Welcome to Vladwerkz

Thank you for visiting the Vladwerkz wiki. Below is a list of brief descriptions of what can be found in each area of the site to help you better navigate and experience the content.

• Areas
  • Art Gallery: This area contains various photographs taken within Second Life.
  • Script Vault: This area contains LSL scripts and snippets for public use.
  • Oratorium: The area serves as the public voice of Vladwerkz.
• The Powers
  • Vladwerkz HUDs: This is just a general listing and brief description of the various Vladwerkz Spell HUDs
    • The Warlock: This page is explicitly for the Warlock spell HUDs
    • The Necromanticum: This page is explicitly for the Necromanticum spell HUD
• Astral Contact: This section is a contact email
• Spell Caster
  • The Story:This section tells the story of the Spell Caster region
• Forum: A forum for various discussions concerning Vladwerkz

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From categories:

All categories Vladwerkz Forums: General Vladwerkz Forums: The Guild of Spell Crafters Vladwerkz Forums: The Game: Ethereal Crux Vladwerkz Forums: Vladwerkz events Vladwerkz Forums: Vladwerkz Products Vladwerkz Forums: Tips and Tricks Vladwerkz Forums: Ask an Associate

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Re: Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

Angus_Mesmer 1263818452|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

Well, I must say that I am against the usual argument of "I'm using it against griefers". Either you are at your place and have parcel/estate powers, or you are a security officer somewhere and also have those powers and thus don't need to add any effect to ban people.
If you are in a place where you don't have any powers, it also means you aren't allowed to take the decision to eject someone, by whatever means.
The griefer could decide to send an AR against you and have the right to do so. According to Murphy's law, that wouldn't be good.

Re: What would YOU like to see?

KasperKestenbaum (guest) 1263817574|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » What would YOU like to see?

Remind me to actually sign up for the forums later…right now I'm just too lazy and multi-tasking. Anyway, another thing I really miss now that I've played with the new Warlock, is the altar.

Re: What would YOU like to see?

KasperKestenbaum (guest) 1263815516|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » What would YOU like to see?

I'd be glad to see a minimize button somewhere, perhaps the eye, which seems to not have any effect at the moment…

Re: Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

KasperKestenbaum (guest) 1263815362|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

I think the reason most people liked the original design (more weapons-based less RP oriented) is because of a couple of things. 1) Most people don't purchase HUD's for RP reasons, they buy them for combat. One of the most common insults against the Warlock from people I talk to is something along the lines of "It's weak, none of the attacks really work." 2) Even people who don't normally engage in SL 'combat' occasionally want at least one item they can use as retaliation against a real griefer attack, especially considering how poorly LL handles abuse reports.

Personally, as far as I'm concerned, those people can just go buy another HUD…but it's your project, not mine. I like it the way it is now. Safer to play with my friends now without accidentally crashing one of their clients or something equally rude. :P

I do have to say though, a way to minimize the HUD completely would be nice, the slimmer interface is nice, but sometimes screen space is hard to come by.

Re: Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

VladimirP 1263559480|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

Many of those spells were removed for various reasons…some because I was trying to make the final push to get the Warlock away from being weapon-like (like Chaos Strike), so that it could be used in more roleplay sims that normally don't allow things that have griefing potential.
The flight assist was simply something I never added in to the core of the new version's primary scripts. It will be back at some point, but I wasn't fond of the erratic performance of the old version and would like to make something that is a bit more reliable before I put it back into the device.

However, since the release of 4.0 I've received quite a bit of feedback insinuating that the general public preferred the HUD when it contained the weapon devices. In light of this my desires to go "griefer free" may go out the window, as I take the time to reinstall a few weapon items into the device. At this point I'm not sure how I am going to handle these, but at this point I can at least say that they are coming.

Re: soul shard

VladimirP 1263559151|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » soul shard

Sorry for the delay in response Rhianon. I hadn't realized anyone was actually using these forums yet.

In regards to the animation not stopping…its not supposed to stop really, or at least it was never intended to do so. I can see about adding a button to do so, though in many cases it will be a moot issue unless the caster takes the time to deal with it all. In my experience, less than 1% of users will do that, and while I try to keep everyone happy, I do have to build with the entire 100% of users in mind and hope I can keep them all happy. Needless to say, that never works…but I can shoot for as many as possible.
The other anims you drop in /should/ be working however, so i will look into that as soon as possible. i fi can't find any reason it shouldn't be working, I will contact you inworld and see about walking you through it.

Re: Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

Pascha Riley (guest) 1260785619|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

I am Missing several spells from the Version 3.78
For example the shield, caos strike or the flight assist. Thatswhile I dont use the Version 4 in the Moment. Is it Possible to ad these spells to the Version 4?

soul shard

Rhianon Simondsen (guest) 1258030075|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » soul shard

after i cast soulshard …i tried to drop more anims on it …eventho it accepts more , usualy only one anim is working …and i can't end the anim…a stop anim button to release the person would be handy…am i doing something wrong with this otherwise awesome spell ?

Spell Dueling in Spell Caster!

VladimirP 1257522603|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz events » Spell Dueling in Spell Caster!

The Vladwerkz spell dueling system is finally here and open for everyone to come and enjoy.
Just stop on in to the Spell Caster region, and look for the sign that shows where to go on the upper level of the city. Talk to the Arena Master to get instructions, obtain your dueling gear, or sign up for a duel.

All duels are in a fast paced 1st/3rd person format, where players actively sling spells at one another in an attempt to reduce their opponent's life to 0 or less.

Avatars can flip and jump to get atop platforms or to dodge spells, by using the PgUp button.

