New World Notes

Users of Now-Closed Inworldz Reportedly Planning to Launch New World

InWorldz, a commercial spinoff of OpenSim that was recently struggling under billing woes, officially closed up last weekend, with a final farewell party of users before it disappeared into the digital ether. But wait: According to an update from InWorldz CEO Beth Reischl, she and many users have a plan to take the $16,000+ raised in a crowdfunder and launch another world:

After much agonizing and upset, it was suggested by the residents that we use these monies to start a new grid. We'll be able to move OARS, profiles, groups. Inventory can only be taken that can be put in a box to be OAR filed. We'll be opening the sandbox for people who have no region to place their items and can get them back. If you are NOT ok with this, I urge you to please withdraw your support on the [GoFundMe]page. I do not want to take anyone's money who is not ok with this! Otherwise, please start boxing your items up on your region or ask a friend or tomorrow I'll be opening the Sandboxes up for people! 

That was announced late last week, so presumably at least some InWorldz users have saved their content to OAR (for OpenSim Archive), and are moving like homeless refugees to a new, untrammeled sandbox grid. I've reached out to Reischl for updates -- hopefully more soon.

Pic via Daniel Voyager, who has more.

Why It's So Hard to Create a Successful Successor to Second Life (Comment of the Week)

Good conversation on OpenSim's struggle to become a viable consumer product capped by this comment from reader "Pulsar":

For years Opensim attracted some because of the lower prices, larger regions and other features like that. But after a while, you see those who tried that, go back to Second Life (only few stay or stay in both).

Why? Usually the answers are: «My friends are in SL» and «...all the inventory I have too» and they have to restart from zero [in OpenSim]. The inventory maybe isn't the bigger deal (not to mention those who resort to copybotting, although that won't get the scripts), but given how many people use SL for social things, you have the old issue: People stay where people are. For the same reason it has always been hard to make a popular alternative to Facebook or Whatsapp (or MSN messenger before), until either something game-changing comes (e.g. the advent of smartphones and tablets) and/or you offer something new that works well enough (e.g. Instagram). Therefore a SL clone would have an hard time, no matter the good features.

There's been several attempts to create a Second Life successor -- Cloud Party was showing promise, until Yahoo! gobbled it up a few years ago, where it remains, presumably undigested somewhere its corpulent innards -- but none have really gained traction as yet. Pulsar has a theory why:

Today in OpenSim: Tribute to Late SL Teaching Legend Lumiere Noir

Starting at 1:30PM/SLT there's a virtual world tribute to much-loved SL building teacher Lumier Noir, who passed away in 2015. Somewhat ironically (but I suspect Lumiere wouldn't mind), it's happening in OpenSim, the open source spinoff of Second Life, which contains a recreation of his famed Ivory Tower of Prims tutorial building.

Click here to join http://sanctuary.homelinux.org:8012 :ivory city 4

More info on Facebook and Twitter (below).

OpenSim Community Devotes Week to Deceased Developer Named Cornflakes

This week is Cornflakes Week for the community built around OpenSim, the open source spinoff of Second Life. What's that even mean, you ask. Here's veteran virtual world expert John "Pathfinder" Lester to explain:

"It's all around a celebration of the work of Cornflakes Woodcock," Pathfinder explains, "who died about 5 years ago but left a HUGE legacy of free content and resources in OpenSim. Very unique guy, very creative, and was very loved by everyone in virtual worlds. Amazing to me that these celebrations are still going on after so many years. So many people talk about how impermanent virtual worlds are, but this is a beautiful example of how both content and social bonds are much stronger in the virtual than most folks can imagine."

Cornflakes events posted here, including one happening at Noon Pacific today. And here's a tribute to the man, the myth, the metaverse legend.

Virtual World Using Bitcoin Beset by Virtual Currency's Wild Fluctuations

Hey remember when someone idiotically suggested that Bitcoin might be a great virtual currency for indie virtual worlds like those based on OpenSim, the open source spinoff of Second Life? (In my defense, that was back in 2011.) But yeah, no:

 YrGrid denies allegations that it is refusing redemptions in order to profit from the recent spike in Bitcoin prices. Instead, the problem is caused by their Bitcoin wallet service provider, said the grid, which is a Hong Kong-based commercial gambling-oriented grid with a Bitcoin-based virtual currency... YRGrid, known as a Bitcoin-based gambling grid, brands itself as a Bitcoin economy in OpenSim and uses Bitcoin as their in-world currency meaning users and residents can spend and buy land or services with Bitcoin in the virtual world without having to exchange to Gloebits or Podex or other in-world currencies... In a Twitter response on December 14, YrGrid said, “bitcoins isn’t money you lost nothing.”

