Latest On The Dahlia Linden Rocks

 

 By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Last month, there was a mystery afoot on the Second Life mainland after strange rocks with glowing blue symbols were discovered at the Bay City Airport, and two other locations far away near the main road.  Dahlia Linden, the person involved whose notes were clues to what was going on, stated that something would happen on March 18. So there was nothing else to do but wait.

 

The week was a busy one with the Sunweaver Air show having just happened, St. Patrick's Day, a new Linden, the VWBPE conference, and more. But on Thursday March 18, I went back to the Bay City Airport, and back to the hill with the boulder. The rock and glyph were still there, and the flowers looked a little brighter than I remembered. 

 

There was also a note, and I took a closer look. It turned out to be two notes, one on top of the other. 

 

 Log 0003

Upon arriving at this location today, the flowers reached such a grand luminosity! 

What could they possibly be doing? And this strange humming sort of sound…Hm, and what does–


----

Log 0004

My god! The entire earth just shook! It felt like the highest magnitude of an earthquake I have ever experienced in my lifetime! 

Something is rising upwards from the land on the horizon!


I have to go! To whomever may find this, head for these coordinates!

 

Region: New Bloom Mountain

Something is there!

-Dahlia

 

 I clicked on the note, and ended up at New Bloom Mountain (254/239/89). Getting a bearing of my surroundings, nearby was one of those blue flowers and yellow "anomaly" signs. There was also a larger green sign.

 

WARNING: This region is currently under review by Land Operations.

 

Please tread carefully.

 

Normality will return on March 25th. 

 

And there was one of Dahlia's notes. 

 

Nothing could prepare me for anything like this!

A full-scale mountain has been lifted directly up from the earth from seemingly nowhere!

How? How did this structure appear so abruptly, and yet I can see various flora and fauna thriving on the surface. It is as if the environment on the mountain had always existed.

Was the land already developing ever since those rocks sprouted from the earth?

 I must go higher. I shall record my findings at the summit, and hopefully unravel the mystery behind this development!

-Dahlia

 

And so, I began walking up the mountain. Fortunately, there were enough inclines and even a natural walkway curling around the mountain, so I didn't have to do any actual climbing. I slowly made my way up. 

 

 Finally, I reached the top. And it was a beautiful sight. The mountaintop was covered in grass, and many many more of those bright blue flowers. Not just a few more, more like hundreds more. 

 

I also saw another of the boulders with a bright blue glyphs, and in front of it one of the blue flowers in a pot, and another of Dahlia Linden's notes.  

 

 

My goodness! The flowers! They are...they are everywhere!

Not even a day ago, this mountain sprang up from the earth's surface in mere seconds! And despite this, here at the peak, a small field of those strange flowers are already thriving! Such a curious phenomenon, seeing that they were just born.

The flower's behavior is also intriguing. It is as if they were searching for their true habitat, and somehow manifested it! I find it hard to believe something so small has the ability to create such an incredible phenomenon. How remarkable!

Now that I am aware that the flowers are able to survive here, I should be able to transport one to my lodgings to study and observe it further. While waiting for the next phase in this anomaly, I developed a special planter that I hoped would allow me to transport one of the flowers away from the strange stones. However, I postponed the extraction fearing that I could risk losing one of those flowers in the process.

With a proper soil sample and now having an abundant source of flowers, I can ease my fears. I will leave one of my planters here in the event that I need to acquire more samples. One planter should be sufficient for safe transporting.

Curiously though, I am still picking up faint readings of more energy anomalies in the land. My intuition tells me that this won’t be the last anomaly that manifests in the world. Till then, I will be on the hunt for whatever comes next.

Until the next change,

-Dahlia 

 

Exactly how this mountain and the flower sprung up so fast, that's something we may not be privileged to know. What happens to the mountain on March 25th? That's going to require a trip over to find out. 

 

As for the flowers, there's now enough to ensure their survival, unless something happens to the mountaintop. Curiously, when I moved the flower in the pot, somehow another appeared in it's place. Some strange power of the blue crystal sigils?  To better ensure the survival of the species, as well as get a souvenir of my travels, I took one of the planters with me back to the Newser office in HV Community. 