Avatars may block, by pressing the PgDown button, in an attempt to reduce the effect of direct damage spells such as Energy Blast and Fireball.

Use effects that cover an area or deal damage over time…such as Poison Cloud.

Dispel ill effects on your avatar with the Cleanse spell.

Heal yourself of lost health using Healing Light, or use Drain Life to steal it from your enemy and use it for yourself.

Drain Mana can be used to reduce your foe's pool of energy for spell casting, and replenish your own at the same time.

Stop on down and check them out…there is more to come soon.
(Proposed future spells for this system include, but are not limited to, Energy Shield, Meteor, Inferno, Whirlwind, and more)

Re: Crux Racing Begins!

VladimirP 1255980525|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz events » Crux Racing Begins!

This is just an update on the Crux Racing system and its development through open beta, as it currently stands.

The system is now automated, so anyone can stop by at any time and race against others.

The registration fee is $1L, but it is IMMEDIATELY refunded. This will certainly last through beta testing and perhaps for a bit after.

When you register, a mount will be rezzed for you. The registration unit will announce that you have been registered for the next race, and the mount will tell you that it will be your mount for the race.
Once your mount is rezzed…get on it, by clicking it.

DO NOT GET OFF YOUR MOUNT UNTIL THE RACE IS OVER!
If you do, you forfeit automatically.

Once at least TWO people are registered, someone (anyone) can touch the Crux Racing Registration unit, and cause it to announce that the race is starting and tell everyone to get to the starting area.

The Starting Area is currently a glowing disc, with a ring of purple runes around it…this will certainly change in appearance at some point in the near future.

Once everyone gets to the starting area, the Crux Racing Registration unit will wait 10 seconds (counting the last 5 out in chat) before telling everyone to GO!

After that, run around and try to go through all the Crux Points (there are currently 5 set out in the region at the moment). There is no set route, so blaze your own.
Use the charge from Crux Orbs to speed burst in a straight line, or to fire a stunning ball of energy at your opponents.

Once you have gone through all the Crux Points, you head back to the starting area (which is also the finish area).
The first person to go through all the Crux Points and make it back to the starting/finish area is the winner of the race.

If no one makes it back within 10 minutes, the entire race is considered a forfeit.

Once the race has finished all of the Crux Runners (the mounts) will disappear, and a new race may be started.

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Crux Orbs are little glowing, swirling pink balls that can be run over and picked up to give your mount a "charge".
This charge can be used to activate speed burst or to shoot at opponents to stun them momentarily.
(At the moment, it is 1 shot per unit of charge. This will probably get changed as it is currently not very easy to hit opponents while on the move. Either more shots per charge, or perhaps a small area of effect type shot will be used.)

Crux Points are the checkpoints…they are also pink, but about 2.5 meters across…shouldn't be too hard to tell the difference but if it becomes and issue some things may get remodeled.

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Tips:

- Register for races one at a time, and make sure everyone who wants to be part of the race is registered before touching the Crux Racing Registration unit to call for everyone to proceed to the starting area.
-Though no problems have been noticed so far, its possible that two people registering at the same time might cause a hiccup.
-If you touch the Crux Racing Registration unit before everyone is registered, those people who have not yet registered will not be able to participate in that particular race.

-Check out the region before you race, so you have an idea of where the Crux Points are.
-You MUST go through all the Crux Points and return to the start/finish area to complete the race…and win if you are the first to do so.

-Sometimes it is easier to turn while at a standstill, by jumping and turning in the air. (Seems to have less friction to resist the turn, when you are airborne)

Calculating time for long timers

VladimirP 1255875022|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Tips and Tricks » Calculating time for long timers

Most people probably won't ever need to use this, though a few who share my habit of occasional laziness might use it regardless.

The llSetTimerEvent(); function and the llSleep(); function both require an input in number of seconds (for values lower than 1 second, use decimals portions). For the vast majority of things this is perfect, since a lot of things need to happen regularly and quickly. However, every now and then we need something that sets a very long timer (I can't see many reasons for an insanely long sleep, but I can't think of a specific reason not to use it either). For instance, if you had a device that you wanted to check in with another object once a day or every few days. In this case you have quite a few seconds racking up.

One way you can handle this is to remember that you can do math within most functions so…

llSetTimerEvent(60 * 60 * 10); would work suitably to set the timer for 10 hour intervals.
(60 seconds per minute * 60 minutes per hour * 10 hours)

llSleep(60 * 60 * 24 * 5); would work to set something to 5 days.
(60 seconds per minute * 60 minutes per hour * 24 hours per day * 5 days)

Re: What would YOU like to see?

Babies with Rabies (guest) 1255681965|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » What would YOU like to see?

I think the new HUD would be much easier to use if it were arranged in pages instead of in a long scroll. It's a total pain in the butt to have to keep scrolling back and forth. How about an "attack page" with all the combat spells on it, and a "wall page" with all the walls and shields, and another page for the showoff spells, that sort of thing?

The reasoning behind it is that if you're in combat, you'll be using all your combat spells so they should all be together. The current HUD has everything kinda spaced around so you don't have access to all the ones you'll be needing.

What would YOU like to see?

VladimirP 1255555448|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » What would YOU like to see?

Hello everyone, and welcome to the start of what we hope to be a very influential part in the shaping of things to come. The thoughts and ideas expressed in this thread will give the Vladwerkz associates a better understanding of what concerns product users, and may even provide inspiration for future developments. On the flipside of that coin, users may at times gain a better understanding of why certain changes have been or will be made, or to the contrary, why certain things may never be a likely option.

