This time last year and next years predictions

This time last year i posted a thread predicting what SL would be like this year, what new features would be added and weather or not it would be busier.

Well i can tell you that the 95% of you that said SL would be a lot quieter are wrong, It still hasn't reached the 100,000 online at once mark (like i thought it would) but we have reached the 78,000 mark. It might not be growing that fast but at least it is growing.

In terms of features, functionality and major changes there haven't been any bar the implementation of MONO, this time last year Windlight was still fairly new and we all thought we'd be sharing sky settings, as it stands nothing has been added or changed in terms of that.

The client is far far more stable, still fairly laggy tho. We then had the Void sim boom where EVERYONE had one, then LL (unsurprisingly) came in and killed the party (again!) and MORE! than doubled the price.

LL still haven't open sourced there grid/servers yet, still closing out some real creativity (to create in SL you need land, it is far 2 expensive still)

What are your predictions for this time next year, what do you think we will be seeing (or hearing) about SL? what new functions, new land products etc

I know shadows are just around the corner (their on Shadow Draft 5 and it really is starting 2 look good).

but by this time next year i think we will have a bout of new functionality (i guess summer/autumn time) and some major overhaul of the graphical side of SL will at least be announced. if not then SL WILL sink due to having a waaay outdated graphical front

post your predictions here

bum p

I think we've had the bump feature all along.

/me turns on her robot voice
i think we will get more people..
i think some things will change..
i think some things will not change..
all in all it will be a different sl.
An SL like we have not known yet.
but yet still the same in so many ways.

We have actually hit 84k online at one time.

Glad I was in the 5%

My prediction from last year stands:

I predict...

You're gonna take a walk in the rain
And you're gonna get wet!

Seriously: Shadows, maybe later this year. Sitto for mesh import. Sculptie flexis before that. Another major land mass before all of those. Some additions to Bay City (if only an infohub). More unpopular decisions, some popular ones. Like will go on.

The figures show an increase but how many are real new members how many are just alts?

My predictions:

1. Action taken by LL against bots.

2. Transparent avatars.

3. Sculpted flexies.

4. Shadows.

5. New forum.

6. Over 100,000 online.

7. More stories of SL in the news. Maybe even... a murder.

8. Teledildonics.

9. 5 more continents.

10. Teens on the main grid.

My predictions (which probably aint coming true)

Be able to watch Flash Video in-world

A lot of land owners dumping their land as the financial crisis takes a toll.

Teledildonics would be interesting

Sculpties that allow attachements to move WITH them.

I predict a forum like Yahoo answers will be created, with a volunteer group answering the questions.

Oh yeah, the entire web site will be Flash, and have a black background with either bright white or very pale gray letters. Every visual element on the website will have gradients and simulated reflections, and much of the text won't be able to be copied, and the right click will display the Flash right-click menu instead of your browser's normal right-click menu.

Textures will remain gray longer than I like.

Cars will continue to work poorly.

Sim border crossings will continue to not work real well.

Banlines will continue to aggravate people and will be just the same as they are now.

predictions (most of them would never be true, if you look at the history of development speed of SL):

- less private regions, more mainland sims (tier increase predicted for private regions, as they did with openspaces)

- Economical stall, due to over capacity of goodies of the same kind and de lindex tumbling down due to incapable management of LL (and rl economical climate)

- Less real people on the grid (maybe a new compatitor comes around the corner? if not, read next prediction)

- More and more bots on the grid (because of nr2, since merchants want their stores to be found in search, and with customers alone (traffic), they would tumble to under 100 traffic score)

- Weird choices from LL concerning the grid, that impacts everyone negatively. (e.g. see nr1 and 2)

- More hickups/downtime in the system (like it will ever go away)

- more rl males, dressing up as female in SL (it's a hype currently)

- more concurrent avatars online (see 4).

- More lag (see 4 and on the grid experiences for the real folks logged in.

- webcam support build in to the viewer, either on a prim or through a window (for the excorts and for "educational use" lol)

- Exporting of assets directly out of the viewer, onto HD.

- build in sculpty editor, either through partnership with 3d modeller manufacturer, or self build.

- New base anims for avatars (walks/sits/fly/typing etc.)