 

That's all on the mystery of the Dahlia rocks for now,

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

 

Update On The Mystery Rocks

 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

There's been something of a mystery going on in the Second Life Mainland. Over Valentines Day weekend, it was discovered there was a strange rock over at Bay City Airport, then two others at a couple other spots on the Second Life Mainland, Dangun and Plenodyes. Each had a note from a Dahlia Linden, whose profile was almost blank, which talked about something about to happen at the locations on Monday February 16. There were also a couple campsites with Bay City flags at the latter two locations.

 

I would message T.J. Hooker, and he told me that he indeed had set up the camps to investigate the strange rocks. He would say Marianne was the first (outside the Lindens) to notice something was up when she saw the boulder at Bay City on Thursday, and he and others went to help her investigate (T.J. Hooker's picture to left), "Based on (Dahlia Linden's) profile photo, Pygar identified the road in the background. After exploring that area, I found the boulder in Plenodyes." He found out roughly where the third one was by a tip to check out the Linden Estate Services office. There was a map showing three boulder locations, "There was also a painting with what appeared to be rocky terrain paint, with the description 'Is this a hint?'" He would then scout around the location pointed out by the third, finding it in Dangun, "Further investigation has revealed that Dangun was the first boulder placed, and one of the only ones with a specific parcel name of ;Off the beaten path;, Hau Koda was second, and Plenodyes was third. All three were rezzed in a 15 minute window. Plenodyes has a nearby Linden Road project named NR26, as well as something called 825 Project. I am not certain if those are connected to the boulders, or just convenient placement." He would note that of the triangle on the map made by the three locations, the Belisseria Welcome Hub was close to the center. 

 

T.J. Hooker has a Primfeed one can see his progress in investigating the anomalies (here). . 

 

On Monday, I would drop by to check on the rocks, running into the Relay's Prettykitty Gumbo as she did so as well at the same time. We dropped in on the boulder and camp at Plenodyes. The rock itself was the same, but growing around it were three bright blue flowers. 

 

There was also a second note from Dahlia Linden:

 

 I have returned to an amazing discovery! It appears as though the energy shifts from these rocks have dissipated. Now, a new undocumented flower has sprouted from beneath the stones! Never in my life have I witnessed fauna so astonishing! It's breathtaking!

Based on the readings I am getting from this flower, it shares an identical energy signature as the strange rocks. However, something else strikes my curiosity: the spots the flowers are sprouting from doesn't appear to be in its natural environment.

The structure suggests they need a much higher elevation in order to fully root and to spread more freely.

But where would that be?

If these flowers share the same pulsing energy signature as the rocks, and from the last change that took place after 30 days, then it's safe to conclude that another change should occur around March 18th.

I must return again to see further developments!

Until the next change,

-Dahlia
 

 

The camp itself would have some changes. One was a Linden bear that when touched would sound off some newcomer hints. The two bots were gone, and there was a helicopter near the camp. There was also now an unlocked drink cooler, which was loaded with drinks, and a huge hoagie sandwich. I guess someone from Bay City noticed Melisa's comment about the lack of sandwiches. 

 

PrettyKitty and I then headed to the Dangun camp. Like it's counterpart, the stone here had three blue flowers around it, though with the rock's upright posture they were easier to see. The camp was a little larger with more equipment, and also some drinks and a large sandwich.

 

But there was more. There was also a note out in the open.

 

Field Team Interpretation - Plenodyes Site

Arrived on location to review Dahlia's findings. 
Her notes about "energetic shifts" match what we're feeling here. 
The stone looks recently uplifted - soil still loose around the base.

The spiral marking is precise. Doesn't look carved by tools.
Glow strongest at dawn and dusk.
Surface temperature slightly higher then surrounding soil.

Low hum detected again this morning.
Instruments show fluctuations but nothing stable enough to chart yet. 

Comparing this to the Bay City stone: 
Glyph is identical in scale and shape.
Mineral composition appears similar.
Both sites show the same uplift pattern.

 

If Dahlia's timeline is correct, we may face a change on Feb 16.
Preparing equipment for continuous monitoring up to the date. 

Notes:
- Soil samples taken from north and east sites.
- Luminescence brighter today than yesterday
- No visible structural cracks, but vibration is increasing.

