Its against any rule to run more than one AV at same time?

Hello

I just develope some software that let me run multiple avatars on SL.

My idea is to sell this software to let people to have models on they store, per example, or avatars that walks in the store in a more nature way that camping zombies.

But i was wondering if running my software is agains any rule or TOS in SL.

BTW, what do you think of what i told you? This is better than camping aombies, right?

***If anybody is interested on this, IM me on the forum.

No, there is no rule against running multiple avs.

I sure hope not. I run multiple avatars all the time. There is a way to install the client that lets you have more than one open at once. I use it to test permissions on stuff I make.

Great!!

Because my software let the additional avatars move or talk programcatically.

They can walk in some store or mall as natural, looks very well as i think this is MUCH better than camping, but could drive to same results in traffic.

Also, as is not scripted, dont make a lag as many camping chairs will do.

No offense but that sounds a little creepy.

Compare with camping.

With my software you can go to my store and saw lets say, 10 avatars there, walking betwen vendores or pictures, sitting, moving, all at random intervals... thats much better than camping.

What I would wonder about is the selling it part. If you are developing this using the open source project, then I would wonder if selling it is illegal or at least unethical. *shrug*

If I go to a store and there are 10 avatars there, there will probably be enough lag that I won't stay long, especially when I figure out that they are bots.

I don't see how this is any different than animated camping (like the floor mopping or window washing) except the vendor doesn't have to pay other people.

About lag, there is a difference: Camping chairs are scripted (listen and timer) and that consumes many resources. My idea does not.

Also, looks more "natural" that the zombies in the chair.

And if you want to put them to model your hair, skins, clothes... there is the advantage that are yours. Otherwise its difficult to give your products to strangers to modeling.

I think there could be different uses that sounds interesting.

Might be. Then again, most people who buy this will probably use it for running camping zombies to make a quick buck...

Nimue has a point about the lag.

If someone really feels the need to artificially inflate their traffic number by posting multiple alts on the parcel, I would hope they'd at least have the sense to stick them all up on a sky platform at 700m so they don't lag up the store itself.

Did you ever see the camping chairs in a sky plataform?

As i said before, instead of being negative, better compare with the REALITY we HAVE now.

About lag, this is much friendly that chairs.

Good point. If i ever let this into public, i will shutdown this possibility.

My idea is to use this in more creative ways, like a beautifull sync dance or modeling catwalk to show products.

It's different because when a human controlled window washer ignores you it's ok (mayby they just don't llike you) but when a robot ignores you ,you'd like to know that heaping animousity on their indifference won't accomplish anything. ( heck it won't even annoy them) <usefull greifer decoys mayby>
/me scratches head. Hmmmm.

How can you ensure that? If they can walk, talk, use animations, then they can sure as hell use dance pads, right?

Placing an avatar in a sim consumes a *lot* of resources, and affects even neighbouring sims. That's the 'child agent' stat, when you view stats - child agents are avatars in other sims around you.

Compared to the average script, adding an avatar is like adding an 800 pound gorilla.

And if anyone walks near it, the bot avatar will start streaming all the newly found textures to itself that the approaching avatar has, and so forth. The bot can't help it, because it doesn't know it's not an instance of any old regular avatar.

Bots not being able to realise they are bots (Voight Kampf test, anyone?) is a bit of an esoteric issue, but does matter, it seems.

I'm sure someone will end up using that with their sexgen furniture.

First, SCRIPTS DO NOT CAUSE PHYSICS LAG; SCRIPTS DO NOT CAUSE DISPLAY LAG. They cause script lag, where an object is slow at responding. Bad ones may contribute to chat lag.

Second, a reasonably well-scripted camping chair shouldn't cause appreciable script lag either -- it doesn't really have to do much, does it? The periodic payments would be the biggest item, and that shouldn't happen terribly often. Do camping chairs need listens? I think you just sit on them, so no need.

It's the avs' presence, and their movement, that causes physics lag. They also contribute to client (display) lag, especially when they have fancy hair, especially with lots of flexi. Scripts do not contribute to either of these.

The difference between "bot av doing nothing" and "real av doing nothing, sitting on a camping chair" is negligible, in terms of resources used. Of course, the more you have the bot do, the more it affects the sim, but that's also true of a real av.

Please don't try to claim that this system is less offensive than camping chairs. It's an indefensible position.

I applaud your inventiveness and skill for creating an interesting client, and no doubt there are excellent uses for it. However, they create all the same problems that camping chairs do, without any of the benefits: putting $L in the economy and giving those without the talent, incentive, or knowledge a way to make a little income.

I think this might be good for modeling wearable products, if kept to a minimum. (It would be very cool if they could listen for key phrases and change worn products to show them.)

As a way to climb the ratings by generating traffic, it's an abomination and deplorable, because it's blatant cheating, regardless of whether it's against the TOS (which it is not, IMHO). Traffic ratings are bad and I'd sure like to see them go away, and this is just one reason why: people can pump up the rating without actually having people visit their site. GAK!

For most of SL residents, this kind of bot is worse than a camper (when used to generate traffic). It's all downside! Only the venue owner benefits. All the other residents of the sim are harmed, usually with no benefit to them. It should be illegal -- or better yet, LL SHOULD JUST GET RID OF THE RATINGS!

Yes, but again. Id you compare with what we have NOW (avatars PLUS camping scripts), its better to have only avatars.

Great... all someone needs to do is outfit 10 zombie AVs with 500 prim boots to crash the whole sim.

It WOULD fit that Electric Sheep Company tho..... (sorry, I couldn't resist...)

No, no.

You logic is wrong.

The camping chair attract avatars, its their target.

So at the end, you have the avatars PLUS the camping chairs (and yes, chairs listen to receive command from owner).

If you put 10 camping chairs in your store, you will have 10 scritps running PLUS 10 avatars sitting.

Ofcourse that makes more lag that having ONLY the avatars.

I was about to say Just make sure they aren't doing anything Broadly Offensive with each other.

Not enough to matter. Seriously, if you want to make this claim, do the measurements and tell us HOW MUCH it's better by. Otherwise you're just guessing and guessing poorly.

As a means to generate traffic stats, this is pure evil.

As a means of having a live-looking model, it's interesting. One suspects this will not be the majority use. However, we have to blame LL for it, because it's their traffic stats that causes it.

Sorry AP, I didn't realize you didn't know about alts on a sky platform. Yes, many people are already doing that, running up their traffic using their own alts rather than paying campers. Just to be clear, the alts on the sky platform are not using scripted camping chairs, they are just sitting (or standing) there doing nothing. The point of having them up in the sky is (a) to not adversely affect viewer lag at the store and (b) to make it obvious that they aren't there to interact with people.

But it sounds like you mean to make something that does more than the currently available options for running multiple clients, something more along the lines of a semi-autonomous bot for various activities? I'm sure you can find some audience for that, just not among the crowd who are interested solely in driving up their traffic numbers.