- havok 7 (why are they that slow in pickup with the release cycles, they've gone to version 4, which is from 2005, very old, concidering the current version 7 of havok)

- interoperability between virtual worlds finally comes to finish (2 years+ on the design table, sleeping?)

- faster logins, less viewer crashes.

- Torley video's return, with weekly update.

- LL opensources/gives away their region server to public. (finally!)

- since long absence, finally real innovative things are back on the grid, made by it's residents

- More press coverage.

- Better possibility to edit avatar meshes in the appearance mode.

- realistic fem parts. with natural movement/physics. (by request done by the fems).

- the male part is build into the mesh, and can be modelled via appearance mode, no more attachment needed. (fully working, animated through commands, but is disabled on pg sims automaticaly lol)

- excite/lotus/and others, go out of business. (see above 2)

- Clothing not just a texture on the avatar mesh, but as a new layer for extra realism (and for the gender parts to be more realistic).

- many bugfixes, many new bugs introduced

- better support, also for basic users.

- more next gen features added.

Predictions (realistic):

- most things remain the same, like in 2007 to now)

Imagine the JIRAs!

- Traffic removed from Search rankings altogether (but only after initial watered-down "traffic gaming" policy).

- Major reduction in number of microparcels on the Mainland following ban of hyperpricing (but only after initial watered-down "landcutting" policy).

- Lindex almost flat at 270/260 bid/asked.

- Improved skirt layer.

- Faster texture/sculptmap loading.

- Ability to toggle visibility of banlines, but no change to effect of banlines.

- Tier & fees about the same level (but Mainland tier calculations less discontinuous)

- Homesteads available to non-Estate owners at announced July fee; Estate owner fees discounted.

- More variety of island prim/script capacities; no great bargains.

- One very large Estate owner exits SL with high drama and less than intended press coverage.

- Flat land market obviates OpenSim, OGP, AWG.

Maybe: Mesh import; "Real" html-on-a-prim (but not Flash I think/hope).

Not yet: No change to avatar mesh; No additional clothing layers; No additional attachment points.

Agree with others: Shadows (for some hardware); Flexi sculpties (but I think not yet with anything attached to the flexing end); Transparent avatars; 100K+ concurrency; Sim border-crossings still borked.

This time next year:-

1. LL will be continuing to ask for user opinions on various topics, and then doing exactly what they intended anyway, but spun as doing what the users asked for.

2. Traffic-only rankings gone.

3. Homesteads or similar available to all.

4. LL will be continuing to alienate users.

5. Concurrency less than 100,000 after #2, and also due to #4 and the increasing improvements and uptake of SL alternatives - probably OpenLife.

6. Phil Deakins will have shut up shop and gone from SL.

My predictions:

1) 100,000 concurrency will be reached (just).

2) Shadows on main viewer a probably bit more than a year away.

3) A new policy for dealing with untidy absentee 'rez-and-run' landowners.

4) Vehicles up to 64 prims, as was on tried Beta Grid.

5) Maybe some minor improvements to the avatar mesh as well as allowing transparency.

This is beginning to sound more like a wish list than predictions so I'll stop.

Ummm Teledildonics is already in . Just check out the cite website or shop for thier "touch" series of toys.

Linden teams up with the makers of a famous paint program to enable us to paint directly on every surface in SL and to work very simply, intuitively, and fluidly with the famous paint program's main software.

Can I have your stuff?

So basically the predictions equate to 'stuff that wont improve sl much for your average user' then ???

Chaos shall rule supreme.

What I'd like.
1.Seasons would be fun(spring,summer,fall,winter)
2.Less lag
3.Removal of false traffic and bots(lame, very lame)
4.Cheaper land(price has gotten better but not good enough)
5.Maybe something where you can change your name


What I predict.
1.More stripclubs and escort services hiring(a constant)
2.More free sex sims
3.Less visitors to SL
4.Tons of bad news from the Lindens that causes the typical uproar

Can I ask who you have in mind?

Let's hope not!

No shadows, no flexi-sculpties, no animated sculpties, no improvement in the Windlight water, no improvements in the avatar or clothing layers, and no portals or llTeleportAgent... instead we'll have 5 new ways to teleport by opening your chat window and clicking on a link.

Hardly a prediction, they've already posted JPGs in the Jira.