Working theories:
1. Pre terraforming artifact.
2. Subsurface energy venting.
3. Artificial construct of unknown orgin.

Will continue daily readings
Recommend expanding survey reading to 10 meters.  
 

On a hunch, and a tip from a friend who for now will be anonymous, I dropped by the Linden office. I found a copy of the map with the three points in Kit Linden's office, with a few post-it notes on it. The Lindens appeared to be just as wanting for answers as Bay City, if not more. 

 

And so, we're left with a few clues, but no certainty as to how they go together.  The painting at the Linden office with "rocky terrain paint" and Dahlia's conclusion the flowers grew best in higher altitudes certainly seem like an interesting coincidence. Of the theory that the stones are "per-terraforming artifacts," Bellisseria, which is between the three mainland areas, has certainly seen many territory expansions in the past. So the boulders *could* be a sign there's another one on the way. But this of course is guesswork. There's also that the estimated date for another reveal, March 18, this would be the day after St. Patrick's Day in the United States. Whether or not this a coincidence, there's no answer, at least not yet.  

 

For now, we just wait and see. And keep an eye out for new land near Bellisseria. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Looking Back: The ToS Content Creator Controversy

 

 By Bixyl Shuftan

It was ten years ago this month that Linden Lab made one of it's most controversial moves in Second Life's history. It started out as what at the time was treated like a normal Terms of Service update in September 2013. But it included the following ...

[..]you agree to grant to Linden Lab, the non-exclusive, unrestricted, unconditional, unlimited, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, and cost-free right and license to use, copy, record, distribute, reproduce, disclose, sell, re-sell, sublicense (through multiple levels), modify, display, publicly perform, transmit, publish, broadcast, translate, make derivative works of, and otherwise exploit in any manner whatsoever, all or any portion of your User Content (and derivative works thereof), for any purpose whatsoever in all formats,[..]

Thus started the Terms of Service Content Creator Controversy. Among residents of Second Life, the reactions of many was suspicion. Just what was the Lab up to? That they had the right to modify and copy content was understandable, to back up and fix any items that got damaged or glitched. But to sell or resell and "exploit in any manner whatsoever," that was giving some the impression Linden Lab planned to up and sell some of the things people made, either as part of an "exit strategy" to make money from the content if they ever closed Second Life or just simply up and taking and selling things just to make quick bucks.

Before too long, word got around. And not just among Second Life residents. One texture website that had been allowing Second Life residents to download it's content for use began stating they could no longer allow that given the latest ToS from Linden Lab, accusing them of greed and were showing a lack of respect for it's users, "as soon as you upload your model or texture, they can do literally anything they want with it." When calling the Lab, they got only "nameless, canned replies … Apparently they don't care about this problem, so we don't see how we can come to a solution."

 

It wasn't long before the Lab would issue a statement that would appear on a number of blogs, saying the Lab would continue to respect the rights of content creators.

“As evidenced by Second Life’s extensive history, functionality and well-documented policies for providing a platform on which users can create and profit from their creations, Linden Lab respects the proprietary rights of Second Life’s content creators. We regret that our intention in revising our Terms of Service to streamline our business may have been misconstrued by some as an attempt to appropriate Second Life residents’ original content. We have no intention of abandoning our deep-rooted dedication to facilitating residents’ ability to create and commercialize such content in Second Life. In fact, we strive to provide Second Life’s residents with evermore opportunities to do so.”

Not everyone was up in arms. Some took the Lab's word without issue. Others felt what the Lab was trying to do was reword their terms to avoid legal trouble, but felt the Lab needed to fix the wording so there wouldn't be confusion over their intentions. Jo Yardly commented, "I hope Linden Lab realizes this is a big problem that damages one of the most important parts of Second Life; creativity." Shockwave Yareach was more critical, "Other companies manage to sell digital merchandise without making the artist surrender their rights to their creations - the only thing they actually own. If LL cannot accomplish the same thing, then not only do they forfeit the right to claim to be a visionary tech business, but they will forfeit the right to be in business at all."He felt unless the Lab corrected the issue, and soon, people would be looking for another virtual world 

 

