years ago. All it took to convince me SL is where i wanted to be (Apart from a list of all the features SL had, EA was promising, but never delivered) was a few Photographs and the knowledge that i could play for free (100 times the playability at no Cost? Sign me up!!).

If i had any Doubts about coming in to SL they were erased after watching my first Sunset on a veranda with my Dear one, Listening to john Lennons "Imagine".

If you know someone still puttering away in TSO Send them some photos, and a description of some of the events you've attended, And be there for them when they log in for the first time. having a Familiar guide makes entering SL for the first time a little less intimidating.

Angel.

I was thinking of the adults when I brought this topic up the people who joined and stayed all these years who are adults, had friends, were loyally paying EA all these years plus buying all those new games for the sims that came out....
I don't know I understand why they did it. I understand what makes people attracted to worlds and games like that and this one.
The sad thing is often the companies making the games or virtual worlds or those in charge don't entirely get things or they are more concerned with how to get the next dollar out.
Money is important thing for survival of any person and any business,
yet when does it cross the line and the Business behavior says "Customer loyalty pfftt we can get more they don't count and are no longer needed" Or "Sorry we got to make some changes thanks for your money but we got to do something else you can spend your money though on these products of ours....." what does it say about the Business?
I figured this out long time ago about EA that why I quit giving them my money.
Perhaps EA game some how is involved in Second Life as investors I don't know, I hope not but I haven't knowingly give the company EA money for years because I don't like how they treat their products nor their customers.
I would probably go somewhere else if there was better place and I could take my friends but
so far Second Life is closest thing I found to what I want to play and create at.
Yet I do think lot of things even the economy is rigged for only those who can afford certain things or know how to create attention for their business.
And like in the casinos who is always going to win is the house, not the players.
All similar virtual worlds in long run are like that when it comes to profit or what happens or doesn't happen.
Closest thing we have to any type of freedom is here.
I definitely know there got to be more talent out there then top 100 earners of L out there that have just as good or more talent but problem is there is only so much at any time and only so many ways to find things that may or may not work at any given day.

You may find that most of them have already started to come to SL or have been cross playing for years. I came over from TSO when it got boring too and from what I know already, most of them, already know about SL so don't worry about welcoming them. Worry about more of them being here more often during times when you could play without lagging to death or being crushed by all the servers grinding to a halt.

If they are still using the same hardware they used to play TSO years ago, that will not be a problem.

Create a special attachment that allows them to view their avatars from an overhead three quarter view.

Well sadly there is economic issues when dealing with virtual worlds because it often involves having the best or most compatible equipment.
Then there is grid stability and more economic issues.
If Second Life is ever going to be 3D web this has to be dealt with some way but I don't know if it will happen.
I wish I had magical powers sometimes to make world where we all could do amazing things and not experience lag, bugs, economic issues or any other problem that goes with a worlds be they virtual or non-virtual but I can't.
Probably lot of hardcore players of 2003 TSO did make it here.
I guess I just felt bad for all the ones still there about to be worldless who invested lots of money and time to support it.
Yet for more business and content artist to thrive we need more people who buy products and more unique, creative talent here but even that we can't do it alone we need Linden Labs too.
Or figure out way on our own to create a alternative.

Hmm, Refugees huh, well, I'll break out the barbed wire for the beach, install some IR/movement sensors and invest in small arms ammunition for my autogattlings & minions

Hmm fromm their blog, they seem slightly aggitated, but I reckon our blog denzens could do a heap better with that sort of motivation

Who gets all their stuff?

Most of the TSO community are at http://sims.stratics.com - its free to sign up, but just going over there and pimping SL out of nowhere probably won't go down too well.

There's a number of people - myself included - that play both games, and if people can come up with some concrete plans here on how and where to welcome TSOers, I'm sure we can cross-post.

I tried here from TSO and was blown away by the customisation abilities and the way you can create pretty much anything you want here - far more than you ever could there.

One of the big cries on the TSO forums about SL is that it's all about sex here. I've done my best to share some of the many great things that there are here to do that have nothing to do with the 'adult side' of the game ... perhaps the best thing we can do is make a list of great places to visit and some "TSO-like" things already here, plus the ex-TSO communities and groups here.

A lot of people are looking for somewhere to go. I wonder if LL would do some kind of 'offer' like the ex-There payers being offered "Therian" as a surname? Who at the Lab should we contact?

It is sad to see another game go down the dumps. I have played TSO off and on for over 3 years since 2003 right after beta. I know a lot of people dont want to help the people that merge over here cause of the problems in SL thats your choice but for all those helpers and mentors out there, these people have no where to go after August 1. Make them feel welcome. I've been here 3 years now i know its not all about sex but they dont, show them a good time. /end rant

I must confess the sex thing worried me at first a bit but its been most of time pretty much a non-issue for me. What I get excited about is figuring out how to make thing I think about exist here usually its things like flowers, virtual rooms,etc.
I have tried to make a branding iron once but it was for someone else and was more of experiment....Sex and Fetish while they may exist be fun for some is perfectly great and okay in my book but it's sort of irrelevant 96 percent of time in my view of SL now.
Cyber sex existed in beta TSO, I assumed it existed later on too. There was is if I remember lot of adult custom content for The Sims that users made when Hot Date and earlier came out.
Yet I vaguely remember all these teenage girls wanting virtual husband I didn't really get it but oh well live and let live.
It is odd they would be concerned about that...
yeah not sure showing up at Sims hang out saying hey come on over would be best plan...
oh well I guess no TSO refuge camps.
Thanks all.
Yeah I guess anyone would be pissed if they spent lot of money, time and grew fond of place.
I don't think they are whiners.
I mean if it happen here people would be furious too.
I think EA games will keep all there stuff and put it in the trash.

This is a joke right? I mean you want us to give them what?

I have an idea..if they cannot afford land or the hardwere to run 2nd life there is this program around that can help them..been around for thousands of years..its called a JOB.

The idea is you get up and out of your bed in moms basement and go do stuff for people and in turn you get money and in turn you dont have to beg for food and live off others or gov programs.

Rebel

I think the TSO folks will be seeking something different - so perhaps the bloggers could make an appropriate post on their blogs with the info that they'd be welcome in SL.

Just a thought.

Tell them our nekkid kicks their nekkids azz.

It sounds like a lot of those TSO refugees are really just kids. Did TSO (the sims online) require age verification and the like? They'd probably fill up the teen grid.

The best way to attract them is to build a basic home - just a box with a roof. Then put a stereo in it, or lay out some snacks. Once they come in, build a wall behind them, trapping them inside.

Then, either indoctrinate them into SL, or give them a stove to play with and watch them accidentally light themselves on fire and run around screaming while the other sims just sit there and dance to the music.

Or build a swimming pool and throw a pool party. Once everyone is in the pool, remove the ladder. They're too stupid to figure out how to climb out (well, their avatars are). Either they sign up for SL or they drown.

I have a dumb question about TSO. Are all the Avs human or do they have a variety of Avs possible like SL?

Mostly human, but there are some bear, alien, robot and bug avatars.

One of the funniest I ever saw had the brown bear head, the white bear body, and was called...

"FellInBleach"

There was the creepy inside out human avatar too. I didn't remember the animal avatars from beta except the bear.
It was pretty strange see a Bear in world of Human looking Avatars.
I don't remember ever being able to change out of my maid uniform though either.