Linden Lab on Linden Realms: It's Not For Growing the User Base, It's for Established SLers and SL Developers

I wondered if Linden Realms, the new SL game area launched by Linden Lab last week, which has been widely promoted by the company to the media, was a bid to grow SL's user base. I asked the Lindens that question, and got this reply from project lead Rhett Linden:

"Linden Realms is more about giving everyone something fun to do and the new tools we're going to release than about growing the user base. We hope that folks will have some fun playing Linden Realms – exploring the game, dodging the monsters, collecting crystals (oh, and earning some L$ while they do, by the way), and completing the quests. And I think users will have some fun thinking about the experiences they will be able to create with new tools that we'll eventually be releasing to creators."

So there you go. I still think it would be a great space in SL to drop new users into; or at the very least, drop some of them there, to see if doing so increases retention. That said, I do hope it gives SL developers ideas for their own projects; I think the auto-loading HUD is going to to be a killer addition to their tool chest. But let me put the question to developers reading this directly: Has Linden Realms inspired you to take your projects into new directions?

Comments

[Pussycat Catnap]

Yeah that was announced on a blog somewhere else a bit back (I though here, but maybe one of the others I check).

Its all about giving us more tools, so we can make the stuff that will get more people around.

This is about making SL "Gaming Platform" ready.

In other words... SL will be a game, soon, at least for a wider segment than before - if not already so.

If you've got a RP sim, this is going to be like a lightning bolt of new opportunities - take advantage of them or fall by the wayside as your competition does.

I suspect it may be LL's answer to the common request to add RLV into the official code. This, if it keeps going where it look like its headed, will possibly add all the 'non-XXX' uses one might have for RLV...
- and I'm sure somebody will then figure out how to get it to do the XXX as well...

[Pussycat Catnap]

Followup:

I think dropping new folks into this would hurt their retention.

Its a solo game.

But once the tools are in the hands of the people behind RP-sims, dropping new people into one of those that has this might boost retention: it'd be a mini-MMO, comlete with opportunities for grouping. Though they'd have to make themselves look right for the theme first.

[Missy Restless]

At Restless Studio we are creating scripted agents using METAbolt and its LSL API along with webservices connecting these agents with Wikipedia, Wolfram Alpha, and pandorabots.com. See, for example, the Smart Dance Pole and Smart Tip Jar which allows visitors to tip a bot into an outfit change - https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Restless-Studio-Smart-Dance-Pole-Tip-Jar-Combo-Pack/2834488 . Combine this type of "intelligent" bot with something like the METAnomy plug-in for METAbolt to provide scripted movement and you have the makings of bots that could dynamically interact with players in an SL game environment - http://www.metabolt.net/metawiki/METAnomy.ashx

Hopefully the toolset LL releases will facilitate dynamic interaction with intelligent scripted agents.

[Adeon Writer]

Auto-loading huds will most likely be a feature reserved for estate managers, but llTepoertAgent... I plan to have a dungeon crawler of sorts using it. Assuming non-EM's can use it!

[Nexii Malthus]

Some of those new tools will definitely drop a few significant barriers down that have been impeding larger game dev efforts.

The auto-loading HUDs has also good timing now that I am working on an opensource HUD UI library, which will allow scripters to more easily create interesting and robust user interfaces.

I just uploaded a quick vid of the library example: http://youtu.be/dxI7GmVeO60
Hopefully it'll become very useful to people who want to start making production ready HUDs that fit better to the needs of scripters.

[Jjccc]

http://vimeo.com/33138086
Second Life Realms
Music by Velvet underground Velvet Underground-Venus In Furs ...
if you watch carefully you will see how a newbie gets into Second life realms by being kicked through the portal by one on the regulars its a great sport come and try it out at a portal near you
Filmed at Violet welcome area

[Ezra]

There's use cases outside of gaming and RP sims too.

Take Choice 2011 (choicesl.com) for example if anyone participated in that this past October. It's not a perfect example since it required buying something before getting a "stamp card" HUD, but there's similar contests/hunts where a HUD is used and one earns prizes or discounts for visiting a collection of sims. I can see auto-loading HUDs being good for stuff like this.

Then there's some stores with teleport HUDs, like rebourne that have HUDs that teleports visitors between prefabs and provide them with info on each one. An auto-attach HUD would be great to skip the receive inventory and attach steps..

Then there's what hasn't been thought of.

This is a nice addition and I can't wait to see it handed over to devs.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

I don't have the land or resources (or to be honest, the time) to use the tools as I would like.

But this doesn't matter. Any tool that gives creators options they didn't have before (or had only through convoluted kludges) is a good thing, even if I personally don't have an immediate application for that tool.

I still benefit from the work of creators who do have the time and money to use the tool.

[Pussycat Catnap]

auto-loading HUDs could be a great boost to griefers... O.o

[shockwave yareach]

Nah. I haven't made a new game in about a year. Taking months to create something and let people play for free, but still get no visitors because I have no way to let people know about the game? One can only do that a few years before giving up on it.

[shukran]

DUDE!

i ahve been waiting for these tools since i rezed my first cube 6 years ago. all of our projects at imperial college will change once this is born. im so sick of 'hacking' similar and less effective work arounds to this functionality

when are they releasing the tools?

[Jack Abraham]

I'd be inspired by these tools if I, y'know, HAD them. Just waiting for them isn't too exciting.