RCAF is here to stay!

Some clarification is in order as rumors seem to spin out of control like a Biplane in a stall ....



The Royal Caledon Air Force is NOT...I repeat....RCAF is NOT leaving Second Life or our beloved Caledon.

We will continue our role among the leaders within SL Aviation and related Caledon roleplay.

RCAF is changing only a few things we do within SL.

1) We will no longer schedule multi-aircraft air combat (known as dogfight furballs) in SL after the New Year. This is the biggest change in what RCAF does, but please note that the change is only in SCHEDULING MORE THAN TWO AIRCRAFT to dogfight. Let me repeat a keyword in this....Scheduling Scheduling Scheduling...whew!

2) Pilots are always welcome to use group chat to find one another for a dogfight anywhere they wish, so long as it's allowed by the sim owner(s)/manager(s).



3) Air Combat will still be a viable option for the foreseeable future in Aeronautica owned by Mifune Thibaud.



4) Hard-Core flight simulator pilots interested in a different air combat experience may join us using IL-2 Sturmovik 1946, but this is NOT a requirement.



5) Many of our pilots are content to roleplay or do scouting missions in balloons or airships, never participating in our weekend dogfights anyway. This is all part of a dynamic and inclusive group as I've always intended. We're not ALL about dogfighting ONLY. We love to do many things within Caledon and SL.

6) When I began RCAF in conjunction with starting Connolly Aerodrome in Caledon Penzance, I could only dream of flying the planes I fly now. My previous computer would not allow me the luxury of the flying experience I enjoy today. I made adjustments then.... and I'll make adjustments in the future as my flight experiences decline thanks to the loss of Openspace (VOID) sims. Do I like it? Hell no! But whining and complaining won't do a frakking thing.

7) We will get through this together. We are a creative bunch of pilots and SL residents. I'm sure we'll all take stock in what we have here in SL and what we can do in the future (both within SL and using other platforms). Most things will remain in SL. Only a handful of things will move to other virtual worlds or gaming platforms.

8) As angry and sad as many of us are, Linden Labs will do whatever it does regardless of any of our noisy selves. I agree with Eladrienne. Caledon may change but we WILL survive as a nation. And Caledon WILL have the Royal Caledon Air Force as part of her protection and defense.

9) Whether this Openspace fiasco was a conspiracy or some messy accident, I have little trust in Linden Labs. Perhaps this will change over time.

10) As I've stated before.... my activities in SL are a hobby.... and I can take my money elsewhere if and when the time comes. For now, I remain.... And if I choose to leave SL forever, there are people I trust who will carry on RCAF and my vision for as long as SL remains a viable virtual world.

~ Zoe Connolly, RCAF

RCAF Pilot Briefing - Changes in January 2009

Attention all Royal Caledon Air Force pilots:

I will hold a pilots meeting at the Connolly Aerodrome following Sundays Dogfight (November 16th). All concerned SL residents are welcome to attend.

Reason for the meeting:

Due to upcoming changes to OpenSpace (VOID) Sims, our Organized Dogfighting Days will come to a close in January 2009. Come out and celebrate our last few weeks of multi-aircraft combat in November and December. I plan to capture as much video of our dogfights as possible between now and the end of the year.

We will still engage in one-on-one dogfights -- and with the growing number of super-villains, our roleplay within Caledon will most certainly increase ;)

We will also discuss our plans to use IL-2 as an offGrid air combat game platform for our dogfighting.

Air Combat for November 15th and 16th

Please note: Our Organized Dogfighting Days will come to a close in January 2009. Come out and celebrate our last few weeks of air combat. We will still engage in one-on-one dogfights and with the growing number of super-villains, our roleplay within Caledon will most certainly increase ;)

This weekends scheduled EDF and RCAF Air Combat will be Saturday the 15th of November at 9:00 AM SL time, Combat system TCS, Location: Skies of Tomorrow in Extropia, followed by another dogfight later on Saturday the 15th at 6:00 PM (18:00) SL time, Combat system TCS, Location: Skies of Tomorrow in Extropia.

