Another hunt thread - hidden/moved stuff

The problem in my view has become the sheer size of the hunts, 200, 300 and 500 vendor hunts are insane. It is hard enough to get around them all during the time slot even if you don't have to actually hunt for the item and all it takes are the items being hid particularly well and that really slows you down. Why is that important, it is a hunt after all isn't it?

Well no, the hunt is not the most important thing (to the vendor), the most important thing is actually getting customers into their shop and look at items for the longest period of time.

Vendors who intentionally make it as hard as possible to find their items on a large hunt are depriving the vendors who are next along in the chain. They are making it so that the hunters stay in their shop instead of moving on. Obviously for this reason nobody wants to be far down the chain and pity the poor sod who is #500.

Hunters who tp in, grab the item and then move on are actually being most fair to all vendors (mostly unintentionally though, agreed). With this tactic they have the greatest chance of visiting all the vendors and once they have the items will try them all out at their leisure, discarding items they don't like and keeping the rest.
The items they keep have the LMs so that these are the places that hunter is likely to revisit when they want more of the same.

To say that people who tp in and don't spend time in the shop at that moment are somehow being unfair to that vendor is silly and selfish. Vendors should either agree to make the hunts reasonably easy and share fairly the precious commodity of the hunters time or get the hunt organisers to close off the vendor entry at sensible numbers.

I'm about half way through the Key's hunt, and the main reason I joined it is because the store I happen to visit was showing what the prize was for them, and I wanted that prize.. (A rainbow tail). It was worth the 200 just to join to find that prize. I continued on, but thankfully all the locations were listed on the Blog - not the location of the key, just hints, but where the next key was, because there has been two places where they have just hidden it so well I couldn't find it.

Also, they list the prize for each location.. one of the shops I was not really interested in the prize, just went there to see what they sold. It was a style of clothing that I don't wear, so didn't even hunt for the key.

I do the hunts now and again primarily to see new places. If the hunt gets too hard, or too silly, I just drop it. Then I go back to profiles/inspect/random teleports to find fun nice places.

I think so far out of the 20 places I have visited in the Key hunt, I have purchased additional items at 15 of the places. The other five I either got some demos to check out at home, or need to try their outfits on first to make sure how they fit, then may go back.

I understand on the vendor's side, they want the people to stay at least long enough for the place to rez, and the hunter looks around - gives them a slight boost to ratings, and the hunter may see something they like. The speed hunters who port in, know the exact location of the item so they ported on top of it, grab it, and teleport out all under a minute can be frustrating. Sort of like having your place hit by a prize bot..

But on the flip side, the places that think the prize needs to be uber hidden with a 15 level cryptic clue to where it is.. I get bored fast and just leave, and I won't keep their landmark to even come back to shop.

The one and only time I did a hunt, I turned on wireframe to find all the objects. The hunt was only going to last three days and each object was one part of an avatar. Why would I want to spend three days searching when there was only a remote possibility I'd even find all the items?

For the record, about 3/4 of the items were INSIDE other prims. I found them all, but only after I cheated

I have to say that I’m really happy today.

I discovered that I don’t need to pick up all 50 gifts to get access to the final VIP room, with the last gifts. That's what set me so back yesterday when I started this thread.

I joined this hunt and paid 200 L because I support the idea of paying an entrance ticket so that all the stores that participate get a slice of the cake. That will give them an instant reward instead of waiting maybe 1-2 months for customers to return…

The low number of shops, only 50, was also a reason for me. I think the huge hunts are just too much. I will only pick up ... 30? and let the rest be. If I keep and wear 10 of the gifts, I still got a very good deal. I don’t regret that I paid 200 L.

I didn’t have a cheat sheet with direct coordinates and slurls, but my friend is from UK and she clarified the hints and added on more info. That’s a huge help, so I can at last walk to the right side of the shop.

So when I slept on it, I am a happy hunter today. I still think that shop owners shouldn’t get so worked up over those who choose to use help, either hints, lists, scanners, or maybe a friend with a raw computer that hunts for them?

Wireframe? Is it something we can turn on in the Advanced menu? I tried to send you a PM, because now I'm really curious.

ITA with the OP

translation - In total agreement with the original post/original poster.

Shop owners - hunt organisers - isn't the whole point to introduce customers to your shop and to make it a HAPPY experience?

Stop being hunt fascists - let people hunt their own way. Some NEED to shave some time off it, for reasons of necessity or expediency.

