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Sploder alternative ?

Roland Gray
Registered User
Join date: 4 Oct 2006
Posts: 163
08-14-2007 14:53
HELP. Anyone know of a legal alternative,. Has to be simple so ppl can take part while dancing and having fun chatting.
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TheMoreILearnTheLessIKnow
hiro Voss
Registered User
Join date: 6 Oct 2006
Posts: 57
We just put this on SLExchange....
08-15-2007 16:53
Volcano Game - The Ultimate NON-GAMBLING Grid-Wide Slpoder Replacement

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THE FOLLOWING IS A COMPLETE PLUG FOR MY GAME.
COMMENTS ARE WELCOME. I WOULD LIKE TO HERE FROM FELLOW GAME DEVS THOUGHTS, CRITISISMS, ETC....

SLEXCHANGE URL: (It's free)
https://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=325266

The NON-GAMBLING, GRID-WIDE, SPLODER ALTERNATIVE.
GET BACK TOO MAKING THE MONEY THE SPLODER CAN NO LONGER PROVIDE YOU.

VOLCANOES operate differently from the rest of the games in Second Life. Winning is based upon the skill and perception of the players participating in the game. Points are awarded for how quickly players click errupting VOLCANO balls as they fly through the air. The more points the player scores the larger the prize they earn.

NO LUCK OR CHANCE IS INVOLVED IN DETERMINING THE DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES !


HOW DOES A CLUB OR CASINO OWNERS MAKE MONEY FROM VOLCANOES ?

You will keep a portion of all the tournament fees that are paid into the VOLCANO located at your club, mall, or casino. Whenever a VOLCANO receives money from a tournament player, the VOLCANO will automatically immediately forward the fees to the tournament manager. You will keep a percentage of the fees that are paid into your VOLCANO.You will also receive a promotion incentive at the end of the tournament.


HOW BIG CAN A POT SIZE GET ?

The pot is GRID-WIDE so you will be offering your customers a chance to win HUGE prizes. Consider a sample tournament with the game running at only 50 venues, and an average of 10 players per venue @ 15 Lindens per player; tournaments pots will be reach 7,500 L$.


HOW OFTEN DO TOURNAMNTS OCCUR AND HOW LONG DO THEY LAST ?

Tournaments start automatically every six minutes and are sychronized acorss the entire SL-grid. Game play lasts three minutes, followed by a three minute sign-up period. That's 10 tournaments an hour... 24/7.

WHY DO THE TOURNAMENT FEES GO TO A MANAGER ?

Because the tournament pool is grid-wide, the potential for one of your guests to win a really huge prize is very good. The tournament manager will pay out prizes to the players so that you are not responsible for a really huge prize.


HOW MUCH LAG DO VOLCANOES CAUSE ?

The scripts within the VOLCANOES have been optimized to minimize lag. All the complex computations needed to run the tournaments are performed at a central location in the SL grid. Each VOLCANO will communicate briefly with that central location when it resumes after the erruption.


HOW MANY PRIMS TO VOLCANOES TAKE UP ?

The basic VOLCANO design is only two prims. When the VOLCANO errupts it, creates up to 25 VOLCANO balls, but these are temporary prims which do no count against your parcels total.


HOW CAN I CONFIGURE THE VOLCANOES ?

In order to coordinate the game across the entire SL grid and keep the game play consistent from location to location, the VOLCANOES have been built to run from a central location. As a result, there are no configurations that you need to make once you deploy the VOLCANO at your location. However, you will be provided with a HUD that will allow you to offer incentives to your guests and staff for playing and promoting the game.


HOW DO I DEPLOY THE VOLCANO ?

Basically, drop the Rezzer pack and position, and they configure.
The Volcano has been designed to work very well on or near dance floors, public mall areas, and casino floors.


HOW MANY VOLCANO GAMES CAN I RUN?

Each AVATAR can only run one game. And only one game can be run per parcel.


HOW DOES THE VOLCANO GAME CONFORM TO THE LINDEN NO-GAMBLING POLICY?

The game has been specifically designed to conform to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 ( see: HR 4411 ).

No Chance, Luck, or Randomness is involved in awarding the prizes.
Talarus Luan
Ancient Archaean Dragon
Join date: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 4,831
08-15-2007 19:37
Dunno. My personal perception of these things is that they are still a form of gambling. The skill element is dubious at best.

Basically, if:

1) Each player has to ante or pay into a "pot"
2) Some form of selection process occurs
3) The winner of the selection process gets the lion's share of the "pot"

Then it still is gambling.

Remember, sports betting is also banned, which is betting on other people's skills and the outcome of them plying their skills in a rule-based competition.

In the end, you are substituting the randomness of lag for the (pseudo)randomness of a PRNG. You've not really changed the foundational issue of what amounts to a lottery (which is what 99% of all gambling is anyway; only the specific selection process is what separates one type of game from another).

