New Species of Lindo Virtual Flowers

By MajikVixen (Bluevioletvixen Lorefield)

This week, on July 11th, 2016, marks the new and very exciting release of the Lindo HUD v5.29 and new Seed Dispensers v1.6 for Terminal Owners.  This allows Players AND Terminal Owners to gain MORE Lindens!  Yippee! 

To recap on what Lindo actually is, it is a relatively new game designed to increase traffic and earn L$ very easily.  The HUD was made very simple and is beautifully flawless in its design and function.  You just add it, and click the watering can to water your virtual flower.  You are able to water flowers, in areas wherever the sun on the HUD is shining.  If the sun is not shining, you just click the "Get A Location" link on the HUD to teleport to a different place that has the sun shining, so you can water your flower.  One will earn L$ as it grows and reaches full maturity.  Then you verify a simple mathematical equation to start growing another seed.  The HUD does come with a few free seeds, but eventually you will need to buy some or pass a copy of the HUD to your friends to earn some free seeds (currently inactive, but will be brought back for a limited time).  When you withdraw funds, they come straight from your HUD, there's no need to visit an ATM.  This is a reliable game you can feel secure playing, as it is Alt and Hack proof!  Store owners set up a Terminal and Seed Dispenser, wherever they want to increase traffic.  They can set it to SIM or Parcel and add pretty much any amount of L$ they would like to, into it.

So how many lindens can you actually earn with Lindo now?  It varies according to conditions, but when one grows a flower by watering it regularly, earnings are between L$5-13 within an hour.  Current minimum earning ratio is L$ 0.02-0.08 for each growing step.  A player can earn more lindens by attending multiplier events, listed on Lindo's Locations part of their website.  A Terminal Owner can set a multiplier very easily, and it will be announced in group chat.  One can also improve their Experience Points with the release of the new Golden and Silver Seeds feature.  A regular seed gives a player 1x Experience Gain and currently costs L$2, which gives a Terminal Owner a L$1 kickback.  A Silver Seed gives 2x XP and currently costs L$4, which gives the Terminal Owner a L$2 kickback.  A Golden Seed also gives 2x XP, but it additionally grows your flower faster.  Golden seeds currently cost L$6, which gives the Terminal Owner a L$3 kickback.  The Weekly High Ranks have also been brought back.  1st place Player earns your regular rate of pay, plus a 50% rate increase of earnings (so if you made L$8 for one flower, that would be L$8 + L$4 = L$12).  2nd place earns regular rate of pay plus a 25% increase of earnings, and 3rd earns regular rate of pay plus a 10% increase of earnings.  Players can check their status on the Ranks part of their website.  As the week goes by, anyone in these ranks will get the increase in pay all week, as long as they stay in the ranks (loose the spot, and lose the increase).

Lindo certainly has come a long way since my husband JonCernunnos and I first discovered the very colorful Lindo Headquarters, neighboring our home in Bonita Beach, back in May.  As for our bet on who is making more money at their game, I reluctantly agree that Jon is winning.  Even though I have been playing for close to two years now, after deducting the cost of all my fishing equipment, Jon is at least, an astonishing, 5,000 up on me by having played Lindo in just these three months, ha ha!  Jon and I have continued to love working very closely with the friendly and professional Lindo team.  I am the Official Article Manager, and Jon helps test new improvements while participating in group chat and events.  Lindo has a great team of support agents who always seem to be showing up at events to greet the patrons and help support the shop owners' advertising and questions, in many languages. 

Lindo was created by a Turkish gentleman, Sofistik, about a year and some months ago.  He says he it took about four months to release beta tests and about two months of a stable version, and that people knew about it in the 4-5 month range.  He says it all started when he was trying to write some scripts for a girl and her roof-opening building.  A friend of his saw the roof prototype and told him it looked like a flower, which brought the totally unique Lindo project of increasing traffic, to life.  Now about 400 unique players join, weekly.  Sofistik noticed a few months ago, Russian, Turkish, German, and Italian people started playing.  Mainly, Lindo goes by word of mouth, as passing a copy of your HUD earns you free seeds (currently inactive, but will be brought back for a limited time).

Sofistik is always improving his products.  He deems himself "obsessive about the design to make things as perfect as they can be," and rightly so.  The future of Lindo is here, and it's great to be a part of it, as Player or a Terminal Owner.  Upcoming for the future of Lindo, Sofistik is considering allowing players to grow their own flowers to be rezed inworld.  We will keep you posted on new developments, but in the meanwhile, here's wishing you a green thumb!

