I’m posting this here for any who may be curious to read the full instructions/release notes included with the SKS. The vendor has a small info-box that dispenses this notecard, but I know some people might like to have a look-see before traveling there. Full text below the fold (in other words, click on the “continue reading” thingy). … continue reading this entry.
That’s right! It’s finally ready for release!
It is currently available in my spot at the New Gomorrah Telemall, and will make it’s way to the rest of my vendors across the grid over the next day or so.
Also, just a heads up to any who may be curious, it is in fact a ranged AND melee capable weapon. However, a good deal of effort has gone into making it properly balanced, and it has been approved for CCS use by Suz. If anyone has any questions or concerns regarding it’s CCS functionality/legality, please feel free to contact me and I’ll do my best to explain.
-Naeko
That’s right, the “Official Second Life Blog” no longer reports on grid problems. It has been this way for a while, and the announcement is now buried beneath a pile of neon-colored tutorial videos. Not everyone saw it, though, and since LL is pretty terrible about announcing problems in-world, some residents (me) feel left in the dark when transactions, teleports, and logins start failing. This feeling of ignorance is compounded with anger when inventory items start to disappear, revert mysteriously to earlier versions, or completely fail to save/compile/update (scripts).
So, what the hell is wrong with the Grid? Why can’t I find any info on the blog about it? The answer is simple: PR. The link to the blog is much more prominent on the SL website than the Grid Status link. Heck, blog headlines even appear on the Community page. The much ballyhooed three column design of the blog places all the super-happy positive news front and center, and in a nice, large font size to boot. Problems are shoved over to the easily overlooked (and likely ignored) left-hand column. This probably helps create the false impression that everything is fine and dandy in the metaverse, while still providing marginally useful information on grid problems to anyone who happens to notice.
What does that column say right now? “Database Issues Affecting Multiple Services.” Well, that sounds… well, it sounds like something, right? Not very descriptive. In order to get any useful information, you now have to go to the Grid Status Page proper. That’s where you find the following message:
“[UPDATE 12:30 PDT] The Support Portal is currently down, and the Land store has been taken off-line for the duration. Please continue to monitor this post for updates.
Issues with the database are currently affecting inworld services, logins, and the website. Please refrain from attempting inworld transactions, rezzing valuable or no-copy items, and logging in until the all-clear is announced.”
Long story short, the Grid is borked. Broken. Dead. The last sentence should read: “Please refrain from using Second Life until we figure this shit out.”
Thanks for making it so easy to figure out why I can’t do anything, Linden Labs. Thanks.
-Naeko
Well, the title says it all, really.
The SKS release is coming up soon (really soon, I hope!), and I’ve also managed to get these two classic bolt action rifles done up and ready for release shortly thereafter. Once those are out I’ll be working on releasing the oft-delayed AK, AKSU, and RPK. If all goes well, these will all be available in the next two to three weeks.
It may come as a bit of a shock to see so many products lined up for release in such a short span of time, I know (especially for me!) but I’ve made some significant changes to my development process that will hopefully make these sorts of regular releases possible. The scripting for the guns has been completely re-worked and it’s now possible for me to simply drop them into a new gun, make some tweaks and minor changes and have it up and running in minimal time. This allows me more time for creating textures, animations, and sounds that are unique to each weapon (which I enjoy doing far more than scripting). There is still the potential for failure on multiple fronts, though, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed and triple checking everything to avoid slow-downs in production. Only time will tell if I’ve been successful, but I’m firmly in the realm of “cautiously optimistic” right now.
Anyhoo… check out the pics and let me know what you think!
-Naeko
Lao Shu 