Our dogfight on Sunday the 16th of November at 9 AM SL time, Combat system TCS, Location: Skies of Tomorrow in Extropia.

September (an IL-2 movie)

September (il2 movie) by jafaem

RCAF Ning Group discussions

The Royal Caledon Air Force Ning Group has come to life today as our pilot members ponder what to do next in light of the Openspace (void) sims mess....

Openspace and the future of SL aviation

TEOTGAWKI

IL-2 Sturmovik 1946

Air Combat for November 8th and 9th

TEOTGAWKI

TEOTGAWKI = The End Of The Grid As We Know It

We have a few weeks left to enjoy some of the beautiful Openspace sims in SL.

Changes related to SL Aviation....

As long as present Openspace sims exist, I'll continue to schedule air combat dogfights until the end of 2008. There will no longer be any organized dogfights for us beginning in January 2009.

Although our main events will obviously change, EDF and RCAF will still exist.

Our communities live on in both the EDF and RCAF Nings, and for those of us who wish for an air combat experience there is a discussion on the RCAF Ning on how we may continue to dogfight on the web. There is still hope for us die-hard pilots, but SL is no longer a friendly place for our activities.

My own outlook....

I am profoundly saddened with the news from Linden Labs.

I will make some subtle changes to the Connolly Aerodrome in Caledon Penzance as we move away from traditional flight scripted aircraft to hovering-scripted craft. No need for a runway.

Far less spending on aircraft for Zoe and her alts. Good for Zoe's purse. Not so good for aircraft builders.

I imagine a less-active pilot Zoe after the New Year. But Zoe does so many other things and really enjoys machinima production. So I imagine Zoe and her alts accomplishing great things in 2009 and beyond.

I'll make a purchase of IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 in the near future. I've been chatting with Cornelius Fanshaw and Phineas Messmer about how we could create an active online EDF/RCAF presence in a combat flight sim away from SL. IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 seems to be a good combination of historic and alternate history aircraft that appeals to so many of us.

IL2-Sturmovik : Retribution

Today we celebrate RCAF, Connolly Aerodrome, Caledon Penzance, and OpenSpace Sims in Caledon and across the Grid

No official Dogfight on Sunday the 2nd of November, instead....

We celebrate RCAF, the Connolly Aerodrome, the Opening of Caledon Penzance, and in light of recent news about Openspace sims. We celebrate our Void Sims.

Location: Connolly Aerodrome in Caledon Penzance

Our DJ's...

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM SL Diamanda Gustafson (Duchess of Caledon Sound and RCAF Squadron Leader)

4:00 PM to 6:00 PM SL Samantha Poindexter (First Church of Rosedale in Caledon Penzance and RCAF Pastor)

If you would like to contribute free items for the celebration, please contact me via notecard or email * zoeconnolly [at] gmail [dot] com *

Many thanks to all the pilots and supporters of the RCAF, the aerodrome, and openspace sims.

~ Zoe Connolly

"Avoid the Voids" - Accepting the things I cannot change (Part 2)

Adaptation: The change in living organisms that allow them to live successfully in an environment....

As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7

Jaques:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts....

I haven't felt like Logging into SL lately.

I'm thinking about what's next for Zoe Connolly. I'm approaching 2 years in Zoe's skin since January 21, 2007.

I've played many parts on the Grid....As a pole-dancer, Mistress, Girl with Guns, Steampunk Explorer, and of course SL Aviatrix for most of that time. Perhaps it's time for another avatar personae?

Celebrate Void Sim Freedom!

Everyone is welcome as we celebrate our Openspace (Void) sims and SL Aviation on Sunday the 2nd of November 2008 at the Connolly Aerodrome....