My suggestion to the OP, therefore, is this: Instead of looking for another base attraction for your club or community, focus on things that make your place fun. We used to use 'sploders and raffle balls on the Isle of Wyrms, but long ago got rid of them, which led to people finding real reasons to come and enjoy our festivities, rather than just attracting people who have no other desire to be present and participate except to play the sploder.
hiro Voss
Registered User
Join date: 6 Oct 2006
Posts: 57
I don't understand your post...
08-16-2007 17:32
From: Talarus Luan
Dunno. My personal perception of these things is that they are still a form of gambling. The skill element is dubious at best.

Basically, if:

1) Each player has to ante or pay into a "pot"
2) Some form of selection process occurs
3) The winner of the selection process gets the lion's share of the "pot"

Then it still is gambling.

Remember, sports betting is also banned, which is betting on other people's skills and the outcome of them plying their skills in a rule-based competition.


"1) Each player has to ante or pay into a "pot""

- True, other than just giving money away, this is the only way one can provide a reward for the game.

"2) Some form of selection process occurs"

- Well no, a winner is not selected, that is the important part IMHO. And not "Some form", specifically, a person through their skill and perception (as specifically indicated by both the Lindens and the U.S. Federal Government) accumulate points, and, based upon those accumulated points are awarded prizes commensurate with the number of points they accumulated.. If you do not make an effort, or suck at the game, your reward will be proportionate to your effort or skill. Conversely, if you have a particular skill or work to develop a skill at the game that enables you to accumulate a greater number of points, well than your reward will reflect that. One

“3) The winner of the selection process gets the lion's share of the "pot"”

- Yes, someone wins based upon, either, their skill, perception, and/or effort. If they exhibit non of these while playing against someone who does, they will lose. If no one makes and effort, no one will prosper any more than the other.

“Remember, sports betting is also banned, which is betting on other people's skills and the outcome of them plying their skills in a rule-based competition.”

- I guess what you are getting at here is that sports betting is a bet on skill, but, what that does not take in consideration is that it is the skill of another. Another that you do not have control of. In that sense, you are right, one can consider it almost as arbitrary as the spin of a roulette wheel, or the rolling of the dice. But, when you are the one competing, you have a hand in your destiny. Your fortune rises and falls with your skill, perception and effort.
Now, if you are saying that you feel all games in which a monetary (be it Lindens or prizes) are awarded should be banned, that is your opinion and I respect that (Although, in the strictest of definition could be considered off topic in this thread). But, if you are saying that this game, and games like it, are not in compliance with the Lindens and the U.S. Federal Governments guidelines, then I would have to disagree.
Talarus Luan
Ancient Archaean Dragon
Join date: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 4,831
08-20-2007 22:59
I did preface my post "my personal perception", so take it for what it is worth.

Still, clicking on moving objects probably has more chance of being random due to lag issues than skill, thus it still is a "random" selection process of some kind.

Nevertheless, the conclusion I made is on-topic and relevant: build your community on something other than pseudo-gambling money games. We did, and we're much happier for it. :)
hiro Voss
Registered User
Join date: 6 Oct 2006
Posts: 57
I sort of take your point...
08-21-2007 23:39
And I guess my personal perception is life is a gamble based upon your perception.

This is not for Talarus specifically but more of a question for the general public. (and a bit off topic but this thread is pretty much dead at this point anyway) What is wrong with gambling? Is there something intrinsictly wrong with it that I'm missing? I understand that it is usualy regulated or illegal because of the potential for abuse both by the player or the facilitator, but is there actually something unethical or immoral about it.

This is not actualy an argument against the ban I as just wondering what people thought and didn't think this really warranted a whole thread...

h.
Marlowe Coen
Registered User
Join date: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 49
New and Legal Sploder Alternative - Trivius
08-22-2007 13:08
ON SALE NOW:


TRIVIUS... the game is on

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************************************************** ****
TRIVIUS V2.0
************************************************** ****

SPLODER IS DEAD. THE NAME OF THE GAME IS TRIVIUS.
TRIVIUS IS LEGAL. TRIVIUS IS EXCITING.
TRIVIUS IS VERY ADDICTIVE.



************************************************** ****
What is Trivius & How does it differ from Sploders?
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Trivius is almost identical to Sploder. People enter it the way they would enter a Sploder and it finishes off almost like a Sploder...but there is an exciting twist. It is actually a Quiz with money prizes.



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The way Trivius works
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After Trivius counts down, randomly selected questions, will be generated depending on the number of participants from a list of 50 questions. i.e. if there are 5 participants 5 questions will be randomly selected. Each selected question is assigned a random L$ prize value.

1. All participants get to see the question and get a chance to answer it. They get 10 seconds to answer.
2. All the questions appear on a blue dialog box and are multiple choice (a, b & c).
3. If a question goes unanswered or is answered incorrectly the allocated L$ prize amount for that question rolls over to the next session. This makes the game even more exciting and attractive.