In late September 2013, one performer the Newser had wrote about over time, Tuna Oddfellow, reacted to the ToS update by closing his Odd Ball in Second Life. "Dear Linden Lab -- it's been a nice eight years,"  his partner Shava Sunzu at the time would say, "but you just broke the social contract with me as a creator in Second Life BIG TIME." They would take the show to the much smaller virtual world of InWorldz. Other Second Life residents would also take an increased interest in the smaller virtual world, This included the Sunweaver community, which would get a couple sims there as a "lifeboat" in case Second Life was shut down. There would also be an InWorldz/Second Life connection center set up by Zia Larina and Nydia Tungsten. During the time of the controversy, InWorldz' numbers would grow. In May 2013, they were around 75,00 accounts. A year later, they would be 100,000.

 

Despite the criticism, the Lab made no move to reword it's Terms of Service. More people were speaking out saying while they didn't see the Lab as trying to rip anyone off, the way they worded things was causing people to lose confidence in them and Second Life.  One blogger would comment, "It is obvious that this revision of the ToS was, to say the least, short-sighted and ill-advised. But it is not obvious to the Lab." Hamlet Au of New World Notes would talk to a lawyer knowledgeable on intellectual property rights, who guessed that the wording came about partially from Linden Lab trying to put it's many products at the time under the same blanket policy. She called the Lab's moves, "tremendously short-sighted ... Linden Lab's refusal to understand the needs of its customer base is far more troubling to me than its poor contract drafting." She felt all the Lab needed to do was just change ten words in the ToS in regards to content creators, "All they need to do is limit their license to uses within the scope of their business purpose. People might still be mad, but then it isn't nearly as stupid a license grant." Aeonix Aeon called the move as part of an "exit strategy" by Linden Lab, feeling it's leadership at the time didn't like the lack of control that gaming companies had over their product and were seeking to seize some away from the residents. 

In mid-October 2023, there was a discussion about the controversy by a Second Life Bar Association Panel. Kylie Sabra, one of the hosts, felt the move wasn't new compared to what other Internet companies were doing. But she called the language "sloppy drafting," and noted half of Instagram's users had dropped out following an uproar over one of it's terms of service changes. The other host felt Linden Lab wasn't as customer friendly as it used to be. While lawsuits were a possibility, they felt the best course with the Lab was a peaceful one.

Kylie Sabra would go on to found the "United Content Creators of Second Life," or UCCSL, with the purpose of protecting the rights of builders and designers and other makers of content, notably in regards to the Terms of Service controversy. Eventually in late October, the Lab would sent them an email about their concerns. They stated they were "currently reviewing what changes could be made that would resolve the concerns of Second Life content creators," but had no wish to have an active discussion with them, "We believe that it would be more fruitful to avoid further debate of the assertions made to date regarding the intent and effect of our updated Terms of Service ..." 

 

Kylie was initially optimistic, paying more attention to that the Lab was saying they were going over changes. But as the weeks and months went by, there would be no change. She would write to the Lab, but would get no more responses from them. But on January 30, 2014, she came to the conclusion the Lab was not going to do anything, "... it is clear to me now that Linden Lab has no intention of making any change to the Terms of Services. ..." She would step down as head of the UCCSL less than two months later, feeling she had done all she could and that the Lab had caused lasting damage with it's relationship with comment creators, "we will never again feel that we are partners in this endeavor with Linden Lab: We will never again trust so blindly as we once did."

 

But behind the scenes at Linden Lab, change was going on. In the middle of January 2014, the Lab's CEO Rod Humble stepped down. He would be succeeded in February by Ebbe Altberg. At the VWBPE conference in April, he finally addressed the controversy, saying more in his hour than the Lab had stated in months, saying he was looking for a solution. Finally in July 2014, close to a year after the controversy began, Linden Lab finally changed the wording of the Terms of Service in regards to content creators. While some of the wording seemed a little iffy to some people, most residents were satisfied. And so the issue was over.

In an interview in October that year, Ebbe Linden's opinion was that the problem was what Linden Lab intended in the Terms of Service update, but "the way it was rolled out." But for the residents, this was another example of how the Lab had a way of needlessly making them mad, either intentional or not. While later Terms of Service changes would occasionally be met with questions and criticism from the residents, notably in June 2015 when the Lab ordered all third-party currency exchangers to shut down, this would be the last time one would result in such a huge outcry. Just why Linden Lab dragged it's feet on the issue for months, we residents can only guess. Maybe the Lab was feeling "ignore it and it will go away," or maybe they didn't truly realize what a mess they had on their hands. If so, Kylie Sabra and others are deserving of thanks for keeping the issue in the headlines for as long as they did. 