Start time:

2:00 PM on Sunday November 2nd

If you would like to contribute as a DJ or offer free commemorative items or signs for the celebration, please contact me via notecard or email * zoeconnolly [at] gmail [dot] com *

We party 'til we drop


My previous posts:

"Avoid the Voids" - Lessons in Lindenomics
"Avoid the Voids" - Lindenomics (Part 2)
Openspace Sims and the Future of SL Aviation
"Avoid the Voids" - The Void Sim Creativity Tax Act of 2008

Vint Falken's Openspace Sim Roundup Report

Air Combat and Celebrations for November 1st and 2nd

Everyone is welcome as we celebrate our Openspace (Void) sims and SL Aviation on Sunday the 2nd of November 2008....



On October 24th the Royal Caledon Air Force celebrated our first anniversary. RCAF was created prior to the Opening of the Caledon Penzance sim and The Connolly Aerodrome on November 4th, 2007.

Please note: November 1st and 2nd is a special weekend. On Saturday we have 2 scheduled dogfights. On Sunday we celebrate the past year and look forward to a happy and fun-filled future (In spite of the recent Openspace Sims Civil War).

The Schedule....

This weekends scheduled EDF and RCAF Air Combat will be Saturday the First of November at 9:00 AM SL time, Combat system TCS, Location: Skies of Tomorrow in Extropia, followed by another dogfight later on Saturday the First at 10 PM SL time, Combat system TCS, Location: Skies of Tomorrow in Extropia.

No official Dogfight on Sunday the 2nd of November, instead....

On Sunday the 2nd of November, instead of our official air combat, we celebrate RCAF, the Connolly Aerodrome, the Opening of Caledon Penzance, and in light of recent news about Openspace sims. We celebrate our Void Sims.

Location: Connolly Aerodrome in Caledon Penzance

If you would like to contribute as a DJ or offer free items for the celebration, please contact me via notecard or email * zoeconnolly [at] gmail [dot] com *

Many thanks to all the pilots and supporters of the RCAF, the aerodrome, and openspace sims.


~ Zoe Connolly

Openspace Sims and the Future of SL Aviation

Perhaps in the new SL, the only public events allowed will be those that allow sitting at meetings and hopping on danceballs....

In the Royal Caledon Air Force Ning Group, Cornelius Fanshaw writes:

"I'm sure everyone's aware of LL's new pricing policy regarding openspace sims as it's being debated to death everywhere, so I'm not going to go over all that here.
One aspect though that might have a big effect on where we can fly and I've not really seen discussed in relation to aviation is this paragraph:-

"Lastly we will begin to proactively discuss overloaded Openspaces with their owners. This is important because as with abuse of region resources, a heavily overloaded Openspace can adversely affect other Openspaces sharing the same machine which is clearly unfair to residents who are using them responsibly. We have listened to your feedback on this, and agree that we need to make changes to better support our Openspace users by actively working to keep the performance levels as high as possible. We will also provide some detailed guidance about what ‘overuse’ looks like and how to prevent it."

Now does that mean that if we gather in an openspace sim for a dogfight, it will "overload" that sim?

Will our dogfights become something that bring down the wrath of LL on the owners heads?

Openspaces are where we mostly meet, yet we know a lot of aircraft in one sim cause masses of lag. Is this going to effect Naval battles and motor racing or any big event on and openspace sim?

Are openspaces going to become no-go zones for events?"

"Avoid the Voids" - Lindenomics (Part 2)

In my post yesterday I wrote some initial thoughts on the openspace sim pricing and policy change controversy and there is an excellent roundup of reactions from Vint Falken.

I'd like to share some further thoughts today. As I said previously, LL can and will do whatever it pleases. But there are consequences to actions that go too far. Most notably, the loss of content and community cohesion.

Linden Labs: "Are they stupid or something?"

I don't think they're stupid at all. I think this is part of a deliberate strategy and it's about more than just the Void Sims.

I think the new people in charge of LL care little or nothing about hobbyists and social networkers on the grid. I wonder if they would rather see a grid community full of corporate reps and tech journalists chatting endlessly about server capacities and new ways to increase usage of virtual worlds. Well duh! LL seeks to destroy the very things that bring a wide range of people into virtual worlds in the first place! If that's what you really want, use a video-phone and chat with each other all frakking day. Roleplayers of any type/degree are in the way of their vision. I believe they may be thinking "If you care so much about your little RP/hobby, then put-up or shut-up"

Void Sims: Raise prices on all to punish the few

Why would they do this? Because they don't care what's destroyed in the process. Not their problem. If a few beautiful or interesting places are decimated in order to kill whatever is causing server-strain (or whatever the excuse is), so be it. This is their nuclear option, folks.