Re: Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

Babies With Rabies 1255497221|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

I think the new HUD would be much easier to use if it were arranged in pages instead of in a long scroll. It's a total pain in the butt to have to keep scrolling back and forth. How about an "attack page" with all the combat spells on it, and a "wall page" with all the walls and shields, and another page for the showoff spells, that sort of thing?

Crux Racing Begins!

VladimirP 1255451868|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz events » Crux Racing Begins!

I imagine the first thing everyone is wondering…what is Crux Racing?

The simple answer to that…a new racing game built within and for the Spell Caster region. Racers must pass through a series of checkpoints to complete the race. The racer with the fastest time wins…however…racers may also gain the abilities to shoot projectiles that cause the mounts of others to stall out momentarily, or generate an amazing speed boost at the sacrifice of steering ability.

Now…for the long, and much cooler sounding answer….

The people of the Crux have long been exposed to beast of burden brought in from other realms, but the Crux Runner is one of few which have migrated in of their own free will. A creature capable of wandering the whole of reality, these creatures are a common sight, in one form or another, nearly anywhere one could imagine. Drawn to the realm by the presence of peculiar energy deposits referred to as Crux Orbs, the creatures were noted for their ability to travel nearly any type of terrain and their habit of being generally ignored by the more ferocious wildlife, even when carrying a rider or supplies.
As the generations have passed, the Crux Runners have been bred not just for service, but also for sport and entertainment. Today people come from far and wide to test their skills against one another…not only from within the confines of the Ethereal Crux, but from unheard of realms on the far side of reality.
The official style of racing, as performed within the Ethereal Crux, is for racers to pass through a number of checkpoints before returning to the starting area to be considered complete. There is no set "course", allowing the racers to choose their own paths. The racer with the lowest time wins the race.
Allowed strategies within the race include jumping, bumping/shoving, and the use of Crux Orbs*(see below).

*Crux Orbs
A Crux Runner can devour a Crux Orb simply by passing through it, causing the runner to gain a bit of "charge", displayed as a section of its segmented body glowing.
Once charged, the rider can cause the Crux Runner to activate one of its special abilities.
By pressing the L-Mouse Button, the Crux Runner can fire out a Crux Pellet. If the projectile strikes another Crux Runner, that Crux Runner will be stunned for a moment and stop moving.
By holding down the PgDown key instead of the forward arrow, the rider can cause the Crux Runner to move at incredible rates of speed, though this comes at a lack of steering ability.

This system is currently moving into Open Beta testing, so if you would like to come down and try it out, sign up in this thread or send Vladimir Petrichor an IM or Notecard inworld.

General Forum Rules

VladimirP 1255449834|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / General » General Forum Rules

At this point we aren't going to worry about having any specific set of dictated rules. In a world of thinking adults we should all be able to abide by the "golden rule" of treating others as we would like to be treated.
Aside from that, there doesn't seem to be a need to put unnecessary restrictions on people unless things do eventually get out of hand.

Warlock's Apprentice 2.0 Notecard Mistake

VladimirP 1254869240|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Warlock's Apprentice 2.0 Notecard Mistake

Special thanks to Minna Kurka for pointing out my error.
When writing the notecard for the Warlock's Apprentice 2.0, in the section regarding "Adding Sound" in the Advanced Features, I state that the sound should be named exactly as the spell object, followed by a single space and then a 4.

This is incorrect.

The 4 should be 3.

My apologies.
Next time I will not write my notecards so late at night…I swear…maybe.

Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

VladimirP 1254326037|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Warlock 4.0 Unofficial Release

At this point, only those who have previously purchased the Warlock will have access to the update, so it is assumed the reader of this card understands the basic operation of previous models.
This card will mainly detail the changes that have been made during conversion to series 4, as well as a few changes coming within the next few days.

*****
What's New?
********

Though it has been a long time coming, Vladwerkz is finally ready to unveil series 4 of the Warlock Spell HUDs.
Many of the most major changes were to the core engine, to allow for continued expansion and further streamline the system processing.
Interface changes in conjunction with the core changes deliver a 'paging' style spell selection. Up to five spells are displayed at any given time, with buttons available to scroll between groups of 5 or less.
The overall interface size is much smaller than previous versions of the Warlock.
A sophisticated yet efficient encryption system was installed to prevent communication hijacking and to pave the way for an in-HUD dueling system in the future.
The appearance of the interface has improved greatly.
Several new spells were added (see below)
Some old spells were removed from the system entirely.

*****
What's Really Important?
*****

Some of the most important changes to the Warlock have nothing to do with spells or scripting…but instead deal with the way Vladwerkz shall handle the Warlock in years to come.
As promised many times in the past, Vladimir Petrichor has finally developed the Warlock into a device that can house nearly every spell Vladwerkz shall ever produce. Other HUDs will be produced as "themed" sets…such as the Necromanticum. All of these themed sets will be included within the Warlock spell collection.
Those who own or purchase the full version of the Warlock will automatically receive all of the spells in the collection, and will receive all new spells as soon as they are produced.
Those who own the Warlock's Apprentice model will only receive a half dozen spells at the time of purchase (obviously for a much lower price than the full version), but may purchase additional spells at any time thereafter and add them to their HUD with a mainly automated process. This allows users some flexibility in terms of economy, and also the chance to build the spell sets of their choice instead of being limited to those that we happen to put together.

*****
New Spells (Already Installed)
*****

These spells are completely new and have never before been seen outside the Spell Caster region.