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For owners of the Trivius
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In theory it is possible for the same participant to win all the prizes. There is nothing that is given out at random. Nothing is left to chance.
Winning requires knowledge and speed and for that reason Trivius is NOT gambling.

With every roll over the owner receives a commission fee from the amount that rolls over.
The growing pot amount means people keep coming back and keep playing.
It also means more profit for the owner as well as larger prizes for the participants.
The nature of Trivius makes everyone happy!
To be fair to owners as well as participants, a commission fee of 10% maximum can be levied.



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Yes but the questions could get boring after a while?
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All question sheets have 50 questions. We have also prepared separate question sheets. Some of the question sheets are a "mixed bag" of questions and others are ‘themed’ questions. These can be purchased separately. This ensures that your guests are kept on their toes.



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Hmmm… that's all good but all of my guests are German
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Trivius is multilingual...The questions are translated accurately so that we keep quality of language high. Question sheets can be bought in the following languages:

Dutch
English
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Spanish
Turkish

All question sheets have 50 questions in all of the languages mentioned above.
Questions can be bought from the L-Tek showroom and/or affiliate shops.



************************************************** ****
Trivius objects individualised
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Currently there are 4:

1. Beachball
2. Playboy bunny
3. Champagne bottle with glasses
4. Stacks of $50 & $100 notes

If you have a specific look in mind we would be happy to consider it.



************************************************** *********
~ FEATURES~
************************************************** *********

1. Gives adminsitration fee to the owner (this is capped to a maximum of 10% to avoid missuse)
2. Can give out a share of the owners administration fee to a 3rd party (e.g. a manager or partner)
3. Owner can specify minimum number of required participants
4. Owner can specify minimum amount of payout to each question asked
5. Owner can specify the intervals at which the contest begins
6. Trivius can clear participants that are no longer present before each contest. This can be stiched on/off
7. Simple notecard configuration
8. One touch pop-up menu operation
9. If Trivius is assigned to a group, the pop-up menu feature can be used by the members of that group
10. Trivius on/off feature
11. Refund all participants feature
12. Reset feature
13. Auto roll back & re-start if not enough money is in the prize pot
14. Stop game (countdown) feature
15. List feature to list all current participants with total amounts paid in to Trivius
16. Makes & displays (without spamming) the necessary messages to encourage people to participate
17. Works with minimal memory & processor overhead and can work under extreme lag
18. If you have a TAG screen it will display number of required participants & winners etc on the screen
...plus many more


ON SALE NOW:
Talarus Luan
Ancient Archaean Dragon
Join date: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 4,831
08-23-2007 09:23
Yay for more thread spam (referring to previous post)! :rolleyes:

From: hiro Voss
And I guess my personal perception is life is a gamble based upon your perception.


No, your personal perceptions are just fine... for you. :) I wasn't suggesting mine were superior or anything silly like that.

From: someone
This is not for Talarus specifically but more of a question for the general public. (and a bit off topic but this thread is pretty much dead at this point anyway) What is wrong with gambling? Is there something intrinsictly wrong with it that I'm missing? I understand that it is usualy regulated or illegal because of the potential for abuse both by the player or the facilitator, but is there actually something unethical or immoral about it.

This is not actualy an argument against the ban I as just wondering what people thought and didn't think this really warranted a whole thread...


I actually don't have a problem with people gambling; it's their choice. They reap the rewards (both good and bad) for participating. I don't gamble (well, I played the odd raffle or sploder when we had them, but little else); to me it is a just a tax on those who can't do math. :) Still, it is a voluntary thing; if people get enjoyment out of it for the cost involved in participating, it is worth it.

The problem that prompts laws and regulations in some places/cultures is that it is psychologically addictive for some people. They can't stop, and will ruin themselves (and sometimes others) financially before they get help. Now, as far as I am concerned, if the damage is limited to them, it's not a problem that I am concerned with. However, when someone uses up their credit, charging up huge amounts of lost money on credit cards, we end up paying for their addiction when their bankruptcy pushes interest rates up for the rest of us.

That is really what the Internet gambling act of 2006 was all about. Normally, gambling is made illegal/regulated in many places precisely because of the social issues surrounding those who abuse it. However, the Internet does not normally respect state/national borders, hence the government's reaction by making this law to force those who operate within the law's jurisdiction to comply or be held responsible.

Personally, I don't care for nanny laws. I would much rather have personal responsibility reinforcement laws. You screw up, and it only affects you and no one else. No way to escape it, either.
Talarus Luan
Ancient Archaean Dragon
Join date: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 4,831
08-23-2007 09:26
Oh, one last important point...

I just wanted to reiterate that my stance on gambling as only one small and largely unimportant facet of community events and participation wasn't really to be against gambling, per se. The idea is that there are many and better alternatives to gambling to enhance people's enjoyment of a venue, event, or a community itself. That's what we have discovered, and I, for one, am glad for it. :)