 

In any event, the issue was certainly a reminder that content creators in virtual worlds, and other places online, should have their rights respected, and to dismiss those is telling them they're not really wanted. And here in Second Life, nobody wants that.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Meanwhile Back in Azeroth: Holidays and Updates

Recently, the massive multiplayer online game World of Warcraft made news with plan announced for the new expansion. In the meantime, the players have been going through holiday events from Azerothian versions of Halloween to Thanksgiving, plus the latest update in which they can take a trip to an amusement park island and finally face down the arch-villain of the current game.

October brought the “Brewfest” holiday, during which players sampled various brews and could help out by bringing fresh ale to the festival grounds and defend them against the jealous Dark Iron Dwarves. Later on was “Hallow’s End.” Previously, it was featured with the Horde’s burning of the Wickerman near the Undercity with the Alliance watching from their neaby town of Southshore, Horde stinkbomb pranks on Southshore and Alliance cleaning them up “with the power of pine,” and of course going from inn to inn for tricks or treats, which besides candy could get you a mask or a costume (there were hunters with bat pets ending up with bat costumes), or perhaps a trick and getting temporarily turned into a worm or black cat.

With the introduction of the Worgen and Southshore lost by the Alliance there were some changes to Hallow’s End, as well as additions. The Forsaken’s burning of the Wickerman was closer to the Undercity, just inside the walls of the ruins of Loredon. And the Gilneans held their own Wickerman burning just outside the gates of Stormwind. And both the Forsaken and Gilneians had witches to offer players the chance to drop stinkbombs on the other’s city, as well as offering quests to clean up the messes left by the other. There was also a quest to douse the fire on the opposing side’s Wickerman, though just venturing near would get you flagged for PvP combat. Needless to say, I only attempted this late at night when there were few opposition around.

There was also a special Hallow’s End questline. A man at a bar asks you to get a crate that was recently shipped over. Naturally it’s missing, and the character has to search for it. Along the way, you discover the crate is far from harmless. Once you find it, you have a choice, go ahead and give it to the man who hired you, or to someone else you met better prepared to handle it’s dangers?

And like before, there were the Headless Horseman quests. During Hallow’s End, his spirit terrorized several Horde and Alliance towns, setting them afire. Players have the task of teaming up to put them out and stop the specter. But to truly slay the Headless Horseman, one has to go to his grave in a Scarlet Monastery dungeon, draw him out, and smash his head. Among the possible drops by besting him, his spooky flying horse. And of course there was the treat or treating at inns, which got you candy and possible prizes, such as masks, and broom mounts that lasted until the end of the holiday.

In November was a dual event. The more notable part was the Thanksgiving holiday theme “Pilgrim’s Bounty." There were no changes from last year, so characters were still going from capital to capital with holiday foods to complete quests. The good part of this holiday, characters could advance their character’s cooking much more quickly than usual to expert levels. And the special stat bonuses from the food were a help in combat, that is, for those who took time away from the cooking to fight.

Also was the “WoW 7th Anniversary” Event. In previous anniversary events, the reward had been a special companion pet. Unfortunately for pet collectors, this was not the case this time. Instead, players got a packaged that when activated shot a firework in the air, and gave the player a temporary special tabard with “WoW” on it plus a 7% boost to experience and reputation gains. It was good for two weeks, ending on Dec. 3rd. While some liked the little bonus, others expressed disappointment there would be no lasting memento.

And after Pilgrim’s Bounty came to a close came Patch 4.3 for the game, also known as “Hour of Twilight.” It is here that the quests to defeat Deathwing, the main villain of the third expansion, finally arrive. This includes a special rouge’s quest line, which supposedly deals with a mid-ranked quest in the Badlands in which the player ends up with a dragons egg (note to any WoW player reading, you *did* keep that egg, didn’t you?) There are a number of others, eventually ending up with the players on the massive black dragon’s back to rip off his specially armored plates long enough for a superweapon to be fired at the weak spot.