Necessity can be beacuse of slow computer, slow internet, physical handicaps (including poor eyesight, or trouble seeing colors i.e. picking out item from same color wall), very busy RL, many reasons. Expediency may seem more controversial to the "it's a hunt" fanatics; but REAL LIFE IS FIRST. So what if people want short cuts or hunt blogs or hint cards?!

Do you want new customers? Or don't-cha?

I mean really. These things sometimes become quite silly. Oh and just try crossing (it isn't hard to do) a hunt organiser. A lot of perspective is needed by some of those ladies.

Hunts are not supposed to be traumatic, or an exercise in being mocked or belittled - it's supposed to be good advertising, or so I thought.

(Btw those who think people who stay a short time won't buy or won't be back are so wrong. In fact I buy more at shops like that! Also people send their alts to get things don't forget...! Seeing an av come and go quickly means NADA.)

Control-alt-shift-R I think, just off the top of my head.

I am grateful to freebie blogs or other blogs that feature 'best in a hunt' with a SLurl to the shop. I mostly just do those if anything at all, now.

I'd think (organisers') exhibiting a nasty disposition isn't great for word of mouth later - and I feel worst for the shops at the end of the list on such hunts. People will get discouraged, tired of being yelled at, and quit, long before they get to the end shops.

Sorry you had a string of rude ones. Not everyone is raised to value manners apparently. FWIW I say thank you, I may ask other hunters for help (or did - I dont really do hunts any more mainly due to the huge shops that play "let's keep people trapped for hours searching -- who needs traffic bots?!" and I may even keep a list of Stores w/store SLurls not prize SLurls in a hunt - to give others who get stumped later and don't want to skip other stores. If someone is very stuck I IM them "do you want a hint or a tp?" I dont post the list on a blog.

I try to either buy or tip in each store then or later (sorry if no one bought in your shop but imagine buying in all of 200 or 500 shops!) and if the gift really took time and isn't a recycled freebie mall full perm item I have had since my newbie days I often send a thank you to the owner. It would be nice if people remembered to thank but most just want to get thru the enormous list before they collapse from exhaustion...Hope they came back in later and spent. Or at least sent a belated thank you.

As for people making a beeline well they do hear about it quickly but it doesn't mean they are ungrateful it means they have 200 to 500 other shops to rez and hunt in. And that they know some will take an hour! If I owned a shop and was in a hunt I'd be very upset with those types of stores. Those people DO realise each wall must rez new each time u walk by!? And tired eyes can miss what's a 50 foot prim in front of you? But keep going cos only so much time can be in SL anyway? And NEED to get the next LM to continue?!



QFT!!!!! & that's the truth Ruth. I hope store owners/hunt moms read it! Every word!

Hiding a tiny prim behind a painting or in a wall should not be allowed, period. And all prizes should be within 20m of landing point and/or each shop have a current hint card that means something (not so vague like "think pink" when entire shop is pink!).

/me steps off my own soapbox

Can't hunters, store owners and hunt organisers meet in the middle? This isn't a Geneva summit or MidEast Peace Talk - it's supposed to be a fun pastime. Surely everyone can be happy if basic rules are set down? And stores and organisers can be a BIT more forgiving?

Do they honestly expect people to spend real life HOURS or WEEKS on a hunt?? For random freebies? With no hint what they are getting? Why can it not be organised a bit BETTER to begin with for instance. Do guys need to spend hours chasing down lingerie no transfer items?!



Interesting to have merchant input - devil's advocate here though - how are people to know an av is the shop owner or item creator? Especially newbies who are often the bulk of prize-hunter population. (ETA I see Eclectic asked before me and you replied 'wearing owner tag' - but some people have 'all tags/titles off' - also simply may not have seen you or the chat. Also a lot of people just aren't chatty in SL ironically. I try to be vigilant about reading chat but everyone misses local chat at times. When in a hunt an owner said she was owner and was friendly I stayed a half hour while she told me about her products...I wanted to go but sometimes can be OVER polite. Hunters may be afraid that will happen to them too, come to think of it. Some shop owners do keep people sort of trapped telling them about new releases, and whatever else.)



Devil's lawyer again Arielyn - see if that was me I'd be thinking "that woman just brought a PACK of potential new customers to my store. THANK YOU!!"