~Earth Spirit
Summon a creature of solid stone to rise up from the earth and bash your target with boulders.
~Fire spirit
Summon a Salamander from the realm of fire, to grow n intensity as it swirls around a target, creating a barrier of raging flames.
~Fairy Lights
Distract, confuse and mesmerize with a swarm of conjured will-o-wisps.
~Wall of Stone
Create large stones from pure magic, and cause them to surround a target
~Wall of Thorns
Entrap an enemy with growing and twisting vines that sprout sharp, nasty looking thorns.
~Wild Growth
Cause a random cluster of trees and plantlife to rapidly grow to maturity in a matter of moments. This spell's results are different every time.
~Fairy Dust
Summon a fairy to sprinkle fairy dust all over a target
~Vortex Blast
Assault a target with a cycling torrent of tiny exploding vortexes

******
Remodeled Spells
*****

These spells are from the odl Warlock set, but have had at least minor changes to their appearance and/or effect.

~Fae Circle
New sculpted mushrooms are used, the seating works more efficiently, and the entire linkset scales as one unit.
~Spherism
I can't even explain all the differences in this one, you'll just have to see it for yourself.

*****
Old Spells
*****

These are spells from the previous Warlock set that have had no noticable changes.

~Ring of Fire
~Big Boot
~Blink
~Earth Meld
~Dark Rift

*****
Included Sub-Sets
*****

~The majority of the Necromanticum spell set is included in the full version.

******
Soon to come
*****

October 5th a 4.01 update will be released, containing some more of the spells I haven't had time to convert.(Please note, the 2.0 Apprentice update will not go out until that day as well)
That is also when the release of the update will be publicly announced, and the new units will be added to the vendors/XStreet.
The following spells are scheduled for conversion/addition…

~Air Spirit
~Water Spirit
~Mad Dagger
~Titan's Grasp
~Titan's Blade (conversion of Holy Blade)
~Dark Thoughts
~Mage Tower
~Whirling Crystal
And more…

Re: Vladwerkz Magic Growing Plants

VladimirP 1253064143|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / Vladwerkz Products » Vladwerkz Magic Growing Plants

The Vladwerkz Magical Growing Plants have been officially released, as of September 15th, 2009. You can find them here…

Vladwerkz Magical Growing Plants (Mega Pack 01)

Vladwerkz Magical Growing Plants (Tree Pack 01)

Vladwerkz Magical Growing Plants (Plant Pack 01)

Re: Accepting Applications from Beta Testers

Roswenthe (guest) 1252876553|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Vladwerkz Forums / The Game: Ethereal Crux » Accepting Applications from Beta Testers

Hiya Vlad! Angus asked me if I was willing to beta-test, so I am signing up!

I am in the Eastern USA, and am around most evenings from 2-6 SLT, and then most weekends at any daylight SLT. I've seen most of the new build, and I think I like the caves best, though I dunno if those have been grounded yet. I especially like the catacombs. Lots of dead people! I have been a beta tester in most major MMOs, avid computer gamer, and a longtime SLer, on staff with several RP sims.

Roswenthe Aluveaux

Avatars United Update

1265667487|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Since announcing our acquisition of Avatars United, we've had a ton of Second Life Residents getting involved and playing with the site. A big thank you to everyone who's been trying it out!

Currently, avatar ownership on Avatars United is not verified (see the site's FAQ) for any virtual world or MMO on the platform, including Second Life. However, now that we've acquired the site, we've already started working on a standard, easy method of verifying ownership of Second Life avatars. You’ll hear more about that soon.

In the meantime, note that Avatars United provides a unique URL for every profile; you can add this URL to your inworld Second Life profile. This provides a definitive way for other users to verify that the profile they see on the Avatars United site really belongs to you. We've asked that all Lindens with Avatars United accounts take this step for the time being.

Please visit the Knowledge Base for answers to all of your Second Life-related questions.  Or if you have a question, the fastest way to get help is to submit a support ticket via the Second Life Support Portal.

For issues related to the Avatars United site, please use the current Avatars United Support Channels.

Thanks for all the excitement, activity and feedback - keep it coming!

Avatars, Unite!

1264788621|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Second Life made strides in 2009, as T talked about in his recent blog post, but we still have work to do. There are some big changes ahead this year as we start to make SL more intuitive, more relevant and more connected to the social Web. Today I want to talk about one of the social strategy initiatives we have planned, and tell you about an acquisition we've just completed that will help us in this area.

I've met many amazing people in Second Life and I am sure you have too.  This is a big part of what makes Second Life so powerful.   It's the "social glue" of experiencing an online world together that makes being there worthwhile.  When we talk to the users who sign up but then decide not to stay, they say they left, in part, because they had a hard time finding people to hang out with. Either their friends weren't there, or they have a hard time meeting new ones inworld, or sometimes both.  We need to fix this.

Another part of the "social glue" of any community is the concept of sharing.  Inworld, it's easy to share and we'll make it even easier.  But sharing between Second Life and the larger social Web is not as easy.  As an avid photographer (well, aspiring to be avid), I'd love to be able to easily share my snapshots from Second Life with my friends on other Web services, and be able to watch a feed of the people I'm interested in.  It's a great way to meet new people, find cool things and interesting places to visit.  Sure, I have my own work-arounds for those capabilities, but it's standard practice to build easy sharing into experiences today and that's what we're going to do.  More people will share in more places, and through that more people will discover the wonders of Second Life.

One of our priorities this year (and there are many, from making the experience more intuitive to reducing Lag), is to give Residents new and better ways to connect and share, through features like the following:

• Searchable profiles
• Friend and activity feeds
• Widgets and viral content
• Optional registration and sign-in using credentials from other properties (Facebook, Yahoo!, etc.)
  
