Linden Lab Nukes Sandvich Sim
by Pixeleen Mistral on 26/09/12 at 1:47 am
JLU gang leader claims responsibility - thanks Michael Linden for swinging banhammer
Monday, Linden Lab suddenly deleted the Sandvich sim, a popular Steam-themed region in Second Life which inspired a chaotic YouTube video tribute. The Lab's action sparked a round of protests as banned players were stripped of their virtual assets - without any sort of due process - and took their complaints to teh Interwebs' court of public opinion with a post at the Reddit.com web site titled "R.I.P. Steam/Reddit Second Life theme park. Linden Lab banned it".
Sandvich sim before the ban hammer fell
The post reached #16 - leveling up to the front page of Reddit - and has received over 750 comments as of this writing. This may be more than just another tempest in a sandbox world. Reddit.com is currently ranked as the 66th most popular web site in the US and 137th worldwide, while Second Life's appeal has become much more selective in recent years - a problem widely attributed to exorbitant virtual land prices, bait and switch business tactics, and a history of questionable game governance.
The situation is so dire that even hardcore fanbois are now running thought experiments on a player buyout of Second Life.
Lab nukes sim - makes front page news at Reddit.com
Hoping to reverse - or perhaps delay - Second Life's decline, Linden Lab recently announced that Second Life will be listed in the popular Steam game portal with the promise of exposing the game to a larger audience. This news inspired a group of Second Life players to re-purpose a Reddit themed region that ex-Linden Lab staffer Hamlet Au has been hyping for months into a Steam-themed sim in hopes that this might grow their community as Steam players began exploring Second Life.
However, in the meta-gaming faction wars of Second Life, growing your community can be seen as an existential threat to other groups - or even the game itself. Oh noes! Could it be that a long standing feud between The Justice League Unlimited and the Soviet Woodbury/Wrong Hands/PN factions led to Linden Lab's removal of Sandvich sim? It seems so.
Kalel Venkman claims responsibility and thanks Michael Linden
According to what appears to be a screen capture of a Proactive Security group notice, JLU gang leader Kalel Venkman is claiming responsibility for identifying a "Woodbury/PN enclave". Mr. Venkman - who appears in Second Life in the form of a Superman avatar - was gracious enough to thank Michael Linden for his part in the Sandvich smackdown. It is good to see that Lab staff seem willing to take sides in the in-world faction wars -- this will certainly inspire more players to spend $295/month renting server space. What could possibly go wrong?
However, despite the confidence that a superman-of-steel avatar with a weakness for frivolous DMCA complaints inspires, I do have a few questions. Did Venkman ever consider what sort of publicity he would garner for Second Life? With friends like Venkman, who needs enemies?
Michael Linden's involvement in the Sandvich destruction also raises questions. Michael was most recently sighted working on the road crew Linden Department of Public Works and not believed to be involved in Second Life governance. Perhaps he made an exception this one time - but why?
More to the point, mixed signals from the game gods were evident as certain Linden Lab staff including Tommy Linden had been sighted at Sandvich sim socializing with the sim owners and builders. It appears that Tommy Linden enjoyed his visit so much that he posted a picture to his my.secondlife.com profile at one point - then suddenly removed it. But the evidence lives on on in the Google cache. Is it any wonder that the Sandvich residents were caught off guard? In the hall of mirrors that is teh interwebs, who can you really trust?
Tommy Linden liked Sandvich sim - then changed his mind
Jim Jesus
Sep 29th, 2012
>Woah, GLE, some crack investigatory skillz you’re demonstrating there. As if nobody on the grid has any woodbury branded content anymore, it all must belong to real woodburies, eh?
>There was much plotting on the Queen Mary, such as what to eat for dinner that night. Some evil fucking shit there.
He’s using the same train of logic that leads him to believe that Obama was born in Kenya. What do you expect of someone who cries at political party conventions? He’s a fucking crank.
And Alyx, don’t act all high and mighty, you only quit because you’re pussy whipped .
EndOfStory
Sep 29th, 2012
Looking at your little rant-O-matic website Jesus Jim, I’d say the damage amassed on the inside of your skull most likely occurred during that so-called “Kansas” period. A lot of meth vapors waft up from northern Oklahoma and damaged many a kidlets brain.
Poster Boy much?
But in all seriousness, the real questions are this, , , are you “ranch” material or an out-of-work card dealer? or both? And were you one of the NTACs onboard the Queen Mary? (woulda been a easy trek in your busted down honda civic…)
Tizzers Foxchase: Rock Fresh | The Alphaville Herald
Sep 30th, 2012
[...] an unthinking knee jerk reaction – kill it with fire – regardless of the consequences. So while the Sandvich nuke job was initially hailed by JLU partisans, gradually the realization dawned that seizing property [...]
Jim Jesus
Sep 30th, 2012
@EndOfStory
White knighting for GLE? How cute. <3
Pedonymous
Sep 30th, 2012
My house is goooone… Why did Linden Lab have to ruin our fun just because of Fort Longcat? Now I’m homeless, I’ll never have that beautiful view of Sandvich again…
Alyx Stoklitsky
Oct 2nd, 2012
“And Alyx, don’t act all high and mighty, you only quit because you’re pussy whipped .”
Actually I just fucked off to an alt to go make money and be away from you stale, stagnant cunts.
Economic Engineer
Oct 2nd, 2012
@GLE
“It is a self-defeating behavior. Guys, try something new next time. The same old tactics are still not working for you. http://i46.tinypic.com/esmdlz.png”
First off, the TWH logo isn’t banned. Also it doesn’t really matter; it’s pretty obvious without any branding it’s us.
“You may as well paint a big target on your sim if it has one of these in it. http://i45.tinypic.com/2col8pv.png”
We haven’t had a permanent Woodbury logo in any of our sims since April 20th 2010. Why would we randomly allow objects in the sim that could obviously get us banned if that wasn’t the point?
Jim Jesus
Oct 3rd, 2012
“Actually I just fucked off to an alt to go make money and be away from you stale, stagnant cunts.”
Nope, you left because wifey said no more playing with Tizzers.
yttt
Oct 15th, 2012
PROTEST ON GRID ATTEMPT
http://tinyurl.com/problemchildkid
nikolas
Dec 3rd, 2012
You knobs deserve each other. Spandex-clad internet heroes and griefy lulzyvillains who apparently never got enough attention from mommy and daddy, so you seek it online. Why don’t you pastry-faced rejects just admit that you love all of this drama? Just have an SL orgy and get it over with. Stick yer pixel-yings in each others pixel-yangs. Be sure to invite Prok, Intblubber and some furfags too.
For people who claim that SL is “just a game” to them, you freaks sure do bitch and moan about SL related drama a lot. Why so serious?
NotoriousD
Dec 12th, 2012
Late to the party, and honestly, I was just bored and found this on a whim.
GLE, why the fuck do you see Tux and Tizzers around every corner and behind every account?
Do you realize how paranoid you sound?
Also, how goes spying on, infiltrating, and breaking apart groups? Still patrolling FurNation secretly by subverting bans?
okie dokey
Oct 23rd, 2013
Whit if the griefer groups took Dow so right now they would be fucking hero’s right now.