Riddle Solved!

Written 11 February, 2011

Riddle Solved!

Well, it didn't take long for someone to figure out where on Whimsy the picture (in the post before this one) was taken.

It was the guy who lives in the lava who got it.

Baja Mekanic rezzes in Pele's lava pool. She must like him, for she puts up with it.

So understandably, Baja knows his way around our volcano.

The photo shows a little cave from which a sizable stream of water flows down to the sea. I took the following photo of Baja when he found it.

Congratulations, Baja!

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Can You Find This Spot on Whimsy?

Written 10 February, 2011

Can You Find This Spot on Whimsy?

Sweetie took this photo on Whimsy. I'm betting no one can figure out where it is.

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That Stumping Sound

Written 7 February, 2011

That Stumping Sound

Don't you hate that stumping sound when steps have too much rise? Don't you just love going Bump! on every step of a 100-meter-tall Aztec Pyramid, or bump bump bump as you walk up the stairs to your bedroom?

Well, guess what? You can turn that bumping sound down, replace it with a more pleasing sound, or turn the bumping sound off altogether!

There's a scripting command called llCollisionSound. It's easy to slip it into an existing script in your prims or into the default "Hello, Avatar!" script.

Here's a simple script that will turn the sound off. Just copy it and paste it into a new script in your noisy prim:

//-----

// Simple Collision Sound stopper by Cheyenne Palisades

default
{
        state_entry()
    {
        llCollisionSound("", 0.1);
    }
    
    touch_start (integer x)
    {
        // Here you can make the script do stuff when it's touched, if that's your inclination
    }
}

//-----

By experimenting, I discovered the script must remain in the prim in a running state to suppress the sound, so keep in mind it's not like a cleaner script that rids your prim of particles and looping sounds. If you take the script out, the bumping collision sound will come back to haunt you.

To substitute another sound, simply drop it in the prim with the script and type its name (or better, the sound's UUID) inside the quotation marks. Best to copy and paste the name, as any error will make for difficulties. 

The number that follows the name sets the loudness; you can change it from 0.0 (silent) to 1.0 (maximum loudness).

The wiki notes that setting the volume to 0.0 will disable collision particles. I didn't even know there WERE collision particles! I left the volume set to 0.1, which is very low.

You can see the script in action at the Whimsy Sungate. When you step up onto the round viewing platform or from the platform down to the walkway there's no sound-- even though there's a rise of more than .5 meters.

No stump, stump, stump! Imagine that!

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Concurrency Up?

Written 4 February, 2010

Concurrency Up?

Over at New World Notes, Hamlet Au is still being pessimistic about the future of Second Life. He continues to see our future in social networks, and especially Facebook. Meanwhile, he continues to be strangely optimistic about the virtual world Blue Mars, despite the recent announcement by Avatar Reality (the parent company) that they're ending development for PC and Macs and working only on software for hand-held devices like the iPad. I guess that means the invasion is cancelled.

Hamlet compares SL metrics for 2010 to 2009 and concludes, based on slight declines in user hours and such that even establish users are spending less time in world. He then suggests, using the increase in sales of virtual goods on the SL Marketplace last year, that Linden Lab should be spending more time and money on web-based virtual sales.

I see a rosier future. Linden Lab's efforts to improve Second Life's infrastructure are paying off with better performance and stability, and (this is based solely on my experience), concurrency is way up the last quarter or so. The Lab seems to have stopped, at least for the time being, dumping on residents (although the recent decision to end land discounts for nonprofits and educational corporations was inexcusable).I know my own attitude, which was dour this time last year, has improved. I suspect others are feeling more optimistic as well? Readers, your feelings? I've love to hear them.

Despite Hamlet's been going on about Avatar Reality's repurposing-- what was it he called it? Sidestepping? Going back to the drawing board? Admitting you screwed up? Oh, yeah, he referenced a post by Grace McDunnough, who called it pivoting. He continues to suggest ways for Second Life to "pivot." Become Facebook. Become Minecraft. And now, become a seller of virtual goods.

You know, when and if Linden Lab ever "pivots," abandoning its responsibility to its landowners and residents and in consequence ruining my in-world experience, that's when I'll pick up my prims and move to the OS Grid.

Meanwhile, I'm cautiously optimistic.

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Things Quietly Get Better

Written 3 February, 2011

Things Quietly Get Better

Yeah, I know the grid is rife with rumors that Linden Lab is setting itself to be purchased, and I know that could easily happen.

Still, some things are quietly getting better.

I hardly ever crash any more. I attribute that partly to the good folks at Phoenix, but partly, too, to the Lab.

Textures rez far faster these days. This is due in part to Phoenix, but due also to new data-handling algorithms of the lab.

While they still leave a lot to be desired, sim crossings are fastr and smoother these days. This is because of new data compression techniques instituted by the lab. This may be why I sometimes get an error message when crossing sim lines on Whimsy and have to relog; if so, it's just a growing pain and should soon go away.

I've not seen one of those Please Don't Rez Prims warnings lately.

I can think of a dozen more small improvements that make my Second Life experience better.

Thank you, Phoenix people.

And thank you, Linden Lab.

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Don't Sit in the Geyser!

Written 1 February, 2011

Don't Sit in the Geyser!

I just finished another project.

On Whimcentricity are three tiny humps of land, connected by Japanese-style bridges. Each features a geyser. The center geyser fires off regularly at a quarter till the hour, and the westernmost erupts at 7 and 31 minutes after the hour. The third geyser erupts when it damn well feels like it. We call it Gary because the name just seems to fit.

I just finished a project I started a year or so ago. Woo hoo, for closure!

An invisible rezzer prim sits a couple of meters above Gary. In rezzes a prim that appears just at Gary's mouth, with hovertext that reads "Don't sit in the geyser!"

I've placed a construction barricade on the walkway with a warning sign that reads "
Caution: Renegade Geyser." Smaller print below says "Do not sit in geyser!"

Just visible above the top of the barricade is the poseball. Of course people will sit on it!

Upon sitting (or left clicking), the avatar is thrown into mouselook. Gary begins to erupt, building pressure. After a few seconds there's a popping sound and the avatar is tossed hundreds of meters into the sky. Silly. And fun.

Of course, the geysers are sight to see in themselves. Come to Whimcentricity and experience them. Remember, the biggest geyser goes off at a quarter till the hour.

And remember-- Gary is ready when you are.

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Ride the Leaf

Written 1 February, 2011

Ride the Leaf

A while back, Sweetie picked up a ridable leaf  at Pandora Wriggleworth's great Curio Obscura store.

What can I say-- Sweetie is a fool for silly gadgets and absurd means of transportation. Which, I guess, is why she likes my Kaboom rocket.

Her leaf has been hanging several hundred meters above the seat platforms on Whimsy Kaboom, high enough so only she and I knew about it.

Today I made a little platform to stand on placed it alongside the leaf.

I made a sign in GIMP and placed it at what has become the Whimsy Kaboom teleport center, here.

I added my teleport script, set the destination for the platform I'd just build, and voila! Now the leaf is accessible without having to fly up and search for it.

Chey rides the leaf. Note the humpback at  bottom left.

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