• APIs that enable developers to create widgets, tools, and sites pulling from selected SL data feeds
  

Our goal is to extend and support the great work done by so many on their SL-related blogs and Web sites, because they are a powerful network in themselves. We want to give you more tools, feeds, and connection points to build even more richness and depth into the experience of SL.  This is something we only want to encourage. Hamlet did a great post recently about the power of the Second Life "family" of blogs and sites.

One thing I want to be clear about:  The first design principle in this social strategy is respect of your privacy.  We aren't going to take away any privacy or anonymity for those that want it. We are not going to "out" people.  We are not going to force anyone to reveal any private or personal information.  But for those who want to connect their various online identities, we do want to offer that option.  Second Life has always been inclusive, and although there are many Residents who keep a strict separation between SL and the rest of the Web, others wish there was a better way to actively link their SL account to other Web services, and do things like share screenshots, locations, wish-lists, experiences and stories more easily.  Our proprietary stance on naming and social networking hasn't served that second set of Residents as well as we would like, and that's one of the things we'll change and improve. But for those who don't want to opt in to an arrangement like that, nothing at all will change.

To help us do all this, we're excited to announce an acquisition we've just made that will soon start to give Residents new and better ways to connect with each other and with the rest of the world: Enemy Unknown AB is a Swedish company that runs Avatars United, a Web-based community site designed especially for avatars. We're proud to announce that they are now part of Linden Lab.

Avatars United lets you make some of those connections that I'm talking about above.  It's a great site.  Check it out and add me, T Linden, and others to your friend list. As you do, you'll start to build an activity feed (similar to Facebook or Twitter) that keeps you in closer touch with the people you're connected to in Second Life. This is one of the most exciting things about the acquisition, this ability to reach my friends more easily, with more interesting information (and photos!), and in a more meaningful way. As we go, we'll be adding to these capabilities -- and because Avatars United provides developer APIs, anyone else can add to these capabilites as well.

One thing we're really excited about is the team behind the AU site. Thor Olof and his team bring a wealth of talent to Linden Lab. More importantly, these guys get it, they know that the social needs of avatars are often unique, and they know how to serve them. One exciting side effect of this acquisition is the prospect of having an ecosystem of Second Life apps grow up around Avatars United. The AU team already has an active and growing developer program, and we're looking forward to seeing what the endlessly talented SL dev community can do there. (I'm betting/hoping that a groups app will be one of the first to emerge.) What kind of Second Life apps would you like?  What kinds of APIs would you like to be able to develop on?

In coming months, we'll be looking at the best way to create new services for Second Life around some of the sharing and networking tools that Avatars United has to offer. The AU team is focused on how to extend their platform out to other social networks, sites, and blogs. That will also be key to how we want to connect the expanse of Second Life-related sites, and give them a higher profile on the Web. In the meantime, we invite you to create a profile for your Second Life avatar (or your avatar in another online world), and let us know what you think. As we work to bring AU closer to Second Life, we'll also be helping the company scale its own offering; the AU site itself isn't going away. One of the most interesting elements of AU is that there are profiles from many MMORPGs and online worlds on the site. We love this aspect of AU, and we're committed to keeping this ideal of a place where avatars from multiple worlds and games can come together. While our focus is SL, we will continue to support these communities and keep them engaged. We're looking forward to seeing what kinds of connections people build with the new tools we're working on, both within Second Life itself, and between SL and elsewhere, for those that want it. What kinds of connections would you like to see?

Linden Homes to Launch February 17th

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After a really successful Beta period we are delighted to announce that Linden Homes will be launching for all Premium members on February 17th.

Last month we opened a Beta program for a new feature of Premium Subscription that we've called a Linden Home. You can read the original blog post. We invited a few thousand existing Premium members to take part in the Beta and 750 of you took the option of a Linden Home, which is incredible.

This month we surveyed those Beta testers and as expected, we got some great feedback. Happily the large majority of testers told us that they have really enjoyed the experience and value it highly; thank you all for taking the time to get involved. We agree that more variety in house styles would be good, and the suggestions around privacy have given us plenty to work on. We also saw some common themes around building more of a sense of neighbourhood and community in the Linden Home areas, so we're going to be thinking a lot more about how we help there.

So, based on your feedback we are making some changes for the launch itself and working on incorporating the bigger ideas over time. Due to the way that Linden Homes are designed we can add new themes easily over time, and we can make improvements to a house as necessary. We will be talking more about the underlying technology we have used in an upcoming post and intend to make the scripts available to those that want to use similar methods on their own land.

If you have taken a look around the Linden Homes you may have noticed a mysterious control panel on an inside wall. Also new for launch will be the ability to configure the houses via a web page of options, accessed by clicking that control panel. Owners will be able to choose from a selection of different wall, floor and roof textures, amongst other things, giving more variety to the homes themselves.

I'm a Premium member, how will I get my free Linden Home?

From the 17th February all Premium members will be able to have a Linden Home as part of their subscription. If you are a Premium member, we will be sending you an email that will explain how to claim your new home. You will also be able to sign up through your account pages on the website.

How do I become a Premium member?

In addition to a Linden Home, premium members receive a sign-up bonus, weekly rewards, mainland building rights and live access to customer support. If you want to become a Premium member, you can do so through the Change Membership Page. It's very quick and easy. Here are more details on what is provided in the subscription package.

What is a Linden Home?

This is a new feature of the Premium subscription package. Along with a L$ stipend, additional support and a free Mainland tier allowance, all Premium members will be able to opt to own a free Linden Home using their free Mainland tier. The homes themselves come in a variety of themes and designs, and are placed ready for you to move straight in! Remember, you can only have a Linden Home if you are a Premium member.