Thanks Clarissa...points duly noted. The only thing I take issue with is the final comment about folks tping others in. When we do MM boards, Lucky Ducks, etc., I think that's GREAT! Avis tp in friends, group members, etc. to help them hit target to get the prize. The idea of a "hunt", however, is just that--to HUNT! To me, bypassing the "hunt" part is...well, cheating! I do happen to agree with you about timing (or lack of time in general), and I think you make very valid points about having to hit too many merchants. Perhaps the answer is to appeal to hunt creators to limit the number of stores participating. I also agree with those who are raising the roof about hiding things in walls, ceilings, etc. We always hide things "in plain view"--we want folks to be happy about the experience, and I agree with whomever posted that unhappy hunters make for bad press in the long run. I know after reading this thread that there are certain things I will look for from hunt organizers in the future: smaller number of merchants accepted; hunt object that is most generally visible in any circumstance; rules that ask hunters not to post cheats or tp in friends to exact locations.


One final note: to those who responded reasonably, I appreciate the time you took to respond to MY response. I learned a lot. To thos who were snarky and insulting, well, that's sort of the kind of person I was posting about in the first place.

You're very welcome, Arielyn, and I hope that should you participate in other hunts in future your customer-base is much more appreciative.

Some people do get shy around owners - if I tp to Bare Rose and June (all hail! I'm not worthy!) Dion is there in person I get very shy! But if someone says hi (and I have made myself do so, to tell her how great her work is) she is super nice. So I try to.

I've teleported lots of people to a hunt prize location before but not all at once - over the space of days, at times. I bring people there who could use the prize. It might look like I/we are only there for the prize and grab and run - but sometimes it's because I am helping them do an av makeover and they're already feeling overwhelmed with lots of new info/places to go. I know in a lot of cases they go back to buy a better version (let's say, a modify shape or a full skin pack) because they liked the item. And it all started as a quick tp in and out again.

Then again once this one place began to get 'too' clever hiding the prize "because a lot of people are tping in directly on top of it" I stopped taking people. Because "let's pop over to get this" is one thing to ask someone but "oops sorry it took half an hour to find it" is embarrassing. It's too much to ask of someone who may not think they needed the item a lot in the first place. (Even though most will love it later)

If something's really good I've tried to tell people on my friends list who might like or use it. That would've looked like a serial teleport or grab and run also. Landmarks last a long time though.

If your store is a reasonable size and you weren't hiding it against same colors and/or between floor and ceiling or in walls then by all means move it round! I don't mind a bit of hunt at all! I just think it should never take more than, say, ten minutes. It may not seem long to the shop owner but that's cos they know where it is. It's awfully long when not knowing how long it might take. If someone has RL pressure or illness or a slow/crashy machine it compounds it.

Sometimes if hunters break their stride from one store taking ages, they just don't pick it up again. RL and SL change course and they drop a hunt.

Long PS added. LOL:

PS I think your list of criteria is reasonable Arielyn. A summit meeting (Lol) of sorts among hunters/store owners-prize creators/hunt organisers would be great too, if the meeting was open to any/all. A suggestion box at the (pre-hunt summit) location would be good, for those who didn't want to speak publicly or were shy, or didn't get to speak, but a lot of people might want to speak up while there. It's one way to find basic hunt 'rules' which might be acceptable to all (or to most; can't ever please 'all').

Two things I'd ask for would be: 1. a blog with a list of stores, Slurls optional - not prize locations but store locations. Then last guy on the list isn't cheated - and people can skip stores they frankly will not shop in anyway. And not all will shop in all. This also cuts down on lag for those who want the prize, not who merely need that next landmark.

2. Also if the list could be sorted on a separate blog page (because not all will want to know) that is marked 'possible spoiler' on the page link - stores sorted/listed by category of prize. Male and female might be one way. Human or furry. Full size human or tiny. Or even clothes vs. furniture vs. other. That might cut down on customer frustration also. The hunters who like finding 'surprises' - new things and new places will still do the full list or pick at random. But those hunters who solely want a certain type of thing or store will be well served with that option. (Again, mark the page 'spoilers' and make it so it must be clicked to see.)

Giving customers what they want isn't usually a bad thing, so I think it will lessen overall frustration/disappointment while helping a different type of hunter to get their goal met.

Oh and one thing I heard from shop owners was: the organizers often give next to no warning they will be included, so that leaves them short on time to make a quality new item for the hunt. So maybe 2 or 3 months preparation time or warning time to creators would be good.