The Opening Salvo

These actions are all part of the new SL. We either adapt or we leave. For now I'll adapt and live with these changes until such time as my friends are gone from the grid or it no longer interests me to login.

I see a bleak future for SL. What was once a beautiful, compelling, raucous, sensuous, erotic, fantastic, intellectual, geeky, wondrous place....will make the long march toward a Disney-fied blandness. A place acceptable to businesses and political activists. A place where LL will not be embarrassed by media attention. A place where those left behind must hire people to create content, because no one will do it on their own. A grid where the residents who remain are concerned about building community after they've chased the community-builders away.

I'm not suggesting this will happen next week. I see this happening over the next 18-24 months. I hope I'm wrong.

Yesterday I ended my post with this:

The Big Question:

Is LL still friendly toward hobbyists within the grid? Will aviation in SL be encouraged?

Or perhaps it's their intention that the only aviation-related activity allowed to flourish will be Boeing and Airbus business meetings?

My interests are obviously aviation-related, but insert whatever passion you have to replace mine and create your own question and answer.

But if things go the way I see them going, perhaps the avatar of Zoe Connolly can persuade Boeing to setup a few sims for business meetings. Zoe can be the hostess, and maybe...perhaps maybe, we can still fly our lovely machines through Windlight skies.

"Avoid the Voids" - Lessons in Lindenomics

I shook my head when I read news of Linden Labs Openspace Pricing and Policy Changes (and a few reactions I've read)....

Most people know I do NOT like to discuss politics or economics openly. In RL I have a particular worldview that was once shaped by family (Democrat), then college (Republican), then work experience (Libertarian), as well as a circle of friends, books, periodicals, podcasts (the list goes on and on).

I love history, political science, and economics. I consider myself a liberal in a classical sense. To put it another way, I'm a libertarian with a small "l" ... not affiliated with the Libertarian Party, yet sharing in political and economic philosophy. So in the interest of full-disclosure, I look at this announcement with a certain "free-minds and free markets" worldview.

A few points as I see it...

First, on a real world level, LL is a private company and can raise prices as they see fit. LL must spend USD on wages/salaries, electricity, and infrastructure, so that we may all enjoy using Second Life. LL like any RL company, faces increased costs, economic uncertainty, and must act accordingly.

Second, as a RL worker and consumer, I also face economic uncertainty and must make economic choices based on my own needs and wants. My work salary has a certain amount of disposable income that - although not a fixed amount, is only elastic at the margins. My discretionary income can only go so far until I hit the wall of fixed RL expenses. Other than a few generous tips I receive from 2 tip jars and 20 % receipts from aviation-related vendors placed at my aerodrome, I don't make much money from SL, and although I'm very interested in business within the metaverse, I consider myself a hobbyist and social networker. Unless hired by a company doing business here, I'll remain so throughout my time on the grid.

Obviously, all spending within SL must be far behind RL shelter, food, transportation, utilities, medicines, savings for retirement, etc. Personally, I've cut back on certain things (some RL entertainment spending and a 2nd VoIP line) in order to pay for other RL and SL expenses. It's very likely more family budget cuts are in store in the near future.

Avoid The Voids!

My hope was to obtain land-rights to an Openspace sim during the very month that this increase is to take effect. Obviously, that's shot to hell. How many others will "avoid the voids?"

Costs (Taxes) and Discretionary Income

If you consider us all citizens of this virtual world, what is happening is a virtual property tax increase. Uncle M will raise your property values (and taxes)!

Higher costs for land-rights and higher tier fees. Just like a tax.

