Socially|Mundane

The thread on the Second Life "Land" blog is growing daily. There's enough there to print-up a novel and it make an interesting read as long as you have an entire day to kill.

However, if you have subscribed to the topic and received the digests in email, it's relatively easy to keep-up with the discussion as it moves along (not so sure I want to say "moves foreword.)

The big debate started out with the issue of bot accounts: remote-controlled, inert avatars that serve no purpose otther than to boost traffic for the parcel they are "camping" on. Seriously, no other use, save "modeling" and "group control".

As for group control, only a single bot is needed unless you need to auto-manage more than 25 groups as each can manage that many. The premise is simple: using a bot, which is really just an alternate avatar account, some scripted objects and the like, the bot can manage groups.

A specific example in how I used a group-manager bot: Bot sits on a specific scripted object. Companion scripts are in a "controller" object. The controller is linked into my Apez leasing system and it works likes so: you lease a merchant spot (like any mall or other place for you to put your sales vendors) - the controller sees that you have leased the spot, then tells the bot to send you a group invitation automatically.

The benefit? You don;t have to wait until I come in-world to get the group tag required to prevent all your vendors from being returned to you. If the lease box expires, the controller tells the bot to eject you from the group. This saves me a lot of work and provides instant invitation and ejection for those who need to be in the group.

However, on one bot is needed for up to 25 different groups, no matter where on the grid those groups are required. My bot would reply in IM that it is a bot for group management and to IM me if you need further assistance. In other words, I ran a bot with no pretense of gaming anything or 'tricking' anyone.

The other good use for a bot is to model clothing or prim attachments. The JVA bot will do this automatically. Again, because the bot can change clothing automatically at a time interval of the owner's choosing, there really is not need for more than a few. Yet there are people who will use these modeling bots in the dozens, each wearing only a single outfit in perpetuity. Yes, technically they are "models" but yet the owner is still "gaming" the system. People with the slightest propensity to game the system will do it - especially if they think they can appear legitimate (which they often don't.)

Among the laughable arguments in the thread is the use of bots to model furniture. Okay, are you effing serious? Furniture that uses poseballs (or don't) certainly don't need a modeling bot. In fact, the modeling bot is using the furniture in a way that potential customers can't sample the furniture themselves. it's actually achieving the opposite effect.So please don't try to make this argument with a serious face. have you any idea what an imbecile you are? I mean, really.

A third use that comes up once in a while is the "role play" bot. Uh, bots are stupid. There is no human controlling (else they wouldn't be a bot, right?) So some dipshit sets out a bot, dresses it in some themed costume anbd calls it a NPC BOT (Non-Player Character Dumbell.)

All that does is create lag (Avatar Rendering Cost, anyone?) Those who use so-called NPC bots are just gaming the system like everyone else. I spot a bot or a camper-for-dollars and I'm outta there faster than my hair can rez.

This brings me to the issue of campers. You know the ones, campers who stand around like dumb bots (and often actually are bots) in order to actually spend money, thinking they are earning it. (The cost of use with consideration for electricity, Internet bandwidth and all the rest in order to earn $0.03 an hour is nuts). It is actually cheaper and faster to just blow $5.00 on the Lindex and buy your Linden Dollars and no, don't bother throwing around the "but Europeans can't access because of [some idiot lame excuse here]".

I see the MetaCard and all the European Linden Dollar Exchanges all over the place.

There is zero reason for camping other than the game traffic. Period.

But, Plants Hotshop said it best this morning:

Plants Hotshot says in response to Doris Haller:
Hello, my name is plants - plants hotshot.

I got my name for a good reason: I plant myself on a good camping spot making money and never spend it anywhere.

No mall - no shop nowhere else.

Most of the professional campers act that way.

So if you gonna turn off the possibility to camp you gonna refuse us the right to live from the money other ppl. made.

So I would say : Open more camping spots so that we can create even more accounts and make even more money.

And why should I do anything in SL? It's so easy to get other peoples money for doing nothing.

*applauds loudly*

Freedom for all campers!

[From Further Clarification on Bots and Camping - Land and Sea - Second Life Blogs]

[Image art by Ravenelle ]