Spreading out the grid

This is a slightly sideways topic about how this Openspace change fits strategy.

I have always thought it is very strange that in a virtual world we are all living in a single three dimensional space. Why must I have neighbours at all? In a virtual world, dimensions and space is very cheap. It is objects, scripts, and avatars that cost CPU and bandwidth.

Furthermore, it reduces load on simulators and on viewers if people and buildings are spread out and well separated. Open space is cheap and low load for everyone. Openspace sims made sense for it.

So I think it is not spaces that are the problem, but Linden Labs failed to restrict objects and scripts enough to keep load down. Perhaps with scripts, should have restricted CPU time for scripts more and kept the same for physics.

So I think Linden Labs are going the wrong way. Increasing prim counts and reducing space (by increasing land cost) is backwards. Instead should be reducing prim counts and script CPU and _increasing_ land areas to spread people out.

I think after being in Second Life for a while one forgets how bizarrely restrictive a virtual world it is.

Exactly. No one wants to have to put up with the crappy builds of their neighbours. Everyone wants a nice little island surrounded by water. That's exactly why OS sims are so attractive.

LL should move away from the mainland model and offer small islands, 1/2 and 1/4 of a full sim, surrounded by water like a complete sim. As you said, it would drastically reduce the load on the database if everyone no longer had to load the textures of the neighbouring parcel. It would also speed up the client software. I remember that it was horribly laggy when I lived on the mainland in a corner where 4 sims came together. The lag was already getting better when I walked to the middle of the sim, where my client didn't need to render content in other sims.

I can't see a reason why there should be a connected mainland. I mean, who really walks across several ugly, ad farm laden mainland sims? For the aviators in SL, the tiny islands could still be connected, just separated by lots of waterspace in between. Would also be nice for the boaters.

I like mainland. The majority of my time spent inworld is spent there. Either in welcome areas, NCI, my own parcel, or finding some "me" time walking up the Linden roads and looking at the diversity of builds around. I like the idea of crossing 5, 10, 20 sims by ACTUALLY WALKING and seeing the mishmash of ideas everyone out here has. (^_^)

Islands get too location/theme specific for me. The majority of the time, you MUST teleport in. There's little to no sense of adventure or 'sandbox' work. All in all, it's pretty bland. I'd like to see more mainland and reduced tier or a an increase in the land size allowed as base tier. I wanna see more wild oddball builds.... Just as long as the buggers take the banlines down. (=_=)

As for neighbors and "cruddy" builds. It's all a matter of taste. I'm sure my sim-neighbors really dislike the appearance of my "cruddy" giant cookie jar build, otherwise they wouldn't have built their giant wall between us and them. But, I don't like their bland forest mis-aligned cabins either. So, in the end, we have our agreement to disagree, keep to ourselves, and go on with our lives. It's all in fun. (^_^)y

Ishtara, I agree and think there would be tremendous demand for isolated (i.e. island-like) areas with lower object and script allowances. But there is no need to make these areas physically small. Openspaces are like 1/4 sims but with the physical area of a whole sim. I would be happy with a 1/16 sim (with 1/16 prim count, 1/16 CPU power) but on an island with full sized surface area not near anyone else. It's just like what I have now, but not near anyone. What's so difficult about that? (This is a rhetorical question -- I know some of the difficulties.)

It seems very strange to me that LL have made a system with such a rigid idea of space.

Imnotgoing, I really think you missed the point a bit. Of course some people like mainland, neighbours, etc. but huge demand for Openspaces proves that alternatives are desired and maybe even needed.

I like both mainland and islands and both have their place.
However it's high time the Lindens started actually governing SL and clamping down on those who behave badly by causing lag and generally being a nuisance. Abuse Reports are all very well but many of us doubt that it actually has any effect on the offenders.

If SL is to continue to flourish and grow it needs rules that are known and enforced like any society. The wild west situation we have now has to end. People won't be as interested in SL if they feel the badly behaved residents are allowed to get away with their behaviour, including those who abuse the open space sims.

Our time and cash are valuable..just upping the prices causes resentment and doesn't address the problems.

Hello Bryony. I'm sorry if I don't understand, but how is your message related to the topic of spreading out the grid?

lets spread out have less prims......i see fields of green but no red roses i dont have enough prims lol.

...and would not care to agree with anyone who agrees with me.

I'm starting to wonder how much of the popularity of OS land was strictly price driven. I mean, if people just wanted isolated sims, there are whole islands available. For the past year, there has been no "better" (read: cheaper) way to get an entire sim to yourself than by getting an OS. If I were allowed to spend online, trust me, I would have had my own estate 8 months ago. (=_=)y

Yes, it is price driven. For similar price than renting you can get similar number of prims but not near neighbours and on your own island. The prices really were roughly similar per prim. But instead of cramming your prims into a small plot next to random builds, you could put them in the middle of an island of your own, or just with a few friends. For many people that is much much more desirable. New pricing makes it much more expensive to do it. Jack Linden talks about how much more "value" people are getting, so even he thinks that not having neighbours is worth a lot.

It would be worth the price if Linden let us buy them ourselves and not have to go through land barons. At this point I'd pay for a medium sized sim myself and an increased tier, just so I knew for fact all I had to do is deal with LInden Labs.

Aura, yes it is worth something. But I personally do not trust Linden Labs with any money arrangement after their behaviour with Openspaces. I wrote about this here /354/1d/289652/107.html#post2199182/354/1d/289652/107.html#post2199182

In fact I trust my current landlord much more than Linden Labs at this point.

Yea....so.... you pay your landlord of the 1st of the month for the full sim you rent from them, and then on the 2nd, they have a car accident in RL and are hospitalized and because of problems cannot pay the tier for all the estates they own. You now lose.

Or let's just look at the most common problem - the Estate owner takes off and lets the sim go abandoned and you again lose your money.

I for the life of me cannot rationalize injecting a 3rd party (real estate co) into the equation to take your money when you can just give it directly to LL.

It is really bass-ackwards.

Agrees 100% People that have been around SL for awhile knows how corrupt Linden Labs are. Unfortunately, the newer people will have to learn the hard way.

Briana, I'm sorry if I was not clear about it. Of course an unhelpful and untrustworthy person between you and LL is a bad thing. But my current landlord is the sort of person who will work _with_ me when there are problems, not against me, because we have a mutual trusting relationship. If I am late paying, he will understand. If he has problems, I try to help. That is worth a lot.

Of course be _both_ have to cope with LL, but we co-operate to do it.

I am sorry if you only ever met selfish evil landlords.