Additional Information:
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bonita%20Beach/22/51/23
URL: http://www.thevirtualflowers.com/
ADDITIONAL URL: https://www.facebook.com/lindovirtualflowers/
Group: Lindo
Preferred contact: Sofistik , Jenni Witherspoon is the English Helper, Xaria2016 and many other helpers can be found at their HQ's SLURL too

MajikVixen

Addition: In December, the Newser was told that Jenni Witherspoon is no longer with the company.

Virtual Unreality

Sunday I was invited to the opening of an exhibit at the LEA 23. It was called Virtual Unreality and it was! 

 

 

Eupalinos Ugajin, along with Maya Paris, Marmaduke Arado, Kikas Barbanco, Trill Zapatero, and Simotron Aquila have created a playground for us. According to Quan Lavender, Eupalinos is a collector of art and then creates all kinds of fun with it.

 

 

You will find pieces by many artists.  Click everywhere and become part of the exhibit. It was a lot of fun with everyone participating in the numerous “sits “ all around the whole area. 

 

 

Many or the top artists in SL were at the opening having fun.  

 

 

Enjoy the sights and sounds. It will be in the sim for a while  so take some time to visit before it disappears. http://slurl.com/secondlife/LEA23/64/144/111 .

 

Gemma Cleanslate

Basketball in Second Life: The VBA

The Virtual Basketball Association describes itself as " the premier basketball league in Second Life." With the Alpha Cold Area as it’s home base, it's teams compete against one another, and strive to spread the word about their sport to other residents on the Grid. There are about thirty VBA teams, which have the same names as real life ones, such as the Bulls and the Knicks.

I met marketing VP Gladiola Mistwallow in the audience of the Virtual Tonight talk show. She invited me to see their place for myself, and a few days later we met at Alpha Cold. She showed me the arena complex, which besides the basketball court included locker rooms, a players’ workout room with functioning equipment, another workout room for the cheerleader squads, offices for team management, a mall area over the court, a recruitment center, a league club for fans to socialize after-hours, and more. In normal times, the court is plain. For games, a scripted one is rezzed. Near the entrance are the logos for the various teams.

Gladiola also showed me the practice court, which was in a skybox. In playing the game, one has to wear an attachment provided from a dispenser. Basketballs appear from players clicking on the dispenser and choosing to ress a ball. As in real-life basketball, the player can move while dribbling the ball, or stand still while holding it. While the ball is being dribbled, it can be stolen. To shoot the ball into a hoop, usually one has to go into mouselook and hold down the left mouse button briefly. If the player is very close to the basket, he may attempt a slam dunk, which needs no mouselook. Contact with another player results in a foul. The fouled player may make two free throws. Free throws are worth a point each. A basket made from shooting the ball outside the three point line is worth three points. From inside two points.

Later on, Gladiola introduced me to their VP of Development Emerald Ishtari, whom was willing to answer some questions about the VBA and it’s plans.

Bixyl Shuftan: So how did the VBA come to be?

Emerald Ishtari: The idea first came from some football team owners. They felt the sport was becoming “saturated” in Second Life. They decided upon basketball as it was another popular sport.

Bixyl Shuftan: When was it officially started?

Emerald Ishtari: The public announcement was made on December 15th 2010

Bixyl Shuftan: How has the attendance been?

Emerald Ishtari: Attendance has been good. The first game was over 40 people, and we’ve enjoyed a good audience since. Exhibition and recruitment games can have as many as seventy. Sim capacity prevents us from having more, but we keep seeing many different faces every time. We consider this a sure sign of a growing fan base.

Bixyl Shuftan: How easy would you say the game is to play?

Emerald Ishtari: Like basketball in real life, takes some practice and dedication. It’s not easy to be a truly great player. Much depends on the individual. It adds to the roleplay side of things, though.

Bixyl Shuftan: About how long would you say it took most of the team players?

Emerald Ishtari: I would say most got the hang of it after about a week of practice.

Bixyl Shuftan: Gladiola and I talked a little about the teams. I understand some are available for purchase?

Emerald Ishtari: Yes, several teams, three of which are still under development. Besides the teams, there are the dancers.

Bixyl Shuftan: Dancers? Heh, I saw the cheerleaders whom performed at Virtual tonight. ... Do all teams have a cheerleading squad, or just some of them?