We are providing Linden Homes because we want to help residents to experience the benefits of owning their own home in Second Life. Land can be complicated for new and existing residents to understand, so Linden Homes is designed to be an easy, predictable and safe introduction to land.

If you'd like to take a look at the Linden Homes for yourself, here are some SLurls you can explore.

Elderglen infohub:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Elderglen/128/128/29

Tahoe:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Buckeye/207/32/29

Shareta Osumai:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kagero/142/147/29

Meadowbrook:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bowston/123/91/51

2009 End of Year Second Life Economy Wrap up (including Q4 Economy in Detail)

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Second Life economy totals $567 million US dollars in 2009 - 65% growth over 2008

Gross Resident Earnings are $55 million US Dollars in 2009 - 11% growth over 2008

In 2009, the rest of the world caught up with what Second Life Residents have known for a long time - that virtual goods can be a very good business.  Headlines about a billion-dollar plus trade in virtual items appeared in the mainstream press, but in many cases the articles focused on the platforms that create and provide virtual goods to their users, not on the users themselves.

And this is what sets Second Life apart: our users create, merchandise, and sell virtual goods as part of the largest user-generated 3D virtual goods economy in the world. By any measure - number of items, transactions, dollar value, revenues earned - Second Life is the leader. In 2009, Second Life Residents earned more than twice that amount -  US$55 million - while the total size of the Second Life economy grew 65% to US$567 million.

And all of that is due to the creativity and innovation of the Second Life Residents.

By way of comparison, real-world global output is forecast to have declined 1.1% in 2009 (see the IMF World Economic Outlook report, October 2009). The Bureau of Economic Analysis will post figures for the US economy for Q4 and 2009 on January 29th, but their most recent forecast was for the US economy to have shrunk by 2.7% in 2009.  Despite a challenging macro environment, the Second Life economy did quite well to grow in 2009.

Before we dive into the numbers for 2009, we want to acknowledge that last year was an economically challenging one for many people in the real world and many Second Life Residents.  Some Second Life Resident businesses faced hard times while others flourished.  Our focus is to work hard in 2010 (and beyond) to increase the number of Second Life Residents, so that the Second Life economy will continue to grow, giving all Residents the opportunity to benefit.

Here are the highlights for the Second Life Economy as a whole in 2009:

Financial

•      User-to-User transactions in 2009 totaled US$567 million in 2009, growth of 65% over 2008.
•      The total amount of virtual currency in circulation reached L$6.95 billion, growth of 23% over December 2008
•      The US Dollar value of L$ in circulation totaled US$26.5 million in December 2009
•      Sales of User Generated virtual items on Xstreet SL, reached L$1.6 billion or US$6.1 million, growth of 74% over 2008   

•      The total US dollar value of all Linden dollars traded on the LindeX™ currency exchange in 2009 reached US$115 million in value,  7% growth over 2008

•       The total US dollar value of all Linden dollars traded on the Xstreet SL™ currency exchange in 2009 reached US$1.5 million in value, 169% growth over 2008

Usage

•      Residents spent 481 million hours in Second Life in 2009, 21% growth over 2008 
•      User hours lost to downtime as a portion of total user hours were down 66%, to a best-ever low of 0.19% for the whole year 
•      Monthly Repeat Logins reached an all-time high of 769,000 in December 2009, 15% growth over December 2008
   

Land

•     Resident-owned regions reached 23,900 in December 2009, up 6% over December 2008
  
•    Total Resident-owned land (including Mainland) reached 1.85 billion square meters in December 2009, up 7% over December 2008 

While the overall Second Life economy grew in 2009, it's clear that some Resident businesses had strong sales, while other Resident businesses struggled.  In 2009, success in Second Life, as in the real world, was not evenly distributed. As in the real world, economic survival is far from guaranteed. However, in 2009, many Residents had significant gross earnings.

Here's a look at 2009 - through the lens of the US dollar value of gross earnings made by Second Life Residents during the year.

In 2009, Second Life Residents in the aggregate earned approximately US$55 million in real money, growth of 11% over 2008. This represents the sum of all US dollars transferred "out" of the Second Life economy by Second Life Residents, and into PayPal accounts, and then to bank accounts and wallets. We call this figure "Gross Resident Earnings" and it represents the sum total of processed credits for Second Life Residents.

This works as follows: when a Resident business accumulates a Linden dollar (L$) balance through the sale of virtual items or other economic activity, they can sell their Linden dollars to other Residents on the LindeX or the Xstreet SL Exchange, creating a US dollar credit on their account.  Note that we are not including activity from third party exchanges as LindeX and XStreet SL exchange comprise greater than 90% of credits processed.

When a Resident with a US dollar balance on their account moves that balance to PayPal, we record and track that amount as a "processed credit." Taken as a whole, "processed credits" are a reasonable proxy for Gross Resident Earnings, as they represent surplus Linden dollars gathered by a Resident business and turned into US dollars.

In 2009, US$45 million of "processed credits" came from Second Life accounts and US$10 million came via Xstreet SL accounts. Note that many Xstreet SL merchants also have significant inworld businesses, and use Xstreet SL to collect earnings from their inworld businesses as well as their Xstreet SL businesses, accounting for the fact that processed credits on Xstreet SL are greater than the volume of the Xstreet SL Marketplace and Xstreet SL Exchange.

In 2009, the bulk of the US$55 million (95%) were "net proceeds." Net proceeds represent the total processed credits for a given account less the US dollar value of Linden dollars purchased by that account. The L$ purchased by that account could represent a first investment, reinvestment of profits, a trading balance for a currency trader, or personal spending in Second Life. The implication is that Gross Resident Earnings are USD revenues above and beyond L$ expenses.

