No Tax For Interactive Builds?

In his Inside The Second Life interview with Bob Bunderfield tonight, Haney Linden mentioned that one idea currently being considered is to come up with some system of allowing folks who have interactive builds that are popular with other players to avoid paying taxes. Haney loosely defined interactive as "you click on it and it does something."

Obviously the Lindens are trying to encourage builds that get other players actively involved, instead of being just another house with cool furniture. I'm wondering what other people think of this Linden nudge toward interactivity, and whether it's fair that some be spared taxes according to what they choose to build...?

Personally, I think that is a wonderful proposition... as most of the things I tend to work on contain "community interactivity" in one way or another. However.... how would interactivity be guaged? There is usually a clickable door of some type in most "house" builds. Also, if the object is used for some type of financial gain (ie. a slot machine), does this fit under the clause? I'd be curious as to a little bit more detail on the structure of the proposal.

Now if I could only find some way to make my land interactive....

--Water

This is a wonderful proposition, IF you are a scripter, or can afford to pay one for clicky things.

Scripting is very cool, and I wish I could, but for the most part, the things that have amazed me most in-world are the builds.

Seems to me the point here is to encourage residents to "entertain" those residents who need something to do. I have been finding myself looking for things to do at times too. Although I think supplying something to "do" is a good idea, I don't think evolving the economy around residents supplying this something to "do" for other residents is best answer.


fen-

Wow, I think it is a wonderful idea, for both us players and LL itself. One of the things lacking currently is things to do beyond building and chatting. I definately think the concept behind it would be nice, but I am not sure how they could implement it reasonably. (I could see all buildings having dummy touch events just to decrease taxes.)

Perhaps it would rely on some sort of "click count" and once the object obtain a certain thrushold of clicks, it becomes taxless or perhaps a "click" stipend effect (or more directly, the more clicks, the less an object itself costs). This would actually be a direct reward to scripters, which remember we have a social rating, a building rating, and a appearance rating, and unfortunately no direct way to rate a scripter. I would hope it would prevent the owner or their friends from have a "click party" (hey, that is almost a pun) to decrease tax.

As far as involving the economy around something to do, why not? The economy is largely around something to see currently. I think seeing has some nice intial bang (Wow! That is a cool looking building or Nice Clothes) but something to do has a much longer term effect.

First, I doubt it could be automated in a reasonable manner. I would imagine it requiring a request submission to Linden who would take a look and perhaps offer a tax break.

I agree partially with you Feniks. It would reward scripters almost soley. However I don't think thats a bad thing, there are rewards for socializing (most of the existing rewards lean this way), building and AV apparence. There aren't any rewards for scripting. Adding some reward for scripting would be great I think.

Yes Ama I agree with you, in part.

I also agree with Fen.

I do think its about time to reward scripters. But no taxes as compared to a few ratings points is the pendulium swinging in the other direction. There needs to be balance.

Seems the idea of teaching scripting is to teach how to make a box say "hello Avatar!". To make this perk available as an option to more I suggest that there be more comprehensive classes. I simply need to know more than "Hello Avatar" to get off the ground in LSL.

I really don't like this idea. 1.1 will already have a scripting rating and the ability to charge admission to land. If someone builds something interactive that people enjoy doing, they should be willing to pay a few L$ to do it. Scripters should earn their money just like everyone else. Scripters have been at a disadvantage prior to 1.1, but it seems to me that between the new scripting rating, admission charge features, and the dwell system, there's no need for this. Instead of being disadvantaged, scripters would suddenly have an unfair advantage.

You guys are looking at this all wrong.

The Lindens think "Hey, you know, this place would probably reach out to more people if we had more interactive builds. How about we ask the community and perhaps offer some tax breaks."

Okay, so you guys don't like the tax break idea. I'd like to remind you that the rating for good scripting is not yet in v1.1 (it's been in neither of the 2 previews we've seen). Okay well, the Lindens were doing the tax break thing to encourage people to do the interactive builds. If you don't like that, then what should Linden Labs do to encourage people to learn how to script so that they can build interactive builds? Or encourage peopole who already know how to script to create these interactive builds?

There has to be somthing in this game to sway people's minds to a direction so that things can get done for Linden Labs. As a company they have decided to try to reach out via interactive builds and they need our help to do it, so they ask us. Before we can say "well why should we bother doing what you tell us", they let us know that we can get a tax break for doing it, that way they can cut off our reply with a good deal.

I believe that Second Life has a large abundance of the things that LL has always looked for in the past. Events to bring people together and cause socialization and create a really tight knit community. Okay, now that that goal is done, what next? I think that this whole interactive build idea is the next step towards a bigger, better, farther reaching Second Life, and if money is the thing that should bribe us towards it, then that's fine by me. But if you guys really think it should be somthing else, then by all means, speak up please!

(Quick note: I really don't know LL's intentions and I try not to claim I know them, this is all merely my opinion on the subject matter and I'm sorry if it was too long for you )

Wait, how do charging admission and the dwell system help scripters any more than they help other people? I think both of those features help socializers more than anyone else.

That said, I'm not sure how I feel about the proposed tax break for interactive builds. It would all depend on the specifics details.

I have supported in the past ideas that offer different forms of rewards. Instead of lumping all the socializing, building, apparence, scripting etc into one lump sum, I think each should effect your experience or finances in a different way. For example having reduced taxes on highly rated builds was a suggestion - instead of giving more stipend you get less taxes. In the end it may be a small distinction, but I like that distinction.

This sounds to me along the same lines. They want to reward the stuff that will bring them to the next level, as Dave said. I don't wanna see another rating - 'Interactive Build' - but rewarding people is the way to get this sort of thing going. When you are dealing with player made content, you offer rewards to stear that content.

Should it be a free ride? No. But giving some help to the people who make SL interactive? The people who change the world from an art Gallery into an environment or a reality? That is a great goal and worthy of some rewards.

As for lessons ... I tought 1 class ever, it was an Advanced Scripting Class. I spent the majority of the class explaining where the { and the } go in the code. I would like to teach some more advanced classes. I am considering a course of 5 or so classes that is making a gambling game from the ground up. I already have some interest in this I think. And as many know, I answer any scripting question sent to me, and if I don't know it I can generally find someone who does.

And yeah, I make long posts too.

Ama grrrr! You shoulda told me sooner, I needed someone to make me a class where I could teach people how to make gambling games! Now go do it so I can steal it from you!