Timeout override

Simple question.

There is a 'timeout' feature that is part of the game's design, so that idle avatars are logged out after a period of inactivity.

So why are people freely allowed to cheat by overriding that timeout feature, by whatever means they are choosing to do so, with apparently no consequence for cheating in this way.

This form of cheating clogs up resources that active players should be able to use, and is the main source of the problem with camping chairs and dance pads, as people spend hours logged in when they are not there. It is also unfair for those of us who work hard to develop something, only to be overtaken in popularity by someone who buys their way to success by paying corpses.

I would like to know why Linden Labs does not take cheating seriously, and is not taking action against people breaking the rules in this way.

Before you say "this is not against the rules" - why is there an idle timeout in the first place? The fact it exists means it is meant to work, and if people are preventing it from working as intended, then it is an improper use of a game function.

Lewis

We can't generalize so broadly, and must look to specific incidents for appropriate context: there was a time, for example, when I saw an avatar who was circumventing the timeout, but at the same time, he had on a massive quantity of scripts which were deteriorating the performance of the region he was present in. This, of course, is against the Community Standards as "Disturbing the Peace". And, consequently, was taken seriously.

Social dynamics will change, as they continue to do in Second Life. It remains to be seen what the removal of traffic incentives will do in the long term... so, let's see. Whether or not camping chairs will be as prevalent several months as they have been in the past, there'll always be something pointed at. Back in '04, I heard grumbles of timeout being circumvented to gain bigger odds of winning the money ball raffles.

So, while we can't stay "stop putting your mouse on an electric fan to keep it moving" (yes, it has happened), we can investigate specific incidents; they should be reported from HELP menu ---> REPORT ABUSE to see if there were any transgressions of the CS in question.

Of course, I like people being present: that's what's so unique about SL! REAL LIVE PEOPLE! =]

Thanks for your concern.