Note that Resident businesses have real-world expenses (like salaries or rent or food) that they might pay using US dollars - so this figure is not a measure of the profits from Second Life businesses - only a measure of Gross Resident Earnings. Gross Resident Earnings also does not capture the value of assets that remain in Second Life, such as Linden dollar balances, land holdings, items for sale, etc.

Let's take a look at the Gross Resident Earnings figures for 2009:

•      Gross Resident Earnings (processed credits - as described above) totaled US$55 million
  
•      Gross Resident Earnings grew 11% over 2008 
•      US$45 million of Gross Resident Earnings came via the LindeX 
•      US$10 million of Gross Resident Earnings came via Xstreet SL
•      The Small Business segment* represented 47% of the total dollar value of earnings 
•      The Small Businesses segment was the single largest portion of Gross Resident Earnings 
•      More than 50 accounts earned more than US$100,000 each
•      The top 25 accounts, as a group, earned about US$12 million  
  

*The small business segment is defined as a Resident business owning between 0 and 2 regions or less than 1 mainland region.

Roughly 98% of the Gross Resident Earnings (US$55 million) in 2009 are from accounts with recent activity, where activity is defined by one hour spent in Second Life during December, current land ownership or current premium status. This suggests that the majority of Gross Resident Earnings in 2009 are from active, current Residents, not from the liquidation of in world assets.

Out of respect for our Residents, we will only publish this information in the aggregate and only on an annual basis.

Let's take a look at the annual trends for the overall Second Life economy.
Looking at 2009 overall, we can see that the year showed growth in the key metrics of the Second Life economy.

User-to-User transactions reached US$567 million in 2009, up 65% from 2008 - The total of all transactions in Second Life reached a new high in 2009. The sum of all of the transactions in the Second Life economy equaled a total value of US$567 million in 2009. Year over year, 2009 shows good growth relative to 2008. See the Q4 drill down below for a quarter-by-quarter trended view.

 

User-to-User tranasactions on Xstreet SL totaled L$1.6 billion in 2009, up 74% from 2008 – In its first year under the Linden Lab banner, XStreet SL, the web marketplace for Second Life virtual goods, had gross sales of L$1.609 billion, or approximately US$6.1 million. This is the sum total of all User-to-User transactions on the Xstreet SL Marketplace.

This represents 74% growth over the previous year. XStreet SL remains small by comparison with Second Life's inworld marketplace overall, at approximately 1% of the US$567 million Second Life economy in 2009.

 
  
Trading activity on the LindeX reached US$115 million – The volume of exchange on the LindeX, the marketplace for Linden dollars (L$), the Second Life virtual currency, reached US$115 million in 2009. This is 7% growth compared to the previous year.
  

 
User hours reached 481 million in 2009 – Second Life Residents spent 481 million hours in Second Life in 2009. This represents 21% growth over 2008. 
  

 
  
Monthly Unique Residents with repeat logins peaked at 769,000 in December 2009 – In December 2009, Monthly repeat logins peaked at 769,468. Year-to-year, December 2009 repeat logins grew 15% from December 2008 repeat logins. This is a monthly figure for December, and is an all-time high for Second Life.
  

 
  
Resident-owned land expanded to reach 1.85 billion square meters in December 2009 – In 2009, Resident-owned land peaked in December 2009 at 1.848 billion square meters.  This is a 7% increase over December 2008. If Second Life were a physical country, it would be larger than Hong Kong, Singapore, and many Caribbean islands.
  

 

Q4 2009 in Detail
Turning to Q4 2009, the Second Life economy performed well, despite the ongoing impact of the Bot policy on total user hours and concurrency.

Highlights of Q4 2009 included:

•      US$153 million in User-to-User Transactions, 53% growth over the same quarter last year 
•      A new all-time high and continuing rapid growth for the Xstreet SL online marketplace 
•      A new all-time high in Monthly Repeat Logins, at 769,000 in December 2009
•      3.1 billion Voice minutes, up 15% from the same quarter last year   
•      Resident-Owned Land reached an all time high of 1.848 billion meters 

Total user hours continued to trend downward in Q4 while peak concurrency remained flat.  This decline stems from a decrease in user hours contributed by heavy usage accounts (300+ hours per month per account), primarily from a continued decline in Bots. See below for detail and read about the policies here.

Let's look at the numbers for Q4 in detail:
 

User-to-User Transactions peak at US$153 million, up 53% from Q3 2008 - The total of all transactions in Second Life reached a new high in the quarter.  The sum of all of the transactions in the Second Life economy equaled a total of US$153 million in Q4 2009. This is 2% growth over the previous quarter and 50% over the same quarter one year ago.

 
  

Total Xstreet SL sales reach a new all time high in Q4 2009 – In its fourth quarter under the Linden Lab banner, Xstreet SL, the web marketplace for Second Life virtual goods, had gross sales of L$485 million, or approximately US$1.9 million.

This represents 15% growth over the previous quarter and 81% growth over the same quarter one year ago. Xstreet SL remains small by comparison with Second Life overall, at approximately 1.2% of the US$153 million Second Life economy in Q4 2009.

 

Trading Activity on the LindeX – The volume of exchange on the LindeX, the marketplace for Linden dollars (L$), the Second Life virtual currency, reached US$29 million in Q4 2009, representing 1% growth compared to the previous quarter and 10% growth over the same quarter a year ago. A portion of the trade in Linden dollars has migrated to the Xstreet SL exchange as well as third-party exchanges, which we believe is a contributor to the flat trend in LindeX volume.

