How Big could we technically be?

[Paul Clevett]

Okay, so I've got a full-size enormous parcel! Yay!

I'm wondering what TECHNICALLY is possible. Okay Kitely at the moment limits me to 12 sims but from the software perspective how big is physically possible?

[Ilan Tochner]

Hi Paul,

Just a small correction:

You can have as many worlds as you want (it's not limited to 12, and each world (if it's an Advanced World) can be up to 16 regions in size (not 12).

We limit world sizes based on the amount of server resources we provide them (the world type) and how long it would take to start up a world. People tend to use an amount of content that is proportional to their world size so moving from a 4x4 max size to a 5x5 max size would mean adding more than 50% more assets to the world, or having worlds that are a lot more sparse in unique assets relative to their size. While that would be technically possible, we aren't going to start stuffing regions on servers like some other OpenSim service providers do.

[Selby Evans]

A 4x4 region is over .5 mile on a side. I have seen 8x8 regions on other grids--The main use-case for this is water area for boating. You can't put much content there.

To have a large area with lots of content, you need multiple servers. In opensim, we have walk-through teleports. Those can be used to connect sims. They are sometimes disguised as tunnels or subway stations.

[Paul Clevett]

Okay Coool yeah sorry about getting that wrong.

Walkthrough teleports are great. As I'm a Wild West Roleplay having the massive regions and prims has been nothing short of incredible. Plus having a *HUGE* amount of prims is also amazing!. So if we were to expand we could have walkthrough teleports. (or sail through teleports), can we technically have them take up the whole of the edge of a sim, so for example if someone is canoeing along and hits the edge of the sim they are automatically transported to another sim?

Lone.

[Tess Juel]

We limit world sizes based on the amount of server resources we provide them (the world type) and how long it would take to start up a world. People tend to use an amount of content that is proportional to their world size
...

I really wish there was a bit more flexibility here. I make efficient, optimized mesh and that means if I were to fill up a 4x4 with content I'd run out of space long before I use the server resources allocated to a 1x1. The 4x4 region I'm borrowing at the moment is filled up with a quite dense forest and it still usually starts up in less than 10 seconds and never more than 15. Looking at the Time stats for that region now: Total Frame time: 18.182 ms, Spare time: 18.134.

A friend of mine had the exact opposite problem. He filled up his region with such heavy content it sometimes took ten minutes for it to start. Eventually he moved to another grid.

But that being said, I know creating tailor made hosting solutions for everybody's would be a lot of extra work for you so I do understand why you keep it simple and only offer three standardized packages and I respect that.

[Paul Clevett]

Hi Tess, what forest are you using?

I'm making mine out of a combination.

On another note, I have like 120,000 prims I've used 15074 and the huge region boots up in I've got to say 5 or 6 seconds it's awesome. I have been a bit lazy with some of the mesh models I need to work on but on the whole very happy with both the service and the freedom to build what I've dreamt of but not been able to afford in Second Wife.

Ilan has been amazing so I'm so excited about the future of Wolf Territories here in Kitely.

[Tess Juel]

Hi Tess, what forest are you using?

I only use my own meshes. There's nothing on the market that is even close to meeting my performance requirements.
I'm trying to get my works listed on the Kitely Market but it may take a while. There's so much content I've made over the years and to be brutally honest, the opensim market is so small it's very hard for me to justify the time and effort I have to put into the listing process. And that's only the beginning of the job. I also ahve to find a way somehow to make people aware of my OPQ brand in a very conservative market dominated by a few long established and well known names.

[Tess Juel]

I have seen 8x8 regions on other grids

I've even heard of 25x25 regions and a friend of mine is working on a 16x16 now. But you get to a point where the land itself takes up so much server and viewer resources you barely have anything left for the content. And of course, making an itneresting and varied build on such a scale is no mean task. I only work with 4x4s now, mainly on my own private SoaS grid. Anything smaller is just too restricting, anything bigger too overwhelming unless I split it up into several adjacent regions.

Edit:
Totally useless and partly off topic tidbit, the total size of an entire grid is 268,435,456 km2. For comparasion, RL earth is about 510,072,000 km2.

[Paul Clevett]

Yeah, I have a 16 sim region but would love to go bigger but that's a limitation of Kitely. So if it's technically possible that's cool for the future.

I would love to go for something MUCH bigger.

[Shandon Loring]

So if we were to expand we could have walkthrough teleports. (or sail through teleports), can we technically have them take up the whole of the edge of a sim, so for example if someone is canoeing along and hits the edge of the sim they are automatically transported to another sim?

Hi Paul,
I don't think anybody directly answered this one of your Q's, but Yes, you can make the whole edge of the SIM one long 256m collision prim and wherever you bump into it, it will send you to wherever you tell it to.. within the same sim or another world.
(if you're on a sim bigger than 1x1 you can use multiple 256's, or megaprims even)

Caveats being:
- Attachments will go with you of course, but an object you're sitting in, like a canoe, will not unless it is attached to the avatar
- It is still a teleport, so there will be the normal teleport experience
- If the region you're going to is not already online there will be a delay while it boots up
- Latest OS version does some botchy things to megaprims, so that may not be a good solution

I don't know if your usage scenario lends itself to this idea or not, but you can of course have instant teleports within the same world, so fast you may not realize you were teleported.. So if you could somehow use water and such at different altitudes possible that would help you.

Our Spaceworld is a 1x1, but has several full region appearing levels, (Takodana has pseudo-simulated water) all TPs at the main level lead to different "worlds" on the same sim. Might be interesting for you to check out.

Seanchai homeworld is 4x4 and has LOTS of different TPs set up for different purposes, some touch, some walk through, some on the same region, some to different worlds, some to HG.. we even use TPs in extremely short distance jumps within "Senefers Tomb" to create a mini escape experience. And actually we have numerous "full sim" mockups at various places in the sky at Seanchai too.. such as Medievalworld, Desert Sands, Olympus, Starcade, etc

Would love it if you wanted to check things out, and if any of it is useful to you please feel free to give me a shout if I can be of any help.

All our worlds and regions and builds are accessible from our main landing zone at:
grid.kitely.com:8002:Seanchai

Oh, and one other thought, when it comes to water craft, esp. canoes/kayaks/surfboards/platypus I know no one better in SL or OS or RL than Kayaker Magic.. amazing creator and scripter and paddler.

Have fun!!

Oh and.. anybody reading this.. if you have time, please stop by any/every Thursday evening at 7pm for Live Storytelling - this month is of course GHOST STORIES!!