But these quests are for the strongest characters. For those of all ranks, there is the new Darkmoon Faire. Before, the Faire was a traveling show that alternated between showing up near Goldshire or Thunderbluff every month. Now, the carnival workers have set up a portal that takes players to the new Darkmoon Faire Island. There, players can buy tokens to play games from ring toss to wack-a-gnall to target shooting in exchange for tickets. They can also take on daily quests (daily for as long as the faire lasts) to complete the games. There are also quests to help out some of the carnies, the rewards being tokens and five levels of experience for the profession involved in the quest. All six professions are involved, not just cooking and fishing. For yours truly trying to become an Illustrious Leatherworker, the Darkmoon quest linked to that provided a welcome shortcut.

The Faire first appeared in early December, up for a week. The Faire may be gone now, but it won’t be long for the Christmas holiday, Winter Veil.

For yours truly, as well as many other players, it’s been a year since playing the game in our new favorite characters, starting them when Cataclysm appeared and brought with it Worgen as playable. So far, I’ve gotten to Level 83, but wanting to experience lots of quests and work up my professions, plus get materials for the guild's larger bags, I still have yet to experience the new Cataclysm regions with my newer characters. Still having fun in the Sunweaver guild, set up by my Second Life friends on my home estate, and still having fun in Azeroth after all these years.

But not everyone who was playing World of Warcraft is sticking around. More on that later.

Picture Source: WoWHead

Bixyl Shuftan

Meanwhie, Back in Azeroth: "The Mists of Pandaria"

World of Warcraft, the most popular of the Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games, has been in the news recently. A few days ago, it was for it’s Chuck Norris TV commercial. But before that, in October Blizzard announced their plans for the next expansion for their bestselling game: "The Mists of Pandaria.”

To begin with, a new PC race is introduced, the panda-like Pandaren. No this isn’t some “Kung Fu Panda” joke. Longtime players are probably familiar with the Pandaren Monk companions (most often seen in capital cities). As it turns out, they were originally created years ago as an April Fool’s gag. But the response was so popular, they were included in the Warcraft III game. Rumors of them soon to be introduced in World of Warcraft persisted for years, as well as rumors of complaints from China. But at Blizcon 2011 in October, the word was official.

The racial traits of Pandaren, at least according to current plans, include twice the stat benefits from foods, in addition to starting out with 15 points in the Cooking skill. Their rested experience will be twice as long as other players, and take 50% less damage when falling. The Pandaren’s background describes their homeland, Pandaria, as being secluded from the rest of Azeroth and its fighting. Beginning Pandaren PCs start out as among a group of explorers on the back of a giant turtle. The Pandaren are neither Horde or Alliance, but unaligned. After some time progressing, new Pandaren characters will need to choose which faction to support.

Pandaren were provided by Blizzard with an interesting background. Naturally, much of their in-game cultural background is based on that of China, with elements of Daoism and Tai-Chi used as inspiration. Much like the Tauren, they have a respect of Shamanism. Similar to the dwarves, they have a love of alcoholic beverages, brewmaking considered a revered tradition among them.

A new class of character is introduced as well: the Monk. They are available to all races except for the Worgen and Goblins. Monks have three specilizations: Brewmasters, which can take more damage, Mistweavers, which are healers, and Windwalkers, whom deal more melee damage. They can use staves and fist weapons, in addition to one handed maces, with Mistweavers being able to use off-hand items. They wear leather armor. They use a new resource bar, a Chi-bar, which is described as being similar to the Energy bar for Rogues.

The Talent system is being described as “entirely redone.” Talent trees are being replaced by being granted another specialization ability every few levels. Plus, every fifteen levels a talent point that can be spent on one of three talents. There will also be Challenge-Mode dungeons, requiring players to complete them in a certain time. There are also plans for Scenario battles, where players team up to accomplish a goal such as capturing or defending an area. Then there’s the “Pet Battle System,” which will do doubt get the attention of “Pokemon” fans. All those companion pets which are currently just for show will be able to fight and level, as well as able to be traded on the Auction House. As of now, Mists of Pandaria is planned to have nine new dungeons, and three new Raids. And players will be able to level up to Lvl 90, with adjustments to profession skills.