For the hunters' (and hunt reputation/other shops') sakes, maybe insist on (prize) quality control, or even that prizes must 'audition' first and pass quality control. At the very least, NO full perm free mall items they didn't even make. I don't expect the best items in a shop but I don't go to freebie malls already by choice.

If I've gotten a good prize, I tell others/take others. Also, even much later will tell people where I got it. I've given out LM to stores that I got a (any) freebie from, months or more later. In fact, yesterday, I gave out two LM to a place I got some weird freebie hair (which I was wearing and was asked about), and who knows how long ago it was that I got it. I couldn't even remember! So quality serves not only the customer but the store too. It also helps word travel about the hunt.

Having shops pre-make the prize and 'audition it' before being listed, might also cut down on hunt overcrowding. It doesn't seem fair if one shop can get on a hunt and get traffic with a box of random full perm junk (by other people!), when other shops/artists made something specially.

One last request? Hint cards IN stores. And keep them updated. Not everyone will join a hunt group and other hunters will or can not always page it for a hint.

Clarissa,

I think every single point you made is spot-on. Now to get that list into the right hands!!

Thank you so much, Arielyn!

Oh one thing I thought of, too, was that the people I usually tell or tp have not usually heard about or intend to do a/the hunt anyway. Fwiw. (For instance, often they are male. Lol) (And I often am asked by men 'do you know of any good shops!?') Or they are new and already still bumping into walls. Lol

CTRL SHIFT R will do it. And you can CTRL SHIFT R again to get regular view.

Hmm... now that could be an interesting idea. Perhaps a '500-vendor' hunt could be spiced up by saying 'get 20 prizes', where you'd use a combination of drop-down boxes.

For instance, it might say:

"I am a
[Male/Female] [Normal/Tiny] [Homed/Homeless] [Vanilla/Kinky] [Human/Furry].
Generate my list!"

The hunt site would then spit out a 'challenge list' with potentially more appropriate items.

Choosing a Female Furry, for instance, would look to strike places where a prize would include a prim skirt, as those are notorious for removing tails.

If you don't have a home, why would you seek to furnish it? Thus, the 'generally-safe' furniture prizes get culled from your personal list.

Prudish people would avoid being offended by recieving a BDSM prize; the possibilities are endless.

Each entry in the list would get a button for replacement, in the event of an obnoxiously-hidden box, or other shenanigans.

Further, by having a large and diverse pool of vendors, you'd have a wider variety of hunters.

For the vendor, a hunt with a backend like this would allow your target audience to be directed to your location, and a higher percentage of the people who come for the hunt would be likely to return.



This idea sounds like alot of work, but if done well, it might be a very good thing indeed.

^ Great idea development, Tiberious. ^

It might not even be all that much work. There might be computer programs that could sort it all within minutes. Then just copy/paste into blog pages.

In a separate section of the hunt blog that has to be reached by clicking on a 'warning: spoilers' button.

Talk about target marketing!

I just wanna stress again the 'quality control' idea, too. As far as prizes are concerned. With almost every shop already offering freebie/dollarbies, the hunters "precious commodity of time" as Gabriele put it, should be rewarded for their work and coming to the store and hunt, with something more than freebie-mall crap. Not to mention, again it's unfair to stores which worked hard on their prize but may not get hunters because of the first ten shops presenting that as the prize after making people teleport all over the grid and look in the walls.

Oh goodie....another Hunt....is there ever a week without a Hunt?

My 2 friend's stores located on my commercial plots are participating in 2 different Hunts (VIP Hunt & Discovery Hunt) simultaneously. They're getting some unreal daily traffic numbers, particularly the VIP one.......yet to date, there hasn't been any real increase in either of their sales. One is a Female fashion house the other is Jewelry......I would have thought those would be quite popular sectors to buy from.

I know it might take months for extra sales to kick in (so I have been told on numerous occasions)......but I'm not convinced.

I don't know any furries who would turn down a prim skirt. We just wish clothing makers would pick one attachment point for skirts and stick to it.

No. It's not. The big hunt you mention (Discovery) last out Juni. I bet there's a Summer hunt starting before that. And all the small local In store hunts...

I won't even try the Discovery hunt unless I see some item I like blogged. I wonder how much traffic shop #499 and #500 get?

I hope your friends (In the VIP hunt) are getting a visit back from me, but I can say that there's just 1 jewellery shop and 2 clothes shop that's interesting so far.