Emerald Ishtari: All the teams have a squad of cheerleaders. What you saw on Virtual tonight were cheerleaders from the various teams.

Bixyl Shuftan: I take it they’re quite popular among the guys in the audience?

Emerald Ishtari: (laughter) Yes they are.

Bixyl Shuftan: What are the plans for womens' teams?

Emerald Ishtari: A Womens’ Virtual Basketball Association? Some of the team owners have been asking about that. We will be discussing it further with them.

Bixyl Shuftan: About how many exhibition games will be played until the season start?

Emerald Ishtari: At least one per week. In May, we’ll be setting up a training camp. The official season will start shortly afterward.

Bixyl Shuftan: Have any individual stars emerged among the teams yet?

Emerald Ishtari: I’m not sure how to answer that without showing favoritism. Let’s say that a few players have been shining stars, plus others have shown to be up and coming. Each team has it’s favorite go-to man.

Bixyl Shuftan: Considering SL's glitches, have there been any games in which something went completely unexpected?

Emerald Ishtari: Second Life being what it is, we run into them sometimes. There was one situation in which it threw such a monkey wrench into gameplay, the game was declared a draw and rescheduled. In a sense, it’s like the weather in outdoor sports. You never know what’s going to happen.

Bixyl Shuftan: Of the training camp? Was this for people interested in becoming VBA players?

Emerald Ishtari: It’s for official players, for getting them ‘in gear.’ Those interested in joining up can apply at Alpha Cold.

Bixyl Shuftan: So those interested can practice at the sim, and answer an application?

Emerald Ishtari: Yes they can. They can go to the skybox and play at the court for a while to see how they do. Then they can head to the recruiting center for an application of the team of their choice. They then wait until the team answers them.

Bixyl Shuftan: Do you have any other future plans you'd like to share?

Emerald Ishtari: We’re going to have an event at the Recruiting Center at May 1st, from 2 PM to 4PM. There’ll be a party, with team owners and staff. It’s a chance for those interested to inquire about being on a team.

Bixyl Shuftan: Sounds good. Any final comments?

Emerald Ishtari: Just our motto: “Go hard or go home! This is more than just a game!”

Bixyl Shuftan: Heh, well, thank you for your time.

For more information on the VBA, including times for future games, check out their website:
http://virtualbballassoc.wordpress.com. To get to the arena, head to Alpha Cold (237, 124, 22).

Bixyl Shuftan

Virtual Medical Doctor

Among the games at Madpea, one of the newest is the Virtual Medical Doctor game, sometimes called VMD for short. For gamers even slightly interested in medical fields and the human body, this game is a must. Even if you’re not, you may find yourself dropping by time to time. The plot: pilot a medical probe called a “Cheiron” which is miniaturized with you in it, and placed inside the patient where you work to cure the illness from within.

Whenever someone has a little pain in Hoshi, they come to the Tupol Hospital. You might not believe it, but there are a lot of patients in the hospital and we simply don't have enough doctors to care for each of them. That is why we need you - help us to get our patients home. We will equip you with the latest medical devices and Poseidon, who speaks 6 different languages, will help you to become a VMD.

Set at Tupol hospital, there are four levels in the building accessible by the elevator. One level is for new residents of Second Life, a guide on how to go about the Grid. Another shows examples of body organs. Another floor is one players will keep coming to: one with the background of the several missions and their patients. One also gets a HUD to help with playing the game.

To head to the game area, one needs to use the teleporter. Then head down the walkway to the scrub room for decontamination. After that, head to the one of three capsules, the game calls them “Cheirons,” programed for the location of your mission. The first two missions are in the brown-coded capsule straight ahead.

The first mission is simple, taking care of a 68 year old man with an upset stomach, "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." The real purpose is for you to learn how to control the probe. The Cheiron’s computer will guide the user on how to proceed. It is possible to lose by depleting the battery through too many laser shots. The second mission: to get rid of parasites from a case of bad sushi. From there, the cases get more serious, Mission Three for example involving a heart condition.

For players with slower computers, one may have to wait a few moments for the control panel to rez enough to be able enough to read, for those moments you need to inject a drug (for the first two missions, it’s the one on the bottom-right). And once when playing, I didn’t appear back at the hospital right away. But there’s not much to complain about what I can only call a great Second Life game.

And oh yes, one can pick up a doctor's coat and set of medical scrubs while here.

To get to the Virtual Medical Doctor game, head to Tupol Island at (120, 131, 0).



Bixyl Shuftan