Day: July 31, 2018

Finding Your Way Around Hypergrid-Connected OpenSim Virtual Worlds

So, here’s my OSGrid avatar at Lbsa Plaza, all dressed up and nowhere to go:

OSGrid 31 July 2018.png

Where to go? Well, it so happens that there are a few handy directories to Hypergrid-connected OpenSim virtual worlds.

The first one is called OpenSimWorld, and it’s a directory that you can search by keyword (e.g. “freebies”) or you can just click the Browse Regions button and then select by Popular, Latest, Most Liked, or by category (e.g. “adult”).

OpenSimWorld 31 July 2018.png

Another OpenSim directory is called Hyperica, which maintains a detailed spreadsheet of Hypergrid-connected OpenSim virtual worlds.

How do you travel from one OpenSim grid to another? It’s easy! Simply take the grid address (e.g. hg.osgrid.org:80), open up the Map on your client (I use Firestorm), and paste it into the address box and click the Find button. Once it locates the OpenSim grid on the Map, click the Teleport button. That’s all there is to it!

The OpenSimWorld and Hyperica directories also give you an option to click a button which then pops up the location in your already-open client software (just look for a button marked “HG” for Hypergrid in the OpenSim world’s description).

I have discovered that the overwhelming majority of OpenSim virtual worlds are Hypergrid-enabled. You can use OpenSimWorld, Hyperica, and other active grid lists like the one maintained by Hypergrid Business to find your way around. Hypergrid Business also maintains an up-to-date, handy list of the most popular Hypergrid-connected OpenSim worlds, if you want to start with the most popular ones.

Another grid list you can use is the one maintained by the OpenSimulator project website itself, although I’m not sure how up-to-date that list is. I have noticed that some of the grids listed, like Avination, have closed.

Another good spot to find out what is going on in OpenSim-based virtual worlds is the Google+ group called Opensim Virtual, which has over 2,000 subscribers.

Happy grid hopping!

WARNING: Buying Sansar Dollars in Bundles is a Rip-Off, Plain and Simple

I have a major complaint about how Linden Lab is selling Sansar dollars. Hear me out.

When you are signed into your account and you have not purchased any Sansar dollars, you get a link next to your profile picture in the upper right-hand corner of the website, as follows:

Get Sansar Dollars 31 July 2018

If you click on the link, it will take you to a page where you can purchase “bundles” of Sansar dollars (see the image below).

So can somebody explain to me WHY, when you buy Sansar dollars using the bundle option, it’s US$99.99 for 8500 Sansar dollars, BUT when you buy them using the SandeX directly, you can get 9999 Sansar dollars for US$99.99? That’s a difference of 1499 Sansar dollars between the two methods! I thought that the purpose of bundling is make it cheaper to buy something, not more expensive!

When I asked about this, I was told by Eliot, the Sansar Community Manager, that “The purpose of the bundles is to make it easier”. Easier for WHO? The link to the SandeX is right there underneath the list of “bundles” pricing:

Sansar Dollar Bundles 31 July 2018

Who in their right mind is going to spend MORE to get less? Here’s the “market buy” SandeX display, showing you how you can get 1499 more Sansar dollars for your US$99.99:

SandeX 31 July 2018

Bundles are a rip-off, plain and simple. An unsuspecting consumer in a hurry, might click on the “Get Sansar dollars” link, and buy a “bundle” of Sansar dollars, thinking that might save them time and/or money, when in fact it does neither.

EVERY SINGLE ONE of those “bundles” offered is more expensive than buying it directly from the SandeX!

Eliot goes on to day: “So the Bundles could not adapt to changes to the SandeX up to the minute. But instead of having to wait for someone to sell, you can get your Sansar dollars immediately with the bundle”. Sorry, but I’ve never encountered any delays in buying Sansar dollars using the SandeX, it’s always been instantaneous, even when buying large amounts.

So basically, Linden Lab is charging you for “convenience”. This is the same sort of “convenience” charge I get dinged with when I use an ATM from a different bank than the one I have my account with. And it absolutely drives me up the wall!

So, take my advice. DON’T BUY BUNDLES. Go straight to the SandeX and buy your Sansar dollars there. I’ve never heard of anyone who’s had any sort of delay in doing that.

UPDATE Aug. 1st: Medhue says on the official Sansar Discord channel:

This is no different from SL. LL does the exact same thing there. The Sandex is meant to be the deal Ryan, because sellers are willing to go lower to get their money faster. If the package deals were better than the SandeX, what exactly would be the point of buying on the SandeX? LL’s package has to be less of a deal, or we’d never be able to cash out our Sansar dollars.

Happy First Birthday, Sansar and the RyanSchultz.com Blog!

freestocks-org-425050-unsplash.jpg
Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash

July 31st, 2018 marks not one, but two one-year anniversaries:

Both this blog—and Sansar—have come a long way in twelve months!  In one year I have made 835 blogposts, which works out to 2.3 blogposts per day.

I’ve recently updated my blog to make it easier to subscribe. If you’re not already a blog subscriber, just look for the FOLLOW RYANSCHULTZ.COM VIA EMAIL section on the left-hand side panel of my blog (right under the Search box), enter your email address, and press the black FOLLOW button. Then you will receive an email message every time I make a new blogpost to this blog. (If you’re reading this blog on a tablet or smartphone, look for the three-lines menu icon in the upper right-hand corner and select that to see the subscriber option.)

Here’s looking forward to another exciting year!