  
  

Monthly Unique Residents with repeat logins reached 769,000 in December – In December 2009, Monthly repeat logins peaked at 769,468. Year to year, December 2009 repeat logins grew 15% from December 2008 repeat logins and were up 2% over September 2009.

While the number of total unique logins (including users who log in to Second Life for the first time in a given month) is higher, we use repeat logins (which captures all unique returning users who have logged in during a prior month) as a metric to track the number of users who are engaged with Second Life.

 
  

User hours reached 113 million in Q4 2009 – User hours declined in Q4 when compared to Q3 2009. This decline is attributed overwhelmingly to a decline in user hours from accounts that spent more than 300 hours logged in to Second Life each month. See the chart below (User Hours by Usage Band) and the SPOTLIGHT of the Q2 2009 Economy Blog post for an explanation of this dynamic.

The Q4 figures show a 5% decline when compared to Q2 2009, and a 1% increase when compared to Q3 2008.

   
The Impact of Scripted Agents, a.k.a. Bots

Scripted Agents, commonly known as Bots, can be helpful tools in Second Life. When used appropriately, they can improve the Second Life experience. However, some Bot usage is in violation of our Terms of Service.  In 2009, we started taking action to mitigate the usage of Scripted Agents that are in violation of our policies, in particular Bots used for the purpose of improving the results generated by the Second Life search algorithms. Since September 2009, we've been gradually increasing enforcement of our policies, and as a result, have been seeing declines in total user hours.

In October 2009, We asked Residents to register their Bots, and we can now report that these Self Identified Scripted Agents (SISAs) account for about 1900 logins/day.  Each SISA accounts for about 420 user hours/month. Per quarter, SISAs taken together account for  about 2.4 million user hours. The implication is that a small change in the number of Scripted Agents has a big impact on total user hours. While some might express concern over the overall decline in user hours, we think the outcome is a good thing.  If you haven't already, please register your bots.

   
User Hours by Usage Band -  This chart illustrates the impact of Bots on user hours. The chart shows user hours contributed by accounts grouped by the number of hours of monthly usage. That is, the data shows the trends for the total aggregate user hours in a given month for all accounts that spent more than 300 hours, 201 - 300 hours, 51 - 200 hours, 4 - 50 hours, and 0 - 3 hours inworld in that month.
    
The declines in user hours are a function of the downward trend in user hours contributed by accounts with 300+ hours spent in Second Life each month. For accounts with 300+ hours/month, the average hours/account/month is about 420 hours per month. That amounts to 14 hours per day, every day of the month - a usage pattern which is more suggestive of a computer than a person.
    
In terms of unique accounts in each grouping, the number of accounts in December 2009 increased across all segments (when compared to December 2008). There was only one exception: accounts with 300+ hours/month of usage shrank by about 20%. Despite the decline in unique accounts with 300+ hours/month, there are still thousands of accounts in this segment, which accounts for the phenomenon that many Second Life Residents experience - which is that the Bots are still a significant presence in Second Life.

     

        

Second Life Residents use 3.1 billion voice minutes in Q4 2009 – Total Voice Minutes grew 15% compared to Q4 2008 and declined 1% compared to Q3 2009 . This metric measures all VoIP minutes across all types of voice sessions – Resident-to-Resident calls, group voice chats, and local voice. This metric measures the total minutes that the "talk" button is depressed or locked "down" for Second Life Residents, signifying a user choice to enable voice to talk to another Resident.  On average, all of the Residents who connect to voice connect to a new channel each 15 minutes, accounting for roughly 100,000 individual audio spaces in Second Life.

It's clear that voice has become a mainstream capability in Second Life - as more than 60% of Second Life Residents are using voice at any given time, and Residents marking on average 25 hours of voice usage per month.

   
   

Resident-owned land expands to reach 1.85 billion square meters in December 2009 – In Q4 2009 Resident-owned land increased to reach a total of 1.848 billion square meters.  This is 2% growth over Q1 2009 and 7% increase over the same month one year ago.

         
Homesteads advance in Q4, Full regions maintain, and Open Spaces decline. – Total Private Regions  owned by Residents reached 23,965 by the end of Q4 2009. This represents an increase of 2% over the previous quarter end in June of 2009. In Q4 2009, the number of Homesteads grew 5%, the number of Full regions were flat, while the number of Open Spaces declined 4%.

     

 

A solid Q4 and 2009 for Residents,  and for Linden Lab - Though enforcement of Bots continues to affect the trajectory of user hours and concurrency, the resilience and commitment of Second Life Residents and their businesses are evident in the growth in logins, User-to-User transactions, voice minutes, and private regions.

As we look ahead to 2010, our focus will be to bring more new users into Second Life, and more users into the Second Life economy. M's recent blog post highlights some developments which will accelerate new user adoption and deeper engagement with the economy, and we are optimistic that 2010 will be an even stronger year than 2009.  While we don't know everything that 2010 will hold, we do know that many of the investments we made in 2009 will come to fruition and we are excited to see what they will yield.

On another note, with the arrival of Linden Lab's new Chief Financial Officer Bob Komin, we will be evolving the way we report on the Second Life economy in 2010 and how we publish information out to the marketplace. These changes will come into effect when we report on Q1 2010.

Thank you –  We owe a thank you to all Second Life Residents – the merchants, creators, builders, shoppers, educators, enterprises, businesses, estate owners, and many others.  Without you, Second Life would not be the rich and wonderful place that it is.

Please join me in the forums to discuss Q4 and 2009.