There is one change that will be a bit upsetting to some players. All classes are losing their secondary weapons, which means hunters lose their melee items (though will be able to shoot point-blank), and other clases lose their raged weapon slots, though warriors and rouges can throw their weapons, and casters can use wands in their main hand.

Blizzard got an enthusiastic response to news of the expansion at Blizcon. Since then, reactions have varied, as one can tell from the WoW forums. Joystik called the expansion an interesting move in new directions. They quoted game lead designer Dave Kosak, "What we're trying to do is find other ways to incorporate other playstyles into the game and give everybody something to do. ... We have this big, giant, incredible world -- what else can you do in it?"

But “Pandaren” and all its changes are about a year away most likely. Until then, WoWers still have some new content coming up, which we’ll be covering in our next article about World of Warcraft.

Images from Blizzard.
Other articles at PC World, Joystik, WoWWiki, ING

Bixyl Shuftan

Update Chaos: Trouble at the Bunny Ranch

Ozimals is always working to improve their products and this results in periodic updates for bunnies. An update totem can be purchased for zero lindens at several sites where Ozimals products are sold. Bunny owners/breeders have seen their share of bunny updates from the beginning. This is usually a smooth process and no bunnies are lost to hibernation. (If a bunny is not updated, it will eventually stop eating because the food and it will not be compatible.)

After a substantial pause between updates, another one was presented to the bunny community. Having obtained my update totem, I proceeded to begin the updating process. This is a long process for many breeders as only one update totem may be set out at a time. Having multiple warrens means the updating process must happen one warren at a time, one bunny at a time. In the meantime, those bunnies around who have not yet been updated will alert you with a message saying your bunny is out of date.

Satisfied that all my bunnies were up to date, I carried on with other SL business. Shortly, however, messages alerting me to an out-of-date bunny began appearing on my screen. Thinking "damn, I must've missed one," I set about in search of the little out-of-date critter. Moving from warren to warren, clicking off text on all updated bunnies, I found a couple out of date...now where did I leave that update totem? No sooner had I set out the totem near the bunnies in question, a message appeared on the totem itself advising "poor sim performance." The totem had stopped working. Frustrated, I popped over to the Ozimals store and got another one. This one also quickly stopped working. My frustration level and impatience on the rise, I teleported once again to the Ozimals store. Thinking I was smart, I purchased a couple.

Back at the ranch, I carried on with updating. Messages continued to flood my screen.Near tears at this point (ridiculous, Shellie, they are pixels, PIXELS!), I looked for my bunny friends on line to cry for help. Finding no one at the moment, I called it a day, deciding I would deal with it the next day.

I was greeted the next day with a barrage of out of date messages. "IMPOSSIBLE!" I thought. The Ozimals group IMs were flying. Then came a message about another update. With everyone in the bunny world flocking over to the Ozimals store, it was hard to get in. Searching my notes, I found other locations and off I went for the latest update. In the meantime, I had bunnies deep into hibernation because they were out of date. Setting out the newest totem, the long process began again. One by one the bunnies were updated. Those in hibernation, however, could not update in that state (I found out after trial and error). Taking up all the hibernating bunnies and not knowing what to do, I continued to update the bunnies I could. A friend told me to try the Rise and Shine drink for the hibernating bunnies. At 500 lindens each, this was an expensive proposition. I updated two hibernating bunnies and still have bunnies in my inventory. Bunnybury begins to sound like a good option at this point but I am hesitant.

But the nightmare wasn't over yet. Just when I thought the coast was clear, lo and behold, another update! This sent everyone into an uproar as you might imagine. This was becoming a chaotic and out-of-control situation. With a deep sigh, I collected yet another update totem. Totem in hand and thoughts of burying all bunnies and getting out of this business, I began the grueling process one more time of updating my 7 warrens...ugh!

All bunnies are now updated, but be careful kindling old nests, set that updater out! You will need it. In what I can only believe was an effort at maintaining some level of credibility, Ozimals offered an olive branch in the form of free Appreciation Food, which is valid through 14 July. On the 14th, all Appreciation Food will expire and vanish from site. At least we all got to hang onto our lindens for awhile.

Shellie Sands