More good reporting from David Kariuki of HyperGrid Business. While much of the controversy stems from how the virtual world owners are responding to community complaints, even the best run MMO that tried to operate with Bitcoin would take on a whole host of heartaches -- especially now, as Bitcoin value wildly fluctuates.

OpenSim Grids Beset by World-Spanning Content Infringement, HGB Reports

In-depth report by Hybergrid Business' David Kariuki strongly suggests that content infringement is such a rampant problem in worlds based on OpenSim, the open source version of Second Life, that it's demoralized and drained the creator community uploading their own content there:

In most cases, creators do not like to engage in this time consuming and cost prohibitive activity of chasing grids. Some do not feel that it is necessary to pursue cases on the matter at all.

“I have been creating since 2005 in Second Life and since 2007 in OpenSim,” said Kelly. “I just don’t believe in lawsuits for trivial things and I would never go to the trouble to file one for my own intellectual property.”

Many OpenSim users have individually also been vocal on social media and here about illegal redistribution of creators’ content, from Moonrise Azalee to Zangrid’s Suzan Mönnink to VirTec’s Virtouse Lilienthal to Candi Collins of Genesis Metaverse to creators such as Noxluna Nightfire. The list is endless at OpenSim Virtual, OpenSim Everything and other OpenSim forums.

The post's long and passionate reader comment thread (99 comments at this writing!) affirms what a pervasive problem it is. Some suggest having a grid-spanning "neighborhood watch", which also raises the specter of vigilantism. Frankly the underlying problem seems to be deeper:

OpenSim Community Contemplates Future Competing With Upgraded, Cheaper Second Life

Interesting article and reader comment thread in HyperBusiness where users of OpenSim, the open source spinoff of Second Life, contemplate the future of their virtual world activity in the wake of news that Linden Lab is massively upgrading SL and will probably discount land prices. For instance:

“For me, the main reason to leave Second Life, and I believe for many others, was the relation of land size verses land fees and OpenSim has a huge strong selling point — ten times more land with ten times less fees,” he said. “No matter which other aspects you bring to the equation, this is the determinant factor at the end of the day.”

Loff himself has three large projects currently underway in OpenSim.

“All this said, and with no offense to many wonderful OpenSim efforts, we must keep recognizing that OpenSim still has a bit of an refugee camp feeling,” he said.

This from Carlos Loff, owner of the OpenSim-based Virtual Lisbon project (pictured above). In comments, however, Han Held has another opinion:

Monday Open Forum: What Should New World Notes Cover This Week?

Tell us what deserves coverage in NWN over the next few days and why, including links to pics and video where possible. And yes, self-promotion is permitted, as long as it's awesome.

SPACE LIFE: Indie MMO Project Created in OpenSim Inspired by No Man's Sky & Other Open Universe Games

SPACE LIFE is a mini-MMO that's also a mini-universe, currently being created on a grid of servers using OpenSim, the open source spinoff of Second Life, and as you might have guessed, it's pretty damn ambitious:

"Inspired in Star Citizen, No Man Sky and Dual Universe, I'm building a huge Space Sim on the OpenSim grid - Digiworldz," lead developer Carlos "Loff Auer" Loff announced in NWN's open forum last week. Loff's been creating in Second Life and other worlds for a decade. "It's a 36 sims-wide megaregion where you can free flight between Planets, Moons, Suns, Comets, Asteroid Fields and Space Stations, and on each one you can land, explore and in some even colonize. There will be kind and rough places, dead and live ones, harsh and gentle, also possible to complete missions and get rewards and later on even have your own sim alien planet connected to my space wormholes system." Follow the Google+ community for more updates and info.

Comment of the Week: Grandmother of Six Contrasts & Compares Second Life and OpenSim

Last week a post on Second Life subscriptions re-ignited a regularly occurring reader argument on the merits of SL versus OpenSimulator, its cheaper, open source spinoff. (Which for my money, seems a bit like still arguing whether Orkut is better than MySpace in 2016, but OK.) Into the breach rides Ms. Dykoda Desmoulins (pictured), who speaks from experience:

I am not going to get into an 'Opensim vs. SL' debate, but there are a few things I would like to address.

I have been in Second Life since October 2005. I've watched it grow from a primitive virtual world into what it is today. I am a fashionista to an extent. I spend a LOT of time shopping. I find a lot of enjoyment, and spend a lot of time decorating my house, however, I tend to shop at various well-known stores, rather than Gachas (though I've been known to do the latter occasionally). I absolutely LOVE Second Life because I can satisfy my desire for all of those things, and much more. SL offers me things that I simply can't get in OpenSim.

I am a RL grandmother (of 6, actually). I love spending time in a sandbox building. I rent regions on several OpenSim grids. I love to travel the Hypergrid, exploring what others create, what others have built. I love the fact that I'm not limited by various things in OpenSim such as the linkset limits, etc.

More from this metaverse exploring grandma: