The continued slow exodus from SL was a topic of conversation on Twitter last week with Ener Hax posting a commentary on her blog… projecting a reduction to 10,000 sims.
Wizard Gynoid was at one point accused of schadenfreude [enjoyment of someone else misfortune], by another Tweep, an ex-Linden [maybe indoctrinated into the idea that all SL users are losers]. Obviously this person has missed the point entirely. We have all, longterm users of SL, predicted the effect of the dismal customer service meted out by LL and tried, in a small way, to draw attention to the foreseen consequences of such behaviour.
“I told you so” is not schadenfreude. For all of us it is still a source of sadness mixed with exasperation that this steady decline continues unabated.
A few days ago Wizzy pointed to this post on Wikipedia about Technical Debt … see below to save you following the link … asking the rhetorical question “is this what’s wrong at Linden Lab..”
Technical debt (also known as design debt or code debt) is a neologistic metaphor referring to the eventual consequences of poor or evolving software architecture and software development within a codebase. The debt can be thought of as work that needs to be done before a particular job can be considered complete. As a change is started on a codebase, there is often the need to make other coordinated changes at the same time in other parts of the codebase or documentation. The other required, but uncompleted changes, are considered debt that must be paid at some point in the future.“
Now, this has long been the common view, summed up by Miso Susanowa’s sharp quote “you lag, you lose”…. and guarding against technical debt has been why the code wranglers at Inworldz, Jim and Tranq have moved so slowly and carefully in bringing new changes to their grid.
Like the tortoise and the hare fable, Linden Lab has now 4 new games coming to market .. … while InWorldz has been honing mesh and PhysX upgrades.
There is, however, a world of difference between SL and these new games … not in that they are different products, but how those products stand in relation to the competition. Whereas SL was years ahead of it’s rivals when it started, these new games are just more of the same…. i.e. another 4 games in a fairly full market.
Watching a leading internet-based company lose it’s position as leader through bad management, infighting and chasing the rainbow’s end is not a situation that gives any of us a feeling of satisfaction.
Schadenfreude … no way.
:))
Sunday, 4 November 2012
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I haven't tried Patterns, but have bought Creatorverse for ipad. It's not earth shattering, but it's also not, as you say, 'just more of the same'. It's not a cheap app. but maybe it's enough for LL to probably make a profit. I'm not sure whether making games for PC will be as profitable. I suspect the market for games like 'Patterns' is limited, and it's hardly (as Rod Humble suggests) 'shared' space - but time will tell.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, if right from the beginning, LL had seen the SL software as the asset and charged people to download the 'game' things might have been different. I think one of its big downfalls has been the ability to use it without paying anything.
It's easy to see what might have been, but I think they rode a wave of optomism about where the money would come from, that in the long run just didn't pan out. So the artists and creators are gone (no money in them anyway), the business stuff didn't work out, and they are left with sex and porn and some illicit gambling.
But, it amazes me that people still come to my shop and buy stuff. There are obvioulsy still new players and people setting up new places. Hard to believe I know, but why else are they buying stuff like waterfalls?
Very true, there are always new people just discovering SL.
ReplyDeleteI do wish them the best with their new apps, but it's a crowded market out here...
You might want to check out my main blog...this one is a bit of a relic.... http://sorornishi.is
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