Saturday, December 20, 2008

They're At It Again! (Those Darn Lindens)

Written 20 December, 2008

They're At It Again! (Those Darn Lindens!)

See here for the latest word from Linden Lab regarding openspace sims (no changes) and here for the announcement of a new sailing area on the mainland.

It seems the Lindens are for the first time allowing owners of private estates to connect to the mainland.

The estate owners in question are part of the United Sailing sims. Their sims will adjoin 40 Linden sims to comprise a new sailing area.

I"ve sailed the much-vaunted Linden seas before. Ugly ground terrain, ugly builds, ugly Linden plants, stupid red fences. All of this has been absent from the truly gorgeous United Sailing Sims. I wonder how long it will take before I slam into a ban line or get my sailboat returned from an overfull sim?

I'm growing increasingly convinced that Linden Lab has abandoned its original vision of a world created by its inhabitants in favor of a world with content designed and built by Linden Lab (and, perhaps, the inhabitants it can co-opt). Management now seems to have the goal of providing a structured experience for Second Lifers, and on the mainland, at that.

That is not only a totalitarian approach, it is truly fucking stupid, the beginning of the end of what has been a truly wonderful world. Have you noticed-- SL is shrinking lately. And, unless things change for the better, it will continue to shrink.

If I wanted a structured experience, I would play Monopoly or be on the Sims. I, and other I know, revere Second Life for its structure-- but it is structure that has grown organically, developed by the residents with no guidance from Linden Lab and only rarely the touch of the hobnailed Linden boot.

What about you? Are you here to let M Linden guide you carefully through your Second Life? Do you want him tucking you in at night? Do you want to have a Linden experience here, or do you want to have your own damn experience?

Please write and let me know.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chey, I totally agree. I am one of the soon to be victims of the new openspace pricing structure. I will have to make a decision very soon whether I even want to be a land owner since I will no longer be able to afford the openspace land that I own and have spent a great deal of time terraforming and furnishing. And now this! I agree with you. I think they are trying to have more control. It's a sad day and a discouragement to those who have created such beauty here. Keep us informed. You do us SLers a service.

Cheyenne Palisades said...

Be sure to take a RAW file of your terrain! And thanks for your comment.