But remember that taxes control market incentives. And as you raise costs on already burdened individuals and families, only the wealthier among us can afford such things within our ever tightening discretionary income. I don't think the federal government will enact a bailout plan for Void sims. Heehee!

Like many taxes, the likely effect of this will slow down the inworld economy. For many like me who were strongly considering the acquisition of one or more Openspace sims for SL aviation, the decision has now been made. Avoid the Voids!

I do hope that others have enough discretionary income to continue. As an aviatrix in SL, I would hate to see a decline in Openspace sims, but I definitely understand their hardships.

The Big Question:

Is LL still friendly toward hobbyists within the grid? Will aviation in SL be encouraged?

Or perhaps it's their intention that the only aviation-related activity allowed to flourish will be Boeing and Airbus business meetings?

UPDATE: Vint Falken has an excellent roundup of the SLBlogosphere reaction.

Dogfights Past (Part 2)

Catching up on some air combat photographs from earlier this month....

The Mighty Eighth (parts 1, 2, and 3)

RCAF celebrates 1 year!

I'm proud to announce that the Royal Caledon Air Force celebrates our first anniversary today, October 24th. A year ago it all began!

RCAF was created prior to the Opening of the Caledon Penzance sim and The Connolly Aerodrome on November 4th, 2007.

An official celebration for both anniversaries is currently in the planning stages.

Many thanks to all the pilots and supporters of the RCAF and the aerodrome.

You make logging into SL a pleasure ;)

~ Zoe Connolly

Air Combat for Weekend of October 25th and 26th

Please note: This weekend we expand from 2 scheduled dogfights to 3. Two TCS dogfights on Saturdays and 1 VICE Dogfight on Sunday morning.

This weekends scheduled EDF and RCAF Air Combat will be Saturday the 25th of October at 9:00 AM SL time, Combat system TCS, Location: Skies of Tomorrow in Extropia, followed by another dogfight later on Saturday the 25th at 10 PM SL time, Combat system TCS, Location: Skies of Tomorrow in Extropia.

Our dogfight on Sunday the 26th of October at 9 AM SL time will use the VICE Combat System, Location: Aeronautica Sea Base.

Maximize Second Life Settings for Flight

This video illustrates the Second Life Client Graphics settings I use for better flight across sims. These settings lower graphics detail and increase draw-distance. I also recommend using the heads-up mini-map.

As in RL flying, you need as much visual information as possible while navigating in 3 dimensions.

Please note: Depending on your computer and graphics card, your mileage may vary.

TCS vs VICE (conclusions from recent engagements)

I schedule regular weekend air combat for pilots of the Extropia Defense Force and Royal Caledon Air Force. For several months we've tried both TCS and VICE Combat systems in a few sims.

We gave VICE Combat System a shot in our weekend dogfights, but next week (October 25th and 26th) we'll return to TCS as our primary combat system.

Individual pilots can always enjoy a 1-on-1 dogfight using VICE combat system, but our regular weekend air combat furball will use TCS.

A few thoughts....

As stated in the original RCAF mission statement on the CaledonWiki, EDF and RCAF as groups are all about flying and having fun. The EDF sister-group follows the same course as RCAF. Official motto: Altitude with Attitude. Unofficial motto: FSFP (Flying, Shooting, Fencing, Partying).

Recently, I've noticed a decline in participation among my regular pilots after using VICE. I understand their frustrations with VICE and will respond accordingly.

I've heard frustrations from builders on converting their aircraft to VICE. It takes alot of tweaking to make it all work. I greatly admire builders and scripters and respect their expertise and opinions.

As I stated before, individual pilots can always enjoy a 1-on-1 dogfight using VICE combat system if they require a more realistic air combat experience, but our regular weekend EDF/RCAF official air combat furball will use TCS.

Machinima from the EDF/RCAF Dogfight of October 5th 2008

EDF/RCAF Dogfight of October 5th 2008. Pilots of the Extropia Defense Force and Royal Caledon Air Force engage in Air Combat exercises in Extropia.

Pre-Production, Camera, and Video Capture by Zoe Connolly.

Post-Production by Phineas Messmer