One of the really delightful things about this hunt, so far, is that we've received support from locations (many of them Femdom sims) that haven't taken part, as a hunt location, in a grid-wide hunt such as this before. This does mean, however, that we have to be careful when we assume knowledge on the part of all those supporting the hunt. Here at Z&A, we've been taking part in hunts for a year now, so it's second nature to us. As such, if you find yourself unsure about anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact us and ask. No question is too simple. Please, just ask away.
We've had a couple of people ask about what happens next as we head towards the start of the hunt, and how the hunt itself will be conducted in terms of how your items will be made available for hunters. Because of this we thought it might be a good idea, for those new to grid-wide hunts, to give some more detail about how this will work.
- The key dates can always be found in the hunt timetable. The next important date is April 8th, which will be the second walk-through.
- Prior to that date, probably a week or so before, we'll be dropping a pack on you that will consist of the hunt item and some extra information and instructions. This item is the object that, eventually, you'll be placing your gift in and hiding at your location. We'll have created it for you, will have named it for you and will have placed the necessary landmark inside it for you (your item will contain a landmark that points to the next location in the hunt).
- By the 8th, in time for the second walk-through, we need you to rez that object out, by the side of your sign, so that we can see it when we come by. This simply helps us know that all locations have received the object and are ready to proceed.
- After that the next key date is April 14th, the evening before the hunt starts. By this time we require that you've built your gift and have placed it inside the hunt object. The hunt object itself should then be hidden at your location.
- At midnight on April 15th (just to be clear, because it can cause confusion: we're talking about the midnight between the 14th and the 15th) the hunt starts. By this time your object should be set so that people can get their gift. More on this below.
We've had a couple of people ask about how the hunt item will be set to deliver the gift. The system we'll be using is the one that's used by the majority of grid-wide hunts, and the one that's easiest to handle: you'll set the hunt object to sell the
contents and set the price to L$0. Ideally you'll also set it so that a left-click will buy the object. This way hunters just click on the object (or buy it from the pie menu) and their gift is handed to them.
This approach sometimes raises a few obvious questions so we'll try and answer them here:
- Doesn't this mean that people can take multiple copies of my gift? Yes, it does. If your gift has no-transfer permissions (common for clothing and other worn items) this isn't an issue. For some it can be a concern if your item is no-copy/transfer. Most vendors handle this by, if possible, making the item no-copy/no-transfer. It should be said that, in a year of taking part in hunts, we've almost always used this system and have never seen anyone abuse it.
- Can I use a touch-to-give script instead? One that tracks who has had a copy of my item? If you wish, yes. We won't be providing such script and we do ask that you let us know so we can note this in the location list (this helps stop hunters getting confused).
- How can I see how many hunters have been through my location and got my gift if we don't use a script? Simply take a look at your transaction history in your Second Life dashboard.
- Does this mean that people who aren't in the hunt can get my item? Yes, it does. However, it's worth noting that there isn't really such a thing as "in the hunt". Many hunters will do the whole hunt. Some might only do part of it. Some people might be at your location, shopping or visiting, and might stumble on the gift and take a copy. In the latter case that might mean that they either get to try your build and will like to come back for more, or they might not have known about the hunt and your contribution pulls them in and they join in. Either way, they'll be walking away with something that might pull them back to your location at a later date.
Hopefully the above answers most of your questions about how the hunt will start. As always, if you have any questions, no matter how small, please don't hesitate to ask us. Just IM or drop a notecard on Zardia Avindar, Antony Fairport or Vila Pixelmaid. We'll